Google Android. That little green robot has been propping up everywhere recently but what’s it all about and why is it the fastest growing smartphone operating system in the market right now?
Simply put is an operating system for smartphones (and now tablet PC’s) developed by Google in 2008 as the answer to the continued dominance of Apple’s award winning iPhone. It didnt quite work out that way initially but nowadays Android is the word on everyones lips with many smartphone manufacturers from HTC and Samsung turning to Google’s product to run their latest phones.
The, , have all been big handsets in the last several months and all of them have shipped with varying updates of the Android operating system (we’ve had versions ranging from Cupcake all the way through to Ice Cream Sandwich so far – we’re thinking someone at Google has a sweet tooth!)
But there’s more than just the cute names and funny robot – Android OS can run multiple applications at the same time, whether in built apps or those from Android Market. Listen to music whilst browsing the internet, play a game whilst also on facebook, mutli-tasting is effortless on Android and with the introduction of new dual-core handsets like the Galaxy S II, this is only set to get easier.
Talking on the – Googles apps store now boasts over 250,000 3rd party applications ready to download to your phone and improve your mobile phone experience. From the hugely popular Angry Birds puzzle game (they’re angry over evil green pigs stealing their eggs apparently) to apps like Shazam which identifies a song on the radio for you – Android have catered for all smarpthone needs – entertainment, productivity, Utility and communication. And that’s not even mentioning all the built in apps like Facebook, Twitter and Google Maps.
But it’s not just Google Maps – one of Android’s biggest selling points is it’s full Google integration including Gmail, Google Talk,, YouTube, Google Calendar, and Google Search. Oh and not to forget Google Goggles!
So that’s it – in a nutshell. There’s plenty more features of the little green robot but we won’t ruin the fun of finding them out for yourself. But if you are after more information be sure to check out our new Android OS page as part of our or check out all our
No doubt about it, tablets are going to be massive this year. Since released their iPad at the beginning of 2010 manufacturers have been working tirelessly to try and get in on the action.
Until now the two notable devices to hit the market are the iPad and Samsung . There’s loads of hype surrounding the BlackBerry Playbook which will be instore very soon. (See our previous for more info.)
What you may have missed amongst all these big names is the Motorola Xoom. Motorola have had a few shakey years, since having huge success with the Motorola Razr V3 the manufacturer hadn’t been able to find a stable hold on the market and almost disappeared from the high street. Motorola’s biggest let down was generally considered to be their software. Even though they have always made solid good looking handsets Motorola have struggled to create a user friendly interface to match that of Nokia’s which 5 years ago looked unstoppable.
With the integration and uptake of the smart phone Motorola now has the opportunity to show of how amazing their hardware really is by using Android for it’s operating system. Recently the Motorola DEFY, a rugged smartphone, highlighted how great Motorola really are at manufacturing unique devices. The Defy really is a tough little cookie and is able to take a beating yet Motorola haven’t compromised on size or usability.
As a result of these unique devices we’re really excited about the Xoom so here’s a little more info about it. The Xoom has a 10.1 inch screen which is capable of displaying 16:9 video content. This is the first tablet to take Apple on at this level with both the and opting for a much smaller screens in an attempt to be more portable. The Xoom has 2 cameras, a front facing 2mp camera and a rear 5mp camera capable of recording 720p video. The Xoom also offers full flash support allowing you to stream vidoes from websites outside of youtube. The device comes with 32 GB of memory and is expanadle (We assume) to another 32 GB by external memory cards. The Xoom is going to be available with Wifi and 3G as standard and most importantly is driven by an tegra dual core processor.
As you can see this device seems to tick alot of boxes that the iPad doesn’t; it appears that Motorola have been listnening to your problems with the iPad and have tried to avoid them at all costs. On top of all this the Xoom has been showing off Google’s Tablet orientated OS Honeycomb. From the video below you can see that the device interface looks great and the navigation seems super smooth.
It’s not hard to see why the Xoom won best in show at CES recently and has all the makings of a real winner. We still don’t have a launch date or most importantly price. Motorola will need to keep this device competitively priced if it hopes to take on and the stream of other tablets on their way. A hefty price tag will most likely drive consumers away from a brand which doesn’t currently have the loyalty of their main competitors.
As soon as we get confirmation on this we’ll be sure to let you know. Keep checking back with us for more updates. We hope you agree that this tablet looks like it could be a huge success for Motorola and brings competition to an exciting market.
Sony unveiled the Last week in Las Vegas, although this was a poorly kept secret we’ve now got the full specs to look at.
