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Simranpal SIngh
[GTVSource via Engadget]
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Android 3.1 Update For Logitech Revue Rolling Out Now
[GTVSource via Engadget]
Developer Gets Android 4.0 Up and Booting On The Amazon Kindle Fire [Video]
RadioShack Prepares For The Galaxy Nexus – Available Same Day As Verizon Wireless Stores
[AndroidForums via AndroidCentral]
Google engineer tells us why iOS will remain more fluid than Android OS
What it boils down to is that Android OS renders all graphics continuously – and on the same priority. What differs in iOS and WP7 is that graphics rendering is queued for when it’s needed. This is why when we open many applications at once within Android, we see the device start to slow down as it tries to keep up. In iOS, if an application isn’t done loading and you start touching your screen, it will only finish loading when you release your finger. This also helps keep the device from working to hard on multiple tasks – which eventually drains your battery.
Put in Munn’s words:
It’s not GC pauses. It’s not because Android runs bytecode and iOS runs native code. It’s because on iOS all UI rendering occurs in a dedicated UI thread with real-time priority. On the other hand, Android follows the traditional PC model of rendering occurring on the main thread with normal priority.Personally, I love the way Android OS allows loading simultaneously to UI interaction. I’m pretty good at gauging the device’s capabilities to the point where I’ll know when the system may start to slow down. Also, hardware just keeps getting better and better. There will be a time when Android’s “sluggish threshold” is much harder to reach than currently.
[via SlashGear]
Android Market now includes permalinks to user reviews
When opening the Android Market and navigating to any application on your home PC, you’ll find that you now have the option link to specific user reviews. This is a feature that we honestly wouldn’t have “needed”, but nevertheless it may come in handy. I am no app developer, nor have I ever aspired to become one – but I assume it would be very beneficial to save particular reviews for future tips on improving my application.
Pictured below is an actual screenshot showing you where the permalink can be found on the page; it’s rather small so I hope this helps you out. It doesn’t actually take you away from the application and leave you with a single page dedicated to the review, but rather indexes the selected review to the top of the stack for easy viewing. All in all, it does make sense to have permalinks to user reviews; if such a feature were left out of any general online forum, it would be rather detrimental to quickly share single posts.
Now that this feature is live and publicly available, we’ll see how popular (or static) it becomes. The ability to forward a well thought out review of an application to a friend may help them decide if it’s worth the purchase price. Also, when a fellow blogger would like to quote such a review, we can now direct you right back to the source. True, it’s not entirely needed – but without interconnectedness the internet wouldn’t have done so well.
[via Android Central]
Pictured below is an actual screenshot showing you where the permalink can be found on the page; it’s rather small so I hope this helps you out. It doesn’t actually take you away from the application and leave you with a single page dedicated to the review, but rather indexes the selected review to the top of the stack for easy viewing. All in all, it does make sense to have permalinks to user reviews; if such a feature were left out of any general online forum, it would be rather detrimental to quickly share single posts.
Now that this feature is live and publicly available, we’ll see how popular (or static) it becomes. The ability to forward a well thought out review of an application to a friend may help them decide if it’s worth the purchase price. Also, when a fellow blogger would like to quote such a review, we can now direct you right back to the source. True, it’s not entirely needed – but without interconnectedness the internet wouldn’t have done so well.
[via Android Central]
ADWLauncher EX gets an Ice Cream flavored update, 10 Billion App discount
There’s a lot of aftermarket Android launchers out there, but very few can claim to have the kind of following that ADWLauncher EX enjoys. A rock-solid foundation, tons of customization options and a robust theme engine makes it one of the most popular launchers on the Market. Of course, with Ice Cream Sandwich‘s enhanced launcher a lot of the current offerings are looking long in the tooth. To that end, developer Anderweb has released a new version, with a ton of new features to bring it up to date.
Most dramatic is a new dock bar system that apes ICS’ “pinned” apps at the bottom of the screen. Most launchers including ADW have had some variation on this feature before, but new placement and visual options make ADW’s feel fresh. Folders have been given an ICS-flavored upgrade, with more visual settings to tweak. Other small visual and under-the-hood changes are present, including support for hardware acceleration on some devices. Notably it now plays nice with tablets running Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich, allowing for easier integration with the bottom action bar.
