Friday, 28 January 2011

Android Community

Android Community

Motorola Droid X Free from Dell

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 11:00 AM PST

Before we begin, note that this deal expires January 31st, so you’d better get a move on if you plan on taking advantage of it. This deal is for a Motorola Droid X carried by Verizon – free. A two-year contract comes attached to it, of course, and you’ve got to be a new customer – that’s a two-year activation and $29.99 a month data plan. If you’re already a customer, you’ll have to pay $49.99 and commit to the two-year activation with $29.99 a month data as well.

Our sister site SlashGear has a full review of the Droid X from back when it was first released if you’d like to take a look. It’s one bad mother. To grab this totally free deal, head over to Dell and grab it.

[Via IntoMobile]

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Nexus S Heading to AT&T Next?

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 10:18 AM PST

It appears that PocketNow has some insight into the world of Google and their distribution of the newest Google phone – the Nexus S. As far as they (and now we) can tell, three versions of this phone have made their way through the FCC: the original GT-i9020, then the GT-i9020T and GT-i9023. Evan Blass of Pocketnow did a bit of investigating and has discovered a fourth, which thanks to the Bluetooth SIG, he’s been able to identify a model that’s not appeared in any other databases – GT-i9020A.

The reason this version is suspected to be the AT&T version is the directions the other models are going in:

i9023 – Europe. And according to Best Buy,
i9020T – T-Mobile US
i9020A — more than likely AT&T

This would also follow as the first Google phone, the Nexus One, was released on T-Mobile and AT&T first as well, never quite reaching Verizon or Sprint. What do you think? Reasonable?

[Via Pocketnow]

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HTC EVO Shift 4G Permaroot by bcnice20 and Pals

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 09:59 AM PST

The smaller brother of the EVO crew, HTC EVO Shift 4G, has just received its first permaroot. This is thanks to the crew over at XDA Developers Forums, in particular bcnice20 and some dev friends of his or hers (Joeykrim, Toastcfh, scotty2, Guhl, preludedrew, and riggsandroid and Cosine83.) This means that you’ll be able to go wild and crazy with your device, hacking it all to pieces and putting it back together again as you see fit.

If you’d like to permaroot your HTC EVO Shift 4G, you’re going to need a bit of experience with the craft, as this is not your rare 2 clicks and your done sort of situation. When you head over to the XDA Forum thread and follow the instructions, be sure you’re doing so EXACTLY as they say. If you don’t, you’re phone is basically going to explode in your hands (or turn into a brick.) That said, tell us how it goes, as we’ll be here drinking soda. Have fun!

Grab the root by the roots [here]

[Via XDA Developers]

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Motorola Atrix 1080p Video Capture Capability to be Added Post-Launch

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 09:27 AM PST

As we near the official launch of the Motorola Atrix 4G, rumors and speculation are pouring in about the supposed features of the device. One of these is that the devices 1080p video capture will not be supported until after it's launched. For those who remember at CES the device was said to be able to capture 720p, but its processor could definitely handle 1080p, so why the wait?

According to the fact sheet on Motorola's website, the device does indeed support 1080p playback and video capture, but this feature will be added post-launch via software update. This is similar to how Snapdragon phones received 720p support after launch.

Now this hopefully means that Motorola is pushing hard to get this device to the masses, and soon. They seem to be not letting anything get in their way and anything that can be fixed via software update has been pushed to the bottom of their to-do list to launch the device as soon as possible.

[Via Android and Me]

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HTC ThunderBolt Coming to Verizon February 24th

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 09:14 AM PST

The HTC ThunderBolt was one of the more impressive devices we saw at this year's CES. Since its announcement, details have been slim as we near a release date, but now it seems that our friends at AndroidGuys have been told that the device will be hitting Verizon on February 24th.

As far as pricing goes, the official price is still unknown. We have heard rumors from the standard $199 all the way to $299 but we're expecting this device to ship around $250. Even though this price-point is a bit high, it is Verizon's first mobile device to feature both 4G and simultaneous data/voice, so it's understandable that this would be a "premium" phone.

Will you be picking one up, or is the lack of a Tegra 2 in the device and no 4G coverage in your area going to prevent you from making the purchase at the end of next month? Let us know!

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Costco Also Lists Motorola Atrix 4G at $149

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 08:40 AM PST

Costco has followed Amazon’s lead and has listed the Motorola Atrix for only $149.99. According to a captured Costco inventory screen, we see the Motorola Atrix 4G for AT&T listed at the ultra-low 2-year contract price.

Now whether this is based on official intel, or they are simply responding to Amazon’s listing in order to get it in the system we don’t know, but hopefully this will reflect the price of the impressive Atrix.

$149.99 is an insanely reasonable subsidized price for “The Worlds Fastest Smartphone,” and with the low starting price, it will leave users with more cash in hand to buy the accessories such as the laptop dock!

