android news

GetJar Study: Mobile Apps To Grow $17 Billion by 2012

2010-03-23T06:04:00.000+02:00

I had an opportunity to sit down with Bill Scott, V.P. Sales & Business Development of GetJar.com at last years Mobilize event in San Francisco to discuss mobile apps. Today, GetJar, the premiere independent mobile app store with more than 60,000 mobile apps on hand for major mobile platforms: Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile, put out a study that predicts a gold rush in the number of mobile apps and the increase in size of the mobile app marketplace.

According to the study, performed by Chetan Sharma Consulting, mobile app downloads should jump from 7 billion in 2009 to almost 50 billion in 2012. The market is estimated to be worth approximately 17 billion dollars. GetJar CEO Ilja Laurs makes another statement, echoing the one from a Google executive. “It is easy to see how mobile apps will eclipse the traditional desktop Internet. It makes perfect sense that mobile devices will kill the desktop,” he said. Mr. Laurs backs up this claim with more data from the study, citing that 17% of GetJar users spend more time on internet-linked smartphones than they do on desktops.

[Via http://fonefrenzy.com]

March 23rd Android Workshop

2010-03-21T22:23:00.000+02:00

This coming week is a busy one on a number of fronts. Our second Android Workshop takes place at 7pm Tuesday, March 23rd at the Galway Bakery Company. It will give participants an opportunity to hold a reverse Q&A on the SDK based on their experiences over the last week. Come upstairs to the back section when you arrive and we will order from there. Some of us are heading to Dublin for the Mitch Altman and Jimmie P Rodgers Electronic Workshop at the Science Gallery. We also hope to pay a visit to TOG enroute.

Hotel Meyrick plays host to Twestival Galway on March 25th. If you are free on the day try and swing by to support a very worthy cause. 091 Labs is contributing a small prize for the raffle on the night. This years Irish Blog Awards are being held in the Radisson Hotel, Galway at 8:00pm Saturday, March 27th. Tickets are still available for the event for those interested. Looking forward to meeting participants at all of the above events!

[Via http://091labs.com]

Ahhh, Technology

2010-03-21T06:02:00.000+02:00

The leaps and bounds by which technology changes and grows nowadays is astounding. Here’s today’s cool example:

I was searching for a file sharing app for El Droido and came across a message board post from a guy who had written one. He had posted a 2D barcode in his post. I pulled out the Droid, opened the barcode scanner program, pointed it at the screen and SNAP – it took me to the Android Marketplace entry for his program. 15 seconds to accomplish – no typing, copying and pasting URLs or anything like that. W00t!

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

Droid 2.1 clarification

2010-03-20T14:49:00.000+02:00

There has been a lot of confusion it seems over the recent OTA push of the much awaited 2.1 update for the Droid. It was delayed, there were bugs, the moon isn’t aligned correctly with the earth, etc. However, it seems that Verizon still pushed the update out to a small bit of test users:

“The Android 2.1 upgrade for the Droid by Motorola was deployed to a small number of Verizon Wireless test users as scheduled. It is expected the broader phased rollout to all Droid by Motorola users will take place, but not just yet. No date scheduled yet.”

So it seems as if things were taken out of context and that they did push it out to their test users. When will the rest of us see it? Well, no one knows yet but hopefully soon. I’ll keep up with the updates!

Source

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

Not feeling the love. Why don't operators give us dates?

2010-03-18T22:39:00.000+02:00

Surely in this day and age, companies (the phone operators in this case) no when they’re going to be releasing a product? They have meetings and set targets and probably drink tea and eat biscuits whilst doing so.

So why do they persist in annoying their loyal customers by not telling us things?

I am of course talking about the release date of the HTC Desire. There has been a lot of crap going round the Internet about Vodafone having exclusive rights to the phone, T-Mobile releasing the phone next week and so on but why is everyone else being so quiet?

On my way to buy a second hand iPhone (for a colleague at work – believe me) I decided to take some of this paid time to go around the other mobile phone shops and ask some questions. Get to the bottom of what is happening with regards to release dates for the Desire.

My first stop: The 3 Store.

After waiting 10 minutes for the fat man in front of me to give up trying to make the sales assistant copy his phonebook across to his new phone, I managed to ask the question: “Any idea when you’ll be getting the HTC Desire in stock?”. Admittedly, he was polite in his answer but it was of no help to me: “We’ve been told somewhere between the end of March and beginning of April”. Great, thanks for nothing.

So, next stop was Carphonewarehouse. Surely these guys would know a thing or two. I probably should have walked back out when I saw the geek behind the counter playing with his iPhone but I decided to persist and try and get the truth. Again, I ask: “Any idea when you’ll be getting the HTC Desire in?”. After a lecture on how Vodafone will have it exclusively first blah blah blah he then said “normally the other operators follow up shortly afterwards”. Even less helpful and I had just wasted 5 minutes of my life which I shall never be able to reclaim.

Next up was T-Mobile. I’d heard that someone somewhere had managed to have a play on a Desire in a T-Mobile store (probably in London) so I thought I’d give it a go. After looking round their stands of ancient and crappy looking phones I decided to ask the spotty man behind the counter. “Any idea when you’ll be getting the HTC Desire in?” . . . . *Pause* . . . . “Sorry, I’m not sure if we’ll be getting that in or not, I haven’t heard of it yet”. Me: “WHAT?! What the hell is wrong with you man?! Have you been under a rock for the past month?!!” Well that’s what I’d liked to have said but instead I decided to cut my losses there and then and just thank him and walk out.

So, my mission was a failure. I am still none the wiser as to when I’ll get my Desire

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

Google Maps 4.1 released for Android

2010-03-18T14:56:00.000+02:00

Google has released its latest Maps software for the Android based systems. The latest version is 4.1 and includes a few new features such as a better results screen, support for multiple Google accounts, and swipe gesturing. The last feature is pretty neat as it allows Google Maps to be used as a live background on your phone. Yes, that way your background can always be a map of where your at and of course constantly moving with you. That’s a pretty cool feature to have. I can hear draining batteries everywhere as we speak

Google Maps 4.1 is available for Android systems 1.6 and up. And if you’re interested in the live wallpaper idea, you’re going to need Android 2.1 or up. Roll out that firmware!

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

Google Maps 4.1 for Android brings multiple account support, trippy live map wallpaper

2010-03-18T06:07:00.000+02:00

Google’s been iterating its Maps client for Android devices at a positively ridiculous pace lately, burning through versions 3.4 and 4.0 in a span of just a few days last month — but hey, March is upon us, which apparently means it’s time for another fresh cut. This time around we’re looking at 4.1, though the mere 0.1 bump in the version number really doesn’t do this thing justice — they’ve redesigned the results screen, added a swipe gesture for moving between results, served up a new Latitude widget for the home screen, and brought in support for multiple Google accounts (for seeing different Buzz follows, for instance). The icing on the cake, though, is a new live wallpaper for Android 2.1 phones that’s a live map of your location, which sounds absurdly awesome — assuming it doesn’t beat your battery to a bloody pulp with constant GPS access, of course. It’s available now from the good ol’ Market for devices running Android 1.6 and up, so if you’re on a device that’s still stuck on Cupcake, feel free to shake your fist angrily at the sky a couple times. Interestingly, Google specifically says that the live wallpaper feature works on “Android 2.1+” devices — a sign that the next major build is around the corner, perhaps?

[Via http://f3.kz]

Nexus One Sales Are Lackluster: Here's Why

2010-03-16T22:53:00.000+02:00

Nexus One Sales Are Lackluster: Here’s Why.

The Nexus One has not had nearly the same sales as the iPhone or the Motorla Droid. But is this really the fault of the device or how it is being sold? I would have to say it is how it is being sold. You can only get a subsidized Nexus One on T-Mobile. If you want it on AT&T you have to pay almost $600.

Next you purchase and setup the phone through Google directly. Since this is Google first attempt at something like this, there are sure to be problems.

The true test of the Nexus One will be how it sells once another carrier can sell it and have it on their network. Rumor has it that Verizon will begin to carry the Nexus One starting March 23rd. If this in fact is true, there is no reason why sales should not take off.

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

Android: how to add custom title bar

2010-03-16T14:31:00.000+02:00

If you want to create your own custYou should do change default themes and styles for title bar. So you need to go through following steps, details are below of these section:

define custom/your style derived from window title style, and that is referenced in theme
derive default theme and override attributes for window title bar
define custom title layout that will be shown in title bar
set custom theme attribute in activity declaration that will use this custom title bar in AndroidManifest.xml
in derived activity class, for example LoginActivity extends Activity, your first code is to request Custom title feature in onCreate()
load content view and main layout
after that set custom title bar view/layout
that’s all

Details of these aforementioned steps are:

1. define – styles.xml (in folder yourproject/res/values/styles.xml)

2. define – themes. xml (in folder yourproject/res/values/themes.xml)

3. custom title bar layout (in folder res/layout/custom_titlebar.xml)

xmlns:android=”http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android”

android:layout_width=”fill_parent”

android:layout_height=”fill_parent”

android:fitsSystemWindows=”true”

>

android:id=”@+id/headerSmallLogoImgVw”

android:layout_width=”40dip”

android:layout_height=”20dip”

android:scaleType=”fitCenter”

android:src=”@drawable/logo40″

android:layout_alignParentTop=”true”

android:layout_marginLeft=”10dip”

android:layout_marginTop=”3dip”

android:layout_marginBottom=”3dip”

>

android:id=”@+id/headerTitleTxtVw”

android:text=”Title”

android:layout_width=”wrap_content”

android:layout_height=”wrap_content”

android:layout_alignTop=”@+id/headerSmallLogoImgVw”

android:layout_centerInParent=”true”

>

4. set activity’s theme attribute in AndroidManifest.xml

[5, 6, 7]. in Activity class

@Override

public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)

{

super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);

//request custom title bar

requestCustomTitle();

//…. load content view and other stuff

//set custom title

setCustomTitle(“All Incidents”);

}

//request to set for custom title bar

protected void requestCustomTitle()

{

requestWindowFeature(Window.FEATURE_CUSTOM_TITLE);

}

//set custom title bar

protected void setCustomTitle(String msg)

{

//set custom title bar

getWindow().setFeatureInt(Window.FEATURE_CUSTOM_TITLE, R.layout.custom_titlebar);

TextView tv = (TextView) getWindow().findViewById(R.id.headerTitleTxtVw);

tv.setText(msg);

}

References:

http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/themes.html
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/820398/android-change-custom-title-view-at-run-time
http://www.anddev.org/my_own_titlebar_backbutton_like_on_the_iphone-t4591.html
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2251714/set-title-background-color
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2065430/fixed-android-detecting-focus-pressed-color

[Via http://zaman91.wordpress.com]

Geolocation using the Browser in the Android OS (Part 2)

2010-03-16T06:10:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I wrote about my initial explorations with the web browser available as part of the Android operating system. In that post I was using the W3C Geolocation API which is supported in the browser in the more recent releases of the operating system. Older releases do not support this option and so an alternative has to be used.

The alternative comes in the form of the Google Gears for Android library. Using this library it is possible to determine the geolocation of an older Android device. Of course “older” is a relative term as it applies to devices such as the HTC Hero, which I own, and has been available for just over 6 months.

The first change needed to use the Google Gears library is to include the following script tag in the header of the page:

The second is to expand upon the JavaScript in yesterdays post so that it looks like this:

$(document).ready(function() { // Try W3C Geolocation (Preferred) if(navigator.geolocation) { navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(function(position) { // success $('#map_canvas').empty(); $('#map_canvas').append('

Latitude: ' + position.coords.latitude + '
Longitude: ' + position.coords.longitude + '

'); }, function(position_error) { // failure $('#map_canvas').empty(); $('#map_canvas').append('

An error occured while determining your location. Details are:
' + position_error.message + '

'); }, { // options enableHighAccuracy: true }); } else { // W3C Geolocation method isn't available // try Google Gears if (google.gears) { // google gears is available so use it var geo = google.gears.factory.create('beta.geolocation'); geo.getCurrentPosition(function(position) { // success $('#map_canvas').empty(); $('#map_canvas').append('

Latitude: ' + position.latitude + '
Longitude: ' + position.longitude + '

'); }, function(position_error) { // hack to check if we're running in the emulator if(navigator.userAgent.match(/sdk/i)) { // running in the emulator so ignore error and fake coordinates $('#map_canvas').empty(); $('#map_canvas').append('

Running in the emulator

'); } else { // error $('#map_canvas').empty(); $('#map_canvas').append('

An error occured while determining your location. Details are:
' + position_error.message + '

'); } }, { // options enableHighAccuracy: true, gearsLocationProviderUrls: null }); } else { // not available $('#map_canvas').empty(); $('#map_canvas').append('

The W3C Geolocation API isn\'t availble.

The Google Gears API isn\'t availble.

'); } } });

The new code in this version starts on line 20 where a check is performed to ensure that Google Gears is available. Next an instance of the beta.geolocation class is instantiated. The getCurrentPosition method is called using a familiar pattern. The first function will be used if geolocation information can be retrieved, the second function will be called if an error occurs and the last parameter is an options object.

There are a few important things to note:

The gearsLocationProviderUrls is set to null in an attempt to get the Android emulator to use the GPS coordinates supplied to it using the technique I outlined yesterday
The error function uses a simple hack to detect if it is being called by the browser in an emulator and if it is we can fake the coordinates that we want to use

For me geolocation in the emulator is a bit of a “hit and miss” affair and I’m having to make changes in the code to take this into account. Hopefully when we have the appropriate devices available I’ll not have to keep doing this. The emulator is really useful but the geolocation capabilities can be frustrating at times.

It’s also important to note that this code works on Android devices, and my limited testing shows it works on iPhone devices as well, other devices are not supported at this time. Due primarily to time constraints. I intend incorporating a feedback mechanism into this part of the mobile website so that users can alert us to other devices as required.

The planned direction for development from this point is to clean up the code a little bit and start incorporating it with the latest version of the Google Maps API which will introduce a new series of challenges that will need further exploration. These will be the topic of future posts.

[Via http://techxplorer.com]

March 16th Android Workshop

2010-03-14T14:48:00.000+02:00

Our next meetup is 7pm Tuesday, March 16th at the Galway Bakery Company. Come upstairs to the back section when you arrive and we will order from there. After chatting with participants at the recent X-cake Galway meetup we have decided to start an Android Workshop this week. If the Android platform is new to you then checkout this site – for developers the SDK is available here – if you have never written a line of code in your life before but keen to learn all are welcome.

This coming week is proving to be a busy one within the Irish hackerspace community. TOG are hosting a special St Patricks Day Hackathon encouraging all participants to come up with an Irish themed project. Bitbucket in Dublin have a number of active and planned projects worth checking out. Limerick Hackerspace is starting up an Arduino Workshop – anyone interested should get in contact with Jiri. Hackerspace Cork are making progress and looking for more members to get involved. Onwards.

[Via http://091labs.com]

Verizon Nexus One typos make no Sense

2010-03-13T22:25:00.000+02:00

Yesterday Android Central posted a leak document that said the Nexus One would feature HTC’s Sense UI. Many people questioned the information and pointed out several typos. In addition to Sense UI, Verizon listed the wrong model Snapdragon processor and the incorrect URL for Google’s phone store.

Verizon quickly noticed the mistakes and has already updated their equipment guide. Once again, Android Central has the screen grabs which show the corrected information. The Verizon Nexus One will be available only online and it will include the stock Android 2.1. This is exactly how the T-Mobile launch went down so it looks like Google is sticking with their original Nexus One strategy.

It was interesting to read the comments from yesterday’s post because our reader’s opinions were split down the middle on Sense UI. Some people love Sense and others said they would not by the phone if it was included. Thankfully, this device will have a bootloader that can easily be unlocked so you can flash virtually any firmware that your heart desires.

