Saturday, February 27, 2010

Windows Phone 7 Series: What You Need to Know

Microsoft has evidently been working their socks off with their new mobile OS. They have completely rebuilt Windows Mobile, getting rid of any indication that Windows Mobile ever existed. Therefore, it makes sense that Microsoft has decided to do a little re-branding by calling this new mobile platform Windows Phone 7 Series.

A whole new UI has been built. Gone have the days when WinMo users were confronted with the familiar Start screen, instead replaced with a fully customizable “tiles” system which can be pretty much be whatever you want it to be: Short-cuts, contacts, widgets.

Obvious similarities are present to the Zune HD UI: clean, smooth transitions and excellent usability. We can also see that social networking played a major role when designing the platform as new social networking tools have been integrated, allowing real time access to you social website contacts.

For example, one of the tiles can be assigned to a contact on Facebook which will pull their status updates and update them in real time. Another point to note down is that full multi-touch will be offered with pinch to zoom in the browser and photo apps.

Microsoft will be providing the MarketPlace to purchase the latest apps and we are being assured that by the time the first 7 Series device hits the market in the holiday season, there will be a MarketPlace full to the brim with amazing apps waiting for us.

Microsoft has stated that there will not be any carrier or partner UI customizations, and that there will be a single UI across all 7 Series devices regardless of their brand or carrier, meaning no HTC port of Sense UI nor will Samsung port TouchWiz to the platform.

Also to note is that Microsoft has put in place a minimum specification requirement for all 7 Series devices to adhere to which will include specific CPUs and speed, screen aspect ratio, resolution and amount of memory.

A popular addition to the platform is the inclusion of Zune and Xbox LIVE integration. You will more or less have an exact copy of the functions an actual Zune device has, which pretty much renders the Zune obsolete if you plan on a Windows Phone purchase.

Xbox LIVE integration will include access to LIVE games, avatars, and profiles. No games have yet to be announced, but Microsoft is saying that more details will be released at the MIX event next month.

Now for the bad news: Windows Mobile apps will not work on 7 Series. For Windows Mobile developers, this isn’t pleasant to hear. For almost every consumer, this was exactly what we needed. We all knew that Microsoft had to basically create a new platform to survive and it meant dropping Windows Mobile. What this means is that now we can finally see innovation hitting 7 Series.

Also, Adobe has confirmed that Flash is not supported on 7 Series initially. However, Adobe also confirms it is working hard to make sure that it does get onto the platform in the near future.

Another pressing issue is the confusing nature of whether multi-tasking is supported or not. A definite answer has not been given, but all indications seem to point to no. Joe Belfiore, head of the Windows Phone team, has commented that live tiles will be used to “bring value to the user, even when their apps aren’t running.” which seems to indicate that true multitasking isn’t supported.

Overall, Windows Phone 7 Series seems to be the platform that Microsoft should have made from the start, with a UI equipped with features to beat the competitors in terms of style and usability. We can only hope that Microsoft keeps on improving and innovating to finally make it a big player in the smartphone segment. Android, iPhone OS and Web OS just got some major competition on their hands, and first impressions give the advantage to Microsoft.

[Via http://dantegifted.wordpress.com]

Android This Week: Devour Launches, Slacker Caches, Alex Gets Delayed

Verizon’s (s vz) latest entry in the Android (s goog) space, the Motorola (s mot) Devour, which is already being referred to as the Baby Droid due to its similar appearance to Verizon’s first Android phone, went on sale this week. The Devour is smaller than the Droid, and retains the sliding QWERTY keyboard for text entry. It has a smooth metal finish, and most notably, ships with the MotoBlur application first seen on the Motorola Cliq. MotoBlur is Motorola’s social network aggregator, where users can see all of their contacts’ status updates on one screen. The Devour retails for $49.99 with a two-year contract.

Also this week, the Slacker music streaming service got better for both Android and BlackBerry (s rimm) devices with the addition of wireless music caching. Slacker is a music streaming service that uses technology to determine what kind of music you like, which it then streams to your phone over either Wi-Fi or a 3G data connection. Using it, music can now be cached on the handset, stored for playback whenever desired. The Slacker service costs $4.99 per month.

In the meantime, the Android-based e-book reader from Spring Design, aka the Alex, was scheduled to appear this week but was instead delayed until March. The Alex sports two screens: a large e-Ink screen for reading books and a smaller, color touchscreen for controlling the device. We were impressed with a hands-on demonstration of the Alex we saw at the CES in January. Alex owners will be able to use e-book content from bookseller Borders (s bgp) as part of the sales agreement signed by the two companies in January.

[Via http://gigaom.com]

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Who Has The Highest Percentage of Free Apps?

Would it surprise you if I were to say that Android Market has the highest percentage of free apps? We all love free apps. I believe its safe to say that majority of us own free apps than paid apps. I know I’m one of them. There are times where I prefer getting the premium apps- after all the developers have worked hard to earn that much in return.

According to Distimo, Android Market has the highest amount of free applications from the total amount of applications available in Android Market place. Taking the lead with 57% of applications being free, Android Market has the highest percentage of free applications of any app store. This has to be one of the reasons why we all love Android.

