HTC Flyer hits Best Buy early, on sale now

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Nick reported earlier that the official launch date for the WiFi only Flyer in the US, from Best Buy, was set for may 22nd. Well an internal Memo went out today, and it looks like the Flyer has hit the stores early, obviously Best Buy want to take advantage of the whole weekend, to move as many units as they can. Remember, this is an exclusive deal to Best Buy, and for $499 you’ll get the tablet itself, but it’ll likely set you back another $80 for the Digital Pen which is not included in the package. SO by the time you walk out the door with the Flyer, Digital Pen, maybe a leather case, you might be out around $620 approximately. Is that a little steep? I don’t think so! So the online portal still has the Flyer up for pre order, but if you truck on over to you local, and it’s in stock, you can get your sweaty anxious techie nerd mitts on one immediately! Wish I was in the States right now

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AT&T’s HTC HD7 launch date set for June 5th

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This is sort of a round about announcement, because the Windows Phone Blog, said the HTC Twitter account said AT&T said the HTC HD7s would be available for purchase on June the fifth. To all intents and purposes this is just the HD7, with a bit of a twist. It has all the same specifications, except for one, and that is what is generating the most interest in this phone. What might that difference be, well a 4.3 inch WVGA, Super LCD display. That’s a huge bump, compared to the plain old LCD in most HD7 units. Locally I know there are a lot of people waiting for the HD7s to get into the wild so they can start importing them. It’s still not live on AT&T’s site yet, still coming soon. So it seems to be a bit of an impasse at the moment, We’ll have to wait for it to go live on AT&T for real confirmation.

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Why Apple is trademarking Thunderbolt and why Sony might be left out

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Thunderbolt (formerly known as Light Peak) may have been developed by Intel, but it's Apple that's been snatching up all the trademark glory. The company first filed in November of 2010 in Jamaica, then followed up in February of this year by securing the rights to the name in Canada, before registering similar claims in Europe, China, and now the US. This raised some interesting questions about Intel's claim to be the exclusive trademark holder (see the more coverage link) and whether or not other companies would be able to use the Thunderbolt brand. Intrigued, we did a little digging and you'll find what we uncovered after the break.

We spoke to Intel, and it turns out that as part of its collaboration on Thunderbolt Apple filed the initial trademark requests before transferring them to Chipzilla. So, there are no worries about this being a Cupertino exclusive on branding. The connector will be known as Thunderbolt across all platforms provided it meets some basic requirements. As Intel's Dave Salvator told us, "a Thunderbolt implementation needs to use the controller chip, and the Thunderbolt connector." That means if Sony is in fact using a USB port, instead of the Mini DisplayPort-like jack found on MacBook Pros, then it will have to find another name for its high-speed peripheral interface. That's not to say it couldn't made compatible with a simple adapter, after all it's just PCI Express in cable form. But, whatever it looks like, it couldn't be called Thunderbolt.

While Thunderbolt requires a chipset that is, for now, built exclusively by Intel, there is nothing preventing other motherboard manufacturers from integrating it into their products. That's good news, especially for AMD fans afraid they were going to be left out. In the future the Santa Clara-based company may bring others into the fold should market demand exceed their manufacturing capabilities.

For now there doesn't seem to be much of a reason to worry about Android-style fragmentation of the Thunderbolt platform. In fact, Intel expects to seen the brand in "many places in early 2012," but there does seem to be room for others to muddy the standard. Meanwhile, USB 3.0 just keeps marching its unified front towards peripheral dominance...

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HTC Evo 3D, View 4G available for pre-order at Sprint

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Sprint customers holding out for the HTC Evo 3D can now inch slightly closer to that glasses-free display -- without dropping by RadioShack. The carrier has confirmed that you can reserve the WiMAX handset by visiting a Sprint-owned retail store and plunking down $50 for a gift card. There's still no word on when you'll be able to get the device in-hand (and the 3D's exclusive carrier is mum on pricing), but, if you don't mind reserving a phone without any hint as to how much you'll eventually need to pay, then Sprint seems happy enough to swap your Grant for a spot on the list. It's also taking names for the Evo View 4G tablet and, like the 3D, that $50 deposit can be used to take a bite out of a 2D handset. You know, in case you decide that a third dimension is too hot to handle. 

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HTC Flyer Hands-On and Unboxing

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Hooray we finally got it! It’s the coolest little tablet this side of the sea – only it’s not just this side of the sea, it’s all over the place. The first place we saw this device, the HTC Flyer, was back at Mobile World Congress 2011 where we got but a tiny glance at what it truly held for us. Then we got a better look at its Sprint counterpart at CTIA 2011. Now we’ve got a full-fledged hands-on look of the device and we’re ready and rarin to go look at all of its insides. Pay special attention to the last question in the post as it’s for YOU!

