Android Community |
- Google Docs update improves tablet layout and experience
- T-Mobile event set for October 12th to celebrate the Amaze 4G and Galaxy S II launch
- Qbo Robot acts as a teleconference device on Android
- Motorola buying up RAZR domains for the DROID RAZR
- Nexus Prime could dock with Ice Cream Sandwich tablet
- Samsung attempts iPhone 4S ban in Italy and France, files for iPad rejection
- Sony Ericsson committed to Android, says CEO
- $35 DataWind Aakash tablet on sale in India
- Funf app open sources MIT smartphone sensor research
- Download dual-boot Android on your HP TouchPad now
- Honeycomb paid apps increase four-fold, says Google
- SHADOWGUN by MadFinger Games Review [Video]
- Samsung teases Nexus Prime in new video
- CyanogenMod 7 for DROID 3 coming soon to a custom recovery near you
- 2.3 Gingerbread now on almost 40% of Android devices
- LG myTouch and myTouch Q are “Coming Soon” to T-Mobile
- iPhone 4S versus the Android competition
- ZTE 10.1″ quad-core Tegra 3 tablet spotted
| Google Docs update improves tablet layout and experience Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:51 AM PDT Google Docs has just received a much needed update today in the market that is aiming at Android Honeycomb tablets. We have a brand new layout and enhanced user interface for tablets as well as a 3-panel interface for easy viewing of documents on the large 10.1″ display. More update details after the break.
the new 3-panel view makes great use of the added 10.1″ real estate a tablet has to offer. Showing all of your docs neatly on the page, giving you more details to the side and even a mini preview if needed to speed up searching for that one document. These features have been lacking in the mobile version and its great to see this update finally arrive. Here’s how it now looks on tablets.
The update provides plenty of stability improvements and bug fixes as usual, as well as adding some video playback improvements too. Here’s the full list – Optimized experience for tablet users, Honeycomb (Android 3.0+) As the Android tablet market continues to grow we will keep seeing great applications to support them. Now I just need Google to release a dedicated Google+ application for Honeycomb and I’ll be happy. As usual the update is available now in the Android Market so head on down and give it a try by clicking here. )
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| T-Mobile event set for October 12th to celebrate the Amaze 4G and Galaxy S II launch Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:38 AM PDT T-Mobile is wasting no time getting everyone excited about their two new flagship smartphones coming this month. The HTC Amaze 4G and Galaxy S II, both set to launch on October 12th and now T-Mobile is sending out invites for everyone to check them out and celebrate with T-Mobile. Just in time to fight the new iPhone 4S that T-Mobile won’t be getting, I’d choose the Galaxy S II either way so I’m not too worried.
Coming up shortly here on Wednesday, October 12th in NYC T-Mobile will be hosting a launch party for the smartphones along with a special performance by a group called The Black Keys, at first I thought it was the Black Eyed Pea’s but quickly was let down. I do see some Netflix in the image above so that is a bit exciting right? The Amaze 4G was announced late last month, right along with the new Galaxy S II for T-Mobile. You can see the SGSII on video here, and plenty of the new Amaze 4G in these three leaked videos. Both of these new high powered dual-core smartphones will be running the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread and are set to be a great alternative to everything else in the market, Android or not. Taking advantage of T-Mobile’s newest HSPA+ 42 upgraded 4G speeds and more. What phone will you get come October 12th? )
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| Qbo Robot acts as a teleconference device on Android Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:15 AM PDT Check out this little robot from The Corpora named Qbo, controlled by Android it hears and sees everything and will in return send back all the information to you. Head to the office without leaving your home, attend a meeting while sitting at a coffee shop or laying by the pool. All this is possible with this unique product currently being developed by the robot company The Corpora. We have a neat video demonstration and more after the break.
