Android

Galaxy Tab 10.1 launches nationwide tomorrow

I'm a little disappointed in you guys. Here we are, on the eve of the Samsung's nationwide rollout of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, and you aren't even lining up for it yet. What gives?

If there's a tablet out there right now that's worthy of Apple-level hysterics, it's this one. Samsung got the message when we complained about how the original Tab was too small, too chunky, and too strapped down with contracts. Starting tomorrow, the Tab on everyone's mind will be the thinner than the iPad 2, with a great big … Read more

Apple iPad 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: Performance speeds

Can the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 best the iPad 2 in my grueling performance speed tests? Read on to find out. And please check out the full review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 for more of an all-encompassing view of what it has to offer.

Once again, I take you into the murky bowels of CNET Labs to deliver hard-hitting performance test results for tablets. Well, I guess "hard-hitting" is a relative term. Let's try "light-touching." I guess I'd just like to avoid getting raked over the coals for promising too much, because if I've learned anything from Scotty from "Star Trek," it's to never overpromise. Actually, he was more of an underpromiser, but I shouldn't take my humility too far, lest it come back to take a significant chunk out of my backside. So, we'll go with "moderate-groping." Moderate-groping test results! Yes, that sounds appropriate.… Read more

DeepShot syncs running apps between computer, phone

Getting those Google Maps directions you're viewing on your PC onto your smartphone might soon be as easy as pointing the phone at the screen.

Tsung-Hsiang Chang, a graduate student at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and Yang Li, a Google employee, have developed a system that makes it much easier to transfer certain Web-based computing tasks between devices. To do this, one simply takes a photo of the computer screen that's showing the task. The phone then automatically opens up the corresponding application on the mobile device--at the corresponding stage of the task.

The same process can also work in reverse, moving data from the phone to a computer.

The system, called DeepShot, relies on the fact that many Web applications use a standard format, called the uniform resource identifier (URI), to describe their current states. A typical example of this is the link provided by Google Maps that transfers the exact current location or driving directions to another browser on another computer.

This link consists of a long string of symbols that contain URI-related information such as the addresses of the starting and ending points and codes that indicate their geographical coordinates and the approximate size of the map window. Though URIs are a common feature of many Web applications, the data contained in a URI can vary greatly and is sometimes harder to extract than in the case of Google Maps.… Read more

Despite looming buyout, T-Mobile powers on

T-Mobile has never been one to rest on its laurels when it comes to offering exciting smartphones, specials, and services, and that has remained true despite a proposed merger with rival carrier AT&T that's picking up steam among government lobby groups and states.

We knew T-Mobile was adopting an approach of business as usual, and a brisk business it's been, at least in terms of customer offerings, if not total subscribers. Hewing to a release date schedule laid out long before is what any carrier in T-Mobile's situation would do, especially since the merger, if … Read more

HTC Evo 3D and Evo View 4G Reviews: Zippy phone, but pricey tablet

Sprint made its mark at the annual CTIA show last March when it introduced two new Android devices, the Evo 3D smartphone and the Evo View 4G tablet. Though both devices are built on previous HTC products, they brought new features to the table, like glasses-free 3D video (the Evo 3D) and support for Sprint's 4G WiMax network (the Evo View 4G). Now, after a long wait, we've finally had the opportunity to give them a full CNET review.

Full CNET reviews • HTC Evo 3D review • HTC Evo View 4G review

Smartphone guru Bonnie Cha first put the … Read more

T-Mobile shoots out Android Samsung Dart for free

Leaked earlier this week, T-Mobile and Samsung officially announced the Samsung Dart, available today for free with a new two-year contract.

The Dart, also known as the T-Mobile t499, gets straight to the point with its features. Running Android 2.2 Froyo, the Dart is a 3G world phone (quad-band). It has a 3.1-inch QVGA screen, a 3-megapixel camera, and it comes with a 2GB microSD card (the handset takes up to 32GB external memory.)

Swype lovers will be happy to see that it comes with a Swype keyboard by default. The Dart is 4 inches high by 2.… Read more

Report: Details leaked on next Google Nexus phone

Boy Genius Report says it's received "exclusive" word from a source on just what we'll find in the next version of Google's Nexus smartphone.

With the third iteration of the Nexus possibly to be named the Nexus 4G, BGR is calling it an "absolute beast."

The new Nexus will be powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz CPU, either a Texas Instruments OMAP 4460 or a low-power 28nm Krait-based Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, says BGR. If true, those specs run counter to earlier reports that the new Nexus would be outfitted with … Read more

Vizio's Android tablet to hit Wal-Mart for $349?

Vizio's upcoming 8-inch Android Via tablet could soon find itself on the shelves at Wal-Mart selling for $349, according to an apparently leaked photo.

Displaying what appears to be a photo of the product's placard, tech enthusiast site This is My confirms some of the tablet's specs, including a high-resolution capacitive touch screen, a front-facing camera, and built-in GPS. Though no release date was revealed, the site asserts that the tablet should reach the market soon.

Vizio, which is primarily a maker of LCD TVs, demoed Via--its first tablet--at CES in January.

A hands-on look from CNET … Read more

Lenovo launching Android and Windows tablets

Lenovo plans on hitting the tablet market this year with devices aimed at both Android and Windows.

In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires reported this week by The Wall Street Journal, (subscription required), Lenovo president and Chief Operating Officer Rory Read revealed that the company will launch two 10-inch Android tablets this summer followed by a 10-inch Windows tablet later in the year.

One Android tablet, named the IdeaPad, will be geared for the consumer market, while the other, with the ThinkPad name, will be marketed toward the business crowd. Both tablets will run Honeycomb and be priced anywhere from $450 to $900 depending on their configurations, according to the interview. Lenovo's current tablet, the Android-powered LePad, is only available in China.

Some tech sites, including TechConnect and Pocket-Lint, are pointing to the IdeaPad tablet as the IdeaPad K1, a device that's already received some buzz and was reportedly listed on a few retail sites, such as Buy.com, according to Engadget.

TechConnect describes the K1 as powered by a Tegra 2 processor with… Read more