The Verizon N1 will feature the same Android 2.1 as the first device.

Verizon Nexus One to include Sense UI, available only online
CDMA Nexus One clears FCC, headed to Verizon soon
For those N1 users who desire Sense UI
HTC Desire (Bravo) expected to be next Android superphone
Warning: Do not try this at home with your Nexus One

http://androidandme.com/2010/03/news/verizon-nexus-one-typos-make-no-sense/

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

Android This Week: Android Passes Palm; Backflip Crippled; Sense to Nexus One

2010-03-13T14:00:00.000+02:00

Android (s goog) adoption by consumers in the U.S. is growing at an astounding rate, according to numbers released this week by comScore. Not only did the Google platform’s market share surge 153 percent from October to January, but it surpassed that of Palm’s (s palm) webOS for the first time ever. Equally impressive is how Android market share is now almost half that of longtime competitor Windows Mobile (s msft).

AT&T (s t) become the final major carrier in the U.S. to carry at least one Android phone with the launch of the Motorola (s mot) Backflip, but early users of the device are reporting that it has been crippled compared to other Android phones. AT&T has removed Google search from the Backflip and replaced it with search from Yahoo (s yhoo), which is more than a little ironic considering Android is Google’s own platform. There are also a dozen special AT&T apps that perform many of the same functions as integrated Android apps, and these special apps are not removalble by the owner. Finally, AT&T has disabled the ability for Backflip owners to download apps from anywhere other than the Android Market.

Google promised the Nexus One would be going to the Verizon (s vz) network this year, and this week, some eagle-eyed folks uncovered proof that it is indeed getting close to release. The Verizon information indicates the Nexus One will only be sold online, similar to the T-Mobile version of the phone. Most interestingly, the new Verizon information clearly indicates that its version of the phone will run the HTC Sense interface. Sense is considered a good addition to the Android interface, and the original Nexus One shipped without it.

[Via http://gigaom.com]

Odroid handheld game console due early March sportin' Android 2.1

2010-03-13T06:00:00.000+02:00

We know you’ve been champing at the bit for some Odroid news… wait, you forgot already? You know, the Android-powered handheld game system that the manufacturer, Hardkernel, bills “the developer-focused portable game device”? To be honest, we’d hope that the company would focus on game players, but that’s really beside the point: the thing finally has a release date: “early March.” And for those of you lucky enough to get in on the ground floor, they’ve gone and upgraded the thing to Android 2.1. Peep it in action after the break.

Continue reading Odroid handheld game console due early March sportin’ Android 2.1

Odroid handheld game console due early March sportin’ Android 2.1 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Community | Hardkernel | Email this | Comments

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/12/odroid-handheld-game-console-due-early-march-sportin-android-2/

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Android Development on OS X

2010-03-11T22:54:00.000+02:00

I always liked all those little gadgets cell phones, iPhones, iPods. The more programmable it is the better. Recently I bought MacBook Pro and started using OS X for development. So far it is good experience. Recently I got attracted by the idea to some Android development. Got environment set up and build my first Android application. I would like to share my experience with you.

Set Up

Set up is pretty easy and consists of downloading Android SDK, installing it, installing Android Development Tools and … that’s it.

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

It Was All About Smartphones, Wi-Fi, Enterprise, And Security In Barcelona

2010-03-11T14:19:00.000+02:00

by Elias Shams

Not sure how many of you made it to the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month. I had a chance to meet up with many companies and learned more about their new gadgets during my three days trip there. I meant to write this a week after my return, but got bombard by ton of other articles that required more immediate attention, iPad was certainly one of them. Finally got a chance last night to sit down in my favorite local coffee shop Tryst to summarize my report.

There were indeed several noteworthy product announcements with significant enterprise implications. In addition to Android and Windows Phone 7, there was big emphasis on new mobile security solutions for enterprises. Referring to my last article about the rise of smartphones for enterprise, this was expected.

With the help from a few colleagues who were also in Barcelona with me, here is the list:

Pocket-Sized Wi-Fi

ConnectOne debuted the $99 Wi-Reach Classic battery-operated 3G/4G/WiFi personal hotspot. This wireless broadband device transforms an existing 3G USB modem into a personal Wi-Fi cloud that can be easily shared between as many as 10 Wi-Fi devices. Its built-in rechargeable battery delivers four to five hours in normal use and can be recharged using the built-in USB connector. With upgradeable software, Wi-REACH Classic is designed to support upcoming networks such as WiMAX and LTE. Users can migrate to 4G networks with a software upgrade by simply plugging their next-generation USB modem into Wi-REACH Classic. Wi-REACH Classic is available from Connect One at a price of $99.

Enterprise Collaboration

Samsung introduced a range of enterprise mobility solutions, in collaboration with partners Cisco, Formotus, Microsoft, Spring Wireless, Sybase, and Wipro. The range of solutions includes enterprise email, enterprise IM, security, Mobile Device Management, Unified Communications, Customer Relationship Management, Sales Force Automation, Business Intelligence and vertical applications. Samsung is actively discussing with major mobile operators to commercially launch the solutions in 2010. Most of the enterprise solutions showcased by Samsung at MWC are expected to be commercially available by the end of 2010. Samsung smartphones will support robust enterprise solutions on Microsoft Windows Mobile, and soon offer enterprise solutions on Android platform. In 2011, Samsung will expand the capability to offer enterprise solutions on LiMo as well as bada, its own platform.

Secure Connections

Juniper Networks unveiled new mobile security software that aims to close a significant security gap for enterprises. Available in 2Q 2010 for popular mobile devices, Junos Pulse is a downloadable client software that provides secure connections across smartphones, notebooks and netbooks to a broad range of corporate applications. Based on the Juniper scalable SSL VPN technology, Junos Pulse delivers built-in mobile security in an extensible software platform.

The solution provides mobile users with location-aware and identity-aware access to enterprise networks — using the same SSL VPN gateway as traditional desktops. The company’s current client software has been licensed broadly to run on more than 20 million PCs and mobile devices worldwide, via networks that can seamlessly upgrade to Junos Pulse. Enterprises can set and enforce sophisticated dynamic and granular security policies that allow them to enable access to specific resources and data by user identity, and restrict access by others.

Wave On

On the smartphone front, Samsung introduced the Wave, the first mobile handset to be released on Samsung’s new, open mobile platform, Samsung bada. The Samsung Wave offers a Super AMOLED 3.3-inch display, a Social Hub to bring you closer to contacts and connections, and TouchWiz 3.0 for an intuitive, customizable user interface. The Wave’s high-speed CPU ensures swift, smooth application experiences and multi-tasking.

Samsung also introduced a 4G LTE N150 netbook PC using the company’s own in-house designed LTE modem chipset, Kalmia. The Samsung netbook N150 is currently available in market with HSPA 3G communications and WiFi access and will become commercially available with LTE according to service schedule and market demand.

Managing BES Express

On the heels of Research In Motion’s introduction of its BES Express BlackBerry server aimed at the SMB market, BoxTone announced that it is in the process of getting its mobility management solution certified for use on the new server.

Onward, Android

Motorola added to its Android portfolio with the new Quench with Motoblur, featuring a full-touch, virtual QWERTY design. QUENCH’s touch-screen design, combined with navigational features such as pinch and zoom and a touch pad, as well as the inclusion of Adobe Flash Lite, are designed to enhance browsing the web on its 3.1-inch, high-resolution display. Motorola QUENCH will be available in 1Q 2010. In the U.S., it’s called CLIQ XT and will be available in March exclusively through T-Mobile USA. Quench is the eighth Android-powered device launched by Motorola around the globe.

AT&T is launching its first Android device, the HSPA 7.2-capable Motorola Backflip, in stores March 7, 2010. The device (which will cost $99 with a two-year smartphone data plan after a mail-in rebate) features the Motoblur social aggregator. This allows users to sync contacts, posts, messages, photos and more from sources such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Gmail, Picasa, work and personal e-mail, and Last.fm. It automatically delivers them to live widgets for immediate reply right from the home screen. BACKFLIP features a unique form-factor with a reverse-flip design, spacious keyboard and BACKTRACK touch panel, allowing the display to be hands-free while your fingers work behind the screen. BACKFLIP comes with a full HTML and makes use of 7.2 HSPA 3G technology. The Motorola BACKFLIP also features WiFi connectivity, and AT&T customers receive AT&T Wi-Fi access at more than 20,000 U.S. hotspots included as part of their unlimited data plan. HTC continues its support of the Android platform even as it moves forward with its Windows Phone 7 offerings.

HTC introduced the Android-based Legend and Desire, both of which feature the latest Android version 2.1. Both feature an enhanced HTC Sense experience designed to improve interactions with your most important people. A new HTC application and widget called HTC Friend Stream aggregates all of your social communication, including Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr, into one organized flow of updates. In addition, people can be organized into specific social circles, such as groups of friends, colleagues, etc.

The HTC Sense experience also introduces broad improvements to applications, including the browser, email client and others. In addition, the new version of HTC Sense includes a new newsreader application and widget, as well as a new seven-screen thumbnail view for quick and easy access to specific screens.

The HTC Legend is designed with a smooth, continuous surface, machined from a single aluminum block into a seamless compact frame. It features a 3.2-inch, AMOLED HVGA display. The traditional trackball has been replaced with an optical joystick, surrounded by a narrow button to improve usability without interrupting its design.

HTC Desire features a 3.7-inch AMOLED WVGA display and is powered by a one gigahertz Snapdragon processor. It’s Adobe Flash 10.1-ready and also includes the optical joystick. The Legend will be available in Europe through Vodafone and in the direct channel beginning in April 2010. It will roll out to other parts of the world, including Asia in early Q2.

HTC Desire will available to customers across major European and Asian markets in early Q2. In Australia, it will be exclusively available through Telstra. The enhanced HTC Sense experience will also be offered as a free upgrade on the HTC Hero in Europe and Asia.

Windows Phone 7 Ahead

HTC is getting ready to roll with a series of Windows Phone 7 smartphones, due out later this year. The HTC HD mini, an HTC Sense-based Windows Phone is a compact version of the company’s HD2. HTC HD mini includes capacitive touch for viewing, zooming and resizing websites, Microsoft Office files, PDF documents and pictures. Leveraging its 3G broadband connectivity, the HTC HD mini offers personal Wi-Fi anywhere for your computer or other devices. The HTC HD mini will be broadly available to customers across major European and Asian markets beginning in April 2010. The smartphone also utilizes the above mentioned HTC Sense.

On the HD2 front, T-Mobile will begin offering that smartphone in the U.S. beginning in March 2010. The HTC HD2 has a high-resolution 4.3-inch capacitive touch display, a blazing-fast 1GHz Snapdragon by Qualcomm processor, and support for T-Mobile’s high-speed 3G network for a fast mobile data experience.

[Via http://awesomedc.com]

Android Market on pace to hit 40,000 apps by April 14th

2010-03-09T22:35:00.000+02:00

According to AndroLib.com the Android Market hit 30,000 apps on February 24th, 2010. TechCrunch reported the 20,000 app milestone on December 15th, 2009 and predicted the Android Market would hit 50,000 apps by Q2 2010, I’d say that’s about right… well IN Q2 of 2010. Probably more like mid-May.

Anyhow, here are my calculations for when we can predict the next 40,000 app milestone:

12/15/2009 – 20,000 apps

2/24/2010 – 30,000 apps

In the last 2 weeks – +3,000 apps

At this rate, it should hit 40,000 on or around April 14th, this is of course assuming the rate stays the same and doesn’t increase. We’ll see. Have your own prediction? Post it in the comments.

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

Android NetCounter App for counting data usage

2010-03-09T14:38:00.000+02:00

This is a nice, simple app for Google Android. NetCounter simply keeps count of the amount of data you are using whilst browsing the web on your device.

This App is essential if your monthly contract does not include unlimited data or if you have a data limit. NetCounter displays the amount of data used as a total, in a month, in a week and in a day for both your WiFi and 3G connections. Although you are not charged for data used on a WiFi connection, it can still be useful to see how much data is used when browsing.

Perhaps the most useful feature of the App is the data alert feature. You can set an alert so that the app notifies you when a certain amount of data has been used. For example, if your monthly data allowance is 500mb, set the alert for this figure and NetCounter will then notify you once the 500mb has been reached.

NetCounter is available for free from the Android Marketplace

Thanks to Kate Russel’s BBC Webscape from BBC Click.

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

Verizon’s 4G LTE Coming Soon!

2010-03-09T06:37:00.000+02:00

We are all eagerly waiting for the upcoming 4G network. As some of us maybe on it already for instance Sprint customers but is it really 4G? Most of the carriers are still in process of testing its 4G on its network. Verizon Wireless tells us that their 4G speeds will be faster than their 3G speeds. Not just marginally faster, significantly faster:

Trials in Boston and Seattle indicate the network is capable of peak download speeds of 40 to 50 megabits per second (Mbps) and peak upload speeds of 20 to 25 Mbps. The speeds are significantly faster than Verizon Wireless and other wireless providers’ current or promised 3G network speeds.

That is crazy fast but don’t expect those types of results once it has been launched. Having thousands of consumers sharing bandwidth with good/bad spots and objects in the way and all the other variables Verizon says you can reasonably expect 5-12Mbps down and 2-5Mbps up.

Read the full press release here:

03/08/2010

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless announced today that its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network field trials in the United States have demonstrated wireless data speeds that are significantly faster than today’s 3G network speeds. Trials in Boston and Seattle indicate the network is capable of peak download speeds of 40 to 50 megabits per second (Mbps) and peak upload speeds of 20 to 25 Mbps. The speeds are significantly faster than Verizon Wireless and other wireless providers’ current or promised 3G network speeds.

Verizon Wireless has been testing its forthcoming 4G LTE network in both Boston and Seattle since August, 2009. Successful data calls involved streaming video, file uploads and downloads, and Web browsing, as well as calls with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to enable voice transmissions over the LTE network. Verizon Wireless engineers report LTE average data rates of 5-12 Mbps on the downlink and 2-5 Mbps on the uplink in real-world environments and will offer Verizon Wireless customers mobile browsing speeds comparable to customers’ current, typical online Internet experience.

“Our LTE rollout plan positions Verizon Wireless to be a global leader in 4G LTE deployment. We are on track to deliver an outstanding wireless data experience to customers in 25 to 30 markets covering roughly 100 million people by year’s end,” said Tony Melone, senior vice president and chief technical officer at Verizon Wireless. “As device makers, manufacturers and others around the world begin to introduce newer and faster products to take advantage of these incredible new speeds, Verizon Wireless will be positioned to offer our customers new and exciting products on the nation’s first 4G LTE network.”

By leveraging its 700 MHz spectrum for LTE deployment in the United States, Verizon Wireless is capable of quickly deploying a high-quality wireless broadband network with excellent coverage and in-building penetration. Verizon Wireless is currently installing LTE equipment at existing cell sites and switching centers around the United States as part of its extensive, ongoing investment in its voice and data network infrastructure.

Visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte for more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network.

VIA | Verizon Wireless

[Via http://fiercetechnology.com]

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Mini Preview-GSMArena

2010-03-07T05:28:00.000+02:00

Mini is the John Smith of names in mobile phones these days. All makers in the Big Five are keen to have a diminutive version of a popular handset but if there is one to be the definitive repack, it would be the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 mini.

You know, a couple of millimeters on each end are obviously enough for Nokia (N97 and N97 mini). Even the HTC HD mini isn’t that much smaller than the Touch HD. But when Sony Ericsson go mini they mean it.

The X10 mini is here to show how a mini phone should live up to its name – sheer smartphone power in a half-size package. There’re always sacrifices involved to fit the new cut but if size is what matters it’ll hardly get any better than that.

