[via Android and Me] « Android Junkies

9Sep/100

Android Tablets holiday 2010 community shopping guide

The fine folks over at reddit have started a fantastic community spreadsheet of upcoming Android tablets for the 2010 holiday shopping season and it’s a great resource if you are in the market to buy. Currently 22 different models are listed and I wouldn’t be surprised if that doubled by Christmas.

We have experimented with community Google Docs before, but this is one of the best implementations I have seen so far. I’ve made several contributions already and I’m amazed at how quickly it is growing both in size and detail. We have no idea if they have started a similar community doc for phones, but if someone doesn’t start one by morning then we will get a public one up and share it with everyone.

What other types of community docs would you like to see like this?

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Tagged as: Archos, Christmas, tablet, Tegra, Toshiba No Comments

9Sep/100

ARM reveals quad-core 2.5 GHz Cortex A-15, slated for 2012

ARM provided a window into the future of smartphones tonight when they announced the Cortex-A15 MPCore processor. The new design will be used in 32nm and 28nm chips with 1-16 cores, with clock speeds up to 2.5GHz.

Before you get too excited, ARM does not expect these processors to arrive in phones until late 2012. By the time they are available, ARM says to expect five times the performance of the Cortex-A8 CPUs that we find in most current smartphones, at a similar energy footprint.

As many of you know ARM does not manufacture its own CPUs, but licenses its technology as intellectual property to other hardware partners. So far, the three lead licensee partners for Cortex-A15 include Samsung, ST Ericsson and Texas Instruments. NVIDIA and Qualcomm were not mentioned in the press release, but I expect they also have plans for A15 chips.

Executives from ARM are hoping the increased performance will allow the A15 to appear in all types of devices including smartphones, consumer electronics, and even web servers. Eric Schorn, VP of Processor Marketing ARM, told Hexus that A15 is “The biggest thing ARM has ever done, the degree of commitment is truly phenomenal. It’s like taking a desktop and putting it in your pocket.”

So now the waiting game begins. If you buy a new smartphone this Christmas with 2-year contract, it should expire just in time for these chips to land.

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Tagged as: Christmas, Ericsson, Galaxy, HTC, Intel, Motorola, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Samsung, smartphone, Tegra, Texas Instruments, Zii No Comments

9Sep/100

T-Mobile unveils the G2, pre-orders begin this month

T-Mobile, Google, and HTC are teaming up once again to deliver a groundbreaking Android phone. Billed as the true successor to the G1 (the world’s first Android phone), the G2 is the first handset specifically designed for T-Mobile’s new HSPA+ network.

Most of the specs were previously leaked, but we can now say for certain the G2 will feature an 800 MHz Snapdragon processor (MSM7230), 3.7 inch display, 5 mepapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus, 720p video capture, 4 GB internal memory, and a full QWERTY keyboard.

The G2 will also run stock Android 2.2 and be the first smartphone to offer integrated access to Google Voice. This will allow customers the ability to create a new account using their current mobile number right from the home screen.

T-Mobile customers will have the exclusive opportunity to pre-order the G2 in limited quantities later this month. We first heard Sept. 29th as a possible launch date, but it now sounds like it has been pushed back to Oct. 6 to coincide with the CTIA show.

As we mentioned earlier today, users should expect the G2 to offer high-end performance on the same level as current leading Android phones. If you are still holding onto a G1, this is the Droid you have been waiting for.

I’m still rocking the Nexus One, but I think the G2 will be my next personal phone. No one else offers a stock Android phone that you can use without a contract and that’s the reason I’m still a T-Mobile customer. If you want to support no-contract calling plans and stock Android, vote with your money and switch to T-Mobile.

Show Press Release

Introducing the T-Mobile G2 with Google — the First Smartphone Delivering 4G Speeds on T-Mobile’s Super-Fast HSPA+ Network

T-Mobile, Google and HTC re-team to deliver the groundbreaking successor to the T-Mobile G1; Exclusive preorder for current T-Mobile customers begins later this month

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Sept. 9, 2010 — T-Mobile USA, Inc. today unveiled the T-Mobile^® G2™ with Google™, delivering downloads at 4G speeds¹, a blazing fast web browsing experience and tight integration with Google services. The G2 breaks new ground as the first smartphone specifically designed for T-Mobile’s new HSPA+ network², which covers 100 million Americans in more than 55 major metropolitan areas across the country. The G2 is an ultra-powerful smartphone designed by HTC and is the highly anticipated successor to the T-Mobile G1, the world’s first Android™-powered mobile phone, pairing a large 3.7-inch screen with a unique hinge design that opens to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. Current T-Mobile customers will get exclusive access to preorder the G2 starting later this month.

