Android Overload: Firefox Adds Flash To Nightlies, Nook Tablet Limits Internal Storage to 1GB For Non-B&N Content and More

This image has no alt text

Good evening, fellow Phandroids. A good day of Android news is almost always accompanied by a hefty Android Overload — today, being one of those days. There was a good amount of articles that didn’t quite make the cut but we felt, deserved a second shot. If you find anything you find particularly interesting, don’t be shy and leave your thoughts in the comments. Have a great night everyone!

  • Samsung Galaxy S Glide arrives at Rogers Canada this Thursday for $150 on a 3-year agreement. [Electronista]
  • Firefox for Android adds Flash to nightlies. Firefox team doesn’t understand why people want it. [TalkAndroid]
  • Google apps come to the Kindle Fire courtesy of Jolleyboy. [XDA]
  • Rogers Canada brings back $30 6GB plan and extends it to LTE customers. [MobileSyrup]
  • T-Mobile is saving some of their cash to keep top execs around post merger. [BGR]
  • ZTE Vivactiy is now available on T-Mobile UK. [EuroDroid]
  • Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet limits internal storage to 1GB for non-B&N content. [TheVerge]

Archos Unveils Arnova 9 G2 Tablet With 9.7-inch IPS Display

This image has no alt text

Archos has added another model to their Android tablet lineup, this time with the 9.7-inch Arnova 9 G2. The device features a vivid 1024×768 IPS display, 1GHz single-core processor, front facing camera, 8GB of storage, stereo speakers, microphone and all running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

The lack of a dual-core processor and anything less than Honeycomb kinda kills it for me when dealing with tablets but with no mention of pricing, let’s hope an attractive price point can make up for these shortcomings. Overall I’m liking the form factor of this tablet much more vs Archos’s dual-core G9 offerings. Availability wasn’t mentioned but we’ll keep you guys posted.

[Arnova via Liliputing]

Judge Rules Law Enforcement Must Have a Warrant To Access Your Location Data

This image has no alt text

Good news today from our judicial system thanks to United States Judge Lynn Hughes who put the smackdown on a recently passed law that allowed for law enforcement to obtain location data records without a warrant or probably cause. Judge Kibosh ruled the law “unconstitutional” saying,

“When the government requests records from cellular services, data disclosing the location of the telephone at the time of particular calls may be acquired only by a warrant issued on probable cause. These data are constitutionally protected from this intrusion.”

As a refresher, the government’s argument for warrantless access to cellular data records claims that the Stored Communication Act eliminates the need for a warrant or probable cause on the idea that users give up a certain amount of privacy rights (all of them) when they sign up for service from a 3rd part company like as carrier.

Score 1 for the people.

[WSJ via Electronista]

Evernote Updated In The Android Market – Adds Note Collaboration, Privacy Filters and Separate Widget App

This image has no alt text

Popular note taking app, Evernote, has been updated in the Android Market today. The most notable additions to the app are it’s sharing tools allowing for users to fine tune exactly who they want to share their notes or notebooks with. You can add specific people to your shares or filter out specific users from seeing your goods. The new and improved sharing feature also allows for others to edit your notes but is only available for premium members (they gotta make their money somehow).

Also new today, is the Evernote Widget which is a separate app for those users who have moved Evernote onto their SD card in an effort to save internal memory — something that’s long been known as a widget killer in the past. Can’t say I’ve jumped on the Evernote wagon but I think it may be time to see what all the hype is about. You can find Evernote and the Evernote Widget for free, right now, in the Android Market.

[Evernote | Evernote Widget]

FXI Introduces Cotton Candy – Dual-core Android Device Inside a USB Stick

This image has no alt text

With Android devices becoming thinner and thinner, I’ve been left to wonder just how small a device could actually get, you know, without the screen or battery accounting for most of the volume. Well, apparently a device running Android can get small — real small. Like this USB stick from FXI called the Cotton Candy. This little feller houses a 1.2GHz Samsung Exynos processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, micro SD slot and even an HDMI port to fix that whole, not-having-a-screen issue.