This device is what I remember thinking at first was the ultimate awesome Android tablet because at that time there was no such thing as an Android device larger than a handset worth it’s salt. Sure, there was a Galaxy Tab here or there, but that wasn’t Honeycomb. That wasn’t what this device ends up looking like: a giant EVO! It’s white in Europe, black in the USA, and here we’ve got this one, just right, just the best. It’s got a scribe pen too for yes, a totally amazing Android experience that includes circling, tapping, and instant screen-shotting like Android always should have.
[VIDEO PROCESSING]

Hands-On and Unboxing of the HTC Flyer This device is a 7.7 x 4.8 x 0.52 inch Android tablet from HTC weighing in at 14.82oz and, depending on which country you buy it in, coming standard with the lovely scribe pen. On the back there’s a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with no flash, on the front there’s a 1.3-megapixel camera for video calls, and inside you’ll find WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth  3.0, GPS, an ambient light sensor, g-sensor and a digital compass.

We’ll be putting this fabulous bucket of cute through some tests for you before the full review, making sure we’re going all directions but bad. Photo examples, video examples, and run-through of all the innards.

Meanwhile, what do you want to know? What DONT you want to know? If you plan on purchasing this device, what might you want to see it do beforehand? Let us know!

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New Details on Droid 3 Confirmed

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With all the sequels coming out, one couldn’t be blamed for confusing a list of phones coming out this summer with a list of summer blockbusters. This particular upgrade happens to be the Motorola Droid 3 for Verizon. More exciting an upgrade from the Droid 2, then the 2 was from the original Droid. The third iteration is shaping up to bring the original Droid line back into the forefront of Android superphones when it is released this June.

A tipster has been able to confirm a few of the rumors that have been swirling about this phone as well as that the launch date will fall in June. First of all, as can be seen in the images of this phone that have been leaked, a full extra row is being added to the keyboard, to act as a dedicated number row. The biggest confirmation was that the screen will indeed be a qHD 4″ screen, presumably the same as the screen on the Motorola Atrix 4G, and while the phone is confirmed to have one of those new-fangled dual core processors, we still don’t know if it’s Tegra, or Texas Instrument’s latest OMAP processor (The original 2 Droids were both powered by single core TI OMAP processors).
One upping it’s X2 cousin, this numbered Droid will be the first Motorola Droid phone to feature a front-facing camera. The phone will unfortunately be LTE-less though. While hardly a surprise given the issues we’ve been hearing about regarding the Droid Bionic, what was supposed to be Motorola’s first LTE phone, it’s a little disappointing when nearly everything that moves is having 4G slapped on the end of its name. Ignoring that phones don’t move, we continue on…
While the lack of 4G is disappointing, the Droid 3 should be a great option for Verizon users who want extra power this summer, and it will be THE phone for Verizon users who need that physical keyboard.

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Samsung Execs Reveal Future Plans

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A meeting last night held by Samsung executives held some gems in the form of potential new Android devices over the next year. The meeting, which was specifically to discuss ways that Samsung will be going after Apple’s market share, was not an explicitly Android event, so we can’t be absolutely sure that these will be Android devices, but the chances are good and there were some exciting things to be heard.

The “biggest” announcement was that Samsung is planning on squeezing that ridiculously high-res tablet screen they recently revealed, which squeezes 2560×1600 pixels into the same 10.1″ screen that is featured on tablets like the Galaxy Tab 10.1. As we’ve seen in the past though that many pixels can put a big strain on a CPU. To accomodate this Samsung has been in talks with companies looking for a chip with enough power.
Another interesting topic discussed was dual screen phones. It’s not unheard of, with the Kyocera Echo being just that, but whether or not it will catch on is a little unsure. The Echo for one, made little splash for being as unorthodox as it is. Then again the Nintendo DS was a gigantic succes. There was also a demo of a Galaxy S II incorporating either RFID, and mention of a potential cloud phone.
With all this in the further future, and plenty of great stuff just in the pipeline (get that Galaxy S II over to America already!!!) Samsung is gearing up for an intense year ahead. Let the Korean Android goodness flow!

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Dell Streak 7 has Gingerbread Launcher Buried Under Honeycomb

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While Ice Cream Sandwich may be the hero to unite the tablet and phone branches of Android that exist right now, it turns out there may have already been a less elegant fix in place. Owners of the Dell Streak 7 have confirmed that if they change certain what the screen’s pixel density is listed as in the build.prop file, they are greeted not by Honeycomb’s familiar holo theme, but a giant Gingerbread UI after a reboot.

