DJ Rivals For Android, Next Best Thing To DJ Hero On The Wii?

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Big fan of DJ Hero for the Wii?  Well, I think this might be the closest you’re going to get to it on your Android smartphone, for now anyway.  DJ Rivals, by developer Booyah Inc, is  a fast paced rhythm tapping, cross-fading, bass dropping and live scratching game for the DJ enthusiast in you or any plain old average Joe wannabe.  Whatever the case, get ready to battle to reclaim stolen ground by Bland Corp, a money hungry corporation taking over Nightclub City.  Some of the features you’ll find in this action packed DJ endeavor are real place battles, funny entertaining cinematics and challenging bosses to master.  The game, overall, is not bad on a smartphone, especially one with a large 4.3-inch screen like the Evo 4G and the 4-inch T-Mobile G2X.  However, I highly recommend if you have a tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7-inch, give it a try, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.  Ready for the download?  Head on over to our apps database where you’ll find a QR code for your convenience or hit up the download over in the Android Market.  Don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments below.  Hit the break for some more screenshots and to view features from the developer.   

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Sony Ericsson ST18i and CK15i leak

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What could be Sony Ericsson’s replacement to the XPERIA X8 has apparently leaked, under the codename the Sony Ericsson ST18i “Asuza”, along with another new touchscreen/QWERTY handset, the CK15i. Similar in appearance to the new XPERIA mini, the ST18i is tipped to have a 3.3-inch display and run Android 2.3 Gingerbread; the CK15i is believed to be launching as the Sony Ericsson txt pro, and have a slide-out keyboard like the new XPERIA mini pro.

The ST18i has twin cameras – front and back – with the rear one having an LED flash. Inside is believed to be an unspecified ARM Cortex A8 processor; this probably won’t be a high-end device, but instead positioned in the mid-range for those who want a bigger display than the compact XPERIA mini but not something quite as big as the Arc. As for the CK15i, that looks to have the same 3.3-inch display size – said to be running at 240 x 400.
An official launch for the ST18i could be as early as later in May 2011, though that’s obviously not confirmed at this stage. We’re guessing Sony Ericsson will also include its new Facebook Inside XPERIA system.

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Amazon cooking “family of devices” not just one Android tablet?

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Amazon is tipped to have a “family of devices” using the Android OS in the pipeline for a holiday 2011 release, according to the latest leaks, potentially spanning not only various sizes of tablets but smartphones and/or set-top boxes (STB). According to Android and Me‘s sources, Amazon has been working closely with Google on the new range, potentially using Android Ice Cream Sandwich with a heavily customized interface developed by a specialist in embedded systems.

Exact hardware specifications are unclear at this stage, including form-factors, processors and screen sizes/types. Amazon has been tipped to be looking at Pixel Qi and color E Ink panels, though CEO Jeff Bezos has recently said that he believes color E Ink to be “not ready for prime time.” Instead, he thinks “it makes a lot of sense for there to be a low-power, reflective color display. I think that’s something you could build a fantastic product around.” That could suggest Qualcomm’s mirasol; the company recently showed a prototype ereader/tablet with a front-illuminated mirasol display, promising it would show up in hardware from fall 2011.
WiFi and 3G options as with Kindle seem likely, along with competitive prices as Amazon pushes its “family” against other tablets and STBs it ranges. Bezos recently told press to “stay tuned” for more information on the infamous tablet plans.

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Samsung Galaxy S, gain full control of your device with nitrality

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We’ve got another great application coming from another genius developer over at XDA. This app is called ‘nitrality’. XDA member nitr8 has developed an application that allows you to control many of the features and functions of your Samsung Galaxy S from one app.
Hit the break for the list of features from the nitrality XDA thread and some screenshots.

Full-featured tool to control your SGS.

• Change Display Resolution
• Change Popup Animation Speed
• Change Transition Animation Speed
• Enable / Disable Fancy Input Animations
• Enable / Disable Media Scanner
• Clean Media Thumbnails
• Install ALL apps in a Custom made ZIP File
• Install a Theme from a Custom ZIP File
• Backup / Restore Insane Zeam config (If on insanity rom)
• Backup / Restore efs Folder
• Change CSC Code
• Easy Access to Secret Codes
• Install / Uninstall Various Samsung / System apps
• It also includes a flash light, just hit the nitrality logo.

If you try out this app on your SGS, let us know, in the comments what you think of it. Also, don’t forget to give the dev some props and any feedback you might have over at the thread. You can also find the app in the Android Market.

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Samsung Galaxy S II Able To Use Standard USB OTG Cable For USB On-The-Go Access

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Samsung Galaxy S II owners waiting for the release of their USB On-The-Go cables will wait no longer thanks to member NZtechfreak over at XDA.  The member discovered that a standard off-the-shelf USB OTG cable will do just fine while simultaneously saving you a major hole in your wallet.

Only enough power to supply pendrives, but drives with their own power supplies, or drives connected to the phone via an externally powered HUB, will work.

Read speeds are fast enough to watch 1080p content.
Unfortunately USB keyboard/mouse, and two different USB gamepads were a fail.

If you want more info, check out the original thread over at XDA.  If you get this to work for your Galaxy S II feel free to drop us a comment or two below.

