Monday, September 5, 2011

HTC Sensation ROM provides 1.56GHz Overclock

It appears that the developer known as mike1986 has created a lovely new ROM for the HTC Sensation specifically which bumps the device’s processor speed up to 1.56 GHz. While this device’s original dual-core processor speed was clocked at 1.2GHz, this ROM provides the device with the original stock speed of its MSN8660 chipset, that being 1.51GHz by default, here controlled automatically by built-in O/C Daemon. In addition to this speed boost, you’ll find that there’s only speed boosts and power optimizations across the board: that means your device will look and feel exactly the same, it’ll just be BETTER!


This brand new ROM offers such lovely bits as full Arabic and Hebrew languages, an oddity in this generally Romantic-language-heavy Android world, the ability to work with all different HTC Sensation versions including the HTC Sensation 4G (US T-Mobile) with support for Wi-Fi calling and Visual Voice Mail. Battery life has reportedly be increased, improved EXT4 performance with a new mounting method, SD card EXT4 partition support, and built-in easy ability to change your boot animation – neato! Of course once you’re rooted on any Android device this is as simple as replacing one zipped folder of images with another, but easier is easier!
There’s improved Andreno200 configuration, RAM optimizations, SD Card speed tweak, battery auto-calibration, auto-removal of bloatware applications (including what they’ve decided were bloatware, of course, that being Amazon MP3, SoundHound trial, and etc), all system apps updated to their latest versions, and somehow or another improved camera performance. And your 3D engine has been overclocked from 266.6MHz to 320MHz. And you’ve got a GPU+ patch for improved graphics performance in 2D and 3D. And you’ve got the latest official HTC RUU 1.45.401.2 and Gingerbread 2.3.4 if you didn’t have them already.
That’s – what – everything you could possibly ever want?
Go check it out on XDA Developers and let us know how it goes! Makes you wonder if it’ll be worth moving over to the HTC Amaze 4G or not — perhaps the slightly more awesome physical build on the Sensation will continue to win you over? Also note that there’s a perhaps slightly involved 1.7GHz overclock out there as well
- as we speak!

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
Device Name : Sensation 4G
Manufactuer : HTC
Carrier : T-Mobile
Announced Date : April 12, 2011
Release Date : May 19, 2011
Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.30 Inch
  • Resolution : 540x960
  • Screen Type : qHD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 4.96 Inch
  • Width : 2.57 Inch
  • Depth : 0.44 Inch
  • Weight : 148 Grams
Battery & Power
  • Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1520 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 350 hours
Software
  • Android OS:
  • 2.3.x
  • Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
  • Video Playback:
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
  • Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
CPU : Snapdragon
CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz
Core : 2
Ram : 768 MB
Internal Storage : 4 GB
Front Facing Camera :
Camera Resolution :8 MP
  • External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
  • Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
  • Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity
QWERTY :
Cellular Network
  • Network Technology:
  • GSM
  • GSM Band:
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
  • Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
  • Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
  • Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
FM Radio :

[via XDA]

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to get Android app

Before you get all excited about MW3 coming to Android devices, I need to tell you that the app is not a smartphone version of the game. That means you can’t play MW3 on the go. The app is designed to allow you to customize your load out while on the go so your character will be ready to fight when you get back to the full game. The load out customization has just about all the things you can customize in the game.


That means you can customize your weapons, perks, and kill streaks. The app will be a free download and will be free to use. If you subscribe to Call of Duty Elite, you will get more features than those that just download the free app. Considering what a new game goes for today all the features should be free in my opinion.
The app should support all the platforms so you can use it for the PS3, Xbox, and PC platform the game supports. The app will be offered on both the iPhone and Android devices. I can’t wait for the game to come out, but I am not sure about the app. What do you think, is this a useful app or not?
[via TechnoBuffalo]

