New User Features

UI refinements for simplicity and speed

The user interface is refined in many ways across the system, making it easier to learn, faster to use, and more power-efficient. A simplified visual theme of colors against black brings vividness and contrast to the notification bar, menus, and other parts of the UI. Changes in menus and settings make it easier for the user to navigate and control the features of the system and device.

Faster, more intuitive text input

The Android soft keyboard is redesigned and optimized for faster text input and editing. The keys themselves are reshaped and repositioned for improved targeting, making them easier to see and press accurately, even at high speeds. The keyboard also displays the current character and dictionary suggestions in a larger, more vivid style that is easier to read.

The keyboard adds the capability to correct entered words from suggestions in the dictionary. As the user selects a word already entered, the keyboard displays suggestions that the user can choose from, to replace the selection. The user can also switch to voice input mode to replace the selection. Smart suggestions let the user accept a suggestion and then return to correct it later, if needed, from the original set of suggestions.

New multitouch key-chording lets the user quickly enter numbers and symbols by pressing Shift+<letter> and ?123+<symbol>, without needing to manually switch input modes. From certain keys, users can also access a popup menu of accented characters, numbers, and symbols by holding the key and sliding to select a character.

One-touch word selection and copy/paste

When entering text or viewing a web page, the user can quickly select a word by press-hold, then copy to the clipboard and paste. Pressing on a word enters a free-selection mode — the user can adjust the selection area as needed by dragging a set of bounding arrows to new positions, then copy the bounded area by pressing anywhere in the selection area. For text entry, the user can slide-press to enter a cursor mode, then reposition the cursor easily and accurately by dragging the cursor arrow. With both the selection and cursor modes, no use of a trackball is needed.

Improved power management

The Android system takes a more active role in managing apps that are keeping the device awake for too long or that are consuming CPU while running in the background. By managing such apps — closing them if appropriate — the system helps ensure best possible performance and maximum battery life.

The system also gives the user more visibility over the power being consumed by system components and running apps. The Application settings provides an accurate overview of how the battery is being used, with details of the usage and relative power consumed by each component or application.

Control over applications

A shortcut to the Manage Applications control now appears in the Options Menu in the Home screen and Launcher, making it much easier to check and manage application activity. Once the user enters Manage Applications, a new Running tab displays a list of active applications and the storage and memory being used by each. The user can read further details about each application and if necessary stop an application or report feedback to its developer.

New ways of communicating, organizing

An updated set of standard applications lets the user take new approaches to managing information and relationships.

Internet calling

The user can make voice calls over the internet to other users who have SIP accounts. The user can add an internet calling number (a SIP address) to any Contact and can initiate a call from Quick Contact or Dialer. To use internet calling, the user must create an account at the SIP provider of their choice — SIP accounts are not provided as part of the internet calling feature. Additionally, support for the platform's SIP and internet calling features on specific devices is determined by their manufacturers and associated carriers.

Near-field communications

An NFC Reader application lets the user read and interact with near-field communication (NFC) tags. For example, the user can “touch” or “swipe” an NFC tag that might be embedded in a poster, sticker, or advertisement, then act on the data read from the tag. A typical use would be to read a tag at a restaurant, store, or event and then rate or register by jumping to a web site whose URL is included in the tag data. NFC communication relies on wireless technology in the device hardware, so support for the platform's NFC features on specific devices is determined by their manufacturers.

Downloads management

The Downloads application gives the user easy access to any file downloaded from the browser, email, or another application. Downloads is built on an completely new download manager facility in the system that any other applications can use, to more easily manage and store their downloads.

Camera

The application now lets the user access multiple cameras on the device, including a front-facing camera, if available.

New Developer Features

Android 2.3 delivers a variety of features and APIs that let developers bring new types of applications to the Android platform.

• Enhancements for gaming
• New forms of communication
• Rich multimedia

Enhancements for gaming

Performance

Android 2.3 includes a variety of improvements across the system that make common operations faster and more efficient for all applications. Of particular interest to game developers are:

• Concurrent garbage collector — The Dalivik VM introduces a new, concurrent garbage collector that minimizes application pauses, helping to ensure smoother animation and increased responsiveness in games and similar applications.
• Faster event distribution — The plaform now handles touch and keyboard events faster and more efficiently, minimizing CPU utilization during event distribution. The changes improve responsiveness for all applications, but especially benefit games that use touch events in combination with 3D graphics or other CPU-intensive operations.
• Updated video drivers — The platform uses updated third-party video drivers that improve the efficiency of OpenGL ES operations, for faster overall 3D graphics performance.

