Menno's blog

Youtube link for mobile viewing

Samsung released their official promotional video for the Galaxy 10.1 today with several Touchwiz elements in tow, notably several widgets and icon skins.  But this is what we expected would happen.

Remember, even though the Tab shipping now is stock honeycomb, Samsung plans on shipping future devices with their Touchwiz UI, as well as offering it to existing customers via an optional over the air download at a future date. Since this is a promotional video for the "final" product, featuring Touchwiz made the most sense because it meant they only had to make one film instead of two.  In fact, the description from the video's YouTube page says as much:

The official info clip for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi. The tab used in this video is 3G version and may differ from the Galaxy Tab 10.1 sold in the U.S., and some of the features and services highlighted in the video will be available through software upgrade in the U.S.

We've received no word from Samsung that Touchwiz was being pushed out to tablets yet, and devices purchased in NYC last week are still running the stock honeycomb they were shipped with.

Be sure to keep an eye on our forums as Android Central readers nationwide pick up their pre-orders and start posting feedback.  In the meantime, crank your speakers to 11 and enjoy the video.

Source: Youtube Thanks Stefan!

Panasonic recently announced what it is calling the first "Enterprise Ready" tablet geared towards commercial and government users looking to take their tablet with them into the field. This will be the first Android device offered by the company bearing the Toughbook name, a brand known for its durability and business focused features:

• A 10.1" 1024x786 matte-finish display that is "daylight viewable"
• An (included) "Active Stylus" for capturing signatures
• Security embedded at the "hardware level"
• "Full shift" battery life
• GPS capability
• Wifi with optional embedded 3G/4G connectivity
• Durable construction consistent with other Toughbook-brand device

One of the press shots shows the tablet running a version of Android 2.x, but no operating system was officially announced. Processor, RAM, and storage aren't known yet, but as this is an enterprise-class device and not a consumer model, don't expect this thing to set any benchmark records.  Panasonic's Toughbook line is known for their durability and business-friendly features, not bleeding edge tech.  Still, it's exciting to see Android move into the business sector, and it's a good sign that our little green robot is starting to grow up.  Pricing and Availability are not yet available.

The press picture showing this running Android 2.x is located after the break.

Source: BusinessWire; via Crunchgear

Adobe pushed out a new update to its Android Flash Player today. In addition to a host of bugfixes, the new version also features several important security updates.  Nothing major is listed, but security updates and bug fixes are always a good thing.  If you have flash installed on your android, be sure to grab this ASAP.

Source: Adobe Thanks, zacharyzblewski!

News apps and RSS readers are a dime a dozen. While the content and interface can vary from app to app, the basics are essentially the same. You choose your news sources and interesting topics, and let the app pull articles it thinks you'll like and display them in a phone-friendly format.  It's a great way to get a list of articles that you'll (hopefully) be interested in each morning.  But if we want to find out what articles our friends like, we have to go to Facebook, twitter, or go through our email for those rare "FWD" emails that don't include pictures of funny cat faces.

Ninua is a new Android application that hopes to make your daily news stream more social. While the app still has a few rough edges, it's now my go to news source on my phone.  Full impressions after the break.

It looks like owners of the Fascinate will start seeing a minor update pushed out to their devices soon.  The update seems to be rather small and the only two changes listed are:

• Improved incoming call connectivity
• Improvements to how OTA's are delivered to the device.

Several members in our forums apparently already have the update, so if you haven't received it yet, you should.  In the mean time, you can look at the official change log after the break. 

Source: Verizon; via Android Central Forums Thanks, Cort! 

This week we wanted to cover a slick theme for devices running CyanogenMod 7.  Synergy is a theme built using the T-Mobile Theme Engine, a nifty piece of software that allows you to quickly change the feel of your device without having to flash something through recovery.  Instead, themes can be found in the market and downloaded like any other application.  There are dozens of themes available, but Synergy is quickly becoming a staff favorite.

Want to write a ROM review for Android Central? We'd love to hear from you! Look here for details. Now head past the break for the review.

Atinm, the developer responsible for maintaining CyanogenMod on the Samsung Vibrant and Captivate, recently received a free Galaxy S 2 to develop for. (click to see our hands-on).  Don't adjust your screens, you read it right the first time: Samsung gave a phone to a CyanogenMod developer because they want them to work with it.

It seems that Samsung is starting to see the value of having an active development community on their devices, becoming the latest manufacturer to start working with these developers instead of against them.  This doesn't mean Samsung will do this with every device, remember Carrier's have a big say in how locked down they want their devices to be, but it's great to see these first few positive steps from one of the world's largest Android manufacturers.

No official word on when nightlies for the Galaxy S 2 will start pushing out (let alone a stable release), but Atinm mentioned that serious development should start tonight.

Via: [Twitter]

After Twitter and Gmail, Read it Later is the application I use most on my phone and I'm completely addicted to it.  If you haven't heard of the app before, Read it Later is a app that lets you save an article in an easy to read format so that you can, well, read it later.

The free version includes all the big features: A single reading list synced across all your devices (Computer, iOS, Android), Wireless downloads for offline viewing, and formatting articles in a clean, easy to read, "Text View" and the ability to change the font size and toggle "night mode" for easier reading in the dark. 

Upgrading to Read it Later Pro ($2.99) unlocks additional features such as:

• View your entire list (No limits on the number of articles that can be viewed or downloaded)
• Search and Sort your list
• Currently Reading (View all open/unfinished articles)
• Rotation Lock
• Scroll through articles using the volume rocker

 I've used Read it Later Pro since it first came to the market and it's easily one my favorite apps to recommend to people, and that was before they offered a free trial version.  If you enjoy keeping up with the news on the go, give Read it Later a try.  I think you'll like it.

 Via [ReaditLaterList.com]

Best buy used their Super Bowl ad to pimp their new "Buy Back" program.  Buyback allows you to trade in your "ancient" 12-month-old tech for the latest and greatest, helping to reduce the sticker shock for those of us who like getting a new phone more often than the Carrier "encouraged" two-year upgrade cycle.

How much you get towards your new device depends on how long you've had it.

• For the first six months you can get 50% of the retail cost
• 6-12 months will give you 40% back
• 12-18 months 30%
• And if you can't wait another day, you can still get 20% between months 18 and 24.

For example, the Evo currently retails for $599.99.  If you buy it and opt for the buy back program, you can trade it in after 13 months and get $179.99 towards the retail cost of your next device.

Sure, you might be able to get more money if you sold it yourself on Craigslist, but this is a great option for those who don't want to go that route but still want to get something for our older device.

The service is typically an optional buy-in program, but for a limited time you can get it free with any qualifying electronics purchase.  If you're on the fence about upgrading because you don't want to "waste" your discount if something cool is just around the corner, the Buy Back program might be just what you were looking for.

 For more information, check out the official Best Buy Buyback page.

Beautiful Widgets, the popular clock and weather app from Level Up Studios, saw a significant update this morning to version 3.3.  This update brought several welcome changes, including the new "Super Clock" widgets.  Besides for the obvious new look, these widgets are hi-res, allowing them to be scaled without quality loss.  You can also swap out the weather icon with one that shows you your battery status, or choose from one of the new clock only widgets if you only care about the time.

Beautiful Widgets was one of my first app downloads when I got my Droid over a year ago, and I've loved using it ever since.  Full changelog, market link, and two more screenshots after the break.