Android developer momentum wanes claims new report

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Android developer enthusiasm has “plateaued” according to the latest research by Appcelerator and IDC, with sluggish Honeycomb-based tablet sales and ongoing concerns regarding platform fragmentation cited as the key reasons. According to the two companies’ April 2011 Mobile Developer Report, “developer momentum is shifting back toward Apple.”

Tablet interest is particularly precarious, with Honeycomb apparently yet to convince developers to create slate-specific titles. While 86-percent of iOS coders expressed interest in developing for the iPad, only 71-percent of Android developers said the same about Honeycomb-based tablets; similarly, only 44-percent were “very interested” in the Motorola XOOM and just 31-percent in the HTC Flyer.
Nonetheless, despite the concerns, developers don’t seem to be looking elsewhere. 62-percent say that they don’t see how rival platforms could ever catch up to Android and iOS, while the numbers of those expressing interest in developing for Windows Phone or BlackBerry have in fact dropped. The January 2011 report had suggested that Google developer interest was growing, and that the platform would soon catch up to Apple’s iOS.

 

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Gtalk video calling for phones with Android 2.3.4 at Google I/O?

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Although Gtalk has been a mainstay on Android for some time now, it’s only with 3.0 Honeycomb that the app got video calling support. Now, it looks like Google may be updating the smartphone version of Gtalk to support two-way video calls, taking to the Google I/O stage to unveil it.

One Android user – who has supposedly worked with Samsung – claims to have tested a Nexus S handset running Android 2.3.4 and used Gtalk video calling on the device. The current version of Android Gingerbread shipping is v2.3.3.
Considering the number of Honeycomb tablets – which come with video-capable Gtalk preinstalled – is growing, it would certainly make sense for Google to introduce the app for handsets too. Google I/O 2011 kicks off May 10 in San Francisco; we’ll be there to bring back all the juicy details.

 

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Sony unveils the S1 and S2 dual-screen Android tablets, coming this fall

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Sony has made its 9.4-inch Sony S1 and 5.5-inch dual-screened S2 Honeycomb tablets official with a press event in Tokyo today.  We've been hearing about these since mid-February, and recently the Japanese paper Nikkei has said Sony has plans to enter the U.S. market before the end of Summer 2011. That's not to be the case, however, as Sony says we'll have to wait until fall 2011 before these come to market.

The S1 is a 9.4-inch tablet with an "off-center of gravity design" that supposedly makes it easier to grip and more comfortable to hold.  Kunimasa Suzuki, Deputy President of Sony’s consumer products and services group likens it to holding a magazine.  The S2 is a 5.5-inch dual-screened tablet that has the ability to use the screens as one large canvas, or feature specially coded applications running in each independently.  This sounds very much like the Kyocera Echo.

Both the S1 and S2 house Nvidia Tegra 2 processors, and the ability to integrate with other Sony products. And they both sport the Playstation Suite moniker, like the new Xperia Play smartphone. An example was given where the S1 can act as a remote for Bravia marked equipment.  These two look very interesting, and ones we'll certainly be following.  You can find a short video and the press release after the break.

Sony Announces Optimally Designed “Sony Tablet” with Android 3.0 that Complements Network Services for an Immersive Entertainment Experience
-Also strengthening VAIO in expanding PC markets-

 Sony Corporation (“Sony”), announces “Sony Tablet” that delivers the perfect combination of hardware, content and network with seamless usability for a high-quality, engaging entertainment experience. Based on decades of engineering heritage, Sony is developing two tablets with unprecedented design, including S1 (codename) which is optimized for rich media entertainment and S2 (codename) which is ideal for mobile communication and entertainment. “Sony Tablet” will become available in the global market starting in fall 2011.
“Sony Tablet” is equipped with the latest Android 3.0 which is designed for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets. Both tablets are WiFi and WAN (3G/4G) compatible and users can not only browse the internet or check e-mail but they can also smoothly access digital content including videos, games and books through Sony’s premium network services and more, on-the-go at any time.
S1 has a 9.4-inch display for enjoying the web and rich content on a large screen. Its off-center of gravity design realizes stability and ease of grip as well as a sense of stability and lightness, offering comfortable use for hours.
S2 has two 5.5-inch displays that can be folded for easy portability. In contrast to existing tablets, its unprecedented dual screen presentation and usability allows its displays to be combined and used as a large screen or for different functions such as playing video on one screen while showing control buttons on the other.
“‘Sony Tablet’ delivers an entertainment experience where users can enjoy cloud-based services on-the-go at any time. We’re aiming to create a new lifestyle by integrating consumer hardware, including ‘Sony Tablet’ with content and network,” said Kunimasa Suzuki, Corporate Executive, SVP, and Deputy President of Consumer Products & Services Group.
“Android 3.0 is a new version of the Android platform with a new holographic user interface that is designed from the ground up for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets. I'm excited about “Sony Tablet” as it will further spur the development of applications and network offerings which users are looking for.” said Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President, Mobile, Google Inc.
Also, in the mobile computing category, the market for PCs which realize high productivity is expected to steadily grow, particularly in emerging markets. Therefore, Sony will also remain committed to strengthening its VAIO brand and introduce increasingly compelling products which offer new value propositions to the market.

