Android Tablets

Some call it diversity, some call it fragmentation. However you slice it, there’s a lot of Android devices out there. OpenSignalMaps has tracked a staggering 3,997 unique phones, tablets and other Google-powered gadgets, and has put them into a chart weighted by popularity. Not surprisingly, it’s powerhouses like Samsung’s Galaxy S II and HTC’s Desire line that dictate the platform, while that Concorde Tab you bought in Hungary sadly doesn’t have much traction. The normally signal mapping-oriented crew is careful to warn that the actual variety might be less: there’s 1,363 one-timers in the group, and some of those may be custom ROMs and the endless carrier-specific variants that OEMs are sometimes eager to make. There’s even more to look at through the source, including Android 2.3′s continuing dominance and the mind-boggling number of Android screen resolutions, so click ahead for an even fuller picture.

Visualized: Android’s device diversity cut up into 3,997 little pieces originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 17:41:00 EST.

Traditionally in the Android development cycle, major versions have launched at the end of the year (exception being Gingerbread/Honeycomb). According to the Wall Street Journal, Android Jelly Bean should launch this year, “by Thanksgiving”.

Will this be Android 5.0 or another version? That depends on Google’s plans for their I/O developer event happening in June. Andy Rubin’s team has two options: one, launch an Android 4.1 version with some improvements at I/O (and call it Jelly Bean), and then give a new name to Android 5.0. Two, use the event to showcase upcoming features of Android 5.0 Jelly Bean, and release it this fall.

Now, the rumor in WSJ says that Google is getting five manufacturers (probably Samsung, HTC, Motorola, Sony and LG – no love for Huawei, Google?) to release “Nexus devices”, all at the same time, this fall. How is this possible? Well, Google plans to give all of them early access to the next major version of Android, much like Microsoft does with Windows and WP7 manufacturers.

Google plans to launch the next version of Android with all of them at once , with some less important manufacturers launching a little later.

So what does this mean for us, the users? It means that we get to choose from at least 5 phones and maybe some tablets, too (some manufacturers will choose to release both a phone and a tablet), so our choices for stock Android devices will greatly improve. Even better, they will all be available from day one. That means that, if you don’t like a particular Nexus device, you have several others to choose from, and you won’t have to wait many more months until other devices appear.

This deal means that stock devices will flood the market. Also, manufacturers will have early access to the Android code, meaning that they will also be able to upgrade their skins faster and  launch new devices faster. However, the first devices will still be only stock Android. And Google should make sure of that through a formal agreement.

According to WSJ, the Nexus devices will most likely be sold through Google’s Play Store in US, Europe and Asia, which again is a great move for Google, because they’ll be able to wrestle control over Android from carriers. It won’t hurt carriers too much, because at least in US, most people still buy phones through carrier subsidies, but it should work very well in markets in Europe and Asia.

Overall, this is a very smart move from Google, that will benefit themselves, the consumers, and even the manufacturers.

NEXT: HTC Negotiates with Google for Potential Jelly Bean Nexus

Asus Hoping to Be the First Manufacturer to Offer Jelly Bean Devices BGR: HTC competitor to the Galaxy Note, multiple Droid RAZR models coming this fall at Verizon

If rumors are accurate, it has certainly been and will continue to be a busy year for the R&D team at Amazon.

Not only is the online retailer giant apparently preparing a Kindle with a color e-ink display, but Amazon is also planning to release a new Kindle device with front lighting. The latter came from a Reuters’ source that apparently has seen the prototype first-hand.  According to the anonymous source, production for the new front-lit Kindle e-reader is still ongoing, but the new e-reader should be ready to hit the market in July.

It isn’t too surprising to see Amazon making the decision to roll out a front-lit Kindle, especially since one of its biggest competitors, Barnes & Noble, has had a head start for a good couple of weeks in releasing an e-reader with a similar feature. Given that one of the drawbacks of e-ink displays is that they are less than ideal for reading in low lighting, the integrated reading light might boost the appeal of Amazon’s Kindle line.

