Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Coming in a Few Days With Android 3.1

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is only a “few days away” according to a tweet from Samsung’s Mobile US account.

Furthermore, as clarified in another tweet from Samsung, the new version of Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be sporting the latest version of Honeycomb AKA Android 3.1.

The new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is actually a replacement for another tablet in the same name, which Samsung itself thought was unworthy of competing with Apple’s iPad 2.

The device sports a dual-core, 1 GHz CPU, a 10.1 inch, 1280×800 pixel screen, a 3-megapixel back camera as well as 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats, and all of that comes in a case that weighs 1.3 pounds and is only .34” thick.

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Toshiba to announce its new Android Tablet "Thrive"

Toshiba is soon going to launch an Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet named "Thrive". The tablet was being advertised for pre-order at JR.com, but has suddenly and inexplicably been pulled down as of the time of filing this report. You can still viewed the Google Cache copy of the page over here. The price quoted was US$579, which is about Rs.26,200 - not bad for what is on offer.

Powered by a 1 GHz Dual core Tegra 2 processor, this 10.1-inch tablet sports a capacitive multitouch screen with 1280x800 pixels resolution. This screen features Toshiba Adaptive Display technology, which adjusts the brightness and contrast to suit the surrounding lighting conditions, practically allowing you to use this laptop even in sunny weather. Adobe Flash support with hardware acceleration is present for an enriching web browsing experience.

Along with a 5 Megapixel primary camera with Auto-focus, Digital zoom and 720p video capture at the back, there is also a 2 Megapixel HD camera at the front for video calling. HDMI output lets you hook up this tablet to your HDTV display using an HDMI cable and watch movies on the big screen in 1080p Full HD resolution. Thanks to the Toshiba Tablet's Resolution+ technology incorporated in this device, even Standard Definition (SD) video content is upscaled neatly, with no details lost.

The tablet features on-board, a GPS, an accelerometer and a digital compass, helping to pinpoint its exact location and motion. Even the battery is the user-replaceable, which is something every consumer would want, and no tablet manufacturer wants to give. This allows you to carry a second battery pack and replace the battery on-the-go when the first battery runs out of juice. Connectivity is taken care of by Wi-Fi (with hotspot capability), USB 2.0 (with one full and one mini USB port) and Bluetooth. No mention is made of GSM connectivity, so that is probably not going to be available in this version at least. An SD memory card slot is also provided to augment the 32 GB internal memory on-board the device.

Toshiba has been delaying the launch of this tablet, and may delay it to the third quarter of this calendar year. The launch date is therefore not clear. We must note here that Toshiba has already launched the Prot g 12-inch tablet in India, so this tablet may be launched soon too.

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Now Angry Birds Rio for Android available

Angry Birds fans with Android phone will surely love this, Android Market now start selling the famous mobile game. Check it out Android users!

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Android Malware Up by an Alarming 400 Percent

A recent report on mobile malware released by Juniper networks revealed some startling figures. The report suggested a 400 percent rise in malware on the popular Android platform. Google’s Android platform has earned itself quite a reputation since its inception and this is no news. What began as an app store with roughly about 50,000 apps now houses a good 200,000 apps. However, the platform is now being deemed as the biggest distribution point for malware across the mobile platform.

Over the past few months, Android users have been victims of threats ranging from various levels of intensity. What began first as a threat tool for desktop users has now furthered onto the mobile users. Keeping this view in mind, a host of anti-virus applications have been released in a last ditch, but less than satisfactory effort to stabilize the situation. One instance would be the attacks that a malicious app called DroidDream began doing rounds. Google did intervene but most of the damage had been done already.


However, it now remains to be seen how well Google empowers its popular Android.

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Samsung launches Nexus S and first CDMA Android phone in India

Samsung has launched its much awaited Nexus S smartphone in the Indian market. The phone has been developed in partnership with the Google.

Nexus S is powered by Gingerbread, the Android 2.3 version. It is the first handset from Samsung Mobile with a 4 inch super clear curved LCD screen and Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

Samsung also has five new Galaxy Smart phones based on the Android 2.2 platform in its kitty (Galaxy Pro, Ace, Fit, Pop, and Galaxy Pop CDMA), making it the largest range of Android powered smartphones in the country from one company.

Ranjit Yadav, country head, Samsung Mobile and IT, said, "The slew of launches on the Android platform represents our commitment to deliver a smarter, simpler and more intuitive smartphone experience to our consumers. Our entire smartphone strategy hinges on providing consumers with a seamlessly connected experience while at work, home or on the go."

He added, "We are looking at notching up a 40 per cent market share in the fast growing smartphone market in India this year."

