Android chosen by Boeing for entertainment

Now air travellers can expect Android based tablet devices in front of them when they travel in the new Boeing 787.

Boeing, the popular aircraft manufacturer, has decided to equip its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft with Android to enhance the in-flight entertainment system.

Android based tablet type devices ranging from screen sizes of 9 inches to up to 15.4 inches have been selected to provide entertainment to the passengers as per their travelling choice. All the devices except the bigger ones used for the business class passengers will feature touchscreen for input and additional keypad for gaming and text input as well.

For the business class passengers, Boeing is planning to use a prototype hand gesture based technology in these Android based devices as due to a bigger space in these aircrafts it would be difficult for the passengers to reach out for the screens to control them. "Rather than that users can simply make out gestures with their hands and get the work done," said Mark Larson, technical manager, Boeing to Australian Business Traveler.

With this decision Boeing has officially shut Apple and other Android competitors' plans to enter the in-flight entertainment domain. For manufacturing the tablet devices and related devices to run the whole shoe Boeing has selected Panasonic and Thales, out of which Panasonic will be majorly involved in the making of the touchscreen devices.

Philly papers offering subscribers $99 Android tablet

(Credit: Lance Whitney/CNET)

A Philadelphia newspaper publisher is trying to steer more people to its online editions by offering a $99 Android tablet with a two-year subscription.

Publisher of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, and philly.com, the Philadelphia Media Network (PMN) launched its new promotion today, kicking in 5,000 Arnova 10 G2 tablets on a first-come, first-served basis to people who open up digital subscriptions to both of its newspapers.

Those who sign up for a two-year $9.99-per-month subscription can scoop up the tablet for $99, while those who opt for a one-year subscription at a cost of $12.99 a month will pay $129 for the Android-based device. The digital subscriptions are heavily discounted from their regular prices courtesy of sponsorships from Main Line Health, Comcast, and Wells Fargo, noted PMN.

The Arnova tablet will come packaged with digital or mobile editions of the Inquirer, Daily News, and philly.com and include a range of other apps, such as e-mail, a Web browser, the Amazon Appstore, an office suite, and Main Line Health's Wellness program. It also provides apps designed to ferret out local deals and information in the Philly area.

Arnova is a special brand manufactured by tablet maker Archos. Outfitted with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the Arnova 10 G2 (PDF) is a 10.1-inch tablet with a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor and a 1024x600 pixel display. It includes 4GB of storage space, an integrated 720p Webcam, and support for Adobe Flash.

The partnership between PMN and Arnova is the first of its kind involving a major media company in the U.S., according to the publisher.

"This partnership recognizes that consumers are increasingly utilizing tablets and other highly portable devices for their news, sports, and entertainment needs," PMN Publisher and CEO Gregory Osberg said in a statement. "We intend to utilize a variety of platforms and methods to reach our customers, ranging from philly.com to traditional hard copy subscriptions, as well as our new digital subscriptions."

News publisher Tribune Co. is reportedly cooking up a similar deal with Samsung to offer subscribers a free or low-cost Android tablet in exchange for a long-term commitment. That program was initially expected to launch in early August but has been delayed, according to sources from CNN.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich vs Windows 8: features and differences

Sandwich and Windows 8 are going to enter the market and pretty soon and people want to know their features and differences

Android Ice Cream Sandwich and Microsoft Windows 8 are going to make entry in the market pretty soon. Both are much more improved than what we have right now and both are going to make it tough for their competitors to remain in contention.

These two great operating systems are going to sway the market in their favor.

It is being said that Microsoft’s Windows 8 is not just a great operating system for PCs and tablet, it will also make the laptops and PCs very fast. To be true this will allow the computers to boot with just pressing of buttons.

Both the softwares are going to be introduced in the market later this year.

Google is going to face the main consequences of the Windows 8 operating system as a few tablet manufacturers have already said that they will launch their tablets with Windows 8. Samsung that so far used Android will be launching a Windows 8 tablet as soon as it is introduced in the market.

But there is a major difference between the two softwares. Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich comes primarily for tablets and smartphones while Windows 8 is aimed at tablet and PCs. Ice Cream Sandwich is a solution for both the tablets and smartphones.

A report suggests that a smoother user interface is a major attraction of operating systems. Users often use those devices that come with comfortable home screens and navigation features. Software giant Microsoft announced that its specially designed Metro UI would enhance Windows 8. Due to this Windows 8 will have an advanced tile-based home screen. Here every icon will give a sneak peek into the updates of each application. At the same time, Google Android 4.0 will come with a special holographic UI, which will offer more rich widgets and an enhanced application framework.

