Many phones powered by Google’s Android mobile operating system have yet to get updated to the latest version. One of the most infamous cases of this is the line up of Samsung Galaxy S devices which has yet to see an Android Froyo 2.2 update despite Gingerbread 2.3 already being on the market.
If you have an iPhone 3G and are looking to put your Galaxy S touting friends to shame, you’ll be glad to know that Android 2.3 has been ported to Apple’s smartphone. Utilizing the OpeniBoot software, this Android 2.3 port looks to be generally well functioning despite some notable lag. While this probably won’t be the most practical port, it serves as a proof of concept that reiterates the fact that the open source platform can infact run on Apple’s hardware.
Check out the above video and let us know what you think. Would you rather your iPhone run Android or are you happy with iOS?
With every device release hardware manufacturers look to jam as many new features as they can into the devices. As of late, in the tablet world, things that are quickly becoming the norm are dual-core processors, front/rear facing cameras and just about every sensor you can think of including accelerometers, gyroscopes, proximity sensors and more. A big name tablet that features many of these sensors is none other than the Android ‘Honeycomb‘ 3.0 powered Motorola Xoom which we saw demonstrated heavily at this year’s CES.
However, it seems that Motorola is looking to make their tablet quite unique by including a barometer. If you’re not aware, a barometer is an instrument used by meteorologists to measure atmospheric pressure in turn making for more accurate weather predictions. To our knowledge, the Xoom is the first device that looks to take advance of Honeycomb’s barometer support.
If developers choose to utilize this built-in sensor, it will be interesting to see what software gets pushed out.
Many manufacturers who produce Android phones are currently in an arms race to see who can put out the most technologically advanced phone. With several dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor touting offerings set to drop this year it will certainly be an intersting race. However, at the end of the psecturm there is a market for budget concious consumers who still want to get down on the Android craze.
If you’re one of these consumers who is a big clumsy with their devices perhaps you should check out the recently launched Motorola i866. Pictured above, this rugged device features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and, of course, Google’s Android mobile operating system. Additionally it features a microSD card slot for up to 32GB of storage and a 2 megapixel camera. If you’re wondering how rugged the device is it features resistance against shock, moisture dust and extreme temperature fluctuation.
Like I said above, the Motorola i866 is available now from Sprint for $79.99 with a 2-year contract and $50 mail-in rebate or $279.99 unlocked.
Of course, I had to see the Motorola Xoom Tablet while I was at CES 2011.
The tablet won the Best of CES 2011, and I will just let you watch this video here. I could spoil it by writing content, but in all honesty, I’m tired and I have a long drive ahead of me.
Android is already making its name on the smartphone world but thanks to a whole slew of announcements coming from CES, Google’s mobile platform is looking to make the jump to tablets in a big way. While the Samsung Galaxy Tab is already on the market, many have said this is not the tablet that will be able to topple Apple’s iPad.
However, one tablet that many have speculated could do the job is the Motorola XOOM which saw a great deal of airtime during this year’s CES. During its announcement, we’ve only been able to know that the XOOM is coming to Verizon as a subsidized device. This means that those who want to grab the tablet without accruing another monthly fee are generally out of luck unless Motorola comes forth to announce a WiFi enabled device. Thus far we haven’t heard anything official but it seems a Motorola executive by the name of Maurizio Angelone may have jumped the gun.
Apparently, Angelone has told Infobae that a WiFi version of the Motorola XOOM will actually be hitting store shelves in April before the 3G version actually gets released.
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