Using Android to both control and interact with the Qbo robot the user is able to have full control of the robot. From what eye he sees out of, even 3D mode, how much he hears, where Qbo looks and they can even drive him into another room. Using Android (Nexus One in video) and the onboard microphone on our smartphones the user is able to interact and actually reply to what Qbo hears, it’s like you are right there in the room — only you aren’t. Its video calling a few steps up. Qbo Robot Telepresence System demo The audio connection uses the SIP protocol (Session Initiative Protocol) so each Qbo robot has its own independent connection to the caller (controller) and basically the Qbo robot acts as a server, sending and receiving information and data using the JSON format. While that all might be a little too technical for some basically what we have here is a fully functioning and controllable robot ran by an Android smartphone that can both send and receive audio, and will also display whatever he is looking at right on the viewers device. I could go into the technical details a bit more but the video demonstration above shows everything with some detail for a better idea of what we are dealing with. Although the implementation isn’t fully there yet, this project is an awesome one and we’ve seen the Qbo robot do all sorts of fancy things in the past and can even be a music player connecting to your home network and controlled via visual commands and more. The opportunities once fully developed are endless for something of this nature. All of this and more can be found over at The Corpora Blog. I want one, what about you guys? )
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| Motorola buying up RAZR domains for the DROID RAZR Posted: 05 Oct 2011 10:36 AM PDT With all the rumors going around regarding the new DROID RAZR from Motorola is seems they’ve gone on a buying spree and are snatching up all the domains they can regarding the “RAZR” brand for the upcoming device. I’m excited to see the brand revealed and just last week Motorola finally acquired the domain name MotorolaRAZR.com, only 7 years late since the device was around long ago. Who’s ready for a comeback?
Leaked with the codename Spyder, the Motorola RAZR will be a pretty great handset it leaks and rumors are true, not to mention those benchmark results from earlier seem impressive. Domain buyouts reveal names, but that is about it. Amidst all the rumors that Motorola will be combining the names of their two most iconic brands into one, they are now on a shopping spree and are buying all the RAZR domains they can get their paws on — And I just want my paws on the phone. Along with acquiring MotorolaRAZR.com last week here is a list of the many they’ve bought recently to go along with all these rumors. motorazr.net These have actually been acquired by CSC who is a brand protection service, and they’ve been contracted by Motorola to pursue these. I’m still wondering why they are doing it now when the RAZR has been around for so long. Although the entire domain and site race wasn’t quite as big back then, and neither was the mobile market. Maybe the rumors will turn out untrue and Motorola will release a entry-level flip phone running Android and call it some variation of the RAZR — I’m hoping we see something better myself but I thought I’d mention it. I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty more of the RAZR name, especially if they are in fact prepping a DROID RAZR to empower the masses over on Verizon. [via Fusible] )
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| Nexus Prime could dock with Ice Cream Sandwich tablet Posted: 05 Oct 2011 09:39 AM PDT We’re still reeling from Samsung’s teaser video showing (what’s almost certainly, definitely, probably) the Nexus Prime in a quick flash. Now filmmaker and Android enthusiast Joe Lancaster has put forth an interesting hypothesis: the Nexus Prime will dock with a companion Samsung tablet, a la the upcoming Asus Padfone. Lancaster has a modified image from the teaser video to back up his claims.
The crux of the hypothesis centers around the three gold/copper circles seen on the side of the mystery phone. These may be electrical contacts, and Lancster believes that their purpose is to slide into a dock for a larger tablet, much like the Motorola Atrix and DROID BIONIC laptop docks, and alluded to in the “combination” theme of the Samsung Unbox Event video. He further hypothesizes that the black arc sen behind the phone is actually the profile of the tablet, which features a similar concave screen. Android Ice Cream Sandwich is designed to bridge the gap between Gingerbread smartphones and Honeycomb tablets. Personally, I just don’t see it. The circles probably are electrical contacts, but I’m guessing they’re for a standard desktop/car dock, in a similar fashion to HTC devices like the Rhyme. The practical aspects are puzzling too: while the Nexus S curve is interesting and even fetching on a smartphone-sized device, a tablet with such an extreme curve wouldn’t rest well on a flat surface, and the overall thickness of the tablet (even if most of it was empty space) would make it precarious in a bag or slip case. I think we’re looking at a little stylish graphic design and a lot of imagination. Get your speculation in now, folks – we’ll know the truth next Tuesday, October 11th, when Samsung’s Unbox Event steals the show at CTIA. [via SlashGear] )
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| Samsung attempts iPhone 4S ban in Italy and France, files for iPad rejection Posted: 05 Oct 2011 09:13 AM PDT Can’t we all just get along? When it comes to international tech megacorps, apparently not. Fresh off of Apple’s refusal to accept a settlement in the Australian patent case over the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung has filed preliminary injunctions in both Italy and France to halt the sales of the new iPhone 4S before they even begin. Apple had hoped to rollout the updated iPhone across 70 countries later this month.
