In an interesting move by Google, the company has begun advertising their new Chrome sale right inside of Chrome’s ‘New Tab’ page. The ad, as seen above, says, “Get a Chromebook for the holidays: the computer powered by Chrome.” This comes after Google announced this afternoon a $50 price slash on both their Chromebooks. Things must be really bad in the Chromebook department to push an ad like this..
There is good reason Google collects our geographic location data through wireless access points, specifically to deliver location services to devices such as our smartphones faster than technologies like GPS. However, in September Google made it clear that they will “go further in protecting people’s privacy” related to collecting user location data to facilitate location services. Today, they are putting their first new initiative in place to address concerns by allowing a new method to opt out of having your location data stored in the Google Location Server.
Google explains:
“We’re introducing a method that lets you opt out of having your wireless access point included in the Google Location Server. To opt out, visit your access point’s settings and change the wireless network name (or SSID) so that it ends with “_nomap.” For example, if your SSID is“Network,” you‘d need to change it to “Network_nomap.”
A couple things to note:
1. The opt-out will become active the next time your device sends information to the Google Location Server with the _nomap tag, which will remove the access point from the server. The quickest way to do this- “open Google Maps on an Android Device with WiFi enabled, and use the My Location feature”
2. Google is hoping all location service providers, who will start notice the SSID opt-out method, will adopt the “_nomap” tag as a industry standard and “unified opt-out process”.
Google has also posted a support guide walking you through location-based services and the new opt-out feature. You can find detailed instructions under “How do I opt out?”, which essentially just walks you through changing your access point’s SSID. Expand Expanding Close
The new Android Market version 3.3.11 has begun being pushed to Android handsets. The new update adds a ton of welcomed features, and what seems to be the most welcomed feature is the auto-updating of apps over Wi-Fi — which rids away of having to go back into the Market every time a new update is pushed. 3.3.11 also allows you to select the app being downloaded to automatically set an icon on your homescreen. Other tweaks include voice search inside of the market and a new app drawer.
While you’re waiting for the update to be pushed to your device, you can go ahead and give it a try by downloading it here. We must worn you, though, that the manual install doesn’t work well on tablets and has a few bugs on handsets. Let us know in the comments down south if you’re seeing the update. (via Android Police)
A flier from Carphone Warehouse confirms the Motorola Xoom 2 will be hitting the market before the holidays, Engadgetfound. Motorola’s next tablet, a successor to the original Xoom, will land for 400 euros with Wi-Fi and 16GB of storage packed in (presumably there’ll be a 32GB version too).
The flier touts the Xoom 2 having an 8.2-inch touchscreen, Android 3.2 (no ICS!), Wi-Fi, and tethering. There’s no word on U.S. availability, but more information will most likely come out about that soon.
Sprint has announced the Motorola Admiral this afternoon, a 3.1-inch device running Android 2.3 with a design to withstand rugged environments. The device features a 3.1-inch VGA display (Gorilla Glass), full QWERTY keyboard, 1.2 GHz processor, 4GB of internal memory, 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, and Android 2.3. That Gorilla Glass and full QWERTY keyboard are definitely a selling point for some.
The Motorola Admiral launches October 23rd for $99. We’ll have a full review then, so stay tuned.
Wondering why that Virgin Optimus V is being marked down to $99 at Best Buy? Having a little look at their inventory system shows the answer. The 4 oz. Virgin Optimus Slider, a physical keyboard-enabled version of the Optimus V phone is coming soon to Virgin Mobile. The Slider is the roughly same phone as the Verizon LG Enlighten which went on sale for $79 with a two year plan.
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The specs (below fold) look largely the same as the Optimus V with the edition of Android 2.3 and obviously a physical Keyboard (shown above).
We’ve separately heard that Virgin has a Gingerbread update for the Optimus V in the works and at half the price, we could so without the sliding keyboard –but to each, their own. Expect this to be formally announced in the coming weeks and in stores shortly (before or ) after. Expand Expanding Close
With activation of a new line of service, Amazon offers the Motorola DROID X2 Android 3G Smartphone for Verizon Wireless bundled with a $50 Amazon Gift Card for 1 cent with free shipping. Even if you don’t use the credit, that’s still $100 under our June mention and the lowest total price we’ve seen by $50. Features include a 4.3″ 540×960 color touchscreen, virtual QWERTY keyboard with Swype, 8-megapixel camera with dual flash, 720p video capture, HDMI output, microSD slot, WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth, Android 2.2 OS, up to six hours of talk time, and more.
Samsung has just unveiled the webpage for the Galaxy Tab 8.9, which reveals pricing and more specs for the unreleased tablet. The 16GB Wi-Fi only tablet will be going for $469, and the 32GB Wi-Fi only going for $569. Specs for the device are a 8.9” WXGA (1280×800) display, Android 3.1, 3-megapixel rear-facing shooter, 2-megapixel front-facing shooter, Wi-Fi, and a 6100mAh battery. Currently, the Tab comes in a Metallic Gray.
