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- Care about bootloaders and Ice Cream Sandwich updates on Motorola devices? Read this
- ICS on Nexus S 4G, Stratosphere root [From the Forums]
- Motorola, on Twitter, says RAZR, Bionic and Xoom will get Ice Cream Sandwich within 6 weeks of code drop
- Android's share of the tablet market grows to 27% in one year
- HTC partnership with Dropbox brings 5GB of free cloud storage to Android devices
- Droid 2 Global and Droid Pro Android 2.3 updates pushing now
- Viewsonic throws its hat into the sub-$200 tablet ring with the ViewPad 7e
- BlackBerry's Android App Player not all it's cracked up to be?
- Android 101: Change how quickly your phone locks
- Editorial: Adult Android apps aren't really for adults, and boobs will get you hacked [NSFW]
- Start your week with the Greatest Android Podcast in the World!
- Pigs in Trees puts swine in the cockpit, with you at the controls
- Sprint getting the Samsung Transform Ultra, too
- Android App Review: Campyre
- Deal of the Day: Ballistic SG Series Case for the HTC EVO 3D
- Microsoft signs Android licensing deal with Compal
- Mobile Nations Monday Brief: October 24, 2011
| Care about bootloaders and Ice Cream Sandwich updates on Motorola devices? Read this Posted: 24 Oct 2011 02:47 PM PDT Heh. Hot on the heels of Motorola's 6-week Ice Cream Sandwich prediction on Twitter, the manufacturer has dropped a couple of websites to watch if you care about updates or unlocked bootloaders. They are:
Those pages, and Android Central, natch, are all you need, right? Source: Motorola blog
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| ICS on Nexus S 4G, Stratosphere root [From the Forums] Posted: 24 Oct 2011 02:37 PM PDT The weekend has come and gone and we're ready to rock and roll. A new Mobile Nations: Monday Brief is up and a new Mobile Nations podcast is coming as well. You'll want to stick with us here on the blogs and in the Android Central forums for all the latest Android news, tips, tricks and of course -- rumors:
If you're not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today.
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| Posted: 24 Oct 2011 02:37 PM PDT Let's explain (again) what's about to happen here: Motorola, on Twitter, responded to someone with the following:
The Twitter account later clarified, saying the Droid RAZR, Bionic and Xoom "Will get ICS within 6 weeks of Google's public push," and they'll confirm other devices later on. We'll believe it when we see it. Dunno how many times we've had to say this, folks, but there's a reason carriers and manufacturers don't give precise windows for updates -- and even vague time lines are often missed. (Never mind the fact that "official" information on Twitter and Facebook isn't always as official as you might think.) It was the same way with Froyo updates. It was the same with (and still is, unfortunately) with Gingerbread updates. The point is this: We have no doubt that Motorola, HTC, LG, Samsung and every other manufacturer is hard at work at figuring out which devices can -- and should -- be upgraded. But if you start a six-week countdown from the instant the Ice Cream Sandwich code drops in AOSP, you're setting yourself up for a big bag of hurt, should things take a little longer than planned. That's not to say we're not hoping for speedy updates across the board. It's just that history has taught us different. Source: @Motorola; thanks to everyone who sent this in
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| Android's share of the tablet market grows to 27% in one year Posted: 24 Oct 2011 01:35 PM PDT Android has grown to capture 27 percent of the tablet market, that just one year ago was 100 percent filled by Apple. With the launch of the original Galaxy Tab things have been on a slow uphill climb, but much like the smartphone space diversity and a much more open ecosystem will allow Android to grab a large portion of the pie, and draw manufacturers who can see the profit potential from tablet hardware. These numbers are impressive, but will likely seem pale when the Amazon Kindle Fire is released, which is seeing upwards of 50,000 pre-orders daily according to internal Amazon documents obtained by the Cult of Android blog. This parrots the meteoric rise of Android phones in another way as well -- you'll see this 27 percent number trying to be dismissed by detractors and nay-sayers everywhere, using all sorts of outlandish metrics to try and sweep it under the rug. The fact remains -- people want Android tablets, and are buying Android tablets. With the release of Ice Cream Sandwich and the Fire, this number's going to grow even faster. We're here. Deal with us, or get out of our way. Sources: Strategy Analytics; Cult of Android
