Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Tech Review Android: Monday, February 13, 2012

Learning Android [Paperback]


Learning Android

  • $25
  • Looks like a good book
  • there are a lot on Android books out there right now

App Inventor for Android: Build Your Own Apps - No Experience Required![Paperback]


App Inventor for Android: Build Your Own Apps - No Experience Required!

  • $21.29

Samsung WEP460 Bluetooth Headset - Black


Samsung WEP460 Bluetooth Headset

  • $23 (with $20 rebate)
  • rebate stink.  I would buy this if not for being a rebate.

Acer Iconia Tab A200-10g16u XE.H8QPN.001 Tablet - Android 3.2 Honeycomb, NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual-Core 1.0GHz, 1GB DDR2, 16GB Storage, 10.1" Multi-Touch Display, WiFi, Grey


Acer Iconia 10.1" 16GB Android Tablet

  • $350
  • Coming do more and more

Ice Cream Sandwich update rolling out to select HTC devices in March


  • Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.x) on HTC phones in March 2012

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Friday, February 10, 2012

Tech Review Android: Thursday, February 9, 2012

Samsung 4 inch Galaxy Android Media Player


Samsung 4 inch Galaxy Android Media Player - Samsung - Toys"R"Us
  • $160
  • Android 2.2 (Froyo)
    • Really needs to be Android 2.3 (
  • Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)

Chrome Web Browser Finally Comes to Android Phones, Tablets

  • Only for Honeycomb (Android 3.0)
  • Nice and fast.
  • Should I put this on Dolores' Android?




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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Tech Review Android: Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Windows Phone 8 secrets leaked


  • Apollo
    • Windows Phone 8
  • Partners with Nokia
  • Interop with
    • Windows 8 tablet apps ?
    • Windows 8 PC apps ?
  • Expected to have 100,000 apps
  • Currently there are 50,000 apps
  • Apple apps
    • 500,000
  • Google apps
    • 400,000

Google's Bouncer shows Android malware the door

http://gcn.com/articles/2012/02/03/google-intros-bouncer-malware-detector.aspx?s=gcndaily_060212
  • Introduced Feb 2.
  • scans code of newly loaded apps
    • malware
  • automatically rejects apps that raise a red flag
  • human review
  • more propagation of Symantec sales fodder

Microsoft to deliver CRhttps://buy.garmin.com/shop/store/manual.jsp?product=010-00632-00&cID=145&pID=8707M apps for iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone in Q2


  • CRM - Customer Relationship Management

NPD: Android attracting more than half of new smartphone shoppers


  • National Purchase Diary (NPD)
  • 57% of fist time smart phone buyer are Android
  • 34% for Apple


The all-powerful U.S. carriers: Biggest obstacle to Windows Phone


  • Phone carriers determine who succeeds
  • they are not pushing MicroSoft

AMD's tablet strategy: Hondo chip, Windows 8


  • 4.5W is still bad
  • Hondo is 40nm
  • coming out with Temash at 28nm chip\
  • tablet wars

Android developers can qualify for a free BlackBerry PlayBook in February


  • BlackBerry PlayBook provides Android support
  • Developers that port get a free BlackBerry

  • 7"
  • 8GB
  • Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
  • Arm Cortex A8 at 1.2 GHz
  • 1080P HDMI out
  • Front facing camera
  • $145

Biscotti TV Phone $199

  • how well does the mic work?
  • Uses your TV for Video conferencing 

Layered Open Source - A better open core model?

  • open core
    • only works well when paired with proprietary shell that wraps it
  • AGPL
    • Make money, than you pay
  • $99 ($130)
  • 7"
  • Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
  • 4 GB
  • SD slot for 16 GB
  • HDMI
  • 800 MHz ARM 1176
  • Speakers and mic
  • Menu/Home button

HTC EVO View Android 4G Tablet With 7" Touchscreen, 1.5GHz Processor, 32GB Memory & Bluetooth - ATP515CKIT

