Technology Android

[S O F I]

Never mind. Got it. Thanks Casey.

I'm mothafuckin rooted, runnin 2.1 bitches.

 

[S O F I]

The restore app won't restore my apps and data, though. It's giving me an error.

 

[Casey]

What's the error? The really important stuff (contacts, etc) synced from the server, right?

Also, if you used different versions of My Backup for the Backup and the Restore you might get problems. It pulled up an error restoring for me once, and I had to track down a previous version of My Backup and use that, as the original backup had been made with the earlier version of the software.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

hmm, thats odd. have you tried rebooting and then opening the app again? also, were you able to log into the mybackup account?

 

[Casey]

Android Surpasses The iPhone In The United States | Android Phone Fans

While the iPhone is still an entirely different beast worldwide, Apple and Google’s main fronts are in the United States, and a shift has occurred (and, thankfully, we’re not talking about plates within the earth’s crust): Android has taken over the iPhone’s US install base (as was predicted by an AdMob mobile metrics report that gave us a similar preview). NPD Group is reporting that – in Q1 2010 – Android has become the second-most installed smartphone OS in the United States with 28% market share – coming just beneath RIM’s Blackberry OS (enjoying 36% of the market share).

iPhone OS, on the other hand, currently sits at 21% in third place. I’d imagine that the US smartphone market is very important for all of the vendors, and Android’s proving that it can hold its own against the iPhone and – soon – possibly Blackberry. Executive director of industry analysis for NPD Group, Ross Rubin, says:

“As in the past, carrier distribution and promotion have played a crucial role in determining smartphone market share. In order to compete with the iPhone, Verizon Wireless has expanded its buy-one-get-one offer beyond RIM devices to now include all of their smartphones.”

With RIM, Microsoft, Apple, and Nokia all set to release new versions of their OS, Palm hoping to make a comeback with HP pulling their strings, and new operating systems seemingly popping up every day, the smartphone war will only get crazier from here and – as Phandroids – it’s great to see that Android has more than just a fighting chance.

How many reports are we gonna see from different stats companies before the iPhone fanboys realise the truth?

 

[Casey]

LOL at this.

Someone made an app that acts as a bridge between games on your Android phone and a Wiimote.

I might try this when I get home from the studio. I haven't even played my Wii for months.

 

[S O F I]

Contacts and other stuff synced just fine from the server but not my apps. Considering I backed up my stuff like 2 hours before I wanted to restore, I don't think a new version software version came out haha. It just tells me "Error: Could not get backup set." I tried looking it up online but it says there's no backup set. Maybe I just fucked up on backing them up. No big deal though, I downloaded most of them in like 10 minutes. If I can't remember what I had, then I don't need it.

What's a good app for live wallpapers?

 

[THEV1LL4N]

dont think there is an app, you just use the search term "live wallpaper" in the market and you should find a bunch of paid and free veresions. beware, some may be glitchy - hence why i dont really bother with them on the G1.

 

[Casey]

Cyanogen said he might take Live Wallpapers out of his next release purely because they don't work well with the G1's hardware.

I hope he doesn't, because even though I don't use them, it's nice to have them there to show off with. At least 2 or 3 that I tried worked smoothly, notably the 'Fireworks' one.

 

[Casey]

Motorola Flipout:

Remember "Square Motorola Android slider?" Ah, those were the days. The little twister's returned, this time with much greater clarity and a new name. Meet Flipout. According to Gizmodo Brazil, we're looking at Android 2.1 with a dash of Motoblur thrown into the mix, a 2.8-inch display, full QWERTY keyboard, 700MHz processor, 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM, GPS, and a 3.1 megapixel camera. The HSPA phone is expected in the states this June in at least three different colors -- black, green, and pink. Backflip, Flipout... one can only hope Motorola keeps the trend alive with a Soundgarden-themed solar phone, the Outshined.

 

[Casey]

Android 2.2 desktop spied on Nexus One – Android and Me

Adobe evangelist Ryan Stewart has taunted us before and he is back again with a new YouTube video. In his latest upload, Ryan is showing off the latest version of Flash 10.1 on his Nexus One. Adobe gave all their employees Android phones and we recently learned that Flash 10.1 is tied to the release of FroYo (Android 2.2).

