Posted: 15 Feb 2012 04:35 PM PST  Hewlett Packard’s new CEO, Meg Whitman, made an appearance today in a conference directed at the company’s channel partners in Las Vegas. The company expressed many of its plans for the future, but there was a significant statement that caught our attention. Whitman spoke briefly about the idea of open-sourcing WebOS and managed to take a slight punch at Google. For those who may have forgotten, HP quit the hardware manufacturing business last year. The company decided to redirect its focus to software in an effort to improve their situation. You probably remember seeing the HP Touchpad on sale for a mere $99 right after HP announced this. But let’s move on. The open-source topic was very briefly covered. Whitman mentioned that it would take 2-5 years to get WebOS open-sourced, and that she believes another mobile OS is necessary for the industry. Her claim was that Apple is great close-sourced, and Google might be following the same steps (due to Motorola’s acquisition). Oh, and she also mentions that it is fragmented. It’s hard to take such words seriously, reminiscent of the likes of RIM. It seems both CEOs really need to consider what Android is all about. HP and WebOS haven’t been very successful in the mobile industry, and open-sourcing WebOS might be the best move to make. And it should be done sooner. There are many reasons why Android is such an attractive OS, but much of it revolves around its open nature. Manufacturers and developers can do wonders with the OS and modify it (for better or worse) to their liking. This is the main reason why Android has reached the top of the smartphone food chain. Our little green robot is now everywhere. You can choose from a plethora of devices, UI overlays and features. A great part of Google’s success in the mobile industry is due to this very fact, and Google would take a big risk close-sourcing our favorite mobile operating system. When the acquisition of Motorola was first announced, we were all worried. Many questions arose, mainly revolving about the future of Android and if Motorola would get any sort of preference or exclusivity. The Search Giant has made it very clear that Android will not be affected by this acquisition. This deal was meant to provide Google with a patent portfolio that would better protect them in legal disputes. We are still a bit suspicious about such claims. Google might very well throw a curve ball at us. And Google has also mentioned that “they are not in just for the patents.” But it seems very unlikely that Google would risk its success to the extent of closing the whole OS. Meg Whitman’s statement may very well have been meant to make HP’s partners feel more secure (which is something commonly done). We’ll just have to wait a few years and see how HP plays its game. By then, Android should be much, much bigger, so we suggest HP does things a bit quicker than expected.        |
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 01:48 PM PST  One of the biggest complaints surrounding the GSM Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the lack of expandable storage. For those who prefer life in the cloud, it’s not a big deal. For others, it’s a deal breaker; 16GB simply isn’t enough. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus comes with 32GB of internal storage, or twice the amount of the GSM Nexus. Since the 16GB GSM Nexus’ initial release, there’s been a considerale amount of consumers waiting around for a 32GB version. If a recent statement from an Expansys representative is correct, that day will never come. Corey from Expansys has taken to XDA to announce that Samsung has cancelled any plans to release a 32GB GSM Galaxy Nexus. According to the post on XDA, Expansys was notified yesterday morning that “Samsung have dropped the Galaxy Nexus 32GB from production.” He added that, “at this time it looks like they will not be releasing it.” Earlier today, Negri Electronics confirmed that they have received the same message as well. We’ve yet to see an official statement from Samsung, and don’t really expect to, but it seems this can only mean one thing for potential GSM Nexus owners. If you want your device to run on AT&T or T-Mobile, and you want to purchase it anytime soon, you’re going to have to live with 16GB storage. What does this mean for potential CDMA/LTE Nexus owners? It could spell bad news. The white LTE version of the Galaxy Nexus, rumored to hit Verizon sooner than later, is supposed to come with only 16GB of internal storage. There’s another rumor floating around that Verizon will also release a gray Nexus (the original color) that also has 16GB of storage, but it will sell for $199 on contract – $100 less than the 32GB Nexus. Sprint’s Nexus was supposed to launch with 32GB of storage like the Verizon, but now we’re not sure. Does the release of a 16GB white, and 16GB gray Nexus on Verizon mean Samsung is killing off the 32GB Nexus altogether? Are 32GB Nexuses simply being reserved for carrier branded devices only? As of right now, we’re left with more questions than answers. As soon as we know more, we’ll be sure to share.      |