[VIA | ReadWriteWeb ]

[Via http://fiercetechnology.com]

Facts about Linux

These are some facts about Linux

  1. Linus Torvalds developed the Kernel while he was a student in the University of Helsinki in 1991.
  2. Last year, 75% of the code created for Linux, was developed by private companies.
  3. In December 2009, IBM announced a new Mainframe system designed to work under Linux.
  4. IBM choose Linux to use it in the next most powerful Supercomputer, named Sequoia (2011).
  5. 446 of the 500 top Supercomputers use Linux.
  6. 95% of the servers used in Hollywood studios used for animated films use Linux.
  7. The first film produces in Linux servers was Titanic in 1997
  8. James Cameron also choose Linux servers to produce Avatar.
  9. Google servers use Linux.
  10. Google contributed with 1.1% of the actual Linux kernel.
  11. Linux is going into the smartphone market.
  12. OS’ like Palm WebOS, Google Andoid, Nokia Maemo or Samsung Bada use the Linux kernel.
  13. TiVo uses its own personalized version of Linux.
  14. Linux leads the server market with 33,8% (Windows has 7,3%)
  15. Well, in the desktop and laptop market, Linux only has about 1,02% share.

Some things worth knowing ;)

[Via http://cholito.wordpress.com]

Flash 10.1 Performance On Android = Not So Much?

Mark Doherty from Flash Mobile Blog has posted some stunning numbers with video of the effect of Flash 10.1 on the Nexus One handset. The numbers clearly show that the effect on the phone itself is very little to none at all. Not only does the test produce the accompanying numbers, but he also managed to make produce a lengthy video on the entire process. Hit the link for more.

During our testing of Flash Player 10.1 we have baseline tests against the following use cases (among others), and using a multi-meter to ensure that your content runs with acceptable battery consumption.  We’re also testing against the web on sites like youtube, blip.tv and others with great performance reaching to hours of playback on the Nexus One.

Here are the actual combinations of test scenarios carried out at our offices, of course the real world result for you will be different:

  • Idle – No 3G, Wifi, Bluetooth, IR
  • Idle – No 3G, Wifi, Bluetooth, IR + backlight ON
  • 3G enabled – Wifi, Bluetooth, IR off
  • WIFI + vanilla HTML.   ’simple.html’
  • 3G + vanilla HTML.   ’simple.html’
  • 3G + vanilla HTML file + swf:  ’simple-swf.html’

To demonstrate battery performance on the Nexus One here is a recording of a large movie playing on Youtube.  It lasts for some 17 minutes with little effect on the battery indicator, and just to ensure fairness I have included the battery usage chart data from the Android OS.  Our own tests show that video can be played for well over 3Hours over WIFI from youtube in H.264 (Baseline 1.2).

[via Engadget]

[Via http://fonefrenzy.com]

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

ffmpeg and Android.mk

I spent several days trying to compile ffmpeg on android-ndk1.5. Just want to share to others. Hopefully, it can save you some time.

STEP1:

First, I get the source code from http://gitorious.org/~olvaffe/ffmpeg/ffmpeg-android. I will need to use its *.mk files.

STEP2:

Get the ffmpeg source code from http://ffmpeg.org/download.html. I used svn, instead of git, so that I won’t need to get libswscale separately.

STEP3:

configure my ffmpeg with following cmd.

#!/bin/sh

PREBUILT=/home/myhome/android-ndk/build/prebuilt/linux-x86/arm-eabi-4.2.1

./configure –target-os=linux \

–arch=armv41 \

–enable-cross-compile \

–cc=$PREBUILT/bin/arm-eabi-gcc \

–cross-prefix=$PREBUILT/bin/arm-eabi- \

–nm=$PREBUILT/bin/arm-eabi-nm \

–extra-cflags=”-fPIC -DANDROID ” \

–enable-static \

–disable-shared \

–disable-asm \

–disable-yasm \

–prefix=/home/myhome/work/ffmpeg-android-bin \

–extra-ldflags=”-Wl,-T,$PREBUILT/arm-eabi/lib/ldscripts/armelf.x -Wl,-rpath-link=/home/myhome/android-ndk/build/platforms/android-1.5/arch-arm/usr/lib -L/home/myhome/android-ndk/build/platforms/android-1.5/arch-arm/usr/lib -nostdlib /home/myhome/android-ndk/build/prebuilt/linux-x86/arm-eabi-4.2.1/lib/gcc/arm-eabi/4.2.1/crtbegin.o /home/myhome/android-ndk/build/prebuilt/linux-x86/arm-eabi-4.2.1/lib/gcc/arm-eabi/4.2.1/crtend.o -lc -lm -ldl”

** I referenced this one at http://blog.csdn.net/anakiagmail/archive/2009/08/14/4446986.aspx ** If you don’t understand chinese, I’ll show you what it describe in following steps.

STEP4:

By now, configure should be passed successfully. Copy *.mk from olvaffe’s ffmpeg source tree to your ffmpeg-original source tree. There should be a Android.mk, av.mk under ffmpeg root dir. And, Android.mk under each libavcodec, libavutil, libavformat, libpostproc, libswscale dirs. If you don’t have Android.mk under libswscale/libpostproc, just copy one from libavutil. I don’t use libavdevice, so I just ignore it. Then, comment out all config.mak & subdir.mak in */Makefile.

STEP5:

cd to your NDK root dir, type make TARGET_ARCH=arm APP=ffmpeg-org

STEP6:

you should have a lot of compilation errors. That’s okay. I’ll show you how to fix them.

* edit libavutil/internal.h, comment out all error func(s).