  • $270
  • 7" (1024 x 600)
  • 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8655
  • 32 GB
  • 1 GB RAM
  • 3G and 4G hardware
  • Sprint data plan not included
  • 5.0 and 1.3 MP camera
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Ambient light sensor
  • GPS/AGPS
  • Android App Market
  • {Nice}


  • 4.2" (854 x 480 - FWVGA)
  • Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
  • 8.1 mp camera
  • HDMI
  • 117 grams
  • 8 GB microSD included
  • 320 MB memory (weak?)
  • GSM smartphone

External Battery Pack and Charger

  • $36
  • 7,000 mAh
  • Dual-port (2 devices at a time)
  • Seems to work on anything (iPad, etc)

  • $199
  • USB 3.0
  • 4 USB ports
  • what is this really?
Sony Tablet S - 32GB

  • $499
  • 9.4" (1280 x 800)
  • Camera
    • front 0.3 MP
    • back 5.0 MP
  • 1 GB memory
  • 32 GB storage
  • Android Honeycomb (4.x)
  • 1 lb 5 oz
  • NVIDIA Tegra2
  • Cradle included

Samsung Galaxy Note Review


  • 5.3"
  • 8 MP camera
  • stylus

Five Reasons why Windows 8 will be dead on arrival


  • no one needs Win8 on the desktop
  • Metro: an ugly, useless interface
  • Where are the Win8 apps
  • Vexed Win Developers
    • WinRT
    • Jupiter/XAML
  • Too little, too late for smartphone/tablet market

The 3 steps to securing an Android smart phone



  • not really difficult to secure the current generation of Android phones
  • Apple turned down the military
    • would not let them see source code
  • three thing to secure
    1. restrict physical access to phone
      • dual authentication log-in programs
    2. make sure data at rest is secure
      • delete all special data is not connect to home
      • 256-bit Advance Encryption Standard
    3. proprietary protocols
      • HAIPE (High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptor)
      • requires access to source code
  • scrub communications going out of phone
    • location
    • Angry Birds score
      • might contain personal data


Linux 3.3 Will Let You Boot Into Android: Greg-KH

  • Android kernel's merge with the mainline Linux kernel
    • 3.3
      • boot an Android user space
      • poor power management
    • 3.4
      • power management







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Monday, February 6, 2012

Tech Review Android: Friday, February 3, 2012

Cool Android Icon


  • don't see icon on page

Canonical Adds Unity Settings in Ubuntu 12.04 LTS



  • Not really sure that this implies?
    • Can I go back to the original interface without losing a finger?
    • No, just trying to make Unity easier to use.
Nero Kwik MobileSync for Android and PC

  • $8
  • sync software for PC and Android
  • Android 2.2 and above

Toshiba Thrive 10.1" 16GB Android Tablet with Wi-Fi

$279.99


Toshiba Thrive 10.1

Where Mozilla Ubiquity Failed, Ubuntu HUD will Succeed


  • where to get HUD

Introducing the HUD.  Say Hello to the future of the menu.


  • Head-Up Dipsplay (HUD)
  • replace menus in Unity applicaitons
  • 12.04
  • express your intent
  • fuzzy matching
  • learns what you usually do
  • voice

SanDisk 32GB Micro SDHC Flash Card Model SDSDQM-032G-B35N ($35)





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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Tech Review Android: Wednesday, February 1, 2012

DOD's move to Android started with DARPA apps program



  • hardened Android Kernel
This is made easier by the truly modular nature of Linux and Android.

  • a secure host system
  • Android 2.2
    • Froyo
  • Army's Network Integration Evaluation (NIE)
    • Fort Bliss TX
  • Android in Afghanistan
    • 3rd Brigade
    • 10th Mountain Division
  • Tactical Ground Reporting (TGR)
  • Soldiers developed their own applications in theater
  • disconnected apps very useful in field
  • tolerate imperfect hardware if it help them with their mission
  • security/usability balance
  • desire for linked applications and plug-ins opposed to monolithic apps
  • Net platform
    • Dell Streak
    • HTC Desire
    • Motorola Xoom 
  • Nett Warrior
  • Harris AN/PRC-117G tactical radios
  • Tactical Operations Center (TOC)

















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