Android Community |
- HTC Rezound gets unboxed and handled on camera
- Happy Halloween: Behind the scenes with the Google Doodle 1,000 pound pumpkins [Video]
- HTC Rezound shows up in Verizon store ads
- Motorola RAZR comes to Rogers on November 4th
- Asus roadmap leaked: Transformer Prime Nov. 9, more tablets in Q1 2012
- Barnes & Noble event set for November 7th – Nook Color 2 likely
- QuickClick apps make finding nightlife in a new town easier
- Microsoft’s lawyer says “Android stands on our shoulders”
- Apkudo helps devs test apps to be sure they work on multiple devices
- Samsung Skyrocket and HTC Vivid are AT&T’s first LTE smartphones
- HTC ships 13.2 million devices in Q3, confirms two launches for November
- Motorola ATRIX 2 Review [Video]
- Android Community Weekly: October 30, 2011
- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Q and A session from Hong Kong
| HTC Rezound gets unboxed and handled on camera Posted: 31 Oct 2011 11:55 AM PDT The unreleased and still not fully confirmed HTC Rezound for Verizon Wireless has just been unboxed — sort of. While we have a plain white box and what is surely not anything official and merely a pre-production unit. We do have all the wrapping paper, cables, chargers and what looks to be what will come with the device once shipped although I didn’t see any Beats headphones. Thanks to WorldofJohnBoy we have a video for you after the break.
While nothing in the video is particularly new, it’s nice to actually see it handled in the open so we have a better idea what to expect. We were all thinking it would be plastered with the Beats Audio logo on the rear but it appears Verizon and the 4G LTE symbols stole the spotlight. The HTC Rezound recently cleared the FCC again last week and today advertisements for the device were seen in stores already. For now enjoy the video preview below: HTC Rezound video HTC has announced a media event for November 3rd in NYC and will most likely be announcing and showing off the HTC Rezound with its 4.3″ 1280 x 720p HD resolution, 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and that nice 8MP camera around back. It looks like a DROID Incredible if you ask me, but that isn’t really a bad thing and I can’t wait to get my hands on this awesome dual-core 4G LTE smartphone. Stay tuned as we’ll have all the details from the November 3rd media event by HTC linked to above. [via Droidforums] — Thanks wicked! )
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| Happy Halloween: Behind the scenes with the Google Doodle 1,000 pound pumpkins [Video] Posted: 31 Oct 2011 10:42 AM PDT Google went big this year with the Halloween Google Doodle. This time around the Doodle went heavy and they got a few 1,000 pound pumpkins and started carving them right on their front lawn. The doodles are pretty famous and have been going on since forever. Today we have the behind the scenes video of the Halloween Google Doodle.
In case you’re wondering what exactly is the “Google Doodle”, it’s the drawings or images that are designed for, and around the Google logo on their homepage at google.com often being completely changed for holiday’s or remembering special people in history and more — you can read more about them here. This year the team used some giant pumpkins laying on haystacks and sitting right on the front lawn at Google headquarters. The largest was said to tipped the scales at 1,298 pounds and had inner walls reaching 6 inches thick. That is one pumpkin that would take forever to carve, and fill most household garbage cans with seeds. Apparently the entire process took around 8 hours to complete this years Halloween Google Doogle and here it is: The time lapse above is the actual video being used on Google’s homepage for this years doodle. If you slow it down they have all sorts of employee’s walking around in costumes, and they even put traffic cones on our dear friend Andy the Android’s head.
This might not have much to do with Android but I swear I saw him at least a few times in the doodle video right? I’m sure you all enjoyed the doodle today, just as I have so keep it up Google. I think the second “G” is my favorite of all the letters too. Check out behind the scenes with the Google Doodle video below and have a safe and Happy Halloween.
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| HTC Rezound shows up in Verizon store ads Posted: 31 Oct 2011 09:57 AM PDT HTC has a New York City event scheduled for this Thursday, November 3rd, wherein the Rezound is expected to make its much-anticipated first appearance. It looks like that’s being corroborated by at least one Verizon Wireless store, which has posted a digital ad featuring the Rezound next to its carrier predecessors, the LG Revolution and DROID BIONIC. Also prominently featured are Beats headphones, definitely indicating that the device will feature the audio additions of HTC’s subsidiary.
