Articles about Android

I can't win. Just when I think I've finally cooked-up the perfect post-PC computing recipe, along comes some killjoy to spoil all the fun. This time around it's Apple. The Cupertino goon squad is on a mission to stomp out all unauthorized uses of lowercase letter "i" (among other things), and my latest pet project -- moving my entire computing life to a non-PC device -- is about to fall victim to their litigious ways.

You see, I made the unforgivable decision to deviate from Apple's proscribed post-PC formula (i.e. iPhone/iPad) and instead embrace the ways of the rebel Android Army. After several weeks of tweaking and tuning, I've finally achieved a level of PC-independence I never thought possible. But given last week's Apple-Samsung jury decision, I fear it may have all been for naught. That's because the reverberations from such a landmark case will no doubt spread far beyond its principle defendant (you didn't really think this was about hardware, did you?) to strike at the very heart of Google's OS strategy.

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After Qualcomm spilled the beans, LG officially announced the Optimus G, the world's first quad-core smartphone based on the Snapdragon S4 Pro processor to also include LTE connectivity. The LG Optimus G will be rolled out in September in Korea with global availability to follow after. Look out Samsung Galaxy S III, there is a new flagship smartphone in town...

The LG Optimus G has a 4.7-inch TrueHD IPS display (LCD) that sports an unusual 1280x768 resolution with a 15:9 ratio, packing a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with a quad-core 1.5GHz Krait CPU, Adreno 320 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera with a 1.3 megapixel camera available on the front, 4G LTE connectivity, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, MHL, DLNA, NFC and Bluetooth 4.0. The device weighs 145 grams and measures 131.9 x 68.9 x 8.45mm. A 2,100mAh battery is powering the LG Optimus G that is running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

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The rumors about a new LG quad-core phone are true. Qualcomm confirms the South Korean manufacturer is currently baking an LTE smartphone based on the Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset. We've seen the chipset in the fastest and most expensive Android tablet around, giving LG's smartphone the right credentials for speed.

LG's new quad-core LTE smartphone is anticipated to be released in September, followed by global availability. Because of the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset it has the makings of a smartphone speed champion, being powered by a quad-core Krait Snapdragon S4 CPU and Adreno 320GPU, a combination that has given Qualcomm's Mobile Development Platform (MDP) the title of fastest Android tablet on the market.

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Did you know that updating Facebook while driving can cause lane veering by up to one meter, or that texting adds 8.5m to the overall stopping distance when travelling at 70mph? Well, it’s true according to a new study by Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) on behalf of insurance company esure. The report also says that 1 in 5 drivers took their eyes off the road for 7 seconds when they heard a ringing phone. Check out the fancy PDF infographic if you want to find out more.

To help remove these distractions (and reduce the number of claims it has to process, presumably), esure has produced a free Android app which eliminates mobile phone distractions. The DriveOFF app, available through Google Play, uses GPS to detect when your car is in motion and travelling above 10mph and automatically turns off all other apps and blocks incoming calls and texts.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice Intellectual Property Task Force announced on Tuesday that they had for the first time shut down third-party Android app stores for piracy: applanet.net, appbucket.net, and snappzmarket.com. The three domains are now in the custody of the U.S. government and in their places are FBI shutdown notices.

In the last twelve months, the FBI has seized hundreds of domains related to various illicit activities, including "carding" (selling stolen credit card information), the sale of counterfeit merchandise, wire and bank fraud via botnet, and, in the case of Megaupload organized crime.

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Android cameras are not a new concept, but for Nikon they are. The company today announced release of its first Android-powered camera, the CoolPix S800c. Rather than Jelly Bean, the shooter relies on much older Android 2.3 Gingerbread. So Polaroid got there faster, but that didn't stop Nikon from releasing the $349.95 camera.

It's a rather unusual package and you might wonder how Nikon manages to make the best out of Android when it doesn't have cellular connectivity. The CoolPix S800c makes due with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n to share the photos or movies to cloud services. Because it's running Android, Google Play is open for those seeking to install third party applications within the 680MB of space reserved for it.

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UK company Ergo Electronics on Wednesday officially launched GoNote, a 10-inch touchscreen netbook powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. While there have been numerous low-cost Android netbooks over the years, Ergo Electronics claims to have created a new category with the GoNote, the "hybrid touchscreen netbook."