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HTC ThunderBolt OTA Update This Weekend [Rooted Users Included]

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Take a peek in your ThunderBolt guts right this very moment because an update is coming your way. You might end up getting a notification starting yesterday, but if you’re in to the whole “I’d like my phone to be as awesome as it can be” thing, head to settings – software update – check new and you may well have a surprise waiting for you. This is the update we noted at the beginning of this month and includes items in web browsing, data access, email, messaging, and a bunch of tiny items you might never notice but might as well update because updating is awesome.

An important note to make here for you rooted ladies and gentlemen is that you might want to consider updating your device in a non-traditional way. Apologies if the title led you to believe that Verizon was suddenly supporting your ability to super-use your phone, but thou shalt not wait in darkness, jcase is on the case. Head over to the thread entitled [ruu][rooted][MR1 aka OTA] CONFIRM Build Number: 1.13.605.7 Baseband: 1.16.00.0402w_1 for your full instructions on how to get the update without un-rooting in any way. Please be aware of the requirements and if you don’t understand any part of the instructions – don’t do it!
That said, here’s what you’ll be getting whether you do the update the normal way through settings on your non-rooted device or with magic on your rooted device:

Web Browsing and Data Access
• Enhanced data connectivity when accessing the Verizon 3G network
Email and Messaging
• SMS and MMS messages are stored properly in the Messaging Application (Inbox, Sent, etc.).
Additional Device Features
• Timing for device activation has been improved.
• “Backup Assistant” is correctly displayed in the Application menu.
• Stability improvements for data centric applications such as Facebook, KAYAK, Yahoo! Mail, My Verizon and more.
• Accurate location is displayed when accessing the Weather Widget
• Quickly load GPS updates for Google Maps and VZ Navigator™.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab for $199 at AT&T – Refurbished

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AT&T’s crazy deal of the weekend is the refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab for $199.99, and free shipping. So if you are looking for a cheap Android tablet that is easy to root and sweeten up with some Gingerbread, this might be the deal for you. You have to get a data plan, too, but you can cancel it later if you want to. These are selling for $349.99 new, so 200 bucks is a pretty nice deal.

You can find rooting instructions here at the XDA forums, if you should need them. It comes with a 90-day warranty as well.
So the Samsung Galaxy Tab features:
Android 2.2
7-inch 600×1024 WSVGA display
Wi-Fi support
1GHz hummingbird processor
1.3-megapixel camera
4000mAH battery
The deal ends May 15th (Sunday), at 9pm PST. So what do you think? Tempting? Or is it less tempting now that you have seen the 10.1 inch Galaxy Tab at Google I/O? The Galaxy tab is a solid piece of equipment, though, so it might be worth picking up. Think of it as your “beach tablet”.

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Samsung Galaxy S II Official Extensive Live Demo [VIDEO]

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The almighty Samsung Galaxy S II has already hit Korea and the UK, but has yet to reveal a date for its U.S. release. Either way, with a recent announcement of a NFC-enabled version heading to the UK in June, the device is certainly ready to set foot on our shores any day now. And what better way to whet our appetites than with an extensive 12-minute long demo to show off its power, speed, and cool new UI features.

The Samsung Galaxy S II is the successor to the wildly popular Galaxy S. So far, it’s been setting its own records with a over 3 million pre-orders to date. It sports a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor, a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen covered with Gorilla Glass, an 8-megapixel full HD camera, and the new TouchWiz 4.0 UI running on top of Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
The official video from Samsung below brings over 12-minutes of cheery music and detailed demonstrations of almost every facet of its new TouchWiz user interface. You can expect to see its new 3D graphic effects and motion control, as well as a new customizable home screen with Live Panel. Widget size and layout can be freely customized, unlimited access to web browsing with Flash, and much much more are awaiting you to discover. So go ahead, take a look and let us know what you think.

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Leaked Netflix apk Comes to All Devices (with a little root magic)

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It was a bit disappointing when an Android Netflix app was finally released, and many found out their phone wasn’t supported, but now the proud owners of rooted phones can get the app with a little bit of searching and some sneakiness.

1) Make sure you have enabled “side loading” apps. Check Menu > Settings > Applications, there you should have “Unknown sources”
2) The first thing you have to do is download the apk to your phone. All you have to do is follow this link in your phone’s browser and download it.
3) Once the apk finishes downloading, click the “download complete” notification, and you’ll be prompted to install it.
You now have Netflix! HOWEVER, there have been several reports of receiving an error “Sorry we could not reach the Netflix service. Please try again later. If the problems persists please visit netflix.com. (1005)” when trying to stream anything. The fix found so far is a bit of root magic, we’ll help you out with that below:
First, you have to be rooted, a quick search can find plenty of guides (a good place to start is XDA-developers) , and it’s usually pretty straightforward. Once you’re rooted follow on.
1) First you’ll need some sort of root file system editor such as ASTRO File Manager.
2) Using your new app, make a copy of build.prop from the /system folder, we’re going to be making a change to it, and if it breaks anything else, we want to be able to go back.
3) Go back to the build.prop file in /system and change these two lines:
ro.product.model=’your phone’s name’ to ro.product.model=Nexus S
ro.product.manufacturer=’whatever’ to ro.product.manufacturer=samsung
4) Reboot the phone and it should be working
Give it a try and let us know what phone you have and how it works!

