It would appear that Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy Nexus has been updated with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Android 4.1, which means that we very well could be close to an official announcement from Big Red. Again, for the millionth time, we expect the Galaxy Nexus to launch on either December 8th or December 11th, although as we know, it could end up being an entirely different day.
MyDroidWorld has posted the evidence and it’s very possible that this will be the version of software that comes with the Verizon Galaxy Nexus out of the box.
If you recall, there were whispers about Verizon working on some bugs that needed working on in order to get this update out so let’s hope that this is the fix that the device needed for the green light.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Samsung Galaxy Note Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (Port In Progress)
Samsung Galaxy Note is an Android smartphone and tablet computer that was introduced in October 2011. It has attracted attention because of its size, between that of conventional smartphones and tablets, and because of its inbuilt stylus. The Android latest OS,Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich brings a significant upgrade to the core functions of Android, and comes with a totally revamped user interface. Samsung has been fond of installing its own TouchWiz interface on many of its Android devices, so it will be interesting to see what it plans to do with the new Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.
The Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy S2will be the first two devices to receive the upgrade. However, other devices will soon follow. Other ICS-upgradable Galaxy devices include Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy R, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.
The Samsung Galaxy S 2 and Galaxy Note is among the batch of high-end devices that have a promised upgrade to the newest version of Android (ICS) from the OEM. From previous post, We know that early build of of Android 4.0 ICS ROM for Galaxy S2 has been leaked and available for download. So, How about Samsung Galaxy Note?
So far, Android 4.0 ICS custom ROM still no available for download. But don’t too worry about it, The Xda dev member, Maui, is now trying to port the whole thing, Android 4.0 to our beloved Galaxy Note. Maui, said that,
“As of today I was able to get it to boot into the GUI, but there’s still a lot to do. As this is part of Teamhacksung now: don’t even think to ask about ETAs. But here’s a little proof ”
The Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy S2will be the first two devices to receive the upgrade. However, other devices will soon follow. Other ICS-upgradable Galaxy devices include Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy R, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.
The Samsung Galaxy S 2 and Galaxy Note is among the batch of high-end devices that have a promised upgrade to the newest version of Android (ICS) from the OEM. From previous post, We know that early build of of Android 4.0 ICS ROM for Galaxy S2 has been leaked and available for download. So, How about Samsung Galaxy Note?
So far, Android 4.0 ICS custom ROM still no available for download. But don’t too worry about it, The Xda dev member, Maui, is now trying to port the whole thing, Android 4.0 to our beloved Galaxy Note. Maui, said that,
“As of today I was able to get it to boot into the GUI, but there’s still a lot to do. As this is part of Teamhacksung now: don’t even think to ask about ETAs. But here’s a little proof ”
India invites Taiwan PC makers to bid for Aakash tablet PC project
The India government plans to launch its second-generation Aakash tablet PCs, and is soliciting Taiwan-based PC makers to participate in the bidding, according to Sandeep Yadav, the convener of the project.
Aided by Taiwan makers' manufacturing capability, it will be possible to lower the selling price of Aakash tablet PCs to US$35, stated Yadav, who visited Taiwan recently.
International bidding for the new Aakash tablet PC project was originally planned for December but might be delayed to January 2012, according to industry sources.
Shipments of the current Aakash models have reached 8,000 units for trial use by students, and the India government aims to ship 200 million units of new Aakash tablets in the next few years, said Yadav, noting that the new Askash will be unveiled in January or February 2012 with a BOM of about US$50.
The first-generation of Aakash tablets are manufactured by UK-based DataWind with 10-20% of needed components supplied by Taiwan makers, Yadav said.
Aided by Taiwan makers' manufacturing capability, it will be possible to lower the selling price of Aakash tablet PCs to US$35, stated Yadav, who visited Taiwan recently.
International bidding for the new Aakash tablet PC project was originally planned for December but might be delayed to January 2012, according to industry sources.
Shipments of the current Aakash models have reached 8,000 units for trial use by students, and the India government aims to ship 200 million units of new Aakash tablets in the next few years, said Yadav, noting that the new Askash will be unveiled in January or February 2012 with a BOM of about US$50.