“T-Mobile ignited the spark that set the Android world ablaze two years ago with the launch of the world’s first Android-powered mobile phone, the T-Mobile G1, which remains an important milestone for both T-Mobile and the Android operating system,” said Cole Brodman, chief technology and innovation officer, T-Mobile USA. “Now, with the launch of the T-Mobile G2, we are re-teaming with our partners at Google and HTC to provide T-Mobile customers with another first — the first Android smartphone designed to deliver 4G speeds on our new network.”

“One of the advantages of an open platform is the opportunity for developers to create rich mobile experiences and seamlessly get those experiences into the hands of consumers,” said Andy Rubin, vice president, engineering, Google. “From new services, such as Voice Actions, to mobile applications, developer-led Android innovation is flourishing. On Android Market alone, the number of applications available to consumers has grown from just 50 applications two years ago to more than 80,000 applications today.”

“Two years ago, HTC and T-Mobile worked together to deliver the world’s first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1. From that start, Android has grown to be the leading smartphone platform in the U.S., and one of the most popular globally,” said Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation. “With today’s announcement of the G2, HTC and T-Mobile are once again bringing a breakthrough Android product to market.”

The first smartphone specifically designed to deliver 4G speeds on T-Mobile’s new HSPA+ network, the G2 is optimized for performance to provide customers with blazing fast access to a world of information through websites, applications, videos, file downloads and more. Built on Android 2.2, the G2 offers seven customizable home screen panels, including a dedicated panel with one-click access to your favorite Google applications such as Android Market™, which currently offers more than 80,000 applications.

The T-Mobile G2 delivers a powerful mobile data experience that is tightly integrated with Google Voice™, as well as packed with Google applications such as Voice Actions™ from Google, Google Goggles™ and more. It is one of the first smartphones in the industry to offer the new Voice Actions feature of Google Search™, which allows you to control your phone with your voice for calling contacts and businesses, sending messages, browsing the Web, listening to music and completing common tasks. It is also the first smartphone to offer integrated access to Google Voice™, allowing customers to create a new account using their current mobile number right from the home screen. Google Voice then automatically transcribes voicemails to text so customers can read them like an e-mail or text message from their phone or online. Additional pre-loaded Google services include Google Search, Gmail™, Google Maps™ with Places and Navigation, YouTube™, Google Talk™ and Google Earth™, among others.

Adding fuel to the G2’s speed is its Snapdragon™ MSM7230 mobile processor which combines Qualcomm’s new HSPA+ capabilities and second generation applications processor. The Snapdragon MSM7230 offers an 800 MHz CPU and is optimized to deliver exceptional performance, long battery life and leading edge multimedia and web browsing — with download speeds faster than other solutions currently in the market.

The G2 delivers advanced smartphone features including an HD video camera for recording crystal-clear, high-definition (720p) videos that can be automatically uploaded to your Photobucket account and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus. The G2 also offers smartphone essentials such as easy access to personal and work e-mail, including support for Microsoft^® Exchange e-mail, contacts and calendar; social networking; and instant messaging. In addition, the G2 features a pre-installed 8GB microSD memory card with support for up to 32 GB, as well as a music player.

Additional features of the G2 include the following:

Dedicated Quick Keys for one-touch access to your favorite Google shortcuts and applications
4GB internal memory with pre-installed 8GB micro SD card, with support for up to 32 GB of external memory
Built-in 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo headset and Bluetooth support
Swype^® text input for fast, accurate communication

Adobe FlashPlayer enabled Web browsing experience
Pinch and zoom functionality for Web browsing and photo gallery

Availability

The T-Mobile G2 with Google will be available in the U.S. exclusively from T-Mobile, and current T-Mobile customers will have the opportunity to preorder the G2 in limited quantities later this month. Additional availability details will be shared in the coming weeks. Visit http://g2.t-mobile.com to register for updates.