* comment out all “restrict” keyword related “restrict” errors. They should in libavcodec/dsputil.h, libavformat/rtpenc_h263.c, libavcodec/dnxhdenc.c,

libavcodec/dsputil.c, libavcodec/ituh263dec.c, libavcodec/mpegvideo.c.

Try make again, and here we go. Those static *.a files are now in your NDK_ROOT/out/apps/ffmpeg-org/android-1.5-arm/.

[Via http://slworkthings.wordpress.com]

Acer A1 Liquid Wins Smartphone Essentials Editor’s Choice Award

pda_essentials_editors_award The A1 Liquid, Acer’s first device to run the Android Operating System, has won the Smartphone Essentials Editor’s Choice Award. The Liquid has been a hugely popular device, acting as a direct competitor to the HTC Hero. With a slightly larger screen, faster processor and lower price tag, the Liquid offers a good alternative to the Hero, which also won several awards in 2009.

The main features of the Acer A1 Liquid are:

Features of Acer Liquid A1
  • Qualcomm 8250 768MHz processor
  • Android 1.6 (Donut) Operating System
  • Slim design just over 12.5mm thick
  • 3.5" WVGA Touchscreen Display
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 
  • Tri-band  HSDPA 900/1900/2100 MHz
  • 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM
  • 5 Megapixel Camera
  • Bluetooth 2 with EDR

AcerSmartphone

Here at Clove we’ve just dropped the price of the Liquid White to just £255 + VAT. The recently released Acer A1 Liquid Black is also in stock at £284 + VAT.

[Via http://blog.clove.co.uk]

Store Size and Growth: Look Out for Android !

Android is now the second-largest application store, reports Distimo, with 19, 297 apps. It’s still a far cry from Apple’s 150,998 apps, though. And other competitors are farther still. Ovi, we were surprised to discover, is the third largest with 6,118 apps available while Blackberry has a respectable 4,756. Palm has only 1,492 and Windows has 693. Apple is also the fastest growing store with a shocking 13,865 new applications added per month. Android’s growth is picking up too – they now have 3,005 new apps per month (15%). Relative to the number of apps housed, Android is actually the fastest growing store.

[Via http://dushmis.wordpress.com]

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Nexus One: 80k units in first month -Flurry

Google sold about 80,000 Nexus One smart phones in their first month on the market, according research firm Flurry,Dow Jones Newswires reports.

By contrast, Apple sold about 600,000 iPhones when it launched the device in 2007, the story notes; the Motorola Droid sold 525,000 in the first month, according to Flurry.

Flurry estimates sales by measuring mobile applications usage and then extrapolating overall ownership.

Andy Rubin, head of Android said they hoped to sell 150k units, so this would be a very good start for the brand.

I would also like to estimate the revenue that Google probably earned from this phone so far. Assuming HTC receives a gross margin of 35% and the bill of materials is $174, then Google would have a gross income from the device of about $270/unit (based on $529 price).

Google could still have to pay for shipping, returns, warranties, etc. so their income might be closer to $220.

The income before operating expenses would therefore be $17.5 million in the first month.

I should point out that this would be the first income Android has ever received as the software is available free of charge.



[Via http://asymco.wordpress.com]

O engarrafamento celular

No começo de 2009, a Claro suspendeu a venda de modems 3G, pois a rede instalada não aguentava o número de acessos simultâneos.

[A AT&T após o lançamento do iPhone] não contava com a quantidade de pessoas que acessariam sua rede.

Chama-se incompetência administrativa.

[Roberto Lima, presidente da Vivo] afirma que não dá mais para oferecer plano de dados ilimitado.

Como é que é?

“Descobrimos uma mulher no Rio de Janeiro que usava um modem 3G para conectar uma lan house inteira.”

Ela tem o direito de usá-lo como quiser.

Não é a primeira vez que ele fala besteira.

As operadoras não gostam de falar sobre isso.

Porque não sabem o que falar.

Mas uma forma de contornar, em parte, essa situação pode ser abrir mão de um dos princípios fundamentais da internet: a neutralidade da rede.

Seria uma tremenda estupidez.

No Mobile World Congress, o executivo-chefe do gigante de buscas, Eric Schmidt, foi questionado sobre o lançamento dos novos recursos do Android, que consumiriam muita banda – sem nunca investir na rede. Schmidt ficou irritado, com o rosto enrubescido.

Acontece quando alguém fala uma besteira dessas.

http://revistaepoca.globo.com/Revista/Epoca/0,,EMI122764-15224,00-O+ENGARRAFAMENTO+CELULAR.html

Como o Obama diz sobre os Estados Unidos, observe-se que outros países não perdem tanto tempo pensando sobre o que vão fazer.

As capacidades da Anatel continuam muito abaixo das necessidades do Brasil.

[Via http://fernandoribeiro.eti.br]

Don't be evil, redux

Google just bought remail, a company that make an iPhone email application. What was the first thing they did with their new acquisition? Why, shut it down of course!

Fuckers. They bought out this company just so they could kill good software that ran on a competitors hardware. Google might get a competitive advantage from this in their vendetta against apple, but the people they are really hurting are their own customers.

Hurt your customers just to gain an advantage for yourself? That is evil Google. And it is a play straight out of Microsoft’s handbook.