Samsung says that it intends to seek similar sales bans in other nations as well. The legal maneuver is the latest in a long saga of civil battles across the world, with Samsung and Apple’s being the most frequent and brutal. Apple claims that Samsung has “slavishly copied” its design and interface to mimic both the iPhone and iPad in its Android devices, and has won injunctions banning the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia and Germany. Samsung has counter-sued in many more locations. In addition, Samsung is attempting to remove Apple’s design rights to the iPad in Europe, claiming that the basic design existed long before the iDevice. Apple won the design application seven years ago – long before any of the current mess – but Samsung asserts that the basic principle behind the slate form factor is neither new nor innovative. If they were to win their appeal, it could have serious worldwide implications for current cases. The American front of the patent war will be heating up soon, as Apple’s civil case against Samsung will be heard later this year in California. Both Verizon and T-Mobile have filed in support of Samsung. While most patent fights end in some kind of settlement or licensing agreement, the fued between Apple and Samsung looks like it will continue unabated for the foreseeable future. [via SlashGear] )
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| Sony Ericsson committed to Android, says CEO Posted: 05 Oct 2011 08:43 AM PDT Reports surfaced a few days ago that Sony Ericsson would be preparing new phones with Windows Mobile 7 in the next few months. CEO Bert Nordberg spoke with The Wall Street Journal on the company’s plans and direction, assuring investors (and customers) that their support for Android isn’t going anywhere. In a time of uncertainty for Android’s top-tier manufacturers, the support is much appreciated.
When asked if Sony was planning a a wholesale switch to Windows Phone 7, Nordberg said:
Sony isn’t the only one looking to diversify, even if they aren’t broadcasting it. Both Samsung and HTC manufacture Windows Phone 7 devices, with the latter making a considerable chunk of their sales on the relatively new platform. Combine that with Microsoft’s ARM/tablet push in the upcoming Windows 8, and both smartphones and Honeycomb tablets might be seeing some considerable competition from Redmond very soon. The only major manufacturer that absolutely won’t be building anything for Microsoft any time soon is Motorola because… well, you know. Despite being considerably behind in market share, Sony Ericsson has certainly demonstrated their willingness to embrace Android. The XPERIA line covers a diversity of usage case scenarios: currently they’re preparing the Arc for power users, the ray for the budget-conscious, and the XPERIA Play is a solid choice for mobile gamers. But with the Fightin’ Apple Legal Team And the Microsoft Corporate Raiders ready to pounce on any Android manufacturer that dares to succeed, Sony may be looking to Microsoft platforms as a buffer in the ongoing worldwide patent wars. [via Tech2] )
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| $35 DataWind Aakash tablet on sale in India Posted: 05 Oct 2011 07:37 AM PDT India has long been the home of dirt-cheap tech for the masses, and now you can add an Android tablet to the mix. The Aakash (Hindi for “sky”) tablet is being sold for the equivalent of $45 to the general public, with subsidized $35 versions selling to students and teachers. In local currency it’s about 1,700 Rupees. The basic tablet is being made by budget manufacturer DataWind.