Native input and sensor events

Applications that use native code can now receive and process input and sensor events directly in their native code, which dramatically improves efficiency and responsiveness.

Native libraries exposed by the platform let applications handle the same types of input events as those available through the framework. Applications can receive events from all supported sensor types and can enable/disable specific sensors and manage event delivery rate and queueing.

Gyroscope and other new sensors, for improved 3D motion processing

Android 2.3 adds API support for several new sensor types, including gyroscope, rotation vector, linear acceleration, gravity, and barometer sensors. Applications can use the new sensors in combination with any other sensors available on the device, to track three-dimensional device motion and orientation change with high precision and accuracy. For example, a game application could use readings from a gyroscope and accelerometer on the device to recognize complex user gestures and motions, such as tilt, spin, thrust, and slice.

Open API for native audio

The platform provides a software implementation of Khronos OpenSL ES, a standard API that gives applications access to powerful audio controls and effects from native code. Applications can use the API to manage audio devices and control audio input, output, and processing directly from native code.

Native graphics management

The platform provides an interface to its Khronos EGL library, which lets applications manage graphics contexts and create and manage OpenGL ES textures and surfaces from native code.

Native access to Activity lifecycle, window management

Native applications can declare a new type of Activity class, NativeActivity whose lifecycle callbacks are implemented directly in native code. The NativeActivity and its underlying native code run in the system just as do other Activities — they run in the application's system process and execute on the application's main UI thread, and they receive the same lifecycle callbacks as do other Activities.

The platform also exposes native APIs for managing windows, including the ability to lock/unlock the pixel buffer to draw directly into it. Through the API, applications can obtain a native window object associated with a framework Surface object and interact with it directly in native code.

Native access to assets, storage

Applications can now access a native Asset Manager API to retrieve application assets directly from native code without needing to go through JNI. If the assets are compressed, the platform does streaming decompression as the application reads the asset data. There is no longer a limit on the size of compressed .apk assets that can be read.

Additionally, applications can access a native Storage Manager API to work directly with OBB files downloaded and managed by the system. Note that although platform support for OBB is available in Android 2.3, development tools for creating and managing OBB files will not be available until early 2011.

Robust native development environment

The Android NDK (r5 or higher) provides a complete set of tools, toolchains, and libraries for developing applications that use the rich native environment offered by the Android 2.3 platform. For more information or to download the NDK, please see the Android NDK page.

New forms of communication

Internet telephony

Developers can now add SIP-based internet telephony features to their applications. Android 2.3 includes a full SIP protocol stack and integrated call management services that let applications easily set up outgoing and incoming voice calls, without having to manage sessions, transport-level communication, or audio record or playback directly.

Support for the platform's SIP and internet calling features on specific devices is determined by their manufacturers and associated carriers.

Near Field Communications (NFC)

The platform's support for Near Field Communications (NFC) lets developers get started creating a whole new class of applications for Android. Developers can create new applications that offer proximity-based information and services to users, organizations, merchants, and advertisers.

Using the NFC API, applications can read and respond to NFC tags “discovered” as the user “touches” an NFC-enabled device to elements embedded in stickers, smart posters, and even other devices. When a tag of interest is collected, applications can respond to the tag, read messages from it, and then store the messages, prompting the user as needed.

Starting from Android 2.3.3, applications can also write to tags and set up peer-to-peer connections with other NFC devices.

NFC communication relies on wireless technology in the device hardware, so support for the platform's NFC features on specific devices is determined by their manufacturers.

Rich multimedia

Mixable audio effects

A new audio effects API lets developers easily create rich audio environments by adding equalization, bass boost, headphone virtualization (widened soundstage), and reverb to audio tracks and sounds. Developers can mix multiple audio effects in a local track or apply effects globally, across multiple tracks.

Support for new media formats

The platform now offers built-in support for the VP8 open video compression format and the WebM open container format. The platform also adds support for AAC encoding and AMR wideband encoding (in software), so that applications can capture higher quality audio than narrowband.

Access to multiple cameras

The Camera API now lets developers access any cameras that are available on a device, including a front-facing camera. Applications can query the platform for the number of cameras on the device and their types and characteristics, then open the camera needed. For example, a video chat application might want to access a front-facing camera that offers lower-resolution, while a photo application might prefer a back-facing camera that offers higher-resolution.

