Android Community |
- LG Univa Pictured in the Wild
- HTC Vigor clears the FCC, Verizon 4G LTE included
- Samsung Pure Breeze Android Launcher app Review [Video]
- Motorola DROID Bionic gets shredded in an iFixIt teardown
- Pioneer Electronics brings iControlAV2 app to Android users
- TripIt app gets UI update for easier use
- Google Maps update adds mobile Places photo uploads
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 injunction upheld in Germany
- Android Developers say Piracy a concern, iOS found more profitable for Paid Apps
- Motorola DROID Bionic Review
- Sony Ericsson Nozomi tipped with 1.5GHz dual-core and 342 PPI display
- iBall Slide Android Tablet has Ports Galore and a $300 pricetag
- Alarm.com app updated, includes Push Notifications in newest release
- Smart Bar Android 2.3 Gingerbread phone brings us back to 2007
- Viewsonic ViewPad 7e Tab $199 Pre-Order available at Amazon
- Motorola DROID Bionic Rooted with one-click-root [Download]
| Posted: 09 Sep 2011 11:09 AM PDT LG has another mid-range phone headed to the streets called the LG Univa and thanks to mobili we have plenty of pictures of the new Univa out in the wild. This looks to be the next massively popular LG phone just like the Optimus One. Some hands-on photos give us most of the details and mention a great build quality. Is this another mid-range phone for the masses?
With some hardware specs that include a 3.5″ HVGA display, 800 Mhz single-core processor, 512MB RAM, and Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread this is a nicely rounded phone. Comes with a 5MP camera on the rear (sadly without flash) and a respectable 1,500 mAh battery. Here is a few more photos for you to get a better look.
For now the phone isn’t official but these pictures look plenty real. The Optimus One was a huge seller across many different carriers and made the rounds to kids and families everywhere, this might have the same high sales fate. With dual-core phones being the big thing and last gen 1 Ghz phones being mid-range I guess it would be more appropriate to call this LG Univa an entry level device. It should hopefully come to market soon and most likely have an awesome low price to go with it. More pictures in the gallery below.      [via Mobili] )
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| HTC Vigor clears the FCC, Verizon 4G LTE included Posted: 09 Sep 2011 10:18 AM PDT Things keep looking better and better for Verizon and their upcoming 4G LTE lineup. The much anticipated HTC Vigor is appearing again today looking very alive and well. Last we saw it had just received Wi-Fi certification but now the HTC Vigor has cleared the FCC making it that much closer to a reality and in our hands.
If the original leaks are correct, this 4.5″ 720p HD display rocking 1.5 Ghz dual-core phone with Verizon 4G LTE will be a beast. We recently spotted it in a leaked Verizon roadmap with a early October release date and a replacement to the HTC Thunderbolt. We still can’t confirm that but with the specs seen above it sounds like the next flagship phone from HTC that is for sure. The FCC filing didn’t reveal much other than the already heard rumors about Verizon 4G LTE. We didn’t get any sort of confirmation regarding any further specs but hopefully we will soon enough. A few weeks back some photos appeared with a sticker claiming it was the HTC Vigor, we aren’t completely sold on that and expect it to be the Incredible HD or something else. Hopefully more pictures and details come forward soon on this powerhouse phone the HTC Vigor. [via Engadget] )
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| Samsung Pure Breeze Android Launcher app Review [Video] Posted: 09 Sep 2011 10:18 AM PDT If there’s one thing that device manufacturers across the board are NOT known for, it’s optional user interfaces. Instead it’s nearly always a face over the top of Android that, if you’re not too keen on hacking your device, you’re sort of stuck with. Of course manufacturers don’t want you to see it that way, promoting their devices alongside their user interfaces as added value – take TouchWiz for example on Samsung devices (video included below aside Pure Breeze video). TouchWiz is what Samsung places on the vast majority of their Android devices, namely their Galaxy S II line coming to the USA this month and the Infuse 4G which we’re using for this hands-on look at what Samsung has silently released as a brand new Launcher – Pure Breeze!
