Wednesday, 12 January 2011

Android Community

Android Community

Google Translate for Android Introduces Conversation Mode

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 11:11 AM PST

Google Translate for Android has officially been available on the Android Market for one year this month, and Google is now updating the application with a new experimental Conversation Mode. We’ve seen a demo of this technology at last year’s IFA, which you can check after the break.

Essentially, Conversation Mode is a real time translating tool for ongoing conversations. It will be able to allow its users to talk to users of different languages and then the application itself will speak the real-time translations.

It’s definitely in the early stages of development and users will experience some accuracy problems when dealing with accents, background noise or rapid speech, but Google seems to be committed to further perfecting this technology.

If you would like a demo of Conversation Mode in action, check out the video below from IFA 2010, around the 26-minute mark.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[Via Android Community]

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Google Translate for Android Updated, Experimental Feature Added

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 11:10 AM PST

The first version for Google Translate for Android was waaay back in January 2010. Google lets us know in a report today that since then, they’ve added several updates to make the app totally easy (easier) to work with. They’ve added dropdown boxes to help select languages, improved the input box (somehow or another) and cleaned up the icons and the whole layout. PLUS there’s an experimental feature added on.

This experimental feature is no less than “Conversation Mode,” an interface that works to help you communicate with a person speaking a language you dont understand in real time. Heck, you BOTH wouldn’t have to be able to understand one another for this to work if it works. This feature was demoed a few months ago in a very early form, but it’s ready to try out now in your very own download.

Read more about Conversation Mode [here] Check the full app out now in your Android Marketplace by searching “Google Translate” or by scanning the QR code in the gallery below. It’s free!

image1 image0 qr sandwich6 sandwich50 sandwich5 sandwich4 sandwich3 sandwich2 sandwich

[Via Google Mobile Blog]

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Android 2.2 Coming to the Virgin Mobile Samsung Intercept This Spring

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 10:45 AM PST

The updates continue to pour in, this time, according to a tweet, Virgin Mobile USA will be updating their Samsung Intercept to Android 2.2 Froyo. The update will come “sometime this spring,” and with it, Intercept users will finally get theirs hands on features that many users have been enjoying for quite some time.

The big news here is that it’s a Samsung device. Samsung’s phones are well known for their delayed updates or lack thereof. With the device launching in October of last year, the update, coming this Spring, was exceptionally fast regarding Samsung and its carriers history.

We’re definitely expecting more information in the coming months and we’ll be sure to keep you updated!

[Via TalkAndroid]

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VEVO Now On the Android Market

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 10:30 AM PST

VEVO has just published their official Android application to the Android Market. Bringing in more than 25,000 music videos from major labels from over 7,500 artists, the new application is just what music fans have been looking for.

The application features easy social sharing to Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail and also includes links to purchase the videos on iTunes and Amazon.

VEVO will run on all touchscreen phones running Android v2.1 or later and a will work over 3G/4G and WiFi.

QR Code:

[Via VEVO]

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Sprint Slashes Galaxy Tab Price, Possibly in Prep for New Version

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 10:28 AM PST

As you might already know, there’s a bigtime rumor going around that Samsung will be launching its next generation Galaxy Tab at Mobile World Congress next month. What you might NOT know is that in preparation for this event (we’re hunching) Sprint has beat the competition (Best Buy, all other carriers) to the punch by lowering their Regular price to $499.99 – $200 “instant savings” to $299.99 – cheep!

More than likely this is also in preparation for the plethora of other tablets on their way (XOOM wowie!) and they’re just trying to get rid of their remaining stock. If anyone has a direct line to Sprint hq, tell them they can just ship the rest here, we and I’ll take care of them.

[Via Android and Me]

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Motorola Atrix 4G Commercial [Video] Released

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 10:07 AM PST

A teaser for this sassy commercial was shown at CES 2011, but heck, if you weren’t there, you didn’t get that good a look at it. This video shows a dude stepping up to an Airport terminal and putting his phone down on the conveyer belt to be xray scanned. The officer in charge of scanning looks at him with THE EVIL EYE. The guy doesn’t even care. He walks through security like a smooth cat. The officer scans the phone and WHAT THE!? Oh my gosh what in the world, that is so wacky!

The phone is a laptop? Oh my gosh that is crazy. The idea is that the Motorola Atrix is as powerful as a bigger computer you’d have to carry in a backpack is what they’re trying to get across here. “The World’s Most Powerful Smartphone.” That’s what’s up. Take a peek at the video here:

And don’t think you’ll get kind of look from an officer in an airport and walk away so sly in real life. You’d be bagged – and – tagged.

Screen shot 2011-01-12 at 12.02.54 PM Screen shot 2011-01-12 at 12.02.45 PM Screen shot 2011-01-12 at 12.02.33 PM

[Via ShareMoto]

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Sprint Event Promises Industry First [4G iPhone?] with David Blaine(?!)