Samsung Conquer 4G offers great specs with a killer price on the Sprint Network

The past few weeks has seen Sprint’s 4G wireless network become home to more than a couple one penny smartphones as the wireless provider gets very aggressive with their pricing model. The wireless marketplace in America is a dog eat dog daily competition to protect one’s own market share while increasingly attempting to take market share from your competition. Sprint is solidly entrenched in the number two position for wireless market share in the United States, behind dominant top spot holder Verizon, and right ahead of AT&T. One way to instantly attract market share away from your competitors, especially during tough economic times, is with a lower retail price then they offer for a similarly featured handset, and the Samsung Conquer 4G benefits from this wise marketing move. The Samsung Conquer 4G offers Android’s Gingerbread operating system support out-of-the-box, and promises over the air upgrades as they are released. The Conquer 4G also delivers a rarity in smartphone technology. Not all handsets or wireless platforms offer simultaneous data access while making a call. With the Conquer 4G you can browse the web, download apps and other data, and access other screens without having to terminate your voice call.

Also, the Samsung Conquer 4G acts as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for up to five additional devices. This means that wirelessly the Conquer 4G acts as a hub so your other consumer electronics can enjoy 4G speeds. The display on the Conquer 4G is 3.5 inches and delivers 320 x 480 pixel resolution. That is a capacitive touchscreen, and also supports multiple gesture navigation. The Conquer 4G offers a rear facing 3.2 megapixel camera with VGA quality resolution and the ability to record at 30 frames per second, and the accompanying 1.3 megapixel front facing chat cam also delivers voice call capability.
512 MB of RAM memory and 1.0 GB of ROM memory are on board, up to 32 GB of storage is available through the microSD slot, a microUSB port is present, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity are also delivered. Samsung intended the Conquer 4G as an entry-level smartphone as opposed to a full-featured high-end Android handset, and Sprint’s pricing confirms this designation.

iPhone 5 manufacturing kicks off without iOS 5, report claims


Apple’s manufacturing partners have reportedly begun assembling the iPhone 5 according to a new report from Macotakara, which has a mixed track record. The report follows news from this morning that German Apple carrier partner Deutsche Telekom has already begun pre-sales of the next-generation Apple smartphone. Foxconn, which will supposedly handle roughly 85% of iPhone 5 production, and Pegatron, which has picked up a contract for the remaining 15%, are said to have ramped up assembly ahead of Apple’s official announcement of the device, which is expected as soon as next week. Citing information from an anonymous source, the report also notes that finished devices are not yet being packaged, as the release build of iOS 5 has not yet been finalized.
Read

HTC Jetstream hamstrung by AT&T pricing, but it is now available


Last week when the AT&T Jetstream broke cover at IFA I mentioned the pricing of the tablet and ran down the specs. The price was certainly a lot of money, but if you can bring yourself to spend that much loot the Jetstream is now available. I am still surprised at the pricing; this is not the way to get people to buy a new Android tablet instead of the iPad 2 or other offering. It’s really too bad because the Jetstream seems to be a really awesome tablet on paper.


AT&T has listed the price of the Jetstream with no commitment at $849.99. That means you don’t have to have the 2-year data plan. If you want that 2-year plan on data for the tablet, the price is $699.99 and then you have to spend at least $35 monthly for data access. By comparison, the 16GB iPad 2 is $629 with no data commitment, the 32GB version is $729.99, and the 64GB version is $829 and the data plans are cheaper with the iPad starting at $14.99. Pay as you go data plans if you choose the no commitment pricing on the Jetstream may be lower and more in line with iPad offerings
The Jetstream does give you some nice hardware inside with HSPA+ and 4G support, a 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor with dual-cores, and an 8MP rear camera with 1.3MP front camera. The battery inside the Jetstream is 7,300mAh and the tablet has a 10.1-inch screen. It runs Android 3.1 and will support both touch input and the Scribe digital pen that is bundled with the tablet.

