Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android

Google, in an interesting but not entirely unexpected twist, will not be open-sourcing Android 3.0 Honeycomb for the foreseeable future.

Historically, Android is usually open-sourced via the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) a few days or weeks after the code is finalized. While this departure from the norm won't affect OEMs like HTC and Motorola that have access to internal builds of Android, small-time developers will likely have to wait months before rolling their own distributions.

As to why Google is holding back Honeycomb, its reasons are actually rather rational. Honeycomb, while originally intended to run on all mobile form factors, is only ready for deployment on tablets. "To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs," says Andy Rubin, the head of Google's Android group. "We didn't want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones. It would have required a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable. So we took a shortcut."

In other words, Google wants to prevent OEMs and homebrew developers like Cyanogen from rolling their own smartphone versions of Honeycomb -- it doesn't want to see the same bitter-tasting tabletified bastardization that occurred with Android 2.1 and 2.2 last year.

Continue reading Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android

Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/25/google-holds-back-on-open-sourcing-honeycomb-heralds-shift-android/

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HP Assigns Dedicated Tech Support for Elite PCs

Hewlett-Packard has expanded technology support options for its premium Elite PC customers, who will now be able to select a single tech support person to deal...

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=26295193f619849441f497838e5180b0

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PSX games now available in the Android Market, if you own an Xperia Play

If you're lucky enough to own an Xperia Play -- Sony Ericsson's new Gingerbread-powered smartphone-cum-gamepad -- you can now buy PlayStation (PSX) titles from the Android Market.

There are five titles currently available, all priced at £3.99: Syphon Filter, MediEvil, Cool Boarders 2, Destruction Derby, and Jumping Flash. They don't have an American price yet, but that will surely change once the Xperia Play launches in the States.

Two important questions remain unanswered: How big are these games? The Market descriptions say the games are only 5MB, but that sounds incredibly unlikely -- and more importantly, will it be possible to 'spoof' the Xperia Play and download PSX games onto other Gingerbread-powered phones, like the Nexus S?

In other news, the PlayStation emulator PSX4droid was recently removed from the Android Market. This obviously has nothing to do with today's release of first-party PlayStation games.

PSX games now available in the Android Market, if you own an Xperia Play originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/psx-games-now-available-in-the-android-market/

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Google Voice Search learns Latin American Spanish, Indonesian, and Malaysian

Google Voice Search has just introduced localizations for Latin America, Indonesia and Malaysia, enabling native language search for hundreds of millions of users.

Google's official blog post offers some interesting insights into the process of collecting and analyzing the speech data needed to expand support. Thousands of hours were spent gathering voice samples and choosing key regional accents to analyze, and International Program Manager Linne Ha is clearly very appreciative of the Google users who helped the company complete the expansion. Without an enthusiastic base of users to lend a hand, Google Voice Search's polyglot powers would have been nearly impossible to deliver.

Google Voice Search learns Latin American Spanish, Indonesian, and Malaysian originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/google-voice-search-learns-latin-american-spanish-indonesian-a/

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Corning's Gorilla Glass 2 Is Coming Soon To A Phone Near You

Corning has sent the first shipments of its new Gorilla Glass 2 to "key device makers" who will use the new glass in devices planned for release this year. As the next-generation version of the widely used cover glass for smartphones and other consumer electronic devices, Gorilla Glass 2 improves upon the original version by offering the same...

Source: http://hothardware.com/News/Cornings-Gorilla-Glass-2-Is-Coming-Soon-To-A-Phone-Near-You/

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Sony Takes the Long View With its New PlayStation Vita

The PlayStation Vita launches Wednesday in the U.S. and Europe amid Sony's biggest sales event in recent memory.

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=3667ed566f50ca6716fb2fa3aa78a898

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Bing begins roll out of HTML5-enhanced search interface

Bing's new HTML5-and-CSS3-enhanced search interface, which was first demonstrated back in September 2010 to showcase the power of IE9, has started to roll out.

The most notable addition to the new interface is is smooth page transitions -- the fade in and out -- and navigation tabs (maps, images, videos, etc.) now persistently float at the top of the page. WinRumors is also reporting that a feature reminiscent of Google Instant search is being added to Bing, with page elements smoothly transitioning in and out as you type in your search query.

If you want to try out the new Bing UI, your best bet is to set your locale to United States - English and pray that you're part of the initial roll out. Alternatively, just wait a few days until MIX 2011, Microsoft's Web developer conference, which is when the new Bing UI should be officially launched.

Bing begins roll out of HTML5-enhanced search interface originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/08/bing-begins-roll-out-of-html5-enhanced-search-interface/

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LG Optimus L-style series hands-on

LG's Optimus L-style family of (slightly more) affordable devices is here, packing a similar designer flavor to the Prada phone 3.0 alongside some reduced specifications. Three models made their debut here at MWC, from the 4.3-inch Optimus L7 to the dinkier 3.2-inch L3, with the 4-inch L5 offering a size and specification compromise right in the middle. Skip on past the break for some first impressions.