It appears Mr. Stewart is one of the lucky few to be running Android 2.2 on his Nexus One. At the tail end of the video (around 6:30 mark) we get a quick glimpse of his home screen. New desktop elements include an updated launcher, Android tutorial, and new global search box (picture after the jump).


The new Android 2.2 desktop.
Google is expected to unveil Android 2.2 at this month’s Google I/O. An increasing number of visitors to our site are running the latest FroYo firmware so it appears the update has been finalized. For a list of possible features, check out our Android 2.2 preview.

Update: It appears several Adobe employees are running the FroYo build. It also sounds like the giant FroYo sculpture has arrived at the Googleplex.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

man i hate the colour green, i hope we can customise these green colours on the next gen android phones.

 

[masta247]

This just looks like a background you can change at any time.

But yeah actually I'd like more customization for Android's looks. I dislike it all being grey and dark.

 

[Casey]

the fuck are you guys talking about? you can customise every level of android if you want to.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

no i mean, keep that background, but maybe choose your exact colour, i.e. RGB colours, brightness, saturation, hue, contrast etc.. instead of just having that BG as green.

 

[masta247]

the fuck are you guys talking about? you can customise every level of android if you want to.

How? I can't customize how my menu looks without root.

However I don't understand what do you mean by Green background Sandeep?

 

[ARon]

Anyone else with a G1 always having sd card problems. It doesn't recognize it's there sometimes?

 

[Casey]

Anyone else with a G1 always having sd card problems. It doesn't recognize it's there sometimes?

No, never. And I've raped my card with multiple formats and different sized partitions, and it still works fine.

I suggest you back up what's on there, format the card and then see if you still have problems.

 

[Casey]

Is Google Getting Back Into The Gaming Business?

Google has tended to stay away from the gaming world for the most part. The search giant did have Lively, a browser-based virtual world that could be embedded into other websites, but that was deadpooled in 2008. According to this job posting, Google is hiring a product management leader for Games.

The posting says that Google is looking to hire an employee to develop Google’s games commerce product strategy and help “build and manage the business with a cross-functional team.”

Whether it be through hiring or acquisitions, there are a number of signs that point to Google moving into the gaming world. Google also recently hired gaming exec Mark DeLoura as “Developer Advocate” for games. And Google just acquired LabPixies, an Israeli game developer.

It makes sense for Google to get into gaming. Not only is it a huge revenue channel, but Google can publish its games easily to a variety of its platforms, including Android, TV and Chrome. This could also be a move to bolster their array of games on Android, which is a weak spot for the mobile platform.



Read more: Is Google Getting Back Into The Gaming Business?

Official Google Mobile Blog: Google Maps for Android Gets Biking Directions, Navigation Shortcut, Sharing, and More)

Starting today, Google Maps for mobile has a few new ways to help you and your friends quickly get to where you’re going whether you’re on 4 wheels or 2 (or maybe even 3). With Google Maps 4.2 for Android you can now get biking directions on the go, start Navigation from your Home screen, share places with friends, and more.

Biking directions
Since launching biking directions on desktop Google Maps, we’ve wanted to get you biking directions, lanes, and trails on your phone too. Just in time for National Bike Month, select the bike icon when getting directions to get an optimal bicycling route in the U.S. If you’re in the mood for a more scenic ride, you’ll also see the Bicycling layer on the map which shows dedicated bike-only trails (dark green), roads with bike lanes (light green), or roads that are good for biking but lack a dedicated lane (dashed green). You can always turn on this layer from the Layers menu to pick your own route. Add in the Labs’ Terrain layer, and you can decide to either climb or avoid that big hill on the way home!




Google Navigation shortcut
If you’re driving instead of riding, we wanted to make it easier and faster for you to get on the road with Google Maps Navigation as soon as you’re ready. With the new Navigation shortcut, you can pick a destination and be on your way with as little as 2 taps of your finger. Select the “Navigation” icon in your phone’s app launcher to get the new destination selection view. Then, speak or type your destination, pick one from your contacts, choose a starred place, or select a recent destination. Navigation will begin and you’re good to go. Make it even easier on yourself by adding the Navigation icon right on your Home screen.