The first-generation of Aakash tablets are manufactured by UK-based DataWind with 10-20% of needed components supplied by Taiwan makers, Yadav said.
Huawei MediaPad to get Android 4.0 soon
Huawei is testing the alpha version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for its 7 inch MediaPad tablet.
China based Huawei is working on an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for its MediaPad tablet. Chinese website CNMO claimed to have images of the Huawei MediaPad running Android 4.0 ICS alpha build. By default, the 7 inch display Huawei MediaPad tablet runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet operating system.
Launched earlier this year in June, the power-packed Huawei MediaPad features a dual core mobile processor with promising hardware and is available in India at an approximate price of Rs 28,000.
Huawei MediaPad tablet shook the tablet segment back in June with its dual core 1.2 GHz mobile processor. Featuring a full touch 7 inch Glare IPS LCD display, the MediaPad supports 1280 x 800 pixel resolution natively. This tablet boasts of having the industry's first 217 ppi density display.
China based Huawei is working on an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for its MediaPad tablet. Chinese website CNMO claimed to have images of the Huawei MediaPad running Android 4.0 ICS alpha build. By default, the 7 inch display Huawei MediaPad tablet runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet operating system.
Launched earlier this year in June, the power-packed Huawei MediaPad features a dual core mobile processor with promising hardware and is available in India at an approximate price of Rs 28,000.
Huawei MediaPad tablet shook the tablet segment back in June with its dual core 1.2 GHz mobile processor. Featuring a full touch 7 inch Glare IPS LCD display, the MediaPad supports 1280 x 800 pixel resolution natively. This tablet boasts of having the industry's first 217 ppi density display.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus Written Review by Taylor
Through all of the hundreds of Android phones that have released in the past year, the Galaxy Nexus is easily one of the most highly anticipated and notable that we at PhoneDog have had a chance to review. It's big, slim and stylish, and it comes packed with some of the best specifications we've seen in a handset to date. Officially, you can only purchase it through Verizon in the United States, but through other resellers, you can purchase an unsubsidized, unlocked GSM version that is compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile networks.
Is this the phone to buy? Should you wait until T-Mobile or AT&T officially offer this phone (if they ever do) and use your upgrade to get it? I've spent several weeks carrying the Galaxy Nexus and digging deep into the innards of Android 4.0 and must admit that I'm thoroughly impressed. They both have their faults, but the Nexus one fantastic phone and the software is wonderful.
Is this the phone to buy? Should you wait until T-Mobile or AT&T officially offer this phone (if they ever do) and use your upgrade to get it? I've spent several weeks carrying the Galaxy Nexus and digging deep into the innards of Android 4.0 and must admit that I'm thoroughly impressed. They both have their faults, but the Nexus one fantastic phone and the software is wonderful.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Samsung, You’re Doing It Wrong With Android 4.0
The No. 2 bestselling Samsung smartphone in history won’t officially see an upgrade to Android 4.0, leaving owners to decide among buying a newer phone, sticking with Android 2.3, or hacking on a custom build of Google’s latest mobile operating system. The reason Samsung won’t be offering such an upgrade? According to Samsung Tomorrow by way of the Verge, Samsung’s own customized TouchWiz user interface is the answer, which sounds more like a lame excuse than a valid explanation.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab—a 7-in. slate I’ve been using daily for more than a year now—is also on the “won’t see Android 4.0″ list, says the Samsung Tomorrow blog. I can understand we’re looking at a smartphone and a tablet that made their debut in 2010, and there’s a limited shelf life for future updates on mobile devices. What I don’t understand, nor accept, is that the issue is Samsung’s user interface software. Even worse, I think Samsung is shooting itself in the foot. Here’s why.
You have to treat current customers well. On the one hand, I can see Samsung’s stance if it chooses not to bring Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) to these older devices. From a financial standpoint, those handsets and tablets are already sold, and Samsung has earned all the income it’s going to from the sale of such devices. To bring Android 4.0 to the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab, the company would have to invest time, effort, and money to deliver the software. It has no financial incentive to do so. But customers don’t care about that and could decide to buy a competing product if they feel slighted.
