You may not be able to get Android 2.3 loaded in any official capacity on your Nexus One yet — or any other phone, for that matter — but Google’s 2.3 SDK is now available, which means there’s an emulator attached, too. As with most development emulators, this one’s a stripped-down subset of the apps and settings you’d see on an actual retail device; basically, all that’s left is the bare minimum Google figures its developers are going to need to code apps. Be that as it may, we noticed a few things that stuck out: Overall, the UI changes are extremely subtle, and generally for the better. We prefer the new looks for the status bar, keyboard, and menus over their Froyo equivalents. We couldn’t get a sense of the performance improvements — the emulators is slow as molasses for us and really has zero bearing on how it’ll perform on devices. When you reach the end of a scrolled list, the side of the list that has reached the end glows orange briefly, presumably to make it even more obvious that you’re at the end. Even the browser does this — it’s an interesting effect that we kind of liked. The miserable default camera UI is exactly the same. Expect manufacturers to continue to replace this with wild abandon. The Gmail app isn’t included in the emulator, so fear not when you’re looking at the screen shot of the unthreaded messages — that’s the “standard” email app. The fingertip-sized markers for highlighting text work quite well, including in the browser. They seem to consistently disappear after a few seconds and automatically highlight and / or copy the text in between the markers; we’re not sold on whether we like that behavior. Clearly, the jury’s out until we’ve got a Nexus S firmly planted in our hands — but in the meanwhile, check out a bunch of shots of Gingerbread doing its thing in the gallery below. Gallery: Android 2.3 Gingerbread in pictures Android 2.3 Gingerbread in pictures originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 23:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google Maps for Mobile 5 unveiled, adds dynamic map drawing and offline mode
December 7, 2010 No Comment
Why look at static images when you can get a more 3D view of the urban scene? Google’s Maps for Mobile 5 just got previewed on stage by Andy Rubin at D: Dive Into Mobile — with a prototype Motorola Honeycomb tablet , no less! The biggest visual change is dynamic map drawing: vectors instead of flat images that scale without render hiccups and will show the buildings fleshed out for over 100 cities — we gotta say, it looks great. Even more fun is that you can now use two fingers to tilt and rotate around the map (in addition to moving and pinch-to-zoom, of course). We’ve been told the storage for these vectors is much smaller than the current images, which brings us to… offline caching. Maps will keep on file the locations that you go to (and search) most often, and it’ll be able to reroute while offline in Navigation. You’ll still need a connection for altering the route altogether — sorry, subway-hoppers — but once you go, even if you stray, you’ll still be rerouted back on track. Most modern Android phones from the original Droid onward should be able to enjoy most if not all the new features, depending on hardware capabilities (3D rendering) and “distinct multitouch” hardware support — the Nexus One, interestingly enough, supports vector maps but not the rotate functionality because it lacks the latter multitouch requirements. Google sent us a list of devices that support 100 percent of 5.0′s features, which you can find after the break. The update is due out in the “coming days,” according to Rubin. Great way to kick off Nexus S’ launch, then. Gallery: Google Maps for Mobile 5.0 Continue reading Google Maps for Mobile 5 unveiled, adds dynamic map drawing and offline mode Google Maps for Mobile 5 unveiled, adds dynamic map drawing and offline mode originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sure, Google might have just dropped Android 2.3 Gingerbread on the Nexus S just today, but that’s old news — Andy Rubin just took the stage at D: Dive Into Mobile and announced that Honeycomb is due “next year” with support for tablets. Andy demoed the new version of the OS on a Motorola prototype tablet , and it was very different, and highly customized — although there were still grids of icons, the apps were more “desktop” in flavor, and the traditional Android buttons weren’t present. We’re waiting for more details, we’ll let you know what’s up. Developing… Android Honeycomb coming ‘next year,’ adds tablet support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Motorola Android tablet prototype makes a cameo at D: Dive Into Mobile running Honeycomb
December 7, 2010 No Comment
Google’s Andy Rubin brought more than just a Nexus S in his bag of goodies tonight. On stage at D: Dive Into Mobile, the man has brought with him a prototype Android tablet from Motorola. It’s got video chat, an NVIDIA processor, a “dual core 3D processor,” and… oh yeah, it runs Honeycomb , not Gingerbread. Little else is known — Rubin immediately turned his attention to a new release of Google Maps — but we wouldn’t be surprised if we were looking at Stingray , a tablet rumored for a launch on Verizon shortly. Is it seven inches? Ten? We honestly don’t know — but our gut tells us on the bigger side of the spectrum, which would line up with rumblings that the Stingray would in fact be a full ten inches diagonally. Feast your eyes on our pics below! Gallery: Motorola Android tablet prototype makes a cameo at D: Dive Into Mobile Motorola Android tablet prototype makes a cameo at D: Dive Into Mobile running Honeycomb originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Stay tuned… there’s some serious Nexus S / Android action about to occur. Continue reading Google’s Andy Rubin live from D: Dive Into Mobile Google’s Andy Rubin live from D: Dive Into Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Yoomi and Duo join forces for an ‘Apples to Apples’ esque experience… on your Apple iPad
