froyo
Latest
ViewSonic announces $250 ViewBook 730 tablet, steps on Nook Color's turf
Does that bulky black plastic surround look familiar? It's becoming standard uniform for Android tablets at the $250 price point like the Nook Color and now ViewSonic's latest offering, the ViewBook 730. Basic specs also look pretty similar -- the ViewBook has a 7-inch screen (albeit with a 800x480 resolution, lower than the Nook's), 8GB of internal storage and an SD card slot. But the 730 does have some significant advantages over its older rival: notably a front-facing VGA camera and a faster 1Ghz Cortex-A8 processor (versus 800Mhz on the Nook Color) that claims to handle 1080p video and output it via an HDMI port. Plus there's full Android 2.2 instead of the Nook Color's walled-off ecosphere. Interestingly, the ViewBook also tries to distinguish itself with stylus support for note-taking -- akin to the HTC Flyer. Goes to show you can't judge a multi-function e-reader by its bezel. Hit the PR after the break to see if this budget tablet will tick your boxes when it arrives at the end of June.
Google chart shows huge growth in Gingerbread use, the other desserts get jealous
If you've spent more than a split-second of your life wondering how many Android devices are running this or that version, you probably wasted too much of it. Still, Google HQ likes to produce a monthly graph that shows exactly what percentage of its devices are using each type of firmware. The king of the hill is Froyo, which is no stunner, but we were much more interested to see that Gingerbread grew leaps and bounds by five percent over the past month. It sure sounds like a small amount, but when you consider this was at a paltry four percent last month, it's much more awe-inspiring to see it skyrocket up to nine. Can we expect these numbers to grow even more next month, since we'll get inundated with Gingerbread on both new and old handsets alike? We're expecting so, but don't tell Honeycomb -- it's getting a bit jealous.
Motorola CLIQ 2 gets 1.1.30 update, brings fixes and new apps to your slider
Whether it was the honeycomb keyboard, the FWVGA display or that new phone smell, the intoxication of owning a new CLIQ 2 masked the unpleasant odors within this device. Thankfully, a new update from Motorola promises to clear the air with improved battery life, fewer instances of apps crashing, and better haptic responses when typing. The list of improvements is substantial, so you'll want to check the source if you stand to benefit. After completing the OTA install, users will notice four new applications await, including: Lookout Mobile Security, MobiTV, Motorola's Family Room, and UNO. That's a lot to swallow if you're just wanting your phone to work properly. Even if you'd prefer doing without the added bloat, we're guessing CLIQ 2 fans will still want a whiff of this frozen yogurt laden with toppings. [Thanks, Carlos]
HTC Merge now shipping from US Cellular, LG Genesis arriving June 9th
We know many US Cellular customers have been waiting for this day, because after missing its rumored launch, the HTC Merge has arrived and is ready to meet your pocket. As expected, it's selling for $250 on contract (before a $100 mail-in rebate) and marks the CDMA provider's first Android world phone. To refresh your memory, this QWERTY slider features a 3.8-inch WVGA touchscreen, a 5 megapixel camera and runs Froyo. Alongside this release, the carrier announced it's getting the LG Genesis on June 9th. If you'll remember, this is the refashioned enV Touch that US Cellular picked up after Verizon dropped the ball. It's also going for $250 on contract (before a $100 mail-in rebate) and true to its legacy, the clamshell provides a full keyboard. Priced equally, it appears QWERTY-lovers on US Cellular have quite a decision ahead. What a happy conundrum, indeed. Follow the break for the PR heralding these arrivals.
Pantech's first US Android comes to AT&T as the Crossover, launches June 5 for $70
Pantech and AT&T have been BFFs for several years, but the two companies have never taken things to the next level -- until now. Alluded to by an AT&T exec earlier this month, the Crossover will be the Korean manufacturer's first attempt at Android in the US and will be on sale June 5th for $70 with contract. We can't help but notice the similarities between the device you see above and the P8000 that cleared the FCC a few months back, but now we actually have some cold hard specs to go along with it. Packing a modest offering of Froyo, 3.1-inch touchscreen display, 3 megapixel camera, and a less-than-stellar 600MHz CPU, it's no Atrix 4G or Vega Racer. Despite the less-than-stellar features, it should fill an empty niche in AT&T's lineup quite well as a durable QWERTY slider with textured back and rubberized corners. You only have a few days to decide which kind of shock tests you'll put your new phone through, and you may find the press release (found after the break) to be full of great ideas.