The Rezound has peeked out before under its code name Vigor, and if the rumored specifications are accurate, it should be a beast of a phone. A 4.5-inch, 720p LCD display hides a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and naturally it takes advantage of Verizon’s 4G LTE network. If the above ad is anything to go by, it might also include a pair of snazzy Beats headphones, just like the Sensation XL across the pond. A “wireless” backplate charger that probably uses an inductive charging process cleared the FCC just last week, though it isn’t known whether or not the phone will use the backplate alone or if it’ll be an add-on accessory, like the Palm Pre. Verizon’s internal documents point to a November 10th release date for the HTC Rezound, along with a $299 on-contract price tag. While this data hasn’t been confirmed, the same price and release has held true for the DROID RAZR, also on the document. We’ll be covering the HTC announcement on Thursday, so keep it here or follow our Twitter account, @androids, for the latest updates. )
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| Motorola RAZR comes to Rogers on November 4th Posted: 31 Oct 2011 09:18 AM PDT An internal document from Canadian carrier Rogers says that the Motorola RAZR, the international model of Verizon’s DROID RAZR, will be coming to the Great White North this Friday, November 4th. Significantly, that’s a week earlier than the November 10th date that Verizon has set to ship DROID RAZR phones to United States customers who pre-ordered. Also headed for Rogers is the Galaxy S Glide, a QWERTY slider that’s already been revealed.
The Motorola “DROID” RAZR is the company’s new flagship phone, using the notable RAZR name to reinvigorate a lineup that’s been somewhat vanilla as of late. It’s certainly appropriate: at an incredibly thin 7.7 millimeters (not counting the DROID X-style hump) it’s one of the most fashionable phones out there, and the Kevlar, Gorilla Glass and metal construction help to convey a sense of strength as well. a 1.2GHz dual-core processor compliments 16GB of internal storage and Motorola’s MotoCast remote access technology. Disappointingly, the RAZR will use Rogers HSPA+ network: there’s no mention of LTE anywhere in their press materials or website. Pre-orders are live right now, and those who are already on contract or simply don’t wish to start one need to pony up $649, the same price as the American version. The Galaxy S Glide is the same price (why?) on the same 3-year plan. Hey Canucks, how’s about a little help with those locked bootloaders – maybe you could release our Android shackles even before the DROID RAZR gets here. Check out our hands-on of the Motorola DROID RAZR: Motorola DROID RAZR hands-on: Device Info
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 [via an.Droid-Life] )
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| Asus roadmap leaked: Transformer Prime Nov. 9, more tablets in Q1 2012 Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:34 AM PDT An internal document shedding some light on Asus’ upcoming Android plans tells us a little more about the quad-core Eee Pad Transformer Prime, and that two “hero products” will be launching next spring. In between revenue results and media coverage, the presentation mentions a November 9th launch for the Transformer Prime – already confirmed by an Asus executive – and notes that Asus has shipped 1.6 million units of the original Transformer and the Eee Pad Slider.
The document (PDF link) tells us a lot of what we already know about the Transformer Prime. Like its predecessor it will have an optional keyboard attachment, essentially making it an Android netbook when equipped. The Prime is following in the design footsteps of Asus’ Zenbook line of laptops, leading the company to note its “Beauty/Fashion” appeal. The most interesting tidbit in the presentation comes near the end, when Asus notes that the Transformer Prime is “Leading in quad core & ICS”. That’s a definite indication that the Prime will be the very first Ice Cream Sandwich tablet when it launches, though it could also mean that Asus is simply planning a quick update. The Transformer Prime is exciting in its own right, but what about those “hero products” slated for Q1 2012? An update to the Eee Pad Slider is possible, but might not be all that likely: the integrated keyboard tablet sold only a fraction of the volume of the Transformer. A more exciting possibility is that Asus is finally preparing a retail release for its Padfone concept device. With Ice Cream Sandwich bridging the gap between Android’s smartphone and tablet development arms, the time is right for the smartphone/tablet dock form factor to make its grand entrance. [via NotebookItalia, NetbookNews.de] )
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| Barnes & Noble event set for November 7th – Nook Color 2 likely Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:08 AM PDT
We’ve been hearing rumblings of a sequel to Barnes & Nobles Nook Color reader/tablet for months, and it looks like predictions for a November 7th launch were right on the money. Invitations for a “very special announcement” bearing the distinctive Nook logo are arriving in the inboxes of major media now. The Nook Color 2, or whatever it will be named, seems almost certain at this point.
