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Google Android Devices, Froyo On 51.8%, Gingerbread On 0.4%

Arjun Komath — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:53:26 +0000

Google Android 2.2 Froyo has gained 8.4% of the total number of Google-powered devices since we last took a look at the stats published by Android Developers back in December, a tad more than a month ago. According to the figures, Android 2.2 Froyo now powers 51,8% of devices while Android 2.1 Eclair is present on 35.2% (4.4% lower than last month’s 39.6), putting a solid 16.6% between the two. Unfortunately, Froyo is not the latest of Google’s operating system with the launch of Gingerbread, which is only active on 0.4% (most of them probably Nexus S smartphones) of the total devices powered by the platform.

[via pocketnow]

Creamy new Android 2.4 coming out in June ?!

Arjun Komath — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 11:59:56 +0000

Google has code named Android 2.4 as ‘Ice Cream’. Google already has made two new Android versions public, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, available on the Google Nexus S, and Android 3.0 Honeycomb, coming on board the Motorola Xoom soon. But it looks like a third, intermediate Android version is also going to be unveiled at some point in the future and that’s Android 2.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Android 2.4 Ice Cream is scheduled to be released in June or July of this year.

First time around Android 2.4 was spotted on the newly announced Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, and Sony Ericsson quickly said that it was just a simple mistake. But now Android 2.4 has been spotted on a Google Nexus S, and below is a video proving that. So, it wasn’t a coincidence after all!

The mobile operating system’s nicknames are based on tasty dessert treats and are named in alphabetical order:

Cupcake
Donut
Eclair
Froyo
Gingerbread
Honeycomb
Ice Cream

No details about potential new features or improvements were provided.

Android 3.0 ‘Honeycomb’ Spotted, Nexus One will get Android 2.3 update!

Arjun Komath — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:27:35 +0000

Finally, Android 3.0 Honeycomb spotted in the air! AIR Benchmark, a website designed to test Adobe AIR performance on mobile devices, has seen pings recently from new versions of Gingerbread and Honeycomb. Both new Android OS builds were running on Nexus Ones. So, there are Nexus Ones or Nexus S in the wild, running both Android 2.3 Gingerbread and Android 3.0 honeycomb. There are two happy things :

The Nexus One is capable of running Android 2.3 Gingerbread and will get an official update from Google. Google’s Nexus Twitter had tweeted that the Gingerbread OTA will be coming, and coming soon. They said – “The Gingerbread OTA for Nexus One will happen in the coming weeks. Just hang tight!”
Android 3.0 Honeycomb is being tested out somewhere and we can hear a lot more about it soon!

Google Nexus S listed for Rs. 24000 at Infibeam

Arjun Komath — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 12:26:15 +0000

Popular online retail site Infibeam has listed the recently announced Google Nexus S device for Rs. 24,000. It’s the same company that gave India the Kindle alternative – Infibeam Pi reader. Even though it has been listed, there was no mention of a launch or availability date on the Infibeam website. The price at Infibeam beats eBay India’s price of Rs. 29890. Unlocked Google Nexus S is also being sold for $529 (Rs. 23, 850) in the US via Best Buy website, which is accessible only via US or UK listed Internet Protocol addresses. For the Indian buyers, if you can’t wait, just go for the item listed in eBay India, or if you willing to wait a bit longer, Infibeam has the best price for you!

Price slash in Google Nexus S Unlocked, £429.99

Arjun Komath — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 17:53:15 +0000

UK retailer Carphone Warehouse has dropped the price of the unlocked Google Nexus S. During its launch on December 13, the Nexus S went off with an initial price of £549.95 without contract; surprisingly, now, the Nexus S price has been slashed to £429.99, even before the item starts to ship.

[via androidcommunity]

Teardown of the Google Nexus S

Arjun Komath — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 06:07:49 +0000

iFixIt has performed a teardown of the Google Nexus S for those interested in the device. The Nexus S is a variation of the Samsung Galaxy S, sporting more or less the same hardware specifications as its brethren. Notable changes to the Galaxy S include NFC (Near Field Communication) support and a Super AMOLED Contour Display.

Tech Specs:

1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 Hummingbird Multimedia Applications Processor based on the ARMv7 architecture.
16 GB internal storage capacity
512 MB total RAM
5 MP rear-facing camera and a VGA (640×480) front-facing camera.
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)

Nexus S Repairability Score: 7 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair)

Battery is very easily replaceable — just remove the back cover to swap it out.
The motherboard comes out easily once you’re inside, as it’s held in place by regular screws and connectors.
A lot of the phone’s components are modular, meaning that they’re simpler to replace, but will cost more as replacement parts.
Front panel is attached with adhesive instead of screws, so it’s harder to take off than on the iPhone.
If you shatter the front panel glass, the SAMOLED has to be replaced as well — they’re fused together

iPhone 4 vs Google Nexus S, Who will Win ? [REVIEW]

Arjun Komath — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:19:32 +0000

The much awaited Google Nexus S (Made by Samsung) was launched recently with the new android OS version 2.3 Aka Gingerbread. The first thing that came to my mind regarding the phone was, Can it compete against the Apple iPhone 4 ? As you know the predecessor Google Nexus one (by HTC) didn’t sell as they expected, Google has changed the hardware a lot and also many improvements in the software has also been introduced. Lets have a comparison been these two before I come to a conclusion.

