Category Archives: Android OS

Google Introduces Google Wallet – George Costanza Is Their First Customer [Video]

Posted by on September 16, 2011 No comments

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Google introduced the world to their new mobile payment service for smartphones aptly named, Google Wallet. While the service isn’t officially live just yet, you can hit up Google.com/wallet to signup and get notified as soon as it is. Currently, there is only one phone in the US that is actually NFC enabled to take advantage of their new service and I’d imagine Google is waiting for the release of some new NFC chipped devices before going live. In case you were wondering what kind of person would benefit from Google Wallet, well — Google already has their first customer and supplied the video below.

[Via Google]

SpyEye Trojan Attempts To Make Its Way Onto Android

Posted by on September 14, 2011 1 comment

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The SpyEye banking trojan that’s been affecting PC users has now made its way onto Android. The developers of the malware have created a trojan called Spitmo which is made to target Android users by asking already infected desktop users to install their special “security software” in order to work with their bank’s online services on their mobile device.

If you’re gullible enough to take the bait your SMS messages will then be intercepted and uploaded to the crooks’ servers. Why SMS messages? The SpyEye developers have use the trojan to intercept the one-time SMS pass codes many banks use as a key defense to thwart password logging software.

If you think the problem of malware is a unique to Android, researches also found that SpyEye’s Android malware appears to be similar to a banking trojan used to steal SMS messages from Symbian devices.

This is all pretty scary stuff but once again, if it isn’t in the Android Market — don’t download it. And knowing is half the battle.

[Via TheRegister]

Intel and Android Relationship Gets Deeper as Andy Rubin Shows Off Medfield-based Gingerbread Handset

Posted by on September 13, 2011 No comments

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Yesterday, Intel announced that their new line of Atom-based  E6xx processors would features support for Android 2.3, and today Andy Rubin was on stage at IDF with the real deal on hand. Joining Intel CEO Paul Otellini, a Medfield-based Android handset was the star of the show, but perhaps more important then the actual product (which appeared to be a previously spied Aava Mobile handset) was talk of a greater commitment from the two companies to work together to make Android on Intel a reality.

While Intel plans to continually work to build Android support into their upcoming products, the Android Team will do the same at the OS level. The companies went as far as to promise that all future Android builds will be optimized for Intel’s Atom CPUs.

[via Engadget]

Next Version of Android To Be Named “Jelly Bean?” [Updated]

Posted by on September 9, 2011 No comments

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If you’re an Android fanboy (like me) there’s probably been a night or two where you kept up late wondering what Google’s name for the next version of Android would be. Well, toss and turn no more! According to a “trusted source” over at ThisIsMyNext, the next version of Android could be named — wait for it — JELLY BEAN. That’s right. Keeping true to Google’s alphabetical order, we’ve seen Android versions Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and now (possibly) Jelly Bean. Keep in mind it was long rumored that “F” would be Flan before later revealing itself to be Froyo.

If you were expecting some big changes for Ice Cream Sandwich, you may be disappointed. Apparently, some of the more “game-changing stuff” Google was supposed to unveil for Ice Cream Sandwich has actually been pushed back to Jelly Bean says TIMN’s sources. I don’t know about you — but that actually made my stomach sink. This takes me back to when Google said Gingerbread would introduce a “major UI overhaul,” only then to find a black notification bar and new talks that it was pushed back to Ice Cream Sandwich. ICS could be the unifying of their phone, tablet and TV OS’s and little else. But if it’s one thing Android has taught me through the years, it’s definitely patience. Hopefully we’ll hear more on Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean when the Nexus Prime is introduced in a few more months.

**UPDATE: Like I first suggested, TIMN has another source claiming that the Jelly Bean title isn’t finalized yet but definitely in the running. I mean, it’s not like there are many “J” sweet treats to choose from. Oh — and if you were bummed out about Ice Cream Sandwich’s “game-changing stuff” being pushed back to Jelly Bean, the source went on to say that there will still be some fairly major architectural, functional, and design changes in store for ICS. So, any way you slice it, ICS will still be a major release.