Software add-ons should never stop product advances. Some people like TouchWiz, and some don’t. The same could be said for HTC’s Sense. Both are user interface add-ons atop Google Android, and neither should be the primary cause of stopping an Android update. HTC once fell into this same trap with Gingerbread on its Desire handset and eventually compromised by removing some custom apps to make room for the update.
This isn’t a technical issue, it’s a bad decision. My first thought about this situation was that perhaps the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab didn’t have the horsepower to run Android 4.0. Yet the Nexus S, made by Samsung, will get the ICS software, and it has very similar specifications to the Galaxy S in terms of memory, storage capacity, and processor. And I’m willing to bet the Android enthusiast community will have a custom build of Android 4.0 for both devices, if it doesn’t already. How sad is it that external developers can make this happen, when Samsung can’t?
Will most people who own a Samsung Galaxy S or Galaxy Tab be in an uproar over this? Probably not, as they’ll likely never know about Samsung’s decision, nor will they be thinking about Android 4.0 for devices that are 18 months old. But the decision sets a bad precedent and suggests that Samsung is more concerned with selling newer hardware than supporting existing customers and their current devices.
My suggestion would be a compromise of sorts: Offer a stock version of Android 4.0 for these devices with the customer understanding and accepting the fact that the TouchWiz interface will no longer be available after the upgrade. Unless there’s a real technical reason for the lack of an Android 4.0 upgrade—something Samsung should make clear—this might be the best answer. It wouldn’t cost nearly as much for Samsung to develop and test, while consumers thinking Samsung has let them down might be more accepting of the situation.
Also from GigaOM:
Connected World: The Consumer Technology Revolution (subscription required)
[http://pro.gigaom.com/2011/11/connected-world-the-consumer-technology-revolution/]
2012 Prediction: The Slow Death of Coax
[http://gigaom.com/video/death-of-coax/]
News Flash: Yes, Facebook Is Selling You to Advertisers
[http://gigaom.com/2011/12/23/news-flash-yes-facebook-is-selling-you-to-advertisers/
Apple’s Santa Siri Ad: The Most Effective Ad of the Holiday Season
[http://gigaom.com/apple/apples-santa-siri-ad-the-most-effective-ad-of-the-holiday-season/]
Republic Wireless Goes Unlimited — This Time for Real
[http://gigaom.com/mobile/republic-wireless-goes-unlimited-this-time-for-real/]
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab—a 7-in. slate I’ve been using daily for more than a year now—is also on the “won’t see Android 4.0″ list, says the Samsung Tomorrow blog. I can understand we’re looking at a smartphone and a tablet that made their debut in 2010, and there’s a limited shelf life for future updates on mobile devices. What I don’t understand, nor accept, is that the issue is Samsung’s user interface software. Even worse, I think Samsung is shooting itself in the foot. Here’s why.
You have to treat current customers well. On the one hand, I can see Samsung’s stance if it chooses not to bring Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) to these older devices. From a financial standpoint, those handsets and tablets are already sold, and Samsung has earned all the income it’s going to from the sale of such devices. To bring Android 4.0 to the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab, the company would have to invest time, effort, and money to deliver the software. It has no financial incentive to do so. But customers don’t care about that and could decide to buy a competing product if they feel slighted.
Software add-ons should never stop product advances. Some people like TouchWiz, and some don’t. The same could be said for HTC’s Sense. Both are user interface add-ons atop Google Android, and neither should be the primary cause of stopping an Android update. HTC once fell into this same trap with Gingerbread on its Desire handset and eventually compromised by removing some custom apps to make room for the update.
This isn’t a technical issue, it’s a bad decision. My first thought about this situation was that perhaps the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab didn’t have the horsepower to run Android 4.0. Yet the Nexus S, made by Samsung, will get the ICS software, and it has very similar specifications to the Galaxy S in terms of memory, storage capacity, and processor. And I’m willing to bet the Android enthusiast community will have a custom build of Android 4.0 for both devices, if it doesn’t already. How sad is it that external developers can make this happen, when Samsung can’t?
Will most people who own a Samsung Galaxy S or Galaxy Tab be in an uproar over this? Probably not, as they’ll likely never know about Samsung’s decision, nor will they be thinking about Android 4.0 for devices that are 18 months old. But the decision sets a bad precedent and suggests that Samsung is more concerned with selling newer hardware than supporting existing customers and their current devices.