Dimensions : The iPhone 4 measures 4.5 x 2.31 x 0.37 while the Nexus S measures 4.8 x 2.48 x 0.42.

Processor : iPhone 4 features the Apple A4 Processor (1 GHz), Nexus S has 1GHZ Cortex A8 processor (Humming Bird) Both perform really well, but iOS seems to be faster with less lag compared to Nexus S. [An important thing to note is that, while using the device running humming bird processor, it wasn't as fast as the snap dragon devices!]

Memory : iPhone 4 – 16 or 32GB flash Memory (In-built – no external memory support), Nexus S 16GB iNAND Flash Memory.

Operating System : iPhone 4 runs on the iOS, which is one of the best operating system for smart phone! It is extremely fast, excellent UI and has tons of applications from the App Store. Nexus S runs on the Google’s Android 2.3 OS, which is also very popular and fast, but the android’s UI is difficult for some! The Android Market also includes many applications, but unfortunately its not as good as the Apple’s Appstore. iPhone Wins this for sure!

Display : iPhone 4 has an excellent 3.5″ Retina Display with 960×480 pixels res at 326ppi! Nexus S has 480×800 res 4″ display.

Camera : Both have the same specification of 5MP camera with flash, and a VGA camera in the front. Both the phones perform really well!

Battery : Apple wins here. One of the most advertised features on the iPhone 4 is the battery that is noted to offer up to 7 hours of talk time. While the Nexus One was noted to offer 10 hours of talk time, the new Nexus S on the contrary only gives 6 hours.

Price : The Nexus S will be priced at $199 – the same as the 16GB iPhone 4.

CONCLUSION : Both the devices perform really well. If you want the iOS you have no other choice other than the iPhone, but if you are looking for an awesome android device, then Nexus S is perfect for you!

You can also read the user reviews for both the device from Testfreaks :

iPhone reviews : http://www.testfreaks.com/cellphones/apple-iphone-4/

Nexus S reviews : http://www.testfreaks.com/cellphones/samsung-nexus-s/

Share your Views on Nexus S and iPhone 4! What will you Prefer, iPhone 4 or Nexus S?

Google Nexus S – The fast just got faster! coming December 16th to US, 20th to UK

Arjun Komath — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:29:58 +0000

After December 16, Nexus S will be sold unlocked and carrier-independent initially through Best Buy stores in the U.S. and after December 20 at Carphone Warehouse stores in the UK.

Pricing details: $199 with a two-year T-Mobile contract or $529 unlocked.

Nexus S is the next generation of Nexus devices co-developed by Google and Samsung. The latest Android platform (Gingerbread) paired with 1 GHz Hummingbird processor and 16GB of memory makes Nexus S one of the fastest phones on the market.

It comes pre-installed with the best of Google apps and enabled with new and popular features like true multi-tasking, Wi-Fi hotspot, Internet Callling, NFC support, and full web browsing. With this device, users will also be the first to receive software upgrades and new Google mobile apps as soon as they become available.

Features and Gallery :

Videos :

Nexus One Car Dock On Its Way!

Arjun Komath — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:55:53 +0000

The car dock uses bluetooth to communicate with the Nexus One and automaticallyestablishes a connection when the phone is inserted. The Car Home application is then launched with allows the user easy access to Maps and Navigation, Contacts, and Voice Search. Built-in speakers provide music playback and calls using the speaker phone.

The Nexus One Car Dock is the perfect place to put your phone when you’re in the car. In addition to holding your Nexus One, the car dock also charges your phone’s battery, lets you use your phone handsfree, and provides easier access to voice and navigation apps.

The dock’s built-in speakers and volume controls also enhance the in-car music and media experience. And the Car Home app, which loads automatically, makes it easy to access Maps and Navigation, Voice Search, Contacts, and Music.

This is the first official Accessories that is directly available from the Google Website.

[via Nexus One Help and AndroidAndMe]

Google Nexus One Display is not true WVGA ?

Arjun Komath — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:17:05 +0000

AMOLED good, LCD bad, right? When it comes to the Nexus One, things might not be so clear-cut. Frustrated by what he describes as “swizzled” edges to what should’ve been clean, crisp text and graphics, Nexus One owner Luke Hutchison took a magnifier to the smartphone’s AMOLED panel and discovered that while WVGA may be the resolution HTC and Google claim, the actual resolution could be more like 392 x 653.

That’s because of the way the display uses color in its pixels. It turns out that, rather than each pixel having all three color channels (red, blue and green) they actually have either a blue/green or red/green pair, with the blue or red pixel being double-width. The technology is called PenTile, and there are various justifications for using it that include apparently extending blue pixel longevity.

So, when you add up the number of RGB triplets on the display, you get the lower 392 x 653 resolution. That’s apparently why the Nexus One display – while brighter and richer in color than that of the LCD-based DROID – has text that is less sharp than the Motorola smartphone. There’s far more to it than that, of course, but the underlying issue is that the AMOLED display Google and HTC used doesn’t quite deliver what buyers probably thought they were getting.

[via IntoMobile]