2011-06-13
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 8.9 troubled by screen issues, chubbier version the result?
Everyone 'round here knows that Samsung has a lusty 10.1- and premature 7-inch version of its Galaxy Tab tablet. But we've heard nary a peep from Samsung about that $469 8.9-incher announced alongside its bigger, just-as-thin sibling back in March. We might know why. According to Korean news site Etnews, Samsung is having trouble getting it to market due to low yields of the 8.9's G1F touch-panel which uses one less film layer than conventional GFF (glass fiber filter) panels. This G1F architecture is behind Samsung's Super Clear LCD which you'll find on Sammy's own Galaxy Player, (Russian) Nexus S, and Wave II handsets. Etnews claims that Samsung will offset the G1F shortfall with GFF-type touch panels that are 30 - 40 percent thicker and dimmer, thanks to the extra layer. If true then we have one question: which regions will get the chunkier Galaxy Tab 8.9 when if finally does launch this summer?
Tablet PC iMID
2011-06-03
Panasonic Android devices not coming to U.S. any time soon
Panasonic has been talking about making this transition for over a year now, so it’s not entirely unexpected, but in a recent interview, their president Fumio Ohtsubo, admitted that the U.S. market is too competitive for them right now.
You probably know Panasonic best from their performance in the TV or camera world, but they’ve already tested the waters for smartphones thanks to their subsidiaries Sanyo and Kyocera, and are currently the number 2 feature phone vendor in Japan. In order to carve out a name for themselves, Panasonic is going to focus on making slim devices with good battery life – both good places to start. If Samsung and LG have proven anything, it’s that there’s plenty of opportunity for display manufacturers to cross over into the smartphone segment, but as we all know, there’s lots of competition, especially when it comes to Android phones.
Panasonic is currently saying that they won’t be approaching the North American market, despite earlier talk that they would be making an entry in the U.S. sometime in 2012. That’s probably okay, considering we’re flush with Android hardware for the time being, but the P-07C does some pretty cool stuff – just check out its resizeable touchscreen keyboard.
Tablet PC iMID
Toshiba Thrive Android Honeycomb tablet official
We first saw this tablet back at CES earlier this year and we walked away very impressed. Featuring pretty much any spec you’d expect for a 10.1 inch Honeycomb tablet, the Thrive is a powerful device that may be one of the cheapest Android 3.x tablet available.
One of the most unique features of the Thrive is that it has a replaceable backing so you can change the look and swap out the battery. You’ll be able to purchase these extra backings for $20, and they come in a handful of colors.Other than that, it’s your standard affair, which isn’t a bad thing. The Thrive will give you a 10.1 inch display (1280 x 800), 5 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front-facing camera, full-sized USB and HDMI ports, SD card slot, and Android 3.1.
The Thrive will be offered in 3 versions, 8GB ($429), 16GB ($479), and 32GB ($579). The tablet may not be as thin or light as the upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1, but it’s cheaper, has many more ports, and a replaceable battery, so you’ll have to see which is more important to you.
If you like the Toshiba’s offering but wish it was a little smaller, then you may want to keep your eyes peeled for Toshiba’s next tablet that will be out before year’s end. Details are scarce, but we could see a 7 inch or 8.9 inch version of the Thrive that packs a similar punch as its big brother.
Android tablet competition is heating up and as it stands today, Toshiba is in a great place to grab a good amount of users with the Thrive. With a great mix of features and pricing, the Thrive should do well. You can pre-order the tablet at Best Buy starting on June 13th, and is expected to ship in Early July.
Xperia Play gets Rainbow Six exclusive, more games at E3
Xperia Play owners in Western Europe will be able to download Shadow Vanguard for free, but unfortunately there's no mention of whether this offer will be extended to owners of the Verizon-branded Xperia Play across the pond.
The games to be showcased at Sony Ercisson's E3 booth include Minecraft, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Samurai II. Most of these titles are being kept under wraps for the moment, but you can find some slightly bizarre early video footage of Minecraft on the Xperia Play after the jump.
