Sony Ericsson Xperia smartphones get 50GB of free cloud storage

As teased earlier, Sony Ericsson has announced its tie up with Box.net to provide 50GB of free cloud storage for Xperia smartphone users. If you own an Xperia smartphone, all you have to do Sign up or log in to Box for Android on any Xperia phone by 31st December 2012 and this free storage will get activated.
You can grab Box for Android from here. This offer is valid for any phone including and released after Xperia X10 across the world. Sony Ericsson is the second company after LG to provide 50GB of free cloud storage.

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Bell Canada Ice Cream Sandwich update plans leaked

According to a leaked Bell document, this Canadian telecom operator will be releasing Android 4.0 update for HTC Sensation in February 2012, making it one of the first phones after Galaxy Nexus on the network to run on Ice Cream Sandwich.
This document also revealed the ICS update dates for HTC Raider, and Samsung Galaxy S II, which are scheduled to roll-out around March, and April next year.
This is no guarantee that these updates will come right on time, but it certainly gives us an idea of when to expect the updates.

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Consumers love Android, but developers are stuck on Apple

Android is taking the mobile world by storm as more handsets and tablets are Android powered, but as far as where the developers hang their hat, Apple is the place to be. Right now Android is easily the top selling mobile platform, Android powered handsets are outselling Apple iPhones by a ton and the Android Market just hit its 18 billionth download. An analytics firm, called Flurry, says that app developers are still choosing Apple’s iOS over Android almost 3 to 1.
As developers complete their apps, they set up analytics from Flurry so that the company can get a sneak peak at what is on the horizon in the mobile market. According to Flurry, the company deals with more than 55,000 companies across more than 135,000 applications. Flurry did a recent study to see how many projects were started for each quarter and the report showed that in the first quarter 63 percent were iOS and only 37 percent were Android. By the third quarter, developers had started projects with Apple iOS almost 75 percent of the time, while Android based projects feel to 25 percent. The fourth quarter was estimated, but the numbers didn’t change much only adding another 2 percent to Android giving them 27 percent and Apple 73 percent.
Flurry said in a blog post, “Over the year, developer support for Android has declined from more than one-third of all new projects, at the beginning of the year, down to roughly one-quarter by the end. While the market nearly doubled for both platforms, we believe key events changed the proportion of support between these two platforms.” Some of the factors that Flurry believes contributed to the numbers were the iPhone going to Verizon and Sprint and the launch of the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S this year.
Flurry has an idea as to why the developers like Apple 3 to 1 over Android. One issue is fragmentation from Google “not curating the Android Market”. The second issue is money, as more developers say they make 3 to 4 times more with iOS apps. The last reason Flurry says effects the developers call on what operating system to use is the act of getting paid. Apple required secured payment before apps can be purchased, ensuring developers get paid, but Google does not require that for mobile app downloads.

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Evernote for Android Update Tightens Things Up a Little Bit

Evernote has recently gottenn a major facelift and now the team behind its Android application are making sure their ducks are in a row. They have updated their application to spruce up a few minor things with a redesign of the login and registration screen, new icons to differentiate between different notebook types and your general slew of bug-fixing goodness. Find the full details below and head to the Android market fo your download.
What’s in this version:

1. Fix force close when selecting Settings
2. Adds single note sharing activation and deactivation options
3. New icons to visually differentiate notebook types
4. Redesigned login and registration screens
5. Faster access to note editing and options

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SlingPlayer for Google TV Now Available

SlingPlayer fans can now take their content to the big screen as the Android application has finally been adapted to Google TV. While the team at Slingbox is only detailing it for the Logitech Revue it is known to work on Google TV products from other manufacturers. This one’s not in the Android market but it should be in the Google TV apps repository so be sure to check for it there under All Apps > Spotlight > TV and Movies. [SlingMedia via GTVSource]

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New Galaxy Note gets Snapdragon processor, hints at US launch

Not too long ago Michael was bummed that the Samsung Galaxy note hybrid tablet/smartphone wasn’t offered in the US. The tablet had crossed the FCC in the past, but as Michael pointed out that doesn’t always mean the tablet is headed to the States. Another new model of the Galaxy note has now been spied. This time it looks like the tablet may actually be bound for the US.

On the Galaxy S II smartphones that are for international use, the phone uses the Enxyos processor. However, when the S II came to the States Samsung changed to the Snapdragon chip. This is apparently because the Snapdragons work better with the HSPA+ networks that AT&T and T-Mobile operate in the US.
The new Galaxy Note with part number SGH-I171 that has been spied is packing that Snapdragon processor so it would seemingly be bound for the US. The tablet also has 4G LTE as well. This is an interesting device with a 5-inch display and 1280 x 800 resolution that skirts the gap between tablets and smartphones. Gottabemobile expects the Note to hit AT&T in early 2012.
[via SlashGear]

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And Just Like That – Google Wallet Has Been Successfully Installed On The Verizon Galaxy Nexus

Not sure if this is more of a “Booyah!” or “In your face!” moment but despite Verizon’s greatest efforts, Google Wallet has successfully been installed on the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. You can even take advantage of Google’s bonus $10 of spending cash to get you started on your new NFC journey. As usual, all the fun stuff comes after rooting your device and this is no different with the Galaxy Nexus. Google Wallet can be found and flashed using the ROM Manager app found in the Android Market.
Thanks to @myz06vette and @dl_evans!
[Market Link]

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4 Out Of 5 Bearded Lizards Agree – Eating Bugs On Android Is More Fun Than Real Life [Video]

There’s a viral video making its way around the internets and in case you haven’t seen it (you really need to), I figured I’d squeeze it in with my nightly posts here. The video shows an adorable little bearded dragon who has decided that bugs just taste better when on Android. Okay, so the tiny lizard has no idea he just got the high score on Ant Smasher or even that he’s gaming on a Desire HD. He just wants those little virtual bugs crawling across the screen. And he’s gotten quite good at it too. Check out the video to see for yourself and get those, “Awwwwwwww”s ready…

Thanks, Simon!

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Android Team Introduces New “Android Training” Classes To Help Developers Build Better Apps

Android Developers blog has introduced the (beta) launch of a new series of classes for Android developers looking to build better apps. They’re calling it “Android Training” and the goal is to help bring higher quality apps to the Android Market by giving developers the training they need on designing higher quality apps when it comes to areas like more effective app navigation, managing audio playback and — here’s a big one — optimizing battery life. Things are starting off pretty small with more classes and over-arching courses coming down the pipeline. So, if you’re an Android developer looking for a little extra help on building better apps, head on over to Android Developers for more info. Class is now in session!
[AndroidDevelopers]

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