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 09:56 AM PST

Uh… so this is weird. Invites have just gone out to publishers for an event hosted by Sprint at which we’ll all “See what Sprint has up it’s Sleeve.” It’ll be invitation only (like these things usually are,) and will showcase “yet another industry first.” And David Blaine will be there. Uh… neat? Chances are it WONT be an iPhone unless Sprint has some magical way to integrate 4G connectiveness without changing the iPhone hardware (that was the holdback for Verizon yesterday), it’ll be more than likely some other kind of wackiness.

On the other hand, now that I think of it, these invites seem to have only been sent out to Android-specific sites, so almost CERTAINLY not an iPhone (unless they just want everyone to punch them in the nose.) Or maybe it’s the Facebook phone!? No way. Any guesses as to what’s up?

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HTC ThunderBolt RUU Verzion 1.05.605.0 Leaks with PG05IMG In Tow

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 09:26 AM PST

Remember all the way back last week when that RUU from the brand-spanking-new HTC Thunderbolt [leaked?] Well now there’s a brand-spankinger-newer one out, and this one’s out with a PG05IMG right beside it! If you would like to get your hands on these lovely bits, just click on down below!

To grab the RUU have a click right [here] and to have a look at the PG05IMG have yourself a click right over [there]. They’re gigantic downloads, just like the first RUU, so beware. Also if you’d like a better look at the phone, head over to our ThunderBolt Hands-On post over at SlashGear.

[Via 911HTC!]

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JOYSTICK-IT Tablet Arcade Stick for Elite Arcade Madness

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 07:07 AM PST

Behold! A completely awesome idea made real by the fine folks at ThinkGeek. This is JOYSTICK-IT, a cool little piece of metal and rubber that acts as a stick for your thumb to control joystick-based games on your Android tablet! Definitely a plus for those who play such games and get a major thumb ouch after every 30 minutes or so of jamming the finger down against the screen. It’s a complete vintage fantasy, and I simply must have it. Just as soon as I get a bigger tablet.

This little lady is made of solid-milled aluminum and the bottom is a combination of rubber and bumper so as to not wreck your screen while in use. Take a peek at the video below, note the inexpensiveness, and get pumped up because ThinkGeek says this item shall be available by the end of January 2011!

My apologies for the terrifyingly present iPad in the pictures and video, but that’s what it’s aimed at, so we must be strong for the greater good of the world.

e75a_joystick_it e75a_joystick_it_detail e75a_joystick_it_inuse

[Via ThinkGeek]

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Sony Ericsson PlayStation Phone gets pre-launch teardown

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 06:38 AM PST

Sony Ericsson still won’t admit that the PlayStation Phone is real, so we’re guessing the handset that has just been torn down in China is a mirage. TGBus didn’t stop at snapping the XPERIA Play with some of its predecessors; they also whipped out the screwdrivers and opened the handset up.

No great surprises inside, with a Qualcomm MSM7x30 chipset and Broadcom wireless. We’re expecting Sony Ericsson to (sheepishly) make this gaming smartphone official at MWC 2011 next month.

[via Engadget]

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Sophos says Android will be targeted by Facebook-based attacks

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 05:55 AM PST

Sophos has announced that it thinks Android will be a big target this year for Facebook-based malware attacks. Sophos’ senior technology consultant Graham Cluley said, “The iPhone operates in a more controlled environment and the BlackBerry security model is fairly strong. Because Android operates in a more open environment, it’s more open to infections.”

Sophos thinks that malware will be sent to Android devices via Facebook messages and will be simple spam that relies on social engineering tricks. Sophos plans to publish a report next week outlining the threat in more detail.

Sophos’ announcement agrees with BitDefender, which published a report that said Facebook will become the biggest mobile malware threat. The fear is that Android users might get an infection that could lead to money grabbing schemes.

Via PC World

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NVIDIA Tegra Zone coming to Android Market

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 05:47 AM PST

CES saw a gob of tablets unveiled that will run the powerful NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and smartphones are coming with Tegra 2 as well. The problem some users run into on Android devices is that not all of the Android phones are created equal when it comes to gaming. You only have to look to Angry Birds to know that some devices just can cut it for mobile gaming as well as others.

NVIDIA will be launching its own section on the Android Market that developers and gamers should appreciate called the Tegra Zone. The section will feature game apps that must have Tegra hardware inside the smartphone or tablet to run.

This is a good thing because as long as you have Tegra 2 inside, you know your device will run the game app. At the same time, it will give devs making high-end games a uniform platform to develop for. I wonder if the games will be skewed towards Tegra 2 only titles or if it will include any app that will run on the platform.