My suggestion would be a compromise of sorts: Offer a stock version of Android 4.0 for these devices with the customer understanding and accepting the fact that the TouchWiz interface will no longer be available after the upgrade. Unless there’s a real technical reason for the lack of an Android 4.0 upgrade—something Samsung should make clear—this might be the best answer. It wouldn’t cost nearly as much for Samsung to develop and test, while consumers thinking Samsung has let them down might be more accepting of the situation.
Also from GigaOM:
Connected World: The Consumer Technology Revolution (subscription required)
[http://pro.gigaom.com/2011/11/connected-world-the-consumer-technology-revolution/]
2012 Prediction: The Slow Death of Coax
[http://gigaom.com/video/death-of-coax/]
News Flash: Yes, Facebook Is Selling You to Advertisers
[http://gigaom.com/2011/12/23/news-flash-yes-facebook-is-selling-you-to-advertisers/
Apple’s Santa Siri Ad: The Most Effective Ad of the Holiday Season
[http://gigaom.com/apple/apples-santa-siri-ad-the-most-effective-ad-of-the-holiday-season/]
Republic Wireless Goes Unlimited — This Time for Real
[http://gigaom.com/mobile/republic-wireless-goes-unlimited-this-time-for-real/]
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Verizon Galaxy Nexus on sale now for $300
The Verizon Galaxy Nexus, Google’s third Nexus smartphone and the first to include 4G LTE connectivity, has finally gone up for sale, priced at $299.99 with a new, two-year agreement. Officially announced yesterday, the Samsung-made handset includes a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD 720p display, 5-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording, and runs Ice Cream Sandwich, Google’s latest version of Android.
As we found in our Ice Cream Sandwich review, the new upgrade makes a significant difference to the usability of Android. Several of the features introduced in Honeycomb, Google’s tablet-centric version of the platform, have been pulled across and integrated into a phone-scale UI, though ICS will also start showing up in tablets themselves come early 2012.
For now, though, the Galaxy Nexus is the only official way to get hold of ICS, and in the US that means heading down to Verizon and checking out their LTE version. Off-contract pricing is $649.99. Let us know in the comments if you’re planning on picking one up.
For more on the Galaxy Nexus, check out the full SlashGear review of the HSPA+ model; we’ll have full coverage of the new Verizon LTE version very soon!
As we found in our Ice Cream Sandwich review, the new upgrade makes a significant difference to the usability of Android. Several of the features introduced in Honeycomb, Google’s tablet-centric version of the platform, have been pulled across and integrated into a phone-scale UI, though ICS will also start showing up in tablets themselves come early 2012.
For now, though, the Galaxy Nexus is the only official way to get hold of ICS, and in the US that means heading down to Verizon and checking out their LTE version. Off-contract pricing is $649.99. Let us know in the comments if you’re planning on picking one up.
For more on the Galaxy Nexus, check out the full SlashGear review of the HSPA+ model; we’ll have full coverage of the new Verizon LTE version very soon!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Kindle Fire tablet to get software updates
When the Kindle Fire was first unveiled by Jeff Bezos earlier this year, many analysts said it be the first tablet to present a real challenge to Apple’s iPad. However, now it seems some customers are dissatisfied with the device, according to Hayley Tsukayama:
The Kindle Fire is reportedly on track for a major software update in the next couple of weeks, and apparently not a moment too soon. According to a report from the New York Times, Amazon has been fielding complaints from disgruntled buyers. Even with a promised update, the complaints from some of the device’s most vocal users may not be easily fixed, because they involve hardware as well. Here are the top five complaints from users giving the tablet a one-star rating on its own Amazon page.
Read more...
The Kindle Fire is reportedly on track for a major software update in the next couple of weeks, and apparently not a moment too soon. According to a report from the New York Times, Amazon has been fielding complaints from disgruntled buyers. Even with a promised update, the complaints from some of the device’s most vocal users may not be easily fixed, because they involve hardware as well. Here are the top five complaints from users giving the tablet a one-star rating on its own Amazon page.
Read more...