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| HTC partnership with Dropbox brings 5GB of free cloud storage to Android devices Posted: 24 Oct 2011 01:09 PM PDT HTC has announced on its official Facebook page that thanks to its recent partnership with cloud storage provider Dropbox, the Dropbox app will come preinstalled on all HTC Android phones. HTC phone owners will also benefit from 5GB of free cloud storage, versus the standard 2GB normally given to free account holders. Dropbox has previously partnered with Sony Ericsson to bring pre-loaded Dropbox apps to Xperia owners, however unlike the HTC deal, no additional storage is offered on SE devices. So far it's unclear which HTC legacy devices, if any, will be able to take advantage of the 5GB storage deal. We've reached out to HTC for comment, and we'll update you when they get back to us. Source: HTC on Facebook
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| Droid 2 Global and Droid Pro Android 2.3 updates pushing now Posted: 24 Oct 2011 12:36 PM PDT Verizon is officially pushing the Android 2.3 updates out to the Droid Pro and the Droid 2 Global over-the-air today. Besides the features you would expect from Gingerbread, the Droid 2 Global update includes the following fixes and enhancements:
Not to be left out in the cold, the Droid Pro also see some much needed fixes and enhancements:
For more information about the updates, and download and installation instructions, visit the Droid Pro update page and the Droid 2 Global update page.
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| Viewsonic throws its hat into the sub-$200 tablet ring with the ViewPad 7e Posted: 24 Oct 2011 12:06 PM PDT Viewsonic has announced the ViewPad 7e (check out our hands-on) -- a Gingerbread running tablet that checks in just under $200. With a 7-inch 800x600 screen, a 1GHz ARM A8 CPU, front and rear cameras (.3MP and 3MP respectively) and the ViewScene 3D interface on top of Android 2.3, this looks to be a player in the same market space as the Kindle Fire. Much like the Fire, the ViewPad 7e comes preloaded with "Amazon Services" (we assume this means the Amazon Appstore and MP3 Store) and the Kindle application, as well as games from Wild Tangent, Twitter, and Tune-in Radio. There is no mention of the Android Market or other Google services. Unlike the Kindle Fire, the ViewPad 7e comes with 4GB on-board storage and a microSD card slot for use with cards up to 32GB, which will appeal to a whole lot of people who need or want their removable storage. The ViewPad 7e will be available in North America at the end of October for $199.99, with Latin America to follow shortly after in November.
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| BlackBerry's Android App Player not all it's cracked up to be? Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:52 AM PDT A big question we've had since RIM first announced that the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet would be able to run some Android applications was "Why?" Another question has been "Would a developer really want to?" We're getting a little insight into that courtesy of pals at CrackBerry. The tl;dr version:
Sounds about right to us. Check out the whole piece at the link below. Read: To build or to port? A developer's thoughts about
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| Android 101: Change how quickly your phone locks Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:41 AM PDT Note: This example is from a phone with HTC Sense. Yours may vary. So you want to use Android's built-in security -- either the pattern, pin or password lock. Good for you. We highly recommend it. But maybe you don't want it to lock every time you hit the power button. (Can't blame you there.) Go to Settings>Security>Lock phone after and you'll have options as for how much time you want to pass before you have to unlock the phone. If you're going to be picking it up every couple minutes, perhaps "Immediately" isn't the best choice. But even 15 minutes is better than no security, right? This option isn't available on all phones, but HTC Sense does have it, as do some newer TouchWiz devices.