Shuttle tablets at Computex 2011 (hands-on)
Computex 2011 is fast approaching here in Taipei, and today Shuttle introduced a trio of Android-based tablets to complement its fleet of small form factor computers. The 10-inch (WXGA) N10CN12 and 9-inch (XGA) N09CN01 models are both based on NVIDIA's Tegra 2 CPU paired with 1GB RAM, and target the consumer market. The 8-inch (SVGA) V08CT01 -- a ruggedized tablet for education -- features an 800 MHz Texas Instruments Cortex A8 processor and 512MB of memory. Pricing and availability are still up in the air -- no surprise considering the Froyo-running devices we handled still felt very much like prototypes. Take a look at our hands-on gallery below and hit the break for the full press release. %Gallery-124733%
T-Mobile G2x gets a $50 price bump, still no stock in sight
It looks like the G2x saga isn't over quite yet; after first disappearing from store shelves due to quality concerns "high demand," the dual-core Android smartphone is getting a slight price hike from T-Mobile. As of May 27th, the out-of-stock Froyo handset decided it was worth an extra Grant (quite the presumptuous fellow, no?), dialing in with a new price of $249 after rebate. An internal screenshot describes the price hop as a reaction to inventory constraints. The supposed effects of supply and demand aside, this price adjustment feels a little shaky amid reports of botched WiFi handoffs, overheating, light leakage and reboot issues. With any luck, the G2x will return to store shelves sporting a worry-free update to Gingerbread; but if you aren't counting on it, you can still snag one at Amazon to the tune of $99. Oh, and look: plenty in stock, too!
Samsung Galaxy Pro review
In a world of smartphones with ever-increasing screen sizes and disappearing physical keyboards, the candybar form factor is becoming rarer and rarer. There are only a handful of Android devices with a physical keyboard, like the Droid Pro, Samsung Replenish, and Motorola Charm. Samsung has looked to fill in this under-saturated market segment with the Galaxy Pro, a QWERTY device that not only mimics the classic BlackBerry form factor, but throws in Froyo and a 2.8-inch touchscreen for kicks. It's not available in the US just yet, but we still took the UK version for a spin to determine if the Galaxy Pro was finally worth ditching the BlackBerry. How manageable is Android on such a small screen with landscape orientation? Read on past the break and find out. %Gallery-124549%
HTC Merge makes an official landing at US Cellular May 31 for $250
If we could bet on phone launches the same way we put money down on horse races or slot machines, we'd lose our shirts on the HTC Merge. Like a ghost, this elusive Android smartphone has an innate ability to pop up from out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly. Over the last few months we've seen this repeated multiple times on both Verizon's and US Cellular's ends -- until yesterday, that is, when the latter finally ended its part of the charade by announcing a launch date. Taking on Facebook, the regional carrier officially committed the Merge to a May 31st launch, selling for $250 with contract before $100 rebate. Oddly, the date won't matter much since store reps have the go-ahead to sell it as soon as it's in stock (according to the screenshot below), and the Facebook post reveals that shipments should begin arriving as early as today. If you've been wanting a Merge and are up to the task, we invite you -- nay, we challenge you -- to go to your local store this morning and see if your rep got the memo. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Droid Incredible 2 review
It wasn't that long ago that we were jonesing for a Nexus One on Verizon. What HTC gave us instead was the Droid Incredible, with the same 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and gorgeous 3.7-inch AMOLED display -- not to mention a better camera (8 megapixel vs. five), 8GB of built-in flash storage, an optical trackpad, HTC's Sense UI on top of Eclair, and a dash of funky industrial design. The Incredible was an impressive phone with a lovely camera, marred only by questionable battery life and lack of supply, forcing HTC to build a Super LCD-equipped model to satisfy demand. Judging by the popularity of the Incredible, it came as no surprise that following HTC's announcement at MWC, the Incredible S eventually became Verizon's Droid Incredible 2. With a 4-inch Super LCD display, global CDMA / GSM radio, front-facing camera, updated internals (including 768 MB of RAM), trick capacitive buttons, and a Froyo-flavored serving of Sense, the Incredible 2 seems like a worthy successor to last year's Incredible. Does it live up to our expectations or is it just another fish in the crowded sea of Android? Does it significantly improve upon the original formula or is it merely a refresh? Hit the break for our review. %Gallery-124397%
Alcatel Onetouch 990 coming to O2 this August, wants to be held (even just once)
When you previously met the Alcatel Onetouch 990 at MWC, it frankly wasn't behaving very well. Still, we were mildly pleased to see a phone aimed squarely at the prepaid market that featured a 3.5-inch screen and a 5 megapixel camera with flash. Apparently O2 agreed, because it's bringing the 600MHz handset to market in August for £99. This value menu option is expected to ship with vanilla Froyo, but the carrier promises to serve up helpings of plain Gingerbread during Q4. Meanwhile, Electric Pig got its hands on a pre-production unit, and their early impression seems positive. Apparently the poor load times and unresponsive interface that we experienced are resolved -- it's said the phone is now quite zippy. So, how's this OT-990 striking you as a worthy adversary to the £129 Samsung Galaxy Mini? Yea? Nay? Meh?
