Items tagged with gingerbread
Heads up folks, the latest version of Google Play services will be the last one to support Android 2.3 Gingerbread and Android 3.0 Honeycomb devices. Google put the word out in a blog post on Monday, saying that Google Play services 10.0.0 and Firebase 10.0.0 client libraries for Android will be the last versions to support Android API level 9 (Android 2.3 Gingerbread). The next scheduled release is Google Play services version 10.2.0, which will increase the minimum supported API level from 9 to 14 (Android 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich) when Google releases it to the public sometime in early 2017. That will effectively leave Gingerbread and Honeycomb behind, rendering them obsolete platforms. For...
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Google's developer dashboard for Android reveals that Jelly Bean is now the most popular version of the company's open source operating system, finally eclipsing Gingerbread to take the top spot. Jelly Bean is installed on more than a third of all Android devices (37.9 percent for versions 4.1.x and 4.2.x combined), and so is Gingerbread (Android 2.3.3 - 2.3.7) at 34.1 percent, though the two OSes are moving in opposite directions. The data is based on the number of devices that visited Google Play in the past 14 days so it's not 100 percent accurate, though it's the best representation of the Android market available. Source: Google Jelly Bean has found its stride, and that's great news for...
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It’s been about a year and a half since Google released Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, yet a majority of Android devices still don’t run it. An even smaller percentage have the ‘tweener release, Android 4.1/4.2 Jelly Bean. There’s still a preponderance of Android devices stuck with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which is all the more striking when you consider that Android 5.0 (likely codenamed Key Lime Pie) is coming soon. However, according to Android Developer data, all Android 4.0 versions (i.e., Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean) have finally overtaken Gingerbread on a majority of Android devices. The margin is slim--45.1% to 44/1%--but the gap is growing. (The numbers...
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It's been more than six months since Google first introduced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and it's taken that long to break the 10 percent barrier in Android market share. According to the Android Developers Dashboard, Jelly Bean is now installed on 10.2 percent of all Android devices that have accessed Google Play within the past two weeks. That's either promising or depressing, depending on your outlook. Essentially one out of every 10 Android devices is rocking Jelly Bean, and if you own one, then you have reason to grin. But if you're like the majority, your device has either been abandoned by the manufacturer and your wireless carrier, or you're waiting patiently for a Jelly Bean update that...
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Another month is in the books (September), and that means it's time to examine the state of Android. What did we find? Well, according to data posted on the Android Developers blog, Gingerbread (Android 2.3 to 2.3.2) is still the most widely used version of Google's mobile operating system and is installed on more than half of all active Android devices (55.8 percent). The next closest build is Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.3 to 4.0.4), which has been unwrapped on less than half as many devices, accounting for 23.7 percent. Where things get interesting is if you throw Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) in the mix, which accounts for 1.8 percent. Between the two latest builds, more than a quarter of active...
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Whenever Apple releases a new iOS version, most who own an iPhone have the benefit of being able to upgrade. It's one of the biggest advantages of going Apple, while the opposite can sometimes be said about Android. Would you believe that despite having been released last October, Ice Cream Sandwich still isn't the dominant Android version? It gets even worse. The most popular Android version during all of 2012 is Gingerbread, also known as 2.3, released in December 2010. To say this is a bit disheartening as an Android fan isn't a stretch. While I sit here waiting impatiently for a Jelly Bean update to my gear, most are forced to stick with an OS, that quite honestly, began to show its age long...
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Cover your eyes, Android fans, here comes that dirty F-word no one in the Google camp likes to see, hear, or acknowledge: Fragmentation. It's an F-bomb that resonates with any Android user waiting on their carrier to deliver that delicious Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) update long after Gingerbread (Android 2.3) started to taste stale. The good news is, things are improving. And the bad news? There's still a long ways to go. Google's Android Developers portal was just updated with new statistics that show the current distribution of Android builds to date. By and large Gingerbread is the most-used version of Android, with nearly three quarters (65 percent) of all active Android devices running...
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Fujitsu is chasing after business users living in Japan with its new and weirdly named Stylistic M350/CA2 Android tablet. It's a 7-inch slate Fujitsu recommends for a variety of enterprise applications, such as a portable tablet for pitching business presentations to clients, a digital display terminal for retail stores, or for use in schools, each of which is accompanied by a goofy marketing picture. Marketing nonsense aside, this is a Gingerbread (Android 2.3) tablet with a WSVGA (1024x600) touchscreen display that weighs 420 grams. It has a mini-HDMI port, built in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, 512MB of RAM, and battery life of about 6.1 hours. It's unclear what processor Fujitsu is using in the Stylistic...