“Sony Tablet” features.

Designed for portability and intuitive gripping

With its off-center of gravity form factor, the 9.4-inch S1 offers stability and a sense of lightness, offering comfortable use for hours.
The dual screen S2 comes with two 5.5-inch displays which can be used together as one large screen to browse websites and more. They can also be used for different functions as users can watch a video on one screen and input commands on the other, or check email on one screen and use the other as a soft keyboard.

Seamless Usability and Performance

Through Sony’s knowhow for combining hardware and software, “Sony Tablet” realizes optimal usability and performance. Because of Sony’s rapid response technologies, users can perform smooth, quick touch-screen operations and enjoy fast and efficient website loading. The keyboard arrangement is also optimized for the large screen, making email and SNS communication a breeze.

Rich entertainment experiences through various network services

Through Qriocity¹ music and video services, users can enjoy rich video and music content. Also, through PlayStation®Suite, users can immerse themselves in high quality first generation PlayStation® titles. Additionally, users can easily download ebook content from Reader™Store² and use both tablets as digital reading devices. The integration with various services allows users to take their entertainment experiences on-the-go. Furthermore, “Sony Tablet” is equipped with functionality that organizes content for easy access.

Remote access functionality with AV devices

Through “Sony Tablet”, users can control home entertainment devices as well as enjoy content in new ways. S1 uses infrared technology and works as universal remote controls for a variety of AV devices starting with <BRAVIA>. Users can perform functions like turning on their TVs, changing the channel and adjusting the volume. Also, through DLNA functionality on “Sony Tablet”, users can “throw” personal content to large screen televisions or music to wireless speakers.
In 2010, Sony launched a network platform called “Qriocity” which connects many of Sony’s network-enabled devices, and has been expanding its services into global markets. Also, Sony Computer Entertainment has been providing various contents and services for PlayStation users through PlayStation®Network, which now has over 75 million registered accounts (as of March 20, 2011) worldwide.
Simultaneously, Sony will continue to announce various devices which leverage these services. Starting in early 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment announced the next-generation portable entertainment system (codename: NGP) while Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications brought “Xperia™PLAY” to the market. Sony is introducing “Sony Tablet” to deliver an entertainment experience which integrates hardware with network services that deliver rich content.
With the establishment of Consumer Products and Services Group in April 2011, Sony will focus on accelerating the development of innovative next generation products and aim to deliver a new lifestyle by strengthening the integration of hardware and network services.

 

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[Rumor] Is Lenovo Working On A 7-Inch Honeycomb Tablet?

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We heard about Lenovo’s Honeycomb-sporting ThinkPad (aka Think Slate) tablet yesterday, but I guess that just wasn’t enough rumor coverage for Lenovo. In the same PowerPoint where they found the info on the ThinkPad, tech blog This Is My Next has also stumbled across a 7-inch Honeycomb tablet that could possibly come out sometime in Q4. While there is little known at this point, here are the (rather vague) details from the leak:

• 7 Inch, 1280×800 display
• Dual Core ARM processor
• "Le OS / Honeycomb" Android with Lenovo UI
• Available Q4 2011

It looks like it should have the same custom interface as the ThinkPad, which we don’t really have a lot of information on. One thing that I find intriguing, however, is the 7-inch 1280×800 screen. Personally, I love the 7-inch form factor, but the (generally) low-res screens have always kept me away. The addition of a HD resolution on a 7-inch tablet may be just what the doctor ordered.
What do you think? Would you be interested in a 7-incher with a high res like this?
 

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HTC: We Will Be Updating The Flyer To Honeycomb Shortly After Launch

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We’ve heard several rumors about when the HTC Flyer would get a Honeycomb update, but now we have something a bit more concrete – this time directly from HTC. According to its official Twitter page, HTC has said that "[they] will be updating Flyer to Honeycomb shortly after launch." We’ve know for a while that the Flyer would get Honeycomb eventually, but this is the first time that we’ve gotten wind of any sort of time frame.

A quick spec rundown:

• 1.5GHz single-core Snapdragon processor
• 1GB RAM
• 7 inch, 1024×600 display
• 16GB Storage, SD Card slot
• 5MP rear camera with 720p video capture, 1.3MP front camera
• Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread at launch

Does knowing that Honeycomb is in the near-future of this stylus-wielding tablet make you want to pre-order it today?

