The universal translator is one step closer, Google Translate for Android can now do speech-to-speech translations in 14 languages

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  • October 13, 2011 at 4:53 pm

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Star Trek universal translator - Google Translate

Although it can’t yet translate any alien languages (we’ll have to find some aliens first), Google Translate for Android can now do speech-to-speech translations in 14 languages. That’s right, you can talk to your Android phone, it works in the background and in turn speaks out the translation in the desired language.

The function, called Conversation Mode, had been available in English and Spanish and has now expanded to Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Russian and Turkish.

The technology is still in alpha, so performance can be sketchy; at least you can’t unintentionally start an intergalactic war, yet. The accuracy of the translations will improve as more people use the software and provide feedback.
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Google and Samsung Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich event on October 19 in Hong Kong

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  • October 13, 2011 at 3:08 pm

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Google and Samsung Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich event invite

The original event on October 11th was cancelled, which certainly created a lot of disappointment and anxiety to all those who can’t wait to get the official word on Google’s latest and greatest Android release, Android 4.0, code-named Ice Cream Sandwich.

Google and Samsung have just sent invites to a joint event to take place in Hong Kong on October 19 (October 18 in the US).

As with all previous big Android releases, we’re expecting a new Nexus device to be the first to carry the new operating system, and well, Samsung is the lucky manufacturer this time around. The Nexus Prime (or Galaxy Nexus) is expected to be a killer device, with a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display sporting an HD 1280×720 resolution.

You can get a good look of both the Nexus Prime and Ice Cream Sandwich right here.

On the launch day, you will be able to get a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich directly from Google as the event will be streaming live at youtube.com/android. The event starts at 10am HKT, 3am London time on the 19th, and 10pm on the 18th EST.

Motorola ATRIX 2 announced, gets a bigger screen, to be released Oct 16 on AT&T

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  • October 12, 2011 at 7:24 am

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Motorola ATRIX 2

Why mess with a good thing, that’s what Motorola must have though when it was designing the ATRIX 2. The update to the ATRIX Android handset maintains the same recipe as its predecessor, running on a dual-core 1GHz processor with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage and the same candy-bar design. The biggest update in the ATRIX 2 is its bigger 4.3-inch (from 4.0-inches) screen with a qHD 960×540 resolution. The latest handset is also being released with Android 2.3 Gingerbread (although its older brother, is still stuck on Android 2.2). The ATRIX 2 has an 8MP back and VGA front cameras and can capture 1080p HD video.

It’s rumored that the ATRIX 2 carries a faster TI OMAP processor, ditching the NVidia Tegra 2 processor of the original ATRIX. Motorola has taken a step back with the battery, donning the new phone with a 1785mAh compared to 1930mAh for the ATRIX.

The ATRIX 2 will be available in the US on AT&T on October 16th for $99.99 with a two-year commitment. The phone touts AT&T’s HSPA+ for theoretical download speeds of up to 21Mbps. It shouldn’t take too long for the handset to travel to European shores as well.
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Amazon Kindle Fire vs. B&N Nook Color spec showdown

The Lab

  • October 8, 2011 at 5:49 am

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Amazon Kindle Fire vs. B&N Nook Color

It’s no secret that the upcoming Amazon Kindle Fire tablet has B&N’s Nook Color (NC) in its sights. The two have a lot in common, both have books and magazines deeply embedded in their DNA and both run a very customized Android experience, they are also two of the cheapest 7-inch Android tablet offerings out there. It might not be completely fair to compare the two though, as the Nook Color is a year older, but until B&N comes out with a Nook Color 2, it remains the Kindle Fire’s main competitor.

The Fire wins in terms of processing power and initial reports state that the experience is very smooth, the NC can get a bit slow at times, showing its age. Amazon has a huge cloud presence and its putting it to work with the Fire, which lacks on storage options, Amazon envisions your music and videos stored in its cloud. The Fire also utilizes Amazon’s cloud with its Silk browser which will offer an accelerated browsing experience.

Neither tablet has access to the official Android Market, but the Fire wins in this regard, because the Amazon app store simply has more apps than the Nook. On the other hand the Nook Color is one of the most ‘hackable’ devices out there, so if you get bored with B&N’s customized experience you can quite easily run standard Android with the full Android Market. The Nook Color also wins on looks; the Fire is a standard all-black rounded affair.

