Android

For a game with "angry" in the title, Angry Birds sure does make people happy. Maybe it's because of the steady supply of extra goodies developer Rovio Mobile continues to push out--like the new Valentine's Day addition to Angry Birds Seasons. (That's the iOS version; it's also available for Android!)

Like an unexpected gift from that special someone, Seasons 1.2.0 rolled out with little fanfare yesterday. If you already own the game, check the App Store app (or Android Market) for the update. For everyone else, the game is still 99 cents--and … Read more

Sony Ericsson is busting out all over in the run up to Mobile World Congress. First, the company teased us with a peek at the long-awaited Xperia Play, and now we catch a glimpse of another handset called the Xperia Neo.

Android Community posted photos today of a candy bar smartphone that looks not unlike the new Xperia Arc. Like the Arc, the Neo should run Android 2.3 Gingerbread, though on a slightly smaller 4-inch touch screen. On the outside it also promises Mini-HDMI and Micro-USB ports.

According to Android Central, other features should include a 1Ghz Qualcomm processor, … Read more

Any hard-core audiophiles out there probably have a soft spot in their hearts for Cowon. The Korea-based manufacturer made an early splash in the iPod era with products like the iAudio X5 and the D2 and their exhaustive spec sheets, supporting every file format under the sun and propping them up with a wide array of sound enhancement tools.

And while most manufacturers have fled the field of dedicated portable media players, Cowon has bravely (or foolishly) decided to stick it out. Cowon's latest device is the Cowon D3, a $370 premium portable media player running a heavily skinned version of Android 2.1, packed with 32GB of storage.

As expected, it sounds wonderful, and features the full suite of JetEffect sound presets Cowon is known for. Codec support is outstanding for both audio and video, the latter of which supports resolutions of up to 1080p. Other features include FM radio, a Web browser, e-mail, calendar, photos, and all that Android typically brings. Well...almost.… Read more

Best Buy announced today that it will have an exclusive on the upcoming HTC Thunderbolt for Verizon Wireless. Though it won't arrive in stores until the middle of this month, customers can preorder the Android smartphone starting today.

The Froyo-powered Thunderbolt, which first saw light last month at CES 2011, will be Big Red's first commercially available 4G LTE phone. On the outside it sports a candy bar design with a 4.3-inch WVGA capacitive touch screen and a virtual keyboard.

Other features include a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, messaging and e-mail, an 8-megapixel camera with HD video capture, … Read more

Editor's note: This live event has concluded. You can replay our full coverage of the announcement--including the David Blaine magic show Sprint used to warm up the crowd--in the Cover It Live module at the bottom of this post. Or, for details on the new Echo device and hands-on photos, check out this summary post.

NEW YORK--Sprint Nextel will take the wraps off a new smartphone at an event here this evening.

The company has been tight-lipped about the announcement. But The Wall Street Journal today reported the new smartphone will be a dual-touch-screen device running the Android operating … Read more

NEW YORK--After weeks of teasing an "industry first," Sprint finally took the wraps off its secret project and unveiled the Kyocera Echo, the first dual touch-screen smartphone, at a special event in New York today.

Available later this spring for $199.99 with a two-year contract, the Kyocera Echo boasts two 3.5-inch WVGA touch screens and a "pivot hinge" that allows you to place the two displays side by side to form a larger 4.7-inch display. In development for more than a year and a half (even longer for the hardware), the Echo runs Android 2.2 and features software that is optimized to take advantage of the two screens.

There are actually four modes in which you can use the Android 2.2 device: standard, tablet, optimized, and simultasking. In standard mode, you can use the Echo as a traditional touch-screen smartphone. The pivot hinge allows you to tuck the second display under the first, so you can navigate and operate the handset like many of today's latest devices. Meanwhile, tablet mode lets you view and interact with an app on both screens.

The optimized and simultask modes are a little more advanced in their capabilities. The former supports a single app and gives you the main view on one screen, and the app's complementary features and functionality on the second screen. For example, if you're checking e-mail, you'll get a view of your full inbox on one side of the screen, and the second will give display the full text of a selected message. Another example is the photo gallery. You can get a full view of a photo on the top screen and a thumbnail photo gallery on the bottom.

However, the simultask mode is where the Echo's true attraction might lie. In this mode, you'll be able to take multitasking to a new level as you'll be able to use two apps concurrently with each displayed on one of the dual touch screens.… Read more

Millions of sports fans gathered around the TV yesterday to watch the "Big Game," and it's hard to believe that another Puppy Bowl has come and gone. Just kidding, if there's one thing we learned from Super Bowl XLV, it's that brand endorsements are ruining the illusion for celebrities like Eminem and Kim Kardashian who would have us believe that they drive Chrysler minivans and wear Skechers Shapeups.

We're wrapping up the winners and losers of the Super Bowl on today's episode of The 404 Podcast, and the winner for lowest blow is a tie between Groupon and Christina Aguilera.

Groupon took a page from Kenneth Cole PR (context) and pulled a "too soon" with an ad exploiting the tragedy in Tibet, while Christina Aguilera changed the lyrics to the National Anthem into a song about vampires squeezing juice from citrus fruits.

I'll leave it to Jeff to do his own reaming on the Black Eyed Peas half-time show before we move onto the most important part of the game: the commercials!

We all agree that for better or worse, this year's commercials stood out from years past, and our favorites include Volkswagen's Darth Vader spoof, Chevy's Camaro ad featuring Bumblebee from the "Transformers," and Doritos and Bud Light touched our hearts with animals doing human things.

There were also a ton of movie trailers that blew up our skirt, so tune into today's show to hear more of our thoughts on "Super 8," "Captain America," the Lingerie Bowl, and Angry Birds in real life!

Over the years, the commercials played during the Super Bowl have become just as entertaining and scrutinized as the game itself, and this year was no different. Among the myriad car commercials that dominated the big game this year, there was one ad that probably caught the eye of many a mobile tech fan.

Airing during the second quarter, Sony Ericsson confirmed all the rumors and leaks by officially showing off the Xperia Play aka PlayStation phone in the TV promo shown above. Much of the commercial is shrouded in mystery until the end where a Franken-Android of sorts is … Read more

Earlier this week, Google offered the first real taste of Honeycomb. Though we'd previously seen short video clips and images, it wasn't until Tuesday's event that we were able to see Android 3.0 in action.

Watching the live demonstrations, I could envision thousands of Galaxy Tab owners glancing at their tablets, wondering if or when it will see Honeycomb. And, of course I'm sure that plenty of Android phone customers are hoping to get the same experience. But will Honeycomb end up on smartphones? Or is it a tablet-only platform? The answer is somewhere in between.

Though a Google spokesman told PCMag yesterday that Honeycomb was only for tablets, he also said that some features from the update "will arrive on phones over time."

Looking at the official Honeycomb features page on the Android blog, we can see that Honeycomb is "specifically optimized for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets." Considering how much data (widgets, folders, and shortcuts) you can place on the desktop, it's pretty obvious you won't be able to do the same on a 4-inch display. Yet, that's not to say we won't end up with the enhanced notifications or a persistent action bar on our handsets.

While a lot of Honeycomb's focus is on getting the overall user experience to feel more natural and intuitive, there are a few features that bring added functionality to Android. For example, it's hard to imagine Google keeping video chat restricted to tablets. And the same goes for the redesigned keyboard and improved copy and paste options. … Read more