But don’t run out and purchase ADW Launcher EX just yet, if you haven’t already: the developer has announced that he’s participating in Google’s 10 Billion Apps promotion, and the full version will be just 10 cents/pence some time in the upcoming week. So if you can wait to try out the new features, you’ll save yourself a coffee’s worth of cash. Download it in the Market – but not right away!
But don’t run out and purchase ADW Launcher EX just yet, if you haven’t already: the developer has announced that he’s participating in Google’s 10 Billion Apps promotion, and the full version will be just 10 cents/pence some time in the upcoming week. So if you can wait to try out the new features, you’ll save yourself a coffee’s worth of cash. Download it in the Market – but not right away!
Xperia Play heads to C-Spire, regional carrier ready for gaming
Regional carrier C-Spire apparently wants in on the gaming action here in Android and today have announced the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play will be available to C-Spire customers for just $49.99 starting today. Better late than never right? The phone is the same model already available from Verizon, that is also $49 from AT&T so this isn’t anything new — Just a good deal for those C-Spire users.
We have Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a single-core 1.0 GHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of RAM and a 5 megapixel camera. The good stuff is the full out SONY Playstation controls once you slide this beast open. A gamers dream for sure!
With Sony opening the Playstation suite to others we should be seeing more and more games in the coming months, making the Play a decent choice especially for just $49.99 if you ask me. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is available today for C-Spire starting at $49.99 after a $50 MIR and a new 2-year contract so users will be shelling out a crisp $100 bill initially. Get your game on guys!
We have Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a single-core 1.0 GHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of RAM and a 5 megapixel camera. The good stuff is the full out SONY Playstation controls once you slide this beast open. A gamers dream for sure!
With Sony opening the Playstation suite to others we should be seeing more and more games in the coming months, making the Play a decent choice especially for just $49.99 if you ask me. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is available today for C-Spire starting at $49.99 after a $50 MIR and a new 2-year contract so users will be shelling out a crisp $100 bill initially. Get your game on guys!
Device Specifications and Information
Grand Theft Auto III Anniversary Edition crashes into Android December 15th
Great news for all you gamers out there — Grand Theft Auto III 10 Year Anniversary Edition will be available on Android starting December 15th. I’m extremely excited about that and will be playing this on my Transformer Prime that is for sure. We first reported that GTAIII was coming to Android back in October and today can happily report it will be available next week. Who’s excited?
The image above (thanks to pockethacks) should have all you Android gamers plenty happy about what is coming soon. We have a few in-game screenshots running on an Android tablet below and the graphics are quite decent. I’d love an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core optimized version of this game, and here one is in the works too. Currently the list of supported devices isn’t huge but it’s mostly higher end dual-core Android devices. Most are Tegra 2 phones then we see a few like the HTC Rezound in there too.
Most likely the game will play just fine with all the dual-core devices on the market although they aren’t all being officially listed as compatible. Tablets are seeing the same treatment although the Transformer, Motorola Xoom, Galaxy Tab’s and a few others all have received the green light. If your device is not on the supported list from Rockstar linked to below don’t worry because chances are it’ll work just fine. I’d be checking the Android Market on December 15th if I were you just in case.
Today Rockstar Games announced it will be available starting December 15th and will run you just $4.99 in the Android Market. I’ll be sure and get some hands-on time for those that might want to see a few reviews before making the purchase so stay tuned.
)
The image above (thanks to pockethacks) should have all you Android gamers plenty happy about what is coming soon. We have a few in-game screenshots running on an Android tablet below and the graphics are quite decent. I’d love an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core optimized version of this game, and here one is in the works too. Currently the list of supported devices isn’t huge but it’s mostly higher end dual-core Android devices. Most are Tegra 2 phones then we see a few like the HTC Rezound in there too.
Most likely the game will play just fine with all the dual-core devices on the market although they aren’t all being officially listed as compatible. Tablets are seeing the same treatment although the Transformer, Motorola Xoom, Galaxy Tab’s and a few others all have received the green light. If your device is not on the supported list from Rockstar linked to below don’t worry because chances are it’ll work just fine. I’d be checking the Android Market on December 15th if I were you just in case.
Today Rockstar Games announced it will be available starting December 15th and will run you just $4.99 in the Android Market. I’ll be sure and get some hands-on time for those that might want to see a few reviews before making the purchase so stay tuned.
)Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime vs Apple iPad 2
It's fair to say Apple's iPad 2 has enjoyed relatively unimpeded dominance in the tablet market. The device is powerful, user friendly and just oozes with Apple appeal, making it a sure-fire hit. But now we're starting to see tablets from Apple's competitors roll-out with some striking design features of their own.
