Google Support: “…we are no longer investigating further engineering improvements”

Image taken via Gizmodo post

You also should check out this Google Support Forum thread ”Spotty 3G Part 2?“

Exactly Google Android 2.2  has been spotted in analytics data on a HTC Magic. Rumors could be right that the latest Android OS version will have ‘automatic app updates’

Image via Mobiflip

Also interesting is that Android 2.2 could be on the way with automatic-app-updates Mobiflip Blog mentioned that

“the Android is clearly a new or revised Market to see the really interesting thing is, however, the field “Allow automatic updating.

see image and more via

Of course if you root your phone then no doubt the various forums around the web will have Android 2.2 firmware builds to install. It is unclear at the moment when other Android smartphones will get these updates, but we expect over the coming months that once the update has been announced, updates to other devices will happen a few months after that.

AndroidAndMe’s tip is:

to wait till Google I/O conference starting on May 19th…

Google Nexus One owners first off followed possibly by DROID although speculation also says the N1 and DROID could get a roll out at the same time. These updates should allow developers to access better graphics capabilities specifically on the Google Nexus One.

via Engadget and Mobiflip (DE)

It would seem as though smartphones are becoming the next biggest e-book platform.

Image via http://mobile-libraries.blogspot.com

Recent news of ebook apps now exceeding the number of games on platforms like Apple’s iPhone and iPod. According to Mobclix, there are more than 27,000 app-based books available on Apple’s App Store, with games falling behind at 25,400, and entertainment at a distant third place of 17,164.

The smartphone ebook and book application trend seems to be picking up steam, with the number of ebooks outnumbering games almost two-to-one over the last month. This trend is almost certain to continue with the upcoming release of Apple’s new iPad tablet reader and dedicated online book store.

According to Appstoreapps, the top paid books on the Apple App Store are as follows:

Dr. Seuss’s ABC (Oceanhouse Media) – A time-honored classic now comes to the iPhone platform, featuring professional narration, background audio, and enlarge scene artwork. This title is designed to promote reading in young children as well as entertain.

iReading: The Lion and The Mouse (AppleTreeApp) – This title comes packed with exquisite pictures, narration and animation from some of the best illustrators around the world. This ebook includes both new and classic fairy tales to provide children with an exciting reading experience.

Free Books (Spreadsong, Inc). – According to

… Read the rest

Softbank, Japan’s largest broadband provider announced the launch of ”HTC Desire (X06HT)” for the late April 2010.

Softbank’s first Android smart phone will come along with Android 2.1

HTC Desire X06HT (SoftBank / HTC):

via Weekly ASCII (Japan)

Softbank X06HT Specs

• 3.7” AMOLED touchscreen with a WVGA resolution.
• 5Mpix CMOS Camera module with AL & LED Flash
• W-CDMA & GSM
• GPS, Bluetooth, HTC Sense
• 1GHz Snapdragon CPU
• 60 x 119 x 11.9mm 135g

“…the Japanese HTC Desire is the very same as its foreign brother” via Akihabara News

HTC Mobile is a Taiwanese cell phone manufacturer that has been making a lot of noise with the introduction of interesting new Smartphones in the last few years, and HTC is always good for its remarkable technical specifications such as the case of the HTC Desire.

Check this video about the

HTC Desire (X06HT) with voice search for Google Maps

Polyphony Digital, GT5′s developer, promised over 1k vehicles to race. There will be around 20 main tracks available in it and the variation of such tracks will bring the total number to 70.

Already in development for about 5 years, Gran-Turismo-5 is one of the most promising racing games we are waiting for.

Image via Forums Forza Motorsport

After some delays, Polyphony Digital is pushing to release Gran Turismo 5. The PS3 fans have to wait till this fall.

Gran Turismo 5 New Trailer

Sony is going to really push new technologies with their 3D gaming and their motion controller in 2010. Sony’s 3D-enabled Bravia HDTVs will also hit the market in summer 2010.

Polyphony Digital  was waiting for Sony to give the green light. Do you remember when Yamauchi said the game was all ready to go and they could “release it whenever they wished.

BTW “…the fifth installment will include visual damage as well as NASCAR racing.“

ODROID handheld game console is an Android powered entertainment device.

The Korea-based company HardKernel debuts its ODROID device in September 2009, and by late October, SlashGear was reporting that the first run of developer units have already sold out at around $300.

ODROID does have a pretty snappy ARM Cortex A8 processor from Samsung clocked at 833mhz, with ample 512MB DDR2 memory, a 3.5-inch capacitive touch screen display and 720p video playback through its built-in HDMI output.

This is the first Android device with such a gaming buttons layout.

