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HP releases Android kernel for TouchPad, makes hackers’ lives easier

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:05:00 +0000

You may remember that during the TouchPad fire sale, a few slates slipped out with a rather primitive Froyo build on them. Well, HP doesn't seem to know how the tablets hit shelves with Android on board, but its decided to release the source code for the OS nonetheless. Devs had previously called on the company to hand over the code, but the request was refused since HP had never intended for TouchPads to ship with Android, and thus were not obligated to abide by the open-source requirements. As a gesture of goodwill to the community (and under a certain amount of pressure from it) the former purveyor of all things webOS has reversed course though, and let the TouchPad-specific kernel loose on the internet for others to repurpose as they see fit. Hit up the source link to download it now.

HP releases Android kernel for TouchPad, makes hackers' lives easier originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink webOS Nation | RootzWiki | Email this | Comments

Vonage Mobile app allows free calls and texts worldwide to fellow Android and iOS users

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:12:00 +0000

Looking to save some coin on those international calls to your mates in Brussels? Vonage has just rolled out new Android and iOS apps that do just that. The Vonage Mobile app offers free talk and text for corresponding with fellow app users worldwide by way of WiFi or data connection. Need to update app-less Auntie Em while backpacking through the Swiss Alps? The outfit says it'll save you 70% over major carriers and costs 30% less than Skype. For calls to folks without the app, users can add calling credit in either $4.99 or $9.99 increments right from the iTunes store or Android Market. The software also makes use of your existing number and extensive list of contacts without the need to create another username. Right now, calls to any phone in the US of A, Canada or Puerto Rico are free from the app for a limited time -- so long as you stay under 3000 minutes per month, of course. Hit the source link or PR below for more information before heading to your app repository to snag the free download.

Continue reading Vonage Mobile app allows free calls and texts worldwide to fellow Android and iOS users

Vonage Mobile app allows free calls and texts worldwide to fellow Android and iOS users originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia: ‘We don’t have a Plan B’

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:45:00 +0000

Wander into Nokia's corporate HQ and, if Victor Saejis is to believed, you'll be hard pressed to find any manilla folder bearing the legend "Plan B." The handset maker's European Manager told Swedish financial daily Dagens Industri that the company has no contingency plan in the event that Windows Phone loses out to Android and iOS saying that "Plan B is that Plan A is to succeed." It's a pretty unequivocal statement that Espoo's betting the farm on consumers embracing Microsoft's OS. Commenting on the company's recent troubles and winding down of Symbian and demise of MeeGo, he said "it's like starting all over again. But we must succeed in the U.S. if we are to succeed in the world" -- pretty honest, if a little disappointing to anyone who hoped there was an Android-powered white N9 lying in a Finnish skunkworks.

Nokia: 'We don't have a Plan B' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashgear | DI.se (Translated) | Email this | Comments

Baidu-powered Dell Streak Pro D43 gets hands-on treatment

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:22:00 +0000

Dell's dual-cored Streak Pro D43 has arrived in the hands of our colleagues over at Engadget Chinese. In a detailed tour of the first Baidu Yi smartphone, they've unearthed a built-in battery and perused the Super AMOLED Plus qHD display, tempered with Gorilla Glass. The casing is little thick (10.3mm) but by no means a deal-breaker, with a rubberized texture apparently helping to protect the phone if you're a little rough and ready with your devices. The Baidu platform is another Chinese interpretation of Google's feature-set, so you get the likes of email, maps, cloud services and voice input search -- in Mandarin, naturally. If you're intrigued by that Baidu base, scope out the full hands-on (and video walkthrough) over on our Sino sister site.

Baidu-powered Dell Streak Pro D43 gets hands-on treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Engadget Chinese (translated) | Email this | Comments

Nokia ends European, Mexican production: it’s all Asia now (Updated)

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:37:00 +0000

Nokia's wielding another axe to its operations, cleaving away a further 4,000 employees from its operations in Finland, Hungary and Mexico. It follows a shedding of roughly 10,000 employees and a troubled withdrawal from Romania as the company pushes more operations towards Asia in an attempt to compete with its competitors. Whilst no more phones will be assembled in Europe, the company isn't closing the facilities outright, they'll be retained for "high value activities" (presumably R&D and other big-ticket projects). Whatever comes of Steven Elop's reign of the world's number one handset maker, it's clear to see that he's got a plan and he's sticking to it.

Update: Nokia got in touch to clarify that the factory in Manaus, Brazil is unaffected by these cuts. The three factories mentioned (in Salo, Reynosa and Komarom) will furthermore be used for the software-portion of production, including installing carrier-and-region-specific features in the Americas, Europe and Eurasia. Hardware assembly will now take place at the company's existing facilities in Beijing (China) and Masan (South Korea).