Foremost among these contenders to the iPad 2's crown is Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime, a device that may have a silly name but is rather more smart when you dig below the surface. Will it offer enough to topple Apple's tablet from its lofty perch, though?
Display
The screen is the heart and soul of any decent tablet and both of our contenders are able to give plenty in the display department.
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime offers up a 10.1-inch Super IPS+ LCD that operates at a resolution of 1280x800 pixels and has a pixel density of 149PPI, which is pretty impressive.
The screen is striking, with sharp detail, vivid colours and pleasing viewing angles and it's big enough to enjoy movies and other media, without having to screw your eyes up and resort to painkillers after 15 minutes.
The iPad 2's display is equally as impressive. It's 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT operates at a resolution of 768x1024 pixels and has a pixel density of 132PPI which is good, but on this occasion not good enough.
The iPad 2's screen performs exceptionally, though, and is responsive to the lightest of touches making it a pleasure to surf the Web.
Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Power
Beneath the stunning screen technology lurks the engine room, and what is secreted therein usually makes or breaks a tablet in today's market.
Apple's iPad 2 is imbued with a dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU clocked to 1GHz and also offers a PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU to take care of the eye-candy and gaming.
Disappointingly, though, the iPad 2 only has 512MB RAM, leaving it well behind the leading tablets from other manufacturers.
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a heavy hitter. Far too heavy for the iPad 2. The device is driven by a quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A9 CPU and offers up a ULP GeForce GPU, which will have any game you throw at it running full-tilt.
On top of the monster processor the device also boasts 1GB RAM and 32 or 64GB of on-board storage, compared with the iPad 2's 16/32/64GB options.
It will come as no surprise to you that the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime wipes the floor with the iPad 2 in the power stakes and we're quite sure it would out perform many laptops and desktops too.
Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Software
The iPad 2 runs on Apple's iOS platform, the latest iteration of which, version 5.0, is simply fantastic.
It's so easy to use a toddler could get things done in short order and has enough visual appeal to excite the most discriminating design student.
In addition to its simplicity and power, the device also has at its disposal Apple's App Store, which is brimming with apps, many of which have been designed with the tablet in mind.
Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime runs on version 3.2 of Google's Android OS, which is a specially tweaked version of the OS, designed for tablets only.
It's attractive, powerful, offers a ton of customisation options and benefits from Google's Android Market, which is full of apps, many of which are free.
Where it falls flat, though, is tablet-specific apps, or more appropriately the lack thereof. Many of the titles on offer, though, excellent in smaller resolutions, appear misshapen and out of whack on the tablet's screen and this is a massive let-down for a device that's otherwise incredible.
Winner - Apple iPad 2
Camera
The iPad 2 has a 0.7-megapixel primary camera (yes, you read that correctly) which is, to be fair to it, quite the let-down.
The device does capture 720p video and offer a secondary VGA camera for video-calling but 0.7-megapixel? Come on, Apple!
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is much more in keeping with current form and offers up an impressive 8-megapixel snapper with LED flash, autofocus and geo-tagging as well as 1080p video capture and a 1.2-megapixel camera for video-calling - much more the ticket!
Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Form and Build
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime - 263 x 180.8 x 8.3mm, 586g
Apple iPad 2 - 241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8 mm, 607g
Straight off the bat it's easy to see that both tablets are well built and pretty to look at.
The iPad 2 positively reeks of Apple's design standards and its minimalist facade and simple good-looks lend a certain style to the tablet that has often been copied but not yet bettered.
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is no ugly duckling, though, it's thin, sleek and looks premium, in fact it looks very much like the iPad 2 which is no bad thing.
Overall, the iPad 2 just has that je ne sais quoi that Apple strives so hard to breed into its devices, and for that reason we love it. We don't dislike the Transformer Prime mind, but it just isn't an iPad 2.
Winner - Apple iPad 2
Conclusion
So Apple's tablet has had its cards. Its time at the top of the tablet tree has come to an end, and Asus' new Eee Transformer Prime is the new device in residence.
With a superior chipset, brighter, clearer screen and quality camera the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a fantastic piece of hardware, one which is going to be very difficult to top.
Apple's iPad 2 can hold its head up high, though. It's still a brilliant device, but technology has moved on and it now needs to concentrate on growing old gracefully - we just get the feeling that Apple's pricing policy won't allow that to happen.
