Android Authority » Chuck Zich

Video: Motorola Devour demonstration

Chuck Zich — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:01:13 +0000

Rick Osterloh, VP of Android Software & MOTOBLUR services has been caught seemingly in his own cubicle, showing off the Motorola Devour in a nice 7 minute long video. The video shows the attractive form factor and well spaced keyboard along with features of MOTOBLUR and Motorola’s new Moto Phone Portal. The portal allows you to view media files from your phone directly on your computer all over a WiFi connection. We hope to see this great feature ported to other popular Motorola devices such as the DROID in the near future.

The Devour is set to launch exclusively with Verizon next week for $149 on 2 year contract. Hit the jump for the video and a full featured list of the Devour’s unique features.

[via Android and Me]

Touch-sensitive navigation pad
3.1” capacitive touch screen
Pre-loaded applications such as Gmail, Google Talk™, YouTube™, Google Search™ and Google Maps™ with Google Maps Navigation.
Android Market™ gives users access to more than 20,000 applications.
Happenings Widget – MOTOBLUR automatically pushes status updates, wall posts and photo updates from popular social networking sites to the Happenings Widget on the home screen. Customers can flick through the latest updates and fire back responses using the slide-out full QWERTY keyboard.
Universal Inbox – MOTOBLUR gathers texts, social network messages and e-mails into one home screen widget for quick response.
Back-Up and Security – Contacts, log-in information, home screen customizations, e-mail and social network messages are backed up automatically on the secure MOTOBLUR portal. The portal also allows customers to use the phone’s fully integrated aGPS to help locate the phone if misplaced. Remote wipe easily clears information from a lost device.
8 GB microSD™ card pre-installed
Bluetooth® profiles supported: A2DP, HID, HSP, HFP, AVRCP and GAP

This article, Video: Motorola Devour demonstration , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Google’s Goggles and Translate work together in the future

Chuck Zich — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:07:57 +0000

An exciting new Google feature has been shown off at this year’s Mobile World Congress recently pairing Google Goggles and Google Translate to work together in a harmonious union. The specific example shown in the video after the jump, has the demonstrator taking a picture of a German dinner menu with Google Goggles, and having it translate to English only seconds later. Quite a cool concept that is still under development, but shows great promise.

While Google Goggles is still working out the kinks in terms of accuracy, the translation service is working well and even supports text to speech technology. The thought of the two apps working together on instances such as these is very exciting and will provide a great tool for tourists and world travelers alike. Enjoy the video and let us know your thoughts.

This article, Google’s Goggles and Translate work together in the future , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

A slew of new details on Dell’s Mini 5 plus new video

Chuck Zich — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:42:26 +0000

While there certainly isn’t anything “mini” about it, the Dell Mini 5 is piquing interest everywhere with it’s in-between size of a phone and tablet PC. During MWC today a few more interesting details have surfaced regarding some of the features of the phone that have been previously shrouded in mystery.

The Mini 5 is set to launch on AT&T’s network with rumored future availability for T-Mobile. It is said to be running something “newer than Android 1.6″ and some reports are saying Android 2.1. It now officially totes a forward facing camera which will enable the device to perform video conferencing as well as shooting regular pictures via its 5-megapixel LED flash camera on the backside.

An interesting detail about the rumored price, speculated at around $1000 USD with current conversion rates is a little bit of a shocker. A docking station is going to come bundled and is capable of HDMI video out, USB syncing, audio out and charging capabilities. Although we doubt Dell would try to enter it into the market at that price point, bundling the phone with a docking station is a new idea and will certainly increase the cost to the consumer.

The device was also spotted in numerous colors which seem to mimic their laptop line including black, white, pink and red with others to be available at launch. The video after the jump doesn’t show off many new features that you probably haven’t seen already but it does provide nice video playback of the Avatar trailer as well as a quick zip through the custom interface.

