Let's face it, you just can't get enough of us. We understand that. And so without further ado, we bring you the Android Central Widget. It's a simple beast, bringing you the latest headlines from Android Central straight to your home screen. Tap a headline and you're taken to the mobile version of our website. No muss, no fuss. We kept it simple for a reason, folks.
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This one's certainly the most obvious visual change in Android 2.2, but it shouldn't go without mention. Froyo has added icons for the phone dialer and browser on either side of the launcher icon, clearing up (for me, anyway) a couple of icon spaces on my main home screen. It actually brings a bit of functionality already found in third-party launchers such as ADW and Launcher Pro (and they offer more customization than the stock launcher), but it's nice to see a refresh for those who prefer the stock route.
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2 years ago
Android powered Motorola Greco XT502 leaked by Bluetooth SIG
It's not quite the Motorola Shadow, but it looks like the Bluetooth SIG has leaked another Android phone: the Motorola Greco XT502. We haven't heard of the Motorola Greco before, which is odd considering we've seen Motorola Android devices in all shapes and sizes and doubly odd considering the Greco packs 3G bands--850, 1900 & 2100--that work with AT&T (and Canadian carriers). The Greco also unsurprisingly comes with quad-band GSM, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth.
From the looks of it, it seems like a rather unimpressive device (similarly styled to the i1). Does this Greco have a place in Motorola's upcoming Android lineup? We're going to say no. [bluetooth sig via intomobile]
Yes, you may be thinking oh look, yet another launcher, haven't we seen enough? Well, maybe you have, but if you look past the ADW.Launcher you will be rather sad once you realize all that it has to offer. While the initial look of it may look like your standard Froyo launcher that we have seen covered many times, the options go far beyond that. Well, let's take a look at it after the jump.
What do you get when you cross the HTC Desire with the Evo 4G and Droid Incredible? From the looks of this leaked shot, you get the HTC Aria. Those are the same capacitive buttons from the Evo 4G, the blocky shape of the Droid Incredible and the trackpad from Desire (and Incredible), all rolled into a pretty small Frankenphone. That's a business card on the right, so we're not talking about a hefty device here. The Aria's been rumored for AT&T, but there's been nothing more solid than that. So maybe we'll see this one alongside the Backflip and (eventually, maybe) the Dell Aero and/or Samsung Galaxy S. Or maybe it's just the Phone that Should Not Be. [via Android Guys]
While you're winding down from your three-day weekend, kick your feet up and join us after the break as we re-watch the Android 2.2 keynote address from Google I/O, where Google first showed us the major features in Froyo. Then head back here for our breakdown of said features, and our own demos. Dunno about you, but it's even better watching in a second time.
If you're the type of person who frequently swaps microSD cards and are looking at the Sprint HTC Evo 4G, then this video might be a little painful. First, the card's under the battery. That's not all that unusual, though it's still a tad unwelcome. But getting at the card on the Evo 4G's a little tricky. First there's a tab that needs to be pried up to unseat the card. And that's easy. But actually removing the card is a bit more difficult given its placement. Long fingernails may help (and forget about it if you're a nail-biter), but even then it's pretty tough, and we needed tweezers to actually remove the card.
Getting it back in is a little easier, but it still might take a couple of tries. It's just one of those trade-offs we have to come to live with in the smartphone world.
We went over the strengths and weaknesses of LauncherPro recently, and if there was one thing really holding it back from taking the number one spot, it had to be the lack of customization – especially when it comes to the dock bar. The author must have heard our prayers, because he released an update that enables us to do just that. With a simple long press on the icons you can replace them with whatever application you fancy. You can also change the shortcut to your favorite browser bookmarks – something Helix doesn’t do. Put simply, LauncherPro is a big time contender now, and let’s hope the improvements and features keep on coming. [Market link]
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2 years ago
From Cupcake to Froyo: The past 18 months of Android
With Google I/O now over, the folks over at Android Tapp created a visual representation of the ground that has been covered in the short 18 months of Android's life, using statistics given during the keynote addresses.
Google rapidly produces updates to the Android platform; often times OEMs and carriers struggle to keep up with software updates for consumer devices. Many factors attribute to this like phone processor limitations or custom user interfaces.
Android is first in total Web & App usage in the U.S. and second in smartphone sales behind RIM’s Blackberry.
The Samsung i897 -- better known to you as the Samsung Galaxy S -- looks like it's well on its way to AT&T, thanks to a recent leak. Some of the hardware specs confirmed by the source is that the phone will sport a 5-megapixel camera, a 4-inch AMOLED screen and a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The speed of the processor isn’t yet confirmed, but, with the similarities between this phone and the Samsung Galaxy S, it can be assumed that this phone will also receive a 1GHz processor for the ARM Coretex A8 variety. The phone will ship with Android 2.1. After our hands on with the Galaxy S at CTIA, we can't wait to give the i897 a test drive. [via Android Guys]
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