Here’s the link

[Via http://erazer007.wordpress.com]

Advacned Tip Calculator (Free) is released

2010-03-06T22:46:00.000+02:00

Looks like there are tons of tip calculators on the android market. Nevertheless since we already did it as part of Advanced Financial Calculator, we extracted it out and made it a free app so that it is available to everyone. What we like about it is that in addition to the tip splitting and rounding features that other tip apps have, it also can save the tips into history and bring it back any time. All previous inputs are remembered so next time to find out the tip, all you need to do is to input the bill total, simple as that. You can even email it to your own email address to keep a record or to your friend to remind he/she owes you some money since you pay the bill this time. It kind of changes from a simple tipping app to a prefect application to keep track of all the dinning expenses. You may want keep an eye on it as you might know already, dinning expense could be huge sometimes.

Here are some screenshots.

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

Android This Week: Apple vs. HTC and Gesture Search

2010-03-06T14:00:00.000+02:00

Android (s goog) news this week was dominated by Apple — in the form of a lawsuit Cupertino (s aapl) filed against Android phone maker HTC alleging that it infringes on 20 patents that Apple holds “related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.” The move is clearly a shot at Google as Android is at the heart of all of the HTC phones named in the suit. I believe Apple is also running scared ahead of the Chrome OS release due out later this year.

In the meantime, I had a chance to do a full review of Motorola’s (s mot) latest Android phone, the Devour. The Devour is one of the heaviest smartphones I’ve tried, with a sleek industrial design that’s pleasing to the eye. It runs Android 1.6, not the latest and greatest version of the OS, but it handles it without any laggy performance. And of course, it comes with the social networking aggregating MotoBlur technology.

And it is now possible to search for information stored on Android phones by writing on the screen using just a fingertip, with Gesture Search. A Gesture Search icon sits at the bottom of the Android screen; once tapped, the user simply starts spelling the desired search term on the screen, one letter at a time. Gesture Search will search all information on the phone, including music and contacts. It learns as it is used so frequently accessed information on the phone will appear at the top of results for searches.

[Via http://gigaom.com]

Meet The New Foursquare. Same As The Old Foursquare -- But Prettier.

2010-03-06T05:52:00.000+02:00

It’s hardly a secret that all of the major location-based players are planning big updates to their services to coincide with the SXSW festival starting next week in Austin, Texas. One of them peeked out a bit early: Foursquare.

Earlier today, the latest version of Foursquare, 1.6, went live in the App Store for a brief period of time. I’ve been using the build for a couple of days, and while the functionality isn’t all that different from the previous versions, the look-and-feel has been completely revamped.

This is notable because the vast majority of Foursquare users are still using the iPhone (67%). So this update will be a welcome change for many, especially as Foursquare and Gowalla continue to compete. Gowalla, while smaller than Foursquare, is generally considered to be the prettier of the two. Certainly, with its new website revamp, Gowalla still holds that title on the web, but the new Foursquare app looks pretty nice compared to the Gowalla iPhone app now.

So what’s different? The entire color palette is now a mixture of silver, blue, white, and bright green. Some may not like the bright green elements, but it’s effective to let people know where to click when you want to check-in. Also new is the fact that the “Shout” button is emphasized on the upper left part of the main screen. “Shouting” is basically the equivalent of tweeting out a message, it allows you to send a message to your followers without having to check-in at a place. It’s a bit odd that this is now a main button on the left side while the “Check-in” button is on the right side (considering most people read left to right).

Another new element is the idea of categories. As we wrote about a couple of days ago, Foursquare is starting to categorize venues into certain categories. While there isn’t much you can do with these yet on the new iPhone app, you are able to see icons that represent how a venue is categorized.

Something else new that is nice is that you can click on individual venues in your friend stream to load that venue’s main screen (which now shows who is there, right away). Previously, you had to click on your friend, then click over to see the venue — so this saves time.

While using the app, I wondered if Apple would approve it given that it uses the text, email, and phone icons used by the iPhone itself within the app (see screenshot below), but apparently if they accidentally put it in the store today, they’re going to be okay with those icons. These icons are shown on the new profile pages, which also show how many mayorships a member as, as well as how many badges they’ve earned. Interestingly, the point-based element of the app has been depreciated a bit, as that’s how a harder-to-get-to area of the app.

As a bonus to this advanced iPhone preview that some users got today, Foursquare also launched a new version of its Android app tonight. I’ve been playing with that for a few minutes, and that seems very solid as well. Look for the new version of Foursquare iPhone app at some point late next week when SXSW starts.

CrunchBase InformationFoursquareiPhoneInformation provided by CrunchBase

[Via http://techcrunch.com]

Microsoft and Android (Google)?

2010-03-04T22:29:00.000+02:00

Today Microsoft released its first app for Google’s Android mobile operating platform. The app, Tag, turns your device into a bar code reader (similar to effort already in existence by Google) that has basically limitless possibilities and applications. However, the reason this is so strange is because Microsoft is in direct competition with Google and releasing an app for the system is counterintuitive. However, I think its a good move.

The more good technology Microsoft releases the better. It’s easy to get caught up in the branding and lose sight of what actually matters: the technology. As long as Microsoft is putting innovative and useful technology into the hand of users, the company will keep a hold of the market. To some degree, it doesn’t matter what platform the consumer uses the app on, all that matters is that the app is being used.

Many Android consumers are also Microsoft users. The big three operating systems are Microsoft, Apple and Linux, so chances are that Android users ARE using Microsoft products, versus iPhone users. It could be away to help recapture those users with the release of the Windows phone. They are more likely to be willing to adapt Microsoft products and remain and more malleable group.

In reality, Android should be blocking the app. Microsoft is acting rationally and appropriately by releasing apps for Android and iPhone (in December 2008) in order to reach larger audiences and stay relevant. Not sure if the app will actually catch on, but I would like to see similar releases in the future.

[Via http://theacumenity.com]

More on DivX on the HTC Desire

2010-03-02T22:25:00.000+02:00

As reported previously, the HTC Desire will support DivX playback shortly after its release with a small Android update.

Also reported previously was that the HTC Desire will record in 720p (high definition).

DivX support coming natively to the Desire

What I didn’t do was put 2 + 2 together as a report from LeakDroid.com has pointed out; the Desire will actually record its 720p videos with the DivX codec.

It’ll be interesting to see how the videos come out when the phone is finally released.

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

Apple sues HTC, not Google

2010-03-02T14:56:00.000+02:00

Cites 20 cases of alleged infringements on iPhone patents

HTC's G1: The first Android phone. Photo: HTC

Apple (AAPL) announced Tuesday that it had filed a lawsuit against HTC, the Taiwanese maker of smartphones, for allegedly infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.

“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,” said Steve Jobs in a statement prepared for release. “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

Apple COO Tim Cook had made similar statements last year when asked about Google (GOOG)’s Android operating system, which bears a close resemblance to the iPhone’s.

Google wasn’t mentioned in Apple’s press release, but could very well be implicated. Although HTC originally made smartphones that ran Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows Mobile operating system, it began switching to Google’s Android in 2009. HTC was the first to market an Android smartphone. It now makes more than half a dozen.

The lawsuit was filed concurrently with the U.S. International Trade Commission and in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

[Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]

[Via http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com]

Gallerie App Splash Test

2010-03-02T06:18:00.000+02:00

I still have not finalized the splash look yet, but you get the idea. Spacing of center textview was accomplished with android:layout_toLeftOf parameter. and of course a back button in fomrm of company logo and forward button in form of application logo.

All other menu items except for navigating the individual galleries is being place on the context menu. For example, the about and settings menu choices will be on the context menu.

Still undecided whether I should make this as a replacement application for the default Gallery Android Application.

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

Windows Phone 7 Series: What You Need to Know

2010-02-27T22:47:00.000+02:00

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

2010-02-27T14:00:00.000+02:00

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]

Who Has The Highest Percentage of Free Apps?

2010-02-25T22:43:00.000+02:00

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

2010-02-25T14:36:00.000+02:00

These are some facts about Linux

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

2010-02-25T06:02:00.000+02:00

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]

ffmpeg and Android.mk

2010-02-23T22:21:00.000+02:00

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

2010-02-23T14:18:00.000+02:00

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

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 !

2010-02-23T06:36:00.000+02:00

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]

Nexus One: 80k units in first month -Flurry

2010-02-21T20:32:00.000+02:00

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

2010-02-21T14:48:00.000+02:00

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

2010-02-21T06:28:00.000+02:00

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]

HTC Desire and Legend: first impressions

2010-02-20T22:58:00.000+02:00

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

2010-02-20T14:00:00.000+02:00

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

2010-02-20T06:41:00.000+02:00

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]

From my android phone!

2010-02-18T14:38:00.000+02:00

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]

Using an ArrayAdapter to Control a ListView's Data

2010-02-16T14:48:00.000+02:00

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]

Motorola makes the announcement official: Android 2.1 due soon

2010-02-14T06:03:00.000+02:00

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]

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

2010-02-13T14:00:00.000+02:00

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]

Google Maps 4.0 OTA update available for Droid

2010-02-11T14:31:00.000+02:00

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

2010-02-11T05:54:00.000+02:00

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]

Flash CardZ! For Android Is Released

2010-02-09T14:34:00.000+02:00

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?

2010-02-09T06:21:00.000+02:00

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]

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

2010-02-07T14:51:00.000+02:00

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]

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

2010-02-06T14:00:00.000+02:00

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

2010-02-06T06:28:00.000+02:00

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]

Mmmmm...Minty

2010-02-04T22:35:00.000+02:00

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]

Android mini collectibles

2010-02-02T22:48:00.000+02:00

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

2010-02-02T14:54:00.000+02:00

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.

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

WILT: NullPointerException when calling startActivity

2010-01-31T22:09:00.000+02:00

That’s such a beginner error but I have no shame posting about it because I AM a beginner with Android

When trying to start a ListActivity from my main Activity, I kept on getting a NullPointerException. The code to launch my activity looked like this:

myActivityInstance.startActivity(new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW));

Well, the problem was that I forgot to set the content view at the beginning of my launched activity. All I had to do was add this line at the beginning of my onCreate event handler:

setContentView(R.layout.tasks_list);

[Via http://benoit808.wordpress.com]

Pluto: Volume 2

2010-01-31T06:34:00.000+02:00

Is it bad that I didn’t want to pick up anything else? At the time, I had to consider reading the rest of Barefoot Gen and To Terra. Pluto is too good.

Second volume deepened the suspense. More robots and robot activists die and the killer’s identity is close to being revealed. More super robot beings are introduced into the story as pieces to the puzzle. When Atom comes into the picture (see cover above), the story consists a chunk of emotion that was personally appreciated. Gesicht is living a “human” life with a wife at home and even discusses kids with Brando but he doesn’t fully understand or feel anything in response. When he sees Atom (who looks like a young boy) enjoying icecream, he asks him how he can eat it and act satisfied. This was a slight reminder that Gesicht was a robot, despite his appearance and personal life. The fact that these robots are existing to surpass human capability, they still lack what humans possess.

Later in the story, the investigation gets heated as another robot is killed while trying to kill the assassin called “Pluto”. I’m excited to see what happens.

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

Seattle Bus Finder - a promising Android app

2010-01-30T22:18:00.000+02:00

Open Seattle Bus Finder, enter the bus route that you want to track, and the GPS function actually pinpoints where the buses are at that very moment. I stand at the bus stop for the #18, for example, look at the app and see a map with my current location at the center. On the map I see that the 18 is just four blocks from where I’m standing and heading my way. Cute little bus icon. All is revealed. The bus arrives shortly thereafter. I love this.

The next time I use it, however, the map shows no buses in my vicinity. I look forward to a long wait. But to my surprise the bus arrives at that very moment and there’s no sign of it on my app map. I hate this.

I don’t know if the inconsistent performance has to do with unreliable performance of the GPS on the bus, in my phone, in the sky, or what. The app is free so I have nothing more to say except that I hope the next upgrade can deal with this. If it worked consistently, I’d definitely pay for this app. I could reliably stand on my front porch and know whether I can stroll to the bus stop or whether I should run.

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

Android This Week: Nexus One Dock Arrives, ARCHOS Tablet Specs Revealed

2010-01-30T14:00:00.000+02:00

Those who have deemed the Nexus One the best Android phone yet may like it even more now that the dock is available from Google. Not only does the phone charge while sitting in the dock, but cradling it there will automatically fire up the clock application, complete with local weather. You can even use it to run a slideshow of the pics you have stored on the phone.

But the really cool feature is the integrated Bluetooth, which allows the docked Nexus One to stream music wirelessly to the dock. Plug in some external speakers and the set-up becomes a full-fledged entertainment system. At $45, the Nexus One Dock isn’t cheap, but all those features make it worth a look.

Speaking of music, personal media player maker ARCHOS, which already has a 5-inch tablet based on the Android platform for sale, this week leaked details about its forthcoming 7-inch model . This new web tablet adds a web cam to the mix, and is expected to sell for just $245.

In the meantime, a netbook running Android has been sent to the FCC for review prior to launch. The new netbook is being produced by none other than HP, making this the company’s first foray into the Android space. The FCC filing is seeking approval for the netbook’s use on AT&T’s (s t) 3G network. So far, there’s no detailed information available as to when we might expect this to hit the market.

[Via http://gigaom.com]

Android Love

2010-01-28T22:11:00.000+02:00

Ok I stole that title from an awesome blog that I just discovered (check her out here http://www.brendacarescorner.com/mytouch3g-and-android-love/)

Thought I might kick off the blog with a post about my current passion, my Android phone!

Whats an Android phone you ask? Well probably not but I’ll tell you anyway LOL It’s a smartphone running the Android OS (operating system) by Google. Android OS is a true multitasking OS (joining Windows Mobile, WebOS, Blackberry). This is the main separation between Android phones and the IPhone. The IPhone is so far really just an application launcher rather than a true OS. Not that I’m knocking the IPhone; physically is is arguably the best built touch screen phone on the market. And so far, Apple has the best Apps Store and apps. Time will see if that continues.

Meanwhile, I decided to invest in the Android platform. The item that caught my immediate attention is that it is Linux based. Now I know you fellow computer heads know what that means. Linux is HUGE. And easy to develop. As evidenced by the tremendous growth of Android applications so far. Up to over 10,000 in the Apps Market to date! The other fact that drew me in is that Apple cant control it! As much as I love Apple products (most), I HATE the way they insist on controlling the way I use them! I mean, who really likes ITunes? It’s a resource hog and bloated. I would love my ITouch so much more if I could get music from whatever source I desired. But I digress, this isnt an Apple rant. That will come later LOL

So I’ve had my SPrint HTC Hero for nearly a month. I love it! I’m all about customization and Android lets me do it to my hearts content. Had an initial issue with bad battery life, but I found lots of fixes for it online (google it) and now its a non issue. Still dont get as long as I did with my BlackBerry Curve (my previous phone) but its decent. Hopefully the 2.1 update will fix that. Currently running 1.5 btw.

My next decision is whether or not to Root. Here’s an excellent explanation of what Rooting is [http://www.brendacarescorner.com/2010/01/what-does-it-mean-to-root-an-android-device/] . Right now I dont really see the need, but the geek in me wants to tinker LOL I’ll update with what I decide.

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

Saygus Vphone V1

2010-01-28T06:06:00.000+02:00

Saygus plans to release the VPhone V1, a video transmitting and receiving phone that runs on Android and will be available from Verizon. As it is, it has a 5 Megapixel camera, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, and 3.5-inch touchscreen. It should have four hours of video chatting, and seven hours of talk time.