Via Reg Hardware

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Ittiam Android-based video conferencing solution unveiled

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 03:53 AM PST

At CES last week a company called Ittiam whipped out a new HD video conferencing solution that runs Android and uses an embedded TI OMAP 4 processor inside for the first time. The new system is aimed at next generation devices that integrate HD video communications and embedded bridging for conferencing between users on multiple devices.

The system supports devices like smartphones, desk phones, tablets, smart cameras, video conferencing gear, IP set top boxes, and more. Using the Ittiam OMAP 4 platform users can use a single device for functioning as an end-point and as a bridge or MCU. The device can drive 4-way 720p video conferencing and the solution supports peer-to-peer 720p class HD video conferencing as well.

The Ittiam solution runs on Android 2.2 Froyo and the software can be updated to future versions of Android as well. Standard interfaces including OpenMAX and Audio Flinger are supported. The platform is an OEM and ODM solution that will end up running in products from various makers.

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Motorola Alpha and Mystery

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 12:23 AM PST

For everything you need to know about the affirmed existence of the phone known as CLIQ 2, head over to not only Images Leak but also Hands-On. There you will find that not only that this device runs MOTOBLUR, has a 3.7 inch screen and a 1GHz processor, it also has a titanium hue and a January 9th launch date on T-Mobile. Why am I telling you all this? So you can make an informed guess as to what this mysterious image is telling us – especially along the lines of… the real name of the device.

The image you see above is shot by one of TmoNews inside super photographers and depicts the Motorola CLIQ right below a mystery phone by the ultra mysterious code name Motorola Alpha. As David, the fellow on TmoNews who writes the article this image is in notes, it makes sense that one CLIQ would be right atop the other. But do the specs that you read here from our first-hand experience with the device he guesses at (CLIQ 2) jive with the price $399.99 retail? Or is this a totally different phone just happening to sit aside the CLIQ?

[Via TmoNews]

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Samsung Vibrant 4G to Come Boxed with Inception Movie

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 12:07 AM PST

In a strange move to promote their brand new (so new it’s not even technically supposed to be announced yet) 4G phone the Samsung Vibrant Plus, T-Mobile will be shipping the phones with the movie “Inception” loaded on them for viewing right out of the box. This is obviously meant to seem like it’s to show the power and capabilities of the 4″ Super AMOLED Touch Screen with 480×800 pixel resolution and Mobile HD TV powered by T-Mobile TV, but is it a ploy to blow the phones off the rack? Judging by the numbers and stats they’ve given on sales of the original Vibrant, we’ve gotta lean more toward the former.

But then again, they know what they’re doing, so who knows? TmoNews has leaked a spec sheet with notes saying that the original Vibrant has sold nearly 1 million units to date and is the “#1 selling Galaxy S device across all US carriers.” Wow! And what does Leo say? He’s struttin. Can you imagine being part of a film that’s so big, they’re putting it on cellphones? What a weird age we live in.

[Via AC]

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Samsung Vibrant 4G Leaked Via T-Mobile Spec Sheet

Posted: 11 Jan 2011 11:52 PM PST

Check it out, TmoNews has a sheet clicked showing the Samsung Vibrant 4G [aka Vibrant Plus]- and it appears to be T-Mobile’s first 4G phone that’ll give 21+ Mbps speeds! Not only that, it’ll be exclusive to T-Mobile, had a front facing camera for video chat via Qik, and it’ll be running on – drumroll please… Android 2.2 Froyo! That’s a Galaxy S feat and a half! It’s got a 4″ Super AMOLED Touch Screen, 1GHz processor, 16 GB memory expandable to 32 GB, and a 5 Megapixel camera on the back capable of 720p HD video capture.

Speeds on HSPA+ 21, 480×800 pixel resolution on the screen, and a size of 4.82 x 2.54 x 0.39 inches – with a price point of “To be decided.” In this stats sheet set they mention that they’ll be doing all sorts of promotion: TV ads, cinema ads, print media (magazines), digital and paid search, Hero placement in T-Mobile retail stores, product microsite, a robust PR and Social Media Campaign, placement in T-Mobile Scoop customer newsletter, and Co-marketing from entertainment partners like Amazon and Slacker (Radio.)

Inside the phone you’ll find Mobile HD TV powered by T-Mobile TV, Preloaded full version of the movie “Inception”(!), doubleTwist Air Sync for wireless syncing of music, photos, and videos, Samsung Media Hub, Amazon Kindle, and Slacker Radio. Lastly, it’s interesting to note that the document says that the original Vibrant sold nearly 1 million units to date and is “the #1 selling Galaxy S device across all US carriers.” What does that say about how well this child will perform for T-Mobile?

Will the pink and gray stripes wail out another winner?