What you’ve got here is a launcher like you may likely have never seen before. If you’re not the type to go hacking or have never heard of ADW Launcher EX, you’ve probably only used the interface given to you by the manufacturer out of the box. What Pure Breeze does is give you another option for how you go about using your phone, especially in regards to how apps are managed. What you get, quite simply, is a set of drawers / folders that you can name and color-code, each of these situated around a single apps drawer with all of your apps and a single “Kite” screen which takes the place of your homescreen(s).
This app, as you’ll see in the hands-on video here in this post, this app is both refined in its execution and slightly sparse in its abilities – this makes us feel like Samsung has released this application as a sort of test to see how real-world consumers liked dealing with the interface, meanwhile not promoting the interface to the full extent that most Samsung official releases get so that they’ll be able to show off its lovely glory to the fullest once its reached a point where the vast majority of users love it. The video below shows features you’ll be getting with the newest version of Samsung’s more famous user interface TouchWiz, new features outlined here specifically for the USA release of the Samsung Galaxy S II. An interesting bit to note here, and again you’ll get to see this briefly in the hands-on video above, is that you can, if you wish, use TouchWiz (or whatever launcher you use usually) and Pure Breeze concurrently. They do not interrupt one another and can add a bit of odd flavor to your everyday app tapping experience. Check out the lite version of the full version of Pure Breeze on the Android Market today, and let us know what you think! BONUS here’s Samsung’s official YouTube spot for Pure Breeze as well:
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| Motorola DROID Bionic gets shredded in an iFixIt teardown Posted: 09 Sep 2011 10:02 AM PDT Now that this week as well as the past month we’ve seen every side and angle imaginable of the Droid Bionic how about we take a look at the inside. I’ve always wanted to inside of something that “rules all machines” and today thanks to the popular iFixIt we have a full teardown treatment of the DROID Bionic.
If you are one of the many that like to see under the hood and exactly what makes these smartphones tick then be sure to check out the full teardown. It’s actually quite interesting as well as helpful should anyone decide to teardown their own one day or need to repair anything themselves. Like most phones once figured out the process seems fairly simple, although I wont be trying it on my own any time soon. I did however root my Bionic already and you can do the same in about 3 minutes by clicking here. After all of the waiting the Bionic is finally here, buy it now for $299 at Verizon or even $179 from Amazon. As always us amazing folks at Android Community already have a full review of the Bionic should you have any doubts on buying one or not. Apparently all you need is a screwdriver and a hammer to tear apart this superphone (kidding on the hammer).    Device Info
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 [via iFitIt] )
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| Pioneer Electronics brings iControlAV2 app to Android users Posted: 09 Sep 2011 06:20 AM PDT If you are an Android user that has Pioneer home theater or audio components in your home the company has announced it previously iOS only app is now available for Android. The app is called iControlAV2 and is a free download. The app will only work with compatible gear and the full list of compatible products is on the Android Market app page.
The app does require Android 2.2 or higher device to operate. If your receiver and Android device is compatible the app allows you to control all sorts of functions of the app from across the room including volume, bass, balance, and room settings. You can change inputs and control the volume of individual components as well. Receivers with the ability to be controlled by the app are available now starting at $549. The app will not work with any Pioneer devices launched before March of 2011. Android devices the app is confirmed to work on include the HTC Desire / HTC EVO 4G / SAMSUNG GALAXY S / MOTOROLA DROID X. The app requires a wireless network to operate and the receiver needs to be web connected via WiFi or Ethernet. )
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| TripIt app gets UI update for easier use Posted: 09 Sep 2011 03:40 AM PDT If you travel a lot, you might appreciate the app called TripIt that helps to organize your travel arrangements for you. This might be the perfect app for pros that travel a lot on business or pleasure. The new UI update was announced this week with the goal of making the app easier to use. The app lets you navigate between your itineraries and connections and TripIt Pro users have access to reward program points.