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After years of work and a few false starts, Intel is finally ready to take the plunge into the smartphone market. At the CES keynote tonight, the CPU giant is officially launching Medfield, the 32nm smartphone SoC the company has built to take it into the next generation of smartphones (and a few tablets). The chip, now officially named the Atom Z2460, is ready for prime time. We visited Intel HQ in December and were briefed on the next-generation phone and what Intel expects it to do. After Moorestown's disappointing performance in the space, the CPU giant is keen to put its best foot forward, and our time with the company reflected that. Intel isn't trying to position Medfield as an ARM-crusher,...
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LG's giving its Optimus smartphone a second act. Simply enough, it's called the Optimus 2, the details of which are now available on LG's website, along with a photo gallery. What you'll find if you surf on over is a mostly entry-level smartphone device, at least by today's standards, with what could be an unmolested version of Google's Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) platform running the show. Tech specs include: 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen (320x480) 800MHz processor 3.2MP rear-facing camera Virtual QWERTY keyboard Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR 2GB microSD card included (supports up to 32GB) GPS The Optimus 2 also sports a 1,500 mAh battery LG claims is good for up to 5 hours of talk time and/or or up to...
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Starting today, Verizon Wireless customers will be able to order the new LG Enlighten smartphone from the carrier's website. This phone runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and has an 800MHz processor. The Enlighten features a 3.2-inch touch screen display with a resolution of 320 x 480, 3G Mobile Hotspot capabilities, and a 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera and camcorder. The LG Enlighten will sell for $79.99 after discounts and with a contract. Although the phone is currently available for ordering online, it won't reach stores until September 29. Verizon Wireless And LG Mobile Illuminate With LG Enlighten™ Multi-tasking and Customization are Easy with LG Enlighten on the Verizon Wireless Network...
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Over the last couple of weeks, since HP announced its will no longer manufacture devices using WebOS and the ensuing fire-sale of HP TouchPads, there has been much talk about porting Android over to the TouchPad to breathe some new life into an otherwise pretty nice piece of hardware. There are already a couple of projects underway and some sizable bounties available for the first developer (or team of devs) that port Android over to the TouchPad. The goal is to first port Gingerbread, i.e. Android 2.3, to the TouchPad and to then start working on Honeycomb (v3.0), which is the first version of Android specifically designed for larger-screened tablets. If we were betting men, we’d...
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One of the biggest gripes from customers who purchase phones directly from a U.S. carrier (as opposed to unlocked) is that carriers aren't always so quick to push out Android updates. Case in point -- the unlocked Nexus One received its Froyo updates long before any other phone, and the Nexus S has seen updates faster as well. AT&T is responding to customer demands, though: the carrier just announced that upgrades to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) are planned for all post-paid Android smartphones already introduced this year. That means that the Motorola Atrix 4G will get the update starting today, and HTC Inspire 4G owners will see it in the coming weeks. The Atrix 4G update will allow users...
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T-Mobile may not be T-Mobile for much longer if the proposed AT&T merger goes through, but the carrier is still pumping out a nice array of handsets in the meantime. This week, the company added another HTC smartphone to their lineup, the Wildfire S. The phone actually debuted in Europe a few months ago, but now it's making its way to the U.S. It's an Android-powered phone (v3.2 of Gingerbread) with a 3.2" capacitive touch screen display, a 5MP camera / video recorder and a virtual QWERTY keyboard (with Swype). It's expected to become available on August 3 for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate with a two-year service agreement and qualifying Classic voice and data plan, and of course, HTC's...
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Rumors that Amazon is planning a tablet of its own have sparked concerns over whether or not the company can properly differentiate between Kindle and a tablet without inadvertently cannibalizing or obviating the former--but what if readers didn't have to choose? Thanks the thinking behind the Nook2Tablet software, which allows readers to turn Barnes & Nobles' Nook into an Android device by inserting a microSD card. The microSD cards are priced at $34.99 (8GB), $49.99 (16 GB), and $89.99 (32GB). The company takes pains to reassure customers that their dollars aren't going towards a software purchase. "When you buy a Nook2Android card you are purchasing the highest quality Sandisk MicroSD...