[Via http://danielkinsman.wordpress.com]

Saturday, February 20, 2010

HTC Desire and Legend: first impressions

This year at the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. HTC revealed 2 new android powered devices from their long list of smartphones. HTC projects a US launch for both the Legend and Desire in the early part of the second quarter this year. The Legend is the upgrade to the mildly successful sprint Hero and features a 600mhz processor running both android 2.1 (Éclair) and HTC sense . Its has a AMOLED 3.2 in 320×480 HVGA display which on first glance in stunning. Along with a visually attractive display it also posseses a 5 mega pixel camera with flash, auto focus and geo tagging capability. Also intergrated in the hardware of this device is a 3.5 mm headphone jack and micro usb charging port. Perhaps the biggest design upgrade from previous HTC devices is the implementation of a full aluminum unibody construction which makes the device feel very solid and well built. HTC announced that the future of HTC will be going more towards this design and moving away from the plastic construction of the past. Also in this years lineup is the HTC Desire. The Desire features a 1ghz snapdragon processor which makes web surfing and streaming very fast and productive. It also has a slightly larger screen at 3.7 inches which in turn translates into a better resolution at 480×800 WVGA. This device does not feature a unibody construction and is very similar to the recently launched Nexus One. Both these devices in terms of hardware are very much alike but with some very small differences such as a face recognition feature on the camera of the Desire. Both phones support micro sd cards expandable up to 32gb and both also have a feature that will turn down your ringer volume when you go to pick up the device. Android 2.1 along with HTC sense work seamlessly together and the upgrade to 2.1 Éclair makes workflow and customization much easier. I’ve been a fan of Android since the release of the G1 but found that as a novice user it can be quite cumbersome to learn and get the feel of. 2.1 however has made progress towards better usability and I feel that more people will learn to enjoy the android OS because of this. Look for these two phones to have a US launch very shortly. Both are very powerful devices and as I don’t like the chin styling the on the Legend, both are very beautiful devices and feel well built and good in the hand and with the upgrade to Android 2.1 it increases usability. HTC looks like its heading in the right direction with the launch of this new line. I look forward to seeing some of the other devices they have in store for us hopefully sooner then expected. J King. Streetfire Design.

This year at the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. HTC revealed 2 new android powered devices from their long list of smartphones. HTC projects a US launch for both the Legend and Desire in the early part of the second quarter this year.  The Legend is the upgrade to the mildly successful sprint Hero and features a 600mhz processor running both android 2.1 (Éclair) and HTC sense . Its has a AMOLED 3.2 in 320×480 HVGA display which on first glance in stunning. Along with a visually attractive display it also posseses a 5 mega pixel camera with flash, auto focus and geo tagging capability. Also intergrated in the hardware of this device is a 3.5 mm headphone jack and micro usb charging port.  Perhaps the biggest design upgrade from previous HTC devices is the implementation of a full aluminum unibody construction which makes the device feel very solid and well built. HTC announced that the future of HTC will be going more towards this design and moving away from the plastic construction of the past.  Also in this years lineup is the HTC Desire. The Desire features a 1ghz snapdragon processor which makes web surfing and streaming very fast and productive. It also has a slightly larger screen at 3.7 inches which in turn translates into a better resolution at 480×800 WVGA. This device does not feature a unibody construction and is very similar to the recently launched Nexus One.  Both these devices in terms of hardware are very much alike but with some very small differences such as a face recognition feature on the camera of the Desire. Both phones support micro sd cards expandable up to 32gb and both also have a feature that will turn down your ringer volume when you go to pick up the device. Android 2.1 along with HTC sense work seamlessly together and the upgrade to 2.1 Éclair makes workflow and customization much easier. I’ve been a fan of Android since the release of the G1 but found that as a novice user it can be quite cumbersome to learn and get the feel of. 2.1 however has made progress towards better usability and I feel that more people will learn to enjoy the android OS because of this.  Look for these two phones to have a US launch very shortly. Both are very powerful devices and as I don’t like the chin styling the on the Legend, both are very beautiful devices and feel well built and good in the hand and with the upgrade to Android 2.1 it increases usability. HTC looks like its heading in the right direction with the launch of this new line. I look forward to seeing some of the other devices they have in store for us hopefully sooner then expected.  J King.  Streetfire Design.

[Via http://therevotheory.wordpress.com]

Android This Week: HTC to Launch Desire, Legend; No Mobile Firefox for Android Till Late 2010

HTC plans to release two new Android phones overseas this spring, the maker of the Nexus One — considered by many to be the best Android phone around — said this week. The first will be dubbed the Desire, and will be HTC’s effort to bring the same capability as the Nexus One to the carrier-subsidized market, unlike the unlocked Google version. It packs many of the same components, including that snappy Snapdragon processor, but adds an optical trackpad.

And if the early look at the second phone, the Legend, that HTC provided is any indication, that device will be the sexiest smartphone around — Android or no Android — due to its aluminum unibody construction, similar to that of Apple’s (s aapl) MacBook. The same optical trackpad will be used on the Legend as on the Desire, indicating HTC may make it a standard feature on its entire Android line going forward. Both phones will start to appear in Europe and Asia in March or April. No word yet on plans for a U.S. debut, but hopefully a deal with a U.S. carrier will be inked to bring them stateside not too long afterwards.