There is a free version of this app and a paid version of the app for $3.99. This looks much better than having to whip out my printed itinerary to recall when my connection flight leaves and what gate the flight is at. The company has also offered up some stats on the use of its app along with the update. The company says that Android users tend to be in their late 20′s and early 30′s where as the iPhone users tend to be in their late 30′s to early 40′s. The company also notes that Android users travel less frequently than other smartphone users with 21% traveling 15 times or more each year compared to 23% of iPhone users and 36% of Blackberry users. Android users also take less leisure trips than iPhone users. )
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| Google Maps update adds mobile Places photo uploads Posted: 09 Sep 2011 03:25 AM PDT Google Maps for Android has been updated, tweaking the mapping appearance and adding the ability to add photos to places listings while mobile. Google Maps v5.1 introduces an “Add a photo” button next to the “Check in here” option in individual business listings, allowing you to choose from an existing picture or snap a new one with your phone’s camera.
Those uploaded images are then included in the gallery of shots stored for each listing. The change follows news of Google’s acquisition of Zagat, the restaurant rating company, yesterday, which is expected to be integrated into the range of location-based services offered on Android handsets. For now, though, it’s user-generated reviews that take center stage, with this new feature allowing you to show exactly what you ate and where you ate it, rather than describe it. You can update your Android phone to Google Maps v5.1 through the Android Market.    )
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 injunction upheld in Germany Posted: 09 Sep 2011 03:04 AM PDT Samsung has been denied relief from the injunction that Apple won against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany. The courts in Düsseldorf presiding over the case upheld the injunction against Samsung and Netbook News reports that the judge in the case didn't need much time to make the ruling. Apparently, the judge remarked that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 “smooth, simple surfaces” copied the minimalistic design of the iPad 2.
The end result of the ruling is that Germans wanting the Galaxy Tab 10.1 still can't get hands on one without importing. It’s worth noting that the initial ruling that banned the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in all of Europe is not in force. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 was pulled from display at IFA 2011 and the display for the tablet was covered with a sheet recently due to the Apple injunction against the Tab 10.1 tablet. That is a signal that the legal war might spill over onto other products in the Samsung line. Samsung has noted that the design of the Tab 7.7 isn’t finalized. It would seem that a redesign to change the style of the tablet is in order. So far, there have been no public comments from Samsung or Apple on the injunction being upheld. I am sure there will be more detail surfacing on this in the coming weeks. [via SlashGear] )
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| Android Developers say Piracy a concern, iOS found more profitable for Paid Apps Posted: 08 Sep 2011 05:47 PM PDT There’s a brand new study out right this very moment done up by Yankee Group and Skyhook which has found Apple users downloading paid apps on the average six times more than their Android counterparts. This same study, as published today, found that users in the USA downloaded approximately 40 apps a year per user, and that Android developers made and continue to make “much less” money from the sales of paid apps than their Apple iOS developer friends. A further study done on 75 Android developers showed “rampant piracy” of Android apps to be the reason why there’s a gap between the two camps.
Skyhook and Yankee Group have found several points that would lead any onlooker to see clearly that Google may not be doing their job as far as keeping the Android Market landscape goes – piracy being a problem we’ve covered here on Android Community more than once, of course. What they’ve actually found is the following: of the 75 Android developers questioned, 27 percent saw piracy as a “huge problem while another 26 percent have seen piracy as “somewhat of a problem”. When questioned as far as how they feel about Google’s involvement, fifty-three percent said that Google is “too lax” on its Android Market policies. One third of these developers questioned said that piracy has cost them “in excess of $10,000 in revenue”. This same group had thirty-two percent saying piracy “increases their support costs” and another quarter said they “see increased server costs due to heavy loads imposed by pirated copies”. Yankee Group director of research Carl Howe, also the author of a report by the name of “Android Piracy: How Republished Apps Steal Revenue and Increase Costs”, noted the following on the situation:
Are you an Android developer? Let us know what you think! [via SlashGear] )
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| Posted: 08 Sep 2011 05:22 PM PDT Motorola has finally released the much anticipated Droid Bionic. Now that it’s finally here we aim to take a deeper look into the hardware, software, and all the accessories to see if this 4G powered superphone can really “rule all machines” as Verizon has been claiming. The commercial is clever and neat but it’s all about the phone when it comes down to it. Read on below for plenty of details during our review, as well as tons of photos and some in-depth video hands-on.