Now don’t ask me why people were changing the listed LCD density in their build.prop, but the fact stands its a weird “Easter egg.” It’s unconfirmed why Google included this in Honeycomb, but my personal guess is this is a relic of attempts to make Honeycomb portable to phones. Obviously this was never implemented, but maybe it was left in as a backup in case anyone tried porting Honeycomb to a phone against Google’s wishes.

As you can see in the video above, the UI is actually an unholy combination of Honeycomb, Gingerbread, and FroYo. The unlock screen seems to be Gingerbread, and the system app icons are the familiar green ones from phones running stock 2.3, but the launcher itself, as well as the status bar and notification tray are definitely FroYo, featuring the rounded corners and gray theme of 2.2. Even more confusing is that, at least when powering down, a Honeycomb style menu is presented to choose airplane mode or shut down.
A neat trick, but far from the fix that we all await anxiously for Ice Cream Sandwich to bring. Good to know Google has been working on a solution unifying tablets and phones already though.

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NOOKcolor Update Leaves 1GB Free for Content

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For those of you that don’t know, NOOKcolor is an Android-run reader-centric tablet from Barnes & Noble, one that recently hit the news again due to it’s 1,000,000 downloads of apps in it’s first week of allowing such downloads. New purchasers of NOOKcolor might not be running through the daisies so lightly, as just 1GB of the 5GB of storage the tablet is supposed to have will be partitioned off for side-loaded content. No more Speed Racer keeping for me!

All new boxes of NOOKcolor with a blue dot on them (really, not making this up,) are supposedly containing the versions of the tablet with only a single GB of space left for music, movies, and etcetera. Sure you can still load up the rest with books, but who wants to do that? This may put a big scar in the plans of hackers who’ve been purchasing the device since its inception to unlock and repurpose the hardware for more Androidy awesome uses.
That said, this device will certainly STILL remain a heavy seller because of its tiny price ($249) and ability to be hacked. Certainly the e-reading has something to do with it too. Furthermore, intelligent takers apart of devices with their brains members of the hacking community will almost certainly find a quick way to get past the block noted here.
What about you? Do you have a NOOKcolor yet? Have you broken in? Or do you just use it for the books?
Also remember to check out your humble narrators massive week-long look at this device over at SlashGear.

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TweetComb, Tablet Optimized Twitter App, Now Free in Market

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We gave you a quick look at TweetComb, the first, Twitter client, optimized for tablets not too long ago. The app was definitely pretty, if not a little less intuitive than we’d have liked for it’s $2.99 price tag. Starting today though, the apps creator, Chris Stewart has made it, and another of his apps, Newsr, free to download on the Android Market.

TweetComb is a great example of a tablet app, especially when such optimized apps have been a bit scarce as the Honeycomb platform is only just starting to spread to other apps. If you don’t have it yet, and are in to the whole Twitter thing, go ahead and grab it. It blows top apps for phones, such as TweetDeck and the official app out of the water on a tablet. If you do already have it, don’t worry! The developer has promised a refund to those who paid for the app, with details on his twitter.

Stewart’s other tabler Optimized app is Newsr, a Google Reader client. It may not be quite as pretty as Pulse News Reader, but with automatic Google Reader integration and use, once again, of the UI fragments, it is definitely plenty easy to navigate. The other plus Newsr has over Pulse is that it automatically maintains any organization you have for existing subscriptions in Google Reader, rather than making you add them to a page manually.
These apps are both great examples of what people can do with the extra screen real estate of a tablet, and offer some pretty unique features over their competitors. Give em a try for free, now in the Android Market.

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Droid X2 Hands-On and Unboxing [video]

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The war is on! It’s time for the qHD battle to begin, and it’s begun this morning with no less than a HTC Sensation taking on the DROID X2, and wouldn’t you know it, we’ve got both. Let me introduce you to the newest member of the DROID side – DROID X2! This is a Motorola device that appears at first to be ever so slightly different from the DROID X it replaces – will it be too much for those who love new specs to bear? And what about other phone comparisons? Would you like a couple of pics of the DROID X2 next to the G2x? Sure!

The dimensions on this mother are exactly the same as the first DROID X at 5.02 x 2.58 x 0.39 inches. Next you’ve got to notice the weight, right? Not especially – they appear to be basically exactly the same there too. What about the display? Oh here we go, a new item! This newest version of the DROID X is a 4.3-inch 960 x 540 qHD display, rather than the 854 x 480 resolution screen in the older version. Of course this new version has a whole extra core as well: NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 dual-core revvs this engine up.