Firstly lets look at it’s most important feature the design. From it’s front profile we see a fairly un original looking handset with much the same layout as the Xperia X10. However turn the handset around by 45 degrees and we can see how the phone got it’s name. The arc design reaches from the top to the bottom of the handset and looks gorgeous measuring just 8.7mm at its thinnest part. The design isn’t only for the visual appeal, claim this to be perfection in ergonomics and we can see how this style will compliment the contours of your palm.
The Camera, which has a respectable 8.1mp image sensor, can also capture HD 720p video. Your photos are displayed on the 4.1inch “Reality Display” which simply looks stunning. The Mobile BRAVIA® Engine is loosely based on Sony’s full scale Bravia TV’s which they hope will deliver “exceptional visual brilliance and a crystal clear image which enhances the overall entertainment experience.” Oh, and if you so happen to have a Sony Bravia you can easily connect the arc to the display using it’s inbuilt HDMI port.
The overall dimensions of the handset measure like so 125 x 63 x 8.7 mm. Those of you who know your phone measurements will realise that this is not a small handset. The HTC being one of the largest handset on the market measures in at 123 x 68 x 11.8 mm. As you can see the Arc is a full 2mm wider which is a noticeable difference when in the palm of your hand. Thankfully the is 5mm shorter giving you slightly more pocket space in your jeans. With the increase in size we’re surprised that the Arc’s screen is 0.2 Inches smaller then that of the . Maybe are of the opinion that size isn’t everything.
The handset will ship with the latest version of , at this point we’d consider this to be gingerbread but depending on release dates could still be released under the froyo banner. The handset has a 1GZ processor fairly standard now in the latest Android handsets. But with dual core technology on the horizon this may be an oversight from . The Arc only has 512mb of internal memory which isn’t a great deal but the handset will be shipping with an 8GB memory card and can be upgraded to 32GB. All these features are to be expected from a new High End handset and may leave you wanting more in terms or processing power.
The Sony Ericsson is clearly an improvement on the Xperia 10 in terms of design and multimedia, it may not set the world on fire in regards to speed and features, but think of it as an example of great design without having to compromise on functionality. You can see Sony Ericsson’s offical Arc page .
If your blown away by the looks of the handset you can register your interest for the handset or keep an eye on the blog for details regarding other handsets which are on their way.
After much deliberation and “will it or won’t it be 3.0″, it seems Google have let slip a preview video for Honeycomb and it is indeed the 3.0 we were all hoping for. There has been much speculation and confusion around the build numbers recently, with Gingerbread initially being rumoured as 3.0, which later turned out to be a smaller update in 2.3; which sought to further improve speed and adds a rather cool new lock screen animation which reminds us of an old TV being switched off. (Click here to take a look for yourself) Gingerbread hasn’t been officially released yet, but an unofficial build has been made available by a group of developers over at XDA Forums, the proviso being that you have to root your phone to get it. We’ve had a play with it, albeit a ‘Pure Google’ experience which lacks the HTC Sense overlay (much like the new ) and suffice to say, even as an experimental build we are hugely impressed with what we’re seeing.
Take a look at the screenshot of Honeycomb, cool huh? Notice anything a little odd about it? That’s right, Honeycomb has been optimised with in mind and from what we’ve seen so far, we really want to get our hands on a Honeycomb device and have a play! Optimised for a tablet is probably the wrong word, Google states that Honeycomb has ‘Been built entirely for tablets’ which bodes well with recent announcements from CES of tablets from Motorola, LG and the current Android dons HTC. Feast your eyes on the video below for the full preview of the revamped UI and tablet optimised applications. And if your into a bit of techno, don’t forget to crank the speakers up or plug your head phones in for the accompanying track.
So, what do we know so far? Well if you’ve watched the video you will have noticed that Google is going head to head with the Kindle’s and iBooks of this world with its own ‘ebooks’, of which there are said to be ‘millions of books’ available on the go. There’s also a revamped Gmail suite which has been optimised solely for tablets, notice the static bar on the left and the fluid motion between screens. In additon to this there’s a new YouTube app, the inclusion of gTalk (Googles answer to FaceTime), 3D Google Maps and a brand new internet browser.
There are no official details about when this will be released, but we’d like to think that it isn’t too far off, especially given the recent deluge of Android tablet announcements from some of the markets biggest players, at this years CES. Let us know what you think in the comments below, can an Android tablet beat the Apple iPad? Keep an eye on the blog for more details.