We first saw the Bionic back at CES 2011 but sadly it was quickly delayed more than a few times. Now we have it here and in the flesh, or plastic I should say. We’ve given it a solid look over and ran some benchmarks on this beast to see if the wait was worth it. We’ll start with the video and then get into the goods later.
Droid Bionic hands-on with accessories Hardware Obviously the hardware is excellent as most Motorola phones are. At first you’ll quickly notice how similar to the Droid X and Droid X2 the Bionic really is and you can tell where the inspiration for the design came from. With a similar layout DROID users should all feel right at home.
Just like the others we have the micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports on the left side. These are used for charging and sync, HDMI-out for video playback up to 1080p and even mirror mode for games and apps. Around to the right side just like its smaller siblings we have a clean, simple, and elegant design with nothing but the aluminum volume up/down rocker. It’s conveniently placed right as the curve around back starts up to give it a natural placement that is easy to access while holding the phone. Nothing on the bottom but the microphone pinhole shown in the image above. Then up top we have the usual 3.5mm headphone jack and power/wake button. The placement of the power button is nice but with the battery cover curve right there you naturally leave your finger right on the curve and it sits a bit short from the button and makes it feel like you’re reaching extra far when in reality your not, overall this was not an issue for me either but worth noting. On the rear we have the rest of the goods such as an 8 MP camera lens capable of 1080p video capture with dual LED flash, a noise cancellation pinhole, and the speaker grill. That and a few brand tags of course like Verizon, 4G LTE, and with Google. Like all previous Motorola phones the back has a nice soft touch matte black design that feels good, and is scratch resistant.         We all know plenty about this powerhouse and its specs under the hood but how about a little recap? We have the new TI OMAP 4430 1.0 Ghz dual-core processor powering all the goods along with 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a 16GB micro-SD included for 32GB of total storage. 8 MP camera with VGA for video chat, a brilliant, bright, and crisp 4.3″ qHD 540 x 960 resolution display. While it’s still a pentile display and struggles with the color green everything looks amazing. As for size its around 13.3mm (just a tick over half an inch) and it only tapers down around 11.3mm at the thinnest point. The Droid X models both are under 11mm and the new Galaxy S II’s all are under 10mm thick, but they don’t have 4G LTE inside. While the display isn’t a Samsung AMOLED we still found the colors and resolution to be quite excellent. The contrast in colors doesn’t match the AMOLED but everything else does just fine. Instead of an NVIDIA Tegra 2 like the Photon 4G, or a Qualcomm like the Sensation 4G we have the a Texas Instrument OMAP 4 series CPU in the Bionic that performs very well. We will go over benchmarks shortly. Software and Performance With Android 2.3.4 we have Google Talk video chat included that works great with the VGA front facing camera. As far as pre-installed applications we have the usual Verizon bloatware like the 4 or so different V CAST apps for music, video and more. Amazon Kindle and Blockbuster are also pre-installed and quickly I removed those. We do have some useful bloatware such as NFL Mobile (something I wish all carriers had) Citrix GoTo Meeting, Motoprint wireless printing, Slacker Radio and even QuickOffice. Pictures of the pre-installed apps can all be seen in the finally gallery below. Performance Quadrant Pro scored well over 2700 on my Bionic which was decent compared to the G2x and Droid X2 that both scored around 2200 with the NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU. While Quadrant isn’t extremely accurate everyone still loves to use it and we all get different results. I wasn’t able to break 2300 on any stock Tegra 2 phones but our readers all have. The Sensation scores around 2400 on Quadrant so the TI OMAP 4 does a great job and is second only to the Galaxy S II from initial stock testing. We have very similar results across the board with the DROID Bionic, beating most phones currently available in all the benchmarks we ran except for the Galaxy S II. For now the SGSII is still king and when those upgraded 1.4 Ghz models land it will be even better. The only benchmark it performs poorly is Vellamo and for some reason barely kept up with the single-core old-school phones. Next we have in order: CF Bench, Smartbench 2011, and Vellamo.    Camera and Battery Life    Bionic 1080p video recording Battery Life Accessories First up the HD Multimedia Dock. It will run $99 dollars and can be used as the hub for your phone. With 3 USB-out ports as well as HDMI and audio out you can stream images, movies, videos, games and more right to your HDTV or anything that accepts Micro HDMI. This also triggers the webtop app for full-screen web browsing with Firefox and more basically making the Droid Bionic a mobile computer.
