[ Via: MobileCrunch ]
In case you missed it, iOS 4.1 was made official and released to developers on the first. Seems that Apple might have made a slight misstep when they released it however; the version that went it works with any iPhone/iPod Touch, not just the developer units. The upshot is that if you don’t want to wait for the general release, you don’t have to – you can go to the Uneasy Silence forum and download it. There’s also quite the support discussion built up on that forum, so if you have any questions about iOS 4.1, odds are the answer is there.
[ Via: MobileCrunch ]
[ Via: Android and Me ]
LG Electronics announced today that it will ship the world’s first dual-core CPU Android smartphones in Q4 2010, which will be part of the company’s Optimus Series of devices. We previously reported that LG and NVIDIA were teaming up on several devices, but this is the first official confirmation that we should expect an actual Tegra 2 smartphone in stores this year.
The NVIDIA Tegra 2 smartphone processor (AP20) offers a number of “mobile firsts” including the first mobile dual-core CPU, the first ultra low-power GeForce GPU, and the first 1080p HD mobile video processor. Each CPU core will be clocked at 1 GHz and LG claims consumers should expect up to 2x faster web browsing and up to 5x faster gaming performance (over single core CPUs running at 1 GHz).
NVIDIA and LG are also saying that the Tegra 2 will deliver “console-quality gaming” but we have yet to see the elite developers like id Software and Epic Games fully support the Android platform like they have done with Apple. Hopefully NVIDIA has been working with some of these devs behind the scenes and we will have some flagship Android games available to show off the full power of the Tegra 2 GeForce GPU.
Chang Ma, VP of Marketing for LG, thinks the Optimus Series will take the lead when it comes to speed and graphics. He said, “LG is committed to making its Optimus Series smart devices the de facto standard in speed and graphics performance. We selected NVIDIA because it is the visual computing leader and has a long history of creating amazing consumer experiences.”
Possible U.S. carriers for the first dual-core smartphone include T-Mobile and Verizon. The leaked T-Mobile roadmap indicated two LG devices coming in late November. Verizon is another options because they are only U.S. carrier who has launched an Android phone from LG (the Ally) and the LG enV Touch 2 is rumored to appear this holiday season.
LG doesn’t exactly have the best reputation in the Android ecosystem, but a high-end Tegra 2 phone could finally put them on the map. However, like we saw with the Toshiba Folio tablet, a high-end processor does not guarantee a win.
What are your expectation for a dual-core phone? Is the inclusion of a Tegra 2 processor enough to make you upgrade? Which other features do you hope LG incorporate in a high-end Android phone?
Show Press Release
LG DEVELOPS POWERFUL SMARTPHONES WITH NVIDIA TEGRA 2 PROCESSOR
LG First to Announce Smartphone with Dual-Core CPU based on NVIDIA Tegra, the World’s Most Advanced Mobile Processor
SEOUL, Sept. 7, 2010 – LG Electronics (LG) announced today that it will introduce a series of fast, powerful smartphones starting in the fourth quarter of 2010 utilizing the second generation NVIDIA® Tegra™ mobile processor, Tegra 2. Tegra 2 includes the world’s first dual-core CPU, which powers through complex tasks to achieve significant leaps in performance.
LG will integrate Tegra 2 into its smartphones, providing them with unprecedented power, speed and graphics capability. These smartphones will be part of LG’s Optimus Series, a new line of innovative mobile products.
LG selected NVIDIA Tegra because it enables a new mobile experience and content capabilities. Tegra 2 features a number of mobile “firsts”: the first mobile dual-core CPU, the only ultra low-power NVIDIA GeForce® GPU and the first 1080p HD mobile video processor. Taking full advantage of the two speedy 1 GHz processors sharing the workload in Tegra 2, consumers can experience up to 2x faster web browsing and up to 5x faster gaming performance over single core processors running at 1 GHz. NVIDIA’s leadership in graphics also delivers flawless 1080p HD video playback, console-quality gaming and amazing 3D capabilities.
“LG is committed to making its Optimus Series smart devices the de facto standard in speed and graphics performance,” said Chang Ma, Vice President of Marketing Strategy Team, LG Mobile Communications Company. “We selected NVIDIA because it is the visual computing leader and has a long history of creating amazing consumer experiences.”
“The ultimate smartphones will be powered by Tegra, the world’s most advanced mobile processor,” said Phil Carmack, senior vice president of NVIDIA’s mobile business. “LG is one of the most popular consumer brands, and their Optimus Series of devices with Tegra is further validation of the processor’s ability to deliver an unrivaled, turbocharged media experience.”
LG’s Optimus Series smartphones featuring the NVIDIA Tegra 2 mobile processor will debut starting in the fourth quarter of the year.
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[ Via: Android and Me ]
[ Via: Android and Me ]
As many of you know by now Sony is the exclusive launch partner when it comes to HDTV’s powered by Google TV, but Android is open source and other manufacturers have decided to put their own TV-spin on it. One of those companies is People of Lava from Sweden and we got a chance to check out their Scandinavia lineup at IFA, which they calling the world’s first Android TVs.