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OGT Mobile Teases Eros Tablet [Video]

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There will be tablets aplenty coming out this summer, in fact, we may even decide to call it “the summer of the tablet”. And we had heard that OGT Mobile had a tablet coming out called the Eros Tablet, and that it is called “the world’s thinnest tablet”. But we don’t know much more than that. Today, OGT has come out with a teaser video to get us all excited.


The video has suspenseful music, along with text that comes flying at you. The descriptive phrases and adjectives used to describe the new Eros tablet in the video are: the next big thing, a whole new way, something killer, beyond magical, one of a kind, innovative, flat out stunning, incredible, wonderful, and unreal.
Then, the shot goes to a shadowy outline of a tablet. And OGT promises to surprise us all with this tagline: “Every so often a product comes along that shakes up the industry. It gives you unexpected features and makes you wonder why they weren’t always standard. Prepare to be unleashed.”
We look forward to seeing what OGT has in store, and if it actually is as surprising as they promise. We’ll keep you up to date, and let you know when we get more information.
Here is the video:

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HTC Sensation 4G – A Closer Look [VIDEO]

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The HTC Sensation 4G will be HTC’s first dual-core smartphone and one of its first to feature their slick Sense 3.0 interface. We caught a quick intro to the interface with their “First Look” video and we’ve also got a hands-on video. But if that isn’t enough, then behold the latest almost 6-minute long video from HTC that gives a much closer look and intimate tour of the device.

The HTC Sensation features an aluminum unibody chassis powered by a 1.2Ghz Qualcomm dual-core processor. It sports a 4.3-inch contoured glass touchscreen qHD display, which gives you 35 percent more pixels than a typical display and provides true 16:9 widescreen dimensions. It has an 8-megapixel back camera capable of 1080p HD video recording.
All those hardware specs are impressive, but this new HTC “Closer Look” video smartly focuses more on what those specs can do for you. Emphasis is really placed on the enhanced user interface, Hi-Fi audio, and the overall multimedia experience that comes from the new HTC Sense 3.0 UI layered on top of Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread.

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Google News Regional App on Android Market

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This is not an official Google app, it is an outside developer. The app uses the language set in the phone plus the coarse position of the user to choose your location, mine immediately went to U.S.A. I thought I might be able to set it to a more precise location than that, but it is only at the country level it seems.

Some minuses for this app are that you can’t refresh from the menu, and it doesn’t seem to automatically refresh. Also, there are ads at the bottom of the page. One of the commenters asked the developer to “please remove the Zombie ad now”, so it seems some of the ads might be a bit questionable. The app is free, but honestly, it isn’t that different from just accessing Google News from your browser, I guess it saves you a few seconds because you just click on the app to open to news, but that doesn’t seem very valuable. This doesn’t look like a keeper to me.
Let us know what you think. You can check out the app on the Android Marketplace here.

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Google I/O 2011 T-Shirt Puzzle Deciphered

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Google always has some fun with its I/O t-shirts and this year is no exception. There was a hidden message in the shirts, which appeared to have some sort of binary or Morse Code on the back. You can take a look at the shirt below and see if you can decipher it before continuing after the cut for the answer.

Putting the dots and dashes in line and considering the line breaks to be spaces, it turns out to indeed be Morse Code. After plugging it into a Morse Code translator you will find that the message is actually HTTP://GOO.GL/A4C639. An interesting note about the URL is that the “A4C639” is actually the HEX value for the Android green color.

Plugging in the URL in your browser, you will find that it forwards you to a page that invites you to Androidify yourself with the limited edition Google I/O 2011 t-shirt. Google sure knows how to have some fun. You should check out the ‘Android Eats Apple’ wallpaper that was displayed on the big screen during the first day’s keynote.

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HTC Flyer Unboxing And First Impressions [Video]

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The HTC Flyer comes just after a slew of recent Android tablets including the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Motorola XOOM, and the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer. But what makes this 7-inch tablet stand out is its compatibility with a digital stylus for convenient note-taking. Chris Davies from our sister site SlashGear has gotten his hands on it and brings us now the unboxing and his first impressions.

Although these days it seems the stylus, Davies finds that it does help set the HTC Flyer apart from the slew of near-identical Honeycomb tablets. The stylus shows promise and the digital ink flows smoothly despite the tablet’s 1.5GHz single-core Snapdragon processor. The tablet is also full of neat features such as Evernote integration with its handwriting recognition, a twin set of fascia buttons that rotate automatically for portrait or landscape orientation, and a sturdy paperback-sized chassis.

However, he notes that the HTC Flyer unfortunately still runs Android Gingerbread instead of Honeycomb, which could prove to be a problem for the device should updates to Honeycomb not pan out, although they are in the works. The absence of a holder for the digital stylus as well as broader app support for using the stylus are other negative elements. He will be doing a full review soon at SlashGear, so stay tuned. You can read his full first impressions here.

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‘Android Eats Apple’ Wallpaper Download

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At the Google I/O developer conference earlier this week, Google poked a little fun at Apple on its big screen during the first day’s keynote. They showed an illustration of the Android robot happily eating an apple, which had many folks not only thinking it was funny but wanting it as a wallpaper. Thanks to the original artist, it is now available.

