Android Tablets on Show by Foxconn and Hardkernel

Two 10.1-inch touchscreen tablet designs that run Google's mobile Android software are on display at the Computex electronics show in Taipei, one from Foxconn Technology and the other by Hardkernel.

The tablet from Foxconn is a reference design made to show vendors what kind of tablets could be put into production quickly, and uses Nvidia's Tegra chipset inside. Few details about the reference design were available. Foxconn is the trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry, the world's largest contract manufacturer of electronic devices.

The other tablet is a product from South Korea's Hardkernel named the Odroid-T, and uses a Samsung Electronics' S5PC110 1GHz chipset. The devices includes external GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, a Micro-SD slot, standard SHCH slot and more. The company's Web site says it will be available in June, but does not list a price.

Both devices used Android version 2.1 and the Hardkernel model ran more smoothly. The company appears to have tweaked the Android software to run better on tablets. Android was designed by Google for smartphones.

The chipsets on both devices were both designed for high definition and 3D video, which companies believe will be important for the tablet market because people will watch a lot of video on the devices.

Over a dozen tablets designed to compete with Apple's iPad are on display at Computex this week, mainly with Android or Windows 7 software.

[via PCWorld]

Android Tablets on Show by Foxconn and Hardkernel

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Motorola Announces Android Flipout Smartphone

Today, Motorola has announced the released of the Flipout, a compact Android 2.1-based, square-shaped smartphone that in its form factor is a departure from other mobile phones.

"The Flipout, has a pivot design that opens to reveal a five-row QWERTY keypad with a separate row for numeric keys," said Chris Hazelton, an analyst with the 451 Group likens the Flipout to AT&T's Backflip from Motorola, which he says both have non-conventional form factors that won't resonate with everybody.

"It definitely is different; it mirrors the Nokia Twist, a square phone that twists up with the traditional form factor with the keyboard below the screen," said Hazelton, adding that this is the first time Motorola has offered a square-shaped phone. The difference, he said, is that the Twist is more of a feature phone and "not as capable as the Flipout, which can also access the Android marketplace for apps."

But like Motorola's other Android-based phones, the Flipout will take market share from feature phones, Hazelton said. Both Motorola and HTC have put software on top of the Android, which differentiates their phones and makes them useful for their target audience, which is commonly the social networker.

"It's interesting that no U.S. carriers picked up the phone," Hazelton noted, an indication that they may want to keep the Android for higher-end devices, while the Flipout is a mid-market device. He predicted Android phones will move into the midmarket in the next year.

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Motorola Announces Android Flipout Smartphone

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Google is Leapfrogging Apple

Google is done playing catch-up. Today they're setting the agenda: With Android Froyo, Google TV, mobile ads and streaming media, Google isn't just matching Apple — they're taking the lead.

The I/O conference for Google has been so dense it could make you dizzy, with announcements from nearly every corner of Google's ever-expanding apparatus. The meatiest news comes direct from Google's most intense battlefronts: Android Froyo (version 2.2); a bevy of clever new cloud services; and a mobile ad platform paired with Google TV marching into battle with competing products from Microsoft, and much more pointedly, Apple.

During the last 18 months, Google has been going through a period of frantic catch-up, in which we saw Android reach feature parity with iPhone OS, the Android Market explode, and Google's confidence slowly build. Apple had been setting the terms of the battle, baiting Google into action. The competition was fierce, but the fight was on Apple's terms.

Google is tired of that. In the space of two days, they've leapfrogged Apple spectacularly: They've matched Apple's mobile OS in predictable ways, and embarrassed it in others (Flash on mobiles may not be as horrific as Apple has implied); they've invaded the living room with a dedication and vigor that makes Apple TV look like a jokey experiment; they've steamrolled the mobile ad market with as solid a platform as Apple's and, more importantly, hundreds of thousands of advertisers; they've taken massive steps into the cloud, and into streaming — the kind of stuff nerds talk about, but didn't expect to see so soon.

