Showing posts with label Android. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Android. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Sony Ericsson expects Android 2.3 on Xperia X10 in August

Despite Sony Ericsson's promise that its Xperia X10 handset would be updated with Android 2.3 by late spring, the company has confirmed that it will not meet the original goal. In a blog post, the company suggests it is now planning to begin the roll-out sometime in the beginning of August. Users will still be able to take advantage of software functionality close to that of the newer Xperia Arc handset.


The Gingerbread build will bring a new UI with a pinch-to-overview gesture, along with a customizable app tray in horizontal orientation. Other features taken from the latest Xperia lineup include revamped media widgets and an integrated equalizer in the music player, however users will not be able to utilize DLNA media streaming.




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Aside from Sony Ericsson's customizations, the update will enable standard Android 2.3 upgrades such as Wi-Fi and USB tethering, Adobe Flash support and app storage on the microSD card.


Although the Xperia X10 is still on track to receive the Gingerbread update, the company still has no plans to update the X10 mini, Mini pro, and X8 beyond the current Eclair build.


Electronista

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Sony Xperia X10 Users Finally Get to Taste an Old Eclair, Android 2.1

Sony-Ericsson-XPERIA-X10-Android-Phone Consumers spent Tuesday morning bashing Sony Ericsson and AT&T for announcing today that it has begun upgrading Xperia X10 phones to Android 2.1, or "Eclair"—the version of Android launched in January 2010.


"WOW!!! And you guys are actually excited to announce this. SE has just lost the plot," wrote one user at Sony Ericsson's blog.


On Tuesday, Sony Ericsson announced the manual update to Android 2.1 in a blog post: "We couldn't be more excited to bring you the news we have for you today. After much hard-work, we are happy to announce that the Android 2.1 upgrade will be available for AT&T XperiaTM X10 customers in the US starting Tuesday, May 31. We can't thank you enough for your patience."


The announcement was met with more sarcasm than the usual tech post, with responses like "Thats great news...everybody open up a bottle of campaign (sic) and lets celebrate this!!se you are a joke!!and a bad one!!" and "No wonder why sony always get hacked, good luck with this."


Xperia X10 users in the U.S. have reason to be annoyed. Android 2.1 is a minor platform update that Google launched in January 2010. The update gives Xperia X10 devices 720p HD video capture, multi-touch support, continuous autofocus on the camera, face detection during video capture, and expanded homescreen support. Click here to download instructions for manually upgrading your phone.


Sony Ericsson can't be blamed entirely for the holdup. In fact, it first announced the upgrade last November for users in Europe and Australia. AT&T had "no comment" on the U.S. delay.


According to Android Developers' May stats, only 24.5 percent of all smartphones still run Android 2.1, a vast improvement from last November when the figure was 77 percent. Since then 70.2 percent of all smartphones have been upgraded to Android 2.2 (Froyo) and above.


In the U.S., the Xperia X10 series launched in August through AT&T and with an outdated version of Android, 1.6.


PCmag

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer gets Android 3.1 update

ASUS has already released an Android 3.1 update for its Eee Pad Transformer, just two months after the tablet arrived on the market. The upgrade, which was first introduced last month at Google's I/O conference, enables users to take advantage of new Movie and Books apps, resizable widgets, and expanded support for USB-attached devices.


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Android 3.1 is said to be automatically arriving as an over-the-air update pushed to many of the tablets. It is unclear if the upgrade is immediately available for all Eee Pad Transformer owners, or if the company is adhering to a spread schedule.


Electronista

Friday, June 3, 2011

Sony Xperia X10 Users Finally Get to Taste an Old Eclair, Android 2.1

Sony-Ericsson-XPERIA-X10-Android-Phone Consumers spent Tuesday morning bashing Sony Ericsson and AT&T for announcing today that it has begun upgrading Xperia X10 phones to Android 2.1, or "Eclair"—the version of Android launched in January 2010.


"WOW!!! And you guys are actually excited to announce this. SE has just lost the plot," wrote one user at Sony Ericsson's blog.