New Platform Technologies

Media Framework

• New media framework fully replaces OpenCore, maintaining all previous codec/container support for encoding and decoding.
• Integrated support for the VP8 open video compression format and the WebM open container format
• Adds AAC encoding and AMR wideband encoding

Linux Kernel

• Upgraded to 2.6.35

Networking

• SIP stack, configurable by device manufacturer
• Support for Near Field Communications (NFC), configurable by device manufacturer
• Updated BlueZ stack

Dalvik runtime

• Dalvik VM:
  • Concurrent garbage collector (target sub-3ms pauses)
  • Adds further JIT (code-generation) optimizations
  • Improved code verification
  • StrictMode debugging, for identifying performance and memory issues
• Core libraries:
  • Expanded I18N support (full worldwide encodings, more locales)
  • Faster Formatter and number formatting. For example, float formatting is 2.5x faster.
  • HTTP responses are gzipped by default. XML and JSON API response sizes may be reduced by 60% or more.
  • New collections and utilities APIs
  • Improved network APIs
  • Improved file read and write controls
  • Updated JDBC
• Updates from upstream projects:
  • OpenSSL 1.0.0a
  • BouncyCastle 1.45
  • ICU 4.4
  • zlib 1.2.5

For more information about the new developer APIs, see the Android 2.3 version notes and the API Differences Report.

new android features

The Android 3.2 is a recent android mobile applications package that is stacked with new and advanced features that enables the Android developers to try out new substances. The Android developers can make use of the downloadable component of the Android SDK. The downloadable format of the Android 3.2 contains the following:

Android Library

System Images

Emulator Skins

The Android 3.1 contains enhanced features that include the following:

More range of Tablets

The main and advanced feature of this version is that it contains optimisation of the system that enables the users to get a richer and effective experience. Android Development is done in such a way that it is compatible over a range of tablet devices.

Better and extended API

It helps the users to manage the screen size and compatibility of the Android powered devices. With the help of resource qualifiers and other attributes the users will be able to get a better control on the display features of their apps. The generalized size categories are no longer required and thus give better flexibility for the users to make better use of the advanced features.

Fixed Size apps and their compatibility

The new version has better compatibility for zoom mode that helps the users to see the fixed size apps on any kind of larger devices. The new version supports pixel scaled rather than the traditional UI stretching format for apps. The traditional format does not support the larger screens and tablets and other advanced devices.

Direct download from SD card

The main advantageous feature of the Android 3.2 is the direct downloadable facility from the SD card onto the applications that is required to support them.

Zoom compatibility mode

For better display of the apps depending upon the various screen sizes the Android 3.2 platform also supports zoom compatibility mode. This works in such a way that the UI on a small screen area is then fully zoomed to fill the area available for display.

Better Screen Support

The new platform also supports better screen visibility for the octant of the user. For this the space utilization is done taking into consideration the smallest width and width and the height.

Screens smallest width refers to the minimum size of the screen that is measured in pixel units. In case of the smallest width refers to the width while in the landscape orientation it refers to the height. This is an important concept as the application considers this smallest width as the one that is required to draw the UI excluding all the other screen space that is kept for the system.

Screens Height and Width refers to the horizontal and vertical space that is available for layout design. This is measured in dip units.

New Resource Qualifiers:

Android development in the new version of 3.2 has enabled better resource qualifiers. It helps in creating resource configuration that can be utilized for a particular width or height or density that could be measured in pixels. It also supports the creation of overlapping resource configuration.

With so many advanced features Android 3.2 is truly ruling the industry and has taken it by storm.

For More Information:- Android Developers
Android Development

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Will

                               

new android widgets

The Android home screen is like your desk: It's where you use and organize your applications in a way that's most effective for you.

Because you go to the home screen after pressing the convenient Home button, you should dedicate it to shortcuts for your most frequently used applications. Out of the box, Google puts several of the most commonly used applications (Maps, Gallery, YouTube, Market, Phone, Gmail, Browser, and Voice) on the home, along with two widgets: the sleek Google search box across the top and the new News & Weather widget at the bottom.

Customize Your Android Home Screen With Widgets and Themes

The best feature of the home display is that it's completely customizable.

Long-press a shortcut, widget, or whatever, and a slight vibration (known as haptic feedback) tells you that you that you can move that item. Longpress an empty space on the home, and you'll be prompted to add a shortcut, widget, folder, or wallpaper to that screen.

In addition to apps, the Nexus One's home screen can display widgets, which are little apps that display dynamic information on the home. Power Control is another useful widget which allows you to toggle various Nexus One settings; many other widgets display everything from clocks to the weather to your Twitter timeline.

Another great feature of Android's home display is that there are five of them, so when your primary home screen fills up (as it inevitably will), you can easily add apps and widgets to any of the Nexus One's four additional home screens. Just swipe your finger left or right to navigate to the additional screens.

