Google recently announced the launch of Android Instant Apps, a new technology which allows just the bare minumum of an App to be downloaded from links, bypassing the Play Store. This sounds cool enough on its own, but the implications of this reach far deeper than at first appears, and could end up changing the entire internet.
Toshiba tablet details leaked
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Toshiba's current tablet - the Thrive - may have such a low market presence that it's name is new to even Android fans, let alone its target audience. The signs are that's about to change, however, at next weeks Berlin IFA where there's word of a new model rivalling the best from Samsung, Asus and Dell about to be launched - codename "Excite". The usual pattern is for these "leaks" to become official just before the trade show commences, so if that happens we'll report back with a fuller piece on it, since, as is always the case with unnanounced kit, there's not much info right now to go on. Source: techcrunch
Nexus Prime!
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Samsung has "inadvertently" confirmed the Nexus Prime in a whacky legal spat. In a C&D letter Samsung sent to geek.com, it claimed they were "in posession of and intending to release or otherwise publicly disclose without Samsung's consent, firmware for the Nexus Prime." This all but confirms the speculation which has been going on for months now, so no doubt even more around its spec will begin. There's talk of an AMOLED 4.3" screened device running dual core 1.5Ghz CPU's, and it's pretty much a given it'll be running Ice Cream Sandwich and sport an NFC chip. Any more tidbits you know of? Add them in the comments...
Sony Tablet S launching in September
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Tablet S - previously known as the S1 - will be Sony's first Android tablet and - in the usual Sony Style - adds a twist or two to the usual black slab format. For a start, it's shape is more of a wedge, which Sony reckon is better for use over longer periods. Its 9.4" touchscreen sports a resolution of 1280x768 and is initially built with Honeycomb (Android 3.1), but full support for the next Android version, Ice Cream Sandwich, is promised when it's available. At home in both work and office environments, the Tablet S supports DLNA streaming so hooking it up to your Sony (or any other compatible) TV will be a snap. It's dual cameras, together with full WiFi and 3G connectivity will make video calls easier than ever. Nice work guys!
Verzo Kinzo Android launch in September
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Ok we admit it - Verzo is a new name to us, but if their plans for the world of Android play out the way they hope it will be familiar to everyone come September, when they launch their first Android handset, the Kinzo. Since not much is known at this stage, except that it was designed by Novague, we can only (very unusually for us!) repost the Verzo press release plus a few more pics (courtesy of Engaget), after the break. At launch the Kinzo is to be sold online only, and initially to the US with Russia, China, South America and the Middle East to follow. Let's hope it doesn't go the way of another handset we all know about with a similar but shorter name...
Patently absurd - Androids cat amongst the pigeons
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And so it begins.
Someone at Google has decided enough is enough, and pushed the big red button in the form of the bogus patents blog post. This all has, Mr Anderson, the sound of inevitability about it. It's almost certainly no co-incidence this happened right at the time the news Android powers almost 50% of the worlds smartphones came out - that train Neo dodged is literally unstoppable. The rest have to try to use other tactics beyond the products themselves. This is business, and any weapon will do. But let's rewind a little. How did we get here? And just where is "here" anyhow? How deep does that rabbit hole go?
Dell's first 10.1 inch tablet
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Dells first 10.1 inch tablet is the Android Honeycomb based Streak 10 Pro. It's going to hit the Chinese market first, and comes at a time when the second generation Android tablet market is just getting interesting - Samsungs Galaxy Tab 10.1 also hits China next month. The Streak Pro is Dells first regular tablet device but it's no stranger to them as they already cut their teeth on the Streak 7 inch model last yer. However, that was running a version of Android designed for phones and had a lukewarm reception with users. The Streak Pro sports 2 cameras, a 5MP rear facing one and a 2MP one on the front, and its screen resolution is a respectable 1280x800. One potential downer lies in the fact it's a WiFi only device - presumably you're supposed to tether to a handset or whatever when you're out on the go. In any case, this won't be too strenuous since it weighs only 1.6 pounds.
Android market gets multiple APK support
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Android developers can now upload multiple APK files for their apps to the Android market. There will still be one listing, reviews still apply to the single version, and for the most part developers are encouraged to try to create a single APK for their apps as before. However, with such a huge range of target devices it increasingly became clear one distribution size won't always suit all. For example, say there is a game with all the graphics bundled up in the various resource locations and you want to target both ldpi (low dot-per-inch, or small) form-factor handsets like the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini) and tablets like the Motorola XOOM. You have to bundle all those large image files used only on the tablet along with the ones for all the other platforms. So your small screen audience gets a bloated APK filled with multi-megabyte image data they'll never use. The same is true for optimised hardware builds - the code taking advantage of, say NVIDIA Tegra 2 chipsets is shipped but never used unless that hardware is present.
CoolNote
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Have you ever thought hard about what you could do to your mobile phone to make it really useful? Something that solves an everyday problem you're so used to finding ways round you don't even think can be improved? I know with every smartphone I've had, there's always a few honeymoon weeks as I played the games, wowed at the screensavers and so on, but after that stopped using them because they're a battery drain, or just plain annoying, and then all I really wanted it for is to make life easier. So when a new app comes along which offers genuine usefulness it's a great feeling - a bonus beyond the initial phone purchase. CoolNote for Android is that kind of app, and all it really does (but does really well) is let you stick realistic looking notes on your phone, which, since they run as widgets, means no app launch is needed just to read them.
US Army uses Android for its Smartphone platform
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"I don't know but I've been told. That little green guy's getting mighty bold". You might hear this next time a squad of marines come jogging by. This where the difference between open and closed systems really matters. In an announcement made on the US Army's blog it turns out their new Joint-battle Command-Platform (JBC-P) Handheld is to be based on Android. This follows discussions last year when they mulled over all the platforms and issued a request for apps. It's been often said an Android device is much more than a phone and has capabilities beyond PC's of just a few years ago. And as if this announcement isn't ususual enough, they also plan to release an SDK! That's right - the US Army is building its own Apps store on a customised Android platform.