Report says HTC too may be tracking customers


It has been reported that the Evo 3D and Sensation smartphones from HTC could be tracking the locations of its users, which makes it the latest addition to the list of illicit tracking manufacturers which already includes manufacturers of Google’s Android, Microsoft and Apple’s iPhones. According to reports released by InfectedROM, the 2.3.4 Android update for Gingerbread released by HTC features additional software in its Carrier IQ department.
It has been said that along with the regular features of the CIQ to send to carriers the important information about a smartphone, the component version used by HTC also contains a function called User Behavior Logging which extensively tracks the smartphones. For an instance, it has been reported that the CIQ can pinpoint the location of its users, identify the applications used in the phone and even find out whether the phone has been rooted.
The research firm has gone as far as saying that the monitoring of the Evo 3D and the Sensation by HTC is used by the company to disqualify user’s claim for warranty even if the rooting of their phones did not lead to the malfunctioning of the device. However, the carriers have come out denying that the information is used in this way, stating that only limited information is stored by the software.
Jason Gertzen, a spokesman for Sprint, said that the CIQ only collects as much information as is sufficient to understand the experience of the customers with the devices on the carrier’s network and to assess the possible solutions for their problems. He said that the company cannot access the contents of the phones such as the photos, messages, videos, etc. through the software.
However, for the time being, HTC is legally bound to tamper with the CIQ, as it is covered in the terms and conditions given out by the manufacturer. Many believe that because the increasing worldwide sensitivity for tracking location data, this accusation may very likely result in HTC being dragged into court cases over violation of privacy of its users. This will add HTC to the growing list of companies such as Google, Apple and Microsoft which are already facing litigations concerning the tracking of location data on their cell phones.
Apple and Microsoft have especially borne the brunt of allegations related to mobile location tracking since spring this year. All of these companies are now facing a number of lawsuits from their users, the government’s scrutiny and criticism from a number of organizations.

HTC Amaze 4G Pictures Leak, More Specs Confirmed

New pictures have just leaked of the much rumored HTC Ruby. This will be the newest beast on T-Mobile’s lineup and according to recent leaks they will be calling it the HTC Amaze 4G. While this isn’t the first time we’ve spotted this phone we do see the entire package this time around.


As most leaks like this usually are, we are getting a few good pictures but the rest are what we all love to call “Mr Blurrycam” but they show enough for us to get excited that is for sure. The last time we heard any specs on this device was back in August and these latest leaks seem to confirm what we already knew.

This package from T-Mobile will feature a 4.3″ qHD 960×540 display (no large 4.7″ here) Android 2.3 Gingerbread as well as HTC Sense UI 3.5 although it appears to be running a pretty stock build of Android in the images with only minor Sense changes. We have confirmation of the 1.5 Ghz dual-core CPU (faster than any other phone HTC has released thus far) as well as 1GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage and that 8MP camera on the rear with dual LED flash.
We are still looking for more details but things appear pretty clear at the moment. It will also feature a front facing camera like most phones as of late. It looks a bit like a HTC Sensation and the myTouch 4G mixed into one. What do you guys think?
ruby-amaze2 ruby-amaze1 ruby-amaze3 [via thisismynext]

It’s an Android future, with or without Google


Making its public debut with the release of the HTC Dream/G1, Google’s Android mobile operating system has provided the search giant with a massively successful mobile ecosystem that, whilst doesn’t directly generate revenues through licensing, it provides smartphone manufacturers with a free, powerful and customisable software platform – generating millions of dollars in sales – and also helps possibly the world’s biggest advertising company dominate another advertising vertical.
It took just two two years for Android to become the world’s most popular smartphone platform, eclipsing Nokia’s Symbian operating system as Apple, HTC and Samsung began to make significant inroads into Nokia’s market share, a time when it was powering nearly 60% of all smartphones sold.
In the US, Android holds a 41.8% share of the market, followed by Apple’s iOS platform with 27%, highlighting the dominance and significant recent growth of both platforms. However, the significance of Apple’s share should not be underestimated, as the company has been be able to build its market presence with just one device – the iPhone – which is iterated once a year to a newer, more powerful model.
Google, on the other hand, relies on support from mobile vendors which have committed to the Android ecosystem to help build their smartphone portfolios. Samsung’s Galaxy S line of smartphones, numerous flagship devices from HTC and Motorola’s Droid range (in the US) have assisted Google’s attempts to popularise its Android ecosystem, a varying range of Google-powered handsets that fuse touchscreen technology with powerful applications and integrated services.
With Android’s success, Google has faced its fair share of problems. Over the past year, Google has found itself embroiled in privacy issues, sued over its use of Oracle’s Java implementation, the Android platform implicated in patent infringement lawsuits targeted at companies that use its software to power its handsets, all whilst other companies begin to fork their own versions of the platform, further fragmenting the ecosystem.
With 550,000 Android devices are activated every day, through a network of 39 manufacturers and 231 carriers, Google may well continue to build its presence in the smartphone and tablet market, but its dominance is far from certain. These are some of the issues Google faces in its struggle to remain the top smartphone platform provider.