Interestingly, the 8.9’s price is $30 less than the 10.1’s. The Galaxy Tab 8.9 will be hitting Best Buy stores Thursday, so make plans to hop in line. Check out a few more shots after the break:
While it wasn’t announced on stage at IFA this morning, Samsung has just announced the Galaxy S Wi-Fi this afternoon. The Galaxy S Wi-Fi is packing Android 2.3 on a 3.6-inch screen HVGA display, 1GHz OMAP processor (why not Sammy’s own?), 8GB or 16GB of storage, microSD card slot, GPS, mic for VoIP calls, 2-megapixel shooter, and VGA front-facing camera. As of now, the 3.6-inch is confirmed to go on sale in the U.S. for $229 in early October, but if you’re in the U.S., check out the 4-inch version…but hold up.
We’re hearing reports that Samsung will be announcing the similar 5-inch device before the Holidays this year. We expect the specs to be pretty similar, but obviously a slightly bigger screen.
Check out more pics of the 3.6-inch player after the break: (via Geeky Gadgets)
MacMall has a new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 for $429 with free shipping. That’s a few hundred off of retail and a pretty solid price for the king of the Android tablets. This wireless-only Android tablet (no 3G connectivity) features a 10.1″ 1280×800 touchscreen LCD, 16GB memory, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth, built-in GPS, 2-megapixel front camera, 3-megapixel rear camera, Android 3.1 OS (Honeycomb), and more. Expand Expanding Close
This morning, Acer announced the Iconia A100 Tab A100. The 7″ Android 3.2 tablet is the first to run Honeycomb at that size. The screen is a Galazy Tab-like 1024×600 16:10 TFT with a 75-degree viewing angle. The body is a bit on the beefy side for a 7-incher at .5-inches thick and .92lbs.
All of that heft doesn’t get you as much battery life as you might expect. The battery is a very cellphone-like 1520mA and is rated for around 5 hours of web surfing and slightly less for HD Video. It also runs Adobe Flash 10.3 which will tax its speedy 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core processor.
On the backside is a big 5MP shooter with Flash. The front side has a 2MP video conferencing camera as well.
It also has a home button which seems to indicate that Acer didn’t get Andy Rubin’s message about “no buttons”. That’s OK, some people like buttons.
The biggie here is the price. With a retail target of $329, this product will likely be aimed at consumers who don’t feel comfortable spending $500 and up for a tablet. As with the Iconia A500 tablet before it, that price will likely get discounted so we’ll be looking at a mid range Honeycomb product in the mid $200 range.
This will compete well with Barnes and Noble’s Nook, the HTC Flyer and the original Samsung Galaxy Tab. It also appears to be aimed at moms who can throw this in a purse and hold it in one hand and while on the go.
Some rather nice new updates have begun rolling out to lucky Chromebook/Chrome OS users this week with a number of welcomed features including a 32% faster resume (in most cases), instant Netflix streaming, Amazon’s Kindle Cloud Reader app, Print to Docs with Google Cloud Print, and various business-related features.
While the update of course brings the usual “bug fixes and improvements”, it also includes features aimed at education and business users. One of the more notable features is the Citrix Receiver Tech Preview app which is now available to Citrix users via the Chrome Web Store. This will allow you to “access desktop software such as Adobe® Photoshop® directly from your Chromebook”. Expand Expanding Close
Android devices seem to be getting bigger and bigger which is good if you like huge mobile devices and even bigger tablets. But to be “take everywhere”, devices need to get smaller.
Think the size of an iPod nano that many have taken to wearing on their wrists like a watch.
WIMM is building a platform based on devices this size. They are squeezing Android onto super-small devices with 160×160 screens with Bluetooth and Wifi tagging along. The devices can be worn as watches, on a belt or bag strap or even on the neck. Not only will these thigs be able to play media, they’ll also be able to pull feeds from RSS, Twitter and Social media Sites. They’ll also make great universal remotes for not only entertainment centers but anything else you can think of.
I like this idea a lot but the devil is in the details and execution is paramount.
While the iPad 2 display easily outperformed all of the previous Android Tablets, with the new Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung has delivered the first Android Tablet with an impressive, potentially outstanding display, but then ruined it by turning up the color level to obnoxious levels – apparently in an effort to overcompensate and blatantly standout from the other mobile LCD displays that have subdued color. But in the case of color, too little is a lot better than too much…
As a result the iPad 2 still delivers the best color picture quality and accuracy of all of the Tablets, even though its colors are somewhat subdued. As things stand, based on all of the display tests, the iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1 are reasonably close in performance in most categories, so it’s almost a tie, but the Galaxy Tab is ahead more often than the iPad 2, so the Galaxy Tab is the Winner, by a nose…
Perhaps most interesting was that the Motorola Xoom, which is the official Google Honeycomb tablet, came in last behind Asus and Acer.