When you fill all five home display, you're maxed out. Android 2.1 currently has only five home screens that you can customize with shortcuts, but the only limit to the number of apps that you can store on your phone is the amount of memory in it.

If you forget which home screen a particular app is in, you can invoke a cool thumbnail view by touching the left/right dots at the bottom of the screen. When you do, you see five miniature home display, complete with miniature app icons and widgets.

When you spot your app, touch its thumbnail to be whisked directly to that particular home screen. Good stuff.

Managing apps and widgets

When you want to remove an app or widget from the home (and this will happen), simply long-press its icon. You'll notice that the gray Launcher icon turns into a trash can. Simply drag the item's icon to the trash can to remove it from your home. The icon and the trash can glow red when they touch, confirming the deletion.

This procedure doesn't delete the application itself from your phone-just the shortcut or alias to the app. To permanently remove (or uninstall, in Android parlance) an application that you've downloaded, simply follow these steps:

1. Launch Android Market.

2. Press the Menu button.

3. Touch Downloads.

4. Scroll to the app that you want to uninstall.

5. Press the Uninstall button.

You can also manage certain applications by touching Settings >Applications > Manage Applications and then touching the app's name to open the Application Info screen. In this screen, you can press the Manage Space button to manage the amount of space that the application is using or press the Uninstall button to uninstall an app update that's causing problems..

Using the Launcher

The home display is where you store frequently used apps, shortcuts, and widgets. Touching the gridlike icon in the bottom center of the home screen opens the Launcher, which displays a scrolling list of all the apps installed on your Nexus One.

Applications are sorted alphabetically. You can scroll through them vertically by flicking upward or downward anywhere inside the Launcher screen. You can launch an app from this screen either by touching its icon or by pressing the trackball when the app's icon is highlighted.

Visit http://www.tehkseven.net for Free Themes, Wallpapers and Ringtones.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristie_Haller

                        
                                           

                           

new android roms

If you have rooted your Android phone, you may be curious about flashing a new ROM. In this review, I will give you a rundown of how MIUI stacks up.

In the last 6 months or so, I have tried almost every ROM available for my HTC Evo. There are many of them out there, and there are quite a few good ones. Before you begin losing interest in this story because you don't have an Evo, many ROM's are compatible with a number of different handsets. Even though MIUI is running on my HTC Evo, you likely will be able to install it on your phone should you choose to do so.

For those of you still new to rooting and flashing, I will provide a review for MIUI along with some general installation instructions. This article assumes that you have acquired root, and you are ready to flash a new ROM.

MIUI-Review Installation Ease

Since you must install MIUI first, I will start there. The download and installation is very simple. This is pretty standard for most ROM's. You go to the website for the download, download the ROM onto your root folder, and flash. This ROM has its origins in the Far East, so much of the ROM is not in English. That is why you would also download and install the language pack from the website right after the ROM. Don't worry about getting confused right now; directions will follow at the end of the article.

*One thing I DID notice however is that if you are coming from a Sense ROM, (Evo, Incredible, Hero, Desire, Legend, MyTouch, Inspire, Shift, Thunderbolt, etc.) MIUI must be installed from scratch with no restore of settings.

What does that mean? To avoid problems, it is best to sync your contacts to Google, and restore your apps from the market. If you absolutely have to restore from Titanium Backup or some other backup app, make sure you don't restore ANY settings from Sense. They do not play well with MIUI.

MIUI-Visuals

I think I have ADD for my phone. I have to change the appearance of my phone every so often to keep me from getting bored with the look. MIUI is by far the best ROM for people who like to switch it up. If you want a fresh look to your phone, MIUI is for you. On the other hand, if you are coming from an iPhone, then you might feel right at home, or you might hate it.

Bottom Line: The MIUI default layout looks similar to the iPhone layout. It is very simple, and lacks an app drawer much like the iPhone. Even though it looks like an iPhone, it is by far the most customizable ROM for Android, and if you don't like the default layout, you can change it.

Why MIUI is better: The real iPhone lacks customization. With MIUI, you can install widgets to your desktop, set live wallpapers, or even set a whole new MIUI theme. The launcher within MIUI allows you to change almost everything about the way it looks in a matter of a few touches on the screen.

MIUI-Performance

Sometimes, when you install a new ROM, you find that there are weak spots in the performance. Sometimes you get lots of force closes, or the screen gets choppy while switching between home screens. MIUI does a great job here, as these problems do not show up unless you did a poor job of restoring.

MIUI-Ease of Navigation

The navigation through this ROM is very simple. Chances are it is a bit different from what you may be used to, but it doesn't take long to learn your way around.