Patent Issues

Whilst Google hasn’t been directly named in a patent infringement lawsuit by Apple, its operating system has formed the basis of many lawsuits served by its major technology rivals. Apple has accused both Samsung and HTC of utilising software (features found within Google’s Android platform) that infringe on patents associated with its iPhone and iPad devices and Microsoft pursuing legal action against Motorola, again for using the same software – both companies have sought sales and import bans on devices that are judged to be infringing on said patents.

Apple has successfully won injunctions on sales of Samsung’s smartphones and tablets in Europe and Australia and has been able to ban the import of some HTC phones in the US.
Reacting to the problems that faced smartphone vendors when they used its mobile operating system, Google’s David Drummond, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, posted a blog post on the problems faced by these companies:
Android and other platforms are competing hard against each other, and that’s yielding cool new devices and amazing mobile apps for consumers.
But Android’s success has yielded something else: a hostile, organised campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents.
Drummond continued to accuse its rivals of “banding together” to acquire Novell’s patent portfolio, a group that included Apple and Microsoft), and Nortel’s powerful set of wireless patents, which saw Apple, Microsoft and RIM form a consortium to outbid Google and purchase the portfolio for around $4.5 billion dollars.
Not only has Microsoft competed against Google for lucrative mobile patents, the Redmond-based software giant has also used its intellectual property to leverage licensing deals, forcing Android handset makers to license its patents and pay the company a fee on every Android device they sell. In May, we reported that HTC pays Microsoft $5 on each Android smartphone it sells:
It has long been known that Microsoft has regarded Linux-based operating systems (such as Android) as infringing on its intellectual property. But it’s thought that the reason why Microsoft has pursued Android handset-makers rather than Google itself, is because it’s easier to do that than take on the might of Google. And also, it’s partly because it puts a price on a big rival platform that is otherwise free to use.
Indeed, back in October, Steve Ballmer noted that “Android has a patent fee. It’s not like it’s free.” But up until now, it wasn’t clear how much that patent fee amounted to.
The report also reveals that Microsoft is actively pursuing other Android handset makers and it’s believed they’re seeking up to $12.50 in some cases.
Four smaller mobile companies have publicly announced they have begun to license Microsoft’s intellectual property also.
Microsoft’s actions obviously frustrate Google; it’s Chief Legal Officer noted that in some cases, handset makers were paying more to license Android (a free platform), thanks to Microsoft’s patent claims, than they were for the company’s own OS – Windows Phone 7.
He writes:
Patents were meant to encourage innovation, but lately they are being used as a weapon to stop it.
Compared to its rivals, Google’s mobile patent portfolio is small; Businessweek reports that Google has applied for or received a total of 307 mobile-related patents, compared with 3,134 for Research In Motion, 2,655 for Nokia, and 2,594 for Microsoft.