Inside you’ll also find Android 2.2 Froyo, an 8-megapixel camera on the back with the ability to grab 1080p video, Wifi b/g/n and CDMA radio. You’ll be using this device on Verizon’s network, but only on 3G – no LTE for you! Have a peek at a SunSpider Javascript benchmark here for an additional piece of improvement candy (lower is better):

SunSpider Java Benchmark in Stock Browsers

Next, in Quadrant Advanced: Droid X2: total = 2743 (CPU 7241 / IO 2846) / Droid X: total=1353 (CPU 1266 / IO 3044) IO actually dropped on Droid X2!
Finally in SmartBench 2011: Droid X2: 2775/2423 / Droid X: 844/1499 vs. Galaxy S II (powered by Samsung 1.2Ghz dual-core): 3830/2249

Then prepare yourself for the greatest unboxing and hands-on video you’ve probably ever seen in your life, courtesy of the best camera and most stolen tripod in history. Steven Spielberg, you thief!






Unboxing and Hands-On

Then take a peek at this gallery of pics below. Included are several shots from our good friends at SlashGear (you’ll notice the difference by the bright white heaven setup that Vince has going on) comparing the DROID X to the DROID X2.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY for Verizon available for pre-order now

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We told you about Verizon finally getting the Xperia PLAY on their network on May 26th, and now you can beat the line (and possibly stock) by ordering it online now until May 26th for $199.99 on a two year term. It comes with 7 pre-installed PlayStation titles to get you gaming as soon as you turn it on. The titles include;

• Madden NFL 11
• Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior
• Asphalt 6: Adrenaline
• The Sims 3
• Star Battalion
• Crash Bandicoot
• Tetris

Game on!

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Google Maps Now on all Mobile Browsers

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So you’ve tried to access Google Maps from your web browser on your handheld device before and you’ve been miffed. They’ve told you that you’d have to access such a thing via an app that you’ve have to download, yes? Well no more, ladies and gentlemen, no more indeed. Google’s looked at their statistics (as they certainly do every single hour of every single day) and they’ve found that 40% of Google Maps usage is done from mobile devices. Because they want everyone to have a consistent Google Maps experience wherever they go and having an app compared to the browser version just wasn’t good enough, they’ve made the mobile version work with flying colors.

Behold above and below some lovely screenshots then go check it out yourself by looking up Google Maps in your mobile browser. You’ll find a whole slew of working elements, basically exactly the same thing you’ve been loving since the beginning of time from your desktop machine. The laundry list of elements that will be featured for you are thus:
• See your current location
• Search for what’s nearby with suggest and auto complete
• Have clickable icons of popular businesses and transit stations
• Get driving, transit, biking, and walking directions
• Turn on satellite, transit, traffic, biking, and other layers
• View Place pages with photos, ratings, hours, and more
• When signed into your Google account, access your starred locations and My Maps
This update makes Google Maps platform independent, allowing you to access it from any device that has a web browser. Take a peek at how it’s working for you now over at http://maps.google.com/

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Samsung Galaxy S II vs HTC Sensation [VIDEO]

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Behold the ultimate right now battle of the century. In this corner the newest and greatest dual-core device from Samsung, the next generation of the best selling series of Android smartphones in history, Samsung Galaxy S II! And in this corner, newly formed 4.3-inch round-sided king of the HTC world, blasting forth with another dual-core processor for a battle that’ll be remeniced about for centuries to come, the HTC Sensation! This war is a long time coming – or a long time coming if you consider technology time which is basically 100x faster than normal time. Let the fight begin!

Samsung offers the thinner of the two devices while HTC’s feel is what Chris Davies considers “better in the hand.” It’s curved on the front and curved on the back for a fully comfortable feel – high-quality metal and soft-touch plastic make for a device that appears to be much more expensive feeling than its Samsung opponent. The HTC here is thicker with 11.3mm versus 8.49mm and just under a millimeter longer, but it’s narrower than the S II by a bit. Rounded corners on the Sensation also add to the feeling that this is a smaller phone.

Display technology is a deal both HTC and Samsung say they’ve got the upper hand on, and what you’ve got here is a battle between quality and resolution. HTC has a qHD 960 x 540 resolution LCD panel on the Sensation, while the Galaxy S II has a lower-resolution, WVGA 800 x 480 screen – it’s Samsung’s own Super AMOLED Plus panel though, so you’ve got to take that into account. You’ll notice the extra pixels on the HTC when you’re up in the browser and looking at text lists – this means more on the screen and more readable text without a zoom on the higher-res Sensation.




Note: Davies accidentally say the Sensation has 1GB of RAM in the video, whereas it actually has 768MB

Brighter whites appear to be emanating from the HTC device but the contrast and colors don’t POP like they do on the Samsung Super AMOLED Plus featured on the Galaxy S II. Blacks are more inky on the S II, colors are more saturated, and as you can see by the shot of the benchmarks below, richness can be seen quite clearly on the left. Something to consider here on the other hand is that the Sensation looks fantastic on its own, streaming video looking more than acceptable in most situations. Outdoor viewing goes to Samsung though by a mile.