MIUI-Support/Community

The MIUI community is very responsive. Their forums are populated by developers and users alike. I have posted many questions on their forums, and often received multiple replies in a matter of an hour or two. Even better, the forum app is pre-installed within the ROM, so as soon as you boot your phone, you can begin posting right from your handset.

MIUI-Summary

This ROM is and has been my ROM of choice for a few months now. The layout is simple and eye catching, sharp and smooth. With the language pack installed, the menus are easy to navigate. There are several tools that come pre-installed such as the MIUI forum app (for when you have questions) as well as Torch (flashlight) and Theme Manager. If you like to change the look of your entire phone whenever you want, you will love this ROM.

Again, If you are still new to rooting and flashing, I would recommend following documented installation instructions. Trying to install ROMs without them can be dangerous.

Thanks for reading!

Randall- Author/Editor of http://androidappsandrooting.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Randall_W_Woody

The Android Market is now Google Play

In an effort to unify music, movie, book, and app purchases under a banner that is operating system agnostic, Google is phasing out the Android Market in favor of Google Play. What’s the difference? A new name, new logo, but otherwise not much. The content and services remain the same, and don’t worry, you can still push apps from your desktop browser to your smartphone.

Soon Google will be rolling out the Google Play Store to Android devices to replace their current Android Market builds. Any content purchased during the Android Market era will be retained and available via Google Play. See, these aren’t any real sweeping changes. Just Google refocusing their efforts and placing equal importance on all aspects of what was once primarily an app store.

In celebration of the launch of Google Play, a “7 Days to Play” promotion will feature a different book, album, video rental, and app at a special sale price each day (albums are just $0.25). Other deals include $0.49 apps and $3.99 albums. You can read a bit more about Google Play at the source link below. Now the real challenge: getting used to writing Google Play instead of Android Market.

new android browser

Android is not just an operating system that runs underneath a user interface. It is also a suite of well-integrated apps that make it possible for users to use the various hardware capabilities of their Android smartphones and Android tablets.

In the latest version recently released--Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich--Google has further fortified not just the operating system but also the apps that come along with it. In this post, you will get an overview of some of the most important apps that Google drastically revamped in Android 4.0.

Better Web Browsing

For faster browsing, Android 4.0 includes a tabbed browser, which offers you quick previews of Web pages and allows you to swiftly switch from one open tab to another.

The browser can save up to 16 tabs and you can remove unused tabs with a simple flick gesture. Plus, it can also automatically sync Chrome bookmarks on your desktop with your Android phone. No need to install additional apps to sync your bookmarks on your device.

By default, the new browser in Android 4.0 opens mobile versions of Web pages. But, it also gives you the option to switch to the full desktop versions of the same Web pages.

The browser also now includes the option for saving Web pages for offline reading, as well as accessibility features, a history of most visited pages, and an incognito mode for private browsing.

Next-level Gmail

The new Gmail in Android 4.0 displays two-line previews of each email--so you'll get a quick preview of what each email contains.

The new Gmail app also includes an action bar below each message. The action bar provides quick access to the most common actions that you perform on your messages. The app allows you to swiftly browse through your emails by swiping from left to right.

Another interesting feature is Gmail's offline search. The new Gmail app allows you to search within emails within the last 30 days without your having to go online.

Easier Calendar App

The new Calendar app features a simpler and more readable design, which makes it easy for you to follow your everyday schedules.

It also features pinch-to-zoom functions, which allows you to display more details or just the overview of each day just by pinching the screen with your thumb and forefinger.

Photo Snapping and Editing Made Better

Android 4.0 features a drastically revamped Camera app that has zero shutter lag, which allows you to capture precious moments faster.

Users can also now enjoy panoramic photo shooting. Such camera mode allows you to sweep the camera in one smooth motion to capture a subject in panorama mode.

The new Photos app in Android 4.0 also makes photo sharing much easier. Just click on a photo and choose where to share it--either on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter.

The Camera app now includes built-in photo editing tools never before seen in any previous build of Android. So, with Android 4.0, you can now directly edit, crop, or filter your photos right on your Android phone or Android tablet.

The Gallery app has also been given a total makeover. It has been redesigned to display big pictures, with labels rendered in the Roboto font. The layout this time is more magazine-like. Photos are also automatically sorted not just by album but also by geo-location or by custom tags.

Other cool new features in the Camera app are Continuous Focus, Zoom While Recording, Time Lapse, and Video Snapshots--all of which make your Android phone's camera more powerful than ever.

People App Centered on People

The heavily redesigned People app now, more than ever, places stronger emphasis on improved communication, interaction, and faster sharing of information.