While Barnes & Noble’s Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight is $40 more expensive than the non-GlowLight version, the source said Amazon is likely to keep the price of its front-lit e-reader lineup the same, with a slight chance that the price will be raised by a very small margin. Analysts believe that a $10 premium for the new front-lit Kindle e-reader is well within a reasonable range.

Right now, the 6-inch e-ink Kindle with WiFi connectivity is the cheapest Amazon e-reader, available at $79. The Wi-Fi version of Kindle Touch with special offers goes for $99, while the 3G version with special offers is priced at $149.

As for the color e-ink Kindle that is rumored to come out later in the year, IHS iSuppli analyst Vinita Jakhanwal said that Amazon may not be ready to launch it this year. Back in October, Jakhanwal had the opportunity to look at the product and she thought that Amazon had its work cut out if it wanted to produce the color e-ink reader in high volumes.

Since a color Kindle is supposedly out of the picture for now, how about a bigger Kindle Fire instead? The same anonymous source said that Amazon is planning to release a new Kindle Fire with an 8.9-inch display in the holiday season this year. So that’s definitely one thing to watch out for.

NEXT: Amazon Kindle Fire Source Code Now Online

Amazon Kindle Ice Next in Line to Kindle Fire, Say Rumors Digitimes: Amazon to release color e-readers later this year, 6 millions units to be shipped in 2012

Two HTC smartphones, the already released HTC One X and the upcoming HTC 4G LTE, have had their shipments delayed due to a US Customs order related to a patent dispute between HTC and Apple. Read more…

Among the slew of new Android 4.0 devices unveiled by Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo today were a trio from Panasonic, including the Eluga Power phone we’d seen before and a few new entries in the Eluga V phone and Eluga Live tablet. We’ve already gotten our mitts all over the Eluga Power’s 5-inch screen and 1.5Ghz dual-core S4 CPU at MWC, so this time we’ll take a close look into the other two Ice Cream Sandwiched models. The P-06D Eluga V is a 4.6-inch variant (sliding between the Power and original P-04D Eluga) while still packing a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU. The P-08D Eluga Live tablet measures at 10.1-inches, packs DLNA streaming features and slots stereo speakers into a smooth curved edge design. The Eluga V is scheduled to arrive July 6th, while the other two should hit Japanese shelves in January, hit the source link and brink your kanji skills (or translation software) for more information.

Panasonic gifts NTT DoCoMo with Eluga V, Eluga Power smartphones and Eluga Live tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 03:03:00 EST.

Although it was officially unveiled way back in February at the MWC, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet hasn’t yet seen the light of day. Initially set to enjoy a June worldwide release, the 10-incher was recently pushed back to a yet to be specified launch date.

If you remember, we told you about a month ago that we’re suspecting the delayed launch to be caused by one or several technical changes Samsung is planning to make to the Note 10.1 we saw in February. Now, this suspicion seems to gain confirmation, as the guys at nordichardware.com are reporting to have caught a glimpse of a Galaxy Note 10.1 with a couple of very significant alterations.

First of all, it seems that the 1.4 GHz dual-core processor that Samsung initially advertised for the Note 10.1 has been upgraded to a more impressive 1.5 GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 chipset. That’s not exactly news, however, as we already picked up on a couple of rumors saying the exact same thing last month.

What is news, though, is the GPU which might “accompany” that powerful quad-core CPU under the Note’s hood. Back in February, Sammy announced a Mali 400 MP graphics processing unit, which is strong, but not spectacular. Now, the guys at NH have discovered a benchmark that show the Galaxy Note 10.1 to be powered by a generic “ARM” GPU.

Based on that and on the amazing scores obtained by the device, we can speculate that  Samsung will replace the Mali 400 MP with the new Mali T-604 GPU, a graphics chip that has never been used in a device before. ARM, the designer of both the Mali 400 MP and the Mali T-604 GPUs, claims that the new graphics circuit is 5 times as powerful as the old one, which itself was pretty snappy.

The benchmark picked up by the guys at nordichardware.com shows the GNote 10.1 as twice as speedy as the Galaxy S3, which uses the same Exynos 4412 processor, but a Mali 400 MP GPU.