A press release says, “through deep partnerships with carriers, device manufacturers, developers, and others, we hope to enable an open ecosystem for the mobile world by creating a standard, open mobile software platform”.

A Press release detailing Android 4.o says, “Through Android, developers, wireless operators and handset manufacturers will be better positioned to bring to market innovative new products faster and at a much lower cost. (…) The Android platform will be made available under one of the most progressive, developer-friendly open-source licenses, which gives mobile operators and device manufacturers significant freedom and flexibility to design products. Developers will have complete access to handset capabilities and tools that will enable them to build more compelling and user-friendly services, bringing the Internet developer model to the mobile space. And consumers worldwide will have access to less expensive mobile devices that feature more compelling services, rich Internet applications and easier-to-use interfaces — ultimately creating a superior mobile experience”.

Android 2.3 powered Motorola Fire and Motorola Fire XT fire up the market

The budget Android Gingerbread smartphones market in India has been expanding at a rapid pace. The recent entrants to join the race are Motorola Fire and Motorola Fire XT. Packing in a new MOTO Switch user interface, the devices bring in unique personalized options in addition to a enhanced chatting and surfing options. Equipped with all the latest tools, like video chat, emails and more in their slim built, the devices bring a comprehensive social networking experience to the mobile users.

Rajan Chawla, Mobile Devices business country head-sales and operations, India and South West Asia, Motorola Mobility says, "with easy multitasking and contact management, faster and easier interactions, the Motorola FIRE XT and Motorola FIRE make for a great mobile experience at a great price for the young, fast-moving users who want everything from a top-quality smartphone. ”

The Motorola Fire XT comes with a 3.5-inch, extra-bright touch screen display for easy Swype and displays a touch-screen along with a full QWERTY keypad. The fashionable smartphone allows users to switch back and forth between friends and work thanks to its new MOTO Switch user interface. The capable 5-mega pixel auto-focus camera with built-in flash assures vibrant and colorful pictures, while the front-facing camera aids in video chatting.

On the other hand Motorola Fire provides a great mobile messaging and multitasking experience. Also supporting a QWERTY keyboard and 2.8-inch touch-screen display, the device balances the need for both touch and type users. The device has dropped 2 mega pixels as compared to its sibling and stands at 3-mega pixel. Aided by a friends-centric widget, the device allows for a seamless transition between work and play and is quite a steal at just Rs 9,490

The two devices apart from their OS also pack in similar features. Both come packed with the Android Market and access to over 250,000 apps, 3G3 / WIFI4 support for 3G hotspot for connecting up to 5 devices, access to Google Maps, Google Talk, Gmail and assisted global positioning system. There is a 2GB microSD card in the box which can be expanded up to 32GB.

Google recently acquired Motorola Mobility for a whopping $12.5 billion dollars. While many see potential of success in this marriage, several others believe that the deal will jeopardize the Android ecosystem.

Android app gives you free Web access via texting

A Web page fetched by Smozzy (left), and the Smozzy options screen (right).

(Credit: Smozzy)

Getting something for nothing is awfully hard to resist. If you have T-Mobile's unlimited messaging plan for your Android phone, the "something" is Web access and "for nothing" means no data plan required.

Smozzy is an Android app that cleverly packages communications between Android browser and Web as messages transmitted via T-Mobile's text messaging service. The result is slow but free Web access (given that you have T-Mobile's unlimited messaging plan).

Under this scheme, Web requests are sent via SMS to Smozzy's server, which retrieves the pages and returns them to your phone via MMS. The tricky part is in how Smozzy fits the camel through the needle's eye. The Smozzy server chops up a Web page, zips each piece, packages the zip files as PNGs, and sends the faux image files via MMS. The app unpacks the files and reassembles the Web page.

Smozzy's Android Market page includes these caveats from the developer, Jeff Donahue:

This app currently works with U.S. T-MOBILE SERVICE ONLY. This application may send and receive a large number of messages, so use of it without an unlimited messaging plan is NOT recommended. It is currently in beta, and has been tested only on Nexus S and HTC G2 devices.

