droid

Android on HP TouchPad hits snag

Android on the HP TouchPad has hit a bump as the TouchDroid team that was porting the Google operating system to the tablet has called it quits, according to a report and a post on a TouchDroid-related Web page.

Small-device enthusiast Web site Liliputing said today that the TouchDroid team has been "disbanded."

"This morning there were at least two teams of independent developers working to port Google's Android operating system to run on the HP TouchPad tablet--but there was pretty strong evidence that one of those teams was cribbing work from the other," Liliputing … Read more

Blazing-fast 4G phones from Verizon (roundup)

Verizon Wireless meant business when it promised a big push for 4G LTE at CES 2011. The carrier unveiled four new devices: the HTC ThunderBolt, the Samsung Droid Charge, the LG Revolution, and the Motorola Droid Bionic. All four promise fast 4G speeds, and indeed, they deliver. However, they aren't all the same. Here's our roundup of all four Verizon 4G handsets. … Read more

Verizon Droid Bionic arrives finally

HTC files a lawsuit against Apple with nine new patents from Google, Adobe has released its pricey photo-sharing app and service called Carousel, and Verizon finally launches the Bionic nine months after the "super-phone" made its first appearance.

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Verizon Droid Bionic becomes available Sony rolls out SMP-N200 streaming box Apple working on Logic Pro X HTC sues Apple with Google patents Adobe Carousel photo sharing service Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS HD

Costco to sell Droid Bionic bundle for $279.99

We mentioned in our review of the Motorola Droid Bionic that one of our main concerns was its cost. At $299.99 with a two-year contract, the Droid Bionic is quite the pricey product, even if it is an excellent handset. If you decide to get the optional accessories, the cost can quickly add up.

But if you're Costco member, you might be in luck. According to PhoneArena, the large retailer is offering the phone for $279.99 along with a free accessory bundle. The bundle includes a standard dock, a vehicle navigation dock, and a battery charger that comes with an extra battery. These accessories alone ring up at around $158, so you're getting quite a deal.

We should note, however, that none of the included accessories let you access Webtop, the application that changes the phone into a portable PC with a full version of Firefox. For that, you need to get pricier options like the $300 laptop dock, the $100 HD station, or the $30 Webtop adapter.

The Droid Bionic recently won our Editor's Choice award for its sleek design, generous feature set, and zippy performance. It has a dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p video recording, a front-facing VGA camera, 4G LTE support, and more.… Read more

Motorola Droid Bionic's Webtop accessories

When we left the Verizon offices a couple days ago with our Droid Bionic in tow, Motorola handed us a veritable mountain of accessories to go along with the phone. That's because the Droid Bionic has a Webtop application similar to the one on the Atrix 4G and the Photon 4G, and like those two, it requires a special Webtop accessory to load it. The Droid Bionic is a fantastic handset even without Webtop, but the technology is compelling enough for us to take a closer look at these accessories.

Unique-to-phone accessoriesThe Atrix made headlines at CES earlier this … Read more

Android Atlas Weekly 64: The Bionic's here! Now can we stop talking about it? (Podcast)

Somewhere in the world, a pig must be flying, because we've got the Motorola Droid Bionic in the studio. We also dig into the latest tablet news and Antuan promises to work on his pronunciation.

News

Motorola Droid Bionic officially hits Verizon Sept. 8 for $300 http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20102230-251/motorola-droid-bionic-officially-hits-verizon-sept-8-for-$300/

Why Amazon’s will be the first successful Android tablet http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20101227-1/why-amazons-will-be-the-first-successful-android-tablet/#ixzz1XHUvTTRs

Quad-Core Android Tablets Expected in Time for Christmas … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1547: Calm down: Netflix stream limits are just a bug! (They say.) (Podcast)

Carol Bartz is out at Yahoo and the stock is up, which has got to hurt. They're still raking in the cash, but shareholders hate nothing more than a plateau. Plus, Netflix swears that at least this time, its jerk move (restricting users to only one stream at a time) was a total accident, and they're definitely not doing that. Promise. Plus, Groupon's IPO roadshow is off and the IPO itself may be off for good, and the Droid Bionic has finally arrived. Hooray!

HP TouchPad screen can now support Android

The HP TouchPad is now capable of running Android with full use of the touch screen, thanks to the technical team at TouchDroid.

Hard at work porting Android over to HP's discontinued but much-in-demand tablet, the TouchDroid techs were able to create the necessary drivers to coax Android 2.3.5 to run on the TouchPad and let people tap into the touch screen.

Unveiling a video (also seen below) showing off the team's progress, a TouchDroid developer demonstrated how he could fluidly and smoothly tap and move his finger around a TouchPad running Android with no delays or skips. He even demoed Android's multitouch feature, moving five fingers and then ten fingers across the screen.

Though TouchDroid is currently using Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread on its demo tablet, its ultimate goal is to support the current flavor of Honeycomb or even the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich on a TouchPad. The team seems to be making quick progress as a little more than two weeks ago, its developers were still trying to drum up a TouchPad that they could use for testing.… Read more

Motorola Droid Bionic officially hits Verizon Sept. 8 for $300

After months of delays and teaser promos, Verizon Wireless officially announced the release date and pricing for the much-anticipated Motorola Droid Bionic.

Available starting Thursday, September 8, for $299.99 with a two-year contract, the Droid Bionic is the carrier's first 4G smartphone to feature a dual-core 1GHz processor, more specifically TI's OMAP 4 chipset. If you've been following the smartphone since its introduction at CES 2011, you'll know that the use of TI's OMAP processor is a switch from the original Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset.

That's not the only change either. Originally slated … Read more

Report: Verizon to launch Samsung Droid Prime in October

We may have the name of the Samsung phone Verizon has scorned the Galaxy S II in favor of.

Boy Genius Report says the carrier will exclusively launch the Droid Prime in October instead. Apparently, Verizon worries that the Galaxy S II won't be able to compete with the iPhone 5 when it finally drops, and is opting to throw its weight behind a new Android flagship phone, likely to be one of the first running Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich."

If all rumors are true, it could set up a holiday shopping season showdown between the latest, most updated devices running both iOS and Android.

Samsung is also launching its own new instant-messaging service, available not only on Samsung Android phones like the Prime--or whichever model is tapped to go head-to-head with the new iPhone--but also as a download for iOS and Blackberry.

Verizon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNET.… Read more