Android Market's new movie rental service blocked from rooted devices
We can't make this up people. According to Google, who gets to make the rules since it's their service, rooted devices are not supported by the Android Markets new movie rental service "due to requirements related to copyright protection". You'll even see a specific error message when you attempt to try -- "Failed to fetch license for [movie title] (error 49)".
So now people who root their phones, whether to get rid of the crap "open" that's forced down their throats, or to have a current version of Android, are punished and lumped in with folks who steal movies. Nice move, Google. That makes me want to buy more of your products and use more of your services, so I can be treated like a criminal just because I'm smart enough to get rid of CityID, or want a safe version of Android on my phone. And of course, I'd much rather steal movies streamed with a poor bitrate at a low resolution to my phone than use Google to search out any of the thousands of places where I could steal them using my computer. Facepalm.
Of course, the Android community will find a way around this. I already have some ideas, and I'm sure others will, too. But we shouldn't have to. And once we do, I'll download one (and only one) movie from the Market for the satisfaction of defeating this stupid move by Google, then be sure to never use the service again. Redbox doesn't care if I want to run a custom ROM on my phone, so they'll get my $4.00.
Right now, you can pick up a new Android phone for less than $100, or you can spend $840 on a Honeycomb-equipped tablet, and there are dozens of options in between. And that right there sums up the biggest advantage of Google’s open-sourced approach to smartphones: it can offer something for everyone.
This week, Google’s I/O developer conference is taking place in San Francisco, and it’s inevitable that we’ll be hearing about some cool new Android features as a result. In celebration of that event, we’ll be focusing on Android all this week, looking at what’s currently available, what’s coming in the future, and how to make the most of Android as a phone buyer and an app consumer. And in kicking off that coverage, it seems worth celebrating what has proved to the biggest advantage of Android: the range of devices on which it is available.
For Australian consumers, this hasn’t always been the case. When the initial tickle of Android devices began in the US, it was barely a dribble over here. Early attempts to launch bargain-basement phones (such as the planned Kogan Agora) ultimately came to nothing, and for much of 2010 we still only had a limited range of carrier-supported phones, many of which were stuck on version 1.6. While there was always a whole lot to love about Android phones — easy Google integration, no need to sync with a PC, and a range of apps in an open app store environment — device and network choice took a while to come to fruition.
If you examine the current Android space, though, there’s no doubt that choice has finally arrived. The cheapest Android phones now provide a realistic competitor to bargain-basement supermarket phones, and a competitor which provides way more functionality. In the main market, HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson offer a massive range of options. And in the tablet space, the arrival of Honeycomb has kick-started a market which last year consisted of a handful of devices, many of them decidedly minimal in their feature set.
That’s certainly not to say that Android is perfect. A quick but probably not exhaustive list: carriers can still provide an unpleasant roadblock to getting updates; the open market approach can pose security challenges; manufacturer enhancements are often a waste of time; and we’re still seeing a lot of hardware hit Australia rather later than elsewhere in the world.
Nor does that mean that the non-Android choices aren’t viable. Indeed, the competition between Android, Apple, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and Symbian is a key reason why smartphones have got as good as they have so quickly. But I can’t imagine Apple (for example) working hard on building an iOS-enabled device that sells for less than $100.
Al Jazeera English Lands on Android and BlackBerry
In a recent push by Al Jazeera the Middle East’s largest news Network has released two new smartphone apps for the Android and BlackBerry in a shift from its standard Live Streaming model provided for iPhone users.
The launch comes a couple of months after the first Al Jazeera English Live Android app quietly hit the market this year raising the Al Jazeera smartphone app stack to 4 apps running on BlackBerry, Samsung Wave (Widget), Android, and Nokia.
The Android app has a simple and slick design providing access to the grid making up the landing screen of the app. Categorizing its content into 9 blocks: News, Opinion, Features, Video, In Pictures, Programmes, Blogs, Spotlight, and ‘Your Media’.
