Uptake for Android 4.0 or better continues to rise and there are finally more devices fitting this category than those that use the old Android 2.3 Gingerbread software. That’s good for users and for developers. Read more »
Another hot device from this month’s Consumer Electronics Show is about to hit the market: AT&T announced a Feb. 5 pre-order date for the Samsung Galaxy Note. With a 5.3-inch HD display, can this phone, er tablet, succeed where Dell failed with the Streak? Read more »
Tech-savvy Kindle Fire owners planning to turn their $199 tablet into a full-fledged Android slate can roll up their sleeves and get started: There’s now a fully documented process to make it happen. Even better: you can reverse back to a standard Kindle Fire. Read more »
Amazon’s Kindle Fire may already be the top selling Google Android slate and the no. 2 tablet behind Apple’s iPad. Amazon could move up to 4 million tablets this quarter, says iSuppli. And why not when you look at what you can do for $199? Read more »
It took several months, but Netflix for Android is now available to most Android smartphones and small tablets. The latest app update adds support for Android 2.2 and 2.3; a change from the earlier Netflix versions that were tested on a device-by-device basis. Read more »
In May of 2010, I examined the Android fragmentation issue. Is it still a problem? Yes, but based on various Google actions that time, the data shows it’s far less of an issue than it was. And it will always exist under the current licensing model. Read more »
Verizon’s newest LTE phone, the Droid Bionic, launches on Thursday for $299 with contract. Will Android enthusiasts pay the steep price? They might, based on the dual-core processor, high-resolution display, large amount of memory and 4G network support in addition to the laptop docking station. Read more »
Amazon’s long awaited entry into the Android tablet space is nearly ready, but it’s not the tablet that some were expecting. Samsung blurs the lines between tablet and phone with the new 5.3-inch Samsung Note, while Toshiba and Lenovo debut new Android tablets this week. Read more »
Samsung is expanding its smartphone line with the Galaxy R, a slightly smaller version of the company’s fastest-selling handset, the Galaxy S II. The new Galaxy R has a lower quality display and camera sensor, but still offers a dual-core CPU and HD video recording. Read more »
Mobile payments — payments initiated by a phone for a transaction at a physical point of sale or online — will total over $750 billion worldwide by 2015, and many predict they will soon begin to replace a typical credit card transaction. This report analyzes and forecasts the mobile payments industry, from its current technologies to the companies implementing them and the trends we can expect in the coming months. Much of the near-term growth of mobile payments will be driven by near-field communication (NFC) technology, but QR and 2D bar codes, mobile POS systems and SMS transactions are also important platforms for companies to consider when creating business models and strategies. Meanwhile, services from the likes of MasterCard, Nokia, Amazon and Google offer examples for others to follow and clues into the future of the industry. Additional companies mentioned in this report include Research in Motion, T-Mobile, Zong and Groupon. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
If you live in the U.S. and aren’t familiar with the Huawei brand, prepare yourself to get acquainted. The huge China-based networking company also makes phones and its latest, the Vision with Android 2.3, is poised to arrive soon. Mid-tier components are cradled by high-end design. Read more »
Android fans looking for an inexpensive Gingerbread handset with fast mobile connection may find one one August 21: The $99 Samsung Conquer 4G with WiMAX hits Sprint that day. This week also saw an interesting map of the U.S. plus an Android-powered, wearable smart watch. Read more »
Samsung and Apple are set for a show-down between the Galaxy S 2 and next iPhone model. Few Android phones have gone head-to-head with Apple so far. AT&T will offer Gingerbread updates to several phones, while the impressive T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide launched with Android 2.3. Read more »
Six of AT&T’s Google-powered handsets get a software upgrade to Gingerbread, the latest version of Android for smartphones. Starting Monday, the Motorola Atrix 4G gains Android 2.3.4, with HTC’s Inspire 4G to follow. This could help consumer fears of Android updates that never seem to arrive. Read more »
The Samsung Nexus S, essentially a flagship Android handset for Google, launches for AT&T’s network on Sunday for $99 with contract. The NFC chip for wireless payments might be used for Google Wallet. LG’s G2x gained Gingerbread while the iPad is still the tablet to beat. Read more »
Got an LG G2x handset and looking for a new version of Android? LG has created Android 2.3.3 firmware for the smartphone, which hopefully addresses some performance glitches. The software will eventually be pushed over the air to phones, but you can get it now. Read more »
Google is activating half a million Android devices a day, a major surge in just the last couple months, a sign of growing momentum for the platform. Google’s VP of mobile Andy Rubin says activations are growing 4.4 percent week over week. Read more »