Now watch the video playing  GBA & Quake III on Android 2.1 Eclair

GBA & Quake III on ODROID

Product information : http://www.hardkernel.com
CPU : Samsung S5PC100 833MHz Cortex A8
DDR2 RAM : 512MB
System OS Storage : 2GB
Android 2.1 source code for ODROID : http://dev.odroid.com

HardKernel is shipping a developer-focused handheld game device that runs Android and offers source code, schematics, and a debug board. Especially now that both devices have multi-touch technology. But with the introduction of powerful Android devices such as Motorola’s Droid and most recently, Google’s Nexus One, gaming apps and functionality has improved on the device. The fact that the Android platform doesn’t support gaming as well as the iPhone is not new.

Phandroid wrote a post today which will answer your question, whether ODROID Android… Read the rest

How to create and insert your favorite Android smartphone icon pack and you’ll find my favorite list of free popular icons.

via large-icons.com

With the advent of new android smart-phones, you can now use and create several types of icons, and insert/download them into your application’s user interface. You may want to try out something other than the pre- packaged icons in your user interface. A number of useful icons are there that you can download in a free icon pack. These graphic icons will bring out a more professional look to your user interface and make it more attractive.

Here is a short and easy guide on how to create icons.

The primary color palette in a basic icon design is made up of white, black and gray scales. Different combinations of these colors are used to make the launcher icons, the menu icons and status bar icons. The launcher icons and certain status bar icons are given accents of bright and clear colors which match with the existing icons. You create the basic steps in these icons in the Adobe Illustrator.

You can make each icon by creating depth and shape, adding color and details. You can also create shadows by tilting the angles and a blurring effect.

Once the icons are created you can then import it to Adobe Photoshop and fit to the desired image size. For a

… Read the rest

Firstview Electronic HK Limited presents their Android based Laptop for $65 on CeBIT 2010 in Hannover, Germany

The website load is very slow when you compare it with more expensive Laptops, but you can buy for $65 in the Chinese factories when you order this Laptop in large quantities.

$65 Android Laptop

Specs:

• Android
• low cost and low power VIA 8505 ARM based 533Mhz processor
• with 128MB RAM
• 2GB Nand flash
• 7″ 800×480 screen
• WiFi
• SD card reader
• 3G dongle support
• run 4 hours on a 2100mah battery

Its not anywhere near as thrilling as the iPad video demo. Its just one of the cheap Android tablets there at CeBIT.

Kojiro mimics the human body and can handle more complex movements.

Kojiro is a humanoid which is built by the University of Tokyo’s JSK Robotics Laboratory.

Kojiro  musculoskeletal humanoid robot has a detailed musculoskeletal system built to mimic the human body.

via Engadget

To develop control algorithms for Kojiro, the JSK team is using an iterative learning process. This kind of system has lots of nonlinearities and is hard to model precisely.

The main drawback of using a musculoskeletal system is that controlling the robot’s body is difficult. For balance, the robot uses three gyros and a three-axis accelerometer on its head. To keep track of its posture and limb positions, they embedded joint angle sensors on spherical joints and six-axis force sensors on the ankles. To make the robot safer, the researchers built its body using mostly light and flexible materials. The results are transmitted to a computer and displayed on a control screen developed by Takanishi. A driver circuit board automatically adjusts the current fed to the motors based on temperature measurements.

Each motor unit has a rotary encoder, tension sensor, and current and temperature sensing circuit. Its brushless motors are quite small but can deliver a substantial 40 watts of output power. These tendon-muscle structures — Kojiro has about 100 of them — work together to give the robot some 60 degrees of freedom, or… Read the rest

Its screen is small, it lacks color and its capabilities are limited. At a time when newspapers across America were folding, Amazons Kindle put print where people really wanted it – in their pockets.

While its not quite as revolutionary as the iPhone, the iPad will continue this tradition by capitalizing on the fast-growing e-reader market that was forged by Amazon. And Apples string of hits continues to create new markets and to put money in investors pockets – despite one of the worst economic backdrops in modern history. However, the company and its public relations prince, Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, have achieved near-cult-like status with the companys devout customer base. Apple essentially reintroduced the netbook, but infused it with the type of touch-screen technology that its perfected with some of its other successes, including the iPhone. The media buzz that surrounded the launch of the device – branded the iPad – was certainly overstated.

Great Kindle vs iPad Review

Kindle vs iPad Review – iPad advantages

The best way to think of the iPad is as a larger iPhone – one with a 9.7? screen. The iPad’s advantages are -

1. It does a lot of things – movies (including HD), TV, color screen web browsing, playing games (games look really good), .
2. Very good looks.
3. Larger screen size – the screen is a 9.7 inch IPS display. IPS is really good screen technology.
4. Full

… Read the rest