What do you guys think of this news? What would you have named the next version of Android? +100 points if you can come up with some awesome names for the rest of the alphabet!

[Via TIMN]

[Update: Nevermind] Ice Cream Sandwich Coming to all 2011 Sony Ericsson Handsets

Posted by on September 8, 2011 1 comment

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With Android’s next big update right around the corner, handset manufacturers are already starting to make plans regarding getting the new iteration of Google’s smartphone OS to their current generation of handset. Sony Ericsson has confirmed to SoMobile that their entire lineup of devices released in 2011 will receive an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich.

Google’s Eric Schmidt has confirmed an October/November launch window for the new Android build, but it is likely current smartphones won’t see an update until some months later. Sony Ericsson, once lambasted for their lack of timely software updates, has improved on the delivery of the latest Android features, but no timeframe was given as to when we might expect Ice Cream Sandwich to begin trickling down to handsets currently running Gingerbread and earlier.

[via SoMobile]

[Update]: Looks like all of that was false. Sony Ericsson has mentioned to SlashGear that no such decision regarding updates has been made. Carry on, folks. [SlashGear]

Eric Schmidt Confirms October/November Release of Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted by on September 7, 2011 No comments

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At the Dreamforce conference held in San Francisco last week, Eric Schmidt continued to emphasize some of his favorite talking points, from cloud computing to the future of the web with HTML5. He also touched briefly upon Google’s mobile platform, confirming the launch of Ice Cream Sandwich for sometime in October or November. His exact words:

“We have a new operating system, internally known as Ice Cream Sandwich for some reason, which is being released in October/November, which everyone’s really excited about.”

Google has only ever officially mentioned a Q4 release, though rumors have recently point to the operating system coming to market as soon as October, coinciding with the launch of a new Nexus-branded device. From Schmidt’s wording, it seems a late October/early November release is most probable, though most likely as an exclusive to the aforementioned handset. It could take additional months before the OS will start trickling out to other non-Nexus handsets. But that’s the word from the horse’s mouth, and seeing as September is already speeding along we don’t have much longer to wait at all to get our hands on a bit of this nice cool Ice Cream Sandwich treat. Check out the embed of the keynote below, the juicy bit comes at 30:25.

[via Android and Me]

‘Nexus Prime’ Could Be Due for an October Release

Posted by on August 18, 2011 No comments

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Industry rumblings have suggested that Google wants to get the next version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, out to handsets by October for competitive reasons. As has been the standard over the past few years, it is expected a flagship device will launch alongside the new operating system. Word out of Korea is that the so-called “Nexus Prime” is indeed on track for an October release. The report from Electronic Times corroborates some previously rumored specs and throws a few more into the equation with mention of a 4.5-inch 720p Super AMOLED HD display and 1.5GHz processor. Still, little is known about the next Google superphone. If an October release pans out, we can expect to be hearing a lot more about this one in the coming weeks.

[via BGR]

LG Originally Chosen By Google To Build First Android Device But Backed Out

Posted by on August 18, 2011 No comments

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The Wall Street Journal posted a huge story today on “The Man Behind Android’s Rise” and it provided some great insight on Android’s humble beginnings. The part I found most interesting was that Google originally had contracted LG to build its first Android handset back when the OS was being kept mostly under wraps. In what could very well be seen as the greatest blunders in Android’s history, LG walked away from that deal. As we now know, this would lead Google to team up with a little known Taiwanese manufacturer by the name of HTC (known for their Windows Mobile devices), Qualcomm and T-Mobile to help launch the world’s first “Google Phone,” the HTC G1.

Before you slap your foreheads, LG may have had a good reason (in their minds) for originally walking away. The first Android protoype looked radically different from the beloved HTC G1 we know today. I’m not sure if we’ll ever know who manufactured this prototype (could it have been LG?) but in LG’s defense, maybe they weren’t quite turned on with the idea of a rival Blackberry device. Originally, Android was going to be the “open” alternative to Blackberry’s and Windows Mobile OS’s and LG was at the top of their game back in ’07 thanks to their touchscreen based LG Prada. After accusing Apple of stealing their design for the iPhone, a touchscreen OS based on apps later became Google’s focus as well.