Friday, December 9, 2011
Verizon Wireless Makes $299 New Norm With Samsung Galaxy Nexus
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Verizon Wireless is expanding its slate of expensive smartphones priced at nearly $300 each with a two-year contract, betting that customers will be attracted by the carrier's reputation for network quality and its high-speed, mobile-broadband network.
The latest addition is the hotly anticipated Galaxy Nexus from Samsung Electronics Co. (005930.SE, SSNHY). The carrier will start selling the device this month for $299.99 with a two-year contract, according to people familiar with the matter. That follows the introduction of HTC Corp.'s (2498.TW, HTCXF) Rezound and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.'s (MMI) Droid Razr, both priced at a penny under $300 with a two-year contract.
The costly devices are helping Verizon carve out a niche for itself at the top of the market, as carriers have slashed smartphone devices down to being free on the low end. Rivals AT&T Inc. (T) and Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) offer several devices online at no cost, such as the iPhone 3GS and Samsung Conquer 4G.
"It used to be that $199 was the top of the heap, the most you were going to pay," said Charles Golvin, a Forrester Research analyst. "Verizon clearly believes that with their 4G network coverage and reputation they can appeal to a segment that will pay a little more for the latest and greatest."
Representatives for Verizon Wireless and Samsung declined to comment.
Forcing the customer to pay a higher price upfront means Verizon Wireless is paying a lower subsidy, which is the difference in price that Verizon Wireless pays manufacturers from what consumers pay for the phone when they accept a contract.
For the Rezound and Droid Razr, Verizon Wireless's subsidy is $350 per device, based on the full listed price for the handsets. In contrast, the iPhone 4S carries a $450 subsidy, like AT&T's Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G phone. And Sprint subsidizes the HTC Evo 3D to the tune of $500 in a current Web promotion.
The subsidy amount is based on prices listed on the carriers' websites; actual amounts may vary based on bulk purchases.
The strategy, though, is risky as carriers are battling over an ever-smaller piece of available market share, with wireless connections now outpacing the number of Americans. By offering a higher subsidy, carriers hope they can entice existing customers to upgrade from older smartphones and agree to a multi-year contract.
The Galaxy Nexus--jointly developed by Samsung and Google Inc. (GOOG)--has been hotly anticipated since it was announced in October. It uses Google's Ice Cream Sandwich Android platform, which can run on both tablet computers and smartphones, and is enabled to make payments by waving the device in front of a receiver at a store checkout.
The device will be important for Samsung as well, as it seeks to take HTC's crown as the top smartphone seller in the U.S. Samsung shipped 4.9 million smartphones in the third quarter, 800,000 fewer than HTC, according to research firm Canalys.
Like other nearly $300 devices, the Nexus works off the zippier 4G service known as LTE that Verizon is rolling out to a broad swath of the U.S. With LTE's download speeds, customers may be more enticed by smartphones that pack in more features, such as bigger screens and faster processors, Golvin said.
Verizon's LTE will cover at least 200 million Americans by year end, compared with 70 million for AT&T. Sprint is in the early stages of erecting its own 4G LTE network, though it sells devices today using the 4G WiMax network from Clearwire Corp. (CLWR).
Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ)--which co-owns Verizon Wireless with Vodafone Group PLC (VOD.LN, VOD, VODPF)--closed up 20 cents, or 0.5%, at $38.05, on Monday.
-By Greg Bensinger, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-4676; greg.bensinger@dowjones.com
The latest addition is the hotly anticipated Galaxy Nexus from Samsung Electronics Co. (005930.SE, SSNHY). The carrier will start selling the device this month for $299.99 with a two-year contract, according to people familiar with the matter. That follows the introduction of HTC Corp.'s (2498.TW, HTCXF) Rezound and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.'s (MMI) Droid Razr, both priced at a penny under $300 with a two-year contract.
The costly devices are helping Verizon carve out a niche for itself at the top of the market, as carriers have slashed smartphone devices down to being free on the low end. Rivals AT&T Inc. (T) and Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) offer several devices online at no cost, such as the iPhone 3GS and Samsung Conquer 4G.
"It used to be that $199 was the top of the heap, the most you were going to pay," said Charles Golvin, a Forrester Research analyst. "Verizon clearly believes that with their 4G network coverage and reputation they can appeal to a segment that will pay a little more for the latest and greatest."
