Triple-display Flip phone powers our dreams with Android (video)
This one’s only a concept so don’t get your hopes up, but we’re loving the design here, called the Flip from designer Kristian Ulrich Larsen. It’s a triple-display handset running stock Android that pops out like a tent, collapses into a standard (if curved) slate, and even folds out like a little book. Each screen is said to be Super AMOLED hiding behind Gorilla Glass, with steel mesh acting as hinges — and there’s a full QWERTY keyboard somewhere in there too. Is it magic? No, it’s just a render, but we’re hoping that something like this becomes rather more physical in the not too distant future. Until then, enjoy the dreamy video after the break.
Froyo is now on more than half of all Android devices, Gingerbread makes an appearance on the charts
A recently updated version of the Android Platform Versions pie chart is showing that Android 2.2, aka Froyo, has now made its way to a little over half of all Android handsets. Android 2.1 still takes up a large chunk of the chart at 35.2%, which is expected considering all of the Galaxy S devices still running Eclair.
So what’s the most noteworthy thing about this chart? Well, Android 2.3, aka Gingerbread, has finally appeared. As of now, Gingerbread is only on .4% of Android handsets.
Being that only one phone, the Nexus S, has Gingerbread right now, we can expect that .4% figure to rise steadily as the year goes on and more updates are released. To me, it seems pretty likely that we will all soon be hearing about Gingerbread for our respective devices, since Android is already talking about an OS to be named Ice Cream Sandwich.
PlayStation Phone spied in China
Sony Ericsson’s upcoming Xperia Play handset – aka the PlayStation Phone – has turned up for sale in China.
Taiwanese website ePrice says it was tipped off to the fact by a reader on the mainland, and promptly sent one of its Shenzhen-based correspondents to go and have a look.
The result: a wealth of hi-res snaps of the gadget – model number R800i – that would seem to be shots of a genuine device. Here are three – ePrice has a lot more.
The Xperia-branded handset has all the key PSP controls, which slide out like they do on the PSP Go. The layout isn’t identical, suggesting this isn’t a fake made by grafting bits of the handheld console onto a Sony Ericsson phone. The ‘joysticks’ are made from touchp
The site says the Xperia has a 4in multi-touch touchscreen and a 1GHz CPU and runs Android 2.3. The key application is PlayStation Pocket, but with no service in place and no content to download, the app doesn’t do anything now, ePrice claimed.
LG Optimus 2X shows 1080p HD quality in video footage
There’s been a lot of talk about the LG Optimus 2X and the power it holds compared to other Android devices. We saw the LG Optimus 2X officially announced at CES 2011, then followed that up with a “Hands on” from our team at CES as well. The smartphone is really at the top of the list when it comes to specs. One of those specs is the ability to shoot 1080p HD video, which is something rare in the smartphone scene still.
Here we have a user submitted video showcasing the awesome recording capabilities of the LG Optimus 2X, and how the NVIDIA Tegra2 dual-core processor is a perfect match for it. Have a watch, but if you would really like to see it in full effect, we recommend you watch it at YouTube and switch the video mode to 1080p full screen
Nexus S scores high on Quadrant benchmarks running CyanogenMod 7
The “S” in Nexus S just might stand for Speed after all, as the boys over at Android Community put the latest Dev phone through the benchmark test with Quadrant. We already knew the phone was fast, packing the latest Hummingbird processor, but it’s nice to see just how it stands up against its peers. The Nexus S in this test was running one of the recent nightly builds of CyanogenMod 7 and didn’t have ext4 implemented, nor was it overclocked. As you can see in the graph, it blows past its predecessor, the Nexus One, by quite a fair margin.
It would be interesting to see the difference in performance from the software side alone. Froyo brought a nice speed bump to Android, and Gingerbread was said to bring even more. Add in the fact that dual core processors will soon hit smartphones left and right, and it will be benchmarks like these, along with tweaked after market ROMs like Cyanogen, that fight for the crown of being the fastest and most powerful smartphone.
Android 2.3 gets ported to the iPhone 3G, breaks hearts left and right
Android getting ported to the iPhone may be old news by now, but Android 2.3 (a.k.a. Gingerbread) getting ported to the iPhone? Well, that’s something… new, if entirely expected. As before, it’s the iPhone 3G doing the honors, and the port is still based on the iDroid project, which means you can hang onto iOS in a dual-boot configuration so you won’t be left in the cold when the less-than-stable port decides not to cooperate. And, yes, this once again means that the iPhone has gotten the latest version of Android before many Android devices have. Head on past the break for a video.
http://www.twitvid.com/embed.php?guid=6SWN3
NEC dual-screen Android Cloud Communicator LT-W tablet first look
At CES, NEC has unveiled a hinged Android tablet with dual screens. NEC is not specifying if this is an all-work or all-fun tablet, it’s kind of in between. They suggest that it could make a great e-reader, a digital notebook for students, or whatever developers come up with. The “Cloud” part of the “Cloud Communicator” name means that NEC thinks the LT-W would be great for generic cloud services, but really, it’s just an Android 2.1 tablet with WiFi, Bluetooth, and optional 3G — there’s nothing special in here that makes it particularly well-adapted for magically pulling data out of the cloud.
As for the “Cloud Communicator” part of this tablet’s moniker, NEC is saying that this tablet would be great for generic cloud services. Other details on the LT-W; it’s running Android 2.1, interacts with a stylus, supports Wi-Fi connectivity, and optional 3G connectivity.
Huawei IDEOS X5 announced for Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and (eventually) the US
Huwei introduced a new Android phone as CES, as well: the Ideos X5. We’ve heard of this device before, and while not exactly groundbreaking, it’ll mark Huwei’s first Android phone available in the US (carrier to be announced around the middle of this year), and it’s a very respectable offering just the same. Running Android 2.2, it’s got a few nice bullet points:
- a 3.8 inch multiple touch screen with easy-to-use SWYPE input and voice recognition for additional convenience
- an ultra-slim width of 11.4mm, curved edges and brush metal coating to serve as an ideal everyday accessory
- a 5 mega pixel camera with 720p high definition video recording and playback
- a FM radio, SRS professional audio effect and Flash 10.1 to enhance the gaming experience
- 802.11n Wifi Connectivity, HSPA capability.
Those last 2 are the most appealing to me, personally. FM radio and 802.11n aren’t exactly standard features, though they are becoming moreso. No word on CPU, storage space, or pricing available at this time, but they’re throwing their hat in the ring, and I suspect that it’ll be a nice middle-road phone at a very reasonable price.
Motorola Atrix video teaser released
Earlier today we told you that Motorola officially announced the AT&T bound Atrix, a dual core powerhouse of an Android phone which is being dubbed the world’s most powerful smartphone. To go along with that announcement, Motorola has released a very brief video teaser, which you can check out after the jump.
Google Shows Off Android 3.0 Honeycomb; Exclusively For Tablets (Video)
A video posted on YouTube (which has now been pulled) shows off Android 3.0 and a quick look at what it will bring to the table. More important is that 3.0 appears to be for Tablet devices only.
AIVAnet 