About T-Mobile’s HSPA+ Network

T-Mobile continues to expand its super-fast HSPA+ mobile broadband network, which now covers 100 million Americans in more than 55 major metropolitan areas. T-Mobile’s new HSPA+ network — which offers theoretical peak throughput speeds of 21 Mbps — offers today’s available 4G speeds to more people than any other wireless network in the country, with plans to reach more than 200 million people this year. For more information on where

T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network service is available, please visit http://t-mobile.com/coverage.

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Tagged as: Adobe, Android Market, Bluetooth, Dragon, ECS, G1, G2, Galaxy, GMail, Goggles, Google Maps, Google Talk, HTC, Microsoft, Navigation, Nexus One, O2, Opera, Qualcomm, Samsung, smartphone, SnapDragon, T-Mobile, Tegra, YouTube No Comments

8Sep/100

PREVIEW: Abduction! 2 development nearly complete, launches this Friday

Developer Psym Mobile made a few of the most addicting games to hit the Android platform with Abduction!, Abduction! World Attack!, and Gem Miner with all three games having over 50,000 downloads and ratings above 4.4 stars (out of 5).

Android and Me has learned a follow-up (Abduction! 2) is currently well into the final stages of beta testing, and will likely be released into the Android market by week’s end. We have had a few days now to play with a final release candidate, and find it to be an impressive follow-up that is sure to please fans of the first Abduction! games, as well as any of you who haven’t yet heard of Abduction!

Gameplay

Abduction! 2 is a fairly simple game where users bounce their character from platform to platform in an effort to travel as high as they can go without falling to your death. As usual, there are various power-ups and power-downs along the way to help/hurt your efforts. Abduction! 2 has four gameplay modes–quick game, adventure, classic, and kid modes.

Quick Game Mode

In the quick game mode, the level is unlimited and will continue to throw platforms and obstacles at you until you finally miss and fall to your demise. The goal of the quick game mode is to get the highest score possible by progressing as far as you can through the level.

Adventure Mode

Adventure mode seems to be the main mode in Abduction! 2, and challenges you to travel across the world to complete multiple levels in each country you travel to. Each country has multiple stages, and the challenge of each stage is to reach the finish line as fast as possible while saving three caged animals along the way. This is actually more challenging than it sounds, as it’s fairly difficult to both save the three animals and complete the level fast enough to earn a gold coin, which is the ultimate objective of each level.

Classic Mode

Classic Mode is essentially the same as Adventure mode, but removes the saving the animals component.

Personally, I like the challenge presented by adventure mode, but know that some of you just want to try to get to the top as fast as you can. Psym Mobile acknowledges these preferential differences, and will include both game modes in the final release. It’s up to you to pick which gameplay mode is right for you, but needless to say all of the modes are put together very well, so your experience should be a good one no matter how you choose to play Abduction! 2.

Kid Mode

It’s like Abduction! 2, but for the little’uns! Kids mode plays the same as the quick game mode, but makes it easy for your kids by removing the ability to “die.” Miss a platform? No big deal, you’ll bounce right up anyway! Awesome little addition to keep your kids happy/not frustrated. And you know what they say, “If the kids are happy, the parents are happy!”

Controls

As we’ve come to expect from the platform jump games, controls are very simple. Simply tilt your phone left or right to steer your character towards the next platform.

Extras

Abduction! 2 offers several customization features that modestly enhance gameplay. As you play the Adventure or Classic mode, you will unlock several items such as accessories such as hats, headphones, and magic wands, effects like the sketchy cow or the 8 bit cow, and even characters such as polar bears and penguins. Each of the accessories can be bought with the coins you earn in the Adventure or Classic mode, as you get 3 coins for a gold medal, 2 coins for a silver medal, and 1 for the bronze.

You can add these extras in the customize screen in the main menu.

Summary

Pros

Addictive gameplay
Multiple gameplay modes
Simple controls
Tons of customizable content

Cons

Game is BIG – over 9 MB when installed on phone.

Things I’d like to see improved in future releases

The stages in the Adventure and Classic modes sometimes felt a little too easy to accomplish. I’d like to see them get a little tougher as you progress through each level/country. Yes, there are difficult stages as you progress much deeper into the game, but in my opinion each level/country should have a mix of easy, medium, and difficult stages.