Representatives for Verizon Wireless and Samsung declined to comment.
Forcing the customer to pay a higher price upfront means Verizon Wireless is paying a lower subsidy, which is the difference in price that Verizon Wireless pays manufacturers from what consumers pay for the phone when they accept a contract.
For the Rezound and Droid Razr, Verizon Wireless's subsidy is $350 per device, based on the full listed price for the handsets. In contrast, the iPhone 4S carries a $450 subsidy, like AT&T's Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G phone. And Sprint subsidizes the HTC Evo 3D to the tune of $500 in a current Web promotion.
The subsidy amount is based on prices listed on the carriers' websites; actual amounts may vary based on bulk purchases.
The strategy, though, is risky as carriers are battling over an ever-smaller piece of available market share, with wireless connections now outpacing the number of Americans. By offering a higher subsidy, carriers hope they can entice existing customers to upgrade from older smartphones and agree to a multi-year contract.
The Galaxy Nexus--jointly developed by Samsung and Google Inc. (GOOG)--has been hotly anticipated since it was announced in October. It uses Google's Ice Cream Sandwich Android platform, which can run on both tablet computers and smartphones, and is enabled to make payments by waving the device in front of a receiver at a store checkout.
The device will be important for Samsung as well, as it seeks to take HTC's crown as the top smartphone seller in the U.S. Samsung shipped 4.9 million smartphones in the third quarter, 800,000 fewer than HTC, according to research firm Canalys.
Like other nearly $300 devices, the Nexus works off the zippier 4G service known as LTE that Verizon is rolling out to a broad swath of the U.S. With LTE's download speeds, customers may be more enticed by smartphones that pack in more features, such as bigger screens and faster processors, Golvin said.
Verizon's LTE will cover at least 200 million Americans by year end, compared with 70 million for AT&T. Sprint is in the early stages of erecting its own 4G LTE network, though it sells devices today using the 4G WiMax network from Clearwire Corp. (CLWR).
Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ)--which co-owns Verizon Wireless with Vodafone Group PLC (VOD.LN, VOD, VODPF)--closed up 20 cents, or 0.5%, at $38.05, on Monday.
-By Greg Bensinger, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-4676; greg.bensinger@dowjones.com
Monday, December 5, 2011
Ainovo Novo 7 is a dirt-cheap Ice Cream Sandwich tablet
What does your hundred bucks-plus get you? Unfortunately, Ainovo isn’t generous with the details. The Novo 7 ships with a decent 1GHz MIPS processor paired with a Vivante GC860 GPU, 512MB RAM, and 4GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), Wi-Fi support, front and rear cameras, and the ability to play back full 1080P video. Ainovo estimates that the Novo 7′s battery can yield 7 to 8 hours of cord-free use, and it also ships with Spider-Man: Total Mayhem. The webpage doesn’t note the resolution of the Novo 7′s 7-inch capacitive display, but it’s likely putting out 800×480 pixels.
In fact, the Novo 7 looks an awful lot like this N7 Asteroid tablet over at Amazon, which ships with Android 3.2. If the form factors are a match, you can expect your Novo 7 to weigh in at about 12.5 ounces and measure around a half inch thick. It might not be the belle of the ball, but what do you expect for this kind of money?
If you’re a stickler for quality, you’re probably better off picking up a Kindle Fire for $199, rooting it, and waiting for someone in the dev community to roll an Ice Cream Sandwich port.
Read more...
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Review
AT&T and Samsung have brought forth a tablet that adds to their set of sleek Android-based slates, this one the first to work with the carrier’s 4G LTE network. Inside you’ll find the rather powerful 1.5Ghz Qualcomm MSM8660 dual-core processor, Samsung’s custom user interface TouchWiz UX made specifically for tablets, and either 16 or 32GB or internal storage. You can take 3 megapixel photos and 720p videos with the back-facing camera, slightly less impressive media with the front-facing 2 megapixel camera. As this tablet is thin, so is it speedy, and as there are now more than four different models of tablet running Android from Samsung on the market today, surely they’ve gotten the formula correct enough to warrant such an array by now – wouldn’t you say?