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 01:45 PM PST  Today EA Mobile announced that The Sims FreePlay is now available in the Android Market. I’m not sure how many Sims fans we have around here, but earlier comments suggest that your wife will love the game. This time around, players will be have more than 1,200 customizable ways to design their dream home and neighborhood. Highlights of The Sims FreePlay include:
Early reviews are positive, but let us know what you think of the game if you try it out. It’s not supported on the Galaxy Nexus, but I’m installing it on my Transformer Prime right now.      |
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 12:54 PM PST  As it goes every time a new Android version is unveiled, everyone is wondering when their devices will be updated to the latest and greatest. This time around, the newest version is Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This specific update is much more desired than the others, as the changes in the OS are very significant. It is pretty, it is fast and it is convenient. But the question remains the same: When will I get it? Will my device be updated?It is a bit hard to answer this question. We have already seen Motorola’s 4-step updating process, which they revealed last December. Such steps are Evaluation and Planning, Development, Testing and Availability.The only device that has received the update is the Motorola Xoom WiFi-only (USA). Most devices are under Development or Evaluation and Planning. And sadly, the few that are expected to get the update during Q2 2012, are tablets (and a couple of Chinese phones). Most devices that have been approved for an ICS update are estimated to get the OTA sometime in quarter 3. This includes the Atrix 1 and 2, the Photon 4G, the Xoom tablets and the Xoom 2 / Xyboard devices. This means that the wait for many of you is still long. All of the other devices are pretty much under Evaluation and Planning, with further details to come later on. Many of those will be getting the update, though. We know devices like the RAZR, the Bionic, and the Droid 4 should definitely be getting an update. But Motorola is still working, and we will have to wait more for the official details. For now, we will provide an official list with all the details (at the bottom of the page). This list will be updated as soon as more details come. Latest News from Motorola
Motorola devices that will NOT get updated to Android 4.0
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Posted: 15 Feb 2012 12:52 PM PST  The official release date of the Android 4.0 update for the HTC Sensation and HTC Sensation XE is expected before the end of March, but today HTC announced that a preview of the Ice Cream Sandwich update with be made available to the public within the next few days. But don’t get too excited. HTC has a very limited scope with the Android 4.0 update preview and will only be releasing it to a few hundred users in Europe. HTC is doing something new and pretty cool in the coming days: we'll be releasing an "early access preview" of our ICS upgrade for the Sensation and Sensation XE. This will be limited in scope (just a few hundred users and only in Europe) because we're still scaling up back-end resources for general availability worldwide, and our hope is people will play with it and enjoy getting used to the ICS experience with Sense. We'll be doing similar previews for other devices in the future, too.HTCWhile we doubt any US HTC Sensation 4G users will be getting the update to play around with, we’re excited to see HTC planning to use this approach going forward with other devices as well. Many of us have experienced how Android updates can go horribly wrong, so this final phase in the software testing process should help them identify any issues which were not identified in HTC’s labs. If you live and Europe and own the HTC Sensation or Sensation XE, keep an eye on your notification bar for the Android 4.0 update. How many of you will be lurking on XDA-Developers or your favorite development forum to get a first look at the official Ice cream Sandwich update for the two devices?      |
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 12:01 PM PST  If you’ve been around the Android scene for long enough, you’ve no doubt heard of/seen/own your own Dyzplastic Android figure. Traditionally, Dyzplastic designs and releases limited edition Android figurines that end up selling out extremely fast, eventually making their way to eBay for five times the original price. Designer series, or limited edition, Android figures will still be made available a couple times a year as they normally have, but Andrew Bell of Dyzplastic has just announced that an “open” edition of the figures has officially hit retail stores across the US. That’s right, available now at hipster headquarters Urban Outfitters, and coming soon to F.Y.E. and Barnes & Noble, you can grab one of seven different non-limited edition Dyzplastic Android figures for just $10. If you’ve been looking to score your own little Bugdroid to show off around the office without having to scour the depths of eBay avoiding fakes and overpaying, here’s your chance. In the blog post announcing the availability of the Big Box edition figure set (apparently Dyzplastic didn’t know when they’d be released, as they have no control over the distribution of this set), Bell mentioned that with any luck, open edition sets would eventually be available in Europe as well as the US. To get a look at all seven figures available now, check out the gallery below. Gallery     |