Overall I was fairly impressed with what People of Lava showed us, but it’s not something that can compete with what we have seen from Google TV so far. That might not matter initially because Google TV is targeted at the U.S. market for launch, while People of Lava will debut the Scandinavia in Sweded and other European countries. Most consumers keep their TV sets around 5-7 years so it’s a little hard to swallow the Scandinavia right now when you know Sony, LG, and others will eventually have Google TV products.
The Scandinavia will be available in 42″, 47″, and 52″ models with prices starting at 2,500 euros (including VAT) for the smallest size. People of Lava chose a powerful 833 MHz Cortex-A8 processor from Samsung and we were told it would eventually be able to support Flash Player 10.1. The firmware build of the Scandinavia is still Android 1.5, but future upgrades are planned over the Internet.
Obviously this thing is not certified by Google, so People of Lava has created their own applications market. This means developers will have to optimize their apps for the big screen and then submit them to People of Lava to get listed in the custom store.
Finally, the most interesting thing about the Scandinavia was the material used for the outer casing. It is called Hi-mac, which is a unique blend of stone and other materials. It felt like an expensive counter top and was fairly heavy – the 52″ model weighs nearly 100 lbs (42 kb).
Don’t expect to ever see the Scandinavia in the U.S., but future models from People of Lava could eventually reach our shores. Google TV should be open sourced sometime next year (maybe May 2011?), and I’m sure People of Lava will migrate their products to the TV-optimized version of Android.
Check out the quick video walkthrough and let us know what you think.
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[ Via: Android and Me ]
[ Via: MobileCrunch ]
See that shot above? That was taken with an iPhone 4. Don’t believe it? See how in the video after the jump.
Armed with nothing but a $7 mini-microscope and the cheapest (around $3) back-protecting iPhone case they could find, the guys over at Crabfu managed to convert their iPhone 4 into an on-the-go microscope camera capable of taking shots at a 12x zoom level.
Ten bucks for at least a few hours of wandering around my house looking at everything way closer than I probably should? Deal.
[Via Giz]
[ Via: MobileCrunch ]
[ Via: Google Android Blog ]
The circle is complete. After all the nay-saying and fear that was surrounding the DROID X and the DROID 2 being locked down so tight that “modding” and “hacking” the devices would not be possible, it appears that the DROID 2 has its first “custom” ROM. We use the term custom lightly, this is actually just a cleaned-up version of the stock ROM that is included with the D2.
The ROM is known as the EPIC ROM (by Matt4542) and can be downloaded over at the Droid Life forums. Of course your D2 needs to be rooted and have the Clockwork Recovery flashed to be able to use the ROM. Over on the forums you can see some of the scripts that were included in EPIC, none of them too fancy, but it is definitely a start for something better in the future.
Just a reminder, there is always a potential risk with doing anything of this nature to your device. Also, you will be voiding your warranty in the process. So, take a look over at the Droid Life forums to install and run the new ROM and let us know how it goes for you.
Via [Droid Life] Source [Droid Life Forum]
[ Via: Google Android Blog ]
[ Via: Google Android Blog ]
Android Book Club (ABC) is a new app in the Market that still is relatively unknown, and it’s designed to help you discover the book you want to read next. The application approaches this task by letting you browse the various New York Times Best Sellers lists and then show information from Amazon when you tap on a title.
The red, white and black interface is clean and simplistic, and you’re greeted by four huge buttons when you start the app: Starred, History, Lists and Barcode. As the buttons suggest, favorite items can be starred and you may browse your history of viewed books and scan barcodes. There’s also a search feature that lets you search Amazon for any novel and so far I’ve gotten results for all my queries.
The List option will take you to various New York Time Best Sellers lists to inspire you to find that book you just got to read. When you open an item, whether it’s in a best sellers list or a book you’ve searched for or scanned, the app will grab details from Amazon and display them in a way that’s similar to the official IMDb app. The book’s cover is showed, as well as the rating, a plot summary and the original title. You may also read reviews, browse similar items and share the book via Android’s default Share screen. If you want to read more about the book, there are direct links to Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
ABC is a low-key app that works as advertised and is done by the book (pun intended), and I’m somewhat surprised that it doesn’t have more downloads in the Market. It can be a handy complement to the Kindle for Android app, and if you’re into reading books I think you should give it a try.
KEY FEATURES
- Lets you browse New York Times Best Sellers lists
- Clean interface and easy-to-use
- Shows book info from Amazon
CONS
- Browsing best sellers isn’t necessarily a good way to find great novels
App: Android Book Club (ABC)
Price: Free
Website: http://alexanderblom.se/android-book-club/
[ Via: Google Android Blog ]
[ Via: Google Android Blog ]
Android music apps that play MP3 files stored on your SD card are more visually appealing and fun to use when the cover art is available for each track in your collection. The only problem is, if you have converted your CDs into the MP3 format yourself, the album covers will usually be unavailable.