In the meantime, the folks at Mozilla are hard at work on Mobile Firefox. But those hoping an Android version would soon appear to challenge the Webkit-based browser had those hopes dashed this week. A VP at Mozilla said in an interview that the Android version of Firefox wouldn’t arrive until late in 2010. When pressed as to why, Jay Sullivan indicated that Android is harder to code for than Mozilla originally thought:

“Android has been built on a Java platform, whereas [Firefix Mobile] is based on C and C++ code. Until last year when [the Open Handset Alliance] released the NDK (native development kit) which allowed native code as part of the app, it was simply impossible.”

[Via http://gigaom.com]

Smosh Video

So you’ve heard of Smosh right? No… What’s wrong with you. Do you not have a life? Are you single? Do you not like funny videos?  Do you not eat McDonalds BLTs for only a buck!?!? Do you not go on YouTube at all…

Were sorry for the message above. Brett has been slapped and is now sorry.

Uhh, anyways watch this video and comment on this post if you like it or not. Well, bye… *Whisper* Help, this guy is… *Slap* What the…

[Via http://itsallamelody.wordpress.com]

Thursday, February 18, 2010

From my android phone!

image

I just recently added wordpress application to my android phone and this is the first time using it. So far so good!

I’m really excited to learn how to build a website in my web design class. I definitely feel a little more focused now than I have been in the last few months. There is so much I want to learn and do but I have just only begun. I am a very visual person and like to be shown things rather than read but I have up’d my reading as well.

It’s true sometimes you need a fresh start to get back on track. For me my fresh start was upgrading my 2 vehicles for 1 newer and moving to a bigger and nicer apartment. Oh and taking a break from everything and going on a mini vacation to see my cousins. A change of pace has really helped me clear my head.

[Via http://socialbu2erf1y.wordpress.com]

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Using an ArrayAdapter to Control a ListView's Data

Data inside a ListView supplied by a ListAdapter. The manipulation of data, such as adding and removing items, is done through the adapter. The adapter will automatically make the ListView update itself to correspond to the change. The source for the list is set with by calling setAdapter with the source adapter. In this tutorial, an ArrayAdapter is used with a ListView.

The code for the following example is downloaded from here. The example uses a ListActivity to provide a ListView:

private ArrayAdapter dataAdapter; /** Called when the activity is first created. */ @Override public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) { super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); dataAdapter = new ArrayAdapter(this, R.layout.item, R.id.itemName); dataAdapter.add("apple"); dataAdapter.add("orange"); dataAdapter.add("tomato"); setListAdapter(dataAdapter); }

A ListActivity is a form of Activity, but automatically provides a ListView. The method setListAdapter is provided by the ListActivity class and will set the adapter of the ListView. Running this code alone should produce a list looking like this:

The activity also provides an options menu that is accessible when the menu key is pressed. Accessible from the menu is the option to add and remove items from the list. Selecting the add options pops open the following dialog:

The code that actually adds the contents from the dialog to the ListView is inside the DialogInterface.OnClickListener associated with the add button:

builder.setPositiveButton(R.string.addButtonLabel, new DialogInterface.OnClickListener() { public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int which) { Dialog source = (Dialog) dialog; EditText nameField = (EditText) source .findViewById(R.id.itemField); String name = nameField.getText().toString(); EditText timesField = (EditText) source .findViewById(R.id.timesField); Integer times = Integer.valueOf(timesField.getText() .toString()); if ((name.length() > 0) && (times > 0)) { for (int count = 0; count < times; count++) { dataAdapter.add(name); } } dialog.dismiss(); } });

Lines 8 to 10 is just getting the string to add to the list. Lines 12 to 15 is getting the value in the times field. In Lines 17 to 23, if the item is given and the specified number of times is greater than zero, then the item is added however many times was specified. Line 21 is where the item is actually added to the list. Notice that the item is added to the adapter, not the view. This is ALL that is required to make the item to add to the list. Since back in onCreate, the adapter was already set as the ListView’s adapter, will automatically cause the ListView to update.

Selecting the remove option on the menu removes the last item from the list. As there is no dialog required, the code that does this is back in onOptionsItemSelected. More specifically, it is done by this part of the method:

case REMOVE_ITEM: dataAdapter.remove( dataAdapter.getItem( dataAdapter.getCount() - 1)); break;

Again, notice that the item is removed by calling remove on the adapter, not the ListView. The view is automatically updated when the item is removed. The files for this post can be downloaded here.

[Via http://kahdev.wordpress.com]

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Motorola makes the announcement official: Android 2.1 due soon

Finally, Motorola answers the outcry of concerned Droid owners everywhere, well, sort of. Today, Moto decided to put this post on their blog. Although the mention Q1 for most of these updates, they stated the OTA is due out very soon: The DROID by Motorola over-the-air software upgrade is expected to roll out soon. We take that to mean, within the next couple of weeks. So hold on tight my fellow Droid users, we’ll have an update here shortly. In the meantime, hit the link to read about the update for the Droid and other Motorola devices with the latest Android 2.1 build.

Android Software Upgrade News

Thank you for being a Motorola customer. We have heard the overwhelming feedback asking for details on Android software upgrades for various Motorola devices, and apologize we were not able to share information sooner. We’re hoping that you will find the below timeline helpful.

Please note that we know you value having the latest and greatest technology on your devices. We are working very closely with Google and our carrier partners to bring you the most optimized experience on each of our smartphones powered by Android.  We will continue to update the information below, regarding the timing and availability of software upgrades, and will provide additional details as we have them to share. We appreciate your understanding and continued support.