Saygus Vphone V1

Saygus Vphone V1 Specification Release Date: January, 2010

59.5×116.5×20.3mm, Google Android 1.6 , 32bit Marvell PXA310, 624MHz CPU, 256MiB RAM, 512MiB ROM, 3.5″ 480×800 color transflective TFT LCD, mini-USB audio jack, CDMA800, CDMA1900, cdmaOne, CDMA2000 1xRTT, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rel. 0, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev A, microSD, microSDHC, TransFlash, SDIO, mini-USB port, Bluetooth, WLAN, GPS, A-GPS, FM radio, Slide-out QWERTY-type keyb., accelerometer, 4.9MP cam., AF, macro, flash, sec. camera, 1500mAh removable battery

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

HTC HERO

2010-01-26T22:45:00.000+02:00

So.. I never thought something like a fancy cellphone could change my life. Yet here I am today talking about my HTC HERO from Sprint has aided me to see the world in a different light. I am even composing this blog from my phone now! This device keeps me informed of EVERYTHING that I hold dear in my life. All accessible with a swift flick & tap. Jealous? I seriously urge everyone to get their hands on one, or at least some sort of Android capable phone. G1, MyTouch, Hero, Droid, Eris, Nexus, Cliq, etc…

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

Skype on Android? Try Fring!

2010-01-26T14:15:00.000+02:00

Well finally!!! God damn it I’ve been looking a long time for such an app, and here it is!

Fring is my new favourite. Just tested it a couple of minutes, but it seems to be working just fine, except for a little lag, but you just have to deal with it.

Download from Android Market or at Fring’s website for free and log in to your GSM, Skype, Google, ICQ, MSN, Twitter, AIM or Yahoo! account through Fring.

Still lack some testing against other mobile fring users, but that’ll be soon

Please add a comment about your experiences with Fring.

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

Watch your Security Cameras on your Android PDA Phone

2010-01-26T06:23:00.000+02:00

Remotely view your security cameras with an Android phone

The new Google Android operating system phones have become a popular choice for PDA phones. However, even though there are many apps that can be downloaded to these new phones, there are still very few security camera systems that are compatible with these new PDA phones.

However, our Alnet PC-Based DVR systems and our H.264 Standalone DVRs both offer remote viewing from an Android PDA phone.

Our H.264 Standalone DVRs provide Basic remote viewing from any PDA phones, and is also compatible with the Google Android operating system phones. This type of DVR system allows you to see a basic view of your security cameras while you are anywhere in the world. This basic system allows you to open the browser of your PDA phone and will show a snapshot of up to 4 cameras at once. The snapshot can be refreshed up to 1 time per second depending on internet connection speed. This PDA remote viewing is compatible with all of our H.264 Standalone DVRs.

Android Alnet Remote Client Software for Security Cameras

For more advanced remote viewing, providing streaming video from your security cameras, and support for viewing IP cameras remotely as well, our Alnet Systems DVR Cards/Software and NVR (Network Video Recorder) software is a great choice. This system has an app that can be installed directly on your Android 1.6 Operating System PDA phone. This application allows you to view 1 camera full screen with streaming video, or view up to 16 cameras at once. This application is a much more advanced remote viewing option, and only works with our Alnet DVR Cards or Alnet Netstation NVR Software.

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

Http Basic Authentication On Android

2010-01-24T06:20:00.000+02:00

The following show how you can do http basic authentication on android.

public static String httpAuthUrl(String url){

String result = null;

DefaultHttpClient client = new DefaultHttpClient();

HttpParams params = new BasicHttpParams();

HttpProtocolParams.setVersion(params, HttpVersion.HTTP_1_1);

HttpProtocolParams.setContentCharset(params, “UTF_8″);

HttpProtocolParams.setUseExpectContinue(params, false);

client.setParams(params);

HttpGet get = new HttpGet(url);

String credentials = getCredentials();

if(credentials!=null){

get.addHeader(“Authorization”,”Basic “+credentials);

ResponseHandler responseHandler=new BasicResponseHandler();

try {

result = client.execute(get, responseHandler);

} catch (ClientProtocolException e) {

e.printStackTrace()

} catch (IOException e) {

e.printStackTrace()

}

}

return result;

}

The function getCredentials() return the username/password as a base64 encodes string. Example – return Base64.encodeBytes((username+”:”+password).getBytes()) something like this.

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

T-Mobile to get HTC Supersonic with Android 3.0 with Nvidia's Tegra Chipset

2010-01-23T22:18:00.000+02:00

A screen shot of a purported new HTC phone named Supersonic is headed to T-Mobile. According to BGR, a screen shot sent to them anonymously shows a firmware of Android 3.0 and shows the carrier being T-Mobile. Not much else is known of the device but we can say that T-Mobile has been the go-to carrier of choice for Android handsets (probably because they are the nicest and easiest carrier to work with when releasing new devices).

T-Mobile so far has five Android handsets in their line up so far: HTC G1, HTC myTouch, Motorola CLIQ and Samsung Behold II and of course Google’s Nexus One, making it the leading carrier of Android handsets. The launch date and specs of the latest Android handset built by HTC are not known, but if the firmware gives us any indication, this could possible be another device running a Snapdragon processor or perhaps this could very well be the first phone on Nvidia’s Tegra powered platform. Why you ask? Simply because evidence supports this possibility due to ICD’s Tegra tablet “Vega”, a 15-inch Android-based tablet, which was finally announced and is headed to T-Mobile UK. Also, in an interview with the TheStreet.com, Mike Rayfield, the general manager of Nvidia’s mobile unit said the we can expect “the company’s Tegra chip to debut in a phone from one of the top five cell-phone makers”. Although this reported to be in Q4 of 2009, the evidence is still clear that a new handset will be coming out soon.

Some reports have estimated the following specifications:

an APX 2500 or 2600 chipset which could provide significantly accelerated 3D and decode 720p video
25 days of music or 10-hours of 1080p video playback on a single charge
video games play at up to 46 frames per second
GPU accelerated Adobe Flash animations
always-on processors for instant access to the network
3G, WiFi, and WiMax solutions support
to includes an HDMI port

The possibility of an HTC built, Tegra powered device running Android 3.0 is stunning and very likely, but we’ll just have to wait and see, once again.

[Via TheStreet.com, Engadget, BGR]

[Via http://fonefrenzy.com]

OverDrive Media Console Updates - Android v1.0 & Windows v3.2.0.4

2010-01-23T14:24:00.000+02:00

Have you typed “OverDrive” into Android™ Market search today? Notice anything new?

Friday morning, OverDrive went live with OverDrive® Media Console™ for Android v1.0, making the audiobook app for Android available in the Android Market for the first time. Now you can wirelessly download MP3 audiobooks from our library’s eBooks to Go mobile optimized download website directly to your Android device. OverDrive’s audiobook app for Android has the same superior listening features as the desktop version OverDrive Media Console, including resume from furthest played point and custom bookmarking.

OverDrive Media Console for Windows® v3.2.0.4 is also out now. With this version, the Transfer Wizard now provides full support for transfer to Android devices. The latest version of OverDrive Media Console for Windows also displays a title’s description through the “Properties” screen and higher-quality cover images (if available).

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

Android Now At 25,000 Apps...

2010-01-23T06:32:00.000+02:00

Well guys it seems that the push of android is making a huge splash in the app world. We are now just under 25,000. Thanks to the guys at androlib we have a great graph on how many free apps and how many paid apps. This has been a pretty significant jump sense we just reached the 20,000 app marker about 2 months ago. We can only hope to see even more apps in the coming.

What would you guys like to see come to the Android Market? More Games, More Entertainment? Let us know and Check out the graph.

[Via http://androidfeens.com]

My Newest Love

2010-01-21T22:53:00.000+02:00

Yes people, my heart has grown a little and let in something new…

…my HTC Hero from Sprint.

We picked it up a few days ago, and I adore it. I was a bit sad because I ended up not getting the Google Nexus One I was dreaming of, but now that I have this thing in my hot little hands I can’t imagine not having it! This phone is amazing. I’m loving the Android platform so much. I had a Blackberry Pearl and then moved to a Samsung Instict (which fell way short of what it was supposed to be) and now this amazing new love! I think we must name her immediately (and yes I’m taking suggestions!).

Now for those of you looking at buying one of these awesome phones. Here is some super non-technical, gadget loving mommy, review stuff!

I love

That I have 7 screens to place my widgets and shortcuts on.
I have a whole screen for Twitter, ohh Twitter how I love you!
5 Mega Pixal camera (I take a ton of pictures on the go, and don’t always have my camera)
It moves so smoothly between screens and apps.
The MP3 player is nice, and easy to use. That’s huge for me because I use it when I run for music.
Super customizable, this phone is made for you, and you, and you and even you!
I’m loving the Android Market. I have this awesome new app for runs. It maps where I am, tells me my pace and my speed. I can’t wait to break it out after this silly rain stops.

Things I’d like to see

Flash for the camera, if I’m not mistaken the Google Nexus One is the only Android phone with a flash, that’s not cool!
The curse of every awesome phone, I wish it had a better battery life. Especially since my last phone came with a spare battery, I’m not used to being attached or even worrying about charging it.

The size of this phone is great you can check out Cnet’s review for official specs but simply put, it fits nicely in my hand and i don’t feel like I’m carrying a brick it’s super light.

Now let’s name this beauty asap, suggestions from the class?

**By the way this is in no way a sponsored post, I bought the phone and paid for it and am just sharing my new love with you!**

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

Fanboys make me giggle

2010-01-21T06:36:00.000+02:00

Who would have thought that in a day could be so up and down on the emotion scale. You see Monday we were to have a security audit…the security people never showed up. Well today my boss comes back to my hole in the wall and says “Are you ready for the audit?” I simply replied…”I can be.” She then informed me I had 5 minutes before they were in the building. I wasn’t worried to much, like I said the audit was schedule just two days ago, and I was ready then. Nothing major had changed. I did a quick walk through and boom I was ready.

The auditors came back asked me some questions about the project. I explain we support the MVNO clients of the client. Explained we support from the basic $10 throw away phones to the higher end smart phones. He then starts asking my agent some questions and then it happened I found out the head auditor (the VP of security) was not only an Iphone user, but an Iphone fanboy.

He tells me that AT&T would be stupid to let the exclusivity with Apple end. And that if the Iphone goes AT&T will fall. It was hard but I managed to resisted the urge to call him an idiot. And instead commented on the way the Iphone has changed the mobile phone market, and how AT&T is getting some really nice Android devices. It was at this point I think I came the closest to ever being fired in my life…this intelligent man said the stupidest thing I had ever heard. “Android will be dead in less then a year. Google killed it. They upset all the manufacturer by making there own device, and all the providers by selling it unlocked. At least that is what I am predicting.”

I was lucky his attention then turned another way, as I was about to say, are you stupid? Do I really work for a company that would promote such a narrow mind nitwit to your position? No I get it you killed the real guy and you are some psycho path that gets distracted by shiny things. Thank goodness I have my keys to shake in front of you to distract you and make you forget what I just said.

The auditors left shortly after going off to other projects in the building. And I calmed down realizing that this man was most likely who he said he was and if he was this person he was not as stupid as he just sounded, and I doubt he is as narrow minded as he sounded. He was just an Iphone Fanboy.

He is unable to see the greatness of his own device (and the iphone is great it changed the mobile landscape forever) while seeing its short comings (MMS still sucks on the Iphone) Not to mention the idea that another device may be as good as the Iphone ( I personally do not think that any device is mind blowing better then the Iphone is every way)

It was at this point I realized that I could have just as easily been talking to a Android Fanboy, who ranted about how the Iphone is pure evil and Jobs was out to take over the world and knock up our daughters (I once had someone tell me that no joke)

Neither of the mobile OSes are perfect and both are great. Android is not going away in less then a year nor is it going to kill the Iphone (although I do see Android taking market share from the Iphone)

The simple fact is when we get these people ranting about how what ever they do nothing more then make the other side look better until such time as you run into a ranter for that side and then you don’t know what to do.

So what ever you do don’t be that guy that people hate to talk to about cell phones. Know why you like and why you don’t like the device. There is nothing wrong with sharing your feelings, just don’t think the other person is an idiot because he disagrees.

[Via http://tagon42.wordpress.com]

Fandango Waives Convenience Charge For Android Users

2010-01-19T22:52:00.000+02:00

Fandango released a beta version of their Android application last month and has steadily been improving it with recent updates. It now appears the app is ready for primetime because Fandango will be waiving all service fees for ticket purchases through March 7, 2010. The company normally has a convenience charge of $1 per ticket, but users can purchase tickets for free for the next few months.

Fandango

Purchase tickets in a flash

Purchase tickets seamlessly without leaving the app
Buy tickets for more movie screens – 16,000 and counting! — than on any other app
Sign into your Fandango account to purchase tickets with your credit card stored online
Or securely store credit card information to your device – it’s your choice!
View your purchase history to access ticket details

From Fandango: Get movie and theater listings with the flick of your finger. Watch trailers. View fan ratings. All while your device’s GPS feature finds the theaters closest to you and the movies playing at them. And when you’re ready to buy, it’s as simple as, well, 1-2 with our super-quick purchasing that secures your tickets fast and drama-free. Enjoy the show!

[Via http://fiercetechnology.com]

Hands On With Verizon's Android App for FiOS TV

2010-01-19T14:50:00.000+02:00

Over the weekend, I caught wind of a new Android application from Verizon. The free app is in the Android Market and allows remote access to a FiOS TV box, local listings and more. Since I’ve been known to leave home without scheduling the DVR, I had to grab the free download. Activation was pretty straightforward on my FiOS box. I simply had to enter the phone number of my handset, although I vaguely recall some wording about using a Verizon (s vz) phone. I registered my Google Nexus One (s goog) on T-Mobile’s network with no issues, however. One slight caveat — I couldn’t register with my Google Voice number. I had to use the number provided by T-Mobile for my phone.

Seconds after the activation steps, I had full remote access to my FiOS box. Although I don’t watch much Video on Demand, I was able to browse through the offerings and bookmark content of interest. The DVR functions include the creation of new recordings, list the currently recorded programs, view the upcoming recording schedule and see how much disk space is used or free on the DVR. TV listings are also available, with full details of the programs, plus a one-touch button for recording. Although Verizon has offered a web-based solution with similar functionality for nearly a year, the Android app is far more elegant and snappy.

[Via http://jkontherun.com]

Motorola Set To Launch The Nexus Two?

2010-01-19T05:55:00.000+02:00

So it seems that the new Motorola Phone that leaked a couple of weeks ago, Is now making its way back to the front of the news stand. When we first heard about this new device we thought that it would be called the Mirage. Then it was leaning more towards the Shadow. Now we are seeing this as the Nexus Two.. Wow could this be the next device in the Google lineup? I guess only time will tell, but I must say that I am excited to hear more. Even if it does look like it is aimed towards the teenager more then the power user of Android.

[Via http://androidfeens.com]

Project52 Plan or How this might pan out

2010-01-17T22:46:00.000+02:00

So we’re over two weeks into 2010 & this is only post two. Smooth Doug.

One of the main things that will happen as part of Project52 for me is I will be moving away from a hosted wordpress.com blog to my own self-hosted blog & website.

Subjects for blog post / tutorials / essays that I hope to publish over the next 50 weeks:

My faith – I want to write about what I believe, maybe change peoples perceptions of me / my faith & also allow me to develop it further.
Web development / design – Not photoshop tutorials, but code, I can’t make something look pretty but I’ll discuss how it works.
Mobile / Android – applications I use, general thoughts and my hope to code & release an Android application.

Also anything else I happen to think of, there will more than likely be the usual “What have I been doing” posts but for more of that get on my twitter: @dougaitken

– Doug

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

ASU grad launches iPhone app for Phoenix light rail riders

2010-01-17T06:24:00.000+02:00

[Source: Arizona Republic Light Rail Blog] — An Arizona State University grad has launched a free iPhone application to help people ride Phoenix’s light rail system. For each station, it features a map, bus connections, a train schedule and travel times to other train stops. The app also has “how-to” information for riding the system and using fare machines. Since he launched the app on Dec. 8, Mitch Karren says 750 people have downloaded it. The curious come from 25 different countries, from China, which has the most subscribers outside the United States, to Mid-East minnow Qatar.