On Tuesday, Sony Ericsson announced the manual update to Android 2.1 in a blog post: "We couldn't be more excited to bring you the news we have for you today. After much hard-work, we are happy to announce that the Android 2.1 upgrade will be available for AT&T XperiaTM X10 customers in the US starting Tuesday, May 31. We can't thank you enough for your patience."


The announcement was met with more sarcasm than the usual tech post, with responses like "Thats great news...everybody open up a bottle of campaign (sic) and lets celebrate this!!se you are a joke!!and a bad one!!" and "No wonder why sony always get hacked, good luck with this."


Xperia X10 users in the U.S. have reason to be annoyed. Android 2.1 is a minor platform update that Google launched in January 2010. The update gives Xperia X10 devices 720p HD video capture, multi-touch support, continuous autofocus on the camera, face detection during video capture, and expanded homescreen support. Click here to download instructions for manually upgrading your phone.


Sony Ericsson can't be blamed entirely for the holdup. In fact, it first announced the upgrade last November for users in Europe and Australia. AT&T had "no comment" on the U.S. delay.


According to Android Developers' May stats, only 24.5 percent of all smartphones still run Android 2.1, a vast improvement from last November when the figure was 77 percent. Since then 70.2 percent of all smartphones have been upgraded to Android 2.2 (Froyo) and above.


In the U.S., the Xperia X10 series launched in August through AT&T and with an outdated version of Android, 1.6.


PCmag

Monday, May 30, 2011

Alcatel OneTouch T60 Android tablet shows at FCC

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Alcatel will soon join the tablet market with an Android-powered device of its own, if a Thursday FCC test is to be trusted. What appears to be a seven-inch device, known as the OneTouch T60, will ship with Android 2.2. It will also connect to North American 850MHz and 1,900MHz networks.


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Otherwise, the simple tablet will have Wi-Fi, GPS, a rear three-megapixel camera and a VGA front-facing camera. It gets access to Google Maps as well. A microSD memory card slot and 3.5mm headset jack round out the package.


Despite the listing, ship dates or prices for the device aren't known. The latter will likely place the device at the lower end of the Android tablet offerings, and perhaps at the very bottom.


Electronista

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Droid X gets Android 2.3 early

One Motorola Droid X test phone owner has reportedly already received the Android 2.3 update, Droid-Life said Monday. The system update, version 4.5.596, is also dated for May 26, so that's likely when it will launch. About a month ago, Droid X owners had the option of manually downloading the Android 2.3 update but it was quickly pulled.


The May 26 date revealed by the update build number is very close to the May 25 date showed in earlier build numbers from leaks. The Droid X 2 is also expected to launch on May 26, so there is a possibility the same software will come preloaded on that handset as well.


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Electronista

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Fujitsu teases seven-inch Android 3.1 tablet for summer

Fujitsu’s tablet strategy for 2011 has been further crystalized with news that it plans to release a 7-inch Android 3.1 tablet this summer. It will sit alongside its LifeBook TH40/D Windows 7 hybrid, slider-tablet due to go on sale in Japan this June. While the 10.1-inch TH40/D is targeted at enterprise, the 7-inch Honeycomb tablet will be aimed at the consumer market.


According to Digitimes, Fujitsu has suggested that the 7-inch Honeycomb tablet will priced at the equivalent of between $347 and $694. The company plans to outsource the production of the tablet to unnamed Taiwan-based ODMs in order to keep the price competitive. While the price range is indicative of the tablet coming in a range of capacities, it’s low starting point could also suggest that it might have a carrier subsidized strategy in mind.


In further news, Fujitsu also indicated that its TH40/D will also be getting official stylus support and a 3.5G module when it launches in Taiwan. It did not indicate whether it planned to also bring stylus support to its 7-inch Android tablet.


Electronista

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Samsung Gravity T2 leaked, graduates to Android

Samsung is planning a sequel to the Gravity T that would upgrade it to the smartphone class. A leak has shown the GT2, likely Gravity T2, using Android 2.2. T-Mobile's phone would use the opportunity to upgrade the hardware underneath, TmoNews learned, including a slightly larger 3.2-inch touchscreen over its slide-out keyboard and an 800MHz processor.