Home Screen
The landing screen also has a ‘Breaking’ heading to display whatever breaking news that’s available on the network which when not available is replaced with a link to Al Jazeera English’s Live Stream when clicked launches the Al Jazeera Live android app, or otherwise do nothing, which I think Al Jazeera have either overlooked or are feeling overconfident that whoever’s installing the new app has the steaming one as well (at least not this guy).
We put it up against other global news network apps to compare focus on content and functionality and the differences are striking. Comparing it to CNN’s Android app (but is inaccessible to many countries in the Middle East for some reason) that was released only last month, Al Jazeera has an entirely different target audience if its app has any say on the matter.
Video
With one block of the landing screen dedicated to video, it’s quite a disappointment when the user is taken to a screen containing a news piece with yet another icon to click only to be asked whether the video be displayed via browser or YouTube.
Al Jazeera should remedy that by providing the app with some native video streaming capabilities instead of sending users on their way to get the rest of the day’s news from YouTube.
Social Support
The least I can say is that the app is antisocial. The first thing I did was attempt to share a story with friends I found it to be an impossible task. This means users will have to use the network’s mobile web version that surprisingly provides multiple options for sharing on Facebook and Twitter.
Offline Access
The app does have a Preload articles functionality that’s displayed in the Setting’s tab (which cannot be disabled) that allows users to preload the apps articles minus images which can be a bit confusing when launching the app without Internet access for the first time.
Citizen Journalism
The recent uprisings in the region helped Al Jazeera catapult into a global position not before displayed by the Doha based network, with a large part of its coverage attributed to event bystanders providing their opinion/footage via mobile phone video cameras.
Your Media
For this reason an Android app is expected to contain functionality to upload a video or image file without leaving the app. But again, the ‘Your Media‘ tab only includes a button to send Al Jazeera content through the device’s default email app which launches when clicked.
Conclusion
It appears Al Jazeera released this version of the app to give its viewers/readers a quick way to read the latest news with the least possible clicks as oppose to its online mobile web version. For now they’ve successfully done that, and nothing more.
Boom. Website redesign. Device reviews. Tons of Android news, and so much fun this week. Next week we will be live at Google IO, and we expect tons of fun and awesome news to come from that as well, but first if you happened to miss anything be sure to check below, especially if in the market for a new device since we reviewed a TON!
The Android revolution began about 3 years back and its stunning growth has dwarfed the growth of even iOS (iPhone) as a mobile platform. It is now the most popular mobile OS in the US, and is on its way to becoming the most used mobile OS in the world. It is expected to overtake Symbian soon, and will soon be the Windows of the mobile world.
Unlike Apple which always ignores India when launching new products, most Android manufacturers have made sure that they launch new Android smartphones in India at the same time as the worldwide launch.
As I’ve said before, 2011 is going to be the year of Android. We have seen a lot of exciting devices at CES, MWC and CTIA 2011. Most of these devices will either be launched soon, or have been launched already.
In this post, I will show you the best Android phones that money can buy. Despite the title, the list is relevant to users around the world, not just Indians. 1. Samsung Galaxy S 2
This is definitely the best Android smartphone that money can buy. It has received the best reviews yet, and offers the best overall package, compared to any other Android phone. It is the successor to the most popular Android phone of 2010 – the Samsung Galaxy S.
It has an excellent 4.3 inch SuperAMOLED Plus display which has a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. It comes with an 8 MP camera which can record 1080p video, a 1.2 GHz dual core Exynos processor, 1 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage. It runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread with TouchWiz 4.0.
It is expected to be launched by the end of May 2011 and will be priced at around Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 35,000. 2. HTC Sensation
The HTC Sensation is probably the only phone which can rival the Samsung Galaxy S 2 in terms of specifications and features.
It will come with a 4.3 inch S-LCD touchscreen display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. It will come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and has the HTC Sense 3.0 UI, which is widely regarded as the best third party Android UI.