The artist behind the ‘Android Eats Apple’ illustration is Fraser Ntukula, who tweeted the original image that’s been hosted at DeviantArt. You can go view it here. The original, however, has the text “Not evil, just hungry” scrawled out below the illustration, which was noticeably cut out from the one shown at Google’s developer conference.
If you haven’t been following up on the Google I/O announcements, then make sure to check the recap and our follow up posts, including a guide of the newly unveiled Google Music Beta.

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Quick Look at Today’s Amazon Free App: Chalk Ball

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Today’s free Amazon app is called Chalk Ball, normally priced at $1.99.  Chalk Ball is a reincarnation of the classic “draw a line to bounce the ball where you want it to go” style game, but with a chalkboard art design.  Your goal is to draw chalk lines off which your ball will bounce, to ultimately either bounce into a gold star, or just to keep it in the air as long as possible.  Every time you draw a line, it depletes your chalk reserve, but hitting other chalk balls floating around will replenish it, and there are little chalk spirals that will completely refill it.  The concept, art design, and level of polish make this app an absolute gem.
The game features two different modes: Survival, and Adventure. While these are likely self-explanatory, survival mode is simply a challenge to see how long you can keep your Chalk Ball (who really needs a name, but as far as I can tell, doesn’t have one) in the air. You get points for every chalk target you hit, as well as replenishing your chalk, but it’s definitely a challenge to manage your chalk supply while guiding your Chalk Ball to the various targets and still keeping it in the air.
Adventure mode will take you through a series of stages where screens may scroll and targets will float by, all of which you must maneuver to reach your gold star at the end of the stage. While it’s definitely a challenge just to keep your ball in the air, it’s even moreso when all your obstacles are moving.
As you progress, the game throws new concepts at you — like targets resembling zeros that will deplete half of your chalk if you hit them, or a “ground” across the bottom that will protect you from one fall. By introducing new aspects and having a very simple, approachable concept and an undeniable, adorable charm while you’re playing it, Chalk Ball is quite likely to hook you and keep you coming back for more. I know it has gotten ahold of me, and frankly, I don’t want it to let go. Grab it before the end of the day via the Amazon App Store, and thank me later.

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Dial Your Programs With ZLaunchy For Android, Now Available In The Market

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One of the few things I can recall appreciating on my Blackberry smartphone was the convenience of just typing out a contact’s name from the main screen and their info being suggested, filtered and then revealed before me instantly.  To my knowledge, I regret not seeing this implemented or integrated on the Android OS.  Well, that is until now anyway.  XDA member wojciechka, brings you this very functionality by way of a third party application called Zlaunchy to quickly access your programs.  We hope to see a future release that supports contacts and categories as well.

ZLaunchy was written mainly for those who like the way HTC and other third party dialers allows searching for contacts in a T9-like way – so that finding Adam means choosing 2326 in the phone application. ZLaunchy uses the same idea to run programs on your device.

Ready to give it a try?  Head on over to our apps database for the download where you can also find a QR code available or hit the link to snag the download from the Android Market.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Arriving First On Verizon With 4G LTE?

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At Google I/O earlier this week, every attendee got to walk away with a limited edition Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. We reviewed the slate and compared it with the Motorola XOOM and the LG G-Slate and we even did an epic unboxing battle to which you can vote a winner for a chance to win the limited edition tablet. And what’s even better? Now we get word that the ultra thin and lightweight tablet may be heading to Verizon as its first carrier and sport speedy 4G LTE.

The guys over at DroidLife were tipped with some Verizon inventory screen images that showed four mystery SKUs with model numbers and specs that suggested they may be the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The tablet is listed as SCH-1905 which falls inline with Samsung’s typical model numbering and looks to be coming in both white and black as well as in two storage capacities of 16GB and 32GB.
In a second and third image we can see clearly that the SKUs in question will come running Android 3.0 Honeycomb and be a 4G LTE tablet. Currently, there are no details on when this device would be ready, but since Samsung has scheduled a big press event for May 26th, it’s highly possible that a Verizon 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 slate gets unveiled then.

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Sony Ericsson defends sluggish XPERIA Play PSOne game sales

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Sony Ericsson has dismissed suggestions that poor sales of its PSOne classic games available for the XPERIA Play are a cause for concern, arguing that it’s a matter of awareness rather than lack of appeal. PlayStation LifeStyle [article offline at time of writing] spotted that Sony Ericsson’s five PSOne launch titles had all been downloaded less than 1,000 times, suggesting adoption by XPERIA Play owners was less than impressive.

Of the five, Destruction Derby managed the most downloads (500-1,000) while Cool Boarders 2, MediEvil and Syphon Filter all sputtered to 100-500. Jumping Flash came in last with an unimpressive 50-100.
According to Head of Market Development at Sony Ericsson, Dominic Neil-Dwyer, this isn’t a bad start:

“I think there’s also an awareness thing for people that are getting their hands on the device and where they are choosing to purchase games. There’s only a few, at the minute, PlayStation One titles there, and there’s more coming on a regular basis, and there’s the whole PlayStation as a content provider exclusive to the device, the story about that, that will emerge and people will see.
So, there’s no concerns, it’s a revolutionary device, it’s shaking up the market, we’re very pleased with it. In terms of getting the PlayStation Certified program out, generally, we’re very happy. I think we’ll make a full assessment of if it has achieved our expectations fully, further down the line, so we’re very happy.
We know there’s a lot more to come that we’re not, obviously, releasing yet. We’re releasing as we go, rather than telling everyone the full story, and I think everyone appreciates that you have a good line-up at the start of selling a device, because it is a smartphone and it has a good line-up – and that line-up will grow – and the feedback we got on that line-up is that it is a good line-up, so we’re very happy where we are.”