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Google is Leapfrogging Apple

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Google Unveils Android OS Version 2.2

Last Thursday Google announced that the Android OS Version 2.2, code-named Froyo, is right around the corner. Android 2.2 is the seventh platform to be released since the initial launch of Android 1.0 back in September 2008. There were five areas in particular that they thought needed to be addressed and include the following:

Performance & speed: The new Dalvik JIT compiler in Android 2.2 delivers between a 2-5X performance improvement in CPU-bound code vs. Android 2.1 according to various benchmarks.

New enterprise capabilities: We’ve added Exchange capabilities such as account auto-discovery and calendar sync. Device policy management APIs allow developers to write applications that can control security features of the device such as the remote wipe, minimum password, lockscreen timeout etc.

Faster, more powerful browser: We have brought the V8 JavaScript engine to the Android browser as part of 2.2. This has resulted in a 2-3X improvement in JavaScript performance vs. 2.1.

Rich set of new APIs and services: New data backup APIs enable apps to participate in data backup and restore, allowing an application's last data to be restored when installed on a new or a reset device. Apps can utilize Android Cloud to Device Messaging to enable mobile alert, send to phone, and two-way push sync functionality. Developers can now declare whether their app should be installed on internal memory or an SD card. They can also let the system automatically determine the install location. On the native side, a new API now gives access to Skia bitmaps.

Additions to Android Market: Android Market provides Android Application Error Reports, a new bug reporting feature, giving developers access to crash and freeze reports from users. Developers will be able to access these reports via their account on the Android Market publisher website.

Google Unveils Android OS Version 2.2

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Apple TV Embarrassed by Logitech's Google TV Box

Google TV, the new Android-based OS for the big screen, will power Logitech’s new set-top box, the still-not-properly-named Google TV companion box.

The sleek black Apple TV–sized box will run on a 1.2-GHz Atom processor with 4 GB memory, 802.11n Wi-Fi, dual HDMI-out ports, Dolby 5.1 surround sound and a pair of USB ports. If you hook up a webcam, you can even video-chat at 720p.

The box, which will launch in the fall, will at first be U.S.-only. It will hook up to your TV and then pull in content from cable, satellite and compatible DVRs. In short, you can Google the entire internet plus your home for TV shows and watch them wherever they may be.

Even the remote controls are exciting. While there will be some regular RF controllers available, you will be able to install an app on your iPhone or Android phone with a keyboard and a touchscreen D-pad. These will control not only the Logitech box but compatible TVs and set-top boxes, right from the phone.

Next to the Google TV, the Apple TV is starting to look less like a "hobby" and more like an embarrassing habit Apple is trying to quit. Video content is one place where more is better. Sure Apple TV can grab most things from the iTunes Store, but with a built-in Chrome browser, Google TV will grab content from anywhere that puts video on the web. The closest rival Apple has right now is probably the iPad. Maybe this is the kick in the pants Apple needs to finally update its own set-top box to something nearing useful.

Google TV companion box [Logitech]
Logitech’s Google TV companion box includes smartphone apps [Engadget]

[via Wired]

Apple TV Embarrassed by Logitech's Google TV Box

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The 5 Best Android Smartphones Out Now

According to a report from PCWorld earlier today, the HTC Droid Incredible, Motorola's Droid, and other Android-based smartphones are strong competitors to Apple's iPhone. Here are their top 5 most worthy iPhone competitors.

1. HTC Droid Incredible

Verizon's HTC Droid Incredible runs the Sense interface on top of Android OS 2.1. The Droid Incredible ($200 with a two-year contract) features a 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, a fast 1GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera, MicroSD-card expansion up to 32 gigabytes, multitasking, and the Friend Stream social network aggregator.

The Droid Incredible lacks a physical keyboard. Its touchscreen provides the primary user interface; voice command is also an option for calls, search, and GPS navigation.

2. Motorola Droid

Verizon's Motorola Droid features a slide-out keyboard, a 3.7-inch, 480-by-854-pixel touchscreen display, Android OS 2.1, MicroSD-card expansion up to 32 gigabytes, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 support, a 5-megapixel camera, and hardware-accelerated graphics.

The Droid ($200 with a two-year contract) features an excellent and surprisingly fun voice-enabled search and GPS navigation capability. This makes the Droid stand out from older Android smartphone offerings.