Nokia ends European, Mexican production: it's all Asia now (Updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vodafone bringing LTE speeds to Germany, with the HTC Velocity

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:23:00 +0000

HTC has confirmed plans to bring its very first LTE handset to Germany, with the launch of the Velocity. The phone, known Stateside as the Vivid and in South Korea as the Raider, features a 4.5-inch qHD touchscreen and is fueled by a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU. The Gingerbread-laced device also boasts 1GB of RAM, 16GB of flash memory and an eight-megapixel camera, along with your standard 1.3-megapixel front facing sensor. As far as networking goes, you'll find support for quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dualband UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA at 900/2100 MHz and, most compelling, dualband LTE at 800/2600 MHz. Vodafone confirmed the news to Germany's Computer Woche, though it has yet to offer a price or release date.

Vodafone bringing LTE speeds to Germany, with the HTC Velocity originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Unwired | Computer Woche (German) | Email this | Comments

Study: ‘App Economy’ has created 500,000 jobs since 2007

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:32:00 +0000

It's no secret that the rise of smartphones, tablets and social networking has fostered an entirely new market for app developers, but a freshly released study has now attempted to quantify this impact, in terms of real jobs. According to TechNet, a bipartisan network of tech execs, the so-called "App Economy" has created an estimated 466,000 jobs since 2007, when the iPhone was first unveiled. The report specifies that this estimate includes all jobs at Facebook-focused companies like Zynga, as well as dev gigs at Amazon, AT&T and Electronic Arts, in addition to the obvious heavyweights, Apple and Google. As far as geography goes, California leads the way as the most app-friendly state, though New York City tops the list of metropolitan areas. It's not an entirely bi-coastal affair, though, with some two-thirds of all app-related jobs located outside of California and New York. TechNet acknowledges that the App Economy "is only four years old and extremely fluid," so it's likely that these numbers will fluctuate in the years to come, though the organization says these numbers underscore a fundamental principle: "Innovation creates jobs, and in this case, lots of them." Read the full report at the source link below.

Study: 'App Economy' has created 500,000 jobs since 2007 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET | TechNet (PDF) | Email this | Comments

Microsoft’s OneNote Mobile takes up roost in the Android Market

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:04:00 +0000

Hot on the heels of its OneNote app for the iPhone, Microsoft has gone ahead and given the Android Market a similar nod of acceptance with the release of OneNote Mobile. Like the iOS version, the app is free to try -- which allows tire kickers to create up to 500 memos -- but after the limit is reached, you'll need to plunk down $4.99 or be forever stuck in read-only mode. In addition to syncing all notes with SkyDrive, the app allows users to open notebooks from OneNote 2010. Android 2.3 is necessary admission for this one, and naturally, all users must have a Windows Live ID. So, Google, are you going to just stand there and let Evernote and Microsoft have all the fun?

Microsoft's OneNote Mobile takes up roost in the Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AllThingsD | Android Market, Microsoft Office Blogs | Email this | Comments

Android 4.0.4 ROM leaks for Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:26:00 +0000

A little gem known as Android 4.0.4 wriggled its way onto the interweb last week, and while it was geared specifically for Sprint's Nexus S 4G, a similar version has just cropped up for the CDMA / LTE Galaxy Nexus from Verizon. While it's only available for tenacious users who've unlocked their bootloader, it seems that a host of improvements are on deck for the official release. First and foremost, the ROM is said to be noticeably faster, with the speed gains also extending to the web browser and the device's boot time. The release also packs a new radio file that (at least from user impressions) offers more seamless transitions between the CDMA and LTE networks. All in all, the rest of the changes are rather minor, but if you'd like to join the bleeding edge, you'll find everything you need in the source link below.

Android 4.0.4 ROM leaks for Verizon's Galaxy Nexus originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink xda-developers | xda-developers forum | Email this | Comments

LG teases Optimus Vu Android smartphone with 5-inch screen, 4:3 aspect ratio (video)

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:37:00 +0000

If you're into high strangeness in the mobile realm, you'd be wise to check out the video of the Optimus Vu that LG just posted -- just follow the break. While our Korean translation skills aren't quite up to par, we've been able to decipher that this boxy number packs a 5-inch touchscreen and a rather unique 4:3 aspect ratio. The telltale capacitive touch buttons reveal this as an Android device, which the Korean manufacturer suggests is more comfortable to hold than traditional portrait-based solutions. It'll be interesting to see what this means for application compatibility, but for the moment, we're going to keep digging for more specs. Oh, and if you happen to know Korean, don't be afraid to drop additional tidbits into the comments below.

[Thanks, Byungjin]

Update: We've stumbled upon an image -- embedded after the break -- from Datacider that purports to be a shot of the Optimus Vu in the wild. They've also included a smattering of specs, which include a 1.5GHz Qualcomm APQ8060 SoC, 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM, NFC, an eight megapixel camera and Android 2.3. More interestingly, the screen shows a "February 21st" date stamp, which may or may not be a hint. Feel free to hit up the source link for that extra peek.

Continue reading LG teases Optimus Vu Android smartphone with 5-inch screen, 4:3 aspect ratio (video)

LG teases Optimus Vu Android smartphone with 5-inch screen, 4:3 aspect ratio (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | LG (translated), Datacider (translated) | Email this | Comments