There’s not a lot of info available on the tablet hardware, but we do know that the 7-inch device is running on 2.2 Froyo, like most Android smartphones at the moment. Since video conferencing is mentioned by the Human Resource Development Minister, we can conclude that there’s at least some kind of webcam included. The low-cost devices are intended to “lift villagers out of poverty” by teaching them basic computer skills, including word processing and web browsing. The Indian government intends to get the Aakash tablet into the hands of no less than 10 million students across the country. If they succeed, that would make India the #1 user of Android tablets, even if they won’t be showing up on Google’s activation press releases any time soon. And before you ask, modders, no, it isn’t being sold outside of India. )
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| Funf app open sources MIT smartphone sensor research Posted: 05 Oct 2011 07:14 AM PDT You’re all familiar with the accelerometer inside your Android phone, but what you might not know is that the scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been using this and other data inputs to learn new things about the way we move and live. Now the MIT Media Lab is making its tracking technology available to all, allowing users to reach the same conclusions on a personal and social level. The new app, Funf Journal (give ‘em a break, they’re geniuses), can be downloaded and installed directly from MIT.
In addition to the app, Funf can catalog and export movement and geographical data to a desktop computer, allowing users to chart and graph a variety of data point so their physical and geographical movement. Similar systems have been used for preventative medicine and the like, but the researchers behind the project are excited to see what the public can do with the tools they’ve created. "We're hoping to help build a community around the framework," said PhD student Nadav Aharony. Even though sensors in smartphones aren’t all that sophisticated by scientific standards, the software in Funf Journal can differentiate between different kinds of movements. For example, the sensor analysis can tell the difference between a brisk walk and the normal jostling on a bus or subway. It can track user’s movements all day, generating a readout of the kind of physical benefit they’re getting out of their activity and a map of where and when they were. Imagine the applications for exercising services like EndoMondo. If you’d like to try Funf, you can download the Android app and the desktop tools from the source link above now. [via PhysOrg] )
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| Download dual-boot Android on your HP TouchPad now Posted: 05 Oct 2011 06:40 AM PDT Just Monday we saw an extremely early version of Android living happily with WebOS on the same HP TouchPad, but the developers hadn’t released the necessary files to try it out yourself. Rejoice, cheap tablet modders: the indefatigable denizens of XDA-Developers have done it again. You can now download and install an alpha version of the WebOS Android installer, keeping your TouchPad’s core software intact.
The process isn’t for the faint of heart. In order to install the app you need to use the community-authored tool Preware, sort of an alternative app store with a selection of tools and tweaks. Even when you get Android up and running, it’s still in the extreme early stages. Limitations include almost no usable storage, no Google apps or Android Market, and the only available language is Chinese, so brush up on your Mandarin before downloading. The developers say that the wrinkles will be ironed out in future released, even allowing android to run as a “card” in the unique WebOS interface. For those who are familiar with the Preware system, the install is relatively easy. You can download or remove the entire 80MB installation at your leisure, and a simple button combination returns you to the TouchPad’s WebOS immediately. Adventurous users, go ahead and give it a try, but those of you who want a smoother experience might want to wait a few weeks at least. And keep in mind that CyanogenMod’s Gingerbread version is coming some time in the future. )
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| Honeycomb paid apps increase four-fold, says Google Posted: 05 Oct 2011 06:22 AM PDT At the Android Developer’s Lab in London this morning, Google laid down this gem of a statistic: the number of paid apps being purchased on Honeycomb tablets has increased almost four times over in comparison to other versions of Android. You can see the (rough) growth in the presentation chart posted by Little Fluffy Toys. It claims that Honeycomb users install a much higher number of paid applications than any other section of Android users.
Now, the devil’s in the details for this nugget of information. Google didn’t release any actual numbers, but according to the new OS breakdown posted yesterday, we know that less than 2% of Android devices are currently running Honeycomb. Combine that with the fact that Android users are statistically much less likely to purchase apps in the first place, and you can see why developers might be hesitant to invest time and money into expensive tablet apps. Google is hoping to turn that thinking around. In a comparison with iPad users, we know that Honeycomb users buy less than half as many non-free apps as their iOS counterparts, and pay less per app as well. There’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation going on, since they can hardly be expected to start shelling out $5 and $10 for apps that, in many cases, simply aren’t there. In any event, the new information that a paid Honeycomb app has a much higher chance of actually being installed on any given user’s tablet aught to spur at least some excitement, especially once developers get used the unified APIs for Ice Cream Sandwich. [via SlashGear] )
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| SHADOWGUN by MadFinger Games Review [Video] Posted: 05 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT Today I have one epic game for review here at Android Community and that is SHADOWGUN by the popular developer MadFinger Games. You’ve probably seen a few videos in the recent past about this stellar new game coming to Android Tegra 2 tablets but if you haven’t we have all the details. This game is absolutely stunning both visually, and with game-play. We have plenty of in-game screenshots and a live demo video below so be sure and check it all out after the break.