As for performance, Samsung’s Galaxy S II is still the clear winner. Benchmarking in Quadrant Advanced showed the Samsung score 3504 overall, with 7119 in the CPU category. In contrast, the HTC managed 2245 overall, with 5918 in the CPU category. It’s important to note here that of course benchmarks aren’t everything and that, if you view the video above, Quadrant cannot identify the CPUs because they’re so new.

What do you think? Battery life going to let you decide which one you want? In that case you’d better wait on our full review of the Sensation as HTC hasn’t been the most impressive in such a category as of late. Will you let processor speed win you over? Better get on board with Samsung. How about feel? Samsung seems to have a bit of an edge in industrial design here if we’re talking about corners that wont poke your eye out.

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SwiftKey 2 [BETA] Hands-On and Review

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Have yourself a look at the newest version of the most radically awesome keyboard app in existence, SwiftKey. This version features a few new elements including a brand new installer process, settings menu, and a most-excellent shortcut launcher on the keyboard itself. Our review lies beneath, as does a key to getting your own BETA copy today, and today only! Sell the excellence of a keyboard that learns as you teach it, teaching without any extra effort for more awesome awareness!

What you’re looking at here is actually 2.0.2.8, the newest version of SwiftKey to be released for testing by the creators of the app. This newest version features what I’ve mentioned above as well as a few new typing styles including Precise (identical to Classic) and Rapid (similar to Rapidfire), and you can also reproduce “Manual” with the option “Space will always insert a space” in advanced settings. There’s of course text handling improvements, in this case fixed doubledouble bug and general stability improvements, and lastly, the greatest, an improved Dark theme.

Take a look at our hands-on here in video form

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LG Optimus 3D Hands-On and Unboxing

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Woo look at this red hot goodness. It’s the LG Optimus 3D, an early developer version “intended for engineers” — take note of that for later. First let me comment on the box for a moment. It’s slick. One thing you can say about LG and the rest of the bigtime companies like HTC these days is that they’ve got their packaging game together. I see this box on a shelf and I instantly want to know what’s inside. Turns out what’s inside is the world’s first “Tri-Dual Technology”, that being dual-core, dual-channel, and dual-memory. See how it feels to the hands here and now.

This device comes with a big fat Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, a set of 5-megapixel cameras on the back capable of 1080p@24fps (2D), 720p@30fps (3D) for video, a slightly less impressive VGA camera on the front, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, TI OMAP4430 chipset, Android 2.2 Froyo (upgradable to Gingerbread sometime in the future, who knows when,) GSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 900/1900/2100, and a WVGA LCD display at 480 x 800 pixels and 4.3-inches. DTS 2.0 channel audio, glasses-free 3D, and a lovely lipped glass front provide icing on the cake.

The device feels extremely similar to the T-Mobile G2x (or the Optimus 2X, depending on where you live in the world,) in the hands. It’s got that same downward lip at the edge of the glass, the same metal strip (to a degree) and plastic back (though black here instead of a mocha,) defeating the G2x in both size and number of cameras. This device has no lack of new and odd features, having 3D content, the ability to capture 3D content, and an array of new user interface features on top of Google’s standard Froyo.

We’ll be taking this device on a ride through every test we’d have set up for the final version so that you get a taste before you’ve got the ability to purchase. Behold the sled on which the 3D content revolution may be sliding in on – we’ll see about that. Meanwhile dual-core glasses-free 3D here we come.
[VIDEO PROCESSING]
Unboxing and Hands-On

While we’re reviewing, please feel free to let us know what you’d like to know about this device. Any questions you’d like answered? Any sort of special tests you’d like us to take this device through? Ask away!

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ABC offers new Good Morning America app

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I can remember growing up each morning before school my parents would be watching Good Morning America. The news show is still on today and if you are a fan, you will want to check out the new app that goes along with the show that ABC is debuting. The app was unveiled this week and allows the app user on an Android device or the iPhone to participate with the show.

Using the app the user can vote live on the buzziest stories of the day and then see the real-time results of how their choices compare with others. The app can be downloaded free and it has GMA video clips that users can watch. “Now, viewers can be a part of the story and watch ‘Good Morning America’ wherever and whenever they want,” said James Goldston, Senior Executive Producer.
ABC says that the new app is part of its ongoing commitment to providing users with interactive ways to be a part of the broadcast. I bet that lots of people will end up downloading the app and using it while drinking their morning coffee or eating breakfast.

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Geek creates Android app to propose to girlfriend

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A dude from Jersey named Jon C. Hodgson wanted to propose to his girl of several years, Meghan, in a memorable way. He ruled out the things like a Jumbotron and skywriting as done already and wanted something cool. He settled on making his own app and then having it drop the big question in for him. Jon had a problem though; he didn’t know how to make an app for an Android device.

