The Many Faces of Asus's Android Tablets. Everything You Need to Know about Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The world finally got a glimpse of Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) at CES, earlier this month on the Motorola Xoom. What was previewed was Android on steroids; Google reinvented the platform with this release. Almost all of the promises and plans that they have had for the future of the platform and for the tablet market are in place. We have seen one hands-on use of the platform, but for the most part only videos of Honeycomb’s abilities. Today all that has changed as Google has released a preview of the Android 3.0 SDK (Software Development Kit).
New UI Designed from the Ground Up for Tablets While Google has not officially stated that Honeycomb will not eventually make it to phones, they have expressed that it is explicitly designed for devices with larger screen sizes. As of right now Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) is the newest smartphone OS, and considering no phone besides the Nexus S even has that version, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
System Bar, for global status and notifications Gmail. Top Android App: SwipePad. SwipePad is a quick launcher panel which responds to a swipe on the edge of your Android device’s screen. Version: beta 0.7.2Size: 82.21KBCategory: ProductivityPrice: Free The SwipePad Android app will increase the speed at which you switch between applications and tasks. It enables you to setup shortcuts that can be accessed regardless of the app or screen you currently are in.
To use, touch the bottom edge of the screen (until you feel the haptic feedback), then move your finger towards the center of the screen. This will bring up the pad with all 12 slots available. Release your finger on a specific slot to select/assign an action. You can assign an application, shortcut (e.g. bookmark, contact, direct dial, etc.), or tasking option (task-killer add-on is separate). In the app’s settings, you can choose to change the region used to initiate the pad. Pros: Areas for improvement: Conclusion: One of the best quick launchers for Android that will surely increase your Android productivity. Leak: Playstation Phone Caught Playing Games. It looks like all that is missing is an official announcement at this point. The Sony Ericsson Playstation/Xperia phone has been video’d again, but this time its actually shown playing Playstation games. While the games seem to be running via a ROM manager it’s still a step closer to the phone finally coming out.
Check out the video below. Video: Engadget Home » Leak: Playstation Phone Caught Playing Games Category: Android Phone News. iPhone 4 may "explode" if used in cold weather - The Rogan Board. Oh Shit! WIRELESS POWER implementation! - The Rogan Board. CES: T-Mobile announces 42Mbps HSPA+, Dell Streak 7, 25 more 4G gadgets in 2011 | DroidDog Android Blog. T-Mobile’s press conference is just getting under way at CES in Las Vegas, but Magenta is already sending out press releases regarding the coming announcements. Among them, the unveiling of Dell’s follow-up to AT&T’s 5″ Streak, the Streak 7. This tablet features a dual-core NIVIDIA processor, Gorilla Glass, Android 2.2, and a 7″ WVGA display. The Streak 7 will be launching “in the coming weeks” and is capable of up to 21Mbps download speeds. Speaking of 4G, T-Mobile also officially announced its 42Mbps HSPA+ upgrade, with supported devices launching in the second half of the year.
But don’t worry, anxious fans. Press Release: T-Mobile USA CEO and President Philipp Humm Highlights the Company’s Network Leadership and Focus on Fueling Data Adoption T-Mobile Doubles the Speed of America’s Largest 4G Network and Introduces Its First 4G Tablet: the Dell Streak 7 The company expects 140 million Americans in 25 metro areas to have access to these increased 4G speeds by mid-2011. Startup Cleaner 2.0. Talking Tom Cat Free. One Piece Whack Game. The Sims™ 3. Dungeon Defenders on the Android… Its Unreal!! — Platform Nation. Dungeon Defenders has been tearing it up over on the iPhone for a few days now.
It has recently been announced that there will be a Dungeon Defenders game coming to the Android OS. This one will be entitled Dungeon Defenders: First Wave. Why is this significant you ask? The development team over at Trendy Entertainment are bringing the first Unreal Engine game to the Android store. Described as an action RPG/ Tower Defense it sounds as though it will be a bit of a refreshing addition to the Android games line-up. The original Dungeon Defenders went for $2.99 (US) on the iPhone so hopefully we can expect a similar price on this game. Now speaking of Android games… I am a recent adopter of an Android phone, the Samsung Captivate in particular, and I was wondering if any of you people out there in P*N land have any suggestions on some good games. Happy Holidays!! Source Joystiq.
Nexus One Help: Force Nexus One into 3G mode. If our first didn't work for you, here's something else you can try. Posted on Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010 We're still waiting on a fix for the problem the Nexus One is having staying connected to 3G (and we don't really care who fixes it -- Google, HTC, T-Mobile or whomever). In the meantime, there's a workaround that will force your phone to only connect with 3G. So join us after the break if that's the sort of thing you're looking for. (With a big tip of the hat to XDA Developers) OK, big caveat here: This is going to force your phone to only connect over 3G. So unless you're in an area with good T-Mobile 3G coverage, mosey on past. {*style:<b> Step 1 </b>*} Don't worry, this isn't anything as serious as rooting, and you're not going to brick your phone. Step 2 </b>*} OK, now you're in testing mode, and you should see four options.
Step 3 </b>*} Scroll all the way to the bottom of the "Phone information" screen. Now, change it to "WCDMA only" like you see in the picture on the right. Droid Ninja » EA Mobile brings The Sims 3 to Android. Unreal Engine Game Technology Coming to Android, Dungeon Defenders Soon! | Android Apps. Ask any avid iPhone games enthusiasts what’s the coolest iPhone game right now and I’m pretty sure they will all answer – Infinity Blade. Yes, in terms of game graphics and game physics – this is probably one of the best made iPhone game to date – thanks to the game technology employed – Unreal Engine. Now guess what Android fans? That same game technology is being ported for Android.
And the first game to get the Android treatment is called – Dungeon Defenders: First Wave. Dungeon Defenders is a tower defense online action-RPG featuring on and offline epic campaigns, challenge missions, leaderboards, and 4 player co-op gameplay through GameSpy. Since the game requires some high-end technical capabilities, not all Android phones will be able to support it. All Tegra 2 Based Devices: Fully Compatible (DD:FW runs best on these devices) Nexus S: Fully Compatible Samsung Galaxy Tab: Fully Compatible Samsung Galaxy based Cell Phones: Fully Compatible on all with 100 MB RAM free. Blast Around Space w/ Rocket Bunnies. Rocket Bunnies is an action-puzzle game of sling-shotting from planet to planet to rescue all of the bunnies! Version: 1.0Size: 11.89MBCategory: GamesPrice: Free Note: This Android game requires Android 2.1+.
For Samsung devices, you’ll need 2.2. Rocket Bunnies is an extremely creative, refreshing Android game. The basic tutorial goes something like this: Tap a planet to move to it and begin orbitingTap the planet again to reverse orbitAvoid minesPower bunny can destroy minesTime planet-to-planet moves and get a speed boostSpiders hunt bunniesKill 4-legged spiders from behind Pros: Awesome graphics that run extremely smoothUnique, creative Android game that is very easy to pickupActive and responsive development team Areas for improvement: Icon could really use some TLCReduce necessary phone-storage space (10MB is too much for some devices, even with Apps2SD) Conclusion: A novel Android game that will take you on a wild ride through space!
[AppBrain Link] Related Reviews & Articles: Gmail for Android update improves Priority Inbox, adds additional compose and send options.