Barnes & Noble is playing catch-up, at least in the publicity race: Amazon’s similar full-color, 7-inch tablet the Kindle Fire also runs a modified version of Android, and wil lbegin shipping out to customers on November the 15th. Most impressively, it’s just $199, putting it into impulse buy territory when compared to $400-$500 full-sized tablets. Various estimations put pre-order sales at around a quarter million already, and Amazon might be able to make as many as 5 million by year’s end. Retail employees are already reporting displays and marketing material being prepared in bookstores ahead of Barnes & Noble’s event. The original Nook Color is still competent for its intended purpose, reading ebooks with some light browsing, emailing and video. The $250 tablet gained notoriety among Android enthusiasts for its easy hackability via a boot table that defaulted to the MicroSD card. CyanogenMod 7 is a popular ROM, and the Nook Color was technically one of the very first devices to run Android Honeycomb via an SDK port. Who knows if Barnes & Noble will keep the easy-modified software structure of the original Nook Color, but they’ll almost certainly try to compete with Amazon’s rock-bottom pricing. )
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| QuickClick apps make finding nightlife in a new town easier Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:00 AM PDT A company called MarketImpact has announced the pending launch of some new apps that are designed to help people in an unfamiliar city discover things to do. The apps fall into the QuickClick Locale Series and there are bunches of different apps in the series that are designed specifically for one sort of task. For instance, there will be different apps for eating and for night clubs.
The apps will have versions that focus on Nightlife, Restaurants, fast food, casinos, coffee, desserts, gas stations, parking, and ATMs. The reason for apps with specific uses is to allow the user to get all the details they need on only one screen rather than having to click to different screens. Any extra detail needed like food type or bank name will be able to be typed directly on the one screen. It’s not clear, if the apps will be offered for specific major cities or if the app will cover any city. The apps are up on the Android Market right now. [via SFGate] )
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| Microsoft’s lawyer says “Android stands on our shoulders” Posted: 31 Oct 2011 07:48 AM PDT
Horacio Gutiérrez, deputy general counsel for Microsoft’s intellectual property group, told the San Francisco Chronicle the following in an interview:
He went on to talk about Microsoft innovations that are “really critical features that make smart phones what they are today.” Without going into detail, Gutiérrez mentioned synchronizing data with servers and back-end hardware and software innovations that he believes belong to Microsoft. According to Gutiérrez, these patents aren’t contingent upon the final outcome of a software process – say, making a web browser close when the desired action is completed – but on the way in which the outcome is achieved. Different methods of doing the same thing are covered by different patents. A surprising number of Android manufacturers would seem to agree, or at least, they don’t want to fight out the finer details in court. Samsung, HTC, ODM company Compal and many others pay royalties to Microsoft for every Android device sold. In fact, the number of Android devices that contribute directly to Microsoft’s pockets far exceeds the number of Windows Phone 7 devices sold, even if the latter is more directly beneficial to the company. Google asserts that Microsoft is manipulating the IP and court system to extort its hardware partners. [via The Register] )
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| Apkudo helps devs test apps to be sure they work on multiple devices Posted: 31 Oct 2011 07:35 AM PDT One of the biggest challenges for app developers on platforms like Android where there are multiple smartphones and all those smartphones tend to have different hardware is fragmentation. Just because the app the develop runs on one Android smartphone doesn’t mean it will run on all of them. Some devs have found that out the hard way, as have Android users when they try and use the app. Apkudo is a new testing platform that devs might find interesting.
Apkudo is set to launch a new free testing service that will help devs to see how the application will run on nearly 300 different Android devices. The product will be launched at AnDevCom in San Francisco on November 6. Apkudo has 289 devices specifically including tablets and smartphones that account for just about every Android device sold so far. The apps a dev creates are uploaded to Apkudo and then the lab runs the apps on the APK using each device. The full test takes less than a minute and then bugs and issues are reported back. There are cameras in the lab that record the video of the app running on the app devices and the devs can slow the video down to catch specific errors. This sounds interesting, I wonder if it will change to a paid service later. [via Gigaom] )
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| Samsung Skyrocket and HTC Vivid are AT&T’s first LTE smartphones Posted: 31 Oct 2011 07:18 AM PDT AT&T’s true 4G rollout, using LTE technology, is still in its infancy. But it gets an important boost today with the announcement of the very first smartphones to take advantage of the speedy new infrastructure: the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket and the HTC Vivid. Both Android Gingerbread phones will arrive online and at retail locations on November 6th.