He turned to App Inventor and his girls love of her HTC Incredible and Harry Potter to seal the deal. He created a quiz app that had terms and conditions and official photos from the coming Harry Potter move. He told his girl that it was a quiz to win free tickets to the premiere of the film while they were out to dinner.
She started answering the questions and the last one was “The Question.” It read, “Meghan, will You Marry Me?” with yes or no boxes down below. This sort of reminds me of a version of those notes you pass along in grade school to the girls you like. If you are wondering, Meghan said yes and the wedding date is set.

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XDA To The Rescue, Netflix Running On The T-Mobile Vibrant

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Well, after months and months of waiting we finally saw the highly coveted Netflix app for Android hit the market.  Unfortunately, there were only a handful of devices supported.  But as expected, upon launch, it was only a matter of time before our developing dogs at XDA caught the scent and modified a couple of apk’s for non-supported devices.  And thanks to the boys over at AndroidSPIN, they managed to get the app up and running on the T-Mobile Vibrant.  Only catch, it’s running on Gingerbread based ROM’s.  There are very limited choices for Galaxy S phones in the US as far as 2.3 ROM’s go,  but it has been confirmed to be working flawlessly on CyanogenMOD7 for the Vibrant.  We get to thank XDA member n1gh7mar3 for manipulating the device check in the apk and gracing the masses with some streaming love.  Check out the video below of the app working seamlessly on the Vibrant and feel free to fire away in the comments if you have any other light to shed on the subject. 

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Easy hack adds Gingerbread interface to Honeycomb if you have root access

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There are a bunch of Android fans out there that buy Android devices for their hackabiltiy and open nature. It seems that every time we turn around there is a new hack or mod out there to do something new and different on your Android tablet or smartphone. Many of these hacks and mods need root access to operate. If you have that root access on your Honeycomb tablet and long for a slicker looking user interface this hack might be perfect for you.

If you have root access, the hack is very easy to perform and just as easy to reverse using one simple change. The hack is this. Honeycomb tablets apparently have the Gingerbread OS’ slicker interface underneath hiding there waiting to be unveiled by a higher density LCD that would be found on a smartphone for instance. The trick to unearthing that different interface is by changing the LCD density in a single system file.
When the LCD density is changed from the default number to 170ppi or higher will allow the new interface to be shown after a reboot. Pocketables recommends the Honeycomb user get the LCDDensity for Root app to do the deed. If you find the Gingerbread interface isn’t for you, reverting to the default UI is as easy as changing the LCD Density back to normal you can see the hack in action in the video below, let us know if you use this hack.

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HTC Flyer lands at Best Buy on May 22nd for $500, Magic Pen sold separately

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The 16GB-equipped, 7-inch Flyer from HTC is making its way west this week. Best Buy, which gets the honor of exclusively launching the WiFi-only Android tablet in the US, has revealed Sunday as the official first day of availability for the Flyer, at a price of $500. As you'll recall, the stylus that ships in the retail box just about everywhere else will be markedly missing from the Best Buy bundle, costing an extra $80 to those who simply must have it. You'll be able to purchase your Flyer online and at all brick-and-mortar Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores, but if mobile connectivity is more important to you, we'd advise holding out a little while longer for the 3G- and 4G-capable Evo View variety on Sprint.  

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Acer Iconia Tablet is a Hit! Bad News? May Suffer From Shortages

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Android tablets are all the rage these days. Just scanning through the front page at Phandroid and you will see post, after post of the Asus Transformers selling out minutes after they’re available. They’ve been harder to snag than a 1996 Tickle Me Elmo!
But there’s always those who don’t feel like waiting around for their taste of Honeycomb and have moved onto Acer’s line of Iconia A500 tablets. According to Acer, you wouldn’t be alone. Acer is projecting that will have shipped nearly 1 million tablets during the spring which would make the Iconia tab the most successful Android tablet to date. As a refresher, Motorola only shipped 250,000 Xooms during their first quarter.
As a fair warning, Acer has also said that they’re finding it hard to keep up with demand so if you were on the fence about picking up one of these Iconia tablets, you might want to make a choice quick. Lest we have another Asus Transformer fiasco on our hands. Any Phandroids out there who are currently Iconia users? Have anything good or bad to say about the tablet?

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Pizza Hut App taking orders on the go, Available in Android Market

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It is a shame I didn’t know this app was released yesterday because it sure would have came in handy. I was running errands and trying to hurry and get pizza in time for the Miami vs Bulls NBA Playoff game, I had to hurry and call it in and go through all that hassle. This was just yesterday, and now Pizza Hut has released an easy, and convenient app for Android to allow just that, ordering pizza on the go right from your android phone for delivery or pickup. I go a little hands-on today, just a few hours late.

