Author Archive: Gareth

Asus Padfone Officially Introduced at Computex 2011

Introducing the Asus Padfone, a high concept tablet/phone combination that was announced at Computex 2011 this weekend. A package consisting of an 4-inch Android smartphone which can dock into a companion 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 tablet. The tablet’s separate battery can be used to recharge the phone, while the phone’s 3G connection can get the slate online when away from a WiFi hotspot.

ASUS is promising a “seamless” transition from the phone to the tablet UI, with whatever you’ve been looking at on the handset automatically expanding to suit the slate, along with the improved web browsing experience you’d expect from a bigger display. If a call comes in while the phone is docked, then it can either be removed or answered with a Bluetooth headset.

Phone and slate can access the same storage in the handset, and since there’s only one 3G radio then you don’t have to swap your SIM between two modems or sign up for a second data connection. The UI has been modified to suit both displays, either showing mobile sites on the phone or full sites on the tablet. The phone itself has two cameras, a front-facing webcam – just like the tablet – and a 5-megapixel camera on the back which can also be used through a hole in the PadFone dock.

ASUS is saying that finalized hardware specifications haven’t been decided on yet, and nor have pricing or availability, so don’t get your hopes up too much. Still, as concepts go, this is an intriguing one.

ZiiLab’s Jaguar tablet look good on paper

The Computex tradeshow is about to start in Taipei and Ziilabs has put together a couple of Android based tablets they’re calling Jaguars. This family of Honeycomb tablets is built specifically to showcase their new ZMS-20 and ZMS-40 StemCell processors and they’re hoping manufacturers will take notice.

The tablets will come in 2 flavours, a 7-inch (1024×600) and 10.1-inch (1280×800) displays with both featuring front and rear facing 5MP cameras. But the real bread and butter is in Ziilabs’ StemCell processors. Both are based off of  the ARM Cortex A-9 platform and come in a dual-core (ZMS-20) and quad-core (ZMS-40) flavors. Would be interesting to see these tablets running some high-end benchmarks.

Posted by Gareth

Secret Gingerbread hidden under Honeycomb

Here’s a bit of interesting news for you technophiles that like to monkey around with your tablets. Apparently, their is a "hidden feature" within Honeycomb that allows you to "activate" an experimental Gingerbread interface. This is done by simply changing the pixel density settings of your Honeycomb tablet from 160 dpi to 170 dpi, and voila, you can play with a Gingerbread look to your UI. Here’s a quote from Engadget explaining how the tweak works,

According to modder Graffix0214, all you need for making the jump is one simple tweak in a system file: assuming you already have root access, use your preferred method — Pocketables recommends the LCDDensity for Root app — to change the LCD density value to 170 or higher to emulate a smaller, denser display. After a reboot, you should then see some Gingerbread love as demoed by Graffix0214’s video after the break; and likewise, set the value to 160 or lower to roll back. It sure is nice to have an option, eh?

This seems pretty nifty. Be sure to share in the forums what you think of this if you "monkey around" with it. Here’s a video demo after the break:

Android is conquering the masses

More market analysis showing the growth and dominance of the Android platform. Gartner’s Q1 2011 analysis shows Android with over 36 Million Units sold roughly equating to a 36% global market share. This is compared to Symbian in second place with 27 Million and 27.4%, iOS with 16.8 Million and 16.8%. RIM, Microsoft and HP round out the bottom.

Symbian is essentially taking blow after blow from all angles here and whilst there isn’t a massive reduction in units solid they have not benefited in the Smartphone explosion at all. The uptake of Microsoft platform is also of particular interest as Windows Phone 7 really isn’t making too much noise.

Posted by Gareth.

Dell Streak Pro details emerge

Some details regarding the Dell Streak Pro 10-Inch Android Tablet have been recently leaked. Rumour has it that the tab will come to the American network AT&T with it’s 4G LTE Radio they are about to roll out, a similar rumour to the HTC Puccini we heard earlier in the month. Regardless of the rumour, some other details have materialized regarding the device, and here they are:

• 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip
• 1GB of RAM
• Dual-microphones
• 5-megapixel camera and 2-megapixel camera for video chat
• Maybe three different models = 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB version
• 12.9mm thick (quite a bit fatter than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1)

No price yet and whilst the specs look adequate there is little to set this apart from the competition.

Posted by Gareth

Android 2.3.3 to arrive on Sony Ericsson next week?

They might have annoyed the seven people who bought the X10 with their terrible support when it came to updates, but it seems that are going to make amends with some nice updates to their more recent generation of phones. Sony Ericsson revealed today that their Xperia Arc and Xperia Play will soon rank among the short list of devices running Android 2.3.4, the fresh-out-of-the-oven update that brings along GTalk video calling among other things.

The update will also include a little feature Sony Ericsson has been cooking up called Facebook Inside. It creates a deep integration between the phone and the social network, allowing users to “like” currently playing music, share all sorts of content, and contact and calendar sync.

The update is slated to hit UK networks next week, carrier willing. We can only hope Sony Ericsson extends the privilege to the soon-to-be release US version of the Xperia Play.

Posted by Gareth

HTC Flyer sales are positive

For an Android 2.3 tablet and a pretty heavy price tag it seems that HTC’s little 7 incher is being pocketed by a brave few customers. I would be bold to say that many a blogger, tech journalist and enthusiast speculated the device would not only be a hard sell but have a limited uptake. However, if HTC’s sales outline is honest then they are quite pleased with the Flyer’s debut.

Recently, Android tablets have been outlined as a bit of a flop for many reasons, but perhaps people have been holding back, waiting for the device that suits them. The Flyer is in a limited market with only the aging Galaxy Tab as a competitor. The 10″ market seems to be the target of most retailers but the 7″ seems to be were the action is taking place when it comes to Android Tablets.

Posted by Gareth

Mobile Tech Addicts Podcast Award reminder–Final night to vote

It’s the final night before voting ends and we just wanted one last push in the hope of securing another couple of votes. We have been nominated for a Northern Ireland Social Media Award and you can use the voting button below to add yours. We have been listed in Category 6 – Broadcast Media against local TV channels and radio stations.

An exciting time for us as we only do our little podcast as a hobby and for the pure enjoyment of it. To be listed alongside Ulster Television, Cool FM and Citybeat is an extreme honour.

Thanks for voting!!

Posted by Gareth