The Skyrocket is a slightly rebranded version of the Galaxy S II LTE, already introduced by Samsung. It’ll feature a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED display running at 800 x 480, and an unspecified 1.5 GHz dual-core processor (probably the same TI OMAP found in similar models). An 8 megapixel rear and two megapixel front camera round out the package, with a roomy 16GB of on-board storage. A launch price of $249.99 ($50 more than the current AT&T Galaxy S II) will make a purchase choice largely contingent upon LTE availability in your area. The HTC Vivid also has a 4.5-incxh display, but it bumps the resolution up to qHD 960 x 540. A 1.2 GHz dual-core processor compliments an 8 megapixel 1080p rear shooter – no front-facing camera is mentioned in the press release, but you can see it in the press photo. The same 16GB of internal memory adorns the inside. The Vivid will retail fro $199, and like the Skyrocket, it requires a two-year contract.The Vivid appears to be the final name for the HTC Holiday, and is almost certainly the second device that HTC alluded to in its earnings report, the first being the HTC Rezound. November 6th will also see AT&T rollout LTE services to Boston, Washington D.C., Baltimore and Athens, Georgia, which join Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio as the only markets currently supported. The company is planning to release more LTE smartphones in more markets next year.       )
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| HTC ships 13.2 million devices in Q3, confirms two launches for November Posted: 31 Oct 2011 06:53 AM PDT Another day, another quarterly earnings report. Taiwanese smartphone specialist HTC is doing very well, with 13.2 million total device sales (not all Android, of course), $4.54 billion in total revenue, $625 million of which is profit. Riding the continuing surge in worldwide smartphone sales, HTC is up year-over-year in every major statistic, with shipped devices rising an impressive 93%.
The company also confirmed plans for two new product launches in November. One is expected to be the HTC Rezound, AKA the Vigor, probably coming in an announcement on November the 3rd. It’ll compete with the latest from Samsung and Motorola, with a 720p screen and Beats audio, and a Verizon (at least initially) launch. The second device is currently a mystery, though there’s no reason that it wouldn’t be announced at the same time. Out of the three major Android manufacturers, HTC is performing the best all-round, with an impressive 13.76% profit margin over the last three months. Though the company isn’t anywhere near as big as Samsung (over 28 million devices shipped in the same period), it’s operating much more efficiently, and doesn’t have feature phone concerns to worry about. Motorola continues to operate at a loss as it prepares for a Google acquisition later this year. Looking forward into Q4, HTC’s predictions are reserved. They expect roughly flat total revenue and shipment figures, though both of these would be about 30% higher than the relevant figures for last year. [via SlashGear] )
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| Motorola ATRIX 2 Review [Video] Posted: 30 Oct 2011 10:22 PM PDT Motorola’s ATRIX 2 is a modest update to one of the most exciting smartphones to hit AT&T’s network this year. It seems a little soon for the ATRIX to get a sequel, especially since the original is still available – at the same $99 price point, no less. Does some slightly updated hardware and a larger screen add up to a more compelling purchase? Let’s find out.
Hardware Here’s the principle difference between the original ATRIX 4G and the ATRIX 2: a slightly larger screen. That’s about it. Oh sure, there are some cosmetic differences, strangely accentuated by slightly lower features like a smaller battery and less on-board memory. But the primary changes in your user experience will be found in the screen, which stretches to 4.3 inches from the previous 4. Resolution remains the same at 960 x 540 qHD, but honesty, it’s nearly impossible to count pixels on either. They’re both excellent panels that have a clean and crisp display, even if the black levels and viewing angles aren’t going to beat a Super AMOLED panel. Four standard capacitive buttons reside below the screen.
A 1GHz dual-core processor and a full gigabyte of memory power the phone. Looking around the phone you’ll see a very similar configuration: power button and headphone jack on the top, USB and HDMI jacks on the left side, volume buttons and a dedicated camera button (always appreciated) on the right, and a bare bottom. The back of the phone, now a matte plastic instead of the ATRIX 4G’s faux-carbon fiber, has a dedicated speaker slot beneath the 8MP camera and LED flash. Sadly, the biometric fingerprint scanner hasn’t made the transition. The phone has an average thickness of 10.2 millimeters, and while it isn’t going to win any beauty pageants, it’s good-looking enough to be considered by most. One thing I do appreciate about the back cover design is that it wraps almost all thew way around the entire phone, making an accidental release almost impossible. It’s a devil to get open, but once it’s back on it closes with a satisfying snap, reassuring the user that it isn’t going anywhere. 4GB of useable on-board storage is a disappointing drop down from the original ATRIX’s 16GB, and a paltry 2GB MicroSD card doesn’t help. Prospective owners should expect to invest in a larger card if they want to listen to any amount of music or take advantage of the new 1080P video capture.
