Mobile Phone Blog:

Right then, when it comes to the latest builds of Android, we’ve seen Honeycomb on tablet devices like the Motorola Xoom, and we’ve seen Ice Cream Sandwich running on smartphones (well, a smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus), but what we haven’t seen, until today, is Ice Cream, Sandwich running on a tablet. So, let’s rectify that…

Nvidia have taken the source code for Ice Cream Sandwich, and ported it onto the Asus Transformer Prime (side note: blimey, they got away with calling it that, without Hasbro curbstomping them [UPDATE: no they didn't]), to show off how well it works on the Tegra 3 chip. Unsurprisingly, it runs rather well, indeed… (more…)

The Motorola Xoom WiFi will get a software update to Honeycomb 3.2! The company announced the update via the Motorola Europe Facebook page: “The update will provide a number of new features and several performance improvements and will also update your Motorola XOOM with Wi-Fi to Honeycomb 3.2.”

The update is available to all users currently running software versions 6.4.20 and 6.4.20.3 and the update will include these software improvements:

• Improved Compatibility Mode – Ability to switch to double pixel mode for selected

applications. When selected, application sub-windows and drop down menus are

also doubled. In addition, pixel doubling settings are saved for each application.

• Rotation Acceleration – Screen rotates faster when tablet is rotated.

• Docking support – automatically detect when device is docked and launch an

application or docking profile.

• QuickOffice™ – full version – Provides support for editing of Microsoft® Office

files and viewing of pdf files.

• MOTOPRINT – A printing application for your MOTOROLA XOOM. This

application allows you to print content from your tablet to your printer over WiFi.

You can print most types of content, including pictures, directly from your tablet.

• Enhanced VPN support.

• Language support for Croatian, Hungarian and Romanian.

• Additional External keyboard layouts for Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Italian,

Greek, Turkish & Polish.

• Citrix™ client

• 3LM™ enablers for remote management of the MOTOROLA XOOM devices in a

corporate environment.

Anyone who’s used a mobile phone, especially one of those big, modern all-glass-screen smartphones (like, say, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus), knows what an utter pig they can be to use in sunlight. Seriously, you try using your mobile phone on a sunny day, and see how much of the screen you can actually see, past the reflection of your own face.

It may be time to celebrate, ‘cos according to TechOn, the Nippon Electric Glass company has come up with something brilliant, and it’s called ‘invisible glass’. You can see it in that pic, over there, to the right. Well, okay, you almost can’t see it, which is kinda the point, really, when you think about it. So, how’s it work, then? (more…)

Gawd bless Asus. Ever since recent, modern Dell laptops have ended up being a bit ropey, thus ruining the old “Get A Dell” mantra I so strictly followed, Asus (along with Samsung) have been the people I recommend when it comes to lappies. Their recent offerings have impressed me, and one of the ones I rather like is the Asus Transformer, an Android-powered laptop that lets you take the screen off, to use it as a tablet.

So, with that name, it’s already a reference to my childhood, but they’re apparently bringing out a new model, according to AllTHingsD, and it’s got an even more suspiciously familiar name: the Transformer Prime. Yeah. You read that right. Transformer Prime… (more…)

You may remember that I did a post not too long ago, about the rumoured Motorola Droid RAZR, a phone that resurrected the old RAZR brand name, in a way that (hopefully) wouldn’t carry the stigma it’s had for years. You may also remember that I got a little bit excited about it, because it looked like it would be awesome.

Well, now it’s officially been announced, and as you can probably tell from the title of this post, it’s turned out to be as brilliant as I was hoping it would. I seem to have become something of a Motorola fan in the past year (no-one’s more surprised about that than me), and I’ll be honest, I really can’t see that changing now that they’ve announced this gorgeous beastie… (more…)

As is well known, I am a nerd, and as such, I like my comic books as much as the next man (as long as the next man is wearing Spiderman y-fronts), so I bring a message to all fellow comic book nerds out there: Marvel Comics has launched an app for Android phones, and it’s available now, through the Android Market. However, my excitement level is actually rather low, and I’m feeling distinctly lukewarm towards the app.

Firstly, it seems that it only properly works in the USA. You can download it in the UK, by the looks of things, but probably won’t be able to then download any actual comics, ‘cos of copyright or some such nonsense. And secondly, DC are just better than Marvel… (more…)

Ooh, ooh, ooh! Here’s some news that’s pretty much guaranteed to make a lot of gamers happy (well, if they use one of a very specific range of phones): according to their own blog, Rockstar Games have decided to bring Grand Theft Auto III to iOS and Android! ‘Tis all thanks to the fact it’s GTA III‘s 10th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, Rockstar’s ported the game over onto the new iPhone 4S (but not the iPhone 4), the iPad 2, and selected Android phones and tablets.

That “selected” in there is a bit annoying, though, because it’s not listed as coming to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, which is the phone my sister (a massive GTA fan) wants. A couple of the phones ain’t even available in the UK… (more…)

Okay, hands up anyone who didn’t think Amazon would release an Android tablet. No-one? Good, ‘cos they now have announced one, and in a shocking display of unsurprise, it’s part of the Kindle range. It is, in fact, the Kindle Fire, and as you’d expect, e-books form one of the central main points about the device.

If you’re now thinking “big, flashy Kindle reader”, instead of “super-duper Android tablet”, then congratulations, I believe I agree with you. Not that I’m saying that’s a bad thing, mind you. The thing with tablet devices, up till now, is that they’re pretty much designed for content consumption, so one made by Amazon’s pretty much perfect for that, innit? (more…)

Leaked images of the Motorola Xoom 2 shows a 10.1 inch display like its predecessor the Xoom.

Unlike most tablets the device has angled corners rather than rounded or squared off corners found in other Android tablets. The device looks to have a HDMI port, a micro USB port as well as a rear HD camera and a front facing camera to. The volume slider and what looks to be a power/screen lock button is located on the curved edge towards the back of the tablet.

Well, blimey o’riley. Who would’ve thought, after the mauling I gave to the last series of Spooks (magic physics-defying bullet!),that last night’s episode would actually manage to impress me? Well, alright, “impress” is probably too strong a word; let’s instead say that it wasn’t completely awful.

Also, Guy of Gisborne isn’t in this series, what with his character being dead, and everything. This can only be a positive thing, because Richard Armitage gets right up my nose. Maybe it’s that monotonous yet whiny voice, or maybe the fact he looks like he’s wearing eyeliner 24/7, or maybe it’s because the man cannot act, but I can’t stand him. So, good riddance, says I! But anyway, what about mobile phones? (more…)