This page details plans for software upgrades only; other various routine updates will be delivered to optimize device experiences and these will be communicated separately when deployed.

Phone Model Timeline DROID by Motorola (USA) The DROID by Motorola over-the-air software upgrade is expected to roll out soon MILESTONE (Europe) Upgrade to Android 2.1 planned for Q1 2010 MILESTONE (Latin America) Upgrade under evaluation MILESTONE (Asia-Pacific) Upgrade under evaluation CLIQ (USA) Upgrade to Android 2.1  planned for Q2 2010 DEXT (Europe) Upgrade under evaluation DEXT (Latin America) Upgrade to Android 2.1 planned for Q3 2010 DEXT (Asia-Pacific) Upgrade to Android 2.1 planned for Q3 2010

Q1 = First Quarter of 2010

Q2 = Second Quarter of 2010

Q3 = Third Quarter of 2010

The information contained herein is provided for information purposes only and is intended only to outline Motorola’s presently anticipated general technology direction. The information communicated is not a commitment or an obligation to deliver any product, product feature, software upgrade or functionality and Motorola reserves the right to make changes to the content and timing of any product, product feature or software release. The software functionality and features provided by a specific version of the Android operating system may vary by phone and manufacturer.

This page and the information on it is provided by the Motorola Media Team.

[via Droid Life]

[Via http://fonefrenzy.com]

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Android This Week: Swype Hits the myTouch, But No Droid 2.1 Yet

Touchscreen phones — and their onscreen keyboards — are all the rage these days, and this week one from Swype found its way onto the Android-based myTouch 3G from T-Mobile. Users type on the Swype keyboard using a continuous swiping motion (hence the name); the technology then uses predictive text to figure out the intended word. Expect to see Swype begin to appear on other Android phones in the future.

Motorola (s mot), makers of the Droid, got that device’s owners excited this week with a post on the company’s Facebook page that said a big update to Android was coming. Version 2.1 — which, among other things, enables multitouch and includes the first appearance of Google Goggles — is currently only available on the Nexus One. But Motorola has subsequently pulled information of the Droid update off the web, and is telling interested parties that it jumped the gun. The company isn’t saying it won’t release 2.1 for the Droid, just not now. Perhaps it will announce a time frame for the update at the Mobile World Congress next week.

In the meantime, this week brought the launch of Google Buzz, for which Google also launched an iPhone (s aapl) and Android client. On the Nexus One, the Android Buzz client also brings new features to Google Maps that allow people to locate their friends who are nearby. Another nice feature that Buzz adds to Android phones is the ability to make updates by voice. Google Buzz can be installed on Android phones by pointing the browser to the Buzz page.

[Via http://gigaom.com]

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Google Maps 4.0 OTA update available for Droid

I got an Over the Air update this morning on my Droid for Gogle Maps. The new version is 4.0, just last week we got version 3.4 which added multi-touch.

3.4 to 4.0 sounds like a significant jump, however the only new feature I could find was an additional map layer that is integrated with Google s new social networking product, Buzz.

Multi-touch was a huge usability improvement and got no mention from Google, it was just slipped in. Clearly they are jazzed about buzz at Google. I’ve got one follower on Buzz and automatically was made follower of 12 others. Looks like Google are going after twitter with the way the Buzz network is setup. Is buzz a twitter killer? I don’t think so (just yet) because it integrates with Twitter, right now I view it more as a supplement to twitter and other social micro blogging. It maybe a freindfeed killer.

[Via http://jpwhitehome.wordpress.com]

Mobile mayhem - and a peek into our future

Perhaps the only thing more bewildering about yet another “major” technology conference is a major technology conference on another continent. But Mondays start of the Mobile World Congress is worth watching from a newspaper perspective.

Which, of course, is why I’ll be there.

News desks always see a flurry of wire reports on new gizmos and dire prediction when techies gather for CES, Apple’s WWDC or TED.  Of course, we have to surreptitiously check Wikipedia to make sure those initials don’t just identify alien-worshipping cults.  The aliens at the MWC, however, will be Americans like me because the huge gathering in Barcelona focuses on a technology sector in which our country has minority voice.

Minority voice, but a huge stake. Our unique system that gave cell phone service providers almost absolute control of what handsets were available left the United States way behind the rest of the world in mobile technology.  Now, however, American consumers are demanding what others have had for years.  And they want it now.

Starting Monday we should see a flood of new smartphones (even “super smartphones”), yet another operating system, screens you can read in sunlight, mobile banking systems, ranks of Androids and all sorts of mobile television.  I hope that among the thousands of booths, experts and demonstrations that I can get a better handle on how soon even Average Joe will be surfing the Web one-handed.  I’ll also look for the less-sexy technology that can help us deliver news to the nearly 80% of American’s with app-less “dumbphones” while we are waiting for the whizz-bang technology to become dominant.

If the snow lets up enough for me to make my flight connections, I’ll be blogging from MWC several times daily.  I’ve set up a Flickr photo gallery, linked at the right side of the blog.  And our MobileNews discussion list is active even if the text below the list archive widget says it isn’t.

Let me know if I can dig up answers for you in Barcelona.  Opportunity is  calling. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself).