Sharing
Once you figure out where you’re going, why not get some friends to meet you there? From any search results page, choose to “Share this place” to send that place’s info, such as its address and phone number, to whomever you like. If you want to meet someone on a street corner or gather friends at an outdoor concert, you can also send an exact location from the map -- even a snapshot of your current location. Just use the share option after selecting a point on the map, your “My Location” blue dot, or yourself in Latitude if it’s enabled. Whether you’re sharing a place or a location, you’ll be able to send it to small groups via an email or text message or send it widely with apps like Google Buzz, Facebook, or Twitter.

Get these new features by searching for Google Maps in Android Market from Android 1.6+ phones (On your phone now? Tap here). Update Maps to version 4.2, available in all the countries and languages where Maps is currently available. Visit our Help Center to learn more, ask questions in our Help Forum, or give us suggestions and vote on other people’s on the Mobile Product Ideas page.

Posted by Michelle Chen, Software Engineer, Google Mobile Team

The Google Tablet Is Coming, Courtesy of Verizon - Android Tablet - Gizmodo

The first serious challenge to the Apple iPad is coming from the most obvious of teams: According to Verizon Chief Exec Lowell McAdam, the carrier is working with Google on "a tablet computer." This should be fun.

The WSJ report is about as sparse as possible, mentioning nothing beyond the fact that Verizon wants a tablet, and are now working with Google. Says McAdam:

We're looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience.
I'm guessing that didn't come out quite right, but I'll hazard a guess that this means the the partnership is brand new, and that neither company knows exactly how they're going to move forward. I hope for the sake of both companies, and us, that this means that Google is working with Verizon on making the ultimate Android tablet, and that Chrome OS will get brushed aside until it's a bit, er, better.

Let's play a little game of best case/worst case, shall we?

Best Case
Google's ready to prove its tablet mettle, and Verizon wants an answer to AT&T's iPad. It's Shakespearean, almost, kind of! Within months, AT&T and Verizon will fall deeply in love, and commit suicide due to an easily avoidable misunderstanding. No, wait, wrong play. I wanted the one where EVERYONE FIGHTS EVERYONE, AND IT IS AWESOME. This could mean:

• An Android tablet launched with the backing of a major carrier, and presumably a high-profile hardware manufacturer (Motorola?)
• Hardware within six months
• An interesting data pricing strategy from Verizon, which will need to compete with AT&T novel (but flawed) a la carte system
• An early start against other tablets, specifically from the newly invigorated Palm
• WAR

Worst Case
Sometimes Google is unfocused. Sometimes Verizon is out of touch. With their powers combined, we could end up with:

• A Chrome OS tablet. Web-only tablets aren't as cool as you'd think. Google and Verizon need to beat the iPad, not the JooJoo. Remember this concept? Eh. Eric Schmidt reportedly told people that the first Google tablet would run Android, but you never know.
• Massive lead time. Android was announced in November of 2007, which was interpreted (correctly) as Google's move to compete with the iPhone. Problem is, the T-Mobile G1 didn't ship until nearly a year later. This tablet needs to hit the market well before the next iteration of the iPad, and at least as quickly as whatever WebOS slate HP is working on right now.
• Stupid data pricing. Verizon took Microsoft's promising new Kin and strangled it in the delivery room. A traditional contract, or overpriced data, could do the same to a tablet.
• A raw Android tablet. The iPad has problems, nearly all of which Android is poised to avoid—but that could befall it, if Google hasn't been paying attention. I'm talking about better media support, open accessory compatibility, and a syncing app that exists, but isn't necessary for the device to function.

Granted, this whole thing could be a public bargaining strategy for Verizon, a misrepresentation of the facts by an executive who doesn't seem to have a perfectly clear view of the facts, or mere hot air. But I don't want to believe that. I can't.

 

[ARon]

CyanMod 5.0.7 is down, and then so is google addons in that post you had Casey. Then test3 is even down on xda, yours is test1 so i was like cool then nope lol...damn