However, the Basemark ES 2.0 Taiji test might be a bit misleading – the GNote 10.1’s actual performance could be well off the charts, or four or five times as powerful as the S3. That’s because the benchmark results are probably limited by vsync and, therefore, are not showing the true potential of the tablet’s GPU.

If the Galaxy Note 10.1 will, in fact, come with an Exynos 4412 SoC and a Mali T-604 GPU, the Galaxy S3 might not be the only “casualty” of the performance war. Even the new iPad, considered the snappiest tablet on the market, could fall victim to the extremely powerful CPU/GPU duo in the Note 10.1. That’s pure speculation, however, as there’s not a single benchmark showing off the GNote 10.1 against the new iPad.

The Taiji performance test leaked and picked up by nordichardware.com is not to be trusted 100%, as it could be fake or inaccurate. Also, there’s no way to know if that benchmarked gadget is actually the Galaxy Note 10.1 expected to hit the market this summer, or if it’s a future version of the tablet currently tested by Sammy, but due for a release in the winter or maybe next year. Either way, though, it’s nice to see Samsung push the envelope and no matter when will this gadget come, you can bet that it will be spectacular.

What do you guys think? Are these benchmarks results real? Will Samsung hit it big with the Galaxy Note 10.1? Will this added performance be enough to challenge Apple’s reign on the tablet market? Tell us your opinions in the comments section below!

NEXT: Samsung Compares the New iPad with Galaxy Note 10.1, Says “Ours is Better”

Should the Galaxy S3 Wait for a Dual Core Cortex A15 CPU and a Mali T604 GPU? Samsung clicks Undo on Galaxy Note 10.1

If you were intrigued by those 21-inch e-paper tablets Bridgestone showcased last year, you’re sure to be bummed by this news. The company has announced that plans to withdraw from the electronic paper business and expects to bring production to a screeching halt by the end of October. Citing increased competition and rapid declines in material prices for the move, the outfit looks “to put an increased focus on its core businesses.” As you may recall, Bridgestone had partnered with Delta Electronics to develop the business-focused AeroBee tablets and it remains to be seen if the latter part of the duo will continue its e-paper exploits with a new mate.

Continue reading Bridgestone reveals plan to withdraw from e-paper business, AeroBee loses its buzz

Bridgestone reveals plan to withdraw from e-paper business, AeroBee loses its buzz originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 12:22:00 EST.

Google first teased live tab syncing in Chrome 19 beta, and it’s now available for all of us who tread the safer path of Stable releases. If you weren’t living on the bleeding edge for long enough to try the syncing early, you’ll be glad to know that it lets you see and quickly sync all the tabs that are open on any device signed into your Google account. That includes your phone or tablet, if you’ve got Android 4.0 and the Chrome for Android beta loaded up. Like with the beta, though, you’ll have to cool your jets if you were hoping to get live syncing right away: Chrome 19 Stable is pushing automatically over the next few days, but tab syncing will take weeks to be ready for everybody.

Continue reading Google Chrome 19 Stable arrives, shares live tabs across your computers and phones (video)

Google Chrome 19 Stable arrives, shares live tabs across your computers and phones (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 12:01:00 EST.

Facebook has launched new versions of its iOS and Android news feeds, along with a new site for mobile web users, that increases the size of pictures when seen in the news feed. Read more…

We know smartphone and tablet owners like to buy games. But if you go by a new ABI exploration of user habits, most of us aren’t buying much of anything. More than 70 percent of the crowd spends little to nothing on mobile apps, dragging down the average of $14 spent per month among paying customers to a median of $7.50 when you include the skinflints. As you might imagine, that leaves the remaining 30 percent making up for a lot of slack: three percent of downloaders represent a fifth of all the spending in the mobile app world. Researchers suggest that developers focus on a long-term strategy of freemium pricing or utility apps to get more customers buying, but we imagine that writing more games about catapulting frustrated birds might just work out on its own.

Continue reading More than 70 percent of mobile users pay little for apps, big spenders make up for us cheapskates

More than 70 percent of mobile users pay little for apps, big spenders make up for us cheapskates originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 02:26:00 EST.