It also comes with an included power source and a remote for controlling everything. With standard android buttons as well as media playback and navigation you’ll never need to move from the couch. Thanks Motorola!    The Standard Dock will be $39 and features the same great build quality and exact design of the HD Dock but is missing the outputs on the back as well as having no HDMI. This dock is mainly for those wanting it for their desk, office, or bedside and has an awesome alarm mode once placed in the dock. Without HDMI it doesn’t activate the webtop application so that is where you’ll need either the $19.99 webtop adapter or buy the HD Dock.   The Navigation Car Dock will also be priced at $39.99 and is exactly the same as the Atrix, and the Photon 4G model with some slight curves to the plastic to fit the frame of the DROID Bionic. It features dash and windshield mounts and comes with extra pads too. An included car charger and extra long 3.5mm stereo cable for audio out is also provided making it a decent deal. The Car dock has a strong latch that securely locks the phone in place and will prevent any accidents or falls. Docking enables the navigation menu and is a nice car user interface for easy and safe navigation.    Last but not least we have the Motorola Lapdock mini-laptop accessory. This will run you a hefty penny at $299 and personally I feel this is still way too much. I understand it’s all about convenience but when your average dual-core netbook or cheap laptop costs around $349 for the full experience I just feel $299 is a bit much for the Lapdock. It does however have great build quality, stereo speakers, a huge 37 mh battery that will charge your Bionic and a nice chicklet style keyboard for easy typing. This will get its own full rundown and review at a later date but for now check out my extensive unboxing video and the photos below.
      4G LTE Results I’m getting home internet type speeds of around 12 Mbps download and 2-3 Mbps Upload on the Bionic. Something many of my friends don’t even get at home. Check out these results below.
I have noticed around my home here in Vegas I seem to lose 4G LTE quite often and it switches over to 3G coverage as you can see I’m on 3G in some of my screenshots. Throughout town I have 4G almost everywhere so it could just be my neighborhood as inside local stores I had full 4G still. All of the above speedtest results were using 4G LTE and they are pretty stellar. Topping 13 Mbps with a cell phone is awesome and I can’t wait to see more in the future as LTE develops and continues to grow. Wrap-Up The DROID Bionic is everything I expected it to be and more, sadly we just had to wait forever and it this was released in June instead, it would have been HUGE! The Bionic is what I expected the Droid X2 to be but wasn’t. The Bionic is the best all around choice to date and will make ANY user extremely happy for now. Coming out this late we now have the Samsung Galaxy S II and the new Galaxy Note on the horizon so that makes the choice a little harder for some. In the end it comes down to user needs, preference, and if they are willing to wait even longer now that the DROID Bionic is finally here. I’d say buy with confidence and enjoy it while it lasts.
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| Sony Ericsson Nozomi tipped with 1.5GHz dual-core and 342 PPI display Posted: 08 Sep 2011 02:14 PM PDT It should go without saying that 342 PPI on a smartphone display is big, it’s bad, it’s amazing. One of the things that makes the iPhone such a blockbuster device (amongst many things, I’m sure) is the fact that it (the iPhone 4, that is) has a 326 PPI on its display. That’s THICK and it makes brightness and sharpness tip and top. What we’re to understand today is that Sony Ericsson will be punching that PPI (pixels per inch) directly in the nose with a device currently code-named Nozomi. Will this dual-core 1.5GHz device bring the beatdown, or will it come out much, much too late?