[Via http://mobile.rjiblog.org]

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Flash CardZ! For Android Is Released

It’s official, Flash CardZ! is available for download for your Android Device.  We have been working hard to get these applicaitons done.  We hope you and your kids enjoy this one.  Oh, and it’s 100% FREE

“Fun and Educational app for your Android phone. Flash CardZ! is a learning tool for young children. They will learn their A, B, C’s the fun way! Parents, you can teach your children in a convenient way, simply install this application and hand it over to your little ones. Enjoy this free app & keep checking in for new ones.”

[Via http://bustedappz.wordpress.com]

MWC 2010 - Android Attack and Other Issues?

Other Questions before Mobile World Congress

1. Based on current smartphone momentum, I really expected MWC to be  something like Android World Congress, but apparently the slate is being cleared to provide WinMo7 with as much spotlight as possible. Recent  reports indicate Android’s presence at this event is going to pretty limited with several expected vendors deciding to not show devices (HTC, Sony Ericcson, and Samsung). However, several Chinese cell phone manufacturers still will be demoing devices.

2.  At least MS is allegedly demoing a new OS. Blackberry OS 6 is nothing but a rumor and the Blackberry OS continues to look further and further dated.  The Storm 2 OS clearly represents the future of Blackberry, but improved browsing and media functionality is desperately needed. And how does Blackberry fully integrate their OS between their full screen touchscreen model (Storm 2) and their classic screen/keyboard model (Bold/Tour)? Blackberry’s numbers are still on the rise due to the combination of Blackberry Enterprise Server and cheap Blackberry devices (Curve,Bold). Blackberry does not appear to have a slider phone on the horizon as their new phones seem more evolutionary updates to Pearl and Tour. How long can Blackberry continue with this approach? Especially with Apple and Android gaining a massive application advantage.

3. What will Nokia demo? Nokia appears to be following an insane two OS approach with both Symbian and Maemo. We will see the first real Maemo device to challenge the iPhone and Android? Nokia is rumored to be releasing upwards of 6 Maemo based phones in 2010. After 2.5 years of not having a competitor against Apple’s flagship product in the US, is this the year Nokia finally makes their presence felt?

4. Samsung’s OS. Bada as it is called. Other than the WinMo 7 launch/demo the biggest new event at MWC could be the presentation of a Bada smartphone. Lots of questions surround this OS? Can the smartphone market really support another OS, and more specifically can Apps developers support multiple operating systems?

4. Palm Web OS: Palm has already released the Pre Plus and the Pixie Plus with updated internal specs and WiFi for both devices. Does Palm have something else in their lineup? A slider more in the size of the Android? A full touchscreen device with virtual keyboard? Palm’s 4th quarter sales’ numbers could be ugly with the surge of Android devices during the 4th quarter.

[Via http://molsenite.wordpress.com]

Sunday, February 7, 2010

What's the Platform of the Future for Developing Interactive Graphical Educational Software?

So, what is the platform of choice for folks who want to create interactive graphical educational software (see for example all the stuff at PHET and NLVM). Currently, there are two primary options: Flash and Java Applets. I’m not covering in this post web applications, which can still use just about anything you want: PHP, Java, Ruby, Python, .NET, etc., or business/office/administrative software which can either be web apps or desktop apps coded in C++/Java/.NET/Python, etc., or 3D desktop games, usually coded in C++/Java/.NET/Python. I’m centered on interactive, graphical educational software like you see all over the web now.

The PHET project, for example, uses both java and flash. This has not always been the case, however, and I suspect it will change again in the near future. Here’s a short history of some of the development tools I’ve leaned on for educational software development over the past 15 years:

  • early 90s – hypercard / supercard, Perl/CGI for web apps
  • late 90s – java, visual basic, real basic, PHP emerges for web apps, javascript in the browser
  • early 00s – by this time, commercial options no longer cut it for me, too many bugs, ignored feature requests, too expensive – free and open source is king: python, java (later open sourced), C#/vb.net (esp. the Mono open source clone). Unfortunately there is no alternative to the commercial, proprietary flash, which becomes king of RIAs (rich internet applications) instead of java applets.
  • late 00s – by this time, desktop apps no longer cut it. RIA is king for creating interactive graphical educational apps – java and JVM languages like scala, and still no real alternative to flash. But the move to RIA means no more Mono/.NET since it doesn’t run in the browser – support for silverlight is weak/non-existent on many browsers/platforms. And no python, although perhaps one day perhaps browsers will support it as an alternative language to javascript. Mono/.NET is emerging again now in 3D virtual world space, however, because it is the basis for Second Life / OpenSim, and it’s only open source competitor, the java-based Project Wonderland is no longer supported by Oracle, who bought out Sun. The project is continuing outside of Oracle, but it’s future is unclear.
  • early and late 10s? – This is the question of this post. Mobile platforms can no longer be ignored, and that means no java. Actually android is essentially java (dalvik), but standard java applets do not work. Flash is only just now being ported to work on android, and its future on the iphone platform is unclear although it has been ported, apparently. Thanks to google not supporting applets (even android applets), and Apple wanting total control of their platform, Flash is only increasing its dominance and importance.