The way it works is easy-peasy. Simply plug the Cotton Candy into a computer and a separate window will popup displaying Android 2.3 Gingerbread on your desktop. Off the bat, the only real uses I can think of for having something like this on your computer would be to get access to an Android game or 2 on your Mac/PC.

The device isn’t officially supported by Google which means no Android Market here. But with a bit of sideloading, I don’t see that as too much of an issue. FXI is currently working with companies to help bring the Cotton Candy to market and says the tiny device will retail for well below $200. Throw some Ice Cream Sandwich with the Android Market on this thing and you have the makings of the world’s tiniest Google TV unit! Yum.

[Via TheVerge]

Android PSA: Music Purchases Are Now Available In Your Market App

This image has no alt text

Just a friendly reminder that music purchases are now becoming available for Android users (in the US) via the Market app. The version of the Android Market actually remains the same as this functionality was actually hidden inside the most recent update the entire time.

I can confirm that both my Nexus S and Evo 3D are now able to purchase music from the Market so, if you haven’t opened your Android Market app today — jump in there now and pick up some free tracks from artists like Busta Ryhmes.

Motorola Stockholders Give The Greenlight For Google Merger

This image has no alt text

Motorola has just announced that 99 percent of shares voted in favor of their proposed acquisition by Google. Motorola is attempting to move quick to complete the deal but the company still faces a few more hurdles to they will have to jump over. First off, regulatory approval is still needed before anything else can happen and don’t forget the Department of Justice launching an investigation on the proposed merger, which could pose even more problems for Google and Motorola. Just don’t expect the deal to officially go through until early next year.

Motorola recently laid off 5 percent of it’s workforce in an anticipation of the Google acquisition (even thought they deny that was the reason) attempting to bring down operating costs continually hitting the company hard year after year. You can check out Motorola’s full press release down below.

Nov. 17, 2011

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. - Nov. 17, 2011 - Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) ("Motorola Mobility") today announced that at the Company’s Special Meeting of Stockholders held today, stockholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the proposed merger with Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) ("Google").

Approximately 99 percent of the shares voting at today’s Special Meeting of Stockholders voted in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement, which represented approximately 74 percent of Motorola Mobility’s total outstanding shares of common stock as of the October 11, 2011 record date for the Special Meeting.

Sanjay Jha, chairman and CEO of Motorola Mobility, said, "We are pleased and gratified by the strong support we have received from our stockholders, with more than 99 percent of the voting shares voting in support of the transaction. We look forward to working with Google to realize the significant value this combination will bring to our stockholders and all the new opportunities it will provide our dedicated employees, customers, and partners."

As previously announced on August 15, 2011, Motorola Mobility and Google entered into a definitive agreement for Google to acquire Motorola Mobility for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $12.5 billion. The Company previously disclosed that it expected the merger to close by the end of 2011 or early 2012. While the Company continues to work to complete the transaction as expeditiously as possible, given the schedule of regulatory filings, it currently believes that the close is expected to occur in early 2012. It is important to note however, that the merger is subject to various closing conditions, and it is possible that the failure to timely meet such conditions or other factors outside of the Company’s control could delay or prevent the Company from completing the merger altogether.

Business Risks

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, for example, the expected closing date of the transaction. Forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the ability of the parties to consummate the proposed transaction and the satisfaction of the conditions precedent to consummation of the proposed transaction, including the ability to secure regulatory and other approvals at all or in a timely manner; and the other risks and uncertainties contained and identified in Motorola Mobility’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof Motorola Mobility does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances or update the reasons that actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

About Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE:MMI) fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people’s lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.

Google Music Is Now Officially Available For Google TV

This image has no alt text

Yesterday, Google took the lid off of their all new and improved Google Music featuring music you can purchase from the Market and share with your friends. There was however, one piece of Google’s puzzle missing — Google TV. You can purchase and stream music from the web or your Android device and now after the long wait, I am pleased to inform you that Google Music is now finally available for Google TV.