As all smartphone purchasers, lovers, and collectors must understand, these past few years have proven one thing above all else: it’s all about timing. If you release an awesome phone 5 months later than you initially intended, it’ll likely have had its specs trumped by several different manufacturers in the meantime. When it comes to Android devices, this is doubly so as the difference between 1GHz and 1.5GHz or even 1.2GHz can be a big one (on paper, at least.) That’s why it’s just about as important as it possibly can be that a device such as this be released AS FAST as possible. This device, supposedly called the Sony Ericsson Nozomi, will be coming out inside March 2012 (inside or outside the USA we’re not sure) with a 1.5GHz dual-core processor (this being the first dual-core processor on a Sony Ericsson device) along with a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 pixel resolution display (again, therefore 324 PPI). This device is also set to have 1GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, and will have micro-SIM capabilities. It’s good that this device has 32GB of internal storage because it’s got no memory card options otherwise. You’ve got NFC inside alongside a 1750mAh battery and if Sony Ericsson continues its trend of releasing “hero” phones in March as 2010′s March played host to the Xperia X10 and the 2011 March showed the Xperia arc and Xperia PLAY. Xperia blog says that their source on this information is solid as they’ve provided reliable information in the past – feel the trust! Also, the image above is from from a Xperia Neo review on our sister site SlashGear. [via Xperia Blog] )
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| iBall Slide Android Tablet has Ports Galore and a $300 pricetag Posted: 08 Sep 2011 01:42 PM PDT If there’s one sort of device that we’ve over this past year come to find we’re in no shortage of, it’s Android “tablets”. I put quotation marks around that word because as Android evolves and groups like Samsung bring out devices that bridge the gap, the word “tablet” will be used less and less by publishers while “Android device” used in a general sense will become much more likely a term for news releases. What we’ve got here, before that wave covers us all, is an Android device which has a 7-inch display, runs Android 2.3.x Gingerbread, and has about as many ports as you could ask for along the side.
This device might look familiar if you’re the sort of person that believes in the aspect-ratio-means-copying sort of position many manufacturers are finding themselves the victim of in court cases over patents lately, but when you take a look at the odd features here and there, you may well have the most awesome little do-it-all device yet to come out of manufacturer iBall. Actually since iBall’s only device even close to this Android tablet is the odd digital note taker “TakeNote” and they’ve had no Android devices before this, this certainly IS their greatest Android effort to date. This device features 8GB built-in storage, a 2 megapixel front-facing camera, USB host port, HDMI output (full sized port), miniUSB, headphone jack, power jack, and a port we can’t quite get a good enough look at to confirm. It’s also got the ability to work with microSD cards, has a pretty decent sized 4400 mAh battery under the hood, and it supports 3G via USB dongle – strange for the USA, but right at home in its release country of India. This device also has Bluetooth of some sort and Wi-fi capability. The iBall Slide is priced at 13,995 INR ($305 approx) and will hit the Indian market soon. Like many international Android devices, it’s unlikely that you’ll have the Android market on this device out of the box, and this is not by any means the only “affordable” Android tablet on the Indian market, either. Our source for this tablet release lets us know, as they are in the know, that the following names make up the whole “affordable Android tablets” market in India at the moment: Reliance 3G Tab, Beetel Magiq, Magnum Pepper Tablet PC and the Mercury mTab. What awesome names! [via Gigjets] )
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| Alarm.com app updated, includes Push Notifications in newest release Posted: 08 Sep 2011 01:01 PM PDT If there’s one thing that every single smartphone (and ever modern cellphone, for that matter) should have, it’s an alarm system. Even though some may contend that the ability make and receive telephone calls may be paramount, you’ve still got to be awake to talk. There’s an app out there made by Alarm.com that, now that it’s updated, will solve all of your waking up in the morning needs – but more than that, and actually more primary than that, you’ve now got the ability to get information on your kids arriving home from school, floods in your basement, a certain dangerous cabinet in your kitchen being opened, and just about any other needing-alert sort of thing you can imagine!
