It’s… almost exactly what I would expect from an Archos-branded Android tablet. We saw it before via the FCC, but this is a much clearer picture. The device will be coming in four (if not more) flavors: two flash-based at 16GB and 32GB, and two HDD-based at 160GB and 500GB.
It looks like a decent little device, but I don’t think I’ll ever understand the draw of this sort of device. If a nice Android-based phone does 85% of what this tablet does, what’s the point of this? A slightly bigger screen? More storage?
The HTC Hero is undoubtedly the best looking Android device. Don’t even try to argue with that fact. But the CDMA-variant of the Hero might be radically different. So much, that I’m not sure if I dig it. Right now the Internet is aflutter with ohs and ahs about the redesigned phone, but I think it looks like a cheap, Chinese redesign. Who knows, maybe it will grow on me. There doesn’t seem to be solid proof that this version of the phone will be available on Sprint or Verizon though and could be headed to a different market. IDK, maybe I do like it. [080.net via EngMobile]
It was just a matter of time. With the Archos Android announcement scheduled for September 15, the boys at the FCC have splayed the Android-powered MID that popped up on the AppsLib site. The A5S (#7501) was tested with a 5-inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and FM transmitter/receiver.
It’s a shame, really. The mysterious MID running Android that’s been popping up over the last two weeks has finally been caught on video. It looks and runs wonderfully, but it’s just a concept from Chinese chipmaker Rockchip. The device was built to showcase Rockchip’s new RK2808 720p-decoding chipset. It’s unfortunate that the 5-inch MID is only a one-off. Check out the two videos of it in action after the jump.
I’m inclined to believe that this Android-powered MID is not the SMiT MID-560. Why? Well, because I doubt RIM has jumped on board to create an Android touchscreen device. It could be the Archos device that is set to launch next month or it could be something entirely different. For now, it remains a mystery.
DiGORO is certainly not the first robottaking care of household chores out there, but it’s definitely one of the coolest. Developed by a team of researchers at Honda Research Institute and other Japan-based organizations, the robot is capable of imitating human movements like wiping or moving objects from one place to another.
Ooh la la. A real deal Android tablet this summer? Am I dreaming? No! I’m so in love with this OS it’s disgusting. Put aside my sickening love for a freaking OS and consider taking a gander at AppsLib? It’s the Application Store for Android launched by Archos, which states that registration will begin on September 15 “following the launch of this initiative”. If that isn’t enough to whet your appetite then how about some specs for the Archos Android tablet? Read More
Can’t wait for your iPad? Get you one of these. This is the MID-560, the odd device we saw yesterday that seemed to be a cross between an iPod Touch and the G1. The company who makes it is called SMiT and it has an 800×480 pixel display. Read More
What is it? Is it a phone? It’s safe to say that it’s at least 3 inches deep and roughly 4 inches wide based on shots taken atop the Sony Vaio P. Other than that, nothing else is known about this mysterious Android MID. At least we know it has an SD card slot, but little else.
According to Gartner, worldwide mobile phone sales are down about 6% from the same time last year; yet the volume of smartphone sales has increased almost 30% in the same time frame. No doubt the uptick in smartphone sales is due to the release of cool new devices like the iPhone 3GS, the Palm Pre, and the various Android phones coming to market. As expected, Nokia remains king of the hill in terms of both regular and smart phones, though sales of their fancy new N97 have been extremely weak. Compare that with sales of Apple’s iPhone which enjoyed 500% growth in shipments! RIM is number two, yadda yadda yadda.
After a few false starts and a handful of hoaxes, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G has been rooted. For those a bit behind the times on their lingo, “rooting” an Android phone is similar to the concept of “jailbreaking” an iPhone, in that it gives you full access and control of your system files. This allows you to retheme the device, run applications that otherwise wouldn’t (there aren’t many of these on Android, but tethering applications are one example), and swap out just about any core OS file you want.
We broke the news on Dell launching a China-only cell phone on Sunday, and today major Chinese news portal 163.com reports the device is on its way: What Dell will be offering in China is an Android-powered “Ophone” called the mini3i.
China Mobile, the world’s biggest carrier, will distribute the device and plans to launch it as early as “in the middle of this month” (which could mean any day this week). China Mobile plans to establish Ophone as a new brand and sell a number of devices from different makers under it. Apart from Dell, Lenovo and another Chinese company called Dopod [CN] (aka HTC) are expected to release Ophones in the next few days.
Creative’s uber-device, the Zii, is looking to be a firecracker. With dual cameras, lots of space inside, and Android compatibility as well as Creative’s Plaszma OS, it looks like it may out-Touch the Touch.
Not only this, but it’s been revealed that the Zii also will be the first to run a specialized version of Opera. I trust Opera to go all in with a mobile browser like this; I have fond memories of the Ocean’s Opera Mini browser, and this should be ten times better.
What? Are you surprised? Telenav announced today that when the T-Mobile myTouch 3G goes on sale tomorrow, their turn-by-turn nav system will be one of the first available for the second Android-powered device. A 30-day free trial will be available for myTouch 3G owners starting on August 5. After that you’ll have to fork over $10/month for the service. To be honest, it’s actually worth it. Read More
It seems the sudden rush of myTouch 3Gs arriving earlier than expected has forced T-Mobile and certain developers to release their applications into the Android Market prematurely. Not that anyone with a G1, myTouch 3G or Hero are complaining. Geodelic released their Sherpa app yesterday and today we see T-Mobile’s AppPack go live.
Creative made a small splash the other day when the Zii project broke cover. It very well could be the first, real iPod touch competitor thanks to Android and impressive hardware. Here’s two more videos showing off the Zii. The one above is an impressive game demo that demos the accelerometer and the one after the break gets into the nitty-gritty about the hardware. Read More
Ah, there we go — a little more info about Creative’s mysterious “Zii” project. It now appears to be an iPod touch-like device, called the Zii EGG, running Android. Interesting… I’m listening.
I question the continued existence of mobile internet devices (MIDs) like the Mintpad, seeing as all our phones are turning into MIDs. You can’t fight convergence. Still, as long as there’s a little room in the market, stuff like this will stick around. Mintpass makes, among other things, a little MID called the Mintpad, which looks like a perfectly functional little thing (GPS, web, etc), and the next version will be sporting Android. Who knows whether we’ll see it on this side of the Pacific, though.
This weekend just turned into an early Christmas for Android hackers everywhere. Google just dropped an early alpha version of the upcoming major Android update, “Donut”, into the code repository. User Cyanogen of xda-developers was the first to notice the new code lingering, and is already hard at work getting it up and running currently available hardware.
Just from playing with it in the emulator, a number of new features have been uncovered:
It’s… almost exactly what I would expect from an Archos-branded Android tablet. We saw it before via the FCC, but this is a much clearer picture. The device will be coming in four (if not more) flavors: two flash-based at 16GB and 32GB, and two HDD-based at 160GB and 500GB.