What we have here is a TPS (Third Person Shooter) that is not only inspired by Gears of War, but it’s also about as close as you’re going to come to playing GOW on a mobile device. Created by MadFinger games and optimized for NVIDIA Tegra 2 tablets we have one of, if not the most amazing game we’ve seen on Android to date. NVIDIA showed the game off back in May, and we saw some hands-on time at E3. Today I have something better, a full out hands-on video and TONS of in-game photos for everyone to drool over while we wait for it to land in the Android Market and the NVIDIA Tegra Zone.
First off I’ll start with my quick hands-on demo video to give everyone a real-life first hand view of how the game looks and plays on my Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. Then I’ll break it down a bit more and show you all the amazing screenshots that reveal the unrivaled detail, physics and gameplay that Shadowgun has to offer. SHADOWGUN hands-on gameplay demo video Shadowgun features: – Immersive visual presentation, never seen before on mobile devices After reading that feature list what else do you need to know? This game sounds amazing and trust me, it is just that — amazing! I’ve played plenty of mobile games on both iOS and Android but the level of detail, textures, and overall rendered environment in Shadowgun make it the best I’ve seen yet, all thanks to the power of the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor. While available for iOS devices, the crisp 1280 x 800 resolution on Honeycomb tablets makes the experience and level of details just that much better for Android. Plenty of games have good graphics — but for the entire open environment to not only look stunning but to also have lighting effects, visual physics with flags flopping in the wind, and detail throughout and not just whats in front of your face is part of what makes this game stand out to me. Check out this screenshot below for an example of not only surrounding detail, but off in the distance too.
The year is 2350 and you play John Slade, a brute with a gun hired to bring back a mad scientist. There’s a long back-story about how corporations rule the world and you are in the middle of it right at the start with great in game video sequences that paints a pretty clear picture as to your mission. That aside, it’s you and your wide array of weapons ducking for cover while fending off hoards of enemies with some pretty great AI. Obviously this game isn’t Crysis, but the AI and enemies are smart and just as it says above, will flank if the opportunity presents itself and always seems to give you more than one target to worry about at a time. While the AI does get a little repetitive at times, they have enough variation and movement to keep you active, alert, and ready to fire. Like outlined above, the game features 10 amazing and stunning levels with up to 6 hours of immersive game-play. With huge boss enemies to finish off levels and more you’ll be playing this for hours on end, then switch it to hard and test your mad finger skills while aiming at even more enemies than before. Check out this boss I took down after about 20 clips of ammo while dodging heat seeking missiles — yea it gets that intense.
I don’t want to give everything away today, you’ll have to wait for the official NVIDIA Tegra 2 version that should be hitting the Android Market sometime soon here in October. It should also be available at TegraZone.com when the time comes. The game has been briefly available for iOS and I’ve read a few are having issues with crashes and freezing, but over here in dual-core Tegra 2 land we call Android this game is extremely smooth, fluid and easy to play. I’ve enjoyed playing well over 2 hours, finished about 3 levels, and I’ve not had a single crash or freeze yet. It’s been a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to see this hit the Android Market for everyone to enjoy. I don’t want to spoil too much so I’ve only uploaded a few photos from the first level or so, you’ll have to battle your way through to see all 10. For a bonus here is the preview trailer for iOS, and we’ll have one for Android soon. Again more details can be seen at Madfingergames.com and Tegrazone.com/shadowgun, as well as all my hands-on screenshots in the full size gallery below after the official trailer.                 )
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| Samsung teases Nexus Prime in new video Posted: 04 Oct 2011 10:39 PM PDT Oh Samsung, you temptress. The rumored builder of Google’s next developer phone, the Nexus Prime, just posted this YouTube video featuring 27 seconds of boring and three seconds of jaw-dropping wow. At the end of the ad is what appears to be a profile view of the upcoming superphone, just before a plug for Samsung’s Mobile Unpacked event at CTIA.