Nexus S comes preinstalled with whole host of Google apps such as the Google Search, Google Maps with Navigation, YouTube, Google Earth, Gmail, Mobile Instant and more. Nexus S also features Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which allows users to read information from nearby tags that are embedded with NFC chips.

The smartphone also includes popular Android features such as portable WiFi hotspot, true multitasking and access to over 150,000 apps and widgets on Android Market.

Powered with a 1 Ghz mega processor, the Nexus S provides powerful multimedia and gaming experience with brilliant 3D graphics.

With Android 2.3, users can enjoy hi-speed application downloads and watch HD video content with instant access. The handset also provides high speed connectivity options, internet calling (VoIP/SIP) support.

The OS provides one touch word selection and improved copy-paste function for all your documents and a dedicated camera/video switch that helps you capture pictures and videos with ease.

The Nexus S is equipped with a 5 megapixel rear facing camera and camcorder with flash, as well as a VGA front facing camera. In addition, Nexus S features a gyroscope sensor to provide smooth, fluid gaming experience when the user is tilting the device up or down or panning the phone to the left or right.

The phone comes with 16GB internal memory and a 1500mAH battery which provides a talk time up to 6.7 hours on 3G (14 hours on 2G) and a standby time up to 17.8 days on 3G (29.7 days on 2G). The Nexus S is priced at Rs 29,590.

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Google Brags About Android Market Stats

Google said during the company's earnings call on Thursday that more than 3 billion apps have been installed from the Android Market so far, and around 350,000 smartphones are activated every day. The new figures highlight the exceptional growth of Android, but when it comes to app stores, Apple's is still king.

It didn't take Google long to reach the 3 billion downloaded apps milestone for the Android Market. It took 20 months to reach 1 billion apps installed; the second billion took another five months; and then it took only two months for Google to reach 3 billion -- a 50 percent increase from the previous quarter.

However, it's unclear how Google counted the app installs, if it included third-party stores (like Amazon's), or just the Android Market.Electronista's hunch is that all stores were included in Google's count. The balance between paid and free apps is also unspecified.

Impressive Android Market stats aside, Apple's App Store is still at the top. Apple announced earlier this year that its marketplace reached 10 billion downloads, more than three times more than Android's performance. When it comes to the number of apps, Apple rules too: the App Store has more than 350,000 apps, while the Android Market clocks in at an estimated half of that number.

Source : Google Brags About Android Market Stats

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Skype for Android Suffers from Security Issues

Almost six months ago, popular Voice over Internet Protocol company Skype unveiled the Skype for Android App. Recently, Android enthusiast blog Android Police discovered a security issue with Skype for Android App that may lead to an open invite for hackers to access user data on the device. According to Android Police, the latest version of Skype for Android stores chats logs and other information on the microSD card un-encrypted.

Until the Android 2.2 Froyo update, all smartphone users had to install their apps on the internal on-board memory of their smartphones. Once the Froyo update was rolled out, users could install and store the apps on the MicroSD card. However, there lies a limitation as developers still get to choose whether the app should be allowed to be installed on the microSD card or not. In case the developer allows the app to be installed and store data on the microSD card, that data is supposed to be strongly encrypted. Else, it's like storing all your passwords and data in a text file on your desktop. It's plain stupidity and an open invite for anyone to steal data from there.

The latest version of Skype for Android lets users install stuff from microSD card and stores all user data such as chat logs and profile information on the card itself. However, the Skype for Android app doesn't apply encryption on that whatever additional information is saved on the external storage. That leaves the personal information of the user exposed to potential hackers.

Skype has confirmed about the issue and is said to be investigating it.

Take a look at the video by Android Police that shows the issue:

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Android Handsets Specification Comparison

The Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000 price range has suddenly become very exciting because of all the new Android phones that are pouring in thick and fast. For a prospective buyer, this is both good news as well as bad news. Good news because he now has a choice; bad news because there are too many options to choose from.

Each of these phones differs from one another by one or two features. It becomes difficult to keep track of these things and even if you use a compare engine the task becomes tedious because of the sheer number. So we decided to club all of these high-end smartphones into a table and list out all the important specifications, so that it is easy to compare. Some of these handsets are currently on sale in India, whereas others are yet to launch but worth keeping an eye out for.

Since these are just the specifications, we would advise not to make your buying decision solely based on them, but also have a hands-on with the phone or read/watch online reviews before committing to any of them.

This table is only for high-end phones but we may even come up with a similar one for mid-range and low-end Android phones too. Do let us know what you think about this chart, if it requires any additions or if you spot any errors.

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Please note that we are constantly updating the image above to correct any errors or add extra parameters as we come across them. Hence, we would advise not to save the image on your computer.

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