This week: Scott and Dan are back from E3 with a detailed report on the best and worst from the big video game trade show. Meanwhile, Julie and Joe talk about how they came up with a plan to benchmark Samsung's new Chrome OS laptop, which is no small feat, as the OS is basically just Google's Chrome Web browser and nothing else.
Bonus: Download the show's jaunty theme song as a free MP3 here.
Sprint will add to its tablet options on June 24 with the debut of not only the Evo View 4G, but also new data plans.
According to information first obtained by AndroidPolice, the carrier will begin offering a 10GB data plan for $90/month and unlimited access to WiMAX data for data plans of 3GB and above. These options, later confirmed by Sprint PR spokeswoman Kristin Wallace, won't differ much from their existing rates, rather they will supplement them.
Customers will benefit from the additional choices to match their usage needs. Currently, subscribers can choose between 1GB, 3GB, and … Read more
Swype 3.0, the latest beta of a keyboard replacement app found in many Android phones, features two new notable features. It introduces predictive text for tapping, not just swiping, and a horizontal word choice list (following the Android model) that replaces the app's previous pop-up window for narrowing down your word selections.
A special version of Swype 3.0 for Android 3.1 Honeycomb tablets (with WXGA resolution) includes a keyboard that you can move and resize.
Although Swype is preinstalled by the manufacturer on a variety of Android phones, you can download the beta for free if … Read more
American Airlines gave Android a sky-high boost earlier this month when it started offering the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 as an entertainment device for first-class passengers.
American will deploy 6,000 Galaxy Tabs on Boeing 767 flights between New York's JFK airport and Los Angeles, JFK and San Francisco, and Miami and Los Angeles. Passengers also will find the device on 767 aircraft serving South America and Boeing 757 aircraft flying between Boston and Los Angeles.
Besides replacing American's current entertainment system, the Wi-Fi-enabled tablets also will offer passengers Internet access during flights for an additional fee. … Read more
T-Mobile could add another Android handset to its lineup this week with the entry-level Samsung T449 Dart. Based on the early leaked information, the handset certainly won't get a second look from folks ready to replace their current Android devices; however, it should appeal to new smartphone buyers.
According to information obtained by TmoNews, the Dart will be a touch-only device with a 3-megapixel camera, 2GB microSD card, and support for T-Mobile's 3G network. Although the exact version of Android is not given, the mention of Adobe Flash tells us it is at least Froyo (Android 2.2) … Read more
In most respects, the HTC Merge for U.S. Cellular is a fairly standard Android 2.2 Froyo smartphone. It's got a decent but standard touch screen, a nice but not superlative 5-megapixel camera (with 720p HD video capture and playback, we might add,) and an unremarkable keyboard that's nevertheless sufficient.
The phone's primary point of difference lurks below the back cover, a SIM card slot that international travelers can use while taking the phone abroad. Even if you never step foot outside the continent, there are plenty of other features to keep you handy and connected. … Read more
Next time you go out to a bar and discover it's totally dead, or the gender mix isn't to your liking, here's an app that could save you the trouble.
SceneTap is designed to give you a preview of your intended watering hole, or suggest nearby options, by providing real-time info about the number of customers, the average age, and the male-female ratio.
Users don't have to check in as with Foursquare. The app tackles its tabulations by using dedicated camera systems in participating establishments that employ face-recognition and people-counting algorithms.
Developers hope to grow this physical infrastructure, which sets SceneTap apart from other bar apps.
The camera footage isn't recorded and patrons are tracked anonymously to protect their privacy, according to a release by the start-up behind it.
Users can also get news on specials and other deals, and post comments and rank bars, as with Le Bar Guide.
SceneTap is free for iPhone and Android devices, and on the Web. Like other iOS apps, it won't tell you how to avoid DUI checks on the way home.
Slated to launch next month, SceneTap has more than 50 participating nightspots in Chicago. There are plans to expand to New York, Boston, Las Vegas, and other cities across the U.S. in the coming months. … Read more
As Android users begin to purchase additional mobile devices such as tablets, the issue of app compatibility rears its ugly head.
Believe it or not, compatibility between Android handsets and applications can vary. On the handset side, developers are able to target specific models based on various factors including processor type and carrier. With tablets, though some apps say they work on Android 1.5 and up, they aren't compatible with the Honeycomb OS.
Fortunately, however, Google aims to clear things up with the latest addition to the Android Market. In the desktop version of the Market you'll now find a function that checks applications and games against your devices. You can find out if a title will work on the gadgets that you own and determine whether an app is compatible across all devices on which you've logged in using your Google account.
Google hasn't yet made the feature official, but I've tried it for the last couple of days and it seems to be fully in place. It's possible that it was integrated ahead of the Android Market coming to Google TV this summer, since it would clear up confusion over which apps would work on the set-top box.
Even with all of the recent strides the Android Market has made, there's still a bit of work to do. For instance, I'd like to be able to hide or archive devices so they don't clutter up the screen. I've reviewed a considerable amount of handsets over time, so it's beginning to get confusing when scanning through my list. … Read more
We're thinking about replacing Jeff with Joey Kaminski on a permanent basis. This is the third and final show with our guest host, and we're wrapping up the week with the final word on Weinergate, Facebook's new facial recognition and Happening Now tools, a drug that erases bad memories, and Will.I.Am.Forgetting.Lyrics.
The 404 Digest for Episode 837 Facebook quietly rolls out new facial recognition tool. Facebook testing real-time "happening now" feed. New drug can erase bad memories. Tennessee bans posting "offensive" images online. Will.I.Am forgets his lyrics, reads them off cell phone. Episode 837 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read moreEnergized by the recent deal between Microsoft and Nokia, Windows Phone will grab the No. 2 spot ahead of Apple's iOS in the global smartphone market by 2015, according to IDC's latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
Releasing some slight revisions from a report issued in March, IDC expects Windows Phone to capture 20.3 percent of all smartphone users in just four years, up from a 3.8 percent share this year.
The research firm believes that by switching to Windows Phone as the core OS on its devices, Nokia will provide the kick that Microsoft needs, … Read more
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