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The handset would just have a three-megapixel camera with a flash as well as a slightly iPhone-like layout with a large home button and navigation on top. TouchWiz would survive on the device but appears to be lighter than on the Galaxy S series.


Price would be the cornerstone of the phone and stay cheap even with data. Stores would pay a raw cost of just $225, suggesting T-Mobile customers would pay only slightly more off-contract. Contract prices would need a $50 mail-in rebate but only a $10 data plan along with voice.


The Gravity T2 would ship on June 8, the same day as the very high-end HTC Sensation 4G.


Electronista

Monday, May 23, 2011

Android 2.3 test for HTC Thunderbolt leaks out

An early indication that an official Android 2.3 build for the HTC Thunderbolt is indeed coming soon comes in the form of a test build of the software now available for download. Hosted by 911 Sniper, the test build is a big hint that HTC is working hard to meet its June 30 deadline for the launch of the official OS for this smartphone. Not much else is known about the test OS at this point, including how difficult it is to install on Thunderbolt handsets.


htcthunderbolt


With the upcoming official update, the Thunderbolt will get better support for the front-facing camera, better power management, built-in voice over IP calling, and a better media framework that includes AAC encoding and overall WebM support, among other improvements.


Electronista

Thursday, May 19, 2011

ZiiLabs announces two CPUs for Android 3.0 tablets

ZiiLabs this week announced the upcoming release of its latest processors, the dual-core ZMS-20 and quad-core ZMS-40. The former is much closer to production, and has a 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-A9 at its core. The company says this chip is four times faster than its previous flagship offering, the ZMS-08. Both the ZMS-20 and ZMS-40 are optimized for Android 3.0 tablets with HD video playback.


The ZMS-40 can scale up to 6GHz, ZiiLabs said. It would also be capable of providing up to 100 processor cores.


The ZMS-20 will have the ability to play back 1080p videos, support OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics, handle HD video calling, and play Adobe Flash Player support. It would also be compatible with DDR3 and LPDDR2 memory, along with HDMI 1.4 and OpenCL. It will be released alongside a full-blown Android Tablet Platform that includes the SDK for Android, customizable or white label ID tablet designs, certification and conformation.


The ZMS-20 is now sampling and will ship in the summer of this year. More details on the ZMS-40 will be released at a later time.




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Electronista

Samsung confirms Android 2.3 updates for Galaxy S, Tab

Samsung after a false start last month has officially started rolling out Android 2.3 updates for virtually all of its Galaxy devices. Every Galaxy S phone, the Galaxy Tab, and its budget Galaxy mix should all get the extra performance and user interface updates, including copy-and-paste text. The update is being pitched as especially helpful for 3D games and media playback, likely due to the much improved OpenGL graphics.


Initial upgrades will focus on the Galaxy S in Nordic countries and the UK starting sometime this week. Samsung plans a gradual rollout to the rest of the world, including North America, but didn't say when or how universally beyond mentioning a "regional plan." Upgrades for the Galaxy Tab as well as the Ace, Fit, Gio, and Mini also weren't mentioned. Some users still report updates already heading out on the Galaxy Tab, however, and may leave only a short wait.


All updates on the older phones still need to go through Samsung's Kies app for PCs.


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Electronista

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Barnes & Noble Nook app optimized for Android tablets

As promised, Barnes & Noble on Friday put out a version of Nook for Android (free, Market) optimized for Android tablets. The new version takes advantage of the larger screen both for reading as well as browsing the book library and store. Unusually, the app isn't just optimized for Android 3.x slates like the Motorola Xoom but also for Android 2.x models, many of which are seven-inch designs like the Samsung Galaxy Tab.


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The only stipulation is that the screen have an 800x480 or larger resolution, the bookseller said. A device check will open up magazines and newspapers to non-Nook Color tablets for the first time while keeping them off of smartphones, even at the same resolution.


Readers can get the new app immediately and can now find it in other portals, such as Samsung Apps, Verizon's V Cast Apps, AppsLib, and GetJar. Outside of public domains, most regular books cost $10. Subscriptions vary but usually have a two-week trial to test them out before committing to a monthly fee.


