Highly rated gadgets
-
9.0
Sony WH-1000XM3
-
9.1
Apple iPhone XS Max
-
8.0
BlackBerry Motion
-
9.0
Panasonic LUMIX LX100 II
-
8.5
Xiaomi Mi A2
-
9.0
FujiFilm XF10
-
9.1
Apple iPhone XS
-
10.0
Nikon Z 7
-
10.0
FujiFilm X-T3
Atom chip on Android smartphones expected at CES
Like UnlikeFiled in: Cell PhonesOperating SystemsCPUIntelGoogleAndroid
LG Electronics and Samsung are expected to unveil Android smartphones next week that use Intel's latest Atom chip, dubbed Medfield, analysts said. The move, if it pans out, could portend a shift away from ARM-based chips, which are in 95 percent of smartphones.
The arrival of Atom-based smartphones at the International CES show in Las Vegas would join Google and Intel at the hip, said Jack Gold, an analyst at J. Gold Associates. With Google in the midst of acquiring Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, at least some Motorola smartphones could be soon running Atom chips, as well.
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: InfoWorld Add additional source
According to Distimo, there are now over 400,000 apps in the Android Market
Like UnlikeFiled in: Operating SystemsGoogleAndroid
The Android Market has reached a new milestone and is creeping closer towards the iOS app store according to the website Distimo which says there are now over 400,000 applications that can be downloaded now with two-thirds of them being free for the customer.
Crossing the 400,000 app mark is very impressive considering that it was just this past August when the Market hit the 300,000 plateau. This can be attributed to the fact that there are more than 100,000 developers making apps for Android.
Check out the chart that compares the growth between iOS and the Android Market. While it is clear that iOS was faster out of the gate, both platforms hit the 400,000 threshold at around the same ti...
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: Phone Arena 1 related story Add source
Google introduces mandatory Holo theme for Android 4.0
Like UnlikeFiled in: Operating SystemsGoogleAndroid 4.0
Google introduces mandatory Holo theme for Android 4.0 Design defrag : Google has taken the surprising move of requiring all future Android devices, including those on Android 4.0, to feature its default theme, known as Holo.
Essentially, the company is trying to standardise design features across the OS - so the inclusion of Holo is meant to make life easier for app developers to keep their apps looking consistent.
"We've made the inclusion of the unmodified Holo theme family a compatibility requirement for devices running Android 4.0 and forward," explained Adam Powell, an Android Framework engineer.
Don't hate the player
"If the device has Android Market, it will have the Holo themes as t...
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: TechRadar UK Add additional source
Google curbs OEM fragmentation by forcing Android 4 UI code
Like UnlikeFiled in: Operating SystemsGoogleAndroid 4.0
Google in an update for developers has revealed that it's taking a hardline stance on including Android 4.0 interface elements. Although HTC, Samsung, and others can still have a default custom interface and theme, the code behind the stock theme, Holo, now has to sit on the device if a hardware maker wants to have access to Android Market. The policy will make sure that hardware makers can update faster by keeping their theme separate from the OS and provide a consistent look for apps without having to continually adapt code.
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: Electronista Add additional source
Google: Android 4.0 'Holo' theme to be mandatory on all devices with Android Market
Like UnlikeFiled in: Operating SystemsGoogleAndroid 4.0
Google is rightfully proud of its native theme in Ice Cream Sandwich. Dubbed Holo, it's intuitive, functional and -- dare we say it -- downright sexy. Now, in an effort to provide all users with a consistent interface, the company is making the theme essential for all Android 4.0 devices that come bundled with the Android Market. That's right, the stock, undiluted experience. Don't be alarmed, though, because manufacturer customizations aren't going anywhere, and the changes aren't terribly drastic. In fact, for users of Sense, TouchWiz and the like, Google is issuing architectural mandates that will make it dead simple for independent developers to create apps that fit nicely into these cus...
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: Engadget Add additional source
Secret Motorola XOOM project hints at Android 4.0 update
Like UnlikeFiled in: Operating SystemsTabletsMotorolaGoogleXOOMAndroid 4.0
Motorola recently posted a message in its XOOM owners forums alerting customers that the company is working on a confidential project for the XOOM. Any owner of the Wi-Fi-only “Google Experience Device” version of the XOOM can choose to participate. What remains unknown, however, is what the “confidential project” exactly is. We doubt Motorola would spend too much time adding new features or making too many tweaks to the tablet now that a new model has launched, so we think it’s more likely that the company is working on a test version of Ice Cream Sandwich. Motorola confirmed that in October that it plans to issue an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update to the XOOM, RAZR and DROID BIONIC. ...
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: www.bgr.com Add additional source
Samsung Galaxy S II Ice Cream Sandwich ROM released through Kies
Like UnlikeFiled in: Cell PhonesOperating SystemsSamsungGoogleGalaxy S IIAndroid 4.0
Multiple Ice Cream Sandwich beta ROMs for the Galaxy S II have started to trickle out, according to YouMobile. Floodgates, however, are still not widely open, since the new ROM requires Samsung Kies software and can’t be installed over the air. What’s more, we’re not sure every Galaxy S II user can get its Android 4.0 fix — Kies software updates are known to target select markets so you may not see it just yet.
Comment (1) | Permalink More at: IntoMobile Add additional source
LG Intel Android phone to arrive at CES?
Like UnlikeFiled in: Operating SystemsIntelGoogleAndroid
Rumours on Friday suggest that Intel's first venture into the smartphone business will take place at CES with the launch of an LG Android phone.