[Via AndroidCentral]

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According to Survey: Nearly Half of All Ad Clicks are Accidental

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 07:41 AM PST

We bring you an interesting report this morning regarding ads in the mobile space. According to a survey compiled by Pontiflex and Harris Interactive, nearly half of all ad clicks are being pegged as “accidental.”

If you have ever played a mobile game or used an application, you can definitely relate to this. Their survey revealed that 47% of all the 4000 users surveyed admitted their ad clicks were mistakes. In the younger demographic, 18-34, a staggering 61% of users admitted that they were indeed mistakes.

Now we all can relate to accidentally tapping an advertisement only to be shot out of the currently running application, but we put up with them because that’s the only way we can get these great applications for free of initial charge.

Do you think about 50-percent of ad clicks being accidental is spot on?

[Via EuroDroid]

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HTC Desire HD in Black Coming to Orange UK

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 07:18 AM PST

Just as what happened last year with Orange and the original HTC Desire, the carrier is now planning to offer up the Desire HD in an exclusive Black Edition. Their webpage has been updated with a holding page for the incoming device and it should be the same device just sporting a new black exterior.

The device is listed as "coming soon" and if previous website features are of any precedent we can expect to see the device in the next week or so.

What do you think? Will you be picking up the ultra-sleek Desire HD in black?

[Via EuroDroid]

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Advent Vega source code v1.08 released

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 07:11 AM PST

Advent has released the source code for the Advent Vega tablet, as promised late last year. The code is for the latest official firmware release, v1.08, which was distributed for the tablet earlier this week.

While of little use to most end users of the Vega in of itself, it does mean that the hacking community will be able to tease even more interesting mods out of the slate. You can download the source code here; Advent isn’t actually hosting it itself, instead relying on Modaco.

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Facebook for Android Updated, Added Deal Support

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 07:05 AM PST

Facebook for Android has received a small update last night. Bringing it up to v1.5.1, now you can get access to Facebook Deals from within the application. Deal support will allow you to get free offers, savings, and special deals from nearby businesses.

Also in the update are some general bug fixes that improve the application's overall stability.

To see if there are any deals, you use the "Places" feature to check in. Many businesses already use the feature and offer up deals such as two for one or free fries with check-in. It's worth checking out if you're anywhere with some friends and would like a good bargain.

[Via Facebook]

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Source Code for the Shift 4G and myTouch 3G Froyo Update Published by HTC

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 06:56 AM PST

Good news for everyone who loves diving into source code, HTC has published the kernels for both the EVO Shift 4G and the myTouch 3G Froyo update. to their Developer Center.

Both coming in at 82.2 MB they're available for deep analysis and use for your own ROMs. Only missing some HTC proprietary code, the 2 kernels are available for download now.

Check them out at the HTC Developer Center

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Samsung Gem spotted at Bluegrass Cellular, only $59 on contract

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 06:48 AM PST

Looking for the entry-level Samsung Gem? Well look no further as it has been spotted at the regional Bluegrass Cellular for only $59 on contract. The device will set you back $205 without any contract and is running Android 2.1, yes, Eclair.

Other specs of the device include a 3.2-inch touch display with WQVGA resolution, 3.2 megapixel camera, and supports 850/1900Mhz CDMA spectrum. Other internals include an 800 MHz processor, GPS, Wifi, and Bluetooth.

The device is also rumored to appear at Verizon sometime soon as a device has also been spotted with the Big Red branding. Will you be picking up this entry-level, or is it a little too behind the times for your needs?

[Via Android Central]

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Sony Ericsson LiveView update goes live: Bluetooth issues addressed says SE

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 06:38 AM PST

Sony Ericsson has pushed out the promised LiveView update, promising improved stability of the remote display and automatic reconnection of the Bluetooth link. There’s also support for a greater number of simultaneously installed plugins, now raised to 30.

  • Improved stability in the phone application (update available on Android Market since some weeks ago)
  • Improved plug-in handling and limit of number of installed plug-ins raised to 30.
  • Connection stability improved – most identified reasons for random disconnects should be fixed now.
  • There were some cases of random reboots reported, and all those reported crashes have now been resolved.
  • Compatibility with competitor phones is greatly improved, both in regards to stability and to battery life time.
  • Automatic reconnect when coming back in range improved.

As for those plugins, Sony Ericsson says there are over 30 in the Android Market today. The update will hopefully address some of the issues we experienced in our review of the LiveView over at SlashGear. You can find details on the update here.

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Honeycomb update for Notion Ink Adam a work-in-progress

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 05:30 AM PST

Notion Ink has announced it is working on Android 3.0 Honeycomb for the Adam tablet, though an exact release date for the software update is still unknown. The news confirms, however, that the Tegra 2 slate will bypass Gingerbread altogether and look instead to Honeycomb, Google’s tablet-centric version of Android.

Doing so would be is understandable, given Notion Ink’s work on the Eden UI and multitasking system, intended to turn the smartphone-suited OS into something workable for a 10-inch display. Notion Ink says it is working with NVIDIA at the moment for the necessary Tegra 2 polish.