This complete circle of integration no doubt comes as welcomed news for Google TV owners that have a hefty entertainment system, just waiting to take advantage of your music collection. Since the Google Music app runs in the background, you can surf the web or watch a photo slideshow, all while listening to Justin Bieber’s Christmas album at full volume. Google has even promised, via their blog, that they will continue offering support to Google TV with future updates to Google Music as well as more apps in the pipeline, coming soon to the platform. And that my friends, is music to my ears.

[Via GTVSource]

Gametel Is An Attachable Wireless Android Controller For All Devices – Get Your Game On

This image has no alt text

As much as I love gaming, I’d have to say that it can sometimes be a pretty painful task on my smartphone. Say what you will about virtual d-pads, analog sticks or buttons — they just ain’t right. Try throwing a hadouken or making a head shot and you’ll soon learn it’s damn near impossible without tactile feedback. Not to mention your chubby fingers all over the screen, obstructing your view. Nothing — and mean nothing, will ever be able to replace good, old fashioned, physical buttons for the gaming enthusiast.

Sony Ericsson knew this fact and it’s one of the reasons they launched the Xperia Play. The only problem was, not everyone wanted or even had the option of choosing that device on their carrier. Also, you could look pretty silly showing up to a board room meeting with your Xperia Play for all to see. But what if you could just detach that wonderful d-pad and attach it to your smartphone of choice. That’s the idea behind Fructel’s Gametel universal wireless controller for Android.

The Gametel wireless controller easily attaches to any smartphone and uses a combination of Bluetooth and the custom driver app (located in the Android Market) to pair with your Android device. Fructel is currently in talks with app developers to make their games compatible with the Gametel controller seeing how the games that are “Xperia Play optimized,” wont show up in the Market for anyone who owns a different device. As of now, there are a little over 50 titles that will work just fine when the Gametel controller is ready to launch.

The best part of the Gametel controller? Well, it’s wireless. That means you can hook up your phone to your TV using HMDI out and still be able to play your favorite games from anywhere in the room. Now, THAT is versatility. The Gametel wireless controller is set to launch in time for Christmas for the low price of £49.95. Regardless of whether or not I’ve been good this year, I can guarantee that this will definitely be under my Christmas tree this year.

[Gametel via Pocketgamer]

Android Market Now Installable On The Kindle Fire [How To]

This image has no alt text

Kindle Fire is a hot topic these days (no pun intended). Yesterday, I told you guys about Amazon releasing the source code for the Fire then, shortly after, we found out the device had been rooted. Fast forward to today, where we now find out the Android Market is now easily installable on the budget tablet. Things are moving fast around here.

BriefMobile was kind enough to point out the steps necessary and while there’s nothing here that’s too tricky for the average user (I prefer this more user friendly method of using a file manager over ADB), there is still always the risk of breaking something when altering or playing around with system files. Here’s the steps:

Prerequisites

  • Root your Kindle Fire
  • Download the following apks (You are on your own finding them, I’d rather not link them here)
    • GoogleServicesFramework.apk
    • Vending.apk (Latest Version 3.3.11)
  • Root Explorer App (or similar that lets you change ro/rw permissions)
  • Side Loading Apps activated on Kindle Fire
  • On the Kindle Fire Settings screen, go to "Device" and turn On "Allow Installation of Application From Unknown Sources"

Instructions

  1. Transfer the .apk files to your Kindle Fire via PC / Mac (remember where you put them)
  2. Open Root Explorer App, and navigate to the transferred .apk files
  3. Select the GoogleServiceFramework.apk and install
  4. When complete, click "Done" and return to the file location for Vending.apk
  5. Long-press Vending.apk and select the "Move" option on pop-up menu
  6. Navigate to /system/app folder
  7. Change mount option from RO to RW (read-only to read-write)
  8. Paste Vending.apk into the /system/app folder
  9. Long-press Vending.apk and select "Permissions" from pop-up menu
  10. Change permissions to match all other apps in this folder (rw-r-r-)
  11. Reboot your Kindle Fire
  12. Once reboot is complete, select Market App and log-in as usual.
  13. Enjoy!

Seeing how the Kindle Fire isn’t “supposed” to have the Android Market, you may notice a few apps missing (developers will later have to add support for the device). Until then, this is going to have to do — and it ain’t so bad.

[Via BriefMobile]