For the full spec lowdown between the Fire and the NC head after the break. Be sure to also read our very extensive review of the Nook Color and how much we like its magazine app.
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Google and Samsung postpone the announcement of Android 4.0 and the Nexus Prime

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  • October 7, 2011 at 7:41 am

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Samsung Nexus Prime teaser

Just as we were getting warmed up for the release of the Nexus Prime and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on October 11th at the Unpacked event, Samsung and Google have come out with an announcement postponing the unveiling of the new product. The official word is:

Samsung and Google decide to postpone the new product announcement at CTIA Fall. We agree that it is just not the right time to announce a new product. New date and venue will be shortly announced.

The companies haven’t given a reason for the delay. We could speculate that the announcement was initially hurried to beat the shipping date of the new iPhone. Since an iPhone 5 hasn’t made an appearance, pressure for the two companies has eased leaving them some time to put any final touches to the device and software. But that’s only our own speculation.

In the meantime you can enjoy a video showing-off both the Nexus Prime and Android 4.0.

UPDATE: The two companies have now elaborated in a new statement that the postponement is out of respect to Steve Jobs: We believe this is not the right time to announce a new product as the world expresses tribute to Steve Jobs’s passing. Speculation now calls for rescheduling of the event for October 27th in London this time; clashing with Nokia World 2011 and the release of Nokia’s Windows Phone 7.5 Mango devices.

Samsung Nexus Prime running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich caught on video

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  • October 7, 2011 at 6:36 am

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Samsung Nexus Prime leak

You know that a new product launch is getting near when you have all sorts of leaks happening left and right. If you didn’t already know, the big news coming your way on the smartphone front is the announcement of the first Android 4.0 handset, rumored to be Samsung’s Nexus Prime (a.k.a. Galaxy Nexus) and happening at the next Unpacked event on October 11th.

The latest leak comes from the land of Dracula, mobilissimo.ro has posted a video of the Nexus Prime showing off the AMOLED HD beauty and most importantly Google’s latest Android build. A series of screen captures of the new OS are waiting for you together with the video after the break. Ice Cream Sandwich surely looks sweet!
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Samsung Nexus Prime a.k.a. Galaxy Nexus specced, teased in video — Something big is coming

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  • October 6, 2011 at 2:40 pm

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Samsung Nexus Prime teaser

Next Tuesday, 11th of October, Samsung has another Unpacked event scheduled, this time headed for San Diego, California. The big news is that, this might be one of the most important moments for the Android ecosystem, the unveiling of the first Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” device: the Nexus Prime. Samsung has released a teaser video for the Unpacked event (which you can find after the break) showing a curvy smartphone with docking pins, citing “Something BIG is coming” and a Google logo making friends with a Samsung logo.

We’ve already reported on the rumored specs for the Nexus Prime, i.e. the device could sport a 4.6-inch Super AMOLED 1280×720 HD resolution display, 1.5GHz Processor, 5MP back and 1MP from cameras and shoot 1080p HD video.
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Amazon’s 7-inch Kindle Fire tablet announced: IPS display, dual-core processor, pre-order for $199

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  • September 28, 2011 at 4:33 pm

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Amazon Kindle Fire 7-inch tablet

So, it´s here; Amazon has officially entered the tablet wars with a bang. Jeff Bezos announced today Amazon’s 7-inch tablet, which will be priced even lower than what was initially expected. The Kindle Fire, can be pre-ordered now for $199, $50 less than the Nook Color and less than half the price of most other Android tablets and the iPad 2.

Despite the price however, the Kindle Fire, is a solid device, if not a bit barebones. A 7-inch IPS display with a 1024 x 600 resolution, dominates the front, featuring Gorilla Glass protection. The Fire runs a TI OMAP4 dual-core processor (but no specifics on speed), it also has 8GB of built-in storage and the battery is advertised to last for eight hours of reading or 7.5 hours of video playback. As rumored, the device is very similar in design to the BlackBerry Playbook, measuring 7.5 x 4.7 x 0.45 inches (190 x 120 x 11.5mm) and weighing 14.6 ounces (413g).

There is no camera, no microphone, no GPS, no Bluetooth and no card reader. The Kindle Fire only has a 3.5mm headphone jack, a charge port and a pair of stereo speakers. The back is rubberized, like the Nook Color and the Playbook.
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Amazon’s 7-inch tablet a.k.a. Kindle Fire to be announced this Wednesday

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  • September 27, 2011 at 11:28 am

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Amazon Kindle 7-inch Tablet Stuff-Review mockup

We first reported on an upcoming Android tablet from Amazon a few weeks ago, to be announced and released this fall. Well, Amazon has been sending out invites for a media event this Wednesday, 28th; definitely a ripe time to announce their rumored 7-inch tablet (see our mockup above).