Electronista

Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi starts getting Android 3.1 early

Google's warning that Xoom Wi-Fi Android 3.1 updates might be delayed for weeks were proven cautious on Thursday as numerous owners have reported getting the upgrade early. The build is virtually identical to the one reaching 3G Xooms on Verizon and brings movie rentals, USB peripheral support, resizable widgets and a deeper multitasking interface. Early adopters have also found it noticeably faster.


The update is still due to be pushed out gradually for those waiting for an automatic delivery. A chance exists that a manual check will speed up the upgrade process, but no Xoom Wi-Fi owners are known to have reported it working so far.


Electronista

Monday, May 16, 2011

BeBook Live Tablet keeps Android 2.2 alive

bebook_tablet BeBook Live has in introduced the BeBook Live Tablet. The device is one of the few newly launched tablets to persist with Android 2.2 although the OS is not specifically designed for tablets. Like the original Samsung Galaxy Tab, which also runs Android 2.2, the BeBook Live Tablet even incorporates Samsung’s own 1GHz single-core Hummingbird Cortex A8 processor matched with 512MB of SDRAM. It is also Flash compatible.


While it only incorporates 4GB of internal storage, it can be expanded through its microSD/SDHC card slot. Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.0 provide connectivity. It also features a mini-HDMI port for 1080p output over an HD TV, and a mini-USB port. A 2-megapixel front facing camera also enables video calls, though it omits a rear camera.


The BeBook Live Tablet available June 21 for $279, with pre-orders being taken now.


Electronista

Android, Apple iOS Chip Away at RIM's Smartphone Share

Google and Apple continued to chip away at Research in Motion's smartphone mobile OS share in the U.S., with Google's Android jumping past RIM's BlackBerry to nab the number-one spot, and Apple inching closer to land at number three.


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According to data published by comScore, Google's Android OS smartphone share jumped 6 percent during the first three months of 2011 to reach 34.7 percent, while RIM dropped 4.5 percent to land at 27.1 percent. Apple was close behind to 27.1 percent, a 0.5 percent increase from December 2010.


Rounding out the top five were Microsoft and Palm with 7.5 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively, both a 0.9 percent drop.


Overall, 72.5 million people had smartphones in the U.S. by the end of March, up 15 percent from the last three months in 2010. About 234 million Americans, meanwhile, owned mobile devices. Samsung was the number one device manufacturer with 24.5 percent of the market, though that was down 0.3 percent since December. LG landed at number two and remained flat at 20.9 percent, followed by Motorola and RIM, which took a 0.9 percent and 0.1 percent dip, respectively, to land at 15.8 percent and 8.4 percent.


With the release of the Verizon iPhone, however, Apple continued to make gains and land at the number-five spot with 7.9 percent of the market, a 1.1 percent increase.


Despite Android's dominance, however, older iOS products are apparently more popular than new Android devices. According to data from Canaccord Genuity technology analyst Michael Walkley, there is still strong demand for the iPhone 3GS and first iPad. At AT&T stores, for example, the $49 iPhone 3GS outsold newer Android devices like the HTC Inspire and Motorola Atrix, AppleInsider reports.


Last month, comScore found that Apple's iOS platform has twice the reach of Google's Android in the United States. Apple's iOS, which includes the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, had an installed user base of 37.9 million, which was 59 percent higher than Android's installed user base of 23.8 million.


PCMag

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Sharp Aquos SH-12C hits high-end Android with 3D, qHD screen

sharpaquossh-12c Sharp pushed to keep Android on top in Japan by launching a new flagship with multiple firsts for the country. The Aquos SH-12C carries two rear eight-megapixel cameras that, like the Evo 3D, can shoot 3D video or still photos. Its 4.2-inch display is both one of the sharpest in Japan at 540x960 but also provides glasses-free 3D to show off the resulting footage.


The inside isn't quite as powerful as in the HTC phone or the LG Optimus 3D but is still at the high end with a 1.4GHz, single-core Snapdragon MSM8255 and 512MB of RAM. Sharp is delivering the SH-12C with Android 2.3 out of the box and has added its own extras through both its TapFlow UI and Japan-friendly extras like a 1Seg over-the-air TV tuner.