The company has also announced that some Adam touchscreens were damaged in transit, and which will affect deliveries of certain pre-orders; Notion Ink’s touchscreen suppliers are working over the Chinese New Year to replace them. No word on other display issues some owners have reported, however.

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LiveViewGPS tracks your stuff from your Android phone

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 04:41 AM PST

If you are the security conscious type that wants to protect your important gear like laptops, cars, and other valuables from being stolen you might want to put a GPS tracker on the stuff to keep up with it. LiveViewGPS has a ton of different GPS sensors that will track your gear and even track people.

LiveViewGPS has announced that its GPS asset location devices can now be tracked directly from the screen of your Android phone. That means if your car gets stolen and has a tracker on board you can lead police right to your ride.

Parents can put the trackers on a kids bag or clothing and keep up with a kid wherever they are. The software for the Android platform has real-time tracking capability and can be used by companies with large fleets to track a driver and be sure they are where they should be. An additional module can be installed on vehicles called the RT5 to allow remote start, unlocking, and starter disable.

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Icera unveils world’s smallest HSPA+ voice and data platform for Android

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 04:18 AM PST

There is a lot to be said for small smartphones, to a point. None of us really wants a smartphone that is so small the screen is tiny and hard to use. Still, the smaller the components inside our phones the thinner they can be and smaller size often means less power is needed to run them equating to longer battery life.

A company called Icera has unveiled what it claims to be the world’s smallest HSPA+ voice and data platform for Android smartphones. The platform is the Espresso 450 and it uses the latest baseband and RF tech from Icera. Icera has unveiled what it claims to be the world’s smallest HSPA+ voice and data platform for Android smartphones. The platform is the Espresso 450 and it uses the latest baseband and RF tech from Icera. The platform promises up to 28Mbps with full quad-band 2G and 3G voice support.

The real news is the small size of the platform though with the smallest footprint in the industry at 700mm2. The Espresso 450 platform is the first from Icera to combine high-speed cellular data tech with a radio layer interface for Android. The platform will be shown off at MWC next month with products using it expected in late 2011.

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Notion Ink Adam torn down by FCC

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 03:36 AM PST

Like a bunch of you, we were excited at the prospect of the Adam tablet from Notion Ink. The thing looks really cool and has nice features. We were bummed that it kept getting delayed along the way to market though. Those delays finally disappeared not too long ago and the tablet landed in the hands of buyers all over the place.

The Adam tablet cleared the FCC this month and then quickly shipped out. What we didn't see when it cleared the FCC were the pics that generally surface along with the approval. The FCC has now posted up those pics of the Adam and Engadget says that the tablet is surprisingly ugly on the inside.

Apparently, some of the parts inside the tablet are soldered by hand and the connections aren't the best looking as you can see in the pics. I say if it works, I don't care what it looks like on the inside. Engadget reckons that the haphazard nature of the construction of the tablet may signal issues with build quality. Check out a couple of the pics and see what you think.

adam-1 adam-2 )


Samsung promises dual-core Galaxy S2 & new Galaxy Tab range for 2011

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 02:23 AM PST

Samsung has confirmed that it will be launching a dual-core successor to the Galaxy S in the first half of 2011, complete with a Super AMOLED Plus display; the handset is believed to be the Samsung Galaxy S2, tipped to arrive at MWC 2011 next month. Meanwhile, the company is also promising to “complement its Galaxy Tab with a range of devices to optimally meet various user needs.”

The news comes as part of Samsung’s financial results for 2010, in which the company posted record revenue and sales of 80.7m mobile devices in total. Predicting a tough market ahead, Samsung says it will focus on “increasing shipments of high-end smartphones and tablet devices.”

[via SlashGear]

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Samsung sells 2m Galaxy Tab slates in 3 months

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 01:38 AM PST

Samsung has reportedly passed the 2m sales mark for the Galaxy Tab, less than three months after the Android slate first went on sale. The news follows Samsung’s announcement of 1m Galaxy Tab sales in early December 2010, though still leaves the 7-inch tablet trailing Apple’s iPad in popularity.

However, Samsung might not mind that too much, given it has supposedly inked a deal with Apple to supply mobile processors for future devices; more, in fact, than it will be using for its own products.

[via SlashGear]

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Notion Ink’s Adam rooted & Android Market access added

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 01:02 AM PST

Notion Ink‘s Adam tablet has been successfully rooted, and with it the Android Market added to the slate’s software. The handiwork of NotionInkHacks, the root not only opens up Adam to modification but makes a few extra tweaks, for instance adding the Gingerbread keyboard as an option, and restoring the YouTube app.

There’s also a home switcher and Live Wallpaper support, along with a slight increase to the frame buffer rate which might just make the screen a little smoother. On the flipside, it’s expected that using the new firmware will break the official Notion Ink OTA updates, but we’re guessing that most users will be content with using offline updates if it means they get access to the Android Market.

[Thanks Kam!]

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