I went ahead and took a few photos of the app for you all to see just how quick and easy it is to order Pizza Hut with Android. It is something I’ve always wanted and seen friends with those “other” smartphones do in the past. It is quick, easy, smooth and very well made. It has a great user interface and with the flick of a finger you can scroll to S, M, or L sizes, as well as scroll through the thumbnails of topping. I’ll go for some meat-lovers myself.

Start screen you can sign into your account so all your past orders and address are ready to go for easy ordering, or just get right to “Start an Order”

Delivery or Carryout, and choosing your location by zip code sure is easy.

One of my favorite features online is conveniently added to the app, and that is “Previous Orders” as I usually order the same thing on game days or sporting events for the group. It is one click away.

Without getting to involved here because after all this is only a pizza app, here is how you select the topping you would like with the flick of your finger the top scrolls through all your choices. It is pretty, animated, and has actual images of the toppings. Overall it is a nice touch, I like it.
So for those that absolutely love pizza go ahead and get this app in the Android Market right now and start ordering some pizza on the fly. We get pizza a few times a month so I’ll be sure to use this app plenty. When the NBA Championship time comes I’ll be ordering my usual party pack that is saved in my account. Get the Pizza Hut App by clicking here.

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Panoramic Camera from HTC Sense 3.0 APK Available

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Android developers are awesome. This time we’re happy to report that over at XDA francois.d.dillinger has managed to pull the camera app from Sense 3.0 and its available for you to flash on certain Sense based ROMs for phones including the EVO and MyTouch 4G. Note that since the camera is a system app its a bit more involved than just installing the apk and requires root, but for panoramic photos, it sounds worth it.

As mentioned the big draw here is the ability to take panoramic pictures. If you’ve ever used a panoramic enabled camera before the idea is the same here. Start the picture, than you have a delay to sweep the camera over an area to capture a wider range than would be possible with a single frame. Obviously this is going to work best for a still image, but there is plenty of fun to be had in taking really trippy pictures too.
So far, the application is only running on Sense ROMs, with milage varying from ROM to ROM. francois.d.dillinger was kind enough to wrap the whole thing up in a zip for you to flash from a custom recovery if manually pushing the file, backing up your old camera app and changing file permissions sounds a wee bit intimidating. Either way you choose to install it though, be sure to post on the comments what kind of crazy stuff you’re doing with the camera, and be sure to show your thanks to the dev over on xda! (Downloads and instructions at the thread over on XDA)

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Sony Ericsson Porting its Android UI Skin to Two New Feature Phones

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Sony Ericsson is going to be releasing two new feature phones in the new feature which utilize their custom UI from the Xperia Mini. The phones, the rumored to be called “txt pro” and “Mix Walkman,” both feature touch screens, and the txt pro, a slide out QWERTY keyboard. The two feature phones are set to be released sometime in the coming months as part of a competition on SE’s Facebook page which will feature the winners reviewing the phones.

While neither phone is going to be running Android, it is difficult to tell given the similarity of their UIs to Sony Ericsson’s other midrange offerings. This is hardly the first time we’ve seen manufacturers porting their Android UI skins to non Android platforms. At CES this year we saw HTC announce it’s Brew based Freestyle that dances on the line between feature and smartphone, but still offered users the HTC “Sense experience.”

The "Four Corners" UI skin, as seen on the Xperia Mini Pro

While I’m much more of a stock Android guy, this could become an increasing trend as OEMs seek ways to make users want a Sony Ericsson phone, or an HTC phone rather than simply an Android phone. Android may be the majority now for smartphone’s in the U.S., but Apple still has more than twice the market share of the any one Android hardware manufacturer. While this is very similar to the situation in the PC market, we’re seeing smartphone manufacturers resist being seen as just a means to the ends of Android, much more heavily than you see in the personal computer space. Interesting stuff, but nothing wrong with a little free market competition (as long as you leave my bootloader unlockable that is… )

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, and Arc getting Android 2.3.4 next week, Facebook included

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From the looks of things the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Xperia Arc are both set to be receiving the latest and greatest in Android and that is 2.3.4 They mention not only will many bug fixes be included, but what they are calling “Facebook inside Xperia” will be included as well. We are not sure what markets that have the Xperia Play will be getting the update, or if all will be getting it. The Xperia Play was originally considered Google’s Gingerbread HERO phone, but the Nexus S is what got first dibs on Gingerbread instead.