First impressions: man, that is some serious screen curve. The last developer phone, Samsung’s Nexus S, also featured a screen with curved tempered glass, but the Nexus Prime looks like it takes the concave styling to a new level. If you look closely, you can see three gold-colored circles on the phone’s side, possibly electrical contacts for a dock, a la the original Nexus One. You can see that the phone has an exaggerated bulge on the back, much more pronounced than the various Galaxy S II models. Check the video below: Rumored specs on the Samsung Nexus Prime include an HD 1280 x 720 screen, NFC and facial recognition capability, the latest dual-core processor and of course, the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. The as-yet-unnumbered software version will combine elements of Gingerbread and Honeycomb to create a unified Android platform. The preamble to Samsung’s video certainly seems to allude to some sweet food-based codenames. And if you think that it’s a coincidence that this preview came out the night of Apple’s iPhone 4S announcement, I’ve got some ocean-front property in Arizona to sell you. Keep an eye on Android Community during CTIA for full coverage. The Samsung Unbox event – and hopefully the Nexus Prime unveiling – will be held next Tuesday, October 11th.
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| CyanogenMod 7 for DROID 3 coming soon to a custom recovery near you Posted: 04 Oct 2011 08:31 PM PDT When the ROM wizards at CyanogenMod release a version for a new phone, you know it’s hit the big time – at least in the eyes of the most devoted members of the Android community. For the Motorola DROID 3, that day is drawing near. A member of the CyanogenMod development team posted an early version of the Gingerbread custom ROM in a YouTube video.
There’s a lot of work still to be done for the DROID 3. Basic functions like the camera, MicroSD card, and wifi are still inoperable, and the OS is pretty jittery with lots of detection and rendering errors. The CyanogenMod team famously abhors ETAs, but team member Kevin estimates that nightlies and beta versions will be posted in the next few weeks. Take a look at the progress below: There’s been exciting news for the CyanogenMod team as of late. Steve Kondik (“Cyanogen” to his friends) was actually hired by Samsung, presumably to help them optimize future versions of their phones and tablets. The Android modding community is getting some major manufacturer attention as well: Sony Ericsson has officially teamed up with CyanogenMod and FreeXperia to bring the CyanogenMod 7 and other custom ROMs to Xperia phones in the future. Who knows, by this time next year we could see manufacturers hosting and distributing CyanogenMod 8 for customers to download and flash directly. A guy can dream, can’t he? Device Info
Display
Dimension & Weight
Battery & Power
Software
Hardware
Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
  [via Droid-Life] )
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| 2.3 Gingerbread now on almost 40% of Android devices Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:59 PM PDT Google announced the latest software breakdown for Android today (what, you didn’t think there was only one announcement going on, did you?) and the numbers are promising. 38.7% of devices running Android are using version 2.3, “Gingerbread”, the latest smartphone version officially supported by Google. For what’s probably the first time this year, less than half of the Android userbase is running on Froyo.