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 11:38 AM PST  Mozilla is currently a friend to Android, supporting the Firefox browser for smartphones and tablets, but their long term vision is to develop open software that will eventually replace Google’s mobile OS. The project is called Boot to Gecko (B2G), and it’s a lot closer to reality than many realize. Jay Sullivan, VP of Products at Mozilla, recently shared his vision for the Firefox project in 2012. “We want the platform in Firefox to enable app-quality experiences and developer productivity that rivals native platforms.” Very simply, they believe the open web can displace proprietary, single-vendor stacks (Android, iOS, WP7, etc) for application development. You can see more of the Mozilla’s vision to become something bigger than Firefox in a video they recently uploaded to YouTube. So does that mean we will see a Firefox phone? Publicly, Mozilla says they have no plans to build or distribute a custom device. However, if Boot to Gecko is successful then it could form the basis for one. Their first test will come later this month at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Mozilla will demonstrate a working version of Boot to Gecko that developers can use as their day-to-day phone. The team at Mozilla selected the Samsung Galaxy S II as their development platform because the device was commercially available to Mozilla employees and it includes all the latest hardware like NFC. If things go according to plan, Mozilla hopes they can convince an ODM or OEM to help them launch the first actual device that would ship with Boot to Gecko. In an online FAQ, Mozilla says that they don’t expect Boot to Gecko will affect their relationships with other organizations such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft, but this project clearly competes with other products that those companies are working on. Google’s version of their web operating system is called Chromium OS and it currently targets the desktop environment. These products are already in the market under the Chromebook brand, with retail prices starting at $299  . I received a Samsung Chromebook at last year’s Google IO, but it didn’t quite offer the experience that I wanted so I gave it to my mom. She loves it.Mozilla doesn’t seem to think that Boot to Gecko competes with Chromium OS because they are “aiming at mobile/tablet devices rather than a notebook form factor.” Google might have started with notebooks, but they already acknowledged that a tablet version of Chrome OS is in the works. I have said before that I think Chrome OS will eventually come to smartphones, but I didn’t think it would happen for another five years. Google recently released Chrome browser for Android, so it’s not that much of a stretch to assume they are working on Chrome OS for smartphones. Now with Mozilla pushing the boundaries of an open web operating system on mobile devices, it could force Google to accelerate their plans. Or not. Mozilla only has 20 engineers working full-time on Boot to Gecko, and I doubt that Google sees them as a threat yet. Whatever happens, I’m interested to see where this goes – both with Mozilla’s Boot to Gecko, and Google’s Chrome OS. Google could definitely make Chrome OS their mobile platform of choice one day, but they already have so much invested in Android. I can’t picture any current scenario where Google would stop supporting Android, but anything is possible. The main benefit of a web operating system to the average consumer, is a platform that is always up to date. Every time a user would turn their device on, it would automatically update itself. This would certainly solve Android’s nasty fragmentation problem, but I’m not sure if the wireless carriers are ready to go down that road. Eventually though, someone will launch a retail mobile device with a true web operating system. It could be Mozilla or Google, or heck even Facebook. I’ll be at Mobile World Congress this month to let you know how close Mozilla is to achieving their vision. How long do you think it will be before we see a smartphone that boots to the web? Update: The collection of web apps that make up the UI for Boot to Gecko is called Gaia. The following are the designs provided by the Gaia team of the browser and gallery web apps. Apparently it was already demoed in public because I found some pics from a Dutch site and Japanese site. Gallery     |