3. Motorola Cliq

The T-Mobile Motorola Cliq features a slide-out keyboard, a 3.1-inch, 320-by-480-pixel capacitive touch display, and the MotoBlur social network aggregator. The Cliq ($150 with two-year contract) has Wi-Fi support, turn-by-turn GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, and a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack.

It runs the now-dated Android OS 1.6, so don’t expect some of the latest Android OS 2.1 apps to work.

4. Samsung Moment

The Sprint Samsung Moment ($100 with a two-year contract) features a slide-out keyboard, a 3.2-inch, 320-by-480-pixel AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display, a 3.32-megapixel camera, and Android OS 2.1.

5. Samsung Behold II

The T-Mobile Samsung Behold II has a brilliant 3.2-inch, 320-by-480-pixel AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display, a 5-megapixel camera, and TouchWiz 2.0, a touch-friendly user interface running over the now-outdated Android OS 1.5.

Note: the newest Android Market apps may require Android OS 2.1 for full functionality.

The 5 Best Android Smartphones Out Now

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46 Million Media Tablets to be Released by 2014

In a trend kick-started by the Apple iPad, more than 46 million media tablets are expected to ship in 2014. This is according to the new "Worldwide and U.S. Media Tablet 2010-2014 Forecast" released by IDC on Thursday.

Up substantially from the 7.6 million tablets likely to ship this year, that forecast points to a compound annual growth rate of 57.4 percent. Of course, that includes not just the iPad but other tablets following its lead and competing in the marketplace, including the new Archos 7 Home Tablet, a tablet from the likes of Intel, and a potential tablet from the team of Google and Verizon.

IDC's definition of a media tablet is one that sports a 7-inch to 12-inch display, is powered by an ARM processor, and runs a lighter operating system such as Apple's iPhone OS or Google's Android. Such tablets don't offer built-in hardware keyboards but instead ask you to use a stylus or your finger to navigate. That description sets them apart from tablet PCs, such as the Archos 9, which are powered by x86 processors and run full PC operating systems.

Demand for media tablets will be hugely fueled by the amount and variety of third-party apps that give users the content and services they crave, noted IDC.

"The availability of apps unique to media tablets and that differentiate the experience of using one compared with a PC or smartphone will be crucial for driving consumer demand," IDC program director Susan Kevorkian said in a statement. "As the category matures and more media tablet-optimized apps become available, IDC expects that media tablets will evolve beyond nice-to-have devices and become necessities for many consumers."

Beyond just tablets, touch screen devices in general are proving a hit with consumers, according to DisplaySearch's "2010 Touch Panel Market Analysis," released Wednesday.

Total shipments of touch screens hit 606 million last year, a 29 percent boost from 2008. Demand for mobile phones, MP3 players, and GPS units have driven much of that recent growth. Phones proved the biggest factor, with 376 million touch screens shipped for cell phones in 2009. But consumer appetite for all-in-one PCs, Netbooks, and tablets will also spur further gains, according to DisplaySearch.

[via CNET]

46 Million Media Tablets to be Released by 2014

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Google Partners with Sony and Intel to Create Google TV

Microsoft and Apple have been trying to get into your living room for years, with a variety of television-oriented products.

Now Google thinks it can succeed where other computer companies have seen only middling success. The company announced a new set-top box platform here Thursday: Google TV will marry television and the web, so users can search and view both TV and web videos with a single click.

Google TV, which is based on Google’s Android operating system, will have access to Flickr, gaming sites such as Club Penguin, and music sites such as Pandora and Rhapsody. It will combine that with a streaming media interface similar to that offered by companies like Boxee and Roku.

"There are three big limitations with the streaming media devices that exist today," said Rishi Chandra, senior product manager at Google, speaking at the company’s developer conference, Google I/O. "They try to dumb down the web for TV. They are all closed. Many of these devices have to choose between TV and the web."

Google has formed partnerships with Sony, Logitech and Intel to create hardware that will run this "smart TV" Android platform.

The Google TV software will be available on TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes through Best Buy in fall this year. It will be independent of the cable service providers. All devices running the Google TV software will have Wi-Fi and ethernet connectivity, a keyboard and a "pointing device" or a mouse.

Google has also partnered with DirecTV to integrate Google TV into DirecTV’s digital video recorders (DVRs).