Samsung officially announced the availability of the LTE Galaxy Tab 10.1 for July 28th at Verizon. Itdoesn’t appear that the LTE radios have added any depth or weight to the Tab.
Pricing and data plans (which include a $25 Media Hub):
Verizon Wireless will offer two 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 models both priced with two year customer agreements: $529.99 or the 16GB model and $629.99 for the 32GB model.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 customers will have the option to choose one of the following Mobile Broadband plans:
$30 monthly access for 2GB monthly allowance
$50 monthly access for 5GB monthly allowance
$80 monthly access for 10GB monthly allowance
A 16GB Wi-Fi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will also be available online at www.verisonwireless.com on July 28 for $499.99. The WiFi-only model will be available in Metallic Grey.
Sprint announced on their blog that they will be unveiling an update to their Nexus S 4G. The update will include tweaks to increase data speed, Wi-Fi connectivity, speakerphone audio quality, and adds TTY support for the deaf and hard of hearing. The update will be dubbed Android 2.3.5 and will be available Monday, July 25th.
Engadget has exclusively received the update to test data speeds. As you can see in the screenshot above, speeds were improved — even enough Engadget says the speed change is noticeable.
That little marvel above means the Acer iConia Tab is $299 after coupon, the ASUS EeePad Transformer is $299 as well and the Dell Streak 7 drops to a paltry $199. The Motorola Xoom drops to $399. Not bad for folks who have a Staples nearby.
Remember, only one per person per day and not good for the Nook Color – which you can get from Barnes and Noble for $199.
Motorola’s answer to the rugged business phone is the Motorola Titanium, announced with the Xpert over two months ago. We never heard an official release date from Sprint, but SprintFeed is reporting that the Titanium will launch July 24th on Sprint’s network, for $149. The body style of the Titanium reminds us of the Droid Pro, packing a full QWERTY keyboard. Other features include a 5-megapixel camera, 2GB microSD, Wi-Fi, and..
Android 2.1…
WTF..That’s Original Droid two year old vintage software people!
In the flyer above it says the device meets “Military Specifications 810G”, being able to withstand dust, shock, vibration, solar radiation, and low pressure (and recent Android updates).
A feature that we believe could be a great selling point is Nextel’s push-to-talk. The service industry relied on push-to-talk on Nextel’s older phones, and the Titanium could bring it back. We look forward to seeing how this device will work in the field.
It ain’t Honeycomb, and it might not be a good idea to ever expect it, but the original Android Tablet, the Galaxy Tab by Samsung is getting its Gingerbread on next week, just after some barbecuing and some fireworks.
Now, how about some Netflix and some Hulu to go along with it? Expand Expanding Close
One of the big hurdles to get over when considering Cloud computers is the “What if I am offline” argument –and the number one place people have traditionally been unable to get online is on an airplane.
Gogo Wireless a few years ago started putting that to rest and it is almost unthinkable to take a domestic flight these days without wireless Internet onboard.
But Google, who want to reinforce the belief that the Internet is everywhere, has teamed up with Virgin and Gogo to give consumers a taste of what its like to operate a computer off with data 35,000 feet below. The plan will have ChromeOS reps at Virgin gates handing out and instructing passengers on how to use the Chromebooks (we see Samsung’s beautiful Series 5 12-inch devices above – which should fit really well in cramped spaces vs. clunky Windows laptops). Customers must put down a credit card as a deposit to make sure the Chromebooks make it back, but the transaction is otherwise free. Virgin and Google are also working on a Chrome web App that will help travelers get ready for their flight.
This is an incredibly smart idea and a great way to make the public aware of these devices…so long as the wireless bandwidth can handle it. (It also might get a few more people signed up with Google)
The next Chromebook to run Google’s Chrome OS is the Acer AC700, which will hit shelves this month (4 days left!) for $350 — Acer announced today. The 3G version of this device will not be available when the Wi-Fi version launches, but it will be on its way later this summer. The AC700 is packing Chrome OS, an Atom N570 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of flash storage, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, two USB 2.0 ports, 6-cell battery, and a 4-in-1 memory card reader.
This device will certainly be a great competitor to the Samsung Series 5, a device that we have already unboxed. Stay tuned with 9to5Google for a review of the AC700 when it’s available. Press release after the break. Expand Expanding Close
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be available nationwide starting tomorrow. Retail partners include Best Buy online and in-store along with Fry’s Electronics, Amazon.com, Micro Center, Tiger Direct and Newegg.
The original G1 Android phone just hit Heights via Ebay for $137.95 new in the box without a contract. While Google and T-Mobile have long left the G1 off their update lists, the folks in the mod community have it running Gingerbread with many of the fixings.
The T-Mobile G1 weighs 5.6-oz. and features a 480×320 touchscreen LCD, 3.2-megapixel digital camera, QWERTY-style keyboard, 3G support, Wi-Fi, One-Touch Google Search, Bluetooth 1.2, microSD slot, USB connectivity, and Android OS.
A new G1 in the box could also make a keepsake for the nostalgic Android fan.
