Mereja

Author: Joe Cruz

  • Buzz Widget Gives Something to Buzz About

    For those of you who Android users who play have Google Buzz accounts, there is now an easier and faster way to do it. Google has released a home screen widget that allows you to buzz on the spot. The widget has four buttons, Buzz icon take you to Buzz in the Browser, a Post A Buzz text box, Camera icon to snap a photo, and a Gallery icon to select pictures on your SD card. It is available for Android 1.6 and up. Personally, it is a lot faster to use the widget, than to open Maps or the Browser. It also includes the ability to remove or change your location and post a public or private Buzz. Search Google Buzz in the Market to download.

    Question: Do you use Google Buzz?

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    • Google Gets Social With New “Google Buzz”

      Today, February 9th, 2010, Google has yet another release for us(Android Users) that extends the abilities of your Android Device and Gmail account. This free service is called Google Buzz and is …


  • Apple Suing the “Great Artists” of HTC

    First Nokia and now HTC. Apple is suing the Taiwan based Smart/Super phone maker for infringement of 20 patents. Surprisingly, Apple is not suing over multi-touch, but over patents that stretch from the iPhone’s UI to its hardware. I do not know much about patents, but here you can view Apple’s official complaint http://www.scribd.com/doc/27724245/Apple-HTC-Complaint-U-S-ITC.

    At this early stage, it’s almost impossible to see where this might go.  Obviously we’ll be watching this closely as HTC is quite possibly the best at making Android phones what they are.  Check out the quote below from this week that comes from Steve Jobs

    “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it.”

    Now, check out another quote from the same Steve Jobs from back in 1996.  During a PBS documentary called Triumph of the Nerds, he was quoted as saying the following:

    “…Picasso had a saying he said good artists copy great artists steal. And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.”

    There is no doubt that Google is a big reason Apple has gone after HTC.  In our eyes, this shows us that Apple views Android and the coming wave of smartphones as a threat to their business.  Will there be a counter suit against Apple?  Probably.  HTC has been making smart phones of their and likely has a few patents they could dust off.

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  • Google Now Selling Nexus One Batteries

    This week Google added spare Nexus One batteries for sale in the official store. The best thing about it is that they’re only $25 a piece, plus shipping.  This is considerably cheaper than the $50 price tag that some phones fetch.  I haven’t had any problem with the Nexus battery life and  always travel with my charger, however that’s a price worth considering picking up a spare.  So now we’ve got the dock and now a battery.  Hopefully there will be more accessories to come, such as the car mount.

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    • Nexus One Event Canceled in China

      Well folks it seems that the relationship between China and Google has gotten even lower.  According to Android Central, Google has reportedly canceled a Nexus One developer event in Beijing.  App…


  • HipLogic Live Coming to Android

    The great thing about the Android operating system is that it makes it easy to customize it to fit you. If you’re like me, the standard Donut 1.6 three home screens never satisfied my “customization needs.” I was always looking for new and different home replacement apps for my MyTouch. A company by the name of HipLogic creates User Interface apps for Windows Mobile and Symbian and is now coming to Android devices this quarter. They are bringing a new way to manage your messages, news, and even your widgets. They want you to reach all your information in one touch.

    HipLogic’s Android Interface offers:

    • Customization that enables operators to differentiate their services
    • The ability to update the services and applications on the device “over the air”
    • Data optimization by delivering content in a highly compressed format when compared to HTM

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    • Change the Way You Exercise With ‘runstar’
      Being an avid runner who typically runs 30-60 miles a week and is an ardent fan of Android, I love to see apps that bring the two worlds together. runstarâ„¢ not only meshes the two but does so in a m…


  • Pics of Verizons HTC Incredible

    The guys over a PocketNow got some photos of the upcoming HTC Incredible for Verizon. It will be running Android 2.1 with HTC’s Sense UI, a Snapdragon processor with 256 MB of RAM. The display resolution is a 3.5-3.7″ WVGA. It does not have a trackball, but an optical mouse. There are two LED flash on the back of the phone. Hopefully when can get more about this in the next few days.