Tablet PC iMID
Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 retail edition
For all intents and purposes, what you see here is exactly what was handed out to developers at Google IO (see our full review of the special edition Galaxy Tab 10.1). Same Tegra 2 system on a chip, same hardware (thin and light!), and same Honeycomb. OK, not the same Honeycomb. This guy's running Android 3.1, and it'll have it at launch time.
One thing it won't have, however, is Samsung's Touchwiz user experience, but that'll be coming in an over-the-air update later. (No, we don't know when.)
And because so many of you have asked, we'll put this in a sentence all its own: There's no microSD card. But you do have a couple of versions you can purchase. The 16GB Galaxy Tab 10.1 will run you $499, and the 32GB version costs $599.
So there you have it, folks. For those of you not able to come to the event in New York, we bring the event to you.
Tablet PC iMID
T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide gets pictured with Gingerbread, may debut next month
Tablet PC iMID
Samsung Smart View shrinks Smart TV down for your Galaxy S II
We're not sure how many of you happen to own both a Galaxy S II and a Samsung Smart TV but, if you do, you'll probably want to download Smart View from the Android market. Like now -- don't worry, we'll wait. This handy app lets you stream content from your set to your smartphone over WiFi, and can even be used as a controller for games from the Samsung app store. Unfortunately, you're limited to either mirroring the content shown on the TV or watching an optional second stream from a Sammy-branded Blu-ray player but, hey, at least you won't have to miss a single second of Game of Thrones just because that box of Cheez-Its keeps whispering your name. Like any good TV-connected app, Smart View can also act as a remote with a program guide and the ability to change channels, and even more functionality is promised for the future. Eventually, it will make its way to Galaxy Player, Galaxy S, and Galaxy Tab owners but, while you wait, check out the gallery and PR below.
T-Mobile announces June availability for Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart
Tablet PC iMID
The i'mWatch Bluetooth Watch Runs Its Own Android Build
We've seen wristwatches that connect to your smartphone over Bluetooth, giving you notifications of incoming calls, text messages, e-mail, and the like. Some of these offerings have been more complex than others, but they're ultimately accessories that leave your smartphone to do most of the heavy lifting.
In the future, we could have full-featured smartphones in a watch-sized form factor, like the Tracy XL we came across in our recent Motorola exclusive. For now, though, a new product bridges the gap between those two worlds, the Android-powered i'mWatch.
The i'mWatch doesn't have a cellular radio of its own, so ultimately its feature set follows the same sort of restrictions we see for Bluetooth watches. For instance, it's not set up to give you full access to emails you receive, instead showing you just the sender's name and subject line. That doesn't have to always be the case, though, since its Android core enables i'mWatch's functionality to be expanded by downloading new apps (custom i'mWatch apps, not standard Android Market fare).
Of course, you shouldn't expect the i'mWatch to have the same kind of processing power as a full-fledged smartphone, but its ARM9-based CPU, 64MB of RAM, and 4GB of flash storage make it a whole lot more capable than anything you'd normally wear on your wrist. The company doesn't say just how the CPU is clocked, but the i.MX233 chip used supports speeds up to 454MHz. The 1.54-inch display has a 240 x 240 resolution for a pixel density of 220 ppi.
The i'mWatch will first support the iPhone and Android smartphones, with BlackBerry support planned for early next year. Pre-orders are open now, for the equivalent of about $360.
In the future, we could have full-featured smartphones in a watch-sized form factor, like the Tracy XL we came across in our recent Motorola exclusive. For now, though, a new product bridges the gap between those two worlds, the Android-powered i'mWatch.
The i'mWatch doesn't have a cellular radio of its own, so ultimately its feature set follows the same sort of restrictions we see for Bluetooth watches. For instance, it's not set up to give you full access to emails you receive, instead showing you just the sender's name and subject line. That doesn't have to always be the case, though, since its Android core enables i'mWatch's functionality to be expanded by downloading new apps (custom i'mWatch apps, not standard Android Market fare).
Of course, you shouldn't expect the i'mWatch to have the same kind of processing power as a full-fledged smartphone, but its ARM9-based CPU, 64MB of RAM, and 4GB of flash storage make it a whole lot more capable than anything you'd normally wear on your wrist. The company doesn't say just how the CPU is clocked, but the i.MX233 chip used supports speeds up to 454MHz. The 1.54-inch display has a 240 x 240 resolution for a pixel density of 220 ppi.