Like its predecessors the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Galaxy Tab 7.7, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 is monumentally thin, and just as it was when we first laid eyes and hands on the pre-production build back at CTIA spring 2011, this tablet is a winner when it comes to industrial design. It’s simply lovely in its form, feeling like Samsung wanted to knock the tablet game out of the park with a simple set of matte black plastic along the back and silver plastic around the edge, with the entirety of the front being a tough layer of glass and a 1/2-inch border of black under the glass around the 8.9-inch display. This display is a PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen at 800 x 1280 pixel resolution and the whole device sizes in at 230.9 x 157.8 x 8.6 mm.
The display is no AMOLED, to be sure, but it is relatively bright and will suffice for your everyday indoor activities. This tablet is in a class with the iPad and the top-tier Androids when it comes to overall quality, and you’ll know good and well where your $479.99 (with a free phone) went when you’ve purchased it. This tablet is the ideal size for those of you wishing for a tablet that’s both compact but not so small to fit in your pocket, and certainly light and thin enough to keep in a purse. You’ll want to think about purchasing a case for the tablet if you’re carrying it around in your daily satchel, especially since you don’t want the screen to get all nicked up by keys and coins.
Read more...
Like its predecessors the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Galaxy Tab 7.7, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 is monumentally thin, and just as it was when we first laid eyes and hands on the pre-production build back at CTIA spring 2011, this tablet is a winner when it comes to industrial design. It’s simply lovely in its form, feeling like Samsung wanted to knock the tablet game out of the park with a simple set of matte black plastic along the back and silver plastic around the edge, with the entirety of the front being a tough layer of glass and a 1/2-inch border of black under the glass around the 8.9-inch display. This display is a PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen at 800 x 1280 pixel resolution and the whole device sizes in at 230.9 x 157.8 x 8.6 mm.
The display is no AMOLED, to be sure, but it is relatively bright and will suffice for your everyday indoor activities. This tablet is in a class with the iPad and the top-tier Androids when it comes to overall quality, and you’ll know good and well where your $479.99 (with a free phone) went when you’ve purchased it. This tablet is the ideal size for those of you wishing for a tablet that’s both compact but not so small to fit in your pocket, and certainly light and thin enough to keep in a purse. You’ll want to think about purchasing a case for the tablet if you’re carrying it around in your daily satchel, especially since you don’t want the screen to get all nicked up by keys and coins.
Read more...
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime: The Rolls-Royce of Android tablets
Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime is set to shake up the world of mobile computing. The device -- expected to launch in the U.S. sometime during the week of December 19, according to Asus -- marks the first time quad-core technology has made its way into a touch-based tablet. But raw processing power isn't the only thing that puts this tablet in a league of its own.
The Transformer Prime manages to pull off the rare feat of combining power and style: It's sleek and sexy, yet also jam-packed with robust functionality. And it's armed with a secret weapon: Asus' optional keyboard dock, a slim attachment that instantly turns the tablet into a full-fledged laptop computer. The tablet itself costs $499 for a 32GB model and $599 for a 64GB model; the dock is sold separately for $149.
On paper, this thing has it all. So how does it perform in the real world? I spent several days putting it to the test to find out.
Read more...
The Transformer Prime manages to pull off the rare feat of combining power and style: It's sleek and sexy, yet also jam-packed with robust functionality. And it's armed with a secret weapon: Asus' optional keyboard dock, a slim attachment that instantly turns the tablet into a full-fledged laptop computer. The tablet itself costs $499 for a 32GB model and $599 for a 64GB model; the dock is sold separately for $149.
On paper, this thing has it all. So how does it perform in the real world? I spent several days putting it to the test to find out.
Read more...
Friday, December 2, 2011
Carrier IQ detector app released for Android
A new Android app to identify whether your smartphone has any Carrier IQ tracking/monitoring software installed on it has been released, the Voodoo Carrier IQ detector, giving users a simple way to put their minds to rest on privacy. The handiwork of Android app developer supercurio, the tool is only a few hours old and only partially finished, with the consequent warning that the results can’t be entirely relied on yet.
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Thursday, December 1, 2011
ASUS Eee Pad MeMo 7-inch tablet running Android 4.0, dropping in January
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