Final Verdict

Abduction! 2 is a very strong follow-up to immensely popular Abduction!, and will provide gamers with hours of entertainment. This will be a paid application, setting you back about $3 (1.95 Euro), but I think it would be well worth the money. My humble opinion, of course, but I’d encourage you all to try it out once it drops. Don’t like it within 24 hours? You can always return it.

Abduction! 2 will be hitting the Android Market hopefully around Friday of this week, for around $3. As always, we will keep you updated of information once it hits the Android market.

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Tagged as: Android Market, China, Games, Magic No Comments

8Sep/100

Samsung provides a closer look at the 7-inch Galaxy Tab

We still have some benchmarks and videos of the Galaxy Tab that I need to publish, but in the mean time you should check out the official site for Samsung’s first Android tablet. The page includes a nice set of mini video tutorials showing off video calls, navigation, the new Readers Hub, and more. Visitors can also find screen savers, wallpapers, and a full list of accessories and specs.

As we covered in our first hands-on with the Tab, it is basically a super-sized Galaxy S. This is awesome since the Galaxy S is one of our favorite phones, but it also means you will be forced to purchase the Tab through your carrier.

I’m not quite sold on the idea of having another device with another contract or data plan to pay for, but maybe the carriers will come up with some interesting options to make it more attractive to those of us who already own smartphones.

Let me know if there are any questions remaining about the Tab and I’ll do my best to address them when I post my benchmarks.

Samsung Galaxy Tab official site

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Tagged as: ECS, Galaxy, Navigation, Samsung, smartphone, tablet, Verizon No Comments

8Sep/100

T-Mobile G2 should have similar performance to Samsung Galaxy S

Some readers were concerned when they learned the T-Mobile G2 would have a CPU running at only 800 MHz, but some leaked graphics benchmarks indicate it should have roughly the same performance as the Samsung Galaxy S and the Motorola Droid X/2.

HTC held the performance crown for a short while when the Nexus One was released in early January, but newer phones from Motorola and Samsung have since passed it up with their more efficient 45nm processors and faster GPUs.

The T-Mobile G2 will be the first Android phone in the U.S. to sport the new 45nm 800 MHz MSM7230 processor from Qualcomm. One of the major additions is that Qualcomm has finally included a graphics processor, the Adreno 205, that is on par with what we have seen from the PowerVR GPUs found in Samsung and Texas Instrument’s SoCs.

Qualcomm claims the new Adreno 205 offers about 4x the graphics performance of the previous Adreno 200 (used in the original Snapdragon). We are finally able to back up those numbers with some results uploaded at GLBenchmark.com of the HTC Vision (aka G2).

The HTC Vision aka the G2.

As you can see the G2 (HTC Vision) is in the neighborhood of other top Android phones. I wouldn’t put too much into this since it’s only a single benchmark result, but you can clearly see the difference from previous HTC+Qualcomm offerings like the Nexus One and Droid Incredible. Note the EVO scores low in this benchmark because of its 30 fps cap.

So now we know that when the G2 lands later this month (or early next) it should offer top-level performance, the fastest data connection (HSPA+ 14.4 Mbps), and the joys of stock Android 2.2.

The G2 is a very tempting upgrade to T-Mobile customers (unless you already own the Vibrant), but we also know dual-core phones are right around the corner. After nine months with the Nexus One I have learned that up-to-date Android often beats out faster hardware, so it is a very tough call for sure.

Are you ready to upgrade that aging G1? Or will you wait for dual-core?

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Tagged as: Dragon, G1, G2, Galaxy, HTC, Motorola, Motorola Droid, Nexus One, Qualcomm, Samsung, SnapDragon, T-Mobile No Comments

8Sep/100

Is Qualcomm in trouble with their dual-core processors?

Qualcomm announced today that their dual-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon processor (QSD8672) will not arrive in products until the end of next year and their dual-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragons (MSM8260 and MSM8660) would start appearing in devices during the first three months of 2011. This could mean trouble for Qualcomm because their competitors have announced dual-core processors which could be in smartphones (and tablets) by Christmas.

