Menno's blog

Here at Android Central we review new devices all the time, but one question we're commonly asked is what devices we purchase for ourselves.  Sure, playing with a shiny new toy is great, but what do we buy for ourselves, and what uses do we find for them?  This will hopefully be the first in a series of articles where we attempt to answer that question. 

After the break, I'll try and explain what made me pick the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (it certainly wasn't the name), and how I find it fits into my everyday life.

Remember the Vphone? Revealed way back in 2009, Saygus promised that the Vphone would be the first consumer phone to pass Verizon's Open Device Initiative (ODI) certification, promising revolutionary features such as video calling over 3G, Remote backup and restore for data, and up to a three year warranty.  The phone won several design awards at CES, and the company promised that the device would be out sometime during 2010.  Then, it disappeared.  That is, until today.

Sascha Segan, over at PC Magazine, broke the news to day that the Saygus Vphone finally received certification through Verizon's Open Network Initiative and would start selling the handset "soon." The phone's specifications include:

• 3.5" 800x480 screen
• 'Best in class' slide-out keyboard
• 806Mhz processor
• 256MB SDRAM
• 512MB Flash
• "Android OS" - Though the version number isn't listed in this release, the last known version it ran was 2.2 aka Froyo.
• 5MP rear camera with VGA front-facing camera
• USB host port
• USB modem capable

In a market dominated by 4"+ black slabs and dual-core processors, the Vphone won't win any awards in the spec race.  It's important to note that this is the first (and currently only) android device to receive Verizon's ODI certification.  What this means is that while the device itself will run on Verizon's network, it won't be officially "supported" by them, meaning it should ship without CityID, Vcast, and the other applications Verizon puts on their other devices. This isn't a Nexus device, but it's the closest thing Verizon users have seen to a stock Android device since the original Droid.

On Monday, we wake up to see that Google is buying Motorola, and on Tuesday we discover that the Vphone will actually see the light of day.  What will we wake up to tomorrow?

Source: PC Mag.  More: Verizon, Saygus

Well, this is interesting.  I recently went into the Android Market on my Galaxy Tab and it asked me to accept the terms and conditions again.  I accepted, and the app closed down.  When I booted the market back up I had a shiny new "movies" tab.  In my preview of the Touchwiz UX update, I noted that the update came with the "Google Videos" app pre-installed but that the market didn't have movies available for purchase yet.

One puzzling thing is that the playback worked flawlessly on my rooted galaxy tab, but Josh's rooted phone just gave him the playback error we all know and love.  My device is running essentially a "stock" Touchwiz build, so that might have something to do with it.

Like most market updates, expect this rollout to go out gradually, but it can't hurt to clear the cache to try and force and update.  One additional screen capture, and a blurrycam pic of actual playback (since the videos app seems to block screen capture methods) after the break.  If you get it on your device, be sure to sound off in our forums.

Samsung recently confirmed that its Touchwiz UX update would start rolling out to early adopters after a special launch event on Aug. 3 in New York City. For those of us who already purchased a tablet, this is the "optional" update that Samsung told us about when they launched the Tab 10.1 back in June. If you don't have a Tab yet but plan on purchasing one in the coming months, expect this to be the software your device ships with.

While the normal update isn't available yet, Calkulin over at XDA developers was able to compile a stable ROM using the Touchwiz leak that appeared long enough to be nabbed by t3rabyte before Samsung pulled it again.  The ROM appears to be completely stock (all files, including "bundled software" appear to be present) so I thought it would be a good time to preview the changes you should expect, and why you just might want to accept the update when it comes.  Join me after the break as I go over what you can expect.

ROM Source: XDA

In a news conference today, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg unveiled his vision for the next five years of Facebook, and announced a few new features to the popular social networking platform that might look familiar to those of you lucky enough to be using Google+

The biggest announcement is that soon you can now have a video chat with your Facebook friends directly from chat.  Both of you will have to download and install the plugin first, but once you do, a face to face chat is just a button away.  Unlike the Google+ Hangout feature, Facebook chat is limited to one-on-one video.

The second major feature is the addition of group text chat.  Previously, only members of a Facebook group would be able to create a group chat, but now users will be able to invite whoever they want to the chat, similar to the Huddle feature in Google+ on mobile devices, or Google Talk group chat in Gmail.

Lastly, Facebook will give their chat system a much-needed facelift, so it's easier to tell who's online to chat.  Facebook Chat will also be coded to take advantage to the extra screen space on widescreen monitors, moving your Chat list off to the side and out of the pop-up menu.

When asked about the Facebook mobile app, Mark Zuckerburg said the new group chat will already work with mobile devices, but that they haven't finished porting over video chat at this time, saying “These are mostly web features for now.” 

All of these features will roll out to web users in the "coming weeks" but if you're feeling adventurous, the video chat can be installed today via a link in their blog. 

Source: Facebook

Way back at GoogleIO, Google showed off their upcoming movie rental service, releasing the service to the Motorola Xoom, promising that other devices would be added in "a few weeks."  It's taken awhile, but it seems like Google is finally preparing to push the app out to a wider audience.

Several members tipped us about seeing the application in the market briefly yesterday evening, and while the app itself doesn't work on phone's yet, I was able to download it before it disappeared again.  No word on when the application will be officially available, but hopefully this is a sign that it's almost ready.  Anyone with a non-rooted device looking forward to having this on their phone?

After the break is a brief video shot by one of our readers (loukkra) showing off the app running on his Nexus S.

Thanks Small_law and loukkra! 

Itching to unlock your bootloader ahead of the official unlock supposedly coming with the Gingerbread update?  The2dcour over at the XDA forums has posted a method that will allow you to unlock the bootloader. This isn't a one-click root method, and it will wipe your phone's data, but it's amazing that a developer figured out how to do this before Motorola officially offered the option.

As always, make sure you read and understand the directions before you try anything that voids your warranty.

Source: XDA

Verizon is bringing their LTE network online in six additional cities and expanding their coverage in the Los Angeles and San Diego regions on July 21.

New cities covered by LTE include:

• Huntsville, Alabama
• Augusta, Georgia
• Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
• Greater Springfield, Massachusetts
• Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
• Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, North Carolina

Any Thunderbolt, Revolution, or Charge owners looking forward to finally getting LTE in their hometowns?

Source: Verizon Wireless

Lightbox is a camera/gallery replacement application that bills itself as "The Connected Camera," allowing you to snap, "enhance," and easily share your pictures with your favorite social networks.  The idea of a "social" camera is still something of a new concept but they're rather popular with our fruit-flavored cousins and they're becoming increasingly popular in the Android ecosystem.  That doesn't mean they're for everyone, but there is clearly a market for this type of product, one that Lightbox hopes to fill.

We first saw the Lightbox back in May at Google IO, but the app didn't officially hit the market until last week, and not without its own share of controversy.  Join us after the break to read our full review, additional screenshots, and the download link.

Good morning Android Central readers! Today, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is available.  The Tab had a special launch event in NYC last week, but it's finally available online and at Best Buy and other retailers nationwide.  If you're picking up Tab today, be sure to post in the forums and let us know what you think of it.