Samsung expected to show Galaxy Player at CES
Among the plethora of Android tablets and smartphones we’ll see at CES, Samsung’s expected to bring out another version of its phoneless Galaxy Player. The most recent version, the YP-GB1, is said to have Android 2.2 (take that, all you Galaxy S phones!), the same 1GHz Hummingbird processor, a 4-inch SLCD touchscreen, 480×800 resolution, 3.2MP rear camera and front VGA camera — and 8GB, 16GB or 32GB storage. Basically, a Galaxy S sans phone radio.
This isn’t that new — other versions have been floating around since early this fall. But what we will be looking for is U.S. availability. Stay tuned, folks. [via Samsung Hub]
Samsung expected to show Galaxy Player at CES posted originally by Android Central
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Hands-on with the PCD MID650
Another day, another Android MID. At least, that’s kind of what it feels like. And here’s the MID650 from PCD (PCDphones.com), whom we mainly know as the keeper of Verizon software upgrades. This is just a prototype, so you can’t buy it anywhere, and it had a power issue at the time, so we didn’t actually get to see Android running on it. But what we have here is a 5-inch TFT touchscreen at 800×480. It’ll have 3G radio (this one had the GSM variety), WiFi, GPS, MicroSD, a 2MP camera and FM radio.
PCD’s vice president of advanced devices, Joe Cufari, told us that it should see some upgraded features when it goes into production, namely that the 5-inch screen should became a 7-inch screen, and Android 1.5 would be swapped out for 2.0 or so.
We’re not the world’s biggest fans of mobile Internet devices, but this one really did feel pretty good in the hand. Dimensions were 4.6 wide by 3 inches tall by 0.7 inches deep.
A few more pics after the break.
Hands-on with the Nexus One (Update: Now with more N1 video …)
Update: Well, would you look at that. Now the right video and all of the pictures are there. What happens in Vegas …
Walk into the Digital Experience – Pepcom event that helped kick off CES (follow all of our coverage at AndroidCentral.com/CES, and sure enough, there’s the Google Nexus One, front and center. They’re shipping now (some of us have them in our hot little hands already), and there were plenty on hand for fondling. And fondle, we did.
Is it the perfect smartphone (er, Superphone, says HTC)? That’s up to you guys to decide. But either way, it’s fast. It’s lean. It feels good in the hand. The live wallpapers don’t slow the N1 at all. We watched as the voice-to-text feature — which lets you dictate into any text field — worked even in a crowded event room. We watched as the Snapdragon processor held on despite multiple demos (which often spell doom for any new smartphone). And we watched as it wowed most everyone in the room. Plenty of pics (and some video) after the break.
Hands-on with the Entourage Edge
Here’s a very brief look at a non-working Entourage Edge. So, we can’t really comment about how the e-ink display (that’s the one of the left) works in conjunction with the Android-powered LED side of the brain on the right. But we can tell you that this thing is large. You’re not going to be packing this thing in a pocket for some easy reading. But the clamshell hinge was strong, and the buttons large. So it has that going for it, which is nice. Couple more shots after the break.
Hands-On With Spring Design Alex Android-Powered Dual Screen E-Reader
Watch out Nook, you have a real competitor for that Android-powered, Dual-screen E-Book Reader space. We spent a little time with the Spring Design Alex E-Reader at CES and came away pretty impressed. Unlike the Nook (un-rooted, of course), Android is front and center with this puppy, you can easily set up your e-mail, browse web pages via the browser and even search a million free Google Books all under the Android OS. Take a look at the pictures, it’s unmistakably Android.
The hardware was surprisingly nice as well. It was thin and light yet not cheap feeling at all. Definitely thinner than the Nook but not as polished as the Kindle. The E-ink screen performed well (page transitions are a bit choppy, expectedly) and the color touchscreen was very responsive. Basically, the Spring Design Alex is full featured enough to be thought of as a E-Reader and Android phone mash-up.
Unfortunately, reports are showing that the Spring Design Alex will cost $399, shipping February 22nd. That’s significantly more expensive than the Nook, $140 to be specific. Though we still remain positive about this device, more so than the Nook, the price dampens our excitement just a little bit.
Hit the jump to see another shot of the Spring Design Alex E-Reader!
Hands-On With China-Only Motorola XT800 & MT710 Android Phones
The Droid, Cliq, & Backflip aren’t the only Motorola Android devices around. There’s also the XT800 and MT710. Confused? Yeah, it’s okay. We’ve seen these China-only devices previously but have heard very little since. At CES, we actually got a brief hands-on with both devices and came away pretty impressed. Surprisingly, these devices are extremely well built–definitely better build quality than the Cliq and perhaps even better than the just announced Backflip.
