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Google won't let you sign in with very old Android versions after September 27th
Google is cutting off the last support for old Android versions by blocking them from signing into key apps after September 27th.
Fruit scraps and algae: It's what's for dinner
Supercomputers are dreaming up crazy new ways to cook the food that we have today, but will we eat the same things in the future? For instance, when news of California's drought began to hit, people wondered if switching to a diet rich in insects would be the only way to survive. A variety of factors, most notably the face you pulled when someone suggests insects in place of a McCheeseburger, was why that idea crashed and burned. So what sort of food will we be eating in our resource constrained, population-heavy future, aside from, you know, people? Here's two companies exhibiting at Hello Tomorrow in Paris that have very different ideas on the snacks of 2020.
Google explains why it's not fixing web security in old Android phones
You might not be happy that Google isn't fixing a web security flaw in your older Android phone, but the search giant now says that it has some good reasons for holding off. As the company's Adrian Ludwig explains, it's no longer viable to "safely" patch vulnerable, pre-Android 4.4 versions of WebView (a framework that lets apps show websites without a separate browser) to prevent remote attacks. The sheer amount of necessary code changes would create legions of problems, he claims, especially since developers are introducing "thousands" of tweaks to the open source software every month.
Mmmm, an iPhone cupcake
An iPhone cupcake from the professional cupcake artists at Clever Cupcakes. Nom nom nom. [Photo Credit: Clever Cupcakes]
Android 2.3 continues soaring upward, now installed on 55 percent of Google devices
Google's monthly Android distribution charts may be the most visual piece of evidence that the mobile OS is riddled with fragmentation, but at least Gingerbread has clearly become the dominant player -- and it continues to build momentum at a healthy pace (for now, at least). As always, Google reviewed which devices accessed the Android Market during a 14-day period of time in the month of December, and found that over 55 percent of those units were running a version of Android 2.3, a ten percent turbo boost from October and an increase of seventeen percent over three months. Froyo devices -- many of which are likely older phones or tablets sentenced to a upgrade-less future -- numbered over 30 percent, and Honeycomb still amounts to a meager 3.3 percent. Cupcake and ICS are tied for last place, but we expect ICS to climb rapidly as soon as it's, y'know, officially available on more devices.
iPhone icon cupcakes look touchable, tasty
We haven't posted a really good iPhone cake in quite a while now, so here we go: Reader Tim sends in this set of cupcakes that his girlfriend made him for his 21st birthday, and boy do they look good. There are a few things that, as Apple obsessive, we would call out in there, including the fact that this cake uses the old iPod logo instead of the new Music app logo, and the fact that the phone happens to be tilted the wrong way in these pictures. But hey, that's just us nitpicking -- these look great, very nice job, and I especially like the custom day and date, as well as the special message on the Notes icon. Happy belated birthday, Tim, and you've got one very talented and sweet lady there.
The Perfect Ten: The movers and shakers of 2010
Even though MMOs are the products of great teams of talented workers -- from sound artists to writers -- it's inevitable that a few of the people behind the curtain step out into the limelight. It's a smart move, really; it provides a personal face for people to associate with the game, it keeps messages consistent, and it draws any potential hate onto one person instead of the team at large. It stands to reason that these public figures end up being some of the major movers and shakers in the industry because of their high-profile positions. From CEOs to community managers, these are the people with power to make decisions, the voice to change opinions, and the personalities to inspire millions. Oh, that last sentence is pure poetry. Let's re-read it again, shall we? So in our last Perfect Ten of the year, I've asked the Massively team to compile a list of the 10 biggest MMO movers and shakers of this year. All of these people now owe us cupcakes of gratitude. (Legal Disclaimer: This does not signify a binding cupcake-blogger contract.)
MakerBot prints another MakerBot, the circle is complete
MakerBot isn't the first self-replicating 3D printer -- that spectacular distinction went to the RepRap Darwin back in 2008 -- but that doesn't make it any less awesome that the $750 machine is now able to produce its own frame. With a month's labor, owner Webca was able to create the entire plastic chassis you see above, using a second MakerBot constructed of the traditional wooden parts. Without knowing how much goop went into the project, it's a touch difficult to say if the method is economical, but there's nothing to keep you from trying the same. Best of all, Webca decided to share his plans with the world -- you'll find instructions for all 150 pieces at the source link, a month off of work in your wildest dreams.