Overall, the phone feels OK, if not outstanding. It’s got a definite heft and the sense that it won’t fall apart, but the ATRIX 2 also doesn’t have the expensive, solid feeling that even mid-range HTC devices seem to achieve without trying. It feels good in the hand and won’t slip out easily thanks to the textured back panel, but you could say that about a lot of AT&T’s current line-up. It’s a decent refresh of the ATRIX – unless you have to have the integrated fingerprint reader or much larger internal storage, you’ll be satisfied. Software Motorola’s I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-Blur UI customizations have a lot of historical weight going against them, and rightly so. But like HTC’s Sense and Samsung’s TouchWiz before it, Blur seems to have finally matured. There’s no slowdown in the homescreen or interface, nothing that the Tegra 2 processor can’t handle. Even if Blur’s additions to Android Gingerbread aren’t anywhere near as useful or pretty as others, it’s no longer a deal-breaker for those used to the faster “vanilla” Android. Congratulations to Motorola for finding a balance between performance and differentiation at last.
AT&T includes a pretty hefty load of bloatware with the standard Android and Motorola apps, but – miracle of miracles! – nearly all of it can be removed. The only apps that I wanted to manually uninstall that I couldn’t were AT&T’s music store and Quick Office, and all things considered, that’s downright progressive for an American carrier. Motorola’s made some pretty extensive modifications to Gingerbread, integrating services like Flickr and last.fm, but they don’t seem to slow down the user experience at all. Overall the phone is one of the fastest I’ve been able to play with lately, and while it doesn’t exceed the Galaxy S II or some of the phones coming to market very soon, it’s very impressive at $99 on-contract. Between a faster Blur skin and a less intrusive AT&T presence, it’s surprising just how zippy the ATRIX 2 feels. Quadrant scores (which, to be fair, are not the be-all, end-all of Android performance) reflect this, at an impressive 2200-2300 after several tests. Trying out some of my favorite hardware-intensive games was not an issue at all. The ATRIX 2 is a solid performer, and should be able to handle whatever you can throw at it – including Ice Cream Sandwich, eventually. Phone and Battery
AT&T service is pretty poor where I live, but even so, I was able to hold quick local calls and a 20-minute cross-country call with reasonable fidelity. I could hear those on the other end of the line, but periodically, they couldn’t hear me. A nice surprise was that AT&T’s “4G” HSPA+ network extended to my home, even with only one or two bars. In my location I was able to pull down more than 1MBps on AT&T’s network with consistency – don’t laugh – which is better than most of the AT&T phones tested in the same location. Based on this, you should be able to get a solid signal and speed in any metropolitan area, provided that your nearest towers aren’t under stress. The battery on the ATRIX 2 is a pleasant surprise. Despite being physically smaller than the ATRIX 4G’s battery at 1785 mAh, it idled on my desk for days without complaint, and went all day on a single charge with 35% left over after considerable web browsing, YouTube use and local calls. Naturally your mileage may vary, especially since end-users will install many more apps than I have, but overall it’s an impressive feat for a mid-range phone. Battery life like this bodes well for upcoming Motorola “superphones” like the DROID RAZR, even with its non-removable battery – the manufacturer is clearly getting good at mobile power management. Camera
Like most Motorola 8MP cameras, the ATRIX 2 was acceptable but not outstanding. Brightly lit areas and subjects looked good, but take it inside and you see n immediate and considerable dip in quality, which not even the LED flash could overcome. It should suffice for YouTube, Twitter and Facebook addicts, but for more permanent pictures, be sure to bring along a dedicated point-and-shoot or DSLR. Those looking for a more professional camera (if indeed that could or should be a consideration in your phone purchase) should wait for the AT&T version of the Galaxy Nexus. Accessories: Lapdock 100 and HD Dock Motorola was kind enough to send along some of the high-end accessories that made the ATRIX 4G so notable. We’ll leave the car dock and external battery alone for the purposes of this review – they’re both perfectly serviceable – and focus on Motorola’s WebTop products, the new universal Lapdock 100 and the ATRIX 2 HD dock. The Lapdock gets a new if not particularly attractive makeover in the 100 model. It’s not anywhere near as svelte as the original, which could pass for an expensive thin-and-light without the phone inserted. The Lapdock 100 looks more like one of the V-Tech kid’s laptops that are supposed to look just like Dad’s – silver paint and bulging lines make you wonder why anyone would tote this along instead of a slightly more expensive netbook. That said, it’s considerably cheaper than the original at just$199 less a $100 mail-in rebate, and with upcoming software upgrades, it’ll be useable for all WebTop enabled phones.