Karren graduated in June 2008 with a degree housing and community development, the exact worst time to jump into Arizona’s turbulent real estate industry. A week later he was laid off from his real estate related job. He decided to enroll in a class to learn how to write iPhone apps. “I noticed other cities had pretty well established iPhone apps for their transit systems,” he said. “I wanted this to be a service to Phoenix.”

The service has been well received. Thirty-three people posted reviews, mostly giving it five stars. Comments range from “wicked, awesome,” to the one critic who calls it “predictable.”

Karren is seeing a steady 22 downloads a day, with only word-of-mouth for marketing. About 500 users have accessed it 1,500 times. His analytics data tells him Saturday is the busiest day people use the application and the 8 p.m. hour the busiest hour in each day. People are most interested in information for the end of the line stations. In the spring, Karren plans to update the app with information about surrounding businesses. Ultimately he wants to give people real-time information about where the trains are. In time, he’s hoping to expand the service to Blackberry and Android phones.

[Via http://downtownvoices.org]

Why Business Models Matter: Foursquare

2010-01-16T22:48:00.000+02:00

by Christopher Buck

Evaluating: Mashable, “5 Ways Foursquare is Changing the World” (Jan. 16, 2010) (available at http://mashable.com/2010/01/16/foursquare-world/).

Joan Magretta’s “Why Business Models Matter” (HBR, 2002) highlights the distinction between the “business model,” which was a fadish concept during the internet boom, and “strategy,” which is the differentiating factor in a business that compliments the business model and helps it succeed. Even though the internet bubble has burst, business models are not irrelevant – indeed a good business model is fundamental to entrepreneurial success – but, they need to be grounded by realistic expectations. As Magretta explains, “A good business model answers Peter Drucker’s age-old questions: Who is the customer? And what does the customer value?” The strategic analysis, “explains how you will do better than your rivals.”

Foursquare is a relatively young mobile application company which is “fueling the location-based mobile space with unique creativity that competitors can’t copy fast enough.” (Mashable, “5 Ways Foursquare is Changing the World”). Foursquare’s business model is to produce a free mobile application for iPhones and Androids that allows users to gain “social currency” by updating their locations each time they visit local businesses. The company plans on making money off of advertisements and revenue sharing arrangements from the businesses that benefit from the service. Tasti-D-Lite, a New York ice cream company, recently allowed customers to earn rewards points towards ice cream purchases by posting Foursquare updates. The company is the first to do so, but will likely not be the last.

Strategically, Foursquare differentiates itself from competitors like Loopt by injecting a competitive element into the update process. Users can become “mayors” of their respective cities by posting the most number of updates there. Foursquare is more than a geo-location aware social networking service, it is a game as well. That difference has made it the leader in this relatively new type of social/mobile business space. The adoption of Foursquare by local companies as an advertising outlet, and by users as a type of review service akin to Yelp, speaks to the service’s powerful ability for both businesses and customers to instantly share information about their hometown experiences. Foursquare’s business model and strategy are well aligned to provide the company with future success.

Editor’s Note: The preceding is an application of Harvard Business Review’s “Why Business Models Matter,” by Joan Magretta (HBR R0205F, 2002) to a current business article. The “Why Business Models Matter” series on the WSBE Business Blog are original articles from MBA students at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics, reprinted with the authors’ permissions.

Christopher Buck, Esq. is an MBA candidate at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at UNH, founder of NHCaseLaw.com and co-author of “Civil and Criminal Contempt in New Hampshire” (New Hampshire Bar Journal, Fall 2007).

Android This Week: Is the Bloom Already Off the Nexus One Rose?

2010-01-16T14:00:00.000+02:00

Just a week after the Nexus One launched, the bloom seems to be off the rose, as reports are starting to appear in customer support forums that the phone has problems consistently accessing the T-Mobile 3G network. Users claim that the phone is prone to switching back and forth between the 3G and the slower EDGE network, for no apparent reason. Kevin over at jkOnTheRun talked about having such a problem with his own Nexus One as part of that site’s most recent MobileTechRoundup podcast. So far, neither Google nor T-Mobile has acknowledged the issue. Owners of the iPhone 3G may remember how that phone had a similar problem, which was fixed with a firmware update.

Many were also chagrined to discover that the Nexus One does not have multitouch enabled. Indeed, as more Android phones have come on the scene, the lack of multitouch support on many of the devices is proving to be confusing. Especially with the Nexus One, as HTC has enabled multitouch on some of the other Android handsets it’s produced. In an interview with Laptop Magazine this week, Motorola (s mot) CEO Dr. Sanjay Jha said that his company will include multitouch support in handsets going forward.

In the meantime, Om reported that Google only sold 20,000 Nexus One handsets in the first week after the launch — a surprisingly low figure for such a hotly anticipated device, and perhaps the result of the phone only being available to buy online. We may see the phone start appearing for sale in T-Mobile stores in the U.S., but likely not until the network issue is sorted out.

[Via http://gigaom.com]

Nokia Android [mobile phone runs on Coca-Cola]

2010-01-14T22:39:00.000+02:00

This is the client project for designing an eco friendly phone for Nokia. Through my research, I found that phone battery as a power source, it is expensive, consuming valuable resources on manufacturing, presenting a disposal problem and harmful to the environment. The concept is using bio battery to replace the traditional battery to create a pollution free environment. Read More [link]

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

16 Things I Like about the Google Nexus One (and 8 I don't)

2010-01-14T14:15:00.000+02:00

I’m still getting acquainted with the unsubsidized Google Nexus One (s goog) I bought last week, but I’ve spent enough time with it to share my likes and dislikes. Since there’s only a 14-day return period and plenty of return fees — especially if you went the subsidized path — I figure some prospective purchasers might benefit from these thoughts. In no particular order, here’s what I’m really enjoying about this phone, and what I’m disappointed in. Bear in mind that not everything in my list is specific to the Nexus One and I expect other current Android handsets to gain some of these features through software upgrades in the future. But these features are a part of the current Nexus One experience, so I’m including them in my list.

1. The device starts up fairly quickly. In about 33 seconds or so from a cold start, you’re up and running. The near-two minute boot time of my Pre (s palm) has turned me off.

2. The same holds true for turning off the device. It completely powers down — not into sleep mode, but actually off — in under six seconds.

3. I like how the phone doesn’t have to be on for charging. My iPhone 3GS and Palm Pre are “on” when charging. That annoys me at night as the phones — mainly the Pre — are glowing while I’m trying to sleep. Or they might ring or pop up a notification during the night. A silly little thing, yes, but I still like how it’s handled on the Nexus One. There is a very small LED indicator to tell you the device is charging or fully charged.

4. Blinking notifications are great. With my iPhone (s aapl), I was constantly waking it and unlocking it to see if I had any emails. No need for that now. I just glance at the scroll ball to see if it’s blinking. I have it set up for various notifications — email, direct messages and replies on Twitter, etc….

5. Although it’s taking me time to get used to, multitasking is awesome. I’m pre-conditioned by 2.5 years of iPhone use to hit the Home button before moving to another program, but I’m slowly learning to hold the button and choose an already running app. Oddly, I used to flick cards to close apps on the Pre all the time for the very same reason. Anyway, when I remember that previously used apps are still running, I can move around quite quickly.

6. Gmail is heavenly, especially with multiple accounts. (Seriously — have you ever described an email client as heavenly? It has to be that good for me to call something as mundane as email ”heavenly!”) For a Gmail user, there’s little doubt in my mind that Android should be near the top when choosing a mobile platform. The native client is far more robust and easier to use than on any other device I’ve touched in the past few years. And Android 2.1 adds support for multiple Gmail accounts within the one mail application. I have both my personal and my work mail going side-by-side in the one app. It’s not a unified Inbox, mind you, but it’s a quick menu tap to switch accounts. Plus there’s starring, labels, a button for Older mail and so much more. New email also arrives on my phone faster than on the web too Sorry to gush over this one, but again: if you use and like Gmail on the web, odds are pretty good that you’ll like it on this device. Ditto for the Google Calendar app.

7. Voice to text might not be as heavenly as the Gmail experience, but it’s pretty darn close. The feature is usable with nearly every text field on the device. I can speak emails or text messages — even tweets — and the phone will process the speech into text. And it’s pretty darn accurate too. Even in very noisy environments, I’ve had fantastic results thanks to the secondary microphone used to cancel out background noise.

8. I love the level of integration Google adds with some third party apps. For example, when you take a picture, you can share it via Picasa, Gmail, text message, Facebook or over Bluetooth. But you can also Tweet the picture right from the camera app. And the phone is smart enough to realize which Twitter app you have installed. When I first got the device, I installed TwiDroid and it magically appeared in my sharing list for pics. I thought that was pretty cool, but I later removed TwiDroid to install Seesmic. Lo and behold, Seesmic now appears automatically in my sharing options. That’s intelligent — not rocket science — but intelligent.

9. Speaking of image sharing reminds me of the camera. The 720 x 480 videos aren’t bad at all, nor are the still images from the 5 megapixel camera sensor. I didn’t think I’d use the digital zoom because they’re typically not all that great, but I’ve gained usable results in the rare instances I’ve used it. The camera is quite good, the interface is intuitive and the new Gallery app is well polished.

10. The overall speed of the device is very snappy. After hearing more about the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform at CES, I expect you’ll see many devices using it, just as the Nexus One does. And you’ll be happy with the performance when compared to the ARM processors of yesteryear. Everything on this handset seems to fly, although it starts to bog down a little when bunches of apps are running. One of the first things I did was to install a task killer, which I use a few times throughout the day. I haven’t used a faster feeling phone. The HTC HD2 uses this same CPU, so I can see why folks are buzzing about how well Windows Mobile runs on it. My expectations of Snapdragon are the reason I haven’t moved to an Android device in the past few months, and those expectations have been met – and in some cases, exceeded — by the Nexus One.

11. Google Maps is stellar. The app is actually really good on other Android devices as well, and the navigation isn’t unique to the Nexus One. But when paired with this fast running hardware, the performance of Maps makes it feel like the entire globe is within the device, not on a server somewhere. There’s very little lag when panning, zooming or rending. In some cases, there is no lag. The GPS location fix is almost instantaneous as well. All of that combines for a great Maps experience.

12. Google Voice integration isn’t specific to the Nexus One at all, but it’s well done and completely integrated to the contacts and phone apps. It’s working so well that I’m going to look into canceling the unlimited text messaging portion of my monthly plan. From what I’ve heard, that can be done to save $10 a month. There’s simply no need for such a plan or function if you’ve embraced Google Voice.

13. Speaking of contacts, I like the integration with Facebook, which is similar to Synergy on the Palm Pre. And at any point, I simply tap and hold on a contact to get a touch menu of how I want to interact with that person: phone, text message, mail, Facebook or Google Talk, for example. And the phone is smart enough to only show me the available options. If I don’t have someone’s IM handle, it won’t show me Google Talk as an option.

14. Although voice-to-text related, I love how I can tap and hold the search touch button at any time to search by voice. It doesn’t matter what app I’m in — the function is always there.

15. The overall feel of the device has one of those “just right” attributes. It’s thin but easy to hold. It’s not slippery. And it feels well built. It’s hard to describe but if you’re worried about a shoddy, plasticky device, you needn’t worry about it with the Nexus One.

16. The onscreen keyboard is better than I expected once I made a minor adjustment — see item #3 in the “not so hot” list below. I’ve tried the options to add noise for key clicks and also for haptic feedback, but once I got used to the keyboard, I turned both off. What really makes input great is the predictive text functionality. Within two to three keypresses, I can often find the word I want to type in the predictive text area. And in many cases, the proper word is already highlighted in red, so I simply tap the space bar to choose it and I’m on my way to the next word. I find this better and faster than the iPhone, mainly because I have to type more letters on the iPhone in most cases.

What’s not so hot:

1. It’s far too easy to turn the phone on accidentally. I noticed this when leaving Las Vegas on my plane from CES. I had just turned on the Airplane Mode and then shut the phone down. I placed it in my pocket and a few seconds later, I felt the vibration made when the phone begins to power up. HTC and Google should adjust the power-on function so that you have to hold the button for a good second or two. As it is now, a brief, inadvertent tap will fire up the device.

2. Radio reception isn’t what I had hoped. I realize that there may be a widespread issue as Nexus One owners are reporting a signal bouncing from EDGE to 3G and back. I saw that behavior while at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas. I expect that issue to be fixed through a software update, but that’s not the problem. I’m not getting any 3G signal at my home. I checked the coverage maps and I should be getting one, although I am about a half-mile inside the cut-off, per the map. Here’s the thing though: with the same SIM card and exact same location, the Nokia N900 I’m evaluating pulls in 3G loud and clear. A speed test on that device netted me a 2.1 Mbps download. The Nexus One right after that? Not even 200 Kbps, thanks to the lowly EDGE signal. I’m not sure if the Nokia radio is that much better or the Nexus One is simply not as good, but at the end of the day, I really don’t care what the reason is. The result is more important and I’m not thrilled with it. I really don’t need 3G coverage in my house since I gravitate towards a faster Wi-Fi signal anyway, but this radio sensitivity — or lack thereof — has to be pointed out.

3. The touch experience in general is great, but less so with the four touch buttons at the bottom of the display. I’ve found that the touch sensors only respond when touching the top half of these buttons. It’s as if the sensors aren’t quite big enough. At first, this was a major hassle. Once I figured out what was going on, I adjusted accordingly and I’m fine now. But for the first two days, I really struggled. In fact, I’ve noticed that I do better with the touch keyboard by tapping the top half of those keys as well. Maybe it’s just me, but when I shift my touch input up about 1/8″ on either the keyboard or the four touch buttons, I can fly.

4. The screen is easily filled with smudges. There’s no oleophobic coating like Apple’s iPhone 3GS on this device. Seriously, you’ll be cleaning the screen every hour or two if you use this heavily. On the plus side, I have a perfect replica cheek-print on my device if anyone from the CSI set wants one. Maybe my print can make a cameo appearance in an upcoming episode?

5. Related to the screen smudge is challenge of using the usually beautiful OLED display in full sunlight. Even with the brightness up all the way, it’s difficult. AMOLED is great indoors and easier on battery life, but if you’re outside a bunch, I’d suggest caution.

6. I’m going to need a second battery. That’s becoming a common theme on many handsets as we start to use them more heavily as pocketable computers instead of occasional smartphone use. I’m also a believer in having two batteries for all of my devices, so going in to this purchase I figured to double down on power. But folks should realize that using this device often during the day will run the battery down in eight hours or less.

7. Many sites don’t render correctly in the browser in portrait mode. This is an odd and unexpected problem, but one I noticed right away. When I look at various two-column sites, the text column is squeezed in half. Yet when I rotate the device and move to landscape, the text flows across the column normally and is easy to read. It happens on our own site but many others that I’ve read as well, so I don’t think it’s anything specific to our CSS or anything. I hope this is addressed quickly with a firmware update — assuming it’s an Android issue, of course. Here’s an example:

8. The lack of multi-touch in native apps is disappointing, but expected. Since non-U.S. versions of Android devices offer multi-touch — and patent laws are different in those geographical areas — I can only assume that Google is avoiding a legal issue with Apple on this. Regardless of the reason, the end customer suffers. I really miss multi-touch in the browser because the native zooming functions are inferior to multi-touch. I may install the Dolphin browser which offers two-finger functionality.