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Verizon Wireless is continuing to expand the Droid smartphone lineup. Today, the wireless carrier introduced the DROID 3 by Motorola. This smartphone claims to be the world’s thinnest full QWERTY smartphone. In addition to its keyboard, the DROID 3 features a dual-core 1 GHz processor, 8-megapixel camera, Android 2.3, 4-inch qHD display, and Mobile Hotspot capabilities. The DROID 3 by Motorola is currently available online and will be available in Verizon Wireless stores by July 14 for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement. VERIZON WIRELESS INTRODUCES THE NEXT GENERATION DROID DELIVERING POWER AND PERFORMANCE: THE DROID 3 BY MOTOROLA Full Keyboard, No Compromises; DROID 3 by Motorola...
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Sony Ericsson is adding to its smartphone lineup with the introduction of the new Xperia mini and the Xperia mini pro. Sony's goal with the Xperia family is to offer entertaining smartphones while still giving users a choice. To that end, the new Xperia mini and the Xperia mini pro offer many of the hottest multimedia features such as HD-video recording as well as a Reality display with Mobile Bravia engine. The phones also have a 1 GHz processor, increased memory, and a small form factor. Both of the smartphones will also feature Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) out of the box. Sony intends to make these new phones available in Q3. Sony Ericsson unveils next-generation Xperia minis Introducing two...
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When we reviewed the Nexus S 4G, we said we wish the phone would be available through additional channels (at the time, it was an unlocked phone that had T-Mobile service sold through Best Buy). Now, our wish has been granted: Today, Sprint and Google announced plans to bring the Nexus S 4G from Google to Sprint this spring. The phone will still be manufactured by Samsung and will feature Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Other specs include a 1GHz Samsung application processor, a Super AMOLED touchscreen, 4-inch Contour Display, a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera and camcorder and front-facing VGA camera. First Pure Google 4G Device with Android 2.3 in the U.S., Nexus S 4G from Google and Samsung, Coming...
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Acer announced the new Acer ICONIA TAB A500. This 10.1-inch tablet will run on Google's Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) operating system with an Acer user interface. The screen on this tablet will be a high resolution, high color contrast display with wide viewing angles. You'll find a built-in HDMI port and 1080p output on this tablet as well, enabling you to share your HD content from the tablet with a big screen TV or monitor. The tablet measures 13.3mm thick. Acer touts the ICONIA TAB A500's ability to run and play premium HD arcade games and complex online 3D games, thanks in part to the tablet's multi-touch screen and gyro meter control. Under the hood, you'll find a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor...
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Acer announced a new smartphone that is described as blending the capabilities of a tablet with a smartphone format. The new ICONIA SMART features a large, 4.8-inch widescreen display with a 21:9 aspect ratio and multi-touch capabilities. The smartphone also features a full metal body that measures 141.7 x 64.5 x 13.6 mm. Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) powers the ICONIA SMART. Acer has also integrated the clear.fi media sharing system to give you the ability to wirelessly control all of the multimedia content in your home. Other key specs include a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 6-axis motion sensing (Gyroscope + accelerometer), 8MP rear-facing camera and LED flash, and a 2MP front camera. The Acer ICONIA...
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Samsung, like Sony Ericsson and Nokia, had a press event today in Barcelona to kick off the opening of Mobile World Congress. And like SE, Samsung had a few surprises in store for those who came. The first was the next version of the highly successful Galaxy S. That smartphone has sold over 10 million units worldwide, and Samsung (along with Google) is very proud of that fact. Rather than drastically changing the formula, Samsung's making the next version pretty familiar. In fact, it's simply called the Galaxy S II. Rather than renaming a popular device, the company is just throwing a II on the end of it and calling it a day. But it's still an impressive device. It's the new world's slimmest...
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The world’s first PlayStation certified smartphone is a reality. Sony Ercisson officially revealed today in Barcelona a phone that the world has known about for months: the Xperia Play. It's odd that SE isn't just calling this the PlayStation Phone (or the PSP Phone), because that's pretty much exactly what it is. This device is what happens when an Xperia Arc gets smashed into a PSP, and the Xperia Play is said to combine PlayStation-quality gaming with the latest in Android technology. It's obviously designed with gamers in mind, and to take away a share of the gaming market from Apple, who has seemingly figured out how to entice gamers by using just a multi-touch display. In portrait...
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