VMware giving Verizon phones dual numbers and identites

If you’ve ever been issued a company cell phone in addition to your own phone, you know what a hassle it is lugging two devices, contact lists, et cetera around with you. VMware, one of the most prominent players in the desktop virtualization market, is aiming to change that. They’re partnering with Verizon in the United States and Telefonica in Europe to give employer-issued Android phones a double identity.

What this means is that you’ll be able to accept calls from your work and personal numbers on the same device, in addition to VMware’s already-announced mobile virtulization package. It works a lot like the VMware Workstation or Fusion software available on Windows and Mac, but in this case it’s managing a separate identity instead of  an operating system. LG and Samsung phones will be the first to support this home/work software division.
Managing separate numbers is of course already possible with things like number forwarding and Google Voice, but keeping two separate workspaces with their own contacts, emails, text messages and the like is something new. It isn’t restricted to software, either: businesses can set up their own voice and data plans for their employees, who will only use their own personal minutes and data when they’re off the clock. Depending upon how your workplace is set up this could be a positive or negative (from the employee perspective, anyway) but the idea has merit. Verizon and VMware haven’t given a timeframe for implementing the solution.

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LG Optimus LTE comes to Bell Canada as the Eye

Just a few weeks ago LG unveiled its jaw-dropping Optimus LTE to spec junkies the world over, and those living in the great white north can get a crack at it on Bell soon. In Canada the phone will be known as the LG Optimus Eye, paying homage to its 8 megapixel/1080p rear camera. That’s not what will be turning the eye of Canadian consumers, however.

No, what makes the Optimus Eye stand out is its massive 4.5-inch screen running a full 1280 x 720 screen, and with a true IPS LCD panel, the it’ll be as crisp and clear as a February morning in Ottawa. That’s an iPhone 4-besting 329 pixels per inch. The hardware hits just keep coming with this one: a 1.5GHz dual-core processor should let Android Gingerbread fly on the Eye, and 4G LTE speeds will make sure that the wireless connection is no hindrance. Bell’s retail chain The Source was kind enough to post a preview video starring a genuine “Tech Expert” (who, by the way, erroneously says that the phone has a 1280 x 760 screen):




Bell is still mum on the price or availability of the LG Optimus Eye, but with an official marketing rollout expect news in the next few weeks. With this kind of top-shelf hardware you can expect a high price tag to boot, but for the time being Canadians will have to wait patiently. There’s still no word on the Optimus LTE making its way south to the United States.

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Box for Android gets update for mobile workflow

We all want to be more organized, even if those like me never really get organized. One thing that many people like is the ability to be able to access their content from wherever they are. Box for Android is an app that will let you connect to your content at the office when you are out of the office. The app has been updated to make it faster and more stabile.

The new update went live on the Android Market last Friday and can be downloaded right now. The update includes a new codebase and integration with Quickoffice. That Quickoffice integration allows you to edit documents that are saved on Box from your Android phone or tablet. The update also brings the ability to rename, delete, and share files or folders from the Android device.
The update also supports local caching of content so if you are accessing a particular document frequently you won’t need to wait for it to download each time. These sound like some very nice updates, particularly for an office that has multiple users accessing the same files.

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Samsung Transform Ultra slides into the low end

There’s a lot of QWERTY slider Android phones out there if you look hard enough, but most of them are mid- to high-end, and unfortunately off-limits to the thumbs of more pragmatic text-happy consumers. Samsung is looking to fill their demand with the Transform Ultra, a low-end slider previously reserved for Boost but set for release soon on the parent network. No price is available, but given the low specifications it should be less than $100 on-contract, possibly even free.

The Transform Ultra comes with a small (for Android, at least) 3.5-inch screen pushing just 480 x 320 pixels. The 3 megapixel camera on the back is complimented by a front VGA camera, a rarity on this class of phone. The phone is a little on the chunky side at 14 millimeters thick, but that’s par for the course for Samsung sliders like the Stratosphere. A 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM should have no problem keeping up with Android Gingerbread, and access to the Android Market and other Google apps is included.
2GB of on-board storage is accompanied by as much memory as you can shove into the Transform Ultra’s MicroSD card slot, and the small phone should last a good while on a 1500 mAh battery. 3G speeds are as fast as the phone will go, but of course, you can compliment that with the A/B/G WiFi. Pricing and availability are still up in the air on this one, though given its $229.99 off-contract sticker on Boost, expect it to be very low indeed.