Gallery: LG Optimus L-series hands-on at MWC 2012

Continue reading LG Optimus L-style series hands-on

LG Optimus L-style series hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/28/lg-optimus-l-style-series-hands-on/

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Firefox 4 Mobile officially released for Android and Maemo devices

Moments ago, Mozilla stripped the release candidate moniker from Firefox 4 Mobile and pronounced it fit for public release. If you have a Nokia N900 phone, or a fairly-modern Android 2.0-or-later device, go ahead and install it from the Market, by using scanning the QR code after the break, or by visiting Firefox.com/m.

Accompanying the release is the launch of Spark, a cute social game that's designed to fuel the adoption of Firefox 4 Mobile, much like last week's use of Glow and Twitter Party during Firefox 4 PC's release.

While the browser still feels a little rough around the edges, it's definitely worth trying out if you're still using Android's stock browser. Its JavaScript performance is significantly better than any other Android browser, and if you use Firefox on your PC, its built-in Sync functionality is awesome.

Over the next few days we'll have plenty of tips and tricks for Firefox 4 Mobile, and a list of the best add-ons available for the new browser.

Continue reading Firefox 4 Mobile officially released for Android and Maemo devices

Firefox 4 Mobile officially released for Android and Maemo devices originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/29/firefox-4-mobile-officially-released-for-android-and-maemo-devic/

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Pastebin updated to V3, releases Windows app

Pastebin is a very popular website aimed at coders and other nerdy types, which allows them (or should I say, us) to paste and share snippets of code with lovely syntax highlighting.

It has recently undergone a major overhaul which includes the release of a brand new Windows client. The new client lets you create new "pastes" and manage your existing ones. It joins a host of other tools from Pastebin, such as the Google and Chrome extensions, OS X widget and the mobile apps.

If you're currently using Pastebin, the new client is a great addition. And if you haven't tried it before, next time you have a piece of code you want to share or get some feedback on, you could do worse than try out Pastebin.

[Thanks, Jeroen!]

Pastebin updated to V3, releases Windows app originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/04/pastebin-updated-to-v3-releases-windows-app/

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Android 5.0 Jelly Bean Mobile Operating System May Arrive in Spring 2012

Rumors indicate that Google may push out the tablet-friendlier Android 5.0 "Jelly Bean" version of its Android operating system in the second quarter of this year.

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=9e61a7d6d94b706f5cfdc50d914306c0

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Lumigon's T2 smartphone wants to control your TV, obey your commands

Ever notice how often you lose your TV remote, but how rarely lose track of that social lifeline you call a smartphone? So did the folks at Denmark-based Lumigon, that's why they've put their Scandinavian heads together to build the Lumigon T2, a Android 4.0 smartphone that's also a universal remote control. In addition to this handset's 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 8 megapixel rear facing camera and Bang & Olufsen ICEpower sound, this phone's northern lip can copy commands from remote controls and emulate them using on screen buttons or programmable gestures. Above the T2's 3.8-inch Gorilla glass screen is a dual-action "activity button" that can reportedly be programmed to perform any function the phone has to offer -- like activating an LED flashlight, initiating speed-dial or even turning on and off your TV. Sound pretty sweet? Sure it is -- just don't lose it in the couch. The T2 is scheduled to hit select markets in Europe in Asia later this year, hit the break for the official press release.

Continue reading Lumigon's T2 smartphone wants to control your TV, obey your commands

Lumigon's T2 smartphone wants to control your TV, obey your commands originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/26/lumigons-t2-smartphone-wants-to-control-your-tv-obey-your-comm/

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Trendy Italian Leather Laptop Bag Can Double as Purse

At roughly $277 the Marshall Bergman Tahlia Clutch Bag is pricey, but it's sturdy enough to protect your MacBook Air and chic enough to carry as your main purse.

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=de45f233229ae5b1cd2fab645d1f39e1

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Chrome 11 beta adds new experimental APIs for proxies, Web navigation

Google Chrome 11 -- which just recently made the move to the browser's beta channel -- has received a minor update that gives developers access to two new APIs.

The first is a full-featured proxy API, which will, for example, allow users to set different proxy servers for normal browsing and Incognito mode. Proxy auto-config scripts are also supported by the API.

The second -- Web Navigation Extension -- is a bit more expansive. This API will allow devs to build everything from more powerful safe browsing extensions -- like Traffic Light -- to data analysis and reporting extensions.

Both APIs are currently experimental, so you'll need to enable them on the about:flags page to try out any relevant extensions. Apart from a proxy example built by Google and shipped with the Chromium source, we're not aware of any examples just yet, however. We'll let you know when we spot any slick, new extensions which do surface.

Chrome 11 beta adds new experimental APIs for proxies, Web navigation originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/chrome-11-beta-adds-new-experimental-apis-for-proxies-web-navig/

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FCC probes Google over Street View program's collection of personal data

The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday it is investigating whether Google violated communications laws when it collected data from WiFi networks in U.S. homes through its Street View mapping program.

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=85459fed96b3ccfc3e309a3bd859461a

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