We knew that dual core tech was coming, heck, it’s already out there in the palms of some of the worlds biggest bloggers and has been reviewed pretty extensively. What we hadn’t seen until today, was any official announcement of a dual core . The technology was announced quite some time ago and isn’t particulalry new or exciting when you consider even the most basic laptop or netbook you buy these days will be running a dual core processor; but it is a whole new dimension and the start of a new ‘breed’ of smartphone.
The first official dual core smartphone comes from our Korean friends LG, you guessed it, another new addition to the Family - The LG Optimus 2X. Now, this isn’t the usual mid-range handset you’d expect, inside you’ll find the 1GHz Dual Core Tegra 2 chipset, which doesn’t sound that great when you consider that there are already smartphones running similar clock speeds and have been doing so for quite some time, but (and it’s quite a big but here) the dual core Tegra 2 processor can handle full 1080p Video Playback (HDMI Out) and is set to be the first in the world to do so. It gets better, the LG Optimus 2X will also trump any video recording capabilities of any smartphone on the market currently, thanks to its ability to record in 1080p too!
The Optimus 2X has been described as a “brutally fast, overpowered reality” and rightly so, when you consider that it’ll be running FroYo on release with an update to GingerBread on the cards, potentially meaning even more speed! Other specs include a 8 megapixel camera + 1.3 megapixel front facing camera (compatible with GingerBread), 8GB internal storage, a 4inch WVGA screen (we assume capacitive) and what LG describe as a ‘hefty’ 1500mAh battery (which isn’t any larger than batteries offered on some single core smartphones), so it’ll be interesting to see how well the battery holds up through a full days use; it’s certainly going to put the revised Android power management in Gingerbread to the test!
The 2X is said to be available in early 2011 so keep an eye on the blog for updates about availability. In the meantime, what do you think about the Optimus 2X? Has it got you interested or has it left you with slight reservations, perhaps concerns about battery life? Let us know in the comments section below!
is making a big announcement on the 9th of December in France. We Expect from the below invite that will be showcasing their first PSP phone.
French website, “” has issued an image of an invite from and as you can see it has the Playstation trademark controller buttons combined with a new phone icon. This seems to all but confirm that a PSP phone is ready for market release. It’s believed that the handset will run android and combine both the and PSP brands into one mobile gaming device.
When added their Walkman brand to the range back in 2005 it became an instant hit. Although the W800i didn’t include any improved functionality to it’s older sibling the K750i, it was instantly more successful thanks to the walkman branding which opened consumers eyes to the oppertunites of using their phone as a music device.
The same was attempted with first 3.2 mega pixel camera phone the K800i. This was the first handset to carry the famous cybershot brand. Although the handset was a success the cross branding didn’t see the same boom as their walkman phones.
The joning of and PSP brands seems to be an obvious progression and will defiantly grab the attention of the PSP fans out there. With the mobile phone gaming industry now becoming the fastest growing market in the gaming world, may well have a strong contender in this rapidly growing market. Looks like we’ll get to see this handset in a little over two weeks.
For more details keep an eye on our updates here at mobiles.co.uk
It’s been much rumoured and a long time coming, but it seems is about to be knocked from it’s top spot by this, the Sony Ericsson (X12) Anzu. True to form, have stuck with the Japanese/Spiritually themed names (Yari, Sprio, Aino, Satio - you get the picture) with the meaning of Anzu seemingly pointing towards being a God from Akkadian Mythology who breathes both fire and water and has the head of a lion and the body of an Eagle. Mythology lesson aside, the literal meaning of ‘Anzu’ in Japanese is an Apricot; which isn’t really going to tell us much about this phone.
So lets take a look at what we do know; the Anzu is said to be running 2.2 FroYo upon release (although currently running 2.1 Eclair) with an update to GingerBread 3.0 in Summer ‘11. It is also said to house an 800 MHz processor, a 4.3″ WVGA ‘X.LED’ screen (multi-touch support included this time!) Wi-Fi , an HDMI port and a standard 3.5mm jack.
It’s also reported that the X12 will be between 8.7mm and 10.9mm thick as well as the inclusion of an impressive 1500 mAH battery. In the camera department, we’re told that the fire breathing, lion headed Anzu will be sporting either a 12 megapixel or 8.1 megapixel camera (more likely the latter in our opinion) and will be capable of recording in 720p HD quality. What do you think, has the Anzu got you interested? Can the Anzu compete the with and of this world? Let us know in the comments section below.
Both of these handsets have been a long time coming, much rumoured and highly anticipated. That’s why, with great pleasure, we can announce that from today you can buy both of these handsets, here at .
