eclair

mobile
April 3, 2012
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Android fragmentation rears its ugly head once again

By on April 3, 2012 at 10:35 AM.

Android fragmentation rears its ugly head once again

Google updated its Android version tracker on Monday, revealing that the latest version of its mobile operating system — Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich — has more than doubled its installed base over the past month. Unfortunately, that only carries Google’s current Android build to a 2.9% share of all devices. Combined with Honeycomb, this means that as of March 2nd, just 6.2% of Android devices are now running a modern version of Android. Meanwhile, the bulk of Android devices run the 15-month-old Gingerbread operating system (63.7%) and the second most popular version of the platform is the 23-month-old Froyo OS (23.1%). First unveiled in October 2009 and currently at 6%, Android 2.1 Eclair is still found on nearly as many devices as Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich combined. Read on for more. More →

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mobile
January 4, 2012
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Gingerbread found on majority of Android devices; ICS penetration approaches 1%

By on January 4, 2012 at 2:35 PM.

Gingerbread found on majority of Android devices; ICS penetration approaches 1%

Google on Wednesday released the latest numbers for the software versions that are powering Android smartphones and tablets. Ice Cream Sandwich appears on the list for the first time, with Android 4.0 through Android 4.0.3 now found on a combined 0.6% of devices. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus S is in the process of receiving Android 4.0.3, sort of, while the Galaxy Nexus already has 4.0.2. Google’s tablet-centric Honeycomb operating system is found on just 3.3% of Android devices and Gingerbread currently installed on 55.5% of devices — a clear majority. Froyo (Android 2.2) and Eclair (Android 2.1) have dropped to 30.4% and 8.5% respectively, with Donut (Android 1.6) and Cupcake (Android 1.5) hitting lows of 1.1% and 0.6%. Google collected its latest Android version data during the 14-day period that ended January 3rd. More →

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mobile
July 19, 2011
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Rugged Motorola Titanium hitting Sprint on July 24th for $149.99

By on July 19, 2011 at 2:00 AM.

Rugged Motorola Titanium hitting Sprint on July 24th for $149.99

It looks like the rumors were correct: Sprint announced on Monday that the rugged Motorola Titanium phone will be available on July 24th for $149.99. The Motorola Titanium runs Android 2.1 (Eclair) and meets Mil-Spec 810G ratings for dust, shock, vibration, low pressure, solar radiation, high temperature and low temperature. The Titanium, which supports push-to-talk, is equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard, a 5-megapixel camera, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, a 2GB microSD card and a 1,820mAh battery. Read on for the full press release. More →

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mobile
July 8, 2011
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Sprint’s Motorola Titanium Android phone landing July 24th for $149.99

By on July 8, 2011 at 1:01 AM.

Sprint’s Motorola Titanium Android phone landing July 24th for $149.99

A leak document picked up by SprintFeed suggests that Sprint will launch the Motorola Titanium, an Android smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard, on July 24th for $149.99. The Titanium is no secret as Motorola officially announced it in May, but the company didn’t provide pricing or launch details at that time. The phone supports push-to-talk and offers a military-grade ruggedized design that’s resistant to dust, shock, vibration, low pressure, solar radiation, high temperatures, and low temperatures. It’s equipped with a 3.1-inch touchscreen display and a 5-megapixel camera, but sadly only runs Android 2.1 (Eclair). The price and date aren’t official just yet, but $149.99 sounds about right to us. More →

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mobile
June 21, 2011
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Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 to get Android 2.3 Gingerbread update in August

By on June 21, 2011 at 1:35 AM.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 to get Android 2.3 Gingerbread update in August