Sony Ericsson still wants to the be the top seller of Android phones globally, but will these two new Gingerbread handsets help? The Xperia Active and Ray do bring a few differentiating features, such as the Mobile Bravia Engine and a waterproof design for active consumers. Read more »
Android device owners may enjoy less driving thanks to PayPal: an application update this week adds the ability to deposit checks with an Android smartphone. Acer’s Iconia Tab A500 received a relatively good review while Samsung announced plans for Gingerbread updates on smartphones and 7-inch tablets. Read more »
Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play hits Verizon Wireless May 26, with pre-orders starting a week earlier. As the first PlayStation-certified handset, Sony Ericcson hopes to boost flagging smartphone sales with the unique device. And unlike prior SE handsets, the Play launches with Android 2.3. Read more »
Samsung is will bring Android 2.3, or Gingerbread, to it’s Galaxy S handset line as well as its 7-inch Galaxy tablet. That’s good news, as many Galaxy S owners waited months for the last update. My first look at Gingerbread on the Tab shows many improvements. Read more »
All thoughts will be on Android at tomorrow’s Google I/O developer event, as Android smartphones are outselling all other platforms while tablets haven’t yet found their legs. Here’s what to expect from one of Google’s keynote sessions that will focus entirely on the Android platform. Read more »
I returned my Nook Color within the 14-day window and later saw this video of the device running Android 2.3, or Gingerbread. The custom software turns the $249 e-reader into a useful tablet provided you don’t mind using software to work around some hardware button issues. Read more »
Sprint today announced the Nexus S 4G, with support for Sprint’s WiMAX network, is launching on May 8 for $199 with a two-year contract. Will customers be interested in the new Nexus when dual-core, higher resolution phones are available? They probably will for one key reason. Read more »
Love it or hate it, Google’s Android platform continues to storm the mobile market with 350,000 device activations per day. That annual run rate now rivals all iOS devices sold by Apple in its first three years. Here’s a timeline of how Google accomplished it. Read more »
The first Android 3.0 tablet launched this week: there’s both good and bad in it, ranging from a solid Google experience to a lack of apps, and hardware that won’t work until later upgrades. A faster Firefox is here as is Gingerbread for Nexus One handsets. Read more »
Apple’s iOS currently offers a better mobile gaming platform than Android, but Sony aims to address that with the Xperia Play smartphone: the first Sony PlayStation Certified handset. Running Android 2.3, the phone uses a slide-out set of gaming controls to duplicate the PlayStation portable experience. Read more »
This week saw a new Android handset with two 3.5-inch displays: the Kyocera Echo on Sprint can turn into one larger display or run two apps on the screens at the same time. Twitter saw a huge update while Sonos software is coming soon to Android. Read more »
I spent this week running Gingerbread on my Nexus One, and although it’s not leaps and bounds better than the prior version of Android, it offers nice UI changes. Google Music sync is likely on the way and there’s a great third-party keyboard on sale now. Read more »
Google dominated the Android news this week, as the company announced a number of products and updates. Front and center was the Nexus S and Gingerbread (Android 2.3), and we had a quick unboxing video. Gmail got Priority Inbox support, and YouTube got a facelift. Read more »
Android users will finally be able to play video encoded with the open source WebM video format: Google’s new Android 2.3 Gingerbread release adds WebM support to the platform. However, it may take until long after the holiday season until the Gingerbread man arrives on handsets. Read more »
Google’s latest upgrade to Android, “Gingerbread,” arrives today in the form of a developer SDK and a new flagship phone later this month: the Samsung Nexus S. Amid the improved Android software features, the Nexus S appears to be a marginal upgrade over existing Android phones. Read more »
The next version of Android appears on its way in the coming days, according to a tweet from a leader in the Open Handset Alliance. Gingerbread should help address some of the needs of the Android platform, allowing it to stand up better to the iPhone and Windows Phone 7. Read more »
Nearly three of every four handsets hitting the Android Market are now running modern versions of Google’s mobile operating system, just as rumors begin swirling around Gingerbread, the next Android version. Between Froyo’s uptake and core apps developed as add-ons, Google is quietly reducing Android fragmentation. Read more »
Nearly three of every four handsets hitting the Android Market are now running modern versions of Google’s mobile operating system, just as rumors begin swirling around Gingerbread, the next Android version. Between Froyo’s uptake and core apps developed as add-ons, Google is quietly reducing Android fragmentation. Read more »