LG recently announced their Optimus Series smartphones will use the NVIDIA Tegra 2 mobile processor and debut starting in the fourth quarter of this year. Samsung also said their dual-core Orion processor would be available to “select customers in the fourth quarter” and we expect it could arrive in a next-gen Galaxy phone soon.

So Qualcomm will be later than others with their dual-core processors, but the real issue might be performance.

Android fans loved the original 1 GHz Snapdragon processor (QSD8x50) when it debuted in the Nexus One (and then later in other HTC phones), but after more 3D games started to appear in the Android Market we soon realized the limitations of the Adreno 200 GPU that Qualcomm was using.

Motorola and Samsung both went with PowerVR GPUs from Imagination Technology, and they have since taken away the performance crown from Qualcomm (and HTC).

So what is Qualcomm’s response? Their new dual-core Snapdragons might use the Adreno 220 GPU which they say offers improved 3D graphics (up to 80M triangles/sec and 500M+ 3D pixels/sec). However, several leaked benchmark scores indicate the Adreno 220 will be or on par with the the current leader – the PowerVR SGX540 found in Samsung’s Hummingbird processor. Update: Those leaked benchmarks could be from the Adreno 205 which would make this post look quite silly. See this post for more info on the Adreno 205.

Now we have NVIDIA and Samsung which are both saying their dual-core processors and new GPUs will deliver five times the graphics performance of the previous generation single-core offerings. We have yet to verify these amazing claims, but it sounds like they could leapfrog the competition and Qualcomm and TI will be forced into playing catchup.

To recap the Android ecosystem for those not paying close attention, the dual-core CPUs and GPUs we believe will power the next-generation of high-end smartphones include:

HTC: Qualcomm Snapdragon (Adreno 220 GPU)
LG: NVIDIA Tegra 2 (GeForce GPU)
Motorola: TI OMAP4 (PowerVR SGX540) or NVIDIA Tegra 2 (GeForce GPU)
Samsung: Samsung Orion (GPU unknown)

HTC is the main handset maker relying on Qualcomm for their high-end phones. There were rumors back in 2009 that they were talking with NVIDIA, but nothing ever materialized. It appears they will stick with Qualcomm in the near future and this may hurt the sales of their high-end units if they can’t match performance with the competition.

LG becomes the real wild-card here. They claim to be the first ones with a dual-core smartphone this year, but they have yet to produce a real winner and I’m not so sure how committed to Android they are.

Motorola and Texas Instruments have been buddies for awhile, but rumors suggest that Moto could be switching to NVIDIA for their next high-end phone. TI has their dual-core OMAP4 in the works, but I have seen nothing that makes me believe it will be available for smartphones this year. Even if it did ship on time, we know the GPU is the same as what’s in the current Samsung Hummingbird processor.

Samsung’s Hummingbird is the best single-core 1 GHz mobile processor and we have high hopes for the upcoming dual-core Orion. Some analyst had claimed Samsung had a Q4 hole when it came to high-end smartphones, but the Orion could be available this year. I honestly think Samsung could ride the Galaxy S lineup all the way through Christmas (yes, they are that good), but my gut tells me they will have a new flagship smartphone in stores by Christmas.

Conclusions? What conclusions?

At the end of the day, I think I’m left with more questions than answers and we will not know how this plays out for another couple months.

Can LG and NVIDIA really deliver a Tegra 2 phone in time for Christmas?
Will Tegra 2 become the new performance leader?
Are we wrong about the Adreno 220 GPU? Can it surpass the top offerings from Imagination Technologies and NVIDIA?
Will Motorola actually dump TI and switch to NVIDIA for their high-end phones?
Can dual-core phones deliver increased performance and increased battery life at the same time?
What GPU will Samsung choose for their dual-core Orion? PowerVR or something completely different?

I know there are a lot of people out there smarter than me who read this blog, so please sound off if you think you can enlighten me.

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Tagged as: Android Market, Christmas, Dragon, G2, Galaxy, Games, HTC, Motorola, myTouch, Nexus One, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Samsung, Scorpion, Sidekick, smartphone, SnapDragon, T-Mobile, tablet, Tegra, Texas Instruments No Comments

8Sep/100

Is Qualcomm in trouble with their dual-core processors?

