Category Archives: News

News: Google Drive arrives with 5GB of free storage

Catching up with the other big news of this week: Google Drive has launched with 5GB of free storage. For details, watch this introductory video, check out review by The Verge and see this chart by Endadget comparing Google Drive to Dropbox, SkyDrive and iCloud. For me, as a heavy user of Google Docs for at least 5 years, […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | 1 Comment

News: unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus now sold directly by Google for $399 w/o contract

This was a great week for Android’s Nexus brand. Google has started selling unlocked GSM version of Galaxy Nexus for $399 without a contract (US only for now). Given that this 5-month old phone was first sold for $299 with a 2-year contract, this is an excellent deal. Both T-Mobile and AT&T offer no-contract “unlimited” data plans, […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | 1 Comment

Official roll out of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to GSM Nexus S begins

Just one day after Galaxy Nexus went on sale in the US, owners of GSM versions of Nexus S rejoice: Google has began the roll out of the Android 4.0. Users running stock Android 2.3.6 should receive OTA update within the coming month. Impatient owners can also install this update manually. Once upgraded, check out […]
Also posted in Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, Mobile | 2 Comments

Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.0 released by Verizon in the US

The wait is over and Galaxy Nexus is finally available in the US from Verizon Wireless. Galaxy Nexus can be purchased online or at Verizon Wireless, Best Buy, Costco and Radio Shack stores. Verizon’s price is $299 with a contract and $649 without a contract, but before rushing to the store, check the online deals such […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | Leave a comment

CyanogenMod 7.1 is released

The most popular Android custom ROM CyanogenMod has released today a new stable version CM 7.1. With almost 6 months since the last stable CM 7.0 release it’s been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait. The new release adds support to 24 more devices, which brings total number of supported devices to 68! […]
Also posted in Android, CyanogenMod, Gingerbread, Mobile | Leave a comment

News: 7″ Amazon Fire, Microsoft and Samsung sign a deal, Cyanogenmod and Xperia, Google Voice, Google+, Skype, Hipmunk, Google Wallet and more

It’s been a while since the last news update, so this roundup of the most interesting news from the past few weeks covers a lot: 7″ Android-based Amazon Fire tablet was unveiled and will start shipping in US for $199 on Nov 15 . The main selling point besides its low price will be access to the vast library […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | Leave a comment

News: Google to acquire Motorola Mobility

A big news for the Android ecosystem: Larry Page announced today a 12.5B acquisition of Motorola Mobility. This acquisition will have a significant impact on many aspects for the Android world: from its Nexus brand, carrier availability, and better OS integration with hardware to a better defense against recent patent attacks on Android. More reaction […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | Leave a comment

Nexus S comes to AT&T on July 24

A great news for potential Android phone buyers: on July 24 Best Buy will start selling Nexus S phone fully compatible with AT&T network for $99 with 2-year contract. AT&T joins T-Mobile and Sprint in supporting Nexus S, which leaves Verizon as the lone carrier without Nexus branded phone. Nexus S ships with the latest version of Android […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | 1 Comment

News: Android Market update, live Google Maps traffic coverage in 13 European countries, 550000 daily Android activations

Catching up with the last week’s news: Roll out of the major upgrade to Android Market for phones has began. User interface has been redesigned from scratch to improve discoverability of apps and games.  If you are in the US, this version adds ability to rent movies and buy books from Android Market. Android 2.2+  phone is required for the update. You […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | Leave a comment

News: offline maps and transit navigation in Google Maps, Skype video calling, Google+ launch

Recent news: Google Maps for Android was updated to version 5.7. New features include turn-by-turn transit navigation (beta), photo viewer for Place pages, and streamlined user interace for getting directions. Google Maps update also added a very useful add-on to the Labs: offline maps download. To enable the add-on, open Maps -> More -> Labs and […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | Leave a comment

News: Android Google Talk audio and video calling now works over T-Mobile’s 3G network