[via AndroidandMe]

This article, A slew of new details on Dell’s Mini 5 plus new video , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Thirsty? Check out this Motorola Quench video

Chuck Zich — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:41:51 +0000

Earlier today we reported on the official unveiling of the mystery Motorola phone previously known as the Zeppelin. Now being called the CLIQ XT/Quench, Engadget has been lovely enough to shoot a video for us on the new device. Showing off Motoblur, which seems to be a love/hate relationship with users right now the phone has a solid look to it and interchangeable backs allowing for user customization. The screen looks very responsive and the OS is running seen running smoothly.

A detail previously unknown is that the device comes preloaded with Swype text input which is a fantastic feature allowing users to draw lines to each key instead of tapping each individual key. It looks like Swype is really picking up momentum in terms of being loaded on devices straight out of the box. Enjoy the video after the jump as it should hold you over until this device is launched on T-Mobile sometime next month in the United States.

[via Engadget]

This article, Thirsty? Check out this Motorola Quench video , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

New Dell Mini 5 video and detailed pictures

Chuck Zich — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:09:58 +0000

The much anticipated Dell Mini 5 recently landed in Engadget’s hands and they wasted no time in snapping photos and shooting a nice video of the boot up sequence for the half tablet half phone hybrid. Noted in our previous coverage, the interesting aspect of this device is that it is in between a phone and a tablet in size and is trying to satisfy both forms which has not yet been done successfully. It is a bit disappointing that nobody has taken a photo of it while held up to the face or ear because it may be a tad too large to use as a primary phone and its the primary question on everyone’s mind.

By reviewing the photos closely a couple of observations show a dual LED flash camera, custom UI, easily scratched front and back surface, its thinner than an iPhone, and has landscape oriented buttons to the right of the screen. With the landscape orientation of the buttons, Dell seems to be going for Tablet over phone forms and we will be curious to see how the public perceives the size of the device. Dell looks to have a winner here with the sleek design coupled with custom interface running on top of Android and, hopefully, it will perform all phone and tablet functions well. We won’t know for sure until it is launched soon on AT&T’s network or hard details are possibly announced at MWC next week. Hit the jump for more pics and the video.

[via Engadget]

This article, New Dell Mini 5 video and detailed pictures , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Rumor: Successor to Froyo to be called Gingerbread

Chuck Zich — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:54:52 +0000

A little tidbit from Brian Swetland, an employee of Google who works on the Linux kernel, tells us that the iteration of Android beyond Froyo will be called Gingerbread. Looks like we hit it pretty dead on with our guess back in mid January when trying to come up with clever “G” names that hit the sweet tooth. The official quote was posted to a forum on LWN.net and is as follows:

We maintain a set of patches on top of Linux, which we periodically rebase to the latest released Linux kernel. We’ve been doing this roughly every other kernel release since about 2.6.14. This week we’re finalizing our move to 2.6.32 for the Android “Froyo” release, and we’ll likely be on .33 or .34 for “Gingerbread”.

Shall we guess what “H” will bring us just to keep the streak alive? How about Honey, Huckleberry, Halloween or Helado? Given the fact that Froyo has yet to be released on a device we will have plenty of time to contemplate the new name, until then we’ll put this in the back of our minds for a while, or at least until another smidgen of info gets our senses going again.

[via Android Guys]

This article, Rumor: Successor to Froyo to be called Gingerbread , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

More odd details on the rumored Motorola MOTOSPLIT

Chuck Zich — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:16:40 +0000

A new rendering as well as some odd form factor details have emerged regarding Motorola’s MOTOSPLIT. The anonymous tipster goes into detail about a Q3 release on AT&T’s network, identical specs to the BACKFLIP (which seems like a step backward for a phone releasing Q3) and how the actual side splitting keyboard is going to work. Here are the exact remarks:

The keyboard keys are inset and probably have no tactile feedback, however, they should be quite easy to use. It looks like the cutouts are pretty finger-friendly, as they contour to the shape of a standard finger. Under those cutouts is a low-resolution monochrome touch screen, one for each side of the keyboard. This is where the finger presses. The contact area is small, but the plastic grid that surrounds it contours to the fingers. The label and function of each key can be changed to suit certain layouts and applications.
The keyboard has multiple orientations. The keyboard can be pulled from side to side for typing on a surface. A small kickstand angles the phone when typing in this manner. The keyboard can also be pulled to the left for a standard landscape layout. There is also a dial-pad layout.
The specifications are slightly different than previously posted. The MOTOSPLIT uses the same processor as the BACKFLIP. Every other spec is almost the same as the BACKFLIP.