Album art can be stored in the ID3 metadata container of MP3 files, and there’s software for desktop computers that automatically find album covers for your MP3s. But these programs usually require that you manually confirm that the album covers actually are correct, and if you’re a big music fan with a large collection – this can take ages. Another drawback is that the size of each MP3 file will be increased, since an image is attached to it.
Two apps on the Market that check your MP3 collection and download missing cover art to your SD card without modifying any ID3 tags are Album Art Grabber and Album Art Grabber Free. Contrary to what one could believe, they are released by two different developers. Both apps are very easy to use and should be compatible with most HTC devices, and from what I can tell – most other Android phones as well. If you have music albums on your memory card without covers, they should be able to take care of the problem for you.
Price: Free | Official Website
Price: UK£1.99 | Official Website
[ Via: Google Android Blog ]
[ Via: Android and Me ]
On paper the Toshiba Folio looked like one of the hottest Android tablets coming this year – dual-core Tegra 2 processor, Android 2.2, 10.1 inch capacitive display, etc. However, I got to spend about an hour with the device and a senior Toshiba executive behind close doors at IFA and what I found was a steaming pile of disappointment.
The Toshiba Folio was so bad I decided not to film any hands-on video because I couldn’t think of anything nice to say about it while I sat in a small room with some Toshiba reps. It was obvious the software build loaded on the Folio was not final, but it was so buggy and craptacular that I’m surprised Toshiba was even showing off the device. It made them look bad and I think Toshiba would have been better off either not showing the device turned on or completely scrapping it from their IFA lineup.
You would think if your tablet contained the fastest mobile processor (Tegra 2), that you might want to load some games or benchmarks to show it off. Unfortunately, I did not see anything that demonstrated the power of Tegra 2 and I was unable to download or install any applications (because of software bugs). I still have high hopes for Tegra 2, but the Folio did absolutely nothing to get anyone excited about NVIDIA’s platform.
Arguably the most entertaining part of my hands-on with the Folio was my conversation about the mobile industry with the Toshiba marketing exec (who will remain nameless hah). He ended up asking me way more questions than I had for him and I think I should have charged him a consulting fee. We mainly talked about their competitors’ tablets, Google’s preferential treatment towards certain manufacturers, and alternative app markets (as the Folio is not certified by Google). It was an eye-opening chat as he didn’t seem very enthusiastic about his own company’s tablet and ended the conversation by asking me, “So, we are screwed?”.
Everyone and their mother had an Android tablet on display at IFA and I would place the Toshiba Folio at the bottom of my list ranking which I would like to purchase. Samsung, Archos, and Viewsonic all had quality offerings that I would recommend, but Toshiba has their work cut out for them. Just because your product has the fastest processor, that doesn’t guarantee a win.
Going forward, I think we will see PC vendors continue to struggle with their initial Android efforts. There are a few new companies who get it (see Viewsonic), but for the most part the Android ecosystem is tough to completely understand and the handset makers should rule for the next couple years.
Look for the Folio to debut across Europe over the next couple of months. I was told there are no plans for a U.S. release and I expect it will flop so don’t get your hopes up.
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[ Via: Android and Me ]
[ Via: Google Android Blog ]
We reported about the HTC landscape-slider that was rumored to be coming to Verizon sometime at the end of the year. Well, thanks to a bunch of high-quality FCC photos we get to see the new world-phone once again and boy, does that keyboard look nice.
The new HTC slider is considered to be a “world-phone” because it supports Verizon CDMA, EV-DO Rev. A, and GSM 850 bands, effectively allowing it to work just about anywhere in the world. So, users will be able to take advantage of Big Red’s built up network here in the States as well as piggybacking off of some regional and national, partnered GSM carriers anywhere overseas. The HTC device is also rumored to have a 4-inch capacitive screen, Bluetooth, and WiFi. There was some talk in the past of a ’suped-up 1.2/1.3 Ghz processor, but there is still no exact word on that.
It’s interesting to see that Verizon and HTC are created a phone of this caliber as it will probably be marketed to “business types” as a phone that you can take anywhere around the world. To be honest, its about time. Blackberry has been the leader in this type of market and it’s good to see HTC created something compelling to hit this niche. Now just give us a portrait keyboard, HTC!
Via [Phandroid, Engadget] Source [FCC]
[ Via: Google Android Blog ]
[ Via: MobileCrunch ]
Android Police noticed today that the minimum requirements for Flash Player 10.1 actually exclude the original Motorola Droid, even though it was one of the devices Adobe showed off in their early Flash Player 10.1 demo videos.
What isn’t clear, however, is whether or not the minimum requirements will apply to the Droid from now on (meaning, Droid users no longer being able to download it), or if they’ve just made an exception to these requirements in the case of the Droid.
My gut tells me it’ll be the latter, but Android Police have reached out to Adobe for clarification, just be sure. We’ll let you know how it turns out.
The hefty minimum system requirements serve as a reminder that Flash probably doesn’t have a home on mobile phones, as much as we’d all love it to.
[ Via: MobileCrunch ]