The i'mWatch will first support the iPhone and Android smartphones, with BlackBerry support planned for early next year. Pre-orders are open now, for the equivalent of about $360.
How-To: Root your Motorola Xoom with one click
Looking to root your new Motorola Xoom, but don’t want to go through the command line? Luckily for you, there’s a nifty little Android app that will allow just that, with little know-how of command line or Android hacking required.
Of course, by using this method, or any other for that matter, you take full responsibility if something goes wrong and you end up with an expensive paperweight. Rooting your device will void your warranty, so that’s another though to keep in mind.
Now, to get into the nitty gritty, there are two different files you can choose to install. One file allows you to root and unroot your device, while the other install file only allows for rooting the Xoom. The root-only program is much smaller, which seems to be the only difference. We should note that the root-only app gives you the “unroot” option, but it just doesn’t work, so if you want the “unroot” option, you’ll want to go with the larger install file. Also, the WiFi-only Xoom method has been untested, and currently cannot be unrooted.
If you’re holding onto the 3G Xoom, you can also update to the latest build HRI66 with just one click as well.
To get started:
- Go into Settings > Applications> Development> and make sure that USB Debugging has been checked.
To use (Windows only):
- Download the file of your choice
- Unzip the file to a directory.
- Double click on the RootMyXoom EXE file
- Follow the instructions.
- You’re done!
All files can be found at the XDA thread below, so get to it!
2011-06-01
About Tablet PC iMID 3G Modem
Q&A: 3G modem in Linux (http://www.draisberghof.de/usb_modeswitch/)
Several new USB devices (especially high-speed WAN stuff, based on cell phone chipsets containing that feature) have their MS Windows drivers onboard; when plugged in for the first time they act like a flash storage and start installing the driver from there. After installation (and on every consecutive plugging) the driver switches the mode internally, the storage device vanishes (in most cases), and a new device (like an USB modem) shows up. Modem maker "Option" calls that feature "ZeroCD (TM)" since it eliminates the need for shipping a separate driver carrier.
In the beginning, nothing of this was documented in any form and there was hardly any Linux support available.
On the good side, most of the known devices do work in both modes with the available Linux drivers like "usb-storage" or "option" (an optimized serial driver for high-speed modems).
That leaves only the problem of the mode switching from storage to modem or whatever the thing is supposed to do.
Q & A: 3G modem setup, Tim, Claro, Vivo, Oi
TIM
Nome: TIM CONNECT FAST
APN: tim.br
User: tim
Senha: tim
OI
Nome: OI CONNECT FAST
APN: gprs.oi.com.br
User : oi
Senha: oi
CLARO
Nome: CLARO CONNECT FAST
APN: claro.com.br
User: claro
Senha: claro
VIVO
Nome: VIVO CONNECT FAST
APN: zap.vivo.com.br
User: vivo
Senha: vivo
Q & A: 3G modem setup 2. (http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-914350.html)
Olá amigo,
Não sei se esse aparelho possui configuração de Access Point, mas a configuração que fiz no meu celular está funcionando de boa, no caso da operadora TIM, segue:
Name: TIMWAPFAST
APN: tim.br
Proxy: Not Set
Port: Not Set
User Name: tim
Password: tim
Server: Not set
MMSC: http://mms.tim.br
MMS proxy: 200.179.66.242
MMS port: 8080
MCC: 724
MNC: 03
Authentication type: Not set
APN type: internet+mms
Depois é necessário desligar e ligar o aparelho para carregar as informações com sua operadora. Veja com sua operadora se não é necessário fazer um configuração parecida.
Q & A: 3G modem setup 3. codigo de rede da tim/claro/oi
Tim Nordeste/MG: 72402
Tim SP: 72403
Tim Sul/MS: 72404
Segue abaixo mais detalhes:
O código é composto por MCC + MNC
MCC = 724 (Brasil)
MNC TIM = 02, 03, 04
MNC CLARO = 05
MNC BRT = 16
MNC OI = 31
TIM tem 3 códigos:
72402
72403
72404
CLARO:
72405
OI:
72431
BRT:
72461
Mais Info : iMID
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