Foremost among these contenders to the iPad 2's crown is Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime, a device that may have a silly name but is rather more smart when you dig below the surface. Will it offer enough to topple Apple's tablet from its lofty perch, though?
Display
The screen is the heart and soul of any decent tablet and both of our contenders are able to give plenty in the display department.
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime offers up a 10.1-inch Super IPS+ LCD that operates at a resolution of 1280x800 pixels and has a pixel density of 149PPI, which is pretty impressive.
The screen is striking, with sharp detail, vivid colours and pleasing viewing angles and it's big enough to enjoy movies and other media, without having to screw your eyes up and resort to painkillers after 15 minutes.
The iPad 2's display is equally as impressive. It's 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT operates at a resolution of 768x1024 pixels and has a pixel density of 132PPI which is good, but on this occasion not good enough.
The iPad 2's screen performs exceptionally, though, and is responsive to the lightest of touches making it a pleasure to surf the Web.
Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Power
Beneath the stunning screen technology lurks the engine room, and what is secreted therein usually makes or breaks a tablet in today's market.
Apple's iPad 2 is imbued with a dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU clocked to 1GHz and also offers a PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU to take care of the eye-candy and gaming.
Disappointingly, though, the iPad 2 only has 512MB RAM, leaving it well behind the leading tablets from other manufacturers.
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a heavy hitter. Far too heavy for the iPad 2. The device is driven by a quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A9 CPU and offers up a ULP GeForce GPU, which will have any game you throw at it running full-tilt.
On top of the monster processor the device also boasts 1GB RAM and 32 or 64GB of on-board storage, compared with the iPad 2's 16/32/64GB options.
It will come as no surprise to you that the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime wipes the floor with the iPad 2 in the power stakes and we're quite sure it would out perform many laptops and desktops too.
Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Software
The iPad 2 runs on Apple's iOS platform, the latest iteration of which, version 5.0, is simply fantastic.
It's so easy to use a toddler could get things done in short order and has enough visual appeal to excite the most discriminating design student.
In addition to its simplicity and power, the device also has at its disposal Apple's App Store, which is brimming with apps, many of which have been designed with the tablet in mind.
Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime runs on version 3.2 of Google's Android OS, which is a specially tweaked version of the OS, designed for tablets only.
It's attractive, powerful, offers a ton of customisation options and benefits from Google's Android Market, which is full of apps, many of which are free.
Where it falls flat, though, is tablet-specific apps, or more appropriately the lack thereof. Many of the titles on offer, though, excellent in smaller resolutions, appear misshapen and out of whack on the tablet's screen and this is a massive let-down for a device that's otherwise incredible.
Winner - Apple iPad 2
Camera
The iPad 2 has a 0.7-megapixel primary camera (yes, you read that correctly) which is, to be fair to it, quite the let-down.
The device does capture 720p video and offer a secondary VGA camera for video-calling but 0.7-megapixel? Come on, Apple!
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is much more in keeping with current form and offers up an impressive 8-megapixel snapper with LED flash, autofocus and geo-tagging as well as 1080p video capture and a 1.2-megapixel camera for video-calling - much more the ticket!
Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Form and Build
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime - 263 x 180.8 x 8.3mm, 586g
Apple iPad 2 - 241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8 mm, 607g
Straight off the bat it's easy to see that both tablets are well built and pretty to look at.
The iPad 2 positively reeks of Apple's design standards and its minimalist facade and simple good-looks lend a certain style to the tablet that has often been copied but not yet bettered.
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is no ugly duckling, though, it's thin, sleek and looks premium, in fact it looks very much like the iPad 2 which is no bad thing.
Overall, the iPad 2 just has that je ne sais quoi that Apple strives so hard to breed into its devices, and for that reason we love it. We don't dislike the Transformer Prime mind, but it just isn't an iPad 2.
Winner - Apple iPad 2
Conclusion
So Apple's tablet has had its cards. Its time at the top of the tablet tree has come to an end, and Asus' new Eee Transformer Prime is the new device in residence.
With a superior chipset, brighter, clearer screen and quality camera the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a fantastic piece of hardware, one which is going to be very difficult to top.
Apple's iPad 2 can hold its head up high, though. It's still a brilliant device, but technology has moved on and it now needs to concentrate on growing old gracefully - we just get the feeling that Apple's pricing policy won't allow that to happen.
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