Android

Tablet prizefight: Acer vs. Asus

The year started out with only one Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet on the horizon (the Motorola Xoom). Today, nearly halfway through the year, we have so many Honeycomb tablets flying around CNET that it's hard to keep them all straight. More importantly, the prices on these things are steadily creeping downward, making them a more compelling alternative to Apple's lowest-priced iPad 2. Two of the latest low-cost Honeycomb tablets to hit the shelves are the Acer Iconia Tab A500 and the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. The only trouble is, it's almost impossible to tell the two … Read more

The 404 824: Where we're spinning our way to the top (podcast)

Where would you go if all your neighbors turned into New Balance-wearing, speed-walking zombies? The CDC (unaffiliated with apocalyptic preacher Harold Camping) has some tips on how to survive the zombie apocalypse in a manual released on its Web site yesterday that uses the undead as a metaphor for disaster preparation. On today's show, we're also getting shallow and pedantic about Meredith Baker's newly appointed position as the senior vice president of governmental affairs for Comcast-NBC Universal, a merger that she oversaw as an FCC commissioner, and we're also chatting about a woman who was reportedly kicked off Amtrak for talking on the phone for 16 hours!

The 404 Digest for Episode 824

CDC advises on disaster prep the only way Americans understand: with zombies! FCC commissioner leaves for Comcast-NBC Universal Woman kicked off Amtrak for talking on the phone for 16 hours!

Episode 824 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Gartner: Android leads, Windows Phone lags in Q1

Android and Windows Phone bookended the smartphone operating system market in the first quarter.

Market researcher Gartner said in a report released today that over 100 million smartphones were sold worldwide during the first quarter of 2011. Google's Android OS secured 36 percent of the market, with more than 36.2 million units sold to consumers during the period. Nokia's Symbian took the second spot, at 27.4 percent of the market and 27.6 million units sold. Apple's iOS platform and Research In Motion's BlackBerry came in third and fourth with 16.8 percent and … Read more

Gameloft simplifies Android game re-downloads

Migrating from one cell phone to another is often frustrating, especially if you have to reload a heap of music, contacts, and app purchases.

It was even more of a frustration on an Android phone if you owned a title by Gameloft. If you had purchased a Gameloft game in the past and wanted to load it on a new device, you would have had to either back it up on an SD card, or call to customer service. And we all love to talk to customer service, especially when you can just automatically redownload apps on iOS devices without a fuss.

Droid Gamers got a tip that Gameloft has shifted that stance in its DRM policy, which was hindering Android gamers from having complete control over their purchases. Now you can freely re-download Gameloft games from its Web site without having to worry about fidgeting with cards or making phone calls.

Unfortunately, due to the shift, any old .apk files that were saved as a back-up will not work anymore, according to the Droid Gamers report posted Monday. It's possible invalidating those files could be an unexpected burden on anyone who's not aware of this news.

CNET contacted Gameloft and was unable to get an official confirmation regarding this change.… Read more

Honeycomb 3.1 (first take): Small changes, missed opportunities

When Google announced Android 3.1 Honeycomb was coming to the Xoom last week, I was pretty excited. Honeycomb's already a great tablet OS, so any improvements could only add to its functionality and efficiency. Unfortunately the version 3.1 update was released over the air and was rolled out in spurts. Our Xoom didn't receive its update until earlier this week. Google detailed changes to expect, but I wanted to check and see just how well some of them were implemented.

Browser Aside from a few annoyances, I thought the Chrome browser in Honeycomb 3.0.1 … Read more

The 404 823: Where those things have multiple uses (podcast)

Don't latch onto an unsecured wireless network on your Android device, because hackers have found an exploit that puts your personal information at risk. Is anyone else as tired of hacker mongering as we are?

In other pirating news, Netflix has finally beat out BitTorrent as the most trafficked site on the Internet, which proves that people are willing to pay for streaming content, if it's easily accessible.

We have a bunch of iPad 2 accessories to give away today from Hard Candy Cases and The Joy Factory. Enter to win a prize simply by following either company as well as The 404 on Twitter and tell us why you need a cover for your iPad 2. Also, be sure to mention us at the end of your tweet so everyone can see it! Good luck!

The 404 Digest for Episode 823

Kid tells Grandfather that Twitter is a search engine, and these are his searches. The insecurity of Android's open Wi-Fi protocol. CNET Report: Netflix swallowing peak Net traffic fast. Not so fast: Sony's PlayStation Network hacked again!

Episode 823 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

T-Mobile's 2011 road map brimming with Android

T-Mobile is the latest carrier to have its product lineup leaked and, to no one's surprise, it's full of Android phones and tablets.

Customers coming up for renewal between now and the end of 2011 will have plenty of Android-powered options to choose from, as it looks like the wireless provider will be rolling out nearly a dozen new phones and tablets from a variety of manufacturers starting next month.

June 8 will see the debut of two Android phones in the form of the HTC Sensation 4G and the Samsung Exhibit. As many of you know, the … Read more

TuneWiki social music player gets overhauled

TuneWiki was already a favorite music player for Android, mainly for its timed, subtitled lyrics (available translated into more than 40 languages), displayed while keeping the album art on screen and not navigating away from the player controls. The application got a major update today, getting a new interface and enhanced social-networking and music-discovery features.

The interface is now broken into three sections: My Music, Discover, and Connected. My Music is exactly what it sounds like, the music living on your device. Discover houses all the social-networking options. Tapping the Map button, for example, brings up a Song Map to … Read more

Nvidia CEO: Android tablets could outsell iPad in 3 years

Android tablets could outsell Apple's iPad in less than three years, says Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, according to Reuters.

Speaking at the Reuters Technology Summit in New York on Monday, the outspoken CEO noted that it took Android smartphones less than three years to outpace the iPhone.

"The Android phone took only two and a half years to achieve the momentum that we're talking about," Huang said at the summit. "I would expect the same thing on Honeycomb tablets."

With Nvidia supplying the Tegra 2 processor that powers many Android tablets, Huang has been … Read more

Motorola Droid X2 makes official debut

We can stop with the leaks now, as Verizon Wireless officially introduced the Motorola Droid X2 today.

The Droid X2 will be available online starting May 19 and in stores on May 26 for $199.99 with a two-year contract, replacing the aging Motorola Droid X. As the successor to the Droid X, the X2 ups the ante with a 4.3-inch, scratch-resistant qHD touch screen and Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual-core processor--Verizon's first.

The Android 2.2 device (upgradable to Android 2.3 Gingerbread) also has an 8-megapixel camera with continuous auto focus, and Motorola says the camera … Read more