The People app goes beyond a mere list of contacts. The People app now shows a wider range of information about your contacts--phone numbers, addresses, social networking sites that they hang out in, and much more

Just like the photos in the Gallery, your contacts are now shown in the People app in a magazine-style layout. Each contact's page displays a high-quality photo of the contact and the contact's most recent social networking updates.

The People app also supports voice mail retrieval much better, and also provides a non-offensive way to reject incoming calls from your contacts.

With this new and heavily improved suite of apps in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, one can be sure that using an Android smartphone or an Android tablet with Android 4.0 will be nothing less than pleasurable and convenient.

Eager to know more about Android smartphones and Android tablets? Or, perhaps, you already own one and want to know what else that intelligent device can do to make your life just a little bit short of paradise? Get some TidBits of Android reviews and news at AndroidTidBits.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Erich_Boyd

new android market update

It was announced earlier by Samsung that they will be updating the Android 2.2 and it will be made available via Kies software upgrade program. In case you do not know what Kies is, it is an application for desktop that currently is made compatible with Windows. Now, this is good news as to date, almost all Android mobile phones have received their Android 2.2 updates. The Samsung Galaxy S on the other hand is the last of those Android mobile phones to ever receive the Android 2.2 or Froyo update. If you are an OSX user, then there is no need for you to worry, because you won't be left out.

The Korean manufactured who promised the Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.2 (Froyo) update has finally arrived. Samsung via a press release announced that they official Android 2.2 (Froyo) update have started it current rounds of updates.

The Nordic Samsung Galaxy S owners were the very first lucky ones to ever receive the I9000 JPM update. You do not have to worry, as it will gradually roll out to other European, Middle East, Southeast Asia, North America, Africa, North America and basically to the whole world.

The following are the much awaited Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.2 (Froyo) update:

- Adobe Flash Player 10.1 compatibility
- Android 2.2 JIT compiler
- Better exchange support
- Colored icons in settings
- Fully improved default keyboard
- Improvements in speed
- GPS Fix
- Settings with colored icons
- Pinch to Zoom home screen flyover
- Navy blue color (Darker Menu Theme)
- New Android market with Auto- updates
- New search widget
- Media hub
- New Gmail application
- Slightly different transitions and graphics with application drawer and a default icon dock
- An Added Quick link to "Auto rotation" and "GPS" toggles on the notification bar
- Video recording in MP4 format

Now, with all these new Android 2.2 (Froyo) update, I am sure that you will enjoy your Samsung Galaxy S even more. It may not be as famous as the iPhone 3GS or the Nexus Ones or the Motorola Droid, but it is way better than all these three mobile phones combined. It is equipped with S5PC110 as its processor. It also has the fastest Graphics Processing Unit or GPU at around 90 million triangles per second. With these things and the new Android 2.2 (Froyo) update, I am sure that you will fall in love once again with the Galaxy S.

This author writes about the latest mobile phones such as Samsung Galaxy S and Samsung Genio QWERTY.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sethe_Gomez

 

new android market app

The Android Market is loaded with new apps. In fact, more programs are released every day. The Apple Store requires approval for all applications for the iPhone, but Android users can download them shortly after they have been finished by programmers.

This distinction affects both the availability of apps and the user experience for cell phone consumers. With such quick access to new applications, Android users can choose between an avalanche of new titles that come out nearly every day. To help you with choosing Android apps, this article discusses methodologies that you can use to sort through the clutter.

Free or Paid?

Some Android apps are available for free. To use others, you may be required to pay a download fee. There are also apps that require subscriptions. Before choosing an application, it is important to set a budget and decide how much you are willing to spend.

Free applications often have similar features to paid ones, so don't presume that the most expensive apps are always the best. Luckily, the Android Market interface allows you to browse between user ratings and reviews. This will help you figure out which Android apps are considered the best by other mobile phone users.

Read Third-Party Reviews of Apps

Tech blogs, magazines, and other media outlets cover new technological devices. Some even specialize in the provision of reviews of applications for popular smartphones. When making any shopping decision, it is crucial to consider the unbiased opinions of professional reviewers. They have far more time to play with Android apps, and their advice might save you some trouble.

Some new apps will have few reviews, and it is important to evaluate whether or not the existing ratings seem genuine. This may present some challenges when you are trying to determine the value of a very recent release.

Find Apps That Make Life Simpler

When choosing Android apps, think about programs that might exist that could assist you with specific tasks that you carry out each day. This thought process should lead you to a few keywords that you can use to search the Android Market.

Your phone's interface should allow you to search from all the available apps by simply keying in a relevant phrase. When you have a general idea of what you want, it is easy to find new applications in this manner.