That isn’t a particularly encouraging figure, but at least more and more carriers and manufacturers are releasing phones with the latest version of Android available. Since this summer it’s been unusual to see a new product announced with anything except Gingerbread or Honeycomb running on its silicon, a promising sign that both consumers and manufacturers are beginning to expect up-to-date software to match the hardware. Unfortunately, with the exception of Nexus-class phones, older devices are still rarely upgraded to more than one major Android version past their release date. The third-largest chunk of the userbase is running Android 2.1, at just under 12%. That’s a relevant figure, since 2.1 users are far more likely to run into app compatibility issues than 2.2 users. Honeycomb, Google’s official tablet version of Android, is still only running on 1.6% of devices more than six months after the debut of the Motorola XOOM. There’s no two ways about it: Android is getting whipped in the tablet market. Here’s hoping that the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich will fix at least some of these woes by unifying the latest version of Android on both slates and phones – however long that takes. [via ReadWriteWeb] )
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| LG myTouch and myTouch Q are “Coming Soon” to T-Mobile Posted: 04 Oct 2011 03:58 PM PDT Earlier today we posted a timeline for T-Mobile’s upcoming Android releases, the LG myTouch and LG myTouch Q among them. Now it appears that the slate and slider are in the carrier’s retail system, and promotion for both models (not to mention some much-needed specifications) should be coming soon. Both devices are expected to debut on November 2nd.
The new MyTouch and myTouch Q look virtually identical, save for the latter’s slide-out keyboard and a few millimeters of girth. There’s precious little information available about them besides their appearance, but given the previous members of the myTouch family (all made by HTC), you can expect mid-range specifications and prices. The screens appear to be in the 3.5-3.8 inch range. Based on the rollout leak this morning, the myTouch and myTouch Q are not HSDPA+ 4G capable. Both should be priced at $129 of contract. The specific “Grey” and “Black” colors in the screenshot may indicate that more colors will be offered in the future. The really interesting thing about the LG myTouch/myTouch by LG line is that it’s, well, by LG. Previously HTC had an exclusive on that particular branding. It’s possible that T-Mobile is looking to make its own sub-brand of phones, not unlike Verizon’s prolific DROID moniker, which has members from both HTC, Motorola and Samsung. T-Mobile currently does away with any LG branding on the LG G2x, despite its high profile. )
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| iPhone 4S versus the Android competition Posted: 04 Oct 2011 03:10 PM PDT The eyes of the world were on Cupertino today, as Apple unveiled their
As you can see, the iPhone still bests just about everything in screen resolution, but falls far behind in the screen’s physical size. That isn’t an important factor for some, but it’s a big deal for others. The iPhone 4S’ processor is well in line with the rest, but we don’t have numbers on certain specs like RAM and battery capacity, so a hard line comparison is difficult. The iPhone’s radio brings it up to speed with “4G” phones, but only on AT&T. While the iPhone’s most expensive model has a jaw-dropping 64GB of storage, Apple once again eschewed any sort of removable memory. Of course, this chart only includes currently-selling phones. New competitiors like the Samsung Galaxy S II HD and Galaxy Note best the iPhone as far as the screen goes, and who knows what goodies are lying inside the DROID RAZR or Nexus Prime. We’ll have to wait a few weeks for details on the latest and greatest in the Android world – for new smartphone hardware from Apple, be sure to tune in in about 12 months or so.  )
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| ZTE 10.1″ quad-core Tegra 3 tablet spotted Posted: 04 Oct 2011 03:01 PM PDT ZTE is better known for their feature phones and low priced Android offerings but has been surprising the world of Android lately. ZTE appears to be going big and have stepped into the quad-core tablet game with a few Honeycomb tablets of their own. We first saw the Tegra 3 touting 7″ version last week, and now it seems the 10.1″ tablet is also in the wild.
Pictured above is the new ZTE 10.1″ Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet, nicely powered by the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3, a 5MP camera, and a 3250 mAh battery. We don’t really have any other details at this point and the paperwork found with the tablet suggests Android 2.3 Gingerbread although this is most likely just an early developer unit not running the latest Honeycomb. I’m concerned with that small battery combined with a quad-core myself, but NVIDIA has stated a few times Kal-El is extremely efficient. Do take note that the pictures don’t actual say Tegra 3 like the smaller sibling we saw last week, but we are betting it will carry the same internals. Looking at the images the device does seem very thin and to have a nice form factor, if they are able to fit all that into a thin package this would make for one truly awesome tablet.
We also spot a few references to NFC support, something not many tablets currently offer, so that is another plus for the ZTE tablet. We don’t have any solid facts or details other than what sources have outlined but we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for more details. [via PocketDroid] )
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