HTML5

Since Oracle bought out Sun, and there is no support nor any planned support for java on the android and iphone platforms, it appears the only open source alternative for the future of RIA apps may be HTML5. But that cannot be used for creating the kind of highly interactive graphical educational software that you can create in java and flash. For this to work in HTML5, it would require WebGL, a 3D (OpenGL ES) canvas for HTML5. WebGL still does not work on any mobile platform, but it has been or is being ported to work on WebKit (the browser engine for Palm’s WebOS and the iphone web browser) as well as android. Here are some more resources on WebGL:

  • Learning WebGL – blog
  • Vladimir Vukićević, blog of the main developer for the canvas control, and porting it to android. He did similar work on the mono platform earlier.
  • Blender to WebGL exporter

The main drawback to the HTML5 platform is that javascript is the only language supported. That’s not a problem for me, personally, I’ve been using javascript since when it was called livescript. But my interest also is in programming languages/tools that make it easier for students, teachers, and other non-CS types to develop interactive educational software, as discussed in this chapter (pdf). A workaround for now would be to create a to-javascript compiler for alternate languages, as has already been done for java with the GWT project, but in the long run it would be best if a common runtime were developed for WebKit and Firefox to support other languages than javascript, but then we are just re-inventing java and the JVM. So I don’t dismiss the java platform at all just yet, but it’s definitely not having a good year so far :)

[Via http://edtechdev.wordpress.com]

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Android This Week: Nexus One Gets Touch; 720p from Samsung

Google (s goog) surprised Nexus One owners this week by releasing an update for the Android-based phone. The Nexus One has only been on the market for a month, but the update added a fair bit of functionality — notably multitouch — the lack of which has grated enthusiasts. It also addresses the 3G connectivity problems that some owners had been reporting.

This week also saw Motorola (s mot) release the Devour in the U.S. The Devour is the newest addition to the Droid family on the Verizon (s vz) network, and the first with the MOTOBLUR technology, which aggregates the phone owner’s social networks into one screen. The Devour has a sliding QWERTY keyboard, and is smaller than the original Droid.

Samsung unveiled a new Android phone as well, one that brings 720p video recording to the mix. And since the handset needs high-speed connectivity to send those HD videos, 802.11n, too. Dubbed the M100s, the new phone packs a large 3.7-inch AMOLED screen into a svelte form and is due appear in Korea early this year.

[Via http://gigaom.com]

Google Android 101 Workshop at LUMS

On Jan 17th, 2009, I attended Google Android 101 Workshop at LUMS, Lahore.

Speaker: Omer Shakil, omer@google.com

Organized by: Badar Khushnood, Google Pakistan Country Consultant, badar@google.com

Supported by: Red Bull, CIO Pakistan, P@SHA, TiE Lahore

It was a very good informative workshop on how to start development in Google’s Android platform. They gave out some Android Resources which might prove beneficial for anyone interested in going for development in this platform. Here are the links:

SDK: http://code.google.com/android/

Source Code: http://source.andoid.com/

Market: http://market.andoid.com/

API Demos: http://code.google.com/andoid/samples/ApiDemos/index.html

Open Source Apps: http://code.google.com/p/apps-for-andoid/

Google Groups: android-(beginners|developers|discuss|platform|framework)

Everything Android Related: http://andoidsavvy.com/

Presentations: http://sites.google.com/site/io/building-an-andoid-application, http://www.slideshare.net/pr1001/android-development-workshop-presentation

Common Tasks: http://code.google.com/android/kb/commontasks.html

Development Tools: http://code.google.com/android/intro/tools.html

Writing Efficient Code: http://code.google.com/android/toolbox/performance.html

Signing and Publishing: http://code.google.com/android/devel/sign-publish.html

Developer Challenge: http://code.google.com/andoid/adc.html

[Via http://anicode.wordpress.com]

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Mmmmm...Minty

Android and iPhone work together at BustedAppZ!Right now we are beta testing some applications that are due to be released in the next 2 weeks.  These applications will be available on the iPhone and Android both.  They will prove that we have done a little bit of work to simplify entertainment apps.  Our belief is that clean and simple are the way to go.  Too often people over complicate things by offering too much!  This could sometimes mean too much of a good thing.  Like alcohol, entertainment can be addictive.  Our recommendation, take it in small does, don’t overdo it and for the good of all of us don’t drive if you are under the influence of too much entertainment!

[Via http://bustedappz.wordpress.com]

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Android mini collectibles

New from artist Andrew Bell and Google’s Android™ platform comes Android mini collectibles series 01!

Andrew, an avid Android user himself, teamed up with some friends at Google to bring their little green mascot to life. Series 1 features 12 different designs in blind-boxed cases of 16. Pick up a few and try your luck, or grab a whole case to secure a nearly-full set. Be on the lookout for some super rare chase editions. Each vinyl figure stands 3” tall and features a rotating head and arms.

Series 1 will be available later this month  in an online Android collectibles shop and in specialty retailers. For wholesale inquiries contact DKE distribution.

From DYZPlastic.com

[Via http://thetechguia.wordpress.com]

MotoDEVStudio4Android Customization

Customization of MotoDESStudio4Android  first starts with come correct information.

Other than MotoDEvStudio4android the plugins pictured are the only ones you can install. You cannot install rest of eclipse that Moto took out which means you have to download the Eclipse Memory analyzer to use with android as an RCP download to use a separate application.

I still do not why MotoDevStudio4andoid staff would continue to indicate that you install plugins from eclipse that they took out as its an underlying MotoDevStudio limitation that has always been present in MotoStudio IDE products. That does not mean that the tools are not useful, its just that I believe the greater sum of parts can be gained by incorporating MototDevStudio additions on top of a full Eclipse install.

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[Via http://mobilebytes.wordpress.com]