Sony worked closely with Google on Android 2.3 for the Play so that explains why they will be getting the jump to Android 2.3.4 so fast. According to Recombu the update to 2.3.4 should start showing up as early as next week for both the Play, and the Arc. We are not sure if the Xperia Play launching on Verizon today will get it next week or not.
The Facebook inside Xperia is something new that a lot of people are looking forward to. The updates with Facebook will add a handful of features, some I would use but many I probably would not. Things like updating your Facebook page with whatever music you have playing on your device. Photo’s can be uploaded and downloaded right to your Xperia device. Your Calander and Contacts will be deeply integrated more than before, and your Facebook calander will sync with your Google Calander so you’ll never miss a friends birthday because you didn’t get on Facebook for a day or 3.
Calum MacDougall, Head of Web Service Partnerships at Sony Ericsson mentions that Facebook inside Xperia was not about making a ”Facebook phone” but “enriching the experience” of using the phone alongside Facebook’s features. I myself am not huge on Facebook, but for those daily or hourly users this should be a great addition to the Xperia line.

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Leaked Official Droid Incredible Build Available to Flash

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The latest build of the official Gingerbread build for the Droid Incredible, with Sense on board, leaked this morning. Now thanks to hardworking developers, a zip is rooted and ready for flashing for the root inclined among you. The build is Sense 1.0, but offers a nice bump for your Android version to 2.3.3.

The zip file, available here, was put together by XDA user, TMartin03. Note that it lloks like you’ll have to download the newest radio file to flash with it separately from here. Like the Gingerbread builds for the Droid X which have been leaking over the past month or so, this is a leak of Verizon’s official 2.3 update which will be pushed over the air to Droid Incredible users sometime in the (hopefully near) future. As it is an official build, this version has HTC’s Sense skin on top of it, but unfortunately it is the same old Sense 1.0 that you’d find on the stock 2.2 ROM, rather than 2.0 found on phones such as the Thunderbolt.
The inclusion of Sense 1.0 is a bit of a disappointment as Gingerbread’s main offering was UI improvements, which are mostly replaced by the Sense UI to begin with. This means the upgrade here isn’t as big a deal as it would be as say going from Cyanogenmod 6 to Cyanogenmod 7. One of the big improvements functionally for Gingerbread was copy/paste and text selection, and while improvements like the Gingerbread keyboard have been forsaken for the Sense version, several early adopters have confirmed that the new text selection format is there, and works just as well as expected.
It may not be the world’s most exciting update, but be sure there are plenty of behind-the-scenes upgrades that Google’s engineers put into this upgrade. If nothing else its always great to see a carrier and manufacturer looking out for older phones. So if you’re the ROMing type, especially the kind that love Sense ROMs, give it a go and let us know how it runs!

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Amazon beats Verizon, drops Droid Charge to $199

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If you haven’t already ordered the amazing and blazing fast Droid Charge you might want to keep reading. Amazon has done what they’ve done many times in the past and are offering a lower price than Verizon Wireless for the brand spanking new Samsung Droid Charge. When pricing first leaked the Droid Charge was listed as $299 with a new 2 year contract when the pricing has usually been $199 for smartphones. Verizon stuck with that price for some reason, but Amazon is here to save the day.

Amazon is now offering the Samsung Droid Charge lower than Verizon, they are asking the “expected” $199 with a new 2 year contract like we all thought it would be. So for those that have not ordered through Verizon, you might as well head on over to Amazon and save $100 real fast. Use those saving and get a few cases, and a screen protector for that beautiful 4.3″ display.
Amazon has been known to do this in the past, so it comes as no surprise. At one point Amazon had the Droid Incredible 2 as low as $79, the Motorola Atrix for only $50, and now they are even offering a Trade-In program for old DVD’s and electronics. So send in your old original Droid, or even that iPhone with Amazon Trade-In and get the Droid Charge today for only $199.

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Asus Transformer in disguise at Walmart, K-Mart & Target

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What do we have here, the Asus Trans-for-mer doing what those actual Transformers do best and staying in disguise. Reports have been coming in that these amazing 10.1″ 3.0 Honeycomb Android Tablets are showing up in stock all over the place, mainly online. From Walmart, K-Mart, and Target, plus I’m probably missing a few. At this time of writing they have been coming in and out of stock extremely fast. K-mart has them listed “In-Stock” as I type this so you better hurry if you want one.

We first told you yesterday about Target finally having them in stock for order and shipping, but they quickly sold out. If I was on the lookout for a Asus EeePad Transformer I’d be checking all three of those sites somewhat often over the next few hours, or days. If you have been looking lately you know they are going fast as supply seems pretty limited. Can’t forget Walmart is a little cheaper for the low low price of $398 if you want to save a dollar or two.

 Asus recently denied that they were having shortage issues, but it looks like they might be having a hard time keeping places stocked. For those that are lucky and have already snatched up the Honeycomb tablet stay tuned as Android 3.1 updates should be rolling out soon. Links to buy below.
Transformer K-Mart Order Page
Transformer Walmart Order Page
Transformer Target Order Page
GO GO GO!

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