Vodafone Smart touts beauty over brains, despite its name (video)
If the HTC Sensation is beyond your grasp, Vodafone is introducing the Smart to its prepaid lineup, which is a relatively dense Android handset from Huawei that's geared toward first-time users. While the 528MHz Qualcomm processor and 2.8-inch QVGA display aren't exactly awe-inspiring, the mobile giant is looking to differentiate its newcomer by adding swappable covers to the mix. The Smart will debut in black and white varieties, but Vodafone will follow with an array of color-coordinated options -- along with a website to design your own custom styles. If dressing your phone to the changing seasons is the best news you've heard all day, the European rollout will begin by early summer for around €90. Jump the break for some intelligent PR, along with a video of the model in action.
Motorola Droid X2 official at $200: launching online May 19th, in stores May 26th (update: in some stores on 19th)
Motorola and Verizon have finally stopped teasing us and have made the Droid X2 official. This is a 4.3-inch Android (2.2, to be upgraded to 2.3) smartphone with a qHD screen resolution and a dual-core 1GHz processor. An 8 megapixel camera with continuous autofocus and HD video recording graces the back. The X2 will cost the usual $200 on contract and will be available to buy online tomorrow, May 19th, before making its way out to stores a week later, on May 26th. Leap past the break for the full PR. Interestingly, we've also spotted the close proximity of the USB and HDMI ports on the side of the new X2. That arrangement is reminiscent of the one on Motorola's Atrix, where the two connectors served to hook that handset up to its laptop and multimedia docks. We don't know whether the Droid X2 will fit into the accessories designed for the Atrix, but it looks sure to be strapping itself into a dock of some description in the near future. Update: NVIDIA has confirmed that its Tegra 2 chip is the heretofore unnamed 1GHz dual-core chip inside the Droid X2, which just happens to be Verizon's first dual-core smartphone. Update 2: A little birdie tells us you may be able to pick up this bad boy in person in some stores as soon as tomorrow (May 19th). Your mileage may vary, but let us know in the comments if you manage to buy one. Update 3: Sure enough, they're on shelves. Matt sent us a pic, which is after the break.
Samsung GT2 comes forward into the light, gets pictured and spec'd
Being obscured by bigger names like the MyTouch 4G Slide and Samsung Hercules, little TLC was given to the Froyo-powered Samsung Gravity Touch 2 on T-Mobile's leaked roadmap yesterday. To give the Android-that-could its 15 minutes of fame, TmoNews uncovered a very official-looking presentation slide that seems to confirm a $225 price tag and a few specs with it. The GT2, as it's being called, will sport a 3.2-inch screen with a full horizontal slide and is the first member of the Gravity lineup to get Android. We'll also reportedly find an 800MHz CPU and 3MP camera that are characteristic of current midrange smartphones. We'd have a hard time choosing it over the HTC Sensation 4G, which is also supposed to arrive June 8th.