Samsung Behold II fails to fulfill Android 2.0 promise, jilted users contemplating lawsuit (video)
When Samsung launched its Behold II with Android 1.5 on board, it made something of a big deal about the fact the handset will be upgradeable to version 2.0 when that software became available. Such a big deal that it even put the promise of an OTA update into a promo video -- a video that subsequently got yanked as the company realized it wasn't going to be able to stick to its word. Well, that evidence has now been tracked down (see it after the break), and all those buyers who were left with a Cupcake in lieu of a promised Eclair have hardly forgotten about it either. Samsung's position varies between the boilerplate "we don't have a future release date," to a stone cold "the SGH-T939 will never qualify for the Android 2X update," depending on which rep you speak to. The disappointed users have therefore resorted to putting a petition together, which asks that either a refund, replacement Android 2.x handset, or a real update be provided to them, and concludes that "legal action will be taken" if Samsung fails them. That's not exactly unreasonable , given the unfulfilled expectation -- Samsung, what say you? [Thanks, Yitzhak]
Google dishes out giant Froyo parfait (video)
Google takes Android product codenames literally -- that's why you'll find a giant Eclair, Donut and Cupcake chilling on the GooglePlex lawn. This week, they were joined by the object tastefully pictured above. Frozen yogurt, anyone? You might not care to eat this one, as it's probably made of foam, but Engadget will likely bring you a spoonful next week when we attend Google I/O. Video after the break. Update: And just like that the video has been set to private. Not like video of a stationary object really adds much value anyway. Nevertheless, it already arrived at the GooglePlex where it's currently hanging out -- under wraps -- with its foam siblings.
GPNC Korea announces the first me-too Android HDTV
Anyone opposed to another Android packing TV announced by a foreign manufacturer of questionable validity? We figured you weren't, so say hello to GPNC Korea's television running Android 1.5 on a 833 Mhz ARM Cortex A8 chip. While it's claiming NTSC and ATSC support among other broadcast standards, the USA doesn't appear to have made the cut for availability, with 10 different countries including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Poland, Australia and Dubai. Practically identical to People of Lava's effort, it is slated for 42-, 47- and 55-inch LED-backlit versions with no real price or date, and even this promo pic looks very familiar. GPNC managed to keep the screen clear of error messages this time, but its website is flagged by Google as "dangerous" so we'd probably wait for something more official before making any attempts to preorder. At this rate, these TVs will be as ubiquitous as Android/ARM tablets before long -- let's hope Sony and Intel spill the details on those Google TV plans sooner rather than later.
Droid Eris rooted to 2.1, but look before you leap
Tired of waiting for Verizon and dissatisfied with a series of recent buggy leaks, the fine folks at XDA Developers were determined to trade their Cupcake-laden Droid Eris for a more toothsome Eclair on their own terms. Yesterday evening, it seems they finally achieved their goal, though not without a caveat or three. If you're still running the stock Android 1.5, it's a simple matter of dropping a ZIP file onto your SD card and restarting your phone; if not, you're completely out of luck. Rooters warn that the hack won't work on phones that have already been flashed to that aforementioned Eris 2.1 leak, and that they haven't yet figured out a way to restore any non-1.5 phones back to factory default. If hacking isn't your daily bread, proceed with caution -- Sense UI may be fancy and all, but chaining your phone forevermore to an unsupported OS just ain't worth it. See what an Eris Eclair looks like after the break. [Update: 2/9/16: The picture originally in this post was taken by the XDA Developers poster Justin Case, and did not contain his original watermark. This is not consistent with our editorial policy. We have removed the picture and apologize for the error.]
Spiritual Guidance: Holy 101
Every Sunday (and the occasional weekday) Spiritual Guidance offers holy and discipline priests advice on how to wield the holy light and groove to the disco night. Your hostess Dawn Moore will provide the music. There is this priest trial in my guild right now. He applied as a discipline priest but what we were looking for at the time was a holy priest. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to play holy, so I'm exploiting my veteran status and making him learn it. Coincidentally, the big bosses also want all of us here at WoW.com to work on these 101 columns, so this kills two anything-but-birds with one stone. I really like birds, by the way. The following is meant to be an introductory guide to the priest holy tree. It is not going to tell you what to do step by step (at least not until you get to the enchants section) instead it intends to show you some options from which you can get started. If you're already a veteran holy priest, feel free to add anything I left out in the comments so readers who use this column as a resource can get as much help as possible.
LG marks belated Android entry with GW620 UK launch
Hey, you know what's hot right now? Android 1.5. You know what else? Resistive touchscreens and chunky bodies, the ladies just can't get enough of them. Good thing too, since in some alternate universe where the Motorola Droid, HTC HD2 and the Nexus One existed, this LG GW620 -- hereafter to be known as the InTouch Max -- would look like it's arriving about a year too late to matter. A phone that's been teased and promoted since September, it has finally found homes on Virgin Mobile and T-Mobile in the UK, where unwitting victims can have it forced upon them for free when they sign up to long-term contracts costing at least £20 ($32.50) per month. Hit the source link for more details, if you must.
Sprint's HTC Hero and Samsung Moment on track to get Android 2.1, not 2.0
So Sprint's backtracking on its promise to deliver Android 2.0 to its Hero and Moment in the first half of next year, but it's backtracking in an awesome way for a change of pace -- they'll actually be getting 2.1. That makes tons of sense considering that the leaked Hero builds have all been on 2.1 and 2.0 will be all but obsolete by the time HTC gets around to releasing anything -- so yeah, we probably could've predicted this anyway, but now it's official. Unfortunately that 1H 2010 window hasn't been reigned in at all, but here's hoping this is a case where they under-promise and over-deliver.
