Archives for "June, 2011"

Posted by Michael Zhao on 30th June 2011

Google’s Secret Answer to Instagram is a Pool Party… App

It looks like Facebook isn’t the only one planning a secret Instagram rival. Pool Party is Google’s Android-based answer to Instagram and it’s already in beta testing (accessible by invite onl…

Posted by Edgar Cervantes on 30th June 2011

Video: Opera Mobile 11.1, Opera Mini 6.1 have arrived

Whether you prefer the full power of a browser or a lighter version of it, Opera has you covered. Opera is one of the most popular 3rd-party browsers for Android, up there with Dolphin and Skyfire, and it’s just gotten a bit better. Opera has just updated Opera Mobile to version 11.1 and Opera Mini to version 6.1, bringing a few improvements (mostly with regards to performance and interaction).

Aside from other helpful improvements (like auto-complete, better text selection, etc.), Opera Mobile 11.1 is beefed up by a new rendering engine. It’s called Opera Presto 2.8.149, and it further improves…

Posted by Alberto Vildosola on 30th June 2011

Nielsen: Android, iOS keep growing; everybody else still on life support

Both Android and iOS market shares grew between the months of March and May, according to Nielsen. The research firm released its smartphone report today, based on a national survey of mobile consumers. The results are not surprising and confirm what we’ve been seeing for the last year or so:  Android and iOS have taken the mobile world by storm.

According to Nielsen, Android now owns 38% of the U.S. smartphone market, up two points from the previous report. Apple’s iOS also grew from March to May by 1%, sitting now at 27%. On the other hand, RIM’s Blackberry…

Posted by Edgar Cervantes on 30th June 2011

Amazon to purchase 1.5-2 million tablet touch panels by September – more than Taiwanese manufacturers can handle

We know Amazon has been working diligently to bring the family of tablets we’ve been hearing about since last May. While we’re not very sure about the specs, we know these tablets could come with either NVIDIA Tegra or Texas Instruments OMAP processors. While most details are rumors, and we’re still awaiting more information, we know these bad boys will bring some good competition to the table. Not only will these be high-end, but we expect Amazon will set very competitive prices as well.

Just how serious is Amazon about these tablets? According to Digitimes’ sources, Amazon…

Posted by Alberto Vildosola on 30th June 2011

Video: Sony’s S1, S2 tablets manhandled on camera

Sony’s S1 and S2 tablets are in front of the camera once again. Last time we saw these devices, they were on top of a Rube Goldberg Machine falling in love with each other–or something like that. The infamous duo are now back, and this time they were caught hanging out with a German blogger. What an outrage.

According to the guys at Androidpit.de, both tablets will launch with the Sony PlayStation Suite. The tablets use on-screen buttons to simulate the ones on a PlayStation controller. Fans of the popular video game Crash Bandicoot will be happy to…

Posted by Nick Gray on 30th June 2011

Is the HTC EVO 3D’s screen too sensitive?

While some have hailed the EVO 3D as the best Android phone to hit the market this summer, the phone is not without its faults.  HTC has already pushed out a system update for the new EVO, and several of HTC’s pre-installed applications have gotten updates to fix lingering bugs. But that may not be the end of the story. Over the past few days I’ve gotten a little peeved with the search button on the screen. Apparently, I brush the side of my hand against it every time I hold the phone up to take a picture.  At first…

Posted by Edgar Cervantes on 30th June 2011

HTC EVO 3D Netflix/Flashlight app withdrawals? We got ya covered! (Update)

If you went from the HTC EVO 4G to the HTC EVO 3D, Netflix hasn’t been very nice to you for the last month or so. Things seemed way too perfect when the HTC EVO 4G received its long-awaited Gingerbread update. The good ol’ EVO 4G was now even faster and smoother, and everything was working great. Until you tried to watch your favorite shows on Netflix, that is. It was definitely a downer to see the Gingerbread update got rid of your Netflix compatibility, but this problem was fixed with another update issued about 2…

Posted by Andrew Tarantola on 30th June 2011

Smartphone Sales Beating Dumbphone Sales For the First Time

Nielsen’s new national survey of U.S. mobile phone customers reveals that smartphones are outpacing traditional feature phones for the first time ever. More »

Posted by Alberto Vildosola on 30th June 2011

Meet the Samsung Galaxy Z, Galaxy S II’s younger brother

Another day, another Samsung Android device. Swedish carrier Three just announced the addition of a new Android device to its lineup:  the Samsung Galaxy Z. The Galaxy Z is a slightly more modest version of the Galaxy S II with a 5 MP camera instead of the Galaxy S II’s 8 MP one. And 8 GB of internal storage versus the Galaxy S II’s massive 32 GB.

According to Three’s website, the Galaxy Z will have the following specs:

  • Android 2.3 Gingerbread
  • 4.2-inch SC-LCD screen with a 800×480 resolution
  • 1 GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor
  • 5 MP

…

Posted by Alberto Vildosola on 30th June 2011

Skype 2.0 lands on the Market with new interface, two-way video calling support

A little bit late to the party, Skype has finally added video calling support to its Android app. The company released version 2.0 of Skype to the Android Market this morning, featuring a brand new interface and SMS messaging support as well.

Now for the bad news. Skype’s video calling feature will only work on the following phones:

  • Google Nexus S
  • HTC’s Desire S
  • Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo
  • Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro

To be able to use video calling, you’ll need an Android device with “Android Version 2.3 and above with a front-facing camera.” If your phone…