    Source: PocketNow

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    • Listen Up! Podcast #39 is On Demand
      Our latest podcast, #39, is in the can and available for downloads and streaming.  Joining me this week was resident AndroidGuy Sam Herren, Nick Gray (HTC Source), and Andrew Kamika (Androinica).  Als…


  • The 2010 NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge

    Remember back a few weeks, when HTC issued a C&D to LevelUpStudio to remove Beautiful Widgets, because it was too similar to their Sense UI widgets? Well, now HTC is sponsoring the 2010 NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge to do just that.

    Here is what they want developers to create:

    Create a top notch location based services solution for an HTC Hero widget, and HTC will consider your entry for the Best Home Screen Widget Design prize. The HTC Hero widget you develop must bring valuable information to users instantly for an at-a-glance view on the home screen of the phone. -HTC

    Last years NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge Grand Prize winner was NAVITIME, who won in the category of Navigation.

    Sources: AndroidAndMe

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    • Beautiful Widgets Are Back

      A few days ago, HTC served LevelUp studios a cease and desist order regarding their Beautiful Widgets. The company claimed that the Beautiful Widgets were too similar their own, which were designed …


  • Overdrive Expands eBook Options for Android Devices

    Overdrive is the global leader in distributing electronic and audio books across many diverse devices. They released a beta version of its android application, this past December. This week at CES they announced that its users will have access to over 400,000 books. They have expanded their libraries to many different countries such as Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Norway, and the UK, join companies like Borders.com and BarnesAndNoble.com.  In doing so, Overdrive will also offer books in dozens of languages other than english.

    Some of their top publishers are Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, McGraw-Hill, and Penguin just to name a few. The app is available off their website www.overdrive.com .

    Sources: MarketWire


  • Flash Player on the Nexus One

    What most smart phone browsers lack is having a Flash Player. The developers at Adobe and members of the Open Screen Project are very close at solving this problem. The Nexus One has become the ideal device to test Flash Player 10.1, with its Snapdragon 1GHz processor. The video below shows Flash on the Nexus One in action.

    We seem to be slowly inching towards a full release from Adobe.  Tell us what you think about this.  Are you holding off getting a smartphone because of Flash?  Perhaps you are on the other side of the spectrum.  Do you even care at this point?


  • Nexus One to Verizon, Vodafone in Spring 2010

    So after weeks of rumors and leaks, the Nexus One is here. The website google.com/phone is now up,running, and taking orders for the “Google” phone. As expected the phone can be bought unlocked for $529 or with T-Mobile for $179, but those aren’t the only two options.

    At the bottom of the “What Would You Like To Buy?” page, there is a Verizon section. The website states that soon there will be a Nexus One for Verizon,  available in spring 2010. Under Verizon, there is also a blurb with a link the sends you to the Droid, for those of us who can’t wait for the Nexus One (N1).  Below that, there is also a placeholder saying the Nexus One will be in Europe in spring 2010 for Vodafone.

    Are there any other carriers you’d like to see pick up a subsidy deal with the Nexus One?


  • Mplayit Launches Android App Store

    Mplayit, the worlds largest mobile app store has made a better way to view applications in the Android Market. Already selling apps for a number of different platforms such as Apple, Blackberry, Android get the Facebook treatment. Their website, http://mplayit.com is an application hosted on Facebook. This allows users to share and review applications among friends and the whole Facebook community.

    Michael Powers the founder and CEO of Mplayit says “App discovery on Android is frankly a mess… and we’re bringing that know-how to the Android app marketplace.” The main page shows an “Apptivity Feed” (creative) that shows you which apps are being viewed or played. It also allows a collection of apps for your peers to see and the ability to share via twitter. For each app there is a description, image, comments, and some have YouTube videos describing the app.

    When you find an app you want, you can either scan the QR Code or have the link E-mailed to your phone. It’s definitely worth a look, I’ve already found some apps that I might have never seen in the market.

    Sources: PR Newswire

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