ExtremeTech's Sebastian Anthony lays out some of the app's downsides:

There are some security issues, of course--there's no encryption (though some could be added), so passwords are sent as plaintext--and the entire service currently runs through one man's, cheap-and-cheerful VPS, so it would be unwise to rely on Smozzy being available. It's also incredibly likely that T-Mobile will close this hole, so you probably shouldn't use Smozzy as an excuse to cancel your overpriced data plan and transfer to T-Mobile.

Still, you've got to admire the creativity, and hey, free is free--for as long as it lasts.

Donahue is considering extending the app to other unlimited messaging services beyond T-Mobile, but he's not sure about other platforms, he said. "It was quite a bit of work getting it to work on Android."

Smozzy is a beta release. Donahue is taking a wait-and-see approach before deciding whether to do a commercial release and figuring out how to charge for it, he said. And yes, T-Mobile could shut him down. "I don't think there's much I can do if they block me," he said.

I wonder if they will. Does the disadvantage of some T-Mobile users getting data for free outweigh more people joining T-Mobile to get data for free? What do you think?

Netflix suddenly works on most Android devices

Netflix can now digest FroYo and Gingerbread. Or maybe it's the other way around.... Regardless, the video-streaming service's Android app now works on all devices running version 2.2 or 2.3, which would be the vast majority of Android phones and a number of tablets. Honeycomb users still get no red-envelope love, however.

Version 1.4 of the app dropped into the Android Market yesterday. Up until this version, Netflix had been compatible with a much smaller number of devices, with the development team tackling each device one at a time. In fact, when the app for Android first debuted in May, it was only functional on five devices.

Back then the company said it was having a hard time dealing with the notorious problem of Android fragmentation and had to "qualify phones" one at a time.

With subsequent releases, the number of compatible devices grew to 9 and then 24, and now it's everything except gadgets being used by the poor souls still stuck on Android 2.1, and the majority of Honeycomb tablets. According to Google's statistics, more than 82 percent of Android users are on FroYo or Gingerbread.

The app is free, but naturally you'll have to pony up $7.99 a month for the privilege of streaming "Cars 2" to your Droid 2. Trust me, your 2-year-old will love you for it.

Could Android Jelly Bean Be the Successor to Ice Cream Sandwich?

Slow news day? How else to explain the buzz being generated by a thisismynext.com report about potential codenames for Google's follow up to its upcoming Android mobile operating system?

The follow-up to Google's current-generation Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS that's affectionately known as Ice Cream Sandwich won't even be arriving until October or November, according to Google. That said, interest in all things Android has certainly kept pace with the operating system's growing importance in the smartphone and tablet markets.

So perhaps it makes sense that people are keen to learn any detail at all about Ice Cream Sandwich's successor, even its codename. Which, according to thisismynext.com, may or may not be Jelly Bean.

The tech blog cites one "trusted source" as saying Jelly Bean is a done deal. But another source cited in an update to the thisismynext.com post says that codename hasn't yet been finalized. What Jelly Bean has going for it, of course, is that Google has so far named each successive new version of Android and some important updates to the OS after a tasty treat that follows an alphabetical pattern.

Thus we've seen Banana Bread followed by Cupcake followed by Donut, etcetera, through to the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich. And while Ice Cream Sandwich is assumed to be a major version update from Android 3.0 to Android 4.0, Google hasn't actually made that official yet. Jelly Bean could be Android 5.0, but that's not official either.

Thisismynext.com thinks Jelly Bean makes a lot of sense because "the pickings are fairly slim for desserts with 'J' names." Maybe, but Google has been known to get creative with its Android codenames. Case in point, Froyo, the codename for Android 2.2.

Jell-O is a brand name, so it's probably off limits. A better bet would be Jujube, which is actually a generic term, though "Jujubes" is branded in the U.S. by the confectioner Farley & Sathers (on a historical note, Jujubes were originally made by the Heide Candy Company). Jelly Roll would be a nice twist on the more generic Jelly Bean, with the bonus of being an homage to jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton as well as a somewhat dated but naughty metaphor.

Speaking of metaphors, here's a mix of them: If Google does decide to throw us a curveball with Android 5.0 (or whatever the "J" stop turns on the Android train turns out to be), perhaps it will go with Javvarisi, the Tamil term for pearl sago, a tapioca like starch that's used in sweet pudding dishes.

Or perhaps the search giant will try to be a bit more more health conscious with the next iteration of Android. If Google wants to start moving away from codenames that still evoke sweetness without relying on refined sugar, they might try Jicama or Jackfruit.