Sony Ericsson confirmed in a blog post on Monday that its developers have been working hard on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for the Xperia X10, and that the roll-out will begin in early August. The company confirmed that it will keep the original camera UI as found in the Eclair version of the phone, and that the Facebook Inside Xperia functionality in the newest Xperia family of phones will be available on the X10 as well. Unfortunately, SE  said that it will not add DLNA support to the X10, as adding that would “jeopardize the time schedule.” Generic trade phones will get the Gingebread upgrade, which was announced in March, but Sony Ericsson did note that “some of you will not be able to upgrade your customized version of Xperia X10.” In other words, we seriously doubt AT&T users will ever get it. Hit the jump for a video of a prototype running Gingerbread in action. More →

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mobile
May 31, 2011
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AT&T’s Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 finally gets Android 2.1 (Eclair) update

By on May 31, 2011 at 7:25 AM.

AT&T’s Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 finally gets Android 2.1 (Eclair) update

Countless Android fans complain about new phones still launching with Froyo while Gingerbread has long since been pulled out of the oven, but Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 owners on AT&T can only dream of frozen desserts. Sony Ericsson on Tuesday announced that the Android-powered Xperia that started it all will finally be updated from Android 1.6 — yes, that’s Donut — to Android 2.1, Eclair. Obvious annoyances aside, it’s quite clear that AT&T and Sony Ericsson had some major issues while getting this update ready for primetime, so we suppose X10 owners should be happy the companies didn’t just give up. New features introduced by the Android 2.1 update include 720p HD video capture support, continuous auto-focus and face detection in video capture, multitouch support and five home screens instead of three. Eclair is available for the Xperia X10 beginning Tuesday, May 31st, and it can be accessed by visiting sonyericsson.com/attupdate on a PC. More →

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Security
May 18, 2011
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Google to patch Android credentials vulnerability

By on May 18, 2011 at 2:29 PM.

Google to patch Android credentials vulnerability

Well that didn’t take long. Yesterday, we told you about an Android vulnerability found in ClientLogin that could have serious security ramifications. Using a dummy open access-point, a nefarious third party could passively — via Wi-Fi — collect authentication tokens to password protected services such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google Calendar stored on affected Android devices. Speaking with Mobilized’s Ina Fried, the Android-maker has stated that it is taking action, and fast. “Today we’re starting to roll out a fix which addresses a potential security flaw that could, under certain circumstances, allow a third party access to data available in calendar and contacts,” Google told the publication. “This fix requires no action from users and will roll out globally over the next few days.” The vulnerability will still be present in the company’s Picasa online photo offering, but Google stated that it is working to patch that service as well.

More →

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mobile
May 10, 2011
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WatchESPN streaming video app now available for Android

By on May 10, 2011 at 6:58 AM.

WatchESPN streaming video app now available for Android

WatchESPN, an app that allows users to stream live TV content to devices over Wi-Fi or cellular data connections, is now available for Android devices. ESPN released the app for the iPhone and iPod touch last month and we’ve definitely been enjoying it, so seeing the network follow up with an Android app last week was most certainly welcomed. WatchESPN streams live content from ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com provided you subscribe to a cable TV package from one of ESPN’s partner companies. If your cable provider isn’t among those listed by ESPN, however, you’re unfortunately out of luck. More →

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Breaking
May 5, 2011
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Sprint unveils Motorola XPRT and Motorola Titanium Android phones

By on May 5, 2011 at 9:06 AM.

Sprint unveils Motorola XPRT and Motorola Titanium Android phones

Sprint on Thursday unveiled two new Android smartphones from Motorola — the Motorola XPRT and the Motorola Titanium. The XPRT is a dual-mode smartphone capable of roaming internationally on GSM networks, and it’s also the first Android phone from Sprint to feature enterprise-class security. Spec highlights include Android 2.2 (Froyo) with MOTOBLUR, a 3.1-inch touchscreen display, a 5-megapixel camera, a full QWERTY keyboard with BlackBerry-style buttons, a 1GHz processor and Adobe Flash 10 support. The Motorola Titanium is Sprint’s successor to the i1, and it will be a military-grade ruggedized smartphone running Android 2.1 (Eclair). Other highlights include a full BlackBerry-style QWERTY keypad, a 3.1-inch touchscreen display, a 5-megapixel camera, Push to Talk support and dust, shock, vibration, low pressure, solar radiation, high temperature and low temperature resistance. The Motorola XPRT launches on June 5th for $129.99 on contract. Pricing and availability details are not yet available for the Titanium. Hit the break for Sprint’s full press release. More →

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mobile
April 15, 2011
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Daily Android activations surpass 350,000 mark

By on April 15, 2011 at 8:30 AM.