So Qualcomm will be later than others with their dual-core processors, but the real issue might be performance.

Motorola and Samsung both went with PowerVR GPUs from Imagination Technology, and they have since taken away the performance crown from Qualcomm (and HTC).

So what is Qualcomm’s response? Their new dual-core Snapdragons might use the Adreno 220 GPU which they say offers improved 3D graphics (up to 80M triangles/sec and 500M+ 3D pixels/sec). However, several leaked benchmark scores indicate the Adreno 220 will be slower than (or on par with) the the current leader – the PowerVR SGX540 found in Samsung’s Hummingbird processor. Update: Those leaked benchmarks could be from the Adreno 205 which would make this post look quite silly.

To recap the Android ecosystem for those not paying close attention, the dual-core CPUs and GPUs we believe will power the next-generation of high-end smartphones include:

HTC: Qualcomm Snapdragon (Adreno 220 GPU)
LG: NVIDIA Tegra 2 (GeForce GPU)
Motorola: TI OMAP4 (PowerVR SGX540) or NVIDIA Tegra 2 (GeForce GPU)
Samsung: Samsung Orion (GPU unknown)

Conclusions? What conclusions?

At the end of the day, I think I’m left with more questions than answers and we will not know how this plays out for another couple months.

Can LG and NVIDIA really deliver a Tegra 2 phone in time for Christmas?
Will Tegra 2 become the new performance leader?
Are we wrong about the Adreno 220 GPU? Can it surpass the top offerings from Imagination Technologies and NVIDIA?
Will Motorola actually dump TI and switch to NVIDIA for their high-end phones?
Can dual-core phones deliver increased performance and increased battery life at the same time?
What GPU will Samsung choose for their dual-core Orion? PowerVR or something completely different?

I know there are a lot of people out there smarter than me who read this blog, so please sound off if you think you can enlighten me.

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8Sep/100

Join us tonight on RadioAndroid’s The Android Show

Join us this Wednesday, September 8th at 7PM Pacific, 10PM Eastern for the very first broadcast of The Android Show brought to you by RadioAndroid.net. Their second weekly broadcast, The Android Show, is geared to be a variety type show of Android news and community events. Hosted by Scotty Brown (Android After Dark, former host of Android Guys Thursday Nights), they will feature a rotating co-host from the Android community on the show every week, live callers and discussion, news events, give-aways, and contests!

On this weeks episode of The Android show:

This week’s co-host is Greg Carron (Pixeladdkit) from Mobicartel and co-host of Android After Dark.
We welcome Adobe evangelist Ryan Stewart to the show to discuss Flash on Android, AIR, and Adobe’s future within the mobile environment.
Taylor Wimberly from AndroidAndMe will join us to report on his visit to IFA in Europe this week. Taylor has had some interesting comments about his trip including impressions on hardware, interviews with vendors, and of course his hand-on with the Galaxy TAB.
Chris of AndroidHeadlines.com and Matthew Patience of Mobicartel will be joining us on the air to discuss their latest project.
Chris will hang with us for a bit and announce AndroidHeadlines.com‘s latest contest in conjunction with RadioAndroid.net! You’re not going to want to miss this!

Put it on your calendar, don’t miss The Android Show on RadioAndroid.net every Wednesday night at 7PM Pacific, 10PM Eastern! To participate, be sure to have our live call in number handy: 347-838-9645 and log into www.radioandroid.net/live!

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Tagged as: Adobe, Europe, Galaxy, Twitter No Comments

8Sep/100

A closer look at the G2 keyboard

Several new close-ups of the T-Mobile G2 keyboard have appeared online thanks to fan-site His and Hers Android. The new pics give a better look at the three Quick Keys, which allow users to setup custom macro shortcuts.

The Quick Keys were first discovered by our friends at Android Guys, but this is the best look we have seen yet. According to the leaked G2 build, the Quick Keys are used to “quickly access super useful Google shortcuts and other applications that may take multiple steps to access”.

T-Mobile’s G2 is still rumored for a Sept. 29th launch for $199 with 2-year contract, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets pushed back another week. We have the CTIA trade show coming up Oct. 6-8th and T-Mobile has booth, so they could use that event to finally launch their first HSPA+ handset.