It seems every day we hear about another manufacturer who’s working on their very own tablet PC. It’s going to have a fairly large capacitive touchscreen display, Google’s Android operating system and a host of other features that will make it useful (at least about as much as your typical netbook, anyway). But does anyone think of new things anymore? At least one of them, as it turns out.
Motorola, maker of some of today’s best Android-based devices, is reportedly working with Verizon on an upcoming Android-based tablet TV. You read that right, Moto’s upcoming tablet offering won’t just be a PC. It’ll also be a TV. Granted, the only real difference between it and the myriad of other tablets on the horizon will probably only be a built-in TV tuner, but if it’s worth noting, it’s worth noting.
Motorola and Google are mum about this rumored project so far, but it has been reported that Motorola’s tablet TV will support Flash, have 2 built-in cameras (one for taking photos and the other for video conferencing) and can be expected to be thinner and lighter than the Apple iPad.
For Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G users, Android 2.2 will be available for download as early as tomorrow, and will be rolled out to all customers starting August 3. This is according to an official press release made by Sprint, in which they detail some of the changes that will come with the Android 2.2 update as well as the two options by which customers will be able to update their phones to the latest Android software.
Starting next Tuesday, Sprint will issue notifications to customers about the update process and include instructions to a simple two-step over-the-air download process. Apart from which, Sprint also says customers should be able to access the software update through their HTC EVO 4G under the Settings Menu System Updates HTC Software Update. This route will be one step longer. More details are included in the press release, available after the break. Continue reading »
Besides putting out netbooks like the recently reviewed Acer Aspire One D260, Acer is also hard at work on their upcoming Android-based tablet PCs. The Taiwan-based computer maker will offer Android-based tablet PCs that come in two different sizes (7-inches and 10-inches) by the fourth quarter of this year, and DigiTimes reports that Acer is already talking with mobile telecom carriers for cooperation to market the two models. The version of Android that will be pre-installed on these two tablet PCs will be Froyo (version 2.2) and they might be launched alongside Acer’s first e-book readers or around the same time frame anyway.
Google has put the power to create mobile applications in the hands on virtually anyone with the introduction of their latest product, Google App Inventor for Android. Currently in its beta stage in Google Labs, the App Inventor for Android allows programmers and non-programmers alike to make their own mobile applications for the Android OS. It looks like a great way to dabble in mobile app creation without having to go through the extensive training to which the pros are subjected, but it might be a little far-fetched to think that applications produced via Google’s App Inventor for Android will be able to match the quality and sophistication of those coded by real programmers. But who really knows? Could the next Android killer app come from the new App Inventor?
Nowadays, it’s no longer considered cool to walk around with an Android smartphone in one hand and a netbook running Ubuntu Linux on the other. But you know what is? Using both hands to tinker with an Android smartphone that’s running Ubuntu Linux instead of the Android OS. It drives the ladies nuts, for some reason. If you’ve got an extra Google Nexus One lying around and have been wanting to mess with Ubuntu Linux for the longest time, well now you can. Even just a faint curiosity about the possibilities would suffice. I have here an embedded video which shows exactly what I’m talking about above, and the Source link below provides some details regarding installation.
Do you like tennis? Do you long to see the latest gadgets get unboxed while the whole thing gets recorded on video? Well, neither do I, but for some reason, this video of a Sony Ericsson X10 mini pro unboxing done by SE promo girl Maria Sharapova presents itself as compelling to me. Miss Sharapova looks striking as usual, and the X10 mini pro actually looks good in her hands. At that point in the video, I’m sure a lot of men were wishing that they were in the place of that X10 mini pro. Lucky basterd. See the video for yourself after the break. Continue reading »
If you have absolutely had it with Windows Mobile and would like to see Android running on one of your own WinMo-powered smartphones, Well, you’re in luck. Because with a constantly active community of developers composed of people just like you and me who want to see Android take over the world to have the option to run Android without forking over the cash for a brand new phone, you can now install the Android OS on a Windows Mobile smartphone by following a particular set of instructions to a T. It doesn’t yet work on all WinMo smartphones but you can check out the progress devs are having with several popular smartphone models, along with the above-mentioned instructions, via the Source link below. Note: use great caution.
Due to persistent public demand, Cerulean Studios has just announced that they are already working on an Android version of the Trillian IM client. This hardly comes as a surprise as Trillian is quite a popular IM client and it has already made its rounds in the iPhone platform. Trillian for Android’s features will include (1) the ability to connect to Facebook Chat, Windows Live, Yahoo!, AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, Jabber/XMPP or MySpaceIM, (2) synchronize contacts, avatars, status, accounts and more with your Trillian-enabled desktop or mobile apps, (3) support for tabbed chat windows with bubble view, photo transfer, buzz and emoticons, and (4) the option to set status, avatar and display name quickly in one simple screen. Trillian for Android will work for all types of Android phones, even those as old as the T-Mobile G1. Cerulean Studios says the first beta release is only a few weeks away so watch out for updates.