Casio G'zOne Commando review
For years, construction workers, thrill-seekers, and everyone else unfettered by cubicle walls have had rubberized, rugged handsets to keep them company on the road. Until fairly recently, though, the price of durability has been settling for a dumbphone. And frankly, the selection of toughened-up smartphones remains pretty sparse today. Casio's G'zOne Commando ($199 on contract) isn't the first quasi-invincible Android device, but it is the first to be sold on Verizon's network. As expensive as a flagship handset, the Commando offers military-grade resilience against drops, water, extreme cold, and other elements. But is it capable enough for everything else? Let's find out. %Gallery-123268%
MOPS Shadow T800 brings analog joystick, hearts & spades to Android
Sure, the Xperia Play may have that slick gamepad slider, shoulder buttons, and Sony Playstation's official blessing, but can it hold its own against the Shadow's analog pad? Probably, because despite the new contender's self described status of a "mobile Playstation," its lack of shoulder buttons won't help it play any of those Xperia-exclusive PSone games it can't download. Still, besides being known as the "Phantom of the Opera" phone (thanks, Google Translate), this MOPS Shadow T800 has a lot going for it. This analog Android packs a Froyo-powered 806MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, front and rear 5 megapixel and 0.3 megapixel cameras, respectively, a 3.5 inch 320 x 480 touchscreen, and a whole mess of standard GPS, Bluetooth, and 3G radios. Not enough? Okay, fine; the device also comes pre-loaded with a handful of emulators, as well as a legit copy of Assassin's Creed. Besides, who doesn't want a phone with card-suit face buttons? Bragging rights will set you back 2680 yuan ($410), assuming you're in China when this thing launches later this month.
LG Optimus Black arrives at T-Mobile UK for free (gasp!)
Sure, its 700 nit Nova Display is bright, but it doesn't quite approach Apple's excellence, and its 1GHz processor comes across a touch sluggish, but attach "Free" to LG's Optimus Black and instantly there's a whole lotta value crammed in these 9.2 millimeters. That's the story over at T-Mobile UK, anyway, which is giving the Android 2.2 handset away with any two-year plan over £25. Just think, once you convince a friend to also throw down nothing for this handset, you'll be exchanging laughs, tunes and memories over WiFi Direct -- once you find an app that supports it, anyway. As for mainland Europe, your Optimus Black will be arriving shortly, but don't get too huffy if your particular carrier isn't quite so philanthropic.
Motorola Droid X2 ready for May 26 launch?
The skeptics in us are not ready to call this one confirmed yet, but we are beginning to see information trickle in about a possible launch date for the Droid X2. Droid-Life uncovered possible promo materials discussing the entrance strategy for the X2, in conjunction with several of the phone's specs. These docs strongly indicate May 26 is the magic day for a full-scale assault, with early orders allowed as soon as May 19. We don't see any major surprises in specs -- there's a dual-core Tegra 2 1GHz processor, 4.3-inch qHD screen, 8MP rear camera, and 1080p HDMI-out video, to list off the highlights -- although we are excited to see Gingerbread may be in the mix here, indicated by the ever-so-subtle blue bar seen on the phone's screen. We hope you can understand our hesitation, though, since an unproven spec sheet from Pocketnow suggests we should only expect Froyo. No way of knowing who will win this little argument, but you know which one we're rooting for. Check out another leaked image after the break.
World's first GLONASS-enabled tablet unveiled in Russia, plays nice with GPS
After rolling out the world's first GLONASS-enabled smartphone, Russia is thinking bigger -- it's tablet time. This 7-inch Froyo-powered panel runs on a 800MHz processor, and sports 512MB of RAM, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and support for both GPS and GLONASS navigation. Russian provider Skylink hopes this new Android tablet, called the Xpad, will set a trend for future navigation devices -- utilizing data from both satellite positioning systems for increased accuracy in urban environments. The future of enhanced navigation hits (Russian) shelves for 14,000 Rubles in Q4 2011; that's about 500 greenbacks, if you were wondering. [Thanks, Yakov!]
Adobe CreatePDF for Android does exactly what its name implies
Google's mobile OS is growing and maturing into a business-savvy adult before our very eyes. With the release of Adobe's CreatePDF in the Android Market, we're delighted to finally see a PDF-creation app on the mobile front. Not only does it let you build a PDF from the ground up, it can convert most popular filetypes -- Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OpenOffice, Photoshop, RTF, and Illustrator, just to name a few -- into PDF format. You can import any of these kinds of docs from your phone to app via the built-in file manager, or transfer an email attachment to it using Android's share function. Available for a one-time payment of $9.99, CreatePDF won't be for the light-walleted or the casual app enthusiast; don't be put off by the price, though, because the online version charges that much per month to do the exact same tasks on your computer. Anyone rocking Eclair or better can partake of the PDF love, so head to the source link to get straight to installing.