I could probably go on and on with both lists, but after a week of ownership, I think I’ve hit the main points. Overall, I’m finding much more to like than dislike with the handset. $529 is the most I’ve ever paid for a phone, but I’m not having any second thoughts about the purchase. Aside from being very happy with the unit and having it meet most of my needs quite well, I figure that an unlocked device of this type has good resale value. I don’t anticipate replacing it with another Android unit in the near future, but if I do, I think I’ll recoup much of my investment. And I’ll have done so with what’s arguably the best current Android phone for me.

[Via http://jkontherun.com]

Android Platform Vs iPhone Platform

2010-01-14T06:42:00.000+02:00

Over the last couple months there has been a flurry of blogs and news articles regarding the iPhone Vs. Droid or iPhone Vs. Android and while they do a good job of showcasing the good and the bad side of each mobile device, they are not really a fair comparison to either product.

The iPhone OS was developed by Apple, with the App Store created by Apple and the iPhone and iPod Touch hardware being designed by Apple. The iPhone when you stand back and look at it, is a complete platform created, developed and implemented by Apple.

Now let’s take a look at Google’s Android platform. The Android OS was developed by Google, the Android Market was created by Google and the phone’s hardware is created by several manufactures and distributed by several wireless carriers.

This provides both companies with a completely different platform for their mobile solutions. Apple has a controlled platform, one that gives them the greatest amount of security and control over what users can obtain and perform with their devices.

Google on the other hand has taken an open source approach and provided all of the manufactures with the source code to the OS, allowing them to edit the Android OS as they see fit to deliver a fully customized experience to their users when sold through the manufacturers selected wireless provider.

Until the release of the Nexus One by Google, the Android OS was only used by 3rd party companies. Apple’s iPhone OS is restricted to Apple. Any update to the iPhone OS can be pushed to users phones via iTunes and it’s guaranteed to work with each users iPhone provided the update supports the older generations of the iPhone or iPod Touch.

Google can release a new version of their Android operating system, but with so many manufactures designing custom elements to their handsets, the updates are not guaranteed to work with every mobile device on the market running the Android OS.

A tip of the hat must be given to Apple in this regard.

The other big thing I believe Apple has going in their favor is the App Store. Up until this past week I was leaning more towards the Android Market as being better than the iPhone, or at least having the potential to be. However, in light of the latest phishing scam released into the Android Market my opinions have swayed and I believe that Apple has the better solution in regards to Mobile Device Applications.

While many developers do not like the way Apple handles the App review process, it definitely works towards the consumers advantage. The mobile user can download an application knowing that they are safe from malicious hackers and that their private information is (in theory) protected from predators.

The other downside to the Android Market is the fact that an app is submitted and can be downloaded for all Android based devices. This creates more work on the developers end as they will have to test their app against several mobile devices now to ensure that any customizations done to the OS by that manufacture or wireless provider has not broken something along the way that the developers app will need to have working. While some developers are having to do this with 3G/3GS apps now, the developer can rest assured that when he tests the app within the Apple emulator, and it works, then it will work with the consumer once released. Android on the other hand does not guarantee that it will work, as what is represented in the emulator is not a good representation of the many different kinds of hardware on the market that the consumer might have and be running the app on.

What Google has created is the Windows Mobile scenario. You download your app and hope that your handset will be able to run it without glitches.

The iPhone does not suffer from this, and that is due to the fact that Apple is the sole user of the iPhone OS. If Google wants to make their Market a serious competitor against Apples app store, they will need to take steps to secure users data and ensure that all of the apps created will work on all Android based devices. Due to the fact that the OS is open source, Google has it’s hands tied and really does not have a way to ensure that each Android device released to the market will support every app and provide a solid way to protect users data. They can implement a better application review process to ensure users aren’t being victimized by a hacker, but stopping all of it will still be difficult.

Lastly I want to take a look at the hardware and software side of the Mobile Platform provided by both Google and Apple. Google’s OS is open source, which means every manufacture out there can provide users with a fully customized experience from the manufacture. This is perfect for hardware manufactures as they can ensure now that their device does not look and feel like the rest of the Android pack out there on the market. They can be different, and they can offer cool content that other devices don’t offer out of the box.

Apple’s iPhone OS is closed source and only Apple has access to it. The OS is really restricted in terms of customization, and limits users as to what they can do to it. It also means that consumers are forced to shell out the money to Apple, as there are no other hardware devices on the market that use the iPhone OS for consumers to choose from.

The Android OS currently runs on several hand held devices and provide consumers with a wide range of devices that they can choose from. The only downside to the Android OS from a platform stand point is that it is open sourced and thus there is no way to guarantee that the RSS Reader app i download on my Motorola DROID will run on my HTC Nexus One. Each device can in theory run a custom version of the OS that has the potential to break compatibility with various apps in the market place.

Apple’s iPhone OS does not suffer from this issue, as there is only one device on the market.

In terms of Hardware, Apple developed the OS and the hardware specifications for their iPhone. This gives them the upper hand as they can now produce a product that is highly optimized and get the best performance out of the device that’s possible.

The Android OS is developed by Google while Motorola or HTC create the hardware. When tested, the Nexus One was not all that much faster when processing Java and rendering HTML web pages on than the iPhone 3GS. The Nexus One has some killer specs with it, but wasn’t able to blow away a 1 year old iPhone. Third Party manufactures can create flimsy hardware, put the Android OS on it and push it out for a quick phone, and after I played with several Android based devices find myself disappointed.

Apple has control over the hardware that the OS will be installed onto, and take a lot of pride in it. Google’s OS has been put on some shabby hardware, and it tarnish’s some peoples opinions on the ‘Google Platform’ when they don’t really understand that Google’s Android OS is actually pretty solid. It’s the manufacture that drops the ball.

Now that the Nexus One is out, I’m curious how it operates. I would really like to purchase one to replace my iPhone, but I’m waiting until the 3G issue is resolved.

At the moment, I think that the iPhone platform is the better platform. Apple offers an all in one solution for themselves, developers and consumers. I think if Google wants to start competing with Apple’s platform, they will need to make some changes, and they will need to be made soon. Starting with their Android Market approval process, and enhancing the Market experience. The Android operating system is solid, all it needs to really give it a place in the wireless world is a solid piece of hardware. That’s what I was hoping the Nexus One would be, but it appears that after only selling 20,000 units, there is something else to be said regarding the device. It’s not the device that’s the problem, but the Android platform as a whole. Google needs to take a step back and consider it’s next steps for the platform carefully, because the way it’s running now isn’t going to steal Apple’s thunder away from the iPhone.

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

USB 3.0 -- Not Just Faster Data but Faster Device Charging Too

2010-01-12T22:30:00.000+02:00

This morning I was double-checking on the Google Nexus One technical specifications and noticed the charging requirements. Per Google, the Nexus One “charges at 480mA from USB, at 980mA from supplied charger.” It’s really no surprise that it’s going to take longer to charge from a computer over USB than from the wall. USB 2.0 is the currently used specification in most devices and it tops out at 500 mA for supplying power. Of course, USB 3.0 is on the way, so I did a little digging into how it handles power. I thought I knew everything there was to know about USB 3.0 but I didn’t. Now I do and I like where this is heading in terms of recharging mobile devices.

There are a few factors that come into play here, so let’s start with “power loads.” USB 2.0 is restricted to five loads, while USB 3.0 ups that to six. OK, so that’s a 20 percent increase in how many loads a USB port can supply, but there’s more to it. Each load in USB 2.0 is 100mA of current. Simple math confirms the 500mA power supply for today’s USB interfaces — five loads at 100mA equals the 500mA that USB 2.0 can supply a device.

The specification for USB 3.0, however raises the not only the number of loads, but the current per load as well — 150mA, which is 50 percent more per load. Combining the six loads of USB 3.0 and its higher 150mA current per load nets you 900 mA for power supply with the new specification. Consequently, the current can be spread among multiple loads with USB 3.0, so more devices can be charged at the same time.

That 900mA for USB 3.0 is nearly equivalent to the wall charger my Nexus One came with and could theoretically charge the same device in half the time when connected to a computer. At least, that’s how I’m interpreting this data — aside from the faster data throughput, I expect to see my compatible mobile devices get more power in less time thanks to USB 3.0. I’m going to review the USB 3.0 specification to see if I’m off base, so don’t hesitate to chime in on this topic while I’m reading.

[Via http://jkontherun.com]

AziLink - Android Phone USB Tethering

2010-01-12T14:11:00.000+02:00

AziLink is a software which allows Android phones USB tethering.

Its installation is described at:

http://code.google.com/p/azilink/

It took me a while to get it working on my Ubuntu 9.10 64bit.

0. Download required files listed in the AziLink home page.

1. Install OpenVPN.

$ sudo apt-get install openvpn

2. Ensure OpenVPN version is 2.1.

$ openvpn –version

OpenVPN 2.1_rc19 x86_64-pc-linux-gnu [SSL] [LZO2] [EPOLL] [PKCS11]

built on Oct 13 2009

Developed by James Yonan

Copyright (C) 2002-2009 OpenVPN Technologies, Inc.

3. Enable USB debugging on the phone, by checking the Home Screen ->

Settings -> Applications-> Development -> USB debugging.

4. Download alilink-2.0.2.apk from http://azilink.googlecode.com/files/azilink-2.0.2.apk

5. Run

$ ~/android-sdk-linux_x86-1.5_r3/tools/adb forward tcp:41927 tcp:41927

error: device not found

6. For this error,

http://groups.google.co.jp/group/android-developers/browse_thread/thread/8051fd516114c9e5?pli=1

had a solution.

7. Edit /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules .

$ cat /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules

SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTRS{idVendor}==”0bb4″, ATTRS{idProduct}==”0c02″,

MODE=”0666″, OWNER=”ubuntu”

8. Vendor ID and Product ID can be found with:

$ lsusb

Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0bb4:0c02 High Tech Computer Corp.

9. Reboot both the host PC and the phone, and set Azilink “Service Active”.

10. Start Port forwarding.

$ ~/android-sdk-linux_x86-1.5_r3/tools/adb forward tcp:41927 tcp:41927

* daemon not running. starting it now *

* daemon started successfully *

11.

$ sudo openvpn –script-security 2 –config azilink.ovpn

12. DNS Setup

What I did was just edit /etc/resolv.conf, which I believe there are

better ways to do, just make this nameserver effective for the device,

tun0. This is what just worked for me.

$ cat /etc/resolv.conf

# Dynamic resolv.conf(5) file for glibc resolver(3) generated by resolvconf(8)

# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE BY HAND — YOUR CHANGES WILL BE OVERWRITTEN

nameserver 192.168.56.1

13. Remark

I noticed an issue in using a home wifi to connect to the Internet.

I believe it has something to do with the home network’s private

network address of 192.168.1.*.

It typically took me 10-15 seconds to get the following command

returned. So the internet connection is very slow.

$ dig @192.168.56.1 www.yahoo.com

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

Verizon Droid Eris Gets Another Update

2010-01-12T06:35:00.000+02:00

Hey guys! I just received a new software update on my Droid Eris few mins ago. I quickly rushed to the Verizon Wireless Droid Eris support page to see which update it was. Well I’m sadly to inform that its not the 2.0 OS update. Its the Droid Eris software version

ROM: 1.17.605.1/ Radio: 2.32.40.11.09 update.

This update includes:

Rare instances where the display locked or

appeared to be in an out-of-service state when

attempting to wake up the DROID ERIS from

screen saver mode no longer occurs.

For more info you can go here: Verizon Wireless HTC Eris Droid Update, Verison Wireless HTC Eris Support page

I’m dying to get 2.0 OS update that VZ announced, that the Droid Eris would be getting during the 1st quarter of this year.

[Via http://fiercetechnology.com]

Mysterious new T-Mobile handset..

2010-01-10T22:48:00.000+02:00

Hmmm what is that those sneaky little guys at T-Mobile are planing? Since 2010 has started we have seen T-Mobile start the New Year with a BANG!!! First they rolled out there HSPA 7.2 3G, Then the Nexus One, and the U.S. exclusivity on the HTC HD2, and now Boygenius Reports that there is a new Motorola device coming out with T-Mobile 3G band. Now the only thing to ask is what is the Mysterious Device? Is it a Tablet, is it a phone, hmm will it be sold through T-Mobile or will it be sold through the new Google Store? We have many things unanswered hear and we can only hope that we will see results sooner then later. As always stay tune to AndroidFeens for more information.

[Via http://androidfeens.com]

Smart Phones

2010-01-10T14:20:00.000+02:00

I have a bit of a problem… For a person who does not own a smart phone, I seem to talk about them and read blogs about the subject more than what would be considered normal. On January 5th, Google released their new phone the Nexus One. Not really surprise, since the media had all the specs and pictures available from the phone’s release to Google employees as a holiday gift.

I think Android is a good platform, but hurt by it’s own strengths with so many options and varied user experience. The iPhone has a closed platform and Apple fiercely controls the user experience. All three generations of iPhone have similar features and the same OS, while there are many Android phones with different functions. The closed system of the iPhone helped create the atmosphere to enable the iTunes App Store have over 100,00 apps and 3 billion downloads, but the restrictions still leave you wanting more options. In the coming months, we’ll see if how the flexibility of Android 2.1 and the power of the 1st Google phone will have on the further development of Android.

An interesting issue to watch is how Google is going into being a hardware retailer. Another concern is how their relationships with phone companies(that have supported their mobile platform) will be affected. Imagine if you were Motorola and you just released the Droid and now a competing phone arrives about a month after your release. A friend of mine made the point, that Google is not a hardware company and they do not have a customer service to fix hardware. Unlike software, to fix a phone you cannot just send a new code to patch the bug. A blog has indicated early adapters are having problems with troubleshooting, and it does not surprise me since Google is new to supporting hardware.

Besides pissing off their partners (aka the phone manufacturers), the arrival of the Nexus One might also be used to help other manufacturers build Android phones with the features more akin to the Nexus One. In a sense Google is saying this is the perfect phone option for Android and it legitimize the features so consumers might expect the same level of performance on upcoming Android phones .The last stir caused by the release of the Nexus One is the fact that you are not sold a locked phone. Even if you sign a contract to get a subsidized phone, it is given to you unlocked. This is not revolutionary, but so far this model has not worked well in the US market. I’ll make sure to see what develops of this model and if Google becomes more successful than Nokia at selling expensive unlocked phones with high upfront coasts) Sooner or later the blogosphere predicts subsidies will be given on phones based on opening your phone to targeted ads. I guess we will see when this ends up taking off. Some people m

I find it amazing how Apple has created such a captive audience and fan base. They have reinvented the cell phone and the mp3 player in the last decade, so I guess that’s rule #1 to create a legion of avid and loyal customers. The founder of macrumors.com is a doctor by training, and after a few years of running the site stopped practicing medicine to focus on the site because he made more money running the Apple rumors blog. I am an avid reader of macrumors.com and judging by his career switch many people just like me go to the site. I do not understand the full reason why I am so interested in something that might not even turn out to be true, but some how Apple has me and many others hooked to them and I might spend some time in the future deconstructing how they do this. Weird, how I am a droid(like the pun) in Apple’s marketing and branding scheme.

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

The SUPERPHONE is here!

2010-01-10T06:50:00.000+02:00

Yup, y’all heard it in the news! Google has dropped the bomb Nexus One, is here and the reign of Super Phones has begun!!! Way to go Google

http://www.google.com/phone/

[Via http://crazydq8.wordpress.com]

Android users, rejoice!