What you’ve got here is an app that works with your Alarm.com home security system which, if you’re in to keeping your self and family safe, can be a pretty big deal. An app of this magnitude must be both simple and perfectly well-working, and as Alarm.com knows, one mix-up can result in not only a lost customer, but perhaps a lost life as well. Thusly this app must be tight, and with their newest update it must be even tighter, as version 1.3.4 will now push out notifications actively even when the app itself is not open and running. Your updates will now come, as expected, in real time and will not affect text message counts or rely on your carrier’s messaging gateway in the least. You can use this app for any of the following situations, should you desire. Find out when, as Alarm.com puts it,
     You’ll be able to work with any and all of the following features as well, for those of you unfamiliar with the Alarm.com system:
Sound like the situation for you? Find out everything you need to know from Alarm.com and download the official app from the Android Market! [via AndroidGuys] )
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| Smart Bar Android 2.3 Gingerbread phone brings us back to 2007 Posted: 08 Sep 2011 12:25 PM PDT In what I can only describe as one of the most amazing looking phones of 2011 (I mean 2007) we have the amazingly awesome Smart Bar Android phone from eAccess. This is a new phone that will be called the Smart Bar that should hit the streets of Japan starting September 22nd. Who wants one? I know I do.
This phone instantly reminds me of my old favorite Sony Ericsson K750i that I used forever. The Smart Bar combined that awesome candy-bar design with a new and improved user interface called… Android! What we have is Android 2.3 Gingerbread running on a modern 3.0″ WVGA display with a pixel density of 311ppi. That is about the best spec for the device though because the rest is a bit lacking. We do have an 800 Mhz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of ram and even a powerful 5.0 MP camera on the rear. Not only do we have the usual four capacitive Android buttons on screen, but we also get not only a D-Pad, but a full numeric pad also. I think I even see a dedicated email button on there somewhere. Now all I need is a antenna and this would be the most epic phone ever. I’ve yet to decide if this is just funky, or plain out awesome but I’m digging the retro look that is for sure. Who’s with me? [via Engadget] )
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| Viewsonic ViewPad 7e Tab $199 Pre-Order available at Amazon Posted: 08 Sep 2011 12:09 PM PDT ViewSonic recently showed us their new budget Android tablet offering the ViewPad 7e, and today it is available for pre-order over at amazon.com already. It was shown off at this years IFA 2011 and we have some hands-on video here for those interested in this budget friendly Android tablet.
It may not be the best tablet offering around, or come with Honeycomb but for $199 it will more than get the job done. What you get is a 7″ 1024 x 600 resolution display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 1 Ghz cpu with 512MB of RAM, 4GB internal storage and a few cameras. We also have micro USB and mini HDMI-out is there too for those in need. Overall this is a good for those that don’t need the best but would like a tablet. Currently listed for pre-order at $199 on Amazon but they don’t give any indication of a shipping or release date. We haven’t heard anything else regarding this tablet from Viewsonic but from what we heard at IFA it would be available “next month” so it should be shipping soon enough.        [via Amazon] )
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| Motorola DROID Bionic Rooted with one-click-root [Download] Posted: 08 Sep 2011 11:54 AM PDT We already knew this was going down but you can now root your DROID Bionic using the simple one-click-root method found to work on a slew of other recent Motorola phones such as the Droid X2 and the Droid 3 all running on Moto’s latest Gingerbread builds. Last week we saw the Bionic was already rooted, but today we have instructions and the download for you.
This literally took me about 1 minute to download the latest Motorola drivers and another minute or two to actually root and it was a done deal. Now I’m free to fly around and do titanium backup’s and all that good stuff. Obviously this doesn’t fix or do anything with the bootloader “situation” but we’ll take root any day for now. Image thanks to kellex. Instructions: -Install Motorola drivers – [click here] Quick, easy and simple right? We have heard a few rumors that the hole that was found to achieve root on most of these recent Motorola phones has been figured out my Motorola and they will be patching this shortly. While we can’t confirm this if you wish to stay rooted I’d be cautious of any OTA updates for now and make sure to check with popular DROID developers (or just watch Android Community) for more details on future updates. Root that new Bionic and enjoy the freedom at hand. Device Info
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[via RootzWiki] )
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