Obviously, a new Android tablet is not big news nowadays. The big news, would come in terms of pricing, with the Kindle Tablet — or Kindle Fire as reported by TechCrunch — selling for around $250 in order to undercut the competition; while putting it in direct line of fire to the B&N Nook Color.

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HTC Raider 4G LTE 4.5-inch 1.5GHz Android smartphone busted taking a ‘Holiday’ in South Korea

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  • September 21, 2011 at 2:22 pm

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HTC Raider 4G LTE Android smartphone

We know it when we see a familiar face. A new Android handset has just been announced by HTC for South Korea, the HTC Raider. The handset is the same, at least externally, as the rumored Holiday said to be released on AT&T. Following the trend of going bigger and faster, the Raider features a qHD (960 x 540) resolution 4-5-inch screen, running a 1.5GHz dual-core processor (our rumors pointed to a 1.2GHz processor for the Holiday, but that might have changed on the way).
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Meet HTC Rhyme, the new 3.7-inch Android smartphone with female sensibilities coming to Verizon, Europe and Asia (video)

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  • September 20, 2011 at 5:21 pm

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HTC Rhyme Android smartphone and accessories

The HTC Rhyme (a.k.a. HTC Bliss) is now official. The Rhyme is a 3.7-inch, 480 x 800 resolution, Android smartphone with a 1GHz single-core processor. The HTC Rhyme will be landing on Verizon, for $199, by the end of the month sporting an elegant, and undeniably female friendly, purple tone. It should also reach European and Asian shores in October and perhaps also adopt champagne and teal color looks.

The smartphone will be shipping with HTC’s new Sense 3.5 UI and Android Gingerbread, have a 5-megapixel back and VGA front-facing cameras, 768MB of RAM and 1GB of available built-in storage. HTC is also launching a series of matching accessories: Purple earphones and Bluetooth headset, a white car speaker and a “charm cable” which glows in purple on incoming calls and messages so you can be alerted discretely. There will also be a docking station which can charge your phone while tuning it into a bedside alarm or music center.

Check out more photos and video after the break.
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Google preparing Android developers for Ice Cream Sandwich, one operating system for all

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  • September 19, 2011 at 2:53 pm

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Actionbar phone and tablet on Android Ice Cream Sandwich

We’re expecting the next version of Android, code-named Ice Cream Sandwich, to come soon. Android versions have diverged, with Android 2.3 Gingerbread running on smartphones and 3.0 Honeycomb running on tablets; ICS is expected to unify the Android system again and will allow the same version of Android to run on all devices, independent of size and resolution.

As the official unveiling comes closer, the precise date still remains unknown, more information is coming out of Google’s headquarters. A post on the official Android Developers’ blog, aimed at helping developers in preparing their tablet friendly Honeycomb apps to work on smartphones with Ice Cream Sandwich, brings us a few interesting bits of information.
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HP TouchPad running Android now with Wi-Fi, accelerometer and audio support (video)

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  • September 19, 2011 at 11:26 am

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HP TouchPad running CM7 with Wi-Fi support

The modding society has been making progress on porting Android to the HP TouchPad. The latest success comes from the very active CM Team, which has managed to enable all important Wi-Fi connectivity (with ensuing download of Angry Birds) on the TouchPad running CyanogenMod 7 (based on Android Gingerbread).

The team also managed to add accelerometer support, so the TouchPad can now switch between landscape and portrait mode (or play a game of Labyrinth) and work-in-progress audio support. We’re still a long way from a fully working port however, with the current build still lacking bluetooth, camera and gyroscope support among others.

Hit the read more link below for a video showing off the goods, as it’s the only way, for now, you can experience CM7 on the TouchPad.

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HTC Vigor to be HTC’s next flagship Android handset; could land on Verizon as the DROID Incredible HD

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  • September 16, 2011 at 7:58 am

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HTC Vigor Android smartphone

It seems that the HTC Sensation XE‘s reign will be short-lived. Rumors, and images, have been going around, of a new flagship Android smartphone by the Taiwanese manufacturer, named HTC Vigor.

The Vigor is rumored to bear some similarities with the Sensation XE, that is a 4.3-inch screen, dual-core 1.5GHz processor and Beats by Dr. Dre audio mode with matching earbuds. However, the HTC Vigor is believed to feature a 720p HD resolution (1280 x 720); that means a retina display worthy 342 ppi density, beating even the iPhone 4’s 330 ppi.

The phone will also have 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 8-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front-facing cameras. It is also said to run the new HTC Sense 3.5 UI on top of Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread.
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