2010-01-09T22:40:00.000+02:00

I am deeply in love with the Android OS, not only because of its open source nature (which is a breath of fresh air in comparison to Apple’s cool, but rigid model), but because of the community behind it. There are about a million and one hacks for android devices (including how to get Android 2.1 before it’s officially released and multitouch), and the hackers have added some new tricks to their bag. Namely, it’s overclocking (increasing speed beyond intended limit) the Droid Processor to 600 MHz, and the ability for wired or wireless tethering for rooted Nexus One phones. I wouldn’t recommend these hacks to the average user, as they can decrease stability and require some rather technical know-how, but it’s still pretty cool, yeah? Click the link to read the official Engadget post.

http://goo.gl/AbaK

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

Android This Week: Google's Phone Plans and Some Non-Phone Moves

2010-01-09T14:00:00.000+02:00

There is still substantial buzz surrounding this week’s launch of Google’s Android-based phone, the Nexus One, which Om has found to be the best Android phone on the market to date. And Andy Rubin, VP of engineering at Google, weighed in on Google’s strategy, making clear that — among other things — more Google phones from various manufacturers are on the way. We also took note this week of the potential disruption that could come from Google’s web store, which is targeted to put Android-based superphones and more in users’ hands. In addition, we noted comments from Google Open Source Program Manager Chris DiBona as to how the company intends to preserve a level playing field (which may not be perfectly level) for phone manufacturers and Android app developers.

Of course, Android was all over this week’s CES show in Las Vegas, evidence of the ongoing Androidification of everything. There were Android tablet devices from Dell, Motorola and others, found in a variety of form factors. MIPS also showed an Android-based set-top box, one of several types of consumer electronics devices that the company wants developed around the OS. MIPS is joined on the Android bandwagon by fellow chip company ARM, semiconductor design firms like Aricent and Mentor Graphics, and others. Meanwhile Freescale Semiconductor is working on an Android-based netbook design, and HP and Qualcomm showcased an Android netbook.

Among Android-based phones at the CES show, Motorola got a lot of attention with its Backflip QWERTY-keyboard-based Android phone. You can actually navigate the phone with a finger on the backside. Taps and double-taps are supported, as is mouse-pad style navigation. AT&T also made waves at CES, when it announced that it will support five Android handsets this year.

The Android action at CES made clear that the operating system is moving beyond just phones, and is having a widespread impact on handset makers, carriers and developers. It’s hard to believe that only nine months ago, Android seemed completely stalled.

[Via http://gigaom.com]

Microsoft & The Nexus One

2010-01-07T22:50:00.000+02:00

I know the Nexus One is Google’s new phone but I’ve been most interested by the reactions of various ‘Softies.

As an item, I don’t the the Nexus One is anything special, the camera is the same as most other similar level phones such as the Droid and the Hero as are it’s supported formats, SD expansion, GPS etc. The software is great as Android is a brilliant mobile OS…but the software isn’t specific to the Nexus One so you can get that on the Droid and the Hero (once it’s updated to 2.0). This chart over on Gizmodo is a good comparison point:

http://gizmodo.com/5442459/nexus-one-vs-iphone-3gs-vs-droid-vs-pre-the-definitive-comparison

The fact that it’s a phone being released directly by Google is the most noteworthy thing about it but even that isn’t huge news, certainly not to general users.

The release of this device obviously draws comparisons to Microsoft and Windows Mobile 7, especially as a “Microsoft” phone has been rumoured for quite a while. There has been quite a lot of activity on Twitter regarding the Nexus One, much of it from Microsoft people and that’s has made me think a little…

Steve Clayton has a post over on Geek In Disguise with some of his thoughts on Google and Android. Usually I agree with Steve but I think this post, rather than defending Microsoft, actually highlights the biggest problem in the Mobile Device wars that are heating up.

He has a cartoon from Hugh McLeod:

and he says:

“Though people do still get excited about whether a phone has a 2mp or 5mp camera but the real differentiator these days is software”

and

“this battleground is software based I feel. We have a lot of to do. Software is our bread and butter.”

The main issue in this battle is, in my opinion, that the Windows Mobile software is not as good as Android (or Apple’s iPhone OS) and that is why Microsoft are losing. So, as much as I like Microsoft, pointing out that you’re a “Software Company” when you’re losing in the software stakes, maybe isn’t the best idea. I think a lot of people will look at this as:

“If Google aren’t even a Software Company and they can make something as good as Android, that puts Microsoft and their efforts with Windows Mobile in an even poorer light”

That’s certainly a thought I’ve had and I’m a big MS supporter. This seems like the kind of thing that people already Anti-Microsoft will latch onto big time…in a Google vs Microsoft “Mac vs PC” style.

The Future

Microsoft recently released Windows Mobile 6.5 but it hasn’t really made any difference to the balance of the market; thus most people are looking at Windows Mobile 7 as their last chance to take the mobile market back and make it theirs.

We know that Windows Mobile 7 is due “late this year (2010)” and LG confirmed at CES yesterday that they’re working on Windows Mobile 7 handsets this year. The rumours suggest that something Windows Mobile 7 related is going to be announced at Mobile World Congress next month in February so I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on that"!

The rumour is that Windows Mobile 7 will contain the Zune software and that would be a brilliant move. It’s cool, sleek and graceful and will open up the Zune Marketplace to people all over the world…or at least it should! If it does, it will make WinMo 7 equipped devices the best iPod alternative going…something that MS, and I, would love to have

The other big thing that Microsoft’s next mobile OS simply MUST have is a huge Marketplace full of cool, smart, web 2.0, neat apps…easily available. This is one of my favourite things about Android and it’s clearly proved very popular for Apple and the iPhone.

Another change needs to be the “Consumerification” of Windows Mobile. Version 7 needs to be smoother, sleeker, cooler, faster and more fun than ever before. HTC have done a great job with their TouchFlo on WinMo 6.1 but it’s needs to be done from the ground up, all the way through the OS. If they can make Windows 7-the greatest desktop OS of all time- they should be able to make Windows Mobile 7 what it needs to be!

I really want Windows Mobile 7 to be awesome and hugely successful and for me to rejoin the Microsoft Mobile fold with my next phone…but it has to be right.

As Steve Clayton says:

“The game is moving fast though so it’s time to write some of the smartest 1’s and 0’s of our lives. “

Go get ‘em Microsoft!

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

Smartphone Owners Mobile Purchasing Behaviors Differ by Device

2010-01-07T14:38:00.000+02:00

As consumers become more and more dependent on their mobile phones to assist them in their everyday lives, it’s inevitable that they will begin to make purchases via mobile. In a transition similar to that of the Internet before it, consumers are now beginning to test the capabilities of their mobile device to become the ultimate tool of convenience allowing them to handle the purchase of items they need using mobile technology. And as it was with the Internet, retailers are now playing ‘catch up’ to make that capability available. However, as those retailers begin to develop their mobile marketing strategies they can now take advantage of the research offered below.

Therefore, we recommend that all retailers become familiar with the information below and then begin the process of optimizing their websites for mobile viewing. Should you elect not to optimize for all mobile devices, then use the information below to select the the device whose user-demographic profile best matches your target demo’s.

Retailers can learn more about the best ways to use mobile technology to promote their products and services by visiting our website, and if your firm would like to explore using mobile, we at Strategic Growth Concepts would be happy to assist you. To schedule a free consultation regarding using mobile marketing for your firm, contact us via our website.

____________________________________________________________

Center for Media Research

According to the Compete quarterly Smartphone Intelligence survey, smartphone owners are more comfortable buying from their handsets, but still have some site functionality problems. 8% of smartphone owners that tried to purchase a product on their device were unable to do so. 45% of those that abandoned the process reported that they did so because the site would not load, and an additional 38% left the site because it was not developed specifically for smartphone users.

Danielle Nohe, director of consumer technologies for Compete, points out that “… smartphone use is no longer limited to an exclusive group of tech savvy consumers. As… people grow more comfortable transacting, site owners must redesign around mobile shopping ease-of-use… “

Nonetheless, says the report, mobile commerce (m-commerce) is ready to explode in 2010. But Nohe cautions that marketers recognize the differences that vary by individual and device. For instance, he says “We’re seeing notable behavior differences across devices… (as) users of the Android operating system share different characteristics than Blackberry and iPhone enthusiasts.”

Maximum Willing To Spend Purchasing on Smartphone (% of Owners by Type of Smartphone) Spending Range (Dollars) Type of Phone <$10 10-25.01 25.01-50 50.01-75 75.01-100 100.1-25 250.01-500 >500 Android 40% 10 6 3 9 3 18 11 Windows 50 11 10 5 10 6 5 4 iPhone 28 10 14 6 12 11 9 9 Blackberry 51 11 10 6 8 7 5 2 Palm 55 11 7 4 10 4 4 5 Source: Compete Smartphone Intelligence Survey, Q3 2009

Key findings from Compete’s Q3 2009 Smartphone Intelligence survey include:

37% of smartphone owners have purchased something non-mobile with their handset in the past 6 months
19% of total smartphone owners have purchased music from their device, 14% have purchased books, DVDs, or video games and 12% have purchased movie tickets
40% of Android owners and 51% of Blackberry owners would spend $500 or more to buy a product from their mobile phone, compared to 9% of iPhone owners
The most popular mobile shopping-related activities are research related: 41% of iPhone users and 43% of Android users are most likely to check sale prices at alternative locations from their mobile phones while they are shopping
The second most likely activity is accessing consumer reviews, with 39% of iPhone owners and 31% of Android owners investigating reviews from their handset before they purchase
While m-commerce is poised for explosive growth in 2010, consumers are still more likely to abandon mobile purchasing on sites that are not optimized for the on-the-go experience, similar to shopping cart abandonment in the early days of e-commerce.

Shopping Use of SmartPhone Away From Computer (% of SmartPhone Owner Respondents Using At All) Use of Smartphone % of Respondents Look up shopping info about item to purchase online 68% Find address & store hours of preferred store 68 Review a product description 52 Look at 3rd party or consumer review of product while in store 45 Check order status originally placed online 43 Look for retailer or product coupons 43 Check for availability of in-store pickup 40 Check price of in store item as “good deal” 36 Make purchase after seeing item in store 34 Make purchase if product not available in store 28 Make purchase without seeing item in store 28 Check status of rebate submitted 24 Source: Compete Smartphone Intelligence Survey, Q3 2009

Compete’s Smartphone Intelligence combines consumer insights with behavioral data to reveal how smartphone owners are using their phones.

For additional information about this study, please visit here.

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

Motorola's New QWERTY Phone Can Do Backflips

2010-01-07T06:30:00.000+02:00

Dr. Sanjay Jha introduces the Motorola Backflip

The newest Motorola phone might initially look like a Cliq, but the Backflip has a new trick behind it. Literally. You can actually navigate the phone with a finger on the backside of the Motorola Backflip (s mot). Taps and double-taps are supported as is mouse-pad style navigation. In fact, the entire phone has a backwards look and feel to it because the QWERTY keypad flips in the opposite way you’d expect — the keyboard is always exposed as a result.

The display looked vivid and the keys appear generous in size. But aside from the new navigation method, this largely looks like a modest refresh of the Cliq to me: Android 1.5, 5 megapixel camera, 528 MHz CPU, 3G, Wi-Fi and MOTOBLUR.

On a different note, Dr. Sanjay Jha stated that the Cliq would be updated to Android 2.1 (s goog), but no time frame was provided. If that’s the case, I expect the same upgrade to apply to the Backflip. No carrier partners were announced yet, but the price-to-be-determined phone will be sold in the U.S. as well as other countries around the world before April.

[Via http://jkontherun.com]

Google tuhosi Motorolan

2010-01-05T21:49:00.000+02:00

Motorola parka. Razr-menestyshittinsä jälkeen se on kutistunut ja surkastunut. Vain tappiot ja ongelmat ovat kasvaneet. Googlen Android käyttiksellä sen piti päästä jälleen jaloilleen ja kiivetä takaisin TOP-3:een ja nousta voitolliseksi. Motorola saa nyt unohtaa moiset haaveet ja firma voi alkaa miettiä lähestyvää konkurssihuutokauppaa Nortelin tapaan. Millä se voisi pärjätä kisassa Googlea vastaan joka päättää Androidin sisällön ja aikataulut ja tuo uudet ominaisuudet ensimmäisenä omaan luuriinsa kuten nyt tänään julkistetussa ensimmäisen Googlen nimellä myytävässä Android-luurissa kävi. Googlen Nexus One on ensimmäinen Android 2.1 luuri joka tulee markkinoille. Miksi kukaan ostaisi Motorolan Droidia jossa on vanhempi versio käyttiksestä? Motorolan tilannetta olen käsitellyt mm. näissä 30.10.2008 ja 3.2.2009 päivätyissä kirjoituksissani. En enää usko että Google tulee ostamaan Motorolaa. Miksi se ostaisi? Ei se halua sotkeentua luurien valmistamiseen ja niiden perustekniikan suunnitteluun. Se määrittää ominaisuudet joita se haluaa, toimittaa siihen luuriin uusimman käyttisversion ja joitain applikaatioita ja hoitaa sitten markkinoinnin ja myynnin itse. Sinällään Motorolan CEO:n ensikommentti Nexus One luurista on aika urhea: “This expansion of the ecosystem is healthy for both of us, Jha says“

Google ottaa omalla luurillaan ison riskin. Suurin riski luonnollisesti on se että se suututtaa nykyiset kumppaninsa kuten jo joulukuun puolivälissä kirjoitin. Tappamalla Motorolan ja mahdollisesti SonyEricssonin (Se voisi tietty käyttää Microsoftin mobiilikäyttistä mutta uskon Microsoftin vetäytyvän mobiilikäyttisbisneksestä kokonaan ja liittoutuvan Symbianin ja QT:n kautta myös Maemon kanssa jonne se tuo sitten yksinoikeudella applikaatioitaan) ja iskemällä myös Samsunging ja LG:n bisnekseen sillä on lojaaleja tukijoita vähemmän. Pärjääkö se yksinään, en usko. Se tarvitsee kumppaneita mutta onnistuuko se pitämään ne? Yhtähyvin ne entiset kumppanit voivat hypätä open source Symbianin kyytiin jossa on enemmän ominaisuuksia, paremmat virransäästötoiminnot, isompi globaali kattavuus. Tai jos ihme tapahtuu hypätä Microsoftin kelkkaan joka ei olisi kilpailija vaan kumppani ja käyttistoimittaja. Riski voi tietysti kannattaakin ja Googlen brändi vahvistuu ja se nousee USA:ssa Applen ja RIMMin haastajaksi älyluureissa tosissaan. Tämä uutinen on erittäin huono myös Palmille.

Muutamia huomioita Googlen Nexus One luurista ja bisnesmallista. Se myy luuria USA:ssa pelkästään uudessa verkkokaupassaan. Puhelin on GSM/WCDMA-tekniikkaan pohjautuva ja tukee seuraavia WCDMA-taajuuksia: 2100 ja 900 Mhz eli T-Mobile USA:n käyttämiä taajuuksia. Luuri ei siis toimi AT&T 3G verkossa ja T-Mobile (TMO) on USA:n 4. suurin operaattori. Puhelimen voi ostaa lukitsemattomana 530 dollarin hintaan (N900:n hinta USA.ssa on 549 dollaria) tai sitten TMO palvelun kanssa (180 dollaria etumaksuhinta kahden vuoden sopparilla).Google siis yrittää USA:ssa samaa kuin Nokia eli myydä lukitsemattomia luureja ja ainakaan Nokia ei tuolla mallilla ole siellä oikein pärjännyt. Saa nähdä pärjääkö Google paremmin ja avaako se samalla ovea myös Nokialle. Google aikoo tuoda myöhemmin USA.ssa CDMA variantin luuristaan joka toimisi jo keväällä USA:n suurimman operaattorin Verizonin verkossa. Euroopassa Vodaphonen kanssa sillä on jo jonkinlainen sopimus ja varmastikin muitakin kiinnostuneita operaattoreita löytyy. Google pelkää selvästi Applen multitouch patentteja koska laitteesta puuttuu multitouch vaikka se on kapasitiivinen. Mitenkähän Googlen patenttineuvottelut Nokian kanssa ovat edenneet? Nokiahan omistaa mm. Proximity sensor-tekniikan patentin joka tässä luurissa on mukana. Saa nähdä toimiiko tämä yhtiö tässä asiassa fiksummin ja asiallisemmin kuin Apple, näin uskoisin.