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More than half of Android phones under license from Microsoft

It was recently suggested that Microsoft makes more money from HTC than it does from its WP7 licenses. The Taiwanese manufacturer effectively pays Microsoft $5 for every Android handset sold, while Windows Phone licenses go for $15, however there’s something like 10 times as many HTC Android phones as there are Window Phone 7 handsets.

Now Brad Smith and Horacio Gutierrez – Microsoft’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel, and Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel respectively (phew) – have been boasting that they’re siphoning bucks from over half of Android phones.

That’s largely thanks to HTC and Samsung, which account for 29% and 23% of the Android market respectively. Throw in a handful of smaller manufacturers such as Acer, and you’re looking at 53% of all Android handsets.

“For those who continue to protest that the smartphone patent thicket is too difficult to navigate, it's past time to wake up,” warn Smith and Gutierrez. “As Microsoft has entered new markets from the enterprise to the Xbox, we’ve put together comprehensive licensing programs that address not only our own needs but the needs of our customers and partners as well.

“As our recent agreements clearly show, Android handset manufacturers are now doing the same thing. Ultimately, that's a good path for everyone.”

via: TechNet

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HTC halting Listen music service at end of month

HTC has informed us that it is shuttering the MusicStation-powered Listen music store service found on T-Mobile's HTC Sensation on October 31. After that time, users will not be able to access the music store and any purchased tracks will need to be downloaded before October ends. HTC notes that tracks purchased from the service are DRM-free and will work in most any music player application and also reminds users that music tracks can still be purchased direct to the phone from the T-Mobile Mall.

source: HTC

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Droid RAZR Gets Equipment Guide Entry, Landing Page

Verizon is gearing up for the launch of their Motorola Droid RAZR which if rumors hold out to be true will be on Big Red’s shelves by the end of the week. The phone has appeared in VZW’s equipment guide, giving us one last look at its specs. The document comes courtesy of DroidLife (visit the source link below to view). Nothing new is revealed by the entry, but its appearance is a good sign for those eagerly awaiting the uber-thin handset. Another good sign? The launch of a Droid RAZR landing page over at DroidDoes.com. The site gives yet another overview of major features and offers would-be buyers the opportunity to sign up for email alerts. We also get another good look at the RAZR’s stylish design. It’s a shame every phone doesn’t look this good.
[via DroidDoes, DroidLife]

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Acer Iconia Tabs to get Ice Cream Sandwich update next year?

With all the hubbub over the latest Android 4.0 version of the popular OS, lots of folks want to know when they will be able to get Ice Cream Sandwich on their own tablets and smartphones. Last week Asus announced that the original Transformer tablet would be getting the ISC update next year. Today news on more devices possibly getting the update next year have surfaced.

This is unconfirmed right now so take the rumor with some salt. According to Tablet-online.pl the Acer Iconia Tab A100/A101 and the A500/A501 will all get the upgrade to ICS early next year. That would be no surprise really. The details come from information presented from an unnamed source to the Tablet-online.pl site.
It has been said by Android product manager Gabe Cohen that in theory any of the tablets on the market today running Honeycomb can be updated to ICS. How quickly those updates come will depend on if the device is running a custom UI that takes a while to tweak. I would expect that a bunch of devices would get the update in early 2012. We have asked Acer for an official comment and will update if Acer responds.
[via Tablet-online]

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Nokia outs offline maps for Android and iOS

We have talked about the Nokia HTML5 maps that were coming before. At first, the Nokia Maps were only offered on Nokia smartphones, but that has now changed. The HTML5 version of the maps are intended to be used on both the Android and iOS platforms as well. With the roll out of the HTML 5 maps also come some new and cool features.

The maps were in beta previously and could be downloaded. They offer satellite view, public transport view, and Live traffic views. They also support pinch to zoom, routing for walking or driving, and saving of favorite locations. A pair of new features has surfaced today that are very nice and will make using the Nokia Maps more interesting for the user.
The best of the features is the new offline mode. This allows you to download the maps before you head out for a trip so you can turn off your data connection. That is a big deal if you are in an area where you are in data roaming. Other new features include POI information and new public transportation directions.
[via MyNokiaBlod]

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