Alex is global Executive Editor for Android Central, and is usually found in the UK. He has been blogging since before it was called that, and currently most of his time is spent leading video for AC, which involves pointing a camera at phones and speaking words at a microphone. He would just love to hear your thoughts at alex@androidcentral.com, or on the social things at @alexdobie.
A head-on collision between Android, Disney and Japan was always going to produce something a little out-of-the-ordinary. Disney Mobile has announced the succinctly-named Disney Mobile smartphone, Disney-branded Android device which seems to be based on the Sharp Galapogos 003SH. The phone, which for the moment is exclusive to Japan, runs Android 2.2 Froyo and sports a "large" 3D LCD...
Gaming firm Envizions has announced the Android-based GameBox console, which promises to deliver a cloud-supported home console experience on the Android platform. Similar to Envizions' cross-platform GameBox service, the new console will allow gamers to play native and cloud-based games, saving their progress to the cloud as they go and letting them resume from any supported device. "...
In an interesting development for Android gamers, games distributor Exent has announced that it'll be bringing its Gametanium games-on-demand service to the Android. Gametanium will allow Android device owners to access over 100 native, but as yet unnamed games for a flat monthly fee. A free seven-day trial period will also be offered for the service.Exent has big plans for its...
Excessive disposable income got you down? Samsung, Giorgio Armani and UK retailer Phones4u have you covered. Phones4u announced today that it's obtained UK exclusivity for the Giorgio Armani Galaxy S, which branding aside is essentially identical to regular GSM Samsung Galaxy S phones.Only 800 of the devices will be made available, and the phone will set you back £45.96 per month, with...
If you happen to be a European PlayStation owner with an Android device, then today is your lucky day. Sony has released the official PlayStation app for Android, a very pretty app which for the moment falls a little short on functionality. Find out more about features, along with a QR code after the jump. Check out your PlayStation Network trophies and keep up to date with your...
In response to the recent launch of the HTC EVO Shift 4G at $149.99, Sprint has reduced the cost of the similar Samsung-made Epic 4G to $199.99 on a two-year contract, down $50 from the previous price. Both phones feature 4G connectivity and a slide-out keyboard, though the Epic boasts a larger 4-inch SuperAMOLED screen, compared with the EVO Shift's 3.6-inch LCD.In terms of software,...
You've got to feel for Xperia X10 owners. They spent most of 2010 stuck on Android 1.6, and so far 2011 has brought the news that the device will never get an official update to Android 2.2 Froyo. Some good news has emerged recently, however, with the publication of some new source code for the X10, X10 Mini and X8 on Sony Ericsson's Developer World site. The code for the unreleased...
Pictures of an apparent successor to Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 Mini Pro have leaked out on Chinese forum IT168, along with some technical specs for the device. Sony Ericsson has apparently packed a Qualcomm MSM7230 CPU and Adreno 205 GPU into the same small form factor as the original X10 Mini Pro. The new device is said to sport 384MB of RAM, a decent boost from the original's 128MB...
Engadget scored a lengthy interview with Matias Duarte, Google's Director of User Experience and the man behind much of the UI direction of Android 2.3 Gingerbread and 3.0 Honeycomb. In one his first interviews since joining Google, Duarte talks about his time at rival Palm, as well as key Gingerbread and Honeycomb design decisions made over the past seven months. Duarte also...
The past year has been pretty crazy for HTC. It saw the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer go from a virtual unknown to dominance of the Android world with phones like the Droid Incredible and EVO 4G in America, and the HTC Desire series in Europe and Asia. With a year of big releases ahead, including a bevy of new 4G phones and a rumored tablet, HTC has appointed Matthew Costello as...
Sad pandas all-round for Xperia X10 series owners today. Sony Ericsson UK has revealed in a tweet that the X10 series won't be getting any further Android updates beyond the current 2.1 Eclair release.Sony Ericsson reasons that "the features included in the Android 2.1 phone are on par with, and in many cases better than, a vanilla installation of 2.2". While that may be true of...
Here are a ludicrous number of videos from T-Mobile showcasing the Honeycomb-powered G-Slate, or to give it its full, snappier title, the T-Mobile G-Slate with Google by LG. In addition to the overall Honeycomb preview also shown by Motorola and others, T-Mobile has also published full preview videos of the G-Slate's Browser, Books app, GTalk video calling, Gmail tablet app and much...
Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha has just unveiled the Motorola Droid Bionic at the company's CES 2011 press event. The new smartphone will run on Verizon's 4G LTE network and sports a dual core 1GHz processor, a 4.3 inch quarter-HD display and front and rear-facing cameras. It also appears to be running an updated version of Motorola's Motoblur interface.Other notable features include...
Fresh from CES comes the news that voice software company Vlingo has extended its partnership with Bluetooth peripheral manufacturer BlueAnt to provide a voice control application for Android smartphones. The BlueAnt application, powered by Vlingo, as it's snappily titled, will allow users to control their phones using only their voices and a Bluetooth headset. Features include: Voice...
Game streaming service OnLive has announced its availability on a bunch of new Vizio-built devices today. In addition to being able to play through Vizio's range of 3DTV's, gamers will also be able stream games to the manufacturer's upcoming Android tablets and phones. OnLive's press release boasts: With the click of a remote control, or a tap on a tablet or phone touchscreen, VIZIO...