New Android Market applications are being released on an ongoing basis. With these search tips, you can easily find some useful programs that are compatible with your smartphone.

Mike Barry from Gazzmic writes articles about new media technology, Android apps, and the music industry. For individuals interested in investigating the latest in online technology for bands and musicians, please visit: http://www.gazzmic.com

Gazzmic is a revolutionary new content management system for bands that seeks to reinvent the music industry entirely. Gazzmic is currently seeking artists to participate in an invitation-only closed beta program. Participants will be given the opportunity to promote their music over a free mobile app platform for the iPhone and Android Market. Musicians can apply for the closed beta by contacting Gazzmic on the company's website.

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android new intent

The Android platform has been developing at an almost dizzying pace lately. The number of new releases in a short period of time has lead many to warn that fragmentation has become a serious danger to Android. Google's Android team has responded saying that the Android fragmentation is a myth. Is fragmentation of Android a myth or is it something that should concern Android developers?

Fragmentation has affected Linux and other open source systems in the past. It occurs when a system has multiple versions with very different components. For example, Linux distributions have their own file system arrangements, different window managers and different packaging systems. This makes it difficult for application developers to create applications for Linux on the expectation that certain components will exist or be in the same location.

Causes of Fragmentation
Android has suffered from some of the classic causes of fragmentation. First, there are wide differences in the capabilities of the hardware devices on which Android runs. While in many systems, this could easily lead to severe fragmentation, Android has not been as affected by this. Android is, however, being very rapidly developed. Each new version of Android has added capabilities. Handsets on the market are running as many as five different versions of the Android operating system. This is where the greatest danger of fragmentation lies. Finally, different manufacturers have been dressing up Android with various add-ons and custom user interfaces. These variations in how Android looks and feels can also lead to fragmentation.

Google has responded to the many reports of Android fragmentation by calling it a "myth". They have put in place some systems and a plan that should help address the issue of fragmentation. Google is so sure of these plans that they believe fragmentation does not exist.

Fragmentation Prevention
One approach that Google is taking to prevent fragmentation is slowing down the development of Android. The rapid development allowed Google to add new functionality to Android and reach a level of maturity that makes Android competitive with other smartphone platforms. Now that Android is fully featured, the development can slow back down.

Along with slowing down the development of Android, Google has developed a plan to make Android more modular. This will allow users of Android based systems to update individual components of the Android system even if their carrier has not moved to a newer version of Android. For example, if a new version of Gmail is released, users can decide to upgrade Gmail on their phones. This modularity is being applied to various systems including items like the keyboard.

Another approach that Google has taken to try and prevent fragmentation of Android is to adopt a series of standards that must be followed to gain access to the Android market. These standards define minimal functionality that a handset must have in order for the carrier to ship the Android market with the phone. By controlling the market, Google has ensured that these standards will be adhered to. These standards generally deal with hardware and include things like every Android handset must have a camera. By using these standards, Google can assure developers that certain functionality will always be available on an Android phone.

Intents are another type of standard that Google uses to avoid functionality. An intent is a type of interface that Android uses. For example, an application that sends email will use an intent to launch a an email composition window. By using intents, it is possible to replace the default email client with another application and still have the expected behavior from other applications that write email.

Custom User Interfaces
While these systems certainly seem to help reduce the risk of fragmentation, calling it a myth seems to be a bit bold on Google's part. The biggest source of potential fragmentation seems to be custom user interfaces being applied to Android by various phone makers. It is not uncommon to see updates to applications in the Android market geared towards fixing a bug with a manufacturer's custom UI. Of course, using anecdotal evidence from the Android market to determine if custom user interfaces are fragmenting Android is not a very solid approach. It seems reasonable, however, that heavy customization of how Android looks and feels will fragment the platform.

This threat goes beyond just creating problems for developers. End users will not be able to pick up any Android handset and expect it to work in the same way. Various custom Androids start to present a learning curve for the end users which may reduce the uptake of Android.

Google says that fragmentation of Android is a myth based on the systems that they have in place to combat fragmentation. However, it does appear from browsing the market that developers are struggling somewhat with supporting the various versions of Android, the different handsets and especially the many custom user interfaces. Is fragmentation really a myth? Post a comment with your thoughts, especially if you are developing for Android and have encountered compatibility issues with a custom user interface.

LearnComputer! (learncomputer.com) provides instructor-led local and onsite Android training for individuals, small businesses, and corporations. Our flagship Android Application Development course has a wide recognition in the industry. Please see our Android training schedule for complete details. We look forward to seeing you in our classroom!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Dorf

android new version

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the new flagship smartphone from the expansive Galaxy range by the prolific Korean manufacturer. In this article I will take a look at some of its main features so you can get an idea of the user experience you can expect from this high end device.