It has a dual core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an Adreno 220 GPU and 768 MB RAM. It also comes with an 8 MP camera with dual LED flash which can record 1080p video at 30 FPS. It has 1 GB internal storage, and is a bit heavier than the Galaxy S 2, at 148 gms. It will likely be launched soon, but we have no idea about the pricing. 3. LG Optimus 2X
The LG Optimus 2X was the first Android smartphone with a dual core processor. While it was launched some time back, it is still one of the best Android phone options in India. In the US, you can buy the T-Mobile G2X which is identical to the Optimus 2X, and comes with pure Android 2.2 Froyo.
It comes with a 4 inch LCD touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. It also has a 1 GHz dual core Cortex A9 processor (Tegra 2) and offers 1 GB RAM. It has an 8 MP camera and can also capture 1080p video at 24 FPS. Though it’s not as good as the Samsung Galaxy S 2, it is much cheaper. You can get it for as much as Rs. 28,000.
4. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc was recently launched and is probably the most stylish Android smartphone to date. It is extremely slim, and has a very sleek design. It comes with a 4.2 inch display and has a 1 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon processor, an Adreno 205 GPU and 512 MB RAM. It also offers an excellent 8 MP camera, which makes it the best Android camera phone. It is powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread and has the Sony Ericsson custom Android UI.
It is available for Rs 28,000.
5. Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is another notable Android phone. It deviates from the touchscreen only trend in Android phones, and features a unique gaming keypad which slides out from under the display. It has the same hardware as the Xperia Arc – 1 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon processor, an Adreno 205 GPU and 512 MB RAM.
It also has a 5 MP camera and Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but the main attraction is the library of exclusive PSP games which it supports. If you are a gamer, and want an Android smartphone, the Xperia Play is the device you should get.
It is priced at Rs. 30,000. 6. HTC Incredible S
HTC was the top dog in the Android arena an year back, but since the launch of the Galaxy S, Samsung has become the dominant player. HTC, though, has been trying to get back to the top.
The HTC Incredible S is one of the best Android smartphones by HTC. It comes with Android 2.2 Froyo and the HTC Sense 3.0 UI, probably the best third party Android UI. It will definitely get an upgrade to Android 2.3 Gingerbread and comes with a 4 inch, 480 x 800 pixel display. It has a 1 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon processor, 768 MB RAM and comes with the Adreno 205 GPU as well. It has a very good 8 MP camera which can capture 720p video.
It is the cheapest of the lot. It is priced at Rs 26,399.
We might see many more Android smartphone launches soon, but for the next 2-3 months, this list should guide you well, should you want to buy the best Android smartphone in India, or the world, for that matter.
Gadget : LG Optimus Pad Android tablet available at £799 on Carphone Warehouse
LG Optimus Pad is a new Andriod powered tablet with 3D technology. Although it has a lot of attractive features, the tablet is currently priced at £799 at The Carphone Warehouse. It’s two times more expensive then the new basic Apple iPad 2. Even the highest version of the Apple iPad 2 costs less then the LG Optimus Pad.
LG Optimus Pad is the first tablet that allow you to record and playback full HD and 3D videos via two 5MP cameras. The tablet is powered by Android 3.0 Honeycomb and an Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core processor. Therefore, you can enjoys many Android features at the same time. All these functions come at a cost, as the LG Optimus Pad is available as sim free, you will have to spend a lot of money in order to enjoys these features. They may release a contract deal later which costs less for the tablet itself.
HTC Lead and SE Azusa Outed, Thunderbolt Update Delayed, And More
The Android Robot huffed and puffed and tried to blow our site down with Android news, but we McGyvered him and trapped all the airborn shrapnel on this here post. Throughout the day we covered what we thought you’d find most interesting, informative, relevant and entertaining, but you can’t please everyone. So for those we haven’t yet pleased, see if the items below will quench your Android thirst.
Acer Iconia Tab 500 and Iconia Smart officially released in India. [Unwired View]
O2 delays the release of the Sony Xperia Play to June in the UK. Bugs were the issue.
Leaked picture of the HTC Lead. No real info. Just a nice, full frontal picture. [PocketNow]
Mysterious Sony Ericcson Azusa gets outed in a Nenamark benchmark. Looks a lot like the Arc. [Engadget Mobile]
6. HTC Incredible S