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Quick Look At Today’s Free Amazon App: Roller

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TalkAndroid is happy to bring you the first installment in a daily column where one of our staff spends a little time with the free app Amazon is offering and gives you a quick summary of the app’s highlights and whether or not it’s worth your time. Today’s offering is Roller, and if the picture above doesn’t tell you everything you need to know, it’s a Skee Ball app. While there is an ad-supported free version in the market, Amazon’s offering you the ad-free version which is usually $.99.
The concept is exactly what you’d expect: Skee Ball. Flick your finger up the track to send the ball flying into one of the holes at the end for points. It works just like the Skee Ball machine at your local arcade…and, fun fact, I’m about as good at the Android version as I am at the real thing! (Not very.)
What immediately struck me about the game was the level of polish. It has options to adjust the sensitivity of the “flick,” decent sound effects (which I immediately turned off, so I can play at work), and an excellent level of responsiveness. It’s also got multiple offerings for the color and style of your ball, and three different skins for the lane. It also tracks your high score, so you can see whether or not you do, in fact, get better with practice.
Bottom line: Get it. It’s less than 3MB, it’s free, and it’s a fun little time-killer. There’s no reason not to grab it from the Amazon Appstore.
Be sure and check back every day for our coverage of the daily free apps from Amazon!!
 

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Motorola DROID X for verizon only 1 penny on sale at Amazon

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If you’ve been on the fence about what you feel like spending on a new Android device, given most newer models are $99 – 199, you should take a hard look at this deal Amazon has right now online for the Verizon Motorola DROID X. This phone would be considered just behind the high-end smartphones by today’s standards, but in its release day, this was one of the devices that helped Verizon and Motorola register some pretty impressive earning calls last year.

It’s got everything a Samsung Captivate or Fascinate would have and then some more including a 1GHz Processor, 4.3 inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen, 8 megapixel camera, 3G/Wi-Fi 802.11g, bluetooth, HDMI or wireless HD connection, accelerometer, Android 2.1 Eclair (out of the box) update is available for Android 2.2 and 2.3 Gingerbread as well. All in all, that’s an awesome Amazon deal for a beefy Gingerbread device like this!

 

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Cyanogen Gingerbread Mod adds Droid support with bug fixes

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A new update of Cyanogen 7 has been released, fixing a few bugs, adding a few new features, and bringing Gingerbread to the Motorola Droid. The new release, CM7.0.2, offers a built in theme engine, GPS fixes, a fix to the proximity and light sensor, as well as tablet and notification tweaks. The release comes fresh on the heels of 7.0.1 which was announced at the beginning of the month. But users complained of several bugs and the mod was prompted pulled and polished to get it ready for prime time.

In addition to the Droid, Nexus One users can give the ROM a whirl, as well as the HTC Hero, Desire, Evo, and several others. Even tablet fans looking to boost their Android OS can use it, as there is support for models like the ViewSonic G-Tablet and even the NOOKColor. There’s also multi language support of over 15 languages.
Droid, and other users looking to bring Gingerbread to their phones can get the new ROM at Cynogen’s mirror site here. Users are advised to use ROM Manager to install the ROM. And if you’re using a previous version, you should get a notification that a build is ready for your device. One thing though, is that this may be the last update for awhile, as it’s pretty stable, offers most features and baring any further bug fixes, it looks to be pretty well cooked.
 

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CloudTalk Social Network launching for Android

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There’s a new player in the social networking game and it promises to give a voice that 800 lb. Gorillas like Facebook and Twitter can’t … emotion. The service is called Cloud Talk, and it will be bringing to both Android and iPhone devices the ability to post voice posts, photos, videos, and if you must, text messages. The difference is, that instead of having people “follow” or “friend” you, users can invite others to join in the conversation. Then, they can either provide a voice, text, video reply in the thread.

“We’re leading with the smart phones, because that’s what people use for communication. We’re at a transition where the mobile is more important than the Web,” said CloudTalk’s chief marketing officer, John Linney.

The current version of Cloud Talk, which was originally released as Pana.ma in 2009, is available as a web version in beta, does have several of the features of the mobile apps like community content, but users sign up and get a feel for how it works. As users are invited to and add to the conversation, all others are notified of new content. It’s quite similar to Google Wave. But unlike Facebook, contributors can’t see the see others contacts or add friends.
The benefits of voice and video contributions is subtly, emotion, and even comedy and sarcasm, things that can often get lost in a text reply. It also provides the complexity that can be sacrificed with an arbitrary 140 character limit. Businesses may find it ads layers that will enable for training, product descriptions, and strategies. Look Cloud Talk in both the Android Market and iTunes store starting today.
 

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