Google TV can also be controlled using an Android phone as a remote, says Chandra, and the mobile version of the Android market — Google’s marketplace for Android-compatible apps — will be accessible on Google TV.

[via Wired]

Google Partners with Sony and Intel to Create Google TV

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Dell Streak Tablet to Debut on AT&T this Summer

Dell's upcoming highly anticipated tablet, the Mini 5 aka 'Streak', is getting closer to an official release date. For now we have to settle for "late summer," company CEO Michael Dell said at a conference.

Unlike most gadgets nowadays, the Streak will be launching first in Europe on O2 Telefonica, followed by release in the U.S. for AT&T customers.

Similar in stature to the Sony PSP, Dell's Streak isn't directly an iPad-killer. Featuring a 5 inch capacitive touchscreen, a 5 megapixel camera on the back, a separate front-facing camera that can be used for video conferencing, a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi with 3G connectivity and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor.

It will be running on the latest version of Google's Android operating system, 2.0 or higher. Dell hopes to offer a SIM card option instead of just processing data, so users can make phone calls through the device. There has been no word thus far as far as pricing goes for this device.

Dell’s tablet seems to be the first real shot against Apple's iPad.

Dell Streak Tablet to Debut on AT&T this Summer

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What You Need to Know About the HTC EVO 4G

Unable to make a bigger splash in the cell phone market last year with the Palm Pre, Sprint is looking to launch a genuine hit with the HTC EVO 4G. The Android powered phone is scheduled to be on sale starting June 4 for only $200 with a standard two-year contract agreement.

A minimum of $70 per month (with Sprint's "Everything Data Plan") will be required for the HTC EVO 4G, as well as an additional $10 per month for 4G coverage. The additional $10 per month charge is mandatory for all EVO 4G users, regardless of whether you live in a coverage area or not. However, the extra $10 premium data add-on will more than likely mean there will be no data cap for either 3G or WiMAX.

For an excellent overall viewing experience, HTC's EVO 4G features a large 4.3" (800 by 480 pixel) touch screen, an impressive two cameras (8MP camera on the back for photos and HD video; 1.3MP front-facing camera, for video chat and self portraits.), and a kickstand for viewing the phone on a desk or table. Capable of supporting Adobe's Flash video platform, you will also be able to play back 720p video on an external monitor through an HDMI cable.

As many HTC users have become accustomed to, the EVO 4G layers its Sense user interface on top of Android 2.1, but with a new feature called "Leap." This is a multitasking manager that reveals every open program when you pinch anywhere on the phone's home screen.

The HTC EVO 4G has four virtual touch-sensitive navigation buttons (Home x Menu x Back x Search), similar to Google's Nexus phone. It also has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and can be used as a mobile hotspot, where users will be able to connect up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices. According to Sprint, this feature will cost an additional $30 per month.

On the downside, and what could prove to be the only flaw in this device is the potential battery life. Sprint has yet to provide specific battery life for the smartphone when outside of 4G coverage, but a company spokesman was quoted to estimate the life to be more than five hours.

What You Need to Know About the HTC EVO 4G

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8 Ways to Further Enhance Your Smartphone

Is your smartphone being used to it's maximum potential? Chances are that it probably is not, which is the case with most smartphone owners who typically push their devices up to only about half of their full potential. Here are 8 fantastic smartphone apps to help your Android, BlackBerry, or iPhone become much more than you thought it possibly could. Thanks to PC World for the info!


Turn Apps Into a Social Activity

Want to show off all your apps to your friends? Interested in how other Android users rate the apps they have downloaded? AppBrain is the service for you. AppBrain creates a personal app catalog that you can share with other users, as well as peruse the apps of your AppBrain friends and other users. For Apple users, similar services exist for the iPhone, too. Download AppsFire or Appfinder from the iTunes App Store to start sharing your favorite apps.


Communicate With All Your Friends via Fring

A unifying social networking platform for your mobile phone, Fring allows you to use one single app to communicate across multiple social networking platforms, including AIM, GoogleTalk, ICQ, Skype, Twitter, and Yahoo Messenger. Fring eliminates the need to download specialized apps for each social network or communication tool; now you only have to worry about which friends you want to reach. Fring is available for iPhone, Android, and Nokia devices.