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 11:30 AM PST  Of all the video games to come out in the last five years, Portal might just be one of the best. If you’ve never played the game, it’s an absolute must. It’s won a ton of awards, and thanks to its immense popularity, has been made available for Windows, OSX, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Unfortunately, the game has never gone mobile. But with today’s high-end Android hardware and game engines, it’s possible right? Yes. And there’s even a proof-of-concept clone to prove it. Android Police‘s David Ruddock recently got his hands on a proof-of-concept Portal clone for Android. According to David, the clone not only works, but does so impressively well. Controls are functional, and graphics are great. David says that there’s not a whole lot to play right now, and one of the most important aspects of the game, the portals themselves, aren’t fully functional, but it’s enough to leave us excited for the future of Android gaming. If a group of Russian software developers can build their own Portal clone in their free time, the day when Android is included as a normal launch platform for high-quality games can’t be far off. Right now, there’s several app developers pushing Android to its limits. As great as that is, we’d love to see the next Call of Duty, Battlefield, Portal, Fallout or any other high-end game launch on Android right along with Xbox, PC and PS3. The quality of today’s Portal clone let’s us know it’s possible. C’mon Valve, we know you have the resources, Android users want to think with portals too.      |
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 09:23 AM PST  The Google Wallet drama is far from over. Late last night Google emailed me to inform everyone that they have restored the ability to issue new prepaid cards to the Wallet. Google also issued a fix that prevents an existing prepaid card from being re-provisioned to another user. Literally an hour after Google notified me of their changes, the security firm Zvelo, who pointed out the first security vulnerability in Google Wallet, contacted us to say that they still take issue with Google’s comments. Specifically, Google has stated, “To date, there is no known vulnerability that enables someone to take a consumer phone and gain root access while preserving any Wallet information such as the PIN.” If you read Zvelo’s new article, you will see the disagreement. They claim that the latest Android OS available for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is 4.0.2 (ICL53F), which uses a Linux kernel that has a known vulnerability (CVE-2012-0056) that allows a malicious app to gain root access. More troubling, they say that physical access to a device is no longer required to access Google Wallet data, including the user’s PIN, by brute force cracking it as described in the original hack. They claim a malicious app could use the exploit to gain root access remotely (where there was none previously) and send Google Wallet data to a remote server. Hopefully Google will address this vulnerability with another update to the Google Wallet app or with a firmware update to the Android OS. We have seen that Google was internally testing Android 4.0.4, but it has been rumored that Android 4.0.5 will be the next version that is pushed out to consumer devices in March. As always, the best thing you can do to protect your Android device is to use a secure lock screen and only install apps from the official Android Market. Google has their own service called Bouncer that patrols the Android Market and removes malicious apps, but it never hurts to have an added layer of protection like Lookout Security. It should be noted that we are not aware of any abuse of prepaid cards or the Wallet PIN resulting from these recent reports. Google also reminds us that just like with any other credit card, you can get support when you need it. They provide toll-free assistance in case someone manages to make an unauthorized transaction or you lose your phone. We have reached out to Google to see if they will address the latest claims of Zvelo and will update this story when we receive a response.      |
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 08:29 AM PST  HTC’s flagship smartphone with a quad-core Tegra 3 processor has so many codenames that it has been hard to keep up with the device. First there was Edge, then Endeavor, and Supreme. Now Evan Blass of PocketNow is reporting the device will go to market with the name HTC One X. According to his sources, the ”X” will be placed as superscript above the word “One” for branding purposes. Evan Blass has been blogging since 2005 and has become one of the top HTC insiders, so we believe this information to be accurate. Rumored specs of the HTC One X include:
Digitimes recently reported that over 20 carriers had placed orders for the HTC One X, so we expect this device to launch in all the large markets. We already billed Mobile World Congress 2012 as the quad-core phone show, and it appears HTC could walk away with the best device of the show. Update: Chris Davies of Slashgear is reporting that the device we have been referring to as HTC Ville, will launch as the HTC One S. Some sites are calling this a “mid-range” device because it features a dual-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, but Qualcomm has hinted that their new Krait CPU architecture will out-perform Tegra 3.  Leaked render of the HTC Ville, now HTC One S.     |
Friday, February 17, 2012
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