The price is a reasonable GBP 149.99, and it will be available with a black or white chassis starting in September 2012. For this price, buyers will get a 10-inch 16:9 LED backlit screen with a 1024x600 resolution, powered by a 1.2GHz ARM Rockchip RK2918 CPU (based on the ARM Cortex A8 architecture,) aided by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. A microSD card slot is available, allowing users to extend the storage capacity by 32GB for a total of 40GB. It comes with four USB 2.0 ports, a mini HDMI 1.3 port, 3.5mm jack for audio output and microphone and a VGA forward-facing camera is thrown as well into the mix. In terms of Internet connectivity, the GoNote comes with an Ethernet port and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. The 9000mAh battery provides a quoted battery life of 6 hours for video playback and roughly a week of standby.

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I must preface by clearly stating that I absolutely love my Nexus 7. I recommended it to dozens of people, and fully plan to hand out a few as birthday gifts before the year is over. The tablet is incredibly solid, and worth every penny of the $200 selling price. As far as hardware is concerned, Nexus 7 is remarkable in nearly every aspect.

That said, Google’s approach to Android 4.1 on this device leaves me with a sense of practiced uncertainty and no clue where the tablet fits into the Android ecosystem.

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It's a big world, and LG wants to embrace it with a big phone. Next month, Optimus Vu will launch in select markets across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and Middle East. That after a strong start in South Korea, where since March more than a half million phones sold.

Big is the word. Optimus Vu's 5-inch display reaches for Samsung's size class (think Galaxy Note). The LG smartphone has a generous footprint compared to the more common Android smartphones available today, such as the Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One X or even LG's own Optimus 4X HD, measuring 139.6mm long by 90.4mm wide by 8.5mm thick -- or thin, if you prefer-- and weighs 168g.

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Android Open Kang Project, the team behind the popular custom Android distribution AOKP, has announced the availability of the first Android 4.1 Jelly Bean official build named Jelly Bean Build 1. The number of supported devices is currently limited to the Android smartphones used by the team behind the project, but it has been announced that availability will be extended once "things slow down" and new device maintainers will join the AOKP project.

Although there is no official changelog accompanying the release of the first official AOKP Jelly Bean build, some details are available as to what changes to expect from AOKP Jelly Bean Build 1.

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The Samsung/Google Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean are a remarkable combination of hardware and software. If you're one of the less fortunate Galaxy Nexus owners and you haven't yet received Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, or you just want to restore from a custom ROM, this guide will show you how to install the stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on your Galaxy Nexus.

Before actually getting to install Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, you should know that this process will erase all the data on your Galaxy Nexus, so take notice and backup the contents of your smartphone before performing the install. The easiest and most conveniently available method to perform a backup is to select "MTP mode" when you connect your Galaxy Nexus to the computer and then copy all the data that you want to backup to your computer.

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The CyanogenMod team has announced via Google+ the official release of CyanogenMod 10 nightly builds for a limited number of devices. The list includes popular Android smartphones as well as tablets that will now be able to run the latest CyanogenMod, which is based on Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.

The nightly builds are compatible with a select number of Android smartphones and tablets.

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First in a series. I feel dirty. As I crawl my way up to my desk this morning, I get the sense that I'm somehow less than fresh. After all, I've just spent several days living on the very edge of Android's outer darkness, a place where evil lurks and "good" users know not to tread.

I'm speaking, of course, of the seedy underworld of Android device rooting, a subculture so far removed from the mainstream of computing that its denizens are hardly recognizable. It's a world that has always fascinated me. But as an outsider subject to the rules of "civilized" society, I could never fully understand the allure -- dare I say, the addiction -- that binds so many to this dark place.

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C Spire Wireless, the still relatively new data-centric brand for regional wireless carrier Cellular South on Friday unveiled the latest version of its exclusive "Scout" content recommendation application for C Spire subscribers. This version of Scout expands beyond simple app recommendations, and includes movie, book and music recommendations through various stores like iTunes and Amazon.

The user provides information about himself, and Scout 3.0 then recommends content which the user can then give a thumbs up or thumbs down rating to. It's not unlike the method of content recommendation used by music service Pandora. There is an additional level of social recommendation (a la Yelp) in the "Star Users" class in the app. Here, profiles of users can be viewed, as well as all the apps they have installed and their reviews of different content.

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For Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III users feeling locked in, there's freedom ahead. Thanks to the effort of an "African-Canadian Sock Monkey" bootloader, the S3 can now be unlocked. Modding fans get a green light to… mod.

Stock ROMs can be replaced with modded Android versions, making custom Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ROMs a possibility on the Galaxy S III. Samsung has yet to release an upgrade to Jelly Bean from the stock version installed, Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, but it's likely that the upgrade is in the pipeline by now. If you're not a big fan of waiting for official upgrades, the modding community already has a solution for the International Samsung Galaxy S III, through a CyanogenMod 10 custom ROM.

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