Make Your Android Powered Phone Location-Aware

The smartphone app Locale for Android lets you set automatic preferences for your phone based on your location. If, say, you tend to forget to turn your ringer off when you reach the office, just customize your phone using Locale to switch your ringer to vibrate whenever you get to work. Once you experience Locale's power and convenience, you'll never want to be without it.


Get Around Town With Ease

Hopstop is one of the best ways to plan bus and subway routes in cities with massive (and often confusing) transit systems. Hopstop is available in 16 U.S. cities, including Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The Hopstop service is available as a mobile Web application compatible with any smartphone that has a browser. For Apple handset users, the Hopstop iPhone app includes phone numbers for taxi services. An SMS version is available for directions, as well.


Find Wi-Fi in Your Area

Apple may have cut Wi-Fi stumblers out of the App Store, but you can still turn to Wi-Fi directories such as JiWire's Wi-Fi Finder to discover over 280,000 hotspots in 140 countries worldwide. JiWire also has an app for Android. A similar service, WeFi, can also help you find a nearby Wi-Fi hotspot; in fact, Fring recently released a WeFi add-on.


Master Automated Menus

Dial Zero is a free application for Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone that promises to deliver the best phone number or strategy for getting a human being on the phone when you're calling a company's toll-free number. Just as Fonolo.com allows you to skip automated menu services for big companies, so does Dial Zero. The major difference is that Fonolo.com automates the process, limiting the number of companies it works with. Dial Zero, in contrast, offers instructions and tricks on how you can reach a real person.


Compare Prices With ShopSavvy

You can find many applications out there that turn your smartphone into a bar-code reader, but the best one out there is ShopSavvy. This app quickly scans any product bar code to do price-comparison shopping online and at local stores. You can also create wish lists or set up price alerts based on your scanned items. ShopSavvy is available for Android, iPhone, and Nokia smartphone devices.


Use Your iPhone as a Mouse

For iPhone users, Logitech offers a handy free app called TouchMouse that turns your iPhone into a wireless mouse by way of your Wi-Fi network. This could be great if you wanted to sit back on the couch and control a laptop hooked up to a TV, for instance. All you need is the iPhone app and the desktop software for Windows or Mac. If you find TouchMouse difficult to control, adjust the "Scrolling Speed" option under "Settings" on the iPhone app.

8 Ways to Further Enhance Your Smartphone

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Android Shakes Up U.S. Smartphone Market Outselling the iPhone

According to information from The NPD Group's Mobile Phone Track there has been a shift in the smartphone market as the Android OS has edged out Apple's iPhone OS for the number-two position just behind RIM. NPD’s leading wireless market research reveals that based on unit sales last quarter, the Android operating system moved into the second position at 28%, ahead of Apple’s OS at 21%, while RIM's OS remained at the number one spot with 36%.

"As in the past, carrier distribution and promotion have played a crucial role in determining smartphone market share," said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD. "In order to compete with the iPhone, Verizon Wireless has expanded its buy-one-get-one offer beyond RIM devices to now include all of their smartphones."

Strong sales of the Droid, Droid Eris, and Blackberry Curve via these promotions helped keep Verizon Wireless’s smartphone sales on par with AT&T in Q1. According to NPD’s Mobile Phone Track, smartphone sales at AT&T comprised nearly a third of the entire smartphone market (32%), followed by Verizon Wireless (30%), T-Mobile (17%) and Sprint (15%).

"Recent previews of BlackBerry 6, the recently announced acquisition of Palm by HP, and the pending release of Windows Phone 7 demonstrates the industry’s willingness to make investments to address consumer demand for smartphones and other mobile devices," Rubin said. "Carriers continue to offer attractive pricing for devices, but will need to present other data-plan options to attract more customers in the future."

The continued popularity of messaging phones and smartphones resulted in slightly higher prices for all mobile phones, despite an overall drop in the number of mobile phones purchased in the first quarter. The average selling price for all mobile phones in Q1 reached $88, which is a 5 percent increase from Q1 2009. Smartphone unit prices, by comparison, averaged $151 in Q1 2010, which is a 3 percent decrease over the previous year.

[via NPD.com]

Android Shakes Up U.S. Smartphone Market Outselling the iPhone

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