Google buys Motorola Mobility
Feeling heat from its rivals and being outbid in its attempts to secure more of a foothold in the patent race, Google did something that not even the most seasoned mobile industry expert would have been able to predict – it bought mobile vendor Motorola Mobility, formally entering the smartphone business, acquiring 17,000 patents that the company had registered.
Google CEO Larry Page was quick to point out the move was not only to “supercharge” the Android ecosystem, but to better position the company from anti-competitive threats from its rivals:
We recently explained how companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android. The U.S. Department of Justice had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to “protect competition and innovation in the open source software community” and it is currently looking into the results of the Nortel auction. Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.
However, Google’s Eric Schmidt has moved to reiterate that the company’s Motorola purchase was also because of its product lineup:
“We did it for more than just patents,” Schmidt said in a conversation with Salesforce.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Marc Benioff. “The Motorola team has some amazing products.”
As it stands, Google’s position in the market has not changed as a result of actions in the courts by its rivals. The search giant has still not been formally involved in direct legal action – although it could should new devices born from the Motorola acquisition be judged to infringe on the intellectual property of overs – with its recent public and business actions assisting in asserting its position in the market amongst its rivals.
However, wins by Apple or Microsoft in the courts could start limiting supply of Android devices, reducing consumer confidence in the platform. In such a competitive market, any potential blip could impact its growth and give its rivals an edge, something that Google will be preparing for behind the scenes, ready to deal with should the worst happen.

Android Fragmentation

During its first two years in existence, Android was quickly iterated to ensure it could maintain a feature-set worthy of competing with its Apple rival, iOS.
Google worked quickly to release Android 1.5 (Cupcake) through to 2.3 (Gingerbread) – named after all sorts of delicious dessert offerings – including new features and new services. However, its quick update cycle and a reluctance from carriers to push updates meant that users were often left on older firmware releases despite the fact there was often one, or maybe more, updates available for that specific handset.
Recognising this, Google – over the past 9-12 months – put a plan into action which would see fewer updates over a yearly period, only issuing new releases to fix bugs or add small features that would not disadvantage the user greatly should their mobile operator device to make them available.

With Ice Cream Sundae, the rumoured name for the next version of Android, Google intends to amalgamate its codebase and release updates for smartphone, tablet and Google TV using the same platform, reducing development time but also making it easier for consumers and partners to deal with updates.
What once used to be a major issue for Android has now been rectified but a new form of Android fragmentation is set to impact Google’s Android brand, and it can almost do nothing about it.
Amazon, Baidu and others…
Google created and maintains Android to be open-source, the codebase is available to other mobile companies and even you and me. Due to its open nature, Google makes certain assertions to ensure that vendors keep it close to Google’s own builds, providing them with official certification if they keep certain services built into the operating system, for example.
However, a number of other companies which Google now considers competitors are beginning to create their own forks of the Android operating system, stripping it of everything that is Google-related to push their own products and services.
Perhaps the most dangerous of these competitors is Amazon, the world’s biggest online retailer, a company that doesn’t just sell physical goods but is a leader in cloud-storage, runs its own application store and has a number of very competitive media deals with the major music and film studios.
Amazon is due to release its own tablet device in November, initially bringing to market a 7-inch device, followed by a 10.1-inch model, that will run a completely customized version of Google’s mobile operating system. Techcrunch’s MG Seigler managed to get his hands on the upcoming 7-inch device and noted how far removed its operating system is from what you would expect from Google:
The interface is all Amazon and Kindle. It’s black, dark blue, and a bunch of orange. The main screen is a carousel that looks like Cover Flow in iTunes which displays all the content you have on the device. This includes books, apps, movies, etc. Below the main carousel is a dock to pin your favorite items in one easy-to-access place. When you turn the device horizontally, the dock disappears below the fold.
Above the dock is the status bar (time, battery, etc) and this doubles as a notification tray. When apps have updates, or when new subscriptions are ready for you to view, they appear here. The top bar shows “YOUR NAME’s Kindle” and then the number of notifications you have in bright orange. It looks quite nice.
But the key for Amazon is just how deeply integrated all of their services are. Amazon’s content store is always just one click away. The book reader is a Kindle app (which looks similar to how it does on Android and iOS now). The music player is Amazon’s Cloud Player. The movie player is Amazon’s Instant Video player. The app store is Amazon’s Android Appstore.
Google’s Android Market is nowhere to be found. In fact, no Google app is anywhere to be found. This is Android fully forked. My understanding is that the Kindle OS was built on top of some version of Android prior to 2.2. And Amazon will keep building on top of that of that over time. In other words, this won’t be getting “Honeycomb” or “Ice Cream Sandwich” — or if it does, users will never know it because that will only be the underpinnings of the OS. Any visual changes will be all Amazon.
They are not working with Google on this. At all.
Given Amazon’s huge presence in many western markets, the retailer’s threat is a very credible one. With a reported 5 million tablets already waiting to be shipped (when it does launch), the company is betting big on its tablet, pricing it at an aggressive $250 to not only undercut its Android device-making rivals but also come in half the price of the market leading iPad.
If consumers buy into Amazon’s Android experience, expectations of how the platform should appear and operate will be different between tablet owners, split between those with a dedicated Google Android OS build and those with Amazon’s. It is tempting to say “don’t worry, Android is Android, surely it doesn’t matter” – but if Amazon is seen to be pushing a better performing and better looking fork of the software, Google’s fragmentation issue becomes a problem once again.
As smartphone market analyst says:
Amazon will use Android to flog Google.
In China, Google’s major search rival Baidu has released its own Android-based smartphone operating system Baidu Yu (meaning “easy”), integrating its own search and applications to better provide services for Chinese consumers.
Google will not “certify” Amazon’s or Baidu’s devices, but the companies will not care, they have millions of users between them that they will want to tempt to their own platforms, without the help of Google.
The stripping of Google products and services from Android’s offering reduces the company’s ability to make money from advertising and value-added services on those devices, but it does drive Android usage overall, so it might not be all bad for the search giant.