Ominaisuuksia:

Näyttö 3.7″ AMOLED kosketusnäyttö 800×480 resoluutiolla ja kapasitiitisella tekniikalla mutta ilman multitouchia. Ilmeisesti Google pelkää Applen haastavan sen oikeuteen Multi-touch patenteistaan. Resoluutio on sama kuin Nokian N900:ssa mutta se on hivenen suurempi (3.5″). Apple jää auttamatta kakkoseksi surkean resoluutionsa takia, N900 jää hivenen)
Kamera on 5 Mpix kennolla varustettu (Apple jää kakkoseksi, tasoissa Nokian kanssa mutta uskon että Nokialaisessa on parempi linssi, kenno, optiikka ja softat. Sen verran hyviä kuvia tuolla saa)
Videokuvaus 720 x 480 resoluutiolla 20 freimia sekunnissa. Voittaa Applen leikiten, häviää N900:lle “Video recording at up to 848 × 480 pixels (WVGA) and up to 25fps“)
Tukee wlanissa uutta n-standardia. Apple ja N900 eivät tue.
Maksiminopeus HSDPA 7.2Mbps HSUPA 2Mbps eli Applen 3GS:n kanssa tasoissa (N900:lle ei pärjää 10Mbps/2Mbps).
Sisäinen muisti surkean pieni: 512MB Flash 512MB RAM ja SD kortilla 32 Megaa lisää. (N900:ssa 32 GB sisäinen muisti ja muistikortilla 16 Megaa lisää. Applikaatioille 1GB muistia: 256 MB RAM, 768 MB virtual memory)
Kooltaan laite on pieni ja kevyt ja aika näppärän näköinen
Qualcommin 1GHz Snapdragon Prosessorissa riittää potkua
Wlan paikannus sisäänrakennettuna mitä ei vakiona löydy Nokiasta eikä iPhonesta
N900:n ominaisuuksista tuettuina eivät ole qwerty-näppäimistö, UpnP, FM transmitter, FM radio ja TV-Out pikaisesti katsottuna. Mahdollisesti muutakin puuttuu.
Luuri tukee ääniohjattavaa näppäimistöä eli mihin tahansa tekstikenttään voi syöttää tietoa puhumalla. Hieno ominaisuus. Olisi aika hieno sanella autoillessa tekstareita ja lähettää niitä koskematta luuriin. Ja että luuri lukisi ne tekstarit ja mailit ääneen.

Laite on siis hyvä mutta ei pärjää mielestäni ominaisuuksiensa puolesta Nokian N900:lle. Applen iPhonen se kyllä voittaa kevyesti ominaisuuksissa. Sinällään hauskaa on se että nyt kun Googlesta tulee Applen suora kilpailija laajentaa Apple mobiilimainosbisnekseen ja tulee sitä kautta myös Googlen kilpailijaksi.

Mielenkiintoinen liike Googlelta ja laittaa taas pelin sääntöjä ja asetelmia hieman uusiksi. Applen kilpailu kiristyy USA:ssa. T-Mobile voi voittaa uusia asiakkaita ehkä lähinnä AT&T:lta. Yleistyyko lukitsemattomien luurien myynti joka voisi avata ovia myös Nokialle? Kauanko Motorola räpiköi hengissä? Entä SonyEricsson? Entä Palm? Suuttuvatko Googlen kumppanit? Siirtyykö Samsung ajan mittaa enemmän oman uuden Bada-käyttiksensä puoleen? Saako Symbian tästä lisää potkua? Miten Androidin markkinaosuus kehittyy? Sinällään ei se Googlekaan kaikessa onnistu mitä se tekee. Googlen oma videojakopalvelu ei pärjännyt alkuunkaan Youtubelle ja G:n oli pakko ostaa Youtube. G:n Chrome selaimen markkinaosuus on jäänyt 3-4% nurkille eikä näytä juurikaan siitä nousevan. Kuluttajajärjestöt ovat yhä huolestuneempia Googlen leviämisestä joka puolelle, jopa internetin nimipalvelimiin. Yhtiö joka kerää dataa nimipalvelimiensa, selaimensa, mobiilikäyttiksensä, selaimensa, Gmailin, GTalk jne. kautta missä ihmiset surfaa, mitä mailaavat, mitä tsättäävät ja puhuvat ja kenen kanssa, mistä ja koska kuulostaa melkoisen Orwellimaiselta. Itse pyrin käyttämään nykyään mahdollisimman vähän G:n palveluita. Chromea en ole edes asentanut ja olen silloin tällöin käyttänyt Microsoftin hakupalvelua. Mikään mullistus ja vallankumous tämä luuri ei ole.

Googlen kurssi laski. Nexus One oli aika odotettu eikä julkistus tuonut mitään uutta. Jossain vaiheessa huhuttua mullistavaa bisnesmallia ilmaisina (mainosrahoitteisine) puheluineen ei tullut. Niin laski hieman Nokian kurssikin eilisen upean nousun jälkeen. Apple nousi hieman. Motorola laski yli prosentin, Palm jostain syystä nousi yli 2%.

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

Android Brand Guidelines Media Page

2010-01-05T14:31:00.000+02:00

Great brand guidelines html page by Google just for Android.

01/ Android Robot

Can be used, reproduced, and modified freely in marketing communications. Our standard color value for print is PMS 376C. Our online hex color is #A4C639. When using the Android Robot or any modification of it, proper attribution is required under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license.

[Via http://everythingdesigned.com]

TRUEcast Episode 16 - Happy New Year Edition

2010-01-05T06:21:00.000+02:00

This episode we have cohost, Joel Johnson, and Edward J.R. from msmobiles with special guest Darren Mota. We discuss TRUEcast 2009 predictions, Year in review, 2010 Predictions, 2009 Chaps my hide review, 2010 pre-emptive chaps my hide, plus more. Show notes, and links after the break… Happy New Year! We’re back!

For those of you wanting to d/l directly you can do that HERE For iTunes, subscribe HERE

Show notes:

Shout outs:

ConvertCast: http://www.justanothergeeksite.com

The Simulcast: http://www.thesimulcast.com

GadgetGurus: http://www.thegadgetgurus.net

Supermarcey Superpodcast: http://marceyness.podbean.com

Married With Tech Podcast: http://marriedwithtech.com

Let us know how you like the show. Rate us here and in iTunes! Soon to be in Zune Marketplace!

[Via http://veracitynation.com]

How to set Default Actions for Activities

2010-01-03T22:50:00.000+02:00

Hey everyone,

This example is about how to assign DEFAULT actions to various actions. For instance, if you want your home screen to be the default home screen, then in your manifest simply add:

To the activity that you want to be the default home screen. Another example involving the CALL_BUTTON (for instance, in my case I wanted to replace the dialer):

And if you want to replace the default dial action, then it will be:

So now if you start typing in a number from your home screen, your application will appear on the list of possible default behaviors.

Hope this was helpful. Happy coding.

- jwei

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

Android This Week: Nexus One Nears; Tablet Ships; New Motorola Phones

2010-01-02T14:00:00.000+02:00

Google (s goog) is set to sell its own Android phone, the Nexus One, and jkOnTheRun this week collected all the details about it here. The company is holding a press event about Android next week that could include confirmation about the phone. The device is being manufactured by HTC, and while it’s not clear why Google would want to sell its own Android phone, that’s apparently the plan. The Nexus One is fairly typical compared to other Android phones, with the exception of the Snapdragon processor, which makes it the fastest of its kind out there.

Meanwhile, the Camangi WebStation, a web tablet based on Android, has started shipping to customers, and it looks to be a nicely constructed slate. The 7-inch screen should provide a decent web surfing experience and make for a good e-book reader. Initial reports state the Android slate is a bit slow, but it otherwise seems to be a solid tablet. The $400 price tag may give some pause before hitting the order button, but the device is a good first effort for this relatively unknown company. Given how quickly Camangi came out with its slate, getting a product to market just might be easier with Android than with other platforms.

Plus, an analyst who covers the Android market claimed this week that Motorola (s mot) will be introducing two new Android handsets next week at the Consumer Electronics Show. The phones will be for U.S. carriers AT&T (s t) and Verizon (s vz). No details about either phone have been revealed yet, but it’s a good bet the new designs will draw on Motorola’s first two Android phones, the Droid and the Cliq.

[Via http://gigaom.com]

Google press event on January 5th featuring 'Android'

2009-12-29T22:01:00.000+02:00

The amount of buzz Google as generated by giving out the Nexus One to their employees has been explosive. So explosive that Google seems to feel confident enough to have a head start on the CES event that is scheduled just days after Google’s event. Google sent invitations to a lucky some of tech sites and press organizations for an event on January 5th in their home town.

Google wants the press to gather around for an Android event in Mountain View, which is super exciting news because Android is already riding a huge buzz wave with the Motorola Droid and Droid Eris. For Google to keep up such hype even months after the launch of a flagship device is pretty impressive. Something that Palm, with WebOS, and Microsoft, with Windows Phone 6.5, seem to be struggling to do. So place your bets folks, Nexus One? Google Phone? A super Android Tablet? Whatever it is, we know it has to do with Android and that means we are talking about the mobile segment of tech, so we will let you know exactly what they will be showing at said event. Stay tuned folks, our guts tell us it is something big.

[Via Engadget Mobile]

[Via http://fonefrenzy.com]

Google Goggles brings visual search to Android

2009-12-29T14:43:00.000+02:00

Looks like Google’s been busy on the camera tip lately — not only is it launching a new QR code-based Favorite Places mobile search product today, it’s also demoing Google Goggles, a visual search app that generates local results from analyzing mobile phone images. Favorite Places isn’t super-complicated, but it sounds like it’ll be pretty useful: Google’s sent QR code window decals to the 100,000 most researched local businesses on Google and Google Maps, and scanning the code with your phone will bring up reviews, coupons, and offer the ability to star the location for later. (It’s not implemented yet, but you’ll be able to leave your own reviews in the future.) Google hasn’t built this into the Google Mobile app yet, so you’ll need something to read QR codes with — Android devices can use the free Barcode Scanner, and Google and QuickMark are offering 40,000 free downloads of QuickMark for the iPhone today. We just tried it out using QuickMark and it works pretty well — although we’ll wait to see how many QR codes we see in the wild before we call this one totally useful.

Google Goggles is a little more interesting from a technology standpoint: it’s an Android app that takes photos, tries to recognize what in them, and then generates search results about them. Goggles can recognize landmarks, books, contact info, artwork, places, wine, and logos at the moment, and Google says it’s working on adding other types of objects, like plants. Pretty neat stuff — but how about linking these two services together at some point, guys? Check some videos after the break.

From Engadget.com

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

Java Game Development.

2009-12-27T06:18:00.000+02:00

I’m adding a video series I found useful. Java Game Development is a new page I added at the top right corner under PAGES. The video’s will teach you how to develop java games for the pc or internet. I know this isn’t my usual type post but as the title already states this blog is for talking about whatever I want to talk about. I’m also currently working on developing apps for android phones. So if anyone would be interested in helping me I would be happy to know what type of apps people would be interested in seeing.

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

My thoughts on the Toshiba NB200

2009-12-26T21:59:00.000+02:00

As the need arose for me to replace my previous work laptop, I was very keen to go to the opposite end of the scale. From a 17″ semi-powerhouse laptop to a smaller 10″ Netbook.

It was a mission to carry it around everywhere, battery life sucked, and it was just not functional for anything but sitting on a desk.

So I wanted something portable, to take with me on-site as I visit client sites for VoIP / IT support etc. I wanted something with good battery life (3-4 hours would be good I thought, which is over double what my previous was good for), I wanted it to be lightweight, semi-durable as I chuck it in my bag with other computer gear like routers and cables, and I didn’t want to have to sit around waiting for an OS like when installing on the EeePC 900 Flash Drive. A decent GPU would be nice, like an ION-based system, so I could do 1080p movies in my spare time, but that’s a lower-priority. 2GB RAM is a must, if it’s going to run Win7.

I would have liked an ARM machine running Linux, just for the geek factor, but couldn’t find anything, so I was pretty much stuck with an Atom CPU, 1.6Ghz. They’re not bad CPU’s, we use the dual-core ones in the PBX systems we build at work. Not uber-powerful single-core, but still powerful enough for browsing, word processing, IM’ing and ssh’ing into systems.

It came down to a 10″ Asus EeePC, the Acer Aspire One, or the Toshiba NB200.

I’d had a good run with my EeePC’s (700 & 900-series w/Celerons), but they felt a little “flimsy”, like the plastic was cheap & thin. I know I’m nitpicking here but the fact they didn’t even remove the modem socket left me with the feeling that it was rushed out the factory door without enough time put into foresight of the product. The under-clocked CPU bugged me, even though after a while there were utilities you could use to fix that.

The Acer Aspire One running Android would have been a cool novelty, I liked that idea, but to be honest I simply didn’t have enough of a chance to look into it because the retailer was out of stock. In fact PBTech recently had a boxing day sale, $399 for the Aspire One.

This left me looking at the NB200. Now don’t get me wrong I didn’t simply pick it because I didn’t like the other two, but for a few other reasons:

The “finish” on the laptop feels nice, I dunno how to describe how it feels different from the others but it does and it’s comfortable to use.

The battery life (6-Cell battery) is rated at 9 hours. On the WiFi I get around 7-8 hours quite easily, and it’s marvelous! Not having to plug it in constantly is so, so nice!! Not to mention that replacement batteries are readily available and cost only around $70-90 from PBTech, so when I’ve abused the heck outta this one, I’ll have another one ready to go.

Now this is a small bonus, but the placement of the USB ports is good, they’re well spaced apart so some of the slightly larger thumbdrives don’t collide.

The HDD utility is also cool (Though the popup gets annoying as hell), having it park the HDD head when it detects vibration or movement. I dunno how well it works, but it sounds like a good feature, especially on a Netbook which you’re likely to have on-the-go!

The battery also sticks out a little at the back, which I’ve decided is actually a benefit. It’s nice to hold on to while carrying it, and it also prevents it from falling back on your lap while you wriggle about getting comfortable.

Annoyances:

I read a review on it prior to buying it, which did a crappy as job of identifying pro’s and cons. It said that the “WiFi On” LED down the front was a bad thing and a major annoyance. Not really.. Here’s what I’ve found annoying, or less-than-good with it.

Win7 Starter, I got rid of it immediately. Didn’t even waste my time with booting it more than once, though I did boot it just to see what A/V (Nortons) was installed. It’s running Win7 Enterprise for now.

The Touchpad, I found myself tapping with my palms when I didn’t want, I never had that issue with my EeePC’s, though maybe that’s because this one is much larger (Which is cool), but anyway I installed the Alps touchpad driver and set it to disable when I plug in a USB mouse. I’ve got a Logitech which is awesome, cheap, and I can leave the receiver in at all times.

There’s no “sleeve” or anything that comes with it instead of a bag, like the EeePC had. Not a biggy, but I must admit to being disappointed.

The back of the screen holds fingerprints incredibly well, better than it should, and it’s always looking grubby which is unfortunate.

I replaced the 1GB RAM stick with a 2GB one. I guess because it’s Win7 Starter it doesn’t need more than 1GB, but I’m being picky here.

The mono speaker is poorly placed underneath and is terribly quiet. I have headphones though and won’t use it as a “jukebox” without other speakers, so it’s a moot point. It’s not a media-box.

I haven’t installed Linux on it, but I will be, and I’ll update this when I do.

Overall there are some minor annoyances, but I’d still rate it around 8.5/10. I’m very happy with it, and the minor annoyances are pretty easily remedied.

If you have one, or any other Netbook, I’m keen to know your thoughts on yours

Chill.

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