It’s decent for what it is – a 10-inch extension to your phone’s screen for typing, browsing and media playback. The problem is that there’s no usage case scenario that isn’t trumped by bringing along a netbook or even a full-sized laptop. The price isn’t so cheap that it justifies a purchase in addition to the laptop that prospective owners almost certainly already have. The experience isn’t so much better than just using the phone itself, except for the full Firefox web browser, but since customization is severely limited, it holds very little appeal for me. It doesn’t help that the Lapdock itself feels cheap, with a mushy keyboard, tricky touchpad, a dim screen and a lack of shortcuts that at this point are second nature to a full-time desktop user. I just can’t recommend the Lapdock 100 over the laptop you’ve already got, and I doubt a bump up to the 14-inch Lapdock 500 at an even greater price point would change things. Check out a special hands-on of the LapDock 100 and ATRIX 2 below: The HD dock has some more exciting prospects. It too will enable the WebTop interface, assuming that you use its HDMI port to connect to a monitor or television. USB ports allow for a standard mouse and keyboard interface, and considering the dock’s small size and (relatively) small price of $100, it might be a decent addition for the frequent traveler who doesn’t want or need anything but basic web functionality. Even then, the WebTop interface is pretty slow and frustrating – power users will be deterred almost instantly. If you absolutely need to shave a few pounds off of your carry-on luggage and can do without a full desktop OS, it might hit the spot.
Wrap-Up The ATRIX 2 is a serviceable upgrade from the previous model, with a couple of caveats. If you must have the extra internal storage and fingerprint reader, go with the ATRIX 4G, which is still available for $99. Everyone else should be pleased with a solid, speedy phone with great battery life and a respectable screen at a decent price. It’s not going to beat out the latest and greatest, but for a mid-range device, you could do a lot worse. On AT&T, you couldn’t do much better without switching camps to the iPhone 4, with the possible exception of the HTC Inspire 4G. It’s worth noting that as one of the latest AT&T Android phones, the ATRIX 4G is very likely to receive an official Ice Cream Sandwich update. The accessories, unfortunately, still aren’t up to snuff. I love a good desktop or car dock, and the standard $40 ATRIX 2 desktop dock and the utilitarian car dock are Motorola’s typically acceptable offerings. But the Lapdock 100 is still far too expensive to be practical when most of its target audience already has a laptop, and the $100 HD dock only holds an allure for a very specific subset of travelers. If you’re someone who liked the original ATRIX but didn’t want to break your contract at the time, the ATRIX 2 is a fine replacement. If you’re looking for the latest and greatest in the Android world, it would be better to go with the Samsung Galaxy S II or wait a few months to see what lands this holiday season.                         Device Info
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| Android Community Weekly: October 30, 2011 Posted: 30 Oct 2011 08:56 PM PDT It’s time to wrap up the last week of tech news for October 2011 – just in time for Halloween tomorrow. Monday, HTC partnered with DropBox to offer all Android users 5GB of free storage on their HTC devices. Whether or not this applies to HTC’s past devices or only future ones still remains unclear. Also Monday, Cory Gunther performed a hands-on of the new HTC EVO Design 4G. Near the end of the week a much more comprehensive review was completed.