In review, the rumor says that the keyboard will slide out in 3 different directions. One direction looks to be the same design as the DROID, and the other 2 splitting the keyboard in half allowing them to slide out in landscape mode. The keys are also recessed and provide no tactile feedback, but will be back lit and actually change depending on which direction they have been slid out from. To go even further with the wackiness they are adding a kickstand that will prop the device up while typing in split landscape mode. I don’t understand how this will work as the keyboard is still situated behind the screen.

It looks as if they are going with the traditional slider aspect to allow dialing and quick access (as shown on the front image of the rendering), but will now be able to include a fully featured physical keyboard. The split feature still seems to be a mystery to everyone. Are you guys getting excited for this one or is Motorola designing the rubix cube of phones here?

[via Phandroid]

This article, More odd details on the rumored Motorola MOTOSPLIT , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Motorola Zeppelin to be called CLIQ XT?

Chuck Zich — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:28:04 +0000

Earlier reports of the Motorola Zeppelin surfacing are starting to look more and more confirmed as an internal PowerPoint slide by T-Mobile has been leaked that may justify a few of the details we have already touched on. The slide was leaked on a PPCGeeks forum via MobileTechWorld and specifies a March 10 release date on T-Mobile and possibly an official name of CLIQ XT. If you read our previous coverage of the device you will remember that March 10 lines up perfectly as does the Cliq-esque nature of the phone with the exception of a physical keyboard. Lower end devices with sexy looks like this are just what Google needs to expand the Android army at the increasingly rapid rate Google expects. More details should be upon us during the upcoming MWC.

[via PPCGeeks & MobileTechWorld]

This article, Motorola Zeppelin to be called CLIQ XT? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Have a better look at the Motorola Zeppelin

Chuck Zich — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:06:13 +0000

Last week a new photo of a Motorola mystery phone surfaced showing off bodacious curves with little else on details. Today, Gizmodo Brazil has unleashed a flurry of new crisp pictures to whet our appetite. The phone, said to be at the lower end of Motorola’s Android spectrum, looks to be a CLIQ/BACKFLIP sans the physical keyboard and wacky mechanical features. The shell of the device is very attractive and even though the screen seems quite small, looks to have potential to be a big seller for the market it is targeting.

Specs at this point include MOTOBLUR running on 1.5, a 3.2-inch HVGA screen, a 5 megapixel camera with flash, a zune-like trackpad, and touch sensitive navigational buttons much like the DROID/Milestone. T-Mobile is rumored to be the carrier of choice if this phone does come to the United States, and a launch date has been pinned to March 10th. More details should be surfacing soon as MWC is just around the corner. More pictures after the jump.

[via Gizmodo]

This article, Have a better look at the Motorola Zeppelin , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Video: Michael Dell fondles a Mini 5

Chuck Zich — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:07:55 +0000

Michael Dell was caught in Switzerland briefly showing off his new toy in red. The quasi-tablet/phone has an astounding 5″ screen and looks to fit comfortably in his hand, yet when sitting next to an iPhone, it looks gigantic. We posted a hands on video a few weeks ago of the device as well as a teardown reveal of the official specifications. In this video, we get a great look at Dell’s custom Android interface, icon style, and fluidity of the Snapdragon processor.

After the announcement of Apple’s iPad and its resounding negative press, it is great to see Dell lining itself up by partnering with Google to take a swing at the tablet market. I’m curious to see if the 5″ screen is too much for a phone and too little for a tablet, but from the information received as of now, my interest has been officially piqued. Hit the jump for the video and a gallery including a comparison shot of the Dell Mini 5, set to release in a “couple months” according to Mr. Dell.

[via - TechCrunch & PCOnline]

Dell Mini 5

Dell Mini 5 & Apple iPhone

Dell Mini 5 interface

This article, Video: Michael Dell fondles a Mini 5 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Android Authority » Chuck Zich

Video: Motorola Devour demonstration

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