NTT DoCoMo is so far the initial carrier for the new Aquos and will start taking pre-orders on May 14 with a May 20 ship date. Sharp hasn't detailed expansion plans, but it did promise a 3D smartphone for the US and may see the SH-12C as its opportunity.


Electronista

Advent Vega tablet gets Android 3.0 hack with GPU boost

The Advent Vega tablet has just received an unofficial Android 3.0 hack along with a GPU boost, thanks to a creative developer over on the XDA-Developers forum. Zebwen ported Android 3.0 while others, including newbe5, Corvus and HomerSp helped out and the four have now achieved hardware acceleration. The Alpha ROM is also now available for download.


The hack will boot, provides the aforementioned hardware acceleration, supports widgets and most Android apps should run, though this hasn't been thoroughly tested. The video below shows the fast response of the OS on the Advent Vega tablet. What doesn't work is more comprehensive, as it's simply described as everything else. Wi-Fi doesn't work either, and neither does the camera or the accelerometer for screen rotation.


There are some caveats for those who wish to try this build, however. For example, ClockworkMOD is bundled with the ROM, and the Vega doesn't have a hard button for boot recovery, and the ROM doesn't have ROM manager installed, so code has to be added to enter recovery mode.




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Electronista

ZiiLabs announces two CPUs for Android 3.0 tablets

ZiiLabs this week announced the upcoming release of its latest processors, the dual-core ZMS-20 and quad-core ZMS-40. The former is much closer to production, and has a 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-A9 at its core. The company says this chip is four times faster than its previous flagship offering, the ZMS-08. Both the ZMS-20 and ZMS-40 are optimized for Android 3.0 tablets with HD video playback.


The ZMS-40 can scale up to 6GHz, ZiiLabs said. It would also be capable of providing up to 100 processor cores.


The ZMS-20 will have the ability to play back 1080p videos, support OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics, handle HD video calling, and play Adobe Flash Player support. It would also be compatible with DDR3 and LPDDR2 memory, along with HDMI 1.4 and OpenCL. It will be released alongside a full-blown Android Tablet Platform that includes the SDK for Android, customizable or white label ID tablet designs, certification and conformation.


The ZMS-20 is now sampling and will ship in the summer of this year. More details on the ZMS-40 will be released at a later time.




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Electronista

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Toshiba delays Android 3.0 tablet to summer

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The upcoming Toshiba Android 3.0 tablet introduced at CES and promised to ship in June has been delayed. Toshiba UK's business notebooks chief, Ken Chan, told RegHardware the 10-inch tablet will now arrive during the summer. Chan wouldn't give reasons why the tablet was delayed even when pressed, however.


"It'll be here at the very end of summer," Chan said.


The delay may be due to the recent parts supply shortages that have affected tablets that include the iPad 2, Motorola Xoom and Eee Pad Transformer, among others. A less likely reason is that Toshiba will put the next generation NVIDIA Tegra processor into the tablet and is awaiting its release.


The unnamed Toshiba tablet has hardware very similar to other Android 3.0 tablets, including a 1280x800 capacitive, a 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, and a rear five-megapixel and front 0.2-megapixel camera. There will also be Wi-Fi, HDMI, USB and an SD memory card slot onboard.


Electronista

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

T-Mobile G2X Android 2.3 upgrade gets early preview

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T-Mobile's promised Android 2.3 upgrade for the G2Xwas given an unofficial preview on Sunday showing what to expect. Along with the expected new keyboard, copy-paste text, and other 2.3.3 features, the dual-core phone gets visibly improved scrolling and touch responsiveness. This is my next also spotted working Wi-Fi calling and all the other preloaded T-Mobile apps carrying over, such as the Tegra Zone game browser.


Some features are missing, including those that weren't expected to go. NFC hasn't reached the G2X since the hardware itself is missing. Android 2.3 sounds from the Nexus S also appeared to be missing, and the camera app was the stock Google version rather than LG's custom treatment.


With unofficial Cyanogen builds having just rolled out on the weekend, T-Mobile's own promises of a quick official rollout were likely to come true. The carrier hasn't given out a timetable of its own and could still wait weeks before it pushes out to users.




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Electronista