The Korean Times has it on good authority from sources at both companies that the eagerly-awaited phones boasting the new Medfield SoC will arrive at the Las Vegas tech show.
"LG Electronics will produce Intel's first Android smartphones that use Intel's own mobile platform. The device will be shown at the CES," according to an unnamed 'top-ranking' executive at LG.
Otellini on hand
Intel's top man in Korea Lee Hee-sung told the publication that company CEO Paul Otellini will take to the stage to reveal the device, which could go on sale as soon as ...
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: TechRadar UK Add additional source
Android 4.0 update hell makes NoDo look like heaven
Like UnlikeFiled in: Operating SystemsGoogleAndroid 4.0
The NoDo update, which brought copy and paste to Windows Phone, was a low point for the OS, with the update taking about 3 months to roll out to all handsets.
Now Fudzilla has written an article calling the Android 4 update a joke. The OS update was first demoed in May 2011, and released in October 2011.
Since then the only one device with the OS has been released, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and one handset, the Samsung Google Nexus S, has received the update.
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: WMPoweruser Add additional source
HTC updates bootloader unlock utility to support latest Android lineup
Like UnlikeFiled in: Operating SystemsHTCGoogleAndroid
It wasn't long ago that HTC's bootloader unlock utility hit the masses, thereby righting the company's silly decision to lock its phones down in the first place. Now, continuing its commitment to mod-lovers and those who appreciate freedom, The House of Chou is announcing that its latest lineup of Android phones can find a similar (and proper) fate. The company has released an updated bootloader unlock tool that supports all Android devices released after September of this year. Naturally, this includes such handsets as the HTC EVO Design 4G, Rezound, Rhyme and Vivid. The company has yet to release an updated list of supported devices, but promises to do so in the coming days. While we're st...
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: Engadget Add additional source
Sony Tablet S Ice Cream Sandwich update coming "soon"
Like UnlikeFiled in: Operating SystemsTabletsSonyGoogleTablet SAndroid 4.0
Sony UK used its online forum to say that the Ice Cream Sandwich updated for one of its tablets, Tablet S, is coming “soon.” Unfortunately, they weren’t too specific, leaving us pondering what exactly that “soon” means. Is it the first quarter, the second one? It’s really hard to tell, but we do hope Sony, as a reputable company that is focusing a ton of energy on Android, will release the new software update sooner rather than later…
And before I let you go, I have a Tablet S-related confession to make. I find it to be one of the best 10.1-inch Android tablets out there. Simply put – it fits perfectly into the hand, making reading content on it an awesome experience. In other words, that “m...
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: IntoMobile Add additional source
Pentagon approves one Android device, still testing iOS
Like UnlikeFiled in: Operating SystemsAppleGoogleAndroidiOS 5
It's just one more sign that BlackBerry is falling fast. Now, the US Pentagon has approved a modified Android device for use in the Department of Defense and is testing iOS devices for use as well. BlackBerry had always been the top choice for all government departments because of security concerns on other platforms, but those days are over.
The Pentagon has approved just one single Android device though. The Dell Venue is the only device to make the cut, and even then, it must be running Android 2.2 and have the Android Market removed before it can be used by DoD staff. Additionally, any web browsing done on the device must be routed through the DoD proxy server.
The Pentagon is still te...
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: Phone Arena Add additional source
CyanogenMod Compiler project allows Android tweakers to easily make custom blends
Like UnlikeFiled in: Operating SystemsGoogleAndroid
Ever wish that building your own personal ROM was as simple as placing an order at Starbucks? Well, an intrepid coder known as lithid-cm has taken that vision one step closer with the CyanogenMod Compiler (CMC), a command line utility that allows armchair mixers to remove unwanted features and then compile their own special blend of CyanogenMod. While CMC's functionality is currently rather limited -- which allows users to eliminate languages, wallpapers and tweak themes -- the developer will introduce new installation / removal features and additional plug-in support in future releases. The software is early alpha stage, which means its creator needs the help of others to identify and resol...
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: Engadget Add additional source
Samsung Galaxy S might not get ICS, just a 'Value Pack' instead
Like UnlikeFiled in: Cell PhonesOperating SystemsSamsungGoogleGalaxy SAndroid 4.0
This whole thing with the Samsung Galaxy S and Tab getting the Ice Cream Sandwich update has been a roller coaster to say the least. Remember, Samsung last Friday announced the two devices wouldn’t get the ICS bump, to then only backtrack on it yesterday thanks to scrutiny from the Android community. Now the latest rumor suggest that the Korean manufacturer is cooking up a Value Pack update for the smartphone, which should bring enhancements to make the Android 2.3 platform similar to what you’d get with Ice Cream Sandwich (new widgets, camera improvements, improved web browsing and etc), according to a new report from Korea.
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: IntoMobile Add additional source
Sony Tablet S to get Android 4.0, but no release date yet
Like UnlikeFiled in: Operating SystemsTabletsSonyGoogleTablet SAndroid 4.0
Sony Ericsson has already jumped ahead of the rest of the Android manufacturer pack by committing itself to releasing Android 4.0 on a slew of smartphones and even going so far as to to release "preview ROMs" for several of them. On the tablet side, Sony looks like it's being equally aggressive. In a post on its official Sony forums in the UK, a staffer posted a message proclaiming that "Android 4.0 will be available for Sony Tablet." The language was a little vague, but a follow up post narrowed it down to the Sony Tablet S. Unfortunately, Sony didn't announce a time frame for release of Ice Cream Sandwich or even when it might announce a time frame, saying only that those details would "be...
Comments (0) | Permalink More at: TheVerge Add additional source