The QWERTY touting, Android powered has been talked about and had more leaks in it’s time than a sinking ship, but it’s here and for those that missed our coverage of the Desire Z here’s a little run down of what you can expect. As previously mentioned, the Desire Z is a QWERTY touting device powered by Google’s latest iteration - 2.2 Froyo. Aside from, there’s also an 800 MHz processor, 512MB RAM, 1.5 GB internal memory, a 3.7 inch capacitive touchscreen, GPS, HSPDA and a 5 megapixel camera with HD Video recording to boot. Interested? Of course you are, for more information.
If a is more your cup of tea, then the flagship could be just what you’re looking for. Of course, the obligatory QWERTY keyboard is present, as is the optical track pad and iconic BlackBerry styling. Where the Bold 9780 starts to differ from its predecessor however is, well, pretty much everything inside. The most noteable change is the addition of BlackBerry’s brand spanking new Operating System (BlackBerry 6 OS) which simplifies the BlackBerry experience and just makes general use of the Bold far more intuitive. Other noteable specs are a 5 megapixel camera with flash and a full accompaniment of connectivity options. Click Here for more information about the New Bold.
A PSP Phone is something that has long been talked about and rumoured; the closest we’ve come to seeing anything close to a fully fledged ‘Playstation Phone’ was the , with it’s Remote Play functions which unfortunately, were nothing more than media sharing capabilities. Well, Sony Ericsson have seemingly decided to have another stab at it and would appear that this is the PlayStation Phone we’ve all been waiting for and have seen rumoured so many times before.
The PSP Phone very much resembles the PSP Go with it’s slide-out controls; including the obligatory square, circle, triangle and cross buttons, a D-Pad, what appears to be two optical trackpads replacing what would normally be the analogue sticks, shoulder triggers and the Start/Select buttons.
Where this starts to get really interesting though, is when we look at the phone aspect of this device, if the images are to be believed, it’s running albeit with a customised Sony skin on top. We can see the four obligatory Android hardware keys (Home, Menu, Back and Search) sitting just below the screen as well as a lock screen which will be familiar to anyone that has used a vanilla Android 2.2 device. Other features include a camera and LED flash on the back and a front-facing camera too.
Although, we’re still not 100% convinced by this, it’s either a fake or very early prototype; notice the lack of PlayStation branding, a mysterious ‘S’ in the centre of the controls and even more strangely, on-screen references to ‘A’ and ‘B’ buttons for Enter and Back. We really do hope this is the real deal and is simply an early prototype but let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. (Source: )
A PSP Phone is something that has long been talked about and rumoured; the closest we’ve come to seeing anything close to a fully fledged ‘Playstation Phone’ was the , with it’s Remote Play functions which unfortunately, were nothing more than media sharing capabilities. Well, Sony Ericsson have seemingly decided to have another stab at it and would appear that this is the PlayStation Phone we’ve all been waiting for and have seen rumoured so many times before.
The PSP Phone very much resembles the PSP Go with it’s slide-out controls; including the obligatory square, circle, triangle and cross buttons, a D-Pad, what appears to be two optical trackpads replacing what would normally be the analogue sticks, shoulder triggers and the Start/Select buttons.
Where this starts to get really interesting though, is when we look at the phone aspect of this device, if the images are to be believed, it’s running albeit with a customised Sony skin on top. We can see the four obligatory Android hardware keys (Home, Menu, Back and Search) sitting just below the screen as well as a lock screen which will be familiar to anyone that has used a vanilla Android 2.2 device. Other features include a camera and LED flash on the back and a front-facing camera too.
Although, we’re still not 100% convinced by this, it’s either a fake or very early prototype; notice the lack of PlayStation branding, a mysterious ‘S’ in the centre of the controls and even more strangely, on-screen references to ‘A’ and ‘B’ buttons for Enter and Back. We really do hope this is the real deal and is simply an early prototype but let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. (Source: )
What you may have missed amongst all these big names is the Motorola Xoom. Motorola have had a few shakey years, since having huge success with the Motorola Razr V3 the manufacturer hadn’t been able to find a stable hold on the market and almost disappeared from the high street. Motorola’s biggest let down was generally considered to be their software. Even though they have always made solid good looking handsets Motorola have struggled to create a user friendly interface to match that of Nokia’s which 5 years ago looked unstoppable.
We knew that dual core tech was coming, heck, it’s already out there in the palms of some of the worlds biggest bloggers and has been reviewed pretty extensively. What we hadn’t seen until today, was any official announcement of a dual core . The technology was announced quite some time ago and isn’t particulalry new or exciting when you consider even the most basic laptop or netbook you buy these days will be running a dual core processor; but it is a whole new dimension and the start of a new ‘breed’ of smartphone.