Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Android update teased (video)
Sony Ericsson has finally started to talk up its plans to give the much-hyped, but ultimately flawed Xperia X10 a bump to Android 2.1.
Having landed on the outdated Android 1.6 platform, SE has unleashed three new clips (seen below) which show the Xperia X10 playing nice with a version of Android which was first seen in January this year, months before the X10’s release.
As well as unified mailboxes, Google Goggles and Exchange support, Sony Ericsson has upped the homescreen count to five, added more icon spaces to each screen and a couple of new widgets for conserving the battery and checking out recent calls. There’s also continuous autofocus in HD video shooting. However, you won’t be able to get the software boost until the end of the month, and even then it depends on the networks giving the thumbs up.
It’d be polite to say this upgrade is long overdue, especially as most rival Android phones already have Android 2.2 sitting on board. Android 3.0 is widely expected to be unveiled before the year’s end, making the X10 obsolete once more despite its killer spec sheet.
SuperOneClick will Root any Android – almost
With the new updates coming to most Android phones, those of us that have rooted our handhelds may be disappointed afterward as the update is said to correct the root. Thankfully, there’s an app to help get us back in the dirt. The app is called SuperOneClick and you can get it by registering with XDA-Developers forums to download. It’s also free.
SuperOneClick is actually a windows program (linux in development, mac on a wishlist) that will root any Android device (minus the ones listed below) by connecting your device with a USB data cable to your PC.
- Sprint EVO 4G (HTC Supersonic)
- Droid Incredible (HTC Incredible)
- HTC Desire GSM
- HTC Desire CDMA (HTC BravoC)
- HTC Aria
- Droid Eris (HTC DesireC)
- HTC Wildfire (HTC Buzz)
Opera Mobile coming to Android within a month, bearing hardware acceleration and pinch-to-zoom
Forget all that Mini stuff, Opera is bringing its full-flavored mobile browser to Android some time very soon indeed. To tempt people on board, the new software will support hardware acceleration for buttering up frame rates while you zoom around at potato-scalding speeds, while pinch-to-zoom will also be implemented in a big O Android browser for the first time. Opera Mini will be partaking in the latter upgrade as well, while Opera Mobile proper is expected to make its debut on the Android Market at some point over the next month. All versions of the “well diversified” OS are supported too!
Latest Cyanogen nightly adds FM radio to Nexus One
In the latest “hack an FM radio onto that Android device” news, Cyanogen has added FM radio to the Nexus One. In the latest changelog of the Cyanogen nightly build, the notes state that the changes include:
- Common: Stable shot camera mode – Cyanogen
- Common: Dual-mode snooze (long press dismiss) – Evan Charlton
- Common: Compose SMS/MMS via search button long press – Wes Garner
- N1: FM Radio support
- N1/DS/Hero – Slightly better Gallery3D orientation fix – Jonas Larsson
- N1/DS – Kernel 2.6.35 based on Pershoot’s repository
- Supersonic – Kernel 2.6.34 courtesy of Toast and Madcoder
You heard it here, folks. If you’ve got a rooted Nexus One, the infamous “developer phone”, and you either:
A) Haven’t updated your CyanogenMod build to the latest nightly, or
B) Haven’t tried out CyanogenMod at all,
Be sure to hit up the xda-developers Nexus One development forums for more info.
ZTE Light: The budget Galaxy Tab
Like the idea of a 7-inch Android tablet that also doubles up as a phone, but put off by the hefty price-tag of the Samsung Galaxy Tab?
Well take a look at the ZTE Lite, because this could be the device for you.
And whilst prices have still yet to be confirmed, the tech on board suggests that we’re looking at an entry level 7-incher, that should be a lot more budget-concious than the SamTab.
The ZTE Lite is an Android 2.1 machine with 512MB of RAM and the same amount of ROM. It has a TFT display with a 800 x 480 resolution.
Connectivity-wise you’re looking at Wi-Fi, GPS and the Lite also supports voice calling on dual band UMTS 2100 MHZ/900 MHZ and internet access on HSUPA network, with a download speed of up to 7.2 Mbps and an upload speed of up to 5.76 Mbps.
It has a 3-megapixel camera, FM Radio, Bluetooth, SD memory card slot, compass and a G-Sensor, and you’ll likely get 10 hours battery life in a machine weighing 403g.
A ZTE statement read: “ZTE has long been committed to bringing innovative and high-quality products to its customers worldwide. With the growing demand of portable and compact devices with mobility features, ZTE Light is surely the next generation tablet PC, with its compact design and wide range of features it is ideal for all entertainment and business needs”.
T-Mobile G2 getting an OTA update to add WiFi calling and tethering?