So it seems we’ve come full circle with LG finally jumping on the Android bandwagon after no doubt seeing all the success the Google OS has brought to the many hardware and chipset manufacturers around the world. Only time will tell if the Korean manufacturer will make up for lost time and release the upcoming Nexus Three (Prime).

[WSJ via UnwiredView]

 

Is Motorola A Shoe-In For the Next Google Nexus Device? Not According to Google

Posted by on August 16, 2011 No comments

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If you thought that because Motorola Mobility will soon be owned by Google Inc. that it would make the OEM a shoe-in for future Nexus devices — that may not be the case at all. Andy Rubin added some clarification on this subject during the company’s conference call earlier today and explained just how Google chooses the next Nexus device (queue angelic music). Here’s an excerpt from that conversation:

Google Nexus Program

We have this strategy where we have this Nexus program and we have this lead device strategy. That strategy has worked quite well to help focus the team. What we do -- around christmas time of each year -- is we select a manufacturer that we work very closely with to release a device in that timeframe.

That includes also semiconductor companies and all the components that go into the device. Essentially teams huddle together in one building, they jointly work in these development efforts, they go on for 9 to 12 months, and ultimately at the holiday season or right before it, devices pop out that are based on this effort.

We don’t expect that to change at all. The acquisition is going to be run as a separate business, they will be part of that bidding process and part of that lead development process. And obviously Android remains open to other partners to use as they are today.

The funny thing about Android is the competition that exists within the manufacturers who license the OS. Even with this announcement, I’m sure there is a little doubt or skepticism going on the back of Sony Ericsson, Samsung, HTC and LG’s head and who could blame them. Guess we’ll have to wait and see how this pans out. What do you guys think? Any of you relieved to hear Andy Rubin’s process for choosing Nexus devices will remain unchanged? Who are you rooting for to build the next Nexus device?

[Via TIMN]

Download T-Mobile’s Official Android 2.3.4 SD Card Update For the G2

Posted by on August 13, 2011 No comments

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atlp99 over on XDA was able to get a hold of the official Android 2.3.4 update for the G2 straight from those SD cards HTC sent out to T-Mobile stores to manually update customers. If human interaction makes you nervous or you’re simply too busy this weekend to drop by a store you can get your official Gingerbread fix by manually updating yourself!

Oh – and for those of you that jumped the gun and flashed (installed) the leaked 2.3.3 update that made its way around the Android forums not too long ago, you should be able to update to this official version with no problems. Here are the installation instructions via T-Mobile support forums:

  1. Download the 2.3.4 update for the G2 here.
  2. Once downloaded, place it on the root of your SD card (not in any folders). DO NOT rename it. Its name should be “PC10IMG” with .zip being the extension.
  3. This will completely wipe your phone (factory reset) so back up any data that is important to you. SMS, Contacts, etc. All apps will be deleted so back them up if you must.
  4. Turn off your phone and boot into bootloader (press and hold the power button and volume down at the same time).
  5. Once the bootloader is up you should see the “PC10IMG” being scanned.
  6. Wait for the phone to finish scanning the file. If done correctly the phone will ask if you want to update.
  7. Press volume up to confirm. The update process should begin after that.
  8. Give it a few minutes and make sure you don’t have a low battery. Shutting the phone down or pulling out the battery during an update process can potentially brick it (trust me, people do this all the time).
  9. Once the update has been successfully installed, the phone will ask to press the power button to reboot.
  10. The phone will reboot and you have a freshly baked 2.3.4 Gingerbread update!

As always, make sure you have a full 100% charged battery before attempting to update and Phandroid cannot be held responsible should you brick your device. We’re just the messenger, guys. Let us know in the comments if you successfully updated!

[Via XDA]

Thanks, Avneet!