As we warned in our review of the XPERIA Play over at SlashGear, the boost in gaming titles for Sony Ericsson’s platform that’s expected when the NGP arrives later in 2011 (and, we now know, which the S1 and S2 tablets will support) may come too late for the smartphone. By then, a single-core handset – even one with dedicated gaming controls – may be looking distinctly old-hat.

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NOOK for Android updated: Tablet UI, Digital Magazines, mo

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Barnes & Noble has updated its NOOK for Android app, with a new tablet-friendly UI and the introduction of NOOK Newsstand periodical support. Over 140 titles are available through the digital magazine system, including ESPN and The Economist.

As for the interface, that now gets a library grid view, while book margins and line spacing are also tweaked. The ebook purchasing system has been reworked, and the ArticleView system from the NOOKcolor has been dragged over to the general Android app.

The new UI works on Android 2.1+ tablets, including those running Honeycomb, with 7-inch or above displays; smartphone users will merely get some performance enhancements. The NOOK for Android app is available as a free download from the Android Market, V CAST Apps from Verizon Wireless, Samsung Apps, GetJar and AppsLib.
Press Release:

Barnes & Noble Updates NOOK™ for Android™ App, Gives Tablet Users Access to Largest Digital Periodical Offering on Android
More than 140 NOOK Newsstand™ Titles Including Interactive Magazines
with Exclusive ArticleView™ Now Available to Android Tablet Customers
Optimized Reading Experience for Most 7-Inch and Larger Tablets
Including Honeycomb
Free App Now Available in Android Market, V CAST Apps,
Samsung Apps, GetJar, and AppsLib
New York, New York – May 13, 2011 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, today announced an updated version of its popular, free NOOK for Android eReading application that brings the most comprehensive selection of digital periodicals to customers with Android™ tablets including more than 140 top magazine and newspaper brands from ESPN The Magazine and The Economist to Food & Wine and Us Weekly. To take advantage of large and extra large, high-resolution Android tablet screens, NOOK for Android now offers customers an optimized library grid view and reading experience with enhanced book margins and line spacing, as well as an improved shopping experience and more. The new app features are available for popular 7-inch and larger tablets using Android OS 2.1 and higher (Honeycomb).
Today’s announcement marks the largest digital newsstand offering for Android tablet customers to date, with more than 140 of the best daily, weekly and monthly periodicals, all optimized for high-resolution displays in rich color. Barnes & Noble’s interactive NOOK Magazine™ experience, previously available only to NOOK Color™ Reader’s Tablet™ customers, is now available to the Android tablet community, featuring more than 120 popular titles such as Esquire, Maxim, Men’s Health, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Popular Science, PC Magazine, Elle, O, The Oprah Magazine, Travel + Leisure and many more. NOOK for Android customers with large tablets can also enjoy favorite NOOK Newspapers™ including USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune. All can be enjoyed with a 14-day free trial, via subscription or purchased in single issue form.
With NOOK for Android on larger tablets, magazine reading is easy and engaging with full-color pages in landscape and portrait mode, and Barnes & Noble’s exclusive ArticleView technology (formerly available only on NOOK Color) which features only the article’s text, customized to the reader’s favorite style, on a central panel on the display. NOOK Magazines also feature a universal, easy-to-use reading experience with a slider to jump to the desired page, pinch and zoom to enlarge images and more.
“With our free, updated NOOK for Android application, we’re delivering customers with Android tablets a great optimized reading experience and access to the largest ever collection of interactive magazines, as well as top newspapers, all optimized for high-resolution displays,” said Jamie Iannone, President of Digital Products at Barnes & Noble. “Using their Android tablets, customers can enjoy our collection of more than two million digital books, as well as their morning paper and latest magazines, delivered right to their device through their NOOK for Android app, for an amazing periodical experience which includes our innovative ArticleView feature.”
NOOK Newsstand and the optimized book reading experience on NOOK for Android will be available for customers using 7-inch and larger Android OS 2.1 and higher (Honeycomb) tablets with 800 x 480 (160 DPI or less) or higher screen resolution, and include Samsung Galaxy Tab™, Motorola XOOM™, LG G-Slate™ and ARCHOS internet tablets, among others. NOOK for Android customers on smartphones will also enjoy minor performance enhancements.
NOOK for Android gives customers with Android smartphones and tablets access to Barnes & Noble’s expansive NOOK Bookstore™, one of the world’s largest digital content catalogs, with the most NOOK Books™ priced at $9.99 or less. As part of Barnes & Noble’s promise to “Read What You Love, Anywhere You Like™,” customers can enjoy NOOK Books from their Barnes & Noble digital library on their NOOK Color, NOOK eReader devices and mobile and computing devices using free NOOK eReading software or apps.
Expanded App Availability
To make it easy for Android smartphone and tablet customers to find and download the free NOOK for Android app, Barnes & Noble has expanded availability for the free app to include Android Market, V CAST Apps from Verizon Wireless, Samsung Apps, GetJar, and AppsLib, with more to come. NOOK for Android will also be pre-loaded or made available in future firmware upgrades for some of the current leading and highly anticipated Android tablets coming to market. Customers can learn more about NOOK for Android v2.6.1 at www.bn.com/nookforandroid.