The MT710 (pictured above) runs China’s custom Ophone UI which skins Android into big pressable buttons–it’s hardly recognizable as Android. The shape is a little odd, resembling more of a book than anything else. Specifically, one side is covered in the ridged orange metal while the other is the smooth stainless steel/chrome-type finish. It comes with a stylus (which means a resistive touchscreen), supposedly because it’s easier to write Chinese characters with. You can find the specs of the MT710 here.
The XT800 is actually a very impressive device. The hardware is round where the Droid is square. It’s very light in the hand and the back has a snakeskin-esque backing. It’s a Dual-Sim device, packs HDMI, and runs Android 2.0.1. The pictures don’t fully capture how well-built this device is. We would absolutely love if the XT800 made its way to the States.
We have no idea if we’ll ever see these devices in the US but we’re hopeful. Regardless, we’re just glad that Motorola is making devices for Android now.
Round Robin Podcast Extra, CES-style!
Since the entire SPE team was here at CES in Las Vegas, it made perfect sense to take some time away from ogling gadgets and chatting up our friends in the blogosphere to record a podcast. We talk up what we’ve seen so far, including the Nexus One and Motorola Backflip; we also chatted a bit about what we’re hoping to see at Palm’s event today.
As you might have guessed, the show was recorded and hosted by our pal Mickey Papillon of TCPJ. Give it a listen!
- The Cell Phone Junkie
- Subscribe with your favorite client
- Subscribe via iTunes
- Listen via phone with Podlinez: 510-495-6352
- Download the show directly
Hands-on with the Motorola Backflip
Let’s be perfectly clear here: When I first saw the leaked images of the Motorola Backflip, I didn’t know what to make of it and wrote it off as gimmicky. OK, a keyboard that contorts and kind of wraps itself around a phone is gimmicky. But once you see it in action — along with Android 2.1 and Motoblur — it works, and it’s actually functional.
For one, Moto’s positioning the Backflip as an ultimate social networking phone. There’s an honest-to-goodness front-facing camera on the keyboard, so that you can easily take a self-portrait and upload it to Facebook. For another: You can fold the keyboard down and use it as as a stand. And when you do that, it automatically does into alarm clock mode. Really, it makes more sense than it sounds.
We’re fully expecting the Backflip on AT&T in the very near future. Check out the video after the break.
Hands-on with the Xperia X10
One of the most anticipated Android phones — of last year — has been the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. In all honesty, it should be available by now. But we continue to wait. Anyhoo … what you have here is a solid phone. It feels great in the hand, the way you expect an Xperia device to feel. It’s running Android 1.6 (Donut) here, but SE said it would be on the upgrade path after launch.
The user interface looks like something out of Avatar. There’s a whole lotta blue going on. It’s not unbearable, it just kind of wears on you after a bit. And despite being powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, transitions weren’t as quick as we’d expect them to be — something we’ve had to deal with before on Xperia devices. It’s almost as is the lofty UI goals can’t be met by the hardware, and that’s really saying something when you’re talking about Snapdragon. Perhaps it’s just a coding issue, but it’s one that was apparent here.
But any lag aside, the Timescape UI completely skinned Android. Sure, there’s an app launcher, but it definitely doesn’t have the same feel as stock Android. Not a bad thing, just different.
Timescape’s "Infinite" button was interesting, too. Say you’re looking at a contact, and you choose to see that contacts Facebook updates. Hit the Infinite button, and you really will see ALL of the updates. Search for an artist in the music app and hit the button. You’ll see ALL the hits on YouTube.
But all this is kind of moot until we actually see the Xperia X10 made available for purchase. In the meantime, check out the pics after the break. (Update: Hands-on video added)
Chevy Volt getting Android counterpart
When the Chevrolet Volt electric car because available later this year, it’ll do so with an Android counterpart in tow. A Volt application for Android (and the iPhone and BlackBerry Storm) is in the works that will let you communicate with the Volt and manage how it’s charging.
Connecting through the OnStar service, there’s a bank of standard gauges that will show you the car’s status. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. From there, you receive reminders to plug in the vehicle (how weird does that sound?), or recharging power is cut. That not smart enough for you? You can set the car to only charge during off-peak utility times. You can turn on the heat or AC remotely while it’s still plugged into the grid, saving the battery.
There’s a demo available now for the Motorola Droid at OnStarMobileDemo.com. This isn’t quite Jetsons flying car stuff, but it’s definitely getting closer.
Via AutoBlog