Daily Android activations surpass 350,000 mark

In case you haven’t heard, Android is kind of a big deal. Some research firms say it’s already the world’s top smartphone operating system, having recently passed Symbian’s quarterly sales pace for the first time, and just about every firm on the planet is predicting that Android’s market share will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. And it’s not just hot air — Google on Thursday during its first-quarter earnings call revealed that daily Android activations have surpassed the 350,000 mark. That adds up to nearly 2.5 million Android activations each week and about 10.5 million activations each month. Google said in December of last year that it was activating 300,000 Android devices each day, and if it can maintain its current pace there’s no question it will achieve global market dominance for years to come.

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mobile
April 8, 2011
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Alltel adds LG Axis, Samsung Gem, HTC Merge, Motorola Milestone X to Android lineup

By on April 8, 2011 at 6:43 AM.

Alltel adds LG Axis, Samsung Gem, HTC Merge, Motorola Milestone X to Android lineup

Alltel on Thursday announced four new Android smartphones, including the LG Axis (free), Samsung Gem ($89.99), HTC Merge ($124.99), and Motorola Milestone X. The LG Axis and Samsung Gem both run Android 2.1, which is two generations old — the HTC Merge and Motorola Milestone X are likely the more attractive of the bunch. The HTC Merge sports a full QWERTY keyboard and runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) under HTC’s Sense user interface. Meanwhile, the Motorola Milestone X is powered by Android 2.2 and sports a 4.3-inch touchscreen display as well as an 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash and 8GB of on-board memory. Alltel says the four phones are available now in stores and online, although pricing for the Milestone X has not yet been announced and the device was not listed on Alltel’s website at the time of this writing. Hit the jump for the full release. More →

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mobile
April 4, 2011
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87% of Android developers think fragmentation is a problem, survey finds

By on April 4, 2011 at 3:04 PM.

87% of Android developers think fragmentation is a problem, survey finds

The debate surrounding Android fragmentation continues to draw attention, and the issue resurfaced on Monday following the results of a recent survey. According to Baird analyst William Powers, roughly 87% of Android developers believe that fragmentation is a problem for the Android platform. 57% feel Android’s fragmentation problem is either “huge” or “meaningful,” and about 30% agree that it is a problem to a lesser degree. Google said this past November that the overwhelming majority of Android devices — 77% — run Android 2.1 or Android 2.2, but developers apparently still feel that the existence of multiple Android versions in the market at the same time is less than ideal. What’s more, the company’s recent decision to provide limited early access to upcoming Android builds for partners whose plans for the software are approved by Google suggests that the company views fragmentation as more of a problem than it might convey publicly. More →

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mobile
February 24, 2011
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Google video visualizes global Android activations

By on February 24, 2011 at 10:01 PM.

Google video visualizes global Android activations

No platform in recent history has grown as fast as Google’s Android OS, and now Google has created a quick video to help us visualize the Android phenomenon. The sequence was first shown ahead of former CEO Eric Schmidt’s keynote at Mobile World Congress, and this week Google finally posted it to its Android Developers YouTube account. The video gives us a visual representation of all Android device activations from October 2008, when the platform launched, through the end of December 2010. It also displays helpful indicators just ahead of major device launches, such as the Motorola DROID launch in November 2009. Hit the jump for the video and prepare to be wowed. More →

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