[Via TmoNews]

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Android 2.4 Ice Cream SANDWICH is Next

Posted: 11 Jan 2011 11:33 PM PST

Oh Jason Kincaid, you lucky fellow. Kincaid is a writer for TechCrunch, and has firsthand heard (from no less than Andy Rubin, the Android chief) that the next version of Android (we’re thinking 2.4) will be called Ice Cream Sandwich. Up until now we weren’t sure what it’d be called at all, with best guesses being Ice Cream because of the whole alphabetical order deal (Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, and now Ice Cream.) This factoid was brought to the world via a simple passing conversation. Wild.

Kincaid and his pal Michael Arrington had been having a conversation with Andy Rubin about the Nexus S which came out recently of course, and the name just sort of… came up. How about that. Also I like how Kincaid is noting how because it’d be difficult to differentiate between images of Froyo (frozen yogurt) and Ice Cream, they more than likely decided on Ice Cream Sandwich – everyone knows what that is. Get ready for the simplest giant sculpture of them all.

Also, when’s the gigantic Honeycomb sculpture going to arrive? We’ve been waiting FOREVVVERR.

[Via TechCrunch]

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Notion Ink Honeycomb Delay Explained Along Android 18 Month Lines

Posted: 11 Jan 2011 03:55 PM PST

Although it seems frightening, in the newest update from none other than Rohan Shravan, for which the insides of the Adam were designed, Shravan notes that Honeycomb is a work in progress, and might take a bit longer than they think to make it publicly available. He notes that “for an instance, Android took almost 18 months to become stable on various Tablet platforms.” Hard and rough! He also notes that for Motorola to have access to Honeycomb (hi XOOM,) NVidia must first have access to make it stable on Tegra and remove all issues. Like we didn’t already knooow that.

Shravan continues by speaking on the FCC and CE rumors, which are true. Buying a product inside a country requires you to have these certifications, but if you do certain kinds of global business you don’t need these certifications. But Notion Ink DOES need these certifications and is waiting for these certifications before they can ship the Adam to many countries across the earth.

He takes a couple photos with the camera on the tablet (which you can see above and below,) and notes how he and the rest of the people at Notion Ink say that a flash on the camera is only used 5% of all photography. While we sort of agree in a general way, that’s totally absurd in a specific way. Flash is junk on most devices, but on nicer devices, even that camera he takes a photo of in the image below, the flash is designed to work well, not just blow out images.

Finally he lets us all know that Notion Ink is not just software, it stands for design! It stands for new hardware and for innovation! And “if Google is doing innovation on Software front, what would Notion Ink be doing on other fronts?? *smiley face here, lol*”

[Via Notion Ink]

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ClockworkMod Recovery ROM Manager for NOOKcolor Now Available

Posted: 11 Jan 2011 03:31 PM PST

Take a big peek, because Keushik Dutta, aka the twitter account @clockworkmod, has announced just a few minutes ago that NOOKcolor recovery is on ROM Manager. Joyous day! He does mention that the device must be rooted with Busybox installed – easy enough. For those not in the know, ROM Manager is the sweetness, an app put out by developers at ClockworkMod that allows you to find, download, install, and manage all of your ROMs in a fabulously easy to use user interface. Working on NOOKcolor? Heck yes.

Take a peek at this lovely lady made just for the rooted NOOKcolor, a device that’s made just for reading apps and working with Barnes and Noble books and magazines and the lot – but the hardware is just too appealing for developers to let that limited system stand. Thusly there were a root, and thusly there are a ROM Manager. ClockworkMod is a cool customer.

Don’t forget to take a peek at the “Week With” NOOKcolor review by yours truly. You’re gonna love it, buy it, and probably totally hack it.

[Via ClockworkMod on Twitter]

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Android Facebook Phone in the Works

Posted: 11 Jan 2011 01:30 PM PST

Behold! What you’re about to look at is from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, a submission dated December 23 for the INQ Cloud Touch – an Android smartphone with “Facebook built into its core.” Take a peek at the listing below.

Most of the information is really basic, talking about communication and bla bla, but the most important words are Android, smartphone, and Facebook “built into its core.” Hooray! This is from the listing:

INQ Cloud Touch is an Android smartphone built to make messaging faster and smarter. It's designed around the way people naturally communicate and has Facebook built into its core. The homescreen features multiple entry points to different Facebook functions, while a dynamic widget displays a feed of status updates, albums, videos and photos.

The design model is T2-219U and the listing date is, of course, today, January 11 2011. Check out the rest of the listing here in the gallery or over at Bluetooth.org – Listed by Martin Monteiro.

facebookandroid Screen shot 2011-01-11 at 3.25.13 PM Screen shot 2011-01-11 at 3.25.04 PM Screen shot 2011-01-11 at 3.24.55 PM

[Via Pocketnow]

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