December 7, 2010 No Comment
Because your game board of an iPad can’t always be used for heated, futuristic Scrabble matches or perennially peeved pigeons , Discovery Bay Games has devised a divertissement of its own that, in its words (no pun intended), requires no reading. Actually, Yoomi for has a really cool trick in that it uses the Duo, a chip collector that rests on top of the display. Here’s how it works: one person picks (the selection hidden from the group by the Duo) between two cards with no criteria whatsoever (e.g. Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot). The rest of the group puts a token into the slot corresponding to their guess. Once the correct answer is revealed, the Duo “magically” (how coy) knows which answer was right and drops the tokens into the connected bin, leaving those who guessed wrong to pick up the pieces and try again. First player to rid themselves of all tokens wins! Interested in actually letting your family drop things on the iPad screen this holiday season? App is free, Duo is $40 from Toys R Us — and if you’re still need more, video is after the break. Continue reading Yoomi and Duo join forces for an ‘Apples to Apples’ esque experience… on your Apple iPad Yoomi and Duo join forces for an ‘Apples to Apples’ esque experience… on your Apple iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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What can HTML5 do for you? Quite a lot, as it happens. A chap by the name of Franz Enzenhofer has put together a real-time effects mixer for a fan-made Tron trailer, which combines HTML5 with a dash of JavaScript and a sprinkling of CSS to demonstrate the awesome potency of open web standards . You can recolor, reposition, rotate, stretch, or skew the video, all while it plays. We’ve got the unaltered trailer, made earlier this year as a sort of homage to the 1982 picture, for you after the break, but you’ll want to hit the source link to start post-processing it with the finest browser-based video editor yet. Continue reading HTML5 prettifies fan-made Tron trailer… in real time! (video) HTML5 prettifies fan-made Tron trailer… in real time! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Hard to say why this here fad is just now catching on — after all, select studios warmed to the idea of putting their content onto portable flash storage years ago. That said, we’ve seen both Flix on Stix and this here contraption surface within the same month, but honestly, we’re having a hard time believing that it’s a niche waiting to explode. Mo-DV has just announced a new Universal Player for microSD cards, enabling Symbian, Android, Windows Mobile and your everyday Windows PC to play back DRM’d movies stored on a microscopic slab of memory. As for Android users, they’ll need version 2.1 or newer, and while few details are given, the company has confessed that more platform support is coming (good luck, Windows Phone 7 ). No one’s talking pricing or release information just yet, but potentially more frightening is this: has anyone ever considered just how inconvenient it is to keep a handful of microSD cards around, let alone swap them in and out of your smartphone? Continue reading Mo-DV bringing major motion pictures to microSD cards Mo-DV bringing major motion pictures to microSD cards originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Android 2.3 definitely supports game controls, may (or may not) be PlayStation-related
December 6, 2010 No Comment
Google’s really been big today on emphasizing that Gingerbread is better than ever for game development, and that’s already bearing itself out thanks to a page culled from the Android 2.3 SDK where we see a handful of new keycodes in the system clearly targeted for gaming: L1, L2, R1, R2, Select, Start, and so on. Does it have anything to do with the Sony Ericsson Zeus Z1 and all the PlayStation phone noise, though? We imagine it lays some of the groundwork, but all told, it’s hard to say — after all, PlayStation famously uses shapes for its primary controls, and we wouldn’t be surprised if Sony were working on a separate development environment of some sort for PlayStation-branded titles rather than letting it all flow through the official Android SDK proper. We also don’t yet know whether Sony Ericsson’s gaming efforts are coming in the Gingerbread or the Honeycomb timeframe (though we’re definitely expecting news next February at MWC ), but one way or another, game devs should find it a little easier now to map the controls they need. Android 2.3 definitely supports game controls, may (or may not) be PlayStation-related originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve had our eyes on Argo Medical Technologies’ ReWalk for a couple years, ever since the exoskeleton walked into view with a gait (and a sound) eerily reminiscent of RoboCop’s. The device weighs seven pounds and features two leg braces with motorized joints and motion sensors, a harness, and a backpack for holding the computer that controls the device and a battery that should last a good three-and-a-half hours. In addition to giving paraplegics the ability to walk, this bad boy can be used to treat the health complications of those who cannot walk on their own, including digestive, cardiovascular, and circulatory issues. After clinical trials in the US and Israel, the device is due to go on sale to rehab centers worldwide this January. The cost for one will be in the $100,000 mark. ReWalk exoskeleton on sale in January, for a price you can’t afford originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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