As the annual consumer electronics mega show draws to a close in Vegas, here are our picks for the top Android stories from CES 2012:
Google’s Matias Duarte Reveals Design Standards for Android 4.0 at CES 2012
Android Design is a online repository for the UI guidelines and blueprints for version 4.0, which we learned would unify smartphones and tablets back at Google I/O. This set of information should make things all neat and tidy for ICS devices, keeping user interface characteristics a bit more cohesive from app to app. Here, devs will find all the basic info and elements that are native to platform in order to make the best applications possible for the OS.
Engadget
Polaroid Announces the Android-powered SC1630 Smart Camera
Polaroid shocked the Consumer Electronics Show on Tuesday when the company announced a new camera powered by Android. The Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera is a 3.2-inch device, and it features a whopping 16-megapixel camera capable of 3x optical zoom on a 36-108mm lens. When connected to Wi-Fi, users can instantly upload their images to social networking sites and will also even have access to the Android Market.
BGR
Google Updates Search and Maps for Android in the Middle of CES
Google has taken to stealth updating Search and Maps for Android while attention is squarely placed on CES this week. The updates for Maps for Android center on improved battery life with Latitude now featuring faster refreshes for locations and adds the ability to guess location based on vehicle speed if the GPS signal is lost during a drive and offers more public transportation route options for supported public transit systems.
PhoneNews
Moneto NFC MicroSD to Bring Contactless Features to Any Android Phone
DeviceFidelity and Spring Card Systems have teamed up on a NFC-capable microSD card that will hopefully forgo the need of buying specific mobile handsets for the privilege of contactless payments. The microSD card is set to land in the next few weeks, pegged at $30. Both will be available at Moneto, with plans to support several — as yet unnamed — Android devices by Q2, rolling out further throughout 2012.
Engadget
Huawei Announce World’s Slimmest Android Smartphone at 6.68mm
Huawei has turned up to CES this year with the Ascend P1 S, which sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display and enjoys a thickness of just 6.68mm. The phones runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and manages to pack in an 8MP camera with face recognition. You won’t be feeling much weight in your pocket either, as the P1 S only weighs 130 grams. The Ascend P1 S is expected to become available in April with a price point around $400.
Geek.com
Toshiba’s Waterproof Tablet Can Even Charge Wirelessly Underwater
Have you ever wanted to put your tablet inside of your fish tank? You got a waterproof concept tablet from Toshiba that was sitting at the bottom of a fish tank right on the showroom floor. And yes, the tablet was able to charge without any wires, even when it was submerged next to a bunch of fake fish.
GottaBeMobile
Android Smartphones Announced During CES
– Motorola Droid Razr Maxx [Read More at Pocket-lint]
– Huawei Ascend P1 S [Read More at BGR]
– LG Spectrum [Read More at GottaBeMobile]
– Motorola Droid 4 [Read More at Engadget]
– Pantech Burst [Read More at Phone Scoop]