Smartphone Competition

Perhaps the most obvious of Google’s threat to its Android dominance is the emergence of rival platforms.
Apple’s iPhone is now the best selling smartphone worldwide and with reports that the company will introduce a new model in the coming weeks, as well as a cheaper ‘iPhone 4-like’ device aimed at the low to mid-range market, the company is set to boost its market share, possibly clawing it back from Google.
Microsoft is set to launch its new Mango firmware update, adding over 100 new features to its Windows Phone smartphone lineup. HTC has already introduced two of its new Mango-enabled smartphones and with Nokia and more than five other vendors including Samsung ready to launch their own, the software giant is ready to spend millions of marketing dollars to further push the new, improved platform.
Google has its own updates coming but after the company announced its acquisition of Motorola Mobility, it is expected that other vendors will look to rival platforms should Google suddenly decide to assert more control over the Android ecosystem.

Conclusion

As I noted above, Google could still profit from the fact that its rivals are utilising its smartphone and tablet platform, because usage of Android devices will still increase. If Android is still dominating the market, despite the fact Google services aren’t actually included on these devices, other manufacturers could be drawn to the platform for its proven track record.
Google’s issues are beneficial to the company, they are coming as a result of its success in the mobile industry. The company needs to ensure it can adequately prepare for an onslaught from its rivals over software patents, making sure to capitalise on Android use, despite the fact the search giant doesn’t play a major hand in their release.
A company of Google’s size isn’t only aware of these issues but it has also formed contingency plans should it face issues as a result of actions by its rivals. It’s whether Google chooses the right course of action, helping to build its platform further, instead of seeing partner devices stricken from the market as a result of its own software infringing patents.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Vizio tablet gets its first OTA update



The Vizio tablet has an OTA upgrade rolling out, and while it's not a version upgrade to Honeycomb it does look to address a few nags we have with the software -- namely the application launch speed and scrolling between screens.  If you have a look at our review, you'll see that the VIA software on the tablet seems slower than we liked, and full of shiny animations that look good but don't really add to the experience that much.  Better scrolling and faster app loading will go a long way towards making the software more tolerable.  Toss in better touchscreen response and even more devices in the IR remote control database (both of which we already found working quite well), and QVGA video support and we won't complain.  If you haven't already got your notice to upgrade, you should see it soon as long as you're connected to Wifi.