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| Editorial: Adult Android apps aren't really for adults, and boobs will get you hacked [NSFW] Posted: 24 Oct 2011 08:52 AM PDT Recently, I was given the (what I thought would be) amazing task of doing an Android adult app roundup. I prepared myself with a pre-paid debit card, a clear mind, a 12-pack of Milwaukee's finest and a dark room -- and went on a download spree. What was supposed to be informative and fun turned out to be a $10 pain in the ass and time spent on the phone with T-Mobile trying to get things undone. Repeat: Steve Jobs might have joked (or maybe he was serious) that the Android Phone is for Porn, but as we found out, that doesn't mean it's good porn. This one's about as NSFW as can be, so be warned before you click through.
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| Start your week with the Greatest Android Podcast in the World! Posted: 24 Oct 2011 08:11 AM PDT
The Android Central Podcast is your weekly peek into the world of Android, where we break down the news that really matters, and explain what's just a bunch of hype. Plus, we answer your e-mails and voicemails. You don't want to miss it. Check out the Android Central Podcast.
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| Pigs in Trees puts swine in the cockpit, with you at the controls Posted: 24 Oct 2011 08:05 AM PDT Here's a fun little time-waster that's one part Flight Control, one part reverse Angry Birds, and one part MiniSquadron. You control a pig in a plane, protecting a tree from woodpeckers' pecking. It's got 4 campaigns and 75 levels and is surprisingly easy and immersive. You draw a line from your plane to the woodpeckers, engage and take 'em out. The game is free and ad-supported, but an easy in-app purchase of about $1.36 can remove them. Our only real complaint is that it the image quailty suffers on larger screens. We've got download links and a promo video after the break.
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| Sprint getting the Samsung Transform Ultra, too Posted: 24 Oct 2011 07:38 AM PDT Sprint dropped word this morning that in addition to its Boost Mobile cousins, it also will be carrying the Samsung Transform Ultra. Specs, as you'll recall, include: Productivity
Pricing and availability weren't immediately announced.
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| Posted: 24 Oct 2011 06:29 AM PDT This might seem like a niche app (and it probably is), but because there aren't so many apps in the Market for this, Campyre is worth a mention. If you've ever needed to hop into a Campfire chat by 37signals, you'll know what I'm talking about. Campyre is a third-party Android client that lets you log in, read, and post in a Campfire chat. It's ideal for those times you're out and about but need to stay connected to the people you collaborte with. Signing in is easy; it only requires you plug in your chat room's custom Campfire URL, your username, and your password. From there, you'll be presented with a list of rooms you can join. Tap the one you want to hop in, and boom, you're in. Once you've joined a room, you'll be able to see all the stuff folks are saying as well as post your own messages. There's timestamps for when people join and leave, but you can turn that off in the settings. You can also check out today's transcript in case you think there's something you missed from earlier (when you were unplugged). There's a fairly bare settings menu, too. You can change the maxmium number of messages the room will show, and enable or disable enter and exit messages along with timestamps. A pretty worthwhile feature is the "create shortcut" option. If you choose this, Campyre creates a shortcut to the room you're in on your main homescreen, so you don't need to deal with logging in and selecting a chat room anymore. Simply tap your shortcut and you'll go straight to the chat. Campyre is completely free (and without ads, to boot), so if you're a frequent user of Campfire in the web browser, Campyre is something definitely worth checking out. We've got more pictures and download links after the break.
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| Deal of the Day: Ballistic SG Series Case for the HTC EVO 3D Posted: 24 Oct 2011 06:03 AM PDT
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| Microsoft signs Android licensing deal with Compal Posted: 24 Oct 2011 05:41 AM PDT Microsoft on Sunday -- you know, day press releases are typically sent out -- announced it had reached a patent licensing agreement with Compal over its tablets, phones, e-readers and any other devices using Android or Chrome. Microsoft will receive royalties, though neither company said how much cash is changing hands. It's just the latest in licensing deals for Microsoft, including Quanta, Samsung, Acer and Viewsonic and HTC, among others. Source: Microsoft
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| Mobile Nations Monday Brief: October 24, 2011 Posted: 24 Oct 2011 05:28 AM PDT |
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