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) will be hitting more devices this week and some soon to come. Those of you that own a DROID 2 Global or LG Revolution 4G should see the update pushed to your phones soon enough. The HTC Thunderbolt should also be receiving a needed security patch; yet some of you may be ahead of the game and already be testing the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) SDK port. Android 4.0 on the Samsung Galaxy S II, Galaxy Note, and Galaxy Tab was confirmed by Samsung Italy Friday, yet still no official word on the actual time of release. Motorola has also confirmed that it will bring Ice Cream Sandwich to its capable devices 6 weeks after Google and Samsung release the Galaxy Nexus; they also committed to leaving future bootloaders unlocked on their devices to come. This may very well mean official over-the-air bootloader patches could become a reality. DROID RAZR pre-orders are set to ship out November 10th, and it would be the most obvious contender for a future Android 4.0 upgrade. If you’re waiting eagerly to see some Android 4.0 features on your own device, then you might find the new Widget Locker update very interesting. It brings the fluid “lens shaped” Ice Cream Sandwich lockscreen to your phone or tablet. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Ray and Motorola ATRIX 2 were given hands-on treatment this week, so expect to see their full reviews very soon. Sony finally purchased Ericsson out of their joint venture for $1.47 billion dollars Thursday, so whether or not we will continue to see the Ericsson name on their future smartphones is still up in the air. Our own Michael Crider put the CyanogenMod Android OS port to the HP Touchpad to the test for an entire week. He presented a very detailed analysis of what to currently expect from the alpha version and even what one should expect on future releases to come. Finally, don’t forget to check out our Android 4.0 Q and A session straight from Hong Kong! )
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| Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Q and A session from Hong Kong Posted: 30 Oct 2011 01:53 PM PDT I’m sure many of you readers were following along during the live broadcast of the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich just as we were, but most likely you all had a few additional questions and concerns. While we weren’t able to ask them all, or everything we wanted, our own Vincent Nguyen was live in Hong Kong to ask as many questions as possible along with a few others. Below are a few quotes from the Q and A session from some of the main Android authorities that were standing by during the Samsung Galaxy Nexus unveiling.
While a sit down with Andy Rubin wasn’t quite possible, we were able to hear from Gabe Cohen, Product manager for Android’s Gmail, Hugo Barra Managing Director for Android, and Matias Duarte, Head director of the Android user experience. Below are a few cut outs from the SlashGear Q and A that we found interesting but you’ll want to hit that source link up for the full session. Vincent Nguyen: I was wondering, when you did the face recognition – is there an alternate means to get into the device incase it doesn’t work?
Vincent Nguyen: Will that be extended to just unlocking, or can you unlock let’s say Dropbox or other apps where it does require a pin or –
Vincent Nguyen: For the instant voice input [real-time speech], is that still dependent on the carrier quality? Or is there a local file-save so that it starts to learn your usage?
Vincent Nguyen: But is there anything saved locally, or is everything – is there a profile of how you use it?
Vincent Nguyen: So there’s no customization at all to the voice input?
– The many other 3rd party publishers also asking questions will be marked by a “Q” except for those by Vincent. Q: How many languages do you support for voice recognition?
Q: Does that include Chinese?
This next set of questions should answer many readers concerns regarding Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich updates and if they’ll see updates for their device. Sadly this is largely up to carriers and manufacturers, but according to Google any phone running 2.3 Gingerbread should be capable, and therefor deserves to be updated. Q: I wonder if Android 4.0 will have a minimum hardware requirement – like Android 3.0 does?
Q: To your estimation, how many Android 2.3 handsets can be upgraded to Android 4.0?
Vincent Nguyen: There was a lot of focus – not a lot of focus, but the keyboard was redesigned in a way -
Vincent Nguyen: SWYPE is becoming – the technology of “swiping” has been becoming popular and other companies are getting sold for a whole bunch of money; was it a conscious decision for Google just to leave that feature out?
Vincent Nguyen: Yeah the ability to just swipe on your keyboard.
Vincent Nguyen: Yeah there are but then I won’t get this whole new keyboard that Google just put out – I’d like to have the best of both worlds.
Vincent Nguyen: I’ve done that and it’s terrible. I just want one keyboard and be happy with it.
Vincent Nguyen: You didn’t demonstrate it on-stage so could you elaborate how you would switch?
Now I don’t want to spoil all the fun that Vincent and others had here, but we have tons more questions recorded and you can read plenty more where this came from at SlashGear.com. With details and responses from Android being open source, custom UI’s like HTC Sense on Honeycomb or ICS, Android Beam security and more. I’m sure you’ve all seen plenty of this amazing new phone but just in case we have a few videos below for your viewing pleasure. Feel free to hit either of our news portal links below revealing everything about this next flagship device, then enjoy those videos and your Halloween weekend. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich hands-on Samsung Galaxy Nexus hands-on Samsung Galaxy Note vs Galaxy Nexus hands-on Device Info
Display
Dimension & Weight
Battery & Power
Software
Hardware
Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
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Microsoft has a keen interested in Android despite selling its own mobile operating system – an interest that’s vetted to the tune of 
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