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Confirmed: HTC Sensation dump shows signed bootload

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One of the best things about the Android operating system is the hackable and open nature of the OS. You can unlock mod, change and do pretty much what you want. Comparatively, the iPhone is locked down with a constant fight between hackers and Apple to find and patch holes that allow the phones to be jailbroken. Recently, many of the big names in the Android smartphone market has been doing things like offering unlocked bootloaders for some phones.

Both Motorola and Sony Ericsson have recently decided to play nice with modders and phone hackers. HTC is apparently not to the point yet where it wasn’t to offer its users the ability to load their own custom ROMs. The latest system dump for the HTC Sensation has surfaced, and the first things noticed was that the bootloader is signed. This is particularly troublesome considering that the Sensation is one of the more anticipated devices coming to market.
Without something unexpected happening, this signed bootloader will mean no custom kernel, ROMs, or recovery. There is a chance someone might be able to unlock the Sensation in a manner similar to what happened with the Thunderbolt. We can only wait and see what the smart and crafty hackers will be able to do when the Sensation has been around for a while. This is sad though, anyone can sign up to unlock the Xperia Arc bootloader. Will this keep you from buying the Sensation?

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DROID X2 set for May 26 launch

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We mentioned just yesterday that the DROID X2 dummy devices were turning up hinting at a launch soon. The launch now has a specific day for us to look forward to. The smartphone will land on May 26, almost exactly two weeks from today. This smartphone was originally expected to land today, but was delayed. This will be the first dual-core Tegra 2 Android smartphone on the Verizon network.

A launch date of May 19 is pegged for fulfillment orders, which presumably means that pre-ordered devices will ship on that day. I would imagine that would put the smartphone into the hands of several pre-order users ahead of the official launch date. This is going to be a very popular smartphone and most of you will already know all about the device. In case you have somehow missed the specs of the DROID X2, they are very nice.
The smartphone is tipped to use Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It has a 4.3-inch qHD screen that has a resolution of 960×540. The processor is the dual-core Tegra 2 I mentioned already, and it will run at 1 GHz. The rear camera is 8MP with 720p video recording, and the phone has 1080p output. Internal storage is 8GB via SD card that is included.

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BeBook Live 7-inch Android tablet coming June 21 in UK

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We have already talked quite a bit about the BeBook Live tablet that runs Android. We mentioned earlier this month that the launch date was tipped for this summer. What we didn’t have then was the actual launch date to mark in our calendars. That official launch date has now been revealed by BeBook as June 21. That date comes from an email BeBook sent out in the UK.

That email also had the RRP for the BeBook Live at £229. The price in the States has been pegged at $280. That will make it a very reasonably priced Android device that may prove to be quite popular. The device has Android 2.2 onboard. The machine has a 1GHz Samsung Cortex processor under the hood as well. In all the hardware is very nice considering the price the tablet will sell for. The tablet has a 7-inch multitouch screen, and the resolution is 800×600.
Other hardware specs include 512MB of SDRAM, 4GB of internal flash storage and a microSD card slot. As is typical, that microSD card slot will support up to 32GB cards. The front camera on the device will allow for video conferencing and chat, and it has HDMI output. The BeBook Live should prove to be just as hackable as the Nook Color and I think it will end up being popular with people looking for an entry-level tablet with decent hardware.

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Samsung Galaxy S II updated: Swype swiftness, auto-brightness fix

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Samsung’s Galaxy S II may be fresh to the market, but that hasn’t stopped the company’s engineers from pushing out updates. In fact, we’ve seen two firmware updates arrive through Samsung’s Kies app in short order, bringing the GSII up to i9100XWKE2.

The first left Swype more responsive and apparently also addressed some connectivity issues, while the second fixed the Galaxy S II’s automatic brightness. The firmware is also rootable, which is good news for those looking forward to all the third-party hacks we’re promised.
You’ll need to hook your Galaxy S II up to Kies in order to download the update – we’ve tried through the smartphone’s onboard firmware update tool, and it can’t find any new builds. 

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LG Optimus Pad arrives in UK today

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The HTC Flyer isn’t the only tablet arriving in the UK today. Carphone Warehouse has confirmed that the LG Optimus Pad – aka the T-Mobile G-Slate in the US – is now on sale, offering Android 3.0 Honeycomb and a 3D camera array for stills and video.

Your money gets you a 10.1-inch display – which can show 3D footage, as long as you wear the bundled red/cyan glasses – along with twin cameras, WiFi, 3G and Bluetooth. Inside is NVIDIA’s dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 chipset.
The Optimus Pad will be available from £299.99 on a £25 per month (24 month) contract, which includes 5GB of data, or for £749.99 stand alone. 

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HTC Flyer hits shelves today

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HTC is working its way through releasing the various devices it announced back in February at MWC 2011, and latest to hit shelves is the HTC Flyer. The 7-inch tablet has arrived in EMEA, undercutting the iPad 2 in mainland Europe at least, at €649 $929) for the 32GB 3G + WiFi model, while the 16GB WiFi-only Flyer is priced at €499 /$714).