Screen
Arguably the most impressive feature of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is its high resolution touchscreen. And by high resolution, that's exactly what I mean. Standing at a whopping 720x 1280, it blows the previous record holder, the Apple iPhone 4S, out of the water. The iPhone 4S has long held the title as the highest resolution touchscreen available on a mobile phone. It is called the retina display because the human eye cannot distinguish between individual pixels, but the Galaxy Nexus boasts an even higher resolution. This makes it the perfect multimedia device, because whether you are using the phone to view photos and videos, play games or browse the internet, the contents of the screen are displayed in ultra high quality. Because the screen utilises super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen technology, colour saturation is great (up to 16 million colours can be displayed), further enhancing the multimedia experience.

Camera
When choosing a new smartphone, most users invariably look at the quality of the camera as one of the major deciding factors. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus does not disappoint on this front, boasting a 5 megapixel unit which operates at a pixel resolution of 2592x 1936. Although there are many phones with a higher pixel count, the quality of this camera is still very impressive. As an added bonus, the camera can also be used to capture video footage in settings of up to 720p high definition. The camera also comes with the full package of features that you would expect from any high end smartphone. These include touch focus, face detection, autofocus and LED flash. These features make it easy to capture pleasing results every time.

Internet Browsing
One of the major advantages of smartphone use is the fact that you can browse the internet pretty much anywhere. Wi-Fi and 3G connections provide the means to connect to the internet while the new Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS provides the default web browsing app. In areas with 3G coverage, speeds of up to 21 Mbps can be achieved, which is among the highest available on a smartphone.

Of course, this article only provides an overview of a couple of its main features, but if you look at the spec list, you will find that most aspects of this phone offer similar levels of quality. There is a powerful dual-core processor, plenty of internal storage (16 and 32 GB versions available), and, as mentioned, the new version of the popular Android platform, of which this is the handset assigned o showcase the new software.

If you are interested in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, you will be pleased to know that several UK networks are currently offering the handset for free on selected tariffs.

Check out the best Samsung Galaxy Nexus deals and Samsung Galaxy S2 deals

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Westley

                                    

android new thread

Android Honeycomb is the current Google Android OS. It is designed only for tablets and is therefore optimized with even more features and benefits than you would normally find on a regular smartphone running on Froyo or Gingerbread.

The Honeycomb has received a dramatic improvement compared to Gingerbread in several aspects. One of the most obvious examples is enhanced applications in Honeycomb. Many of the native apps on Android have been completely rethought and enhanced, such as the email, browser, android market, Google Talk, and YouTube.

• Email. The email apps (both Gmail and everything else) use a two-pane system. So it makes perusing your inbox and various folders much easier. Moreover these apps use a new API open to all devs called "fragments" which allow for sliding panes. This means the left pane starts out listing all available folders for that email account, but when you choose something from the panel on the right side, that then slides over to the left and replaces the folder list. Consequently on the right side, now I can see the entire email thread or full chat that I requested pull up, and I can see the whole conversation.


• Browser. The biggest enhancement is tabbed browsing. You don't need to press a menu button within the browser to see all of the open windows. They're just presented like the Chrome browser on your computer, with the Action Bar showing off multiple tabs that you can switch to rather easily.


• Android Market. "My apps" section shows a listing of all apps you've downloaded, updated and/or installed. You can dictate whether the apps will have updates automatically installed, and you can open each individual app directly from this section. This listing of My Apps also notices if any updates are available, keeps me apprised of download/install progress, and is easy to scroll through.


• Google Talk. The integration of native video chat and Google Talk app makes it more convenient and accessible for anyone to use it. Even if you have a tablet and your business partner doesn't, just have them sign on to Google Talk on their computer and you're all set for a good video chat.


• YouTube. The YouTube app was built with Renderscript, and it's easy to tell because of the extra 3D renderings done up here. The app is set up like a grid with several rows and columns, but when you scroll left or right this grid curves with the scrolling, acting as if it's on a carousel.

With its enhanced applications, Honeycomb has been the biggest leap Android has taken in its growth and development ever since the OS came out. It has made Android much smarter in the process. As a result, Honeycomb will make Android tablets much more competitive with the iPad than existing Android devices running earlier versions of the Android software.

Click Here for more Android Tablet Reviews.

Sofyan is an expert in mobile computing and runs a very successful and popular blog that features in-depth reviews on Android Tablets. He has introduced hundreds of people to Android Tablets with his review [ http://www.bestandroidtablethq.net ].

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