A few readers tipped us off this morning about an OTA update for T-Mobile’s G2 which reportedly activates Wi-Fi calling. The news came via the XDA-Developers forum, and users there are also reporting that Hotspot capability has also been activated with this update.
The update seems to be pushing out fairly slowly, so this is likely being done as a test run first before the flood gates officially open. If you’re a G2 owner and have received this update, please leave us a comment below and let us know!
[via XDA-Developers]
Motorola’s NVIDIA Tegra2 handset
Motorola has been rumored to be working on a NVIDIA Tegra 2 Android phone and, as with the original Droid, it may be the first phone to ship with the newest Android version, Gingerbread.
Motorola was first to get dibs on Android 2.0 when it launched with the Droid and that tradition may just continue if this rumor turns out to be true. The handset, which we know very little about, may launch before the end of the year, but in all likelihood will be released in early 2011.
What’s more interesting is that there’s a possibility that the handset may not be limited to just Verizon. Possibly debuting at CES this coming January, the handset could launch at multiple carriers, not unlike what Samsung has done with their Galaxy S line. We know how that’s going for Samsung – Pretty damn well.
Supposedly, the hardware has been finalized but Motorola is still working on the software, which makes me a little nervous. Could Motorola be throwing a customized skin on top of the first Gingerbread phone? Moreover, would Google let them?
Since it’s an open source OS, anything is possibly, but I would imagine that Google had some sort of deal with Motorola to ensure that the phone will ship with stock Android so all can see what Gingerbread really offers. In the end, we really have no idea what’s going on with the handset, or the availability of Gingerbread, but let’s hope both are released relatively soon.
If this mystery handset does end up showing its face at CES in January, then maybe a companion device, like a tablet, may rear its head as well. For the moment this is all speculation and as far as Gingerbread goes, if the first handset running the new version of Android is released early next year, then it will have missed the expected announcement which was expected to be sometime this month.
Samsung Galaxy K running Android 2.2 now on sale in South Korea
There has been rumored that Samsung will delay its Galaxy K for another month, but with the launch of Windows phone 7, Samsung decided that it was time to unleash its latest Android 2.2 Smartphone, strange however that the manufacturer decided to launch its new phone the same day as Microsoft announcement of its long overdue Windows Mobile replacement.
The Galaxy K, also known as SHW-M130K in Korea, comes with a 3.7” AMOLED screen, a 1GHz CPU Adobe Flash, Wi-Fi, 3G Tethering, T-DMB TV, 512MB of RAM, a 5Mpix Camera module, A-GPS, FM Radio, MicroSDHC and 8GB of internal memory.
The Galaxy K is available from today onward in Korea in black and white at around 800,000 Won (510€ or $710 USD).
Advent Vega 10″ Android tablet
They say a picture is worth a 1000 words…that is unless you want the full on tech specs on Dixons’ Advent Vega – a Tegra-powered 10″ Android tablet. Eurodroid went to investigate the details on this promising looking device that’s expected to only cost £249 (around $400 USD). Pretty well priced for the hardware this Android tablet packs under that glossy touchscreen. View full article to see the full specs. Read more 
Augen will toss six new tablets onto market all packing Android
Augen will toss six new tablets onto the market with screens from 7-inches to 10-inches in size with prices running from $199.99 to $599.99 and all will use Android 2.2. The tablets will also all support Adobe DE DRM. The 7-inch units include the Latte and Latte Grande and both will pack WiFi, HDMI out, 2GB of storage, and a SDHC card slot. The normal Latte has a 7-inch 800 x 480 screen and a stylus for $199. The Grande version has a 7-inch multitouch screen and an 800MHz CPU, 800 x 600 screen, compass, light sensor, and an accelerometer for an extra $50 over the base version.
The Espresso will have support for Android 3.0 and pack in WiFi, Bluetooth, a 3MP camera, accelerometer, compass, and light sensor. The most basic Espresso has a 7-inch 800 x600 screen 1GHz cortex A9 CPU, 8GB of flash storage, microSDHC card slot and will sell for $349. The Espresso dolce will pack in a 10.2-inch screen that is multitouch capable with 1024 x 768 resolution, a 1GHz A9 CPU, 8GB of storage, and microSDHC for $429. The Espresso Doppio is a netbook style tablet convertible with dual booting of Android and Ubuntu, a 10.2-inch screen, 1GHz CPU, WiFi, Bluetooth, 8GB of storage, dual USB ports, trackpad, 160GB HDD, and HD capability for $599.
The final model is the Espresso Firma with a 7-inch screen 600MHz dual-core CPU, Bluetooth, WiFi, 2GB of storage and a price of $349. The machine is crammed into a portfolio that looks like a notepad with paper on one side that is supposed to send what you write to the tablet automatically
AIVAnet 