Unlike in the US, both come with the digital HTC Scribe pen as standard. That can be used to draw, annotate documents or create handwritten notes, which can then be synchronized with Evernote. The Flyer also has twin cameras and marks the debut of HTC Watch, the company’s new streaming movie and TV service.
The HTC Flyer will initially be available in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. Carphone Warehouse has just confirmed that it will be offering the tablet in the UK from £129.99 on a £25 per month (24 month) contract with Talk Mobile, which includes 5GB of data, or for £599.99 stand alone, in both CW and Best Buy stores. HTC’s own online store is here, where the WiFi-only Flyer is £479.99.
 


















Press Release:

HTC FLYER, THE FIRST TABLET WITH HTC SENSE, IN STORE FROM TODAY
Aluminum unibody design with HTC Watch video service and HTC Scribe Technology hits the shelves across EMEA
LONDON, UK – May 13, 2011 – HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, has announced that its first tablet, HTC FlyerTM, will be available in-store from 13th May. Blending HTC’s trademark design language with an all-new HTC Sense user experience that has been reimagined for tablets, the HTC Flyer combines natural touch and pen interaction in either a combined 3G and WiFi or WiFi-only model. As well as being available to purchase in retail outlets, HTC fans will also be able to order Flyer direct through the HTC.com website.
“We are delighted by the positive reactions that HTC Flyer has received since we first unveiled it in February and are pleased to be able to bring it to major markets across EMEA,” commented Florian Seiche, President HTC EMEA. “HTC Flyer is completely different from any other tablet on the market and we look forward to hearing about the different ways in which our customers use HTC Flyer in their daily lives – for both work and play.”
The combined 3G and WiFi HTC Flyer features 32GB of onboard memory which can be expanded with a microSD card of up to 32GB and will retail at €649. A second variant will be available for €499 and features WiFi connectivity and expandable 16GB memory. Both versions will come with the HTC Flyer Magic PenTM that will work with HTC’s Scribe Technology for an alternative to fingertip interaction.
From 13th May, HTC Flyer will be available in the following territories, both in-store and through HTC.com: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
Premium Design and Performance
Weighing as little as a paperback book and encased in sleek aluminium, the HTC Flyer exudes the style and premium build quality that have forged HTC’s reputation in the smartphone market. With a seven-inch display, lightning fast 1.5Ghz processor and high-speed wireless capabilities, the HTC Flyer tablet is perfect for those who have been waiting for a tablet that is both compact and powerful.
HTC Sense for Tablet
HTC Flyer’s tablet-focused HTC Sense experience focuses on surprising and delighting people with its gorgeous 3D home screen. Similar to the experience unveiled on the new HTC Sensation, a unique carousel of widgets puts your most important content and information at the visual center of the experience and offers uncompromised Web browsing with Flash 10 and HTML 5.
Streaming Mobile Movies with HTC Watch
The HTC Flyer is the first tablet to premiere HTC Watch, HTC’s new video download service, offering more than 600 premium movies and TV shows from major studios. Video content can be bought or rented and watched immediately through progressive download. Once purchased, movies are stored in a “cloud locker”, allowing up to five registered HTC devices to download and play the same content.
HTC Scribe Technology
HTC Scribe Technology introduces a wave of integrated digital ink innovations that make it easy and natural to take notes, sign contracts, draw pictures, or even write on a web page or photo. Note-taking has been made smart for the first time by synchronising natural onscreen handwriting with Timemark audio recording. Tapping on a word in your notes instantly takes you to that exact place in time in the audio recording, ensuring you can place your notes in the context of any conversation or meeting. Notes are also integrated with the calendar so when there is an appointment reminder you are automatically prompted with an opportunity to begin a new note or in the case of recurring meetings, to continue where the last meeting left off. In an industry first, the HTC Flyer tablet also features built-in synchronization with EvernoteÄ, the world-leading notes application and service.
For more information, see www.htc.com

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These Dancing Android Toys Are Awesome [Video]

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 I received this email whilst browsing the Android developers’ sandbox area at Google I/O and I had to drop everything when I saw the video that was included – dancing Android toys! The toys – which can be found in several places (including Dead Zebra) – have been modified for mechanical movement. Arms, head, waist – this is more than just a lone spinning motor, folks. And these little guys have a ton of skill. There are no instruction links, unfortunately, but I’m sure a few of you crafty individuals will find a way to emulate this. Video’s above.

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Sprint Enticing Current T-Mobile Customers to Switch With ETF Fee Waived?

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In yet another attempt to smear the AT&T/T-Mobile merger proposal, Sprint is said to be offering customers $175 credits when porting their number over from T-Mobile to Sprint. Think of it as sort of a “safe haven” for customers who are uncertain about Magenta’s future. The $175 should cover most of the ETC you’d otherwise pay (and depending on what type of phone and plan you get, could pay for 2-3 months of service before you’ll have to come out of pocket).

The document states that customers can leave Sprint for T-Mobile and get their ETF waived if the acquisition doesn’t go through, though they have 90 days from the announcement day to do so. And if the proposal does end up being approved, Sprint states you’re theirs “for life”.
Sounds a bit diabolical for Sprint’s taste, I’d think. But you aren’t actually theirs for life – you can just as easily cancel your contract or wait for it to expire. Bad choice of words there. This supposed promotion is said to end July 23rd. Be sure to call around and see if this is legit if you’re intrigued by the offer.

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What Do You Think of Google Ice Cream Sandwich OS?