Ever since Google Talk added video and voice chat support for Android phones in April, T-Mobile has been blocking Google Talk calls over its 3G/4G network. Calls worked, of course, over Wi-Fi and cellular networks of other carriers, such as Verizon. This has changed today and both video and audio calling now works flawlessly over T-Mobile’s cellular network. Google Talk […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | Leave a comment

News: Swype 3.0 released with Honeycomb support and resizable keyboard

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Swype. Despite it’s permanent beta status for Android phones that do not have Swype preinstalled, it is by far the best onscreen keyboard that I’ve tried. Swype is the reason I almost never miss physical keyboard. The secret to Swype’s success is that it is a […]
Also posted in Android, Honeycomb, Mobile | Leave a comment

Google I/O 2011 recap: 18 months of Android updates, Music, Movies, Android@Home, Honeycomb 3.1 update, USB Host support and more

The amount of Android news at Google I/O 2011 was impressive. Let’s recap the most important announcements from the conference. Alliance of hardware manufacturers and providers This is possibly the most important news for Android users: the alliance of hardware manufactures and providers announced that new devices will receive the latest Android platform upgrades for 18 months after the device is first […]
Also posted in Android, Honeycomb, Mobile | 2 Comments

News: native Google Docs app for Android is released

Over the last two years Google has added capability to edit Google documents and spreadsheets using Android and iOS mobile browsers. Today Google took the next step and released a native Google Docs app for Android 2.1+ devices. The native app makes it very easy to access documents, spreadsheets and presentations from different Google and […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | Leave a comment

Sony Ericsson will allow to unlock the bootloader in Xperia smartphones

Karl-Johan Dahlström of Sony Ericsson announced today that starting this spring unlocking the bootloader on Xperia phones in a “secure and legal way” will be allowed. It will be possible to unlock the boot loader for certain releases of our 2011 Xperia™ phones, such as Xperia™ arc, Xperia™ neo, Xperia™ pro and Xperia™ PLAY. This is […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | Leave a comment

Old Google documents can now be upgraded to the latest version

If you are an active user of Google Docs, you probably remember a major update a year ago with great new features such as real-time collaboration, advanced formatting tools (ruler, margins indentation, tab stops) and improved revision history. Later, another update brought ability to edit documents in the browser of mobile devices, such as Android, iPhone and iPad. However, […]
Also posted in Tips | Leave a comment

Google Maps now automatically routes you around the traffic

Google Maps for Android just got better: Navigation mode now uses real-time traffic information to automatically route you around the traffic. No update to the Google Maps app is required, as the change has been made on the server side. In the blog post announcing this change, Roy Williams says that “before today, Navigation would choose whichever […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | Leave a comment

Gingerbread 2.3.3 released for Nexus One and Nexus S

The 2-month wait for the official Gingerbread update for Nexus One is over. Google’s Nexus twitter account announced that Gingerbread 2.3.3 OTA update started to roll out last week and will complete in a few weeks. In the meantime impatient Nexus One owners can install this update manually. This release brings the number of Gingerbread powered […]
Also posted in Android, Mobile | 2 Comments

Nokia to develop smartphones running Windows Phone 7

[Update] The reports were correct: statements from Nokia and Microsoft. Intensifying rumors suggest that Nokia may announce on Friday a partnership with Microsoft and will begin shipping phones running Windows Phone 7 operating system. This would mark a dramatic change of direction for Nokia and the partnership with Microsoft would put future of Nokia’s MeeGo platform […]
Also posted in Mobile | Leave a comment

News: Android becomes world’s leading smart phone platform

According to the analysis by Canalys, 33.3 million Android-based smart phones were shipped in Q4 2010, making Android the world’s leading smart phone platform (by number of shipments). Google’s Android had a phenomenal 615% year-over-year growth and passed both Nokia’s Symbian (31 million shipments) and Apple’s iOS (16.2 million).
Also posted in Android, Mobile | Leave a comment