Android

Movers and shakers in mobile computing (roundup)

The D: Dive into Mobile conference offers a look at how things are revving up on portable devices, with appearances by honchos from Google, Microsoft, Spotify, and elsewhere.

RIM's Playbook the linchpin of a 10-year plan The QNX software at the heart of Research In Motion's Playbook tablet represents its plan for the next decade, according to the company's co-CEO. (Posted in Relevant Results by Tom Krazit) December 7, 2010 7:00 p.m. PT

Rubenstein: Palm's ceiling limited without HP Former Palm CEO Jon Rubenstein is proud of what they accomplished at Palm, but the … Read more

Six things not to love about the Nexus S

As promising as the new Samsung Nexus S sounds, there are a few notable issues that might give some potential buyers pause for concern. Yes, the Nexus S could rank as a premier smartphone when it arrives given its new NFC chip, contour display, and Gingerbread, but the advantages over its Nexus One predecessor aren't many.

I think it's only fair to point out some of the items that aren't quite what I expected out of Google. I've spent considerable time playing with various iterations of the Galaxy S line of phones and have found them to be some of the best devices Android has to offer. If you ask me, any one of them would be worth your money, and I hoped that the Nexus S will be on par with its Samsung siblings. But after I compiled the below list, I'm not so sure.

Here six reasons why I'm disappointed with the unveiling of the Nexus S. While none of these are deal breakers for me personally, they might be for someone else. … Read more

Mundu Radio brings Shoutcast to Android

For Android users who like the overall vibe of good, old-fashioned terrestrial radio but would prefer not to cart around a separate device just for the pleasure of listening to ad-riddled FM, there are several solutions in the form of apps. One is Mundu Radio, a free app that packages Shoutcast specifically for the mobile platform.

The Internet radio giant is served by several third-party apps for the Android OS, but Mundu is one of the better-looking options available. Fire it up, and you're taken to a simple home screen with four main options: listen, discover, favorites, and settings.… Read more

iPhone 4, Nexus S--rivals with a common core

Apple's iPhone 4 and Google's freshly minted Nexus S share a critical core component inside, underscoring Samsung's presence in some of the most popular devices on the market and how it triangulates relationships between its own products and chip customers.

Google makes no bones about what's inside its slick Samsung-manufactured Nexus S: a 1GHz "Hummingbird" processor. That's a close cousin of--if not identical in many respects to--the processor inside of Apple's A4 system-on-a-chip, as a TechInsights analysis (PDF) revealed earlier this year.

"It's common in the electronics industry for competitors … Read more

Next-gen Google Maps for Mobile previewed

The next generation of Google Maps for Mobile has been previewed by Google's Andy Rubin while demoing a prototype tablet running Android Honeycomb at D: Dive Into Mobile.

The fifth iteration of Google Maps for Mobile will feature an overhauled visual style that is based on vector graphics rather than the flat, bitmap images of the current version. The upshot of this change in graphic architecture is that maps now require much less space for storage and less bandwidth to download. Overall performance of the Google Maps software should be improved, but more importantly, lighter map data requirements makes … Read more

Google's Rubin shows off unannounced Android tablet

A 3D version of Google Maps will accompany a Motorola tablet running Honeycomb, the next version of Google's Android, according to Google's Andy Rubin.

Rubin showed off the unreleased prototype tablet at the opening session of D: Dive Into Mobile in San Francisco today, the same day that the company announced plans to ship Gingerbread, Android version 2.3. Honeycomb and the Motorola tablet will arrive at some point next year, Rubin said, showing off the Google Maps application and eliciting more than one "oooh" from the crowd of mobile professionals.

He declined to provide any … Read more

The 411: Early days for 4G

Welcome to The 411, my column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have similar queries, too. Occasionally I solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

With all this talk of 4G, I'm pretty interested to know what my options are. So do all the carriers have 4G? What phone choices do I have? -- Matt, via e-mail

It's true that the carriers have been bombarding our television sets with plenty of commercials touting 4G coverage, so it seems that 4G truly has arrived. But bear in mind that none of it can technically be called 4G right now, at least not according to the official standards body. When carriers like Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile say "4G," they mean speeds that are faster than current 3G networks; they tout speeds of around 3Mbps to 15Mbps download speeds, which are faster then the typical 3G speeds of 800Kbps to 2Mbps. Of course, real world speeds are sure to differ from what the carriers say in the commercials, but we have managed to get pretty good speeds out of purported 4G handsets like the T-Mobile G2 and the HTC Evo 4G. … Read more

MetroPCS expects half-dozen LTE-ready Android phones in 2011

MetroPCS plans to follow the release of the LG Optimus M handset with its first Android-based LTE smartphone in the first quarter of 2011. Due as early as February, this handset will be the first of as many as six Android phones for the carrier in the coming year.

MetroPCS CEO Roger Linquist highlighted Android at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference today and teased handset prices that could start as low as $150 unsubsidized, up to the $400-$500 range. Currently, MetroPCS offers a feature phone, the Samsung Craft, as its only LTE-capable device.

If you had asked … Read more

Google's humbler Nexus S strategy emerges

Gone was the special event, gone were the predictions of mobile-market upheaval: the second iteration of Google's Nexus phone strategy was announced to the world with a simple blog post.

And that makes perfect sense; given the lessons Google's Android team learned in 2010 while trying to balance a good tech idea with real-world business needs. Like the Nexus One first unveiled in January, today's launch of the Nexus S reveals a stripped-down fast smartphone with some futuristic features and the most current edition of Android that delivers "the pure Google experience," the company said in that post.… Read more