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During Google I/O 2011 in San Francisco, the Google guys demonstrated the upcoming newest of their mobile operating systems, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and the word is that Ice Cream Sandwich will be a universal OS for both smartphones and tablets, so as the Google guys say…one OS Everywhere.
According to an article over on Engadget, Ice Cream Sandwich will join Android 2.3 Gingerbread and the tablet centric Android 3.0 Honeycomb to play nice on the smallest Android smartphone to the biggest Android tablets, probably why they call it sandwich.
The Google guys apparently demonstrated a few new additions to the new operating system during the keynote including such stuff as camera focus shifting based on voice recognition and face tracking.
Also the Google guys have come up with peer-to-peer NFC sharing, something my colleague Lawrence reported on previously, although most of the details on the new OS are being kept under wraps.
So we’d love to hear from our readers in what they think of the Google Ice Cream Sandwich OS so far, so please cast your opinion in our commenting area below.

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Official T-Mobile G2 Gingerbread ROM Leaked

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We’ve already seen a test build of the Gingerbread ROM that’s soon to be headed to T-Mobile G2 customers, but 911Sniper has leaked yet another. And this time, it looks to be a final, stable build. ROM makers are going to want to get their hands on this one right away, but for those of you who don’t fancy doing that sort of stuff today’s leak suggests T-Mobile is just bout ready to roll this out to users. Let’s hope to hear official word about it from them sometime soon. Download link is here. 

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Samsung Galaxy S II overclocked to 1.5GHz, used to obliterate benchmarks (video)

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What do you do after you've bought the most powerful smartphone to yet grace the Android universe? Some timid folks would urge you to just enjoy it, but if you're like us, you'll probably want to know just how high that dual-core Exynos 4210 birdie could fly. The processor inside the Galaxy S II started off life at 1GHz, then got sped up by Samsung to 1.2GHz just before release, and has now been taken all the way to 1.5GHz thanks to coolbho3000 over on the xda-developers forum. He's been nice enough to provide the source code and instructions necessary to reproduce this stable overclock on your Galaxy S II, but don't rush off just yet -- there's video of the GSII romping through Quadrant and Linpack after the break. 

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iRobot Ava mobile robotics platform hands-on at Google I/O (video)

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If you're under the impression that robots were all over Google I/O this year, you'd be right -- after all, it's a only small leap from robot to Android. Yesterday we got some hands-on time with iRobot's Ava mobile robotics platform and came away rather entertained. Ava is an autonomous robot that's equipped with and array of sensors (two Kinnect-like 2D / 3D cameras, a scanning laser, ultrasonic transducers, and contact bumpers), driven by omnidirectional wheels, and controlled by its own Intel Core-based computer. The base hosts batteries, motors, as well as electronics and supports a telescopic mast that carries a pod containing touch ribbons, speakers, and a microphone. On top of this pod you'll find a "head" that can tilt / pivot and basically acts as the dock for any Android tablet. Ava is able to navigate a mapped-out space on its own while avoiding obstacles and people along the way -- going as far as to "blush" via RGB LEDs in the base if it accidentally bumps into anything or anyone. This autonomous behavior allows the robot to be controlled by simply setting waypoints and letting the onboard computer do all the hard work of coordinating sensors and motors to get it there safely. Google and iRobot have worked together and created APIs that allow Android developers to write apps -- from telepresence to roaming testimonials -- that control Ava wirelessly from the docked tablet. Both partners are hoping this will spearhead the development of unique new projects which combine the power of robotics and Android devices. There's no word on pricing or availability at this point, which comes as no surprise given that these machines are still very much prototypes. We'll leave you to look at our gallery below and watch the robotic ballet in our hands-on video after the break. 

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View Google And Touchdown Exchange Calendars In Quick Agenda For Android

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Some of my favorite apps to review are ones of productivity.  I’ll take anything from any developer if it’s going to make my life easier in the least slightest form.  Next up to make the productivity apps list is an agenda view widget that integrates content from both Google and Touchdown Exchange calendars along with a ton of other data sources.  The widget is extremely customizable and offers easy access to check out your events, tasks and even contact birthdays while on the fly.  The coolest aspect of the  application is that it can be launched as an app by tapping on the icon from your home screen or by applying the widget to one of your home screen desktops.  If you choose to use it as an app with an icon on the desktop, the widget functionality will not open up until you tap it, subsequently saving you a whole home screen of real estate.  Hit the break to check out another screenshot of the app and to view more info from the developer along with a full list of specs and tasks supported.  Download links are available after the break as well.  Feel free to let us know what you think of the functionality in the comments below.  

Download Links:

Android Market
From The Developer:
Feature list:
- a widget that can show one upcoming event/task, either the next event or and event chosen by you
- an quick loading agenda view that combines calendars and tasks from various data sources
- swipe actions in quick agenda view
- an ICS (iCal) receiver/sender. The send function is still primitive however the receiving function handles most cases as it is based on icsbot
-*lots* of skin and color customizations for all components of the widget, initial look matches Simi clock
If you would like to unlock the full version features you can do it in the application from widget settings or the app drawer icon settings page.
Support for:
- Google calendar
- Touchdown exchange
- Astrid
- Google tasks organizer (GTO)
- SSI gTasks
- Dato gTasks
- Got To Do tasks
- Calengoo tasks
- Due Today tasks

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