Motorola Opus One caught on video, dawg
It's pretty rare that a tech demo starts with the phrase "you know what I'm gonna do?" But, this one certainly does, a dark, shaky, but thoroughly comprehensive exploration of the recently rumored Motorola Opus One smartphone. Jive- or profanity-averse readers (or anyone who hates zebra cake) will probably want to skip the four videos embedded below, but we'll give you the highlights: iDen is confirmed, Android 1.5 Cupcake is currently installed with Motoblur frosting, there's a five megapixel camera on the back, and with its push-to-talk this one looks to be going to Nextel or Boost Mobile. Those are the deets, but click on through if you want to do that video, dawg. [Via iNicc0lo]
Camangi's WebStation tablet ships soon, sports Android, loves early birds (video)
The CrunchPad may or may not have stumbled, but competitors seem to be swooping in for the kill regardless. The latest is Camangi with its WebStation, a 7-inch, Android 1.5-powered tablet said to be shipping in just a few weeks. Detailed specs have still not been made official, but the glass touchscreen is 800 x 480, WiFi 802.11b/g, and there's GPS on tap if you want to take this out into the real world. We found two demonstration videos, both embedded after the break for your viewing pleasure, the first a simple walkthrough while the second shows it struggling to render the Avatar trailer -- something James Cameron is surely hoping won't be a problem on the final device. Retail price is said to be $399 but the site indicates the first 100 purchasers will get "early bird pricing," whatever that amounts to. Might as well sign up and see. What's another bit of spam these days? [Thanks, Peter]
Giant Android eclair delivered to Google by even bigger nerds (video)
By now you should be familiar with Google's confectionary codenames for its Google Android OS: version 1.5 (Cupcake), 1.6 (Donut), 2.0 (Eclair) and version x.x (Flan). What you probably didn't know is that Google honors each release by dropping a steaming hot foam facsimile onto its front lawn. Historically, the arrival of the giant Donut at the GooglePlex was followed by the 1.6 developer release of Android just a few days later. Don't get too excited though, last we heard Eclair wouldn't arrive until Q2 of 2010 for consumers. Video and another view of the nerds "gone wild" just after the break.[Via TechCrunch]
T-Mobile G1 won't see any Android updates beyond 1.5 (update: maybe it will)
Pioneering T-Mobile G1 owners have been enjoying the spoils of Android 1.5 (or Cupcake, as it's known 'round these parts) for months now, but it looks as if that very treat will be the last taste of confectionery goodness that the smartphone gets. According to Android software engineer Dave Sparks, a time is soon coming when devs "wont be able to fit the latest [Android] release on the G1's internal flash," and yet another engineer has chimed in via Twitter to say that he "can't promise" that any update after 1.5 will fit. For whatever reason, HTC gifted the G1 with an incredibly meager amount of internal flash, and considering that no Android phone will support app storage / loading from a microSD card, there's no way to free up room for Donut, Eclair or Flan. You've been a real champ, G1, but without 2.0+, we just can't give you the love and devotion you truly need. Go on, call us fickle -- we deserve it. [Via Electronista and jkOnTheRun] Update: We've received a statement directly from T-Mobile on the matter, saying "We plan to continue working with Google to introduce future software updates to the T-Mobile G1. Reports to the contrary are inaccurate." It's unclear whether those are just going to be security and stability updates to 1.5 or whether we'll see wholesale new versions like Donut and beyond, but for the sake of G1 owners everywhere, we're hoping it's the latter.
Sprint's Dan Hesse says Android coming to Sprint this year, is glad to have waited
While speaking at Fortune's Brainstorm: Tech event in Pasadena on Friday, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse apparently got all kinds of verbal when it came to Android and his carrier. The honcho (and TV commercial star) remarked at the industry conference that he was "Glad we waited on Android," adding "The reviews say now it's ready for prime time. It wasn't when it first came out." While we knew Sprint had interest in Android phones (and potentially some forthcoming models), we hadn't heard a peep about timeframes, and the last thing Dan had to say was that he thought Googlephones weren't quite ready for prime-time. That's all changed now with the appearance of Android 1.5, it seems, as Hesse stated that the carrier will ship at least one model with the OS onboard this year. We don't want to be zany conspiracy theorists, but the timing of this seems to dovetail nicely with the very public launch of HTC's heavily modified Hero and Sense UI... a device which has been rumored to be making its way to Sprint sometime this year. The carrier obviously has a storied history of partnering with HTC on phones, so it wouldn't come as a surprise to see it land on Sprint (we certainly haven't seen any other carriers pipe up). Regardless, it looks like Sprint won't be putting all of its eggs in the Palm basket for long. It's going to be a very interesting holiday season.
