Chris Davies

Author: Chris Davies

Viber VoIP hits Android: Free international calls and SMS [Video]

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By Chris Davies
on 20 Jul, 2011

Viber VoIP hits Android: Free international calls and SMS [Video]

Free VoIP service Viber has launched its first Android app, allowing Android handset users to take advantage of free international calls and text messages. Already available for iPhone users, Viber differs from most VoIP services in that it doesn't demand registration; instead, it uses your own phone number. When installed, Viber searches through your phonebook and identifies which of your friends are also using the app. Calls and messages between you and those people are then routed via your phone's data connection - either WiFi or 3G - rather than via your carrier. It's probably best to have an unlimited data plan, however, since VoIP calls over 3G can get use up a lot of data. Obviously, the more people you know using Viber, the more calls and messages you can offload to the service; that seems to be the company's main growth plan. The app is a free download and there are no adverts. [youtube 0nQN5w5ct_E] [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Sonos Controller for Android updated: SD install supported

By Chris Davies
on 20 Jul, 2011

Sonos has updated its Sonos Controller for Android app, adding in much-requested support for installing the software to your phone or tablet's SD card. There are also various new native languages supported, including Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Swedish. Otherwise functionality is much as it was before, which means the ability to remotely control one or multiple Sonos units around the home or office from your phone. Sonos supports either synchronized playback of a single track across all units, or different music playing in each zone. As well as accessing locally-stored content from a PC, Mac or NAS on the home network, it can stream music from thousands of internet radio stations as well as from digital jukebox services like Spotify. Sonos has also unveiled its new, entry-level streaming music speaker, the PLAY:3, priced at $299 (shown above). The Sonos BRIDGE network adapter has seen a price cut to $49.

Samsung disowns Anymode Galaxy Tab Smart Case, gets product pulled

By Chris Davies
on 19 Jul, 2011

Samsung has had the Anymode Smart Case for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 pulled from the accessory retailer's site, insisting that the product was not, in fact, granted "Designed for Samsung Mobile" certification. According to Samsung - which was roundly criticized after design similarities between the Anymode case and Apple's Smart Covers for the iPad 2 were noted - Anymode did not go through the official process of having the accessory approved before listing it. "As a general practice, Samsung Electronics reviews and approves all accessories produced by partners before they are given the "Designed for Samsung Mobile" mark" the company insists. "In this case, approval was not given to Anymode for the accessory to feature this official designation." Apple's own design inspiration for the Smart Covers has come under fire in previous months, over similarities between the official accessory and the InCase Magazine Jacket released for the first-gen iPad. Neither the Anymode nor the InCase versions can control the tablets' standby feature, however, unlike Apple's official Smart Cover. "We are working with Anymode to address this oversight and the product has already been removed from the Anymode sales website" Samsung concludes, pointing out that "the product has not been sold." [via SlashGear]

Sony S1/S2 tablets teaser three released: Movies, Ereading, Gaming

By Chris Davies
on 19 Jul, 2011

Sony's teaser campaign for the S1 and S2 tablets continues, despite the slates having shown up in the wild on several occasions now. After parts one and two comes video three, sticking with the Rube Goldberg theme and now focusing on entertainment uses for the Android pair. As well as audio and video, with the single-screen S1 shown playing back The Green Hornet as well as offering various music tracks, an ereader app is briefly demonstrated. The S2 is shown displaying two pages at once - doing a decent job of resembling a traditional book, in fact - and then there's a brief glimpse of PlayStation gaming. "To be continued" the teaser concludes, which certainly implies we have at least one more segment to go until Sony hopefully decides to tell us something concrete. Still up in the air are the tablets' official names, their prices and their release dates, though recent rumors have suggested that the S1 at least will hit pre-order in September. [youtube vI9TZ6yTU44] [via Twitter]

AT&T HTC Status on sale for $50

By Chris Davies
on 18 Jul, 2011

The HTC Status has officially gone on sale at AT&T, the carrier's branded version of the HTC ChaCha. The QWERTY-toting Facebook phone has a compact touchscreen, runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread with a custom version of HTC Sense on top, and has a dedicated Facebook button for sharing photos and other updates to the wildly-popular social network. In addition, there's a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and a flash, a front-facing webcam for video calls, and 3G connectivity. Elsewhere there's WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth and GPS, together with a microSD card slot that comes with a 2GB card pre-loaded (but which can support up to 32GB). AT&T is asking $50 for the Status, which makes it one of the cheaper Android devices around; obviously you'll also need a new, two-year agreement with mandatory data plan. More details on the Status in our hands-on and unboxing; we'll have a full review very soon!

$400 Motorola XOOM tablet is today’s Woot deal

By Chris Davies
on 13 Jul, 2011

As the first Honeycomb tablet to hit store shelves, the Motorola XOOM perhaps lacks some of the glamor of its more recent Android slate siblings; however, it's still a solid option as long as the price is right. Woot's deal for today is a $399.99 XOOM WiFi, a saving of $100 versus other retailers. Now, it's a refurbished unit, not brand new, but we imagine there are plenty of people who will look past that for the sake of $100 left in their pocket. It's also not the Verizon 3G model, so there's no WWAN connectivity and no 4G LTE upgrade on the horizon; still, you also don't commit yourself to a data plan. In fact the biggest issue might be low-cost rivals. Amazon is currently asking the same price for a brand new Acer Iconia Tab A500, which we reviewed back in April, with similar performance but a metal casing.

ASUS confirms Eee Pad Transformer power fix incoming

By Chris Davies
on 13 Jul, 2011

ASUS has admitted to an issue with the Eee Pad Transformer's power management settings, which could see users of the keyboard dock experience problems with power drain and how well the attachment recharges. According to ASUS, the fault is down to how the company chose to configure the power management around sleep mode; however, there's also a fix promised. The exact nature of that fix has not been explained, though ASUS says it will be announcing details "shortly" on how it intends to resolve the situation. Most likely, however, is a firmware update that will change the power management configuration based on the feedback ASUS has received from owners.

"Apologies to anyone who has encountered issues with their Transformer keyboard dock (power drain and charging). The issue is related to the way we configured the device’s power management in/out of sleep mode. We will shortly be announcing details on how this will be resolved for our customers" ASUS

Despite the issues, the Eee Pad Transformer has reportedly been a significant sales success. ASUS claimed it was the best-selling Android tablet recently, with the production line unable to keep up with demand for the low-cost Honeycomb slate. More information in our full review.

Motorola XT316 aka SPICE Key and FIRE gets official: Cheap Android QWERTY

By Chris Davies
on 12 Jul, 2011

Motorola has given the green light to its latest Android smartphone, a QWERTY-blessed candybar with low-cost ambitions. The Motorola XT316 - which will launch as the Motorola SPICE Key in Latin America, and as the Motorola FIRE in Europe - follows in the footsteps of the DROID Pro, offering a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen above a keyboard; on the back there's a 3-megapixel camera. There's also WiFi b/g/n, dual-band HSDPA and quadband GSM/EDGE, along with a microSD card slot, FM radio, GPS/A-GPS and a digital compass. A 3.5mm headphone jack, the usual sensors for ambient light, proximity and orientation, and a 1420 mAh battery good for up to eight hours of talktime or 30 days of 3G standby round out the key specs. Already on sale in China (as the XT316) running Android 2.2 Froyo with Motorola's various social networking integrations and Moto Switch UI, the smartphone will arrive in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Latin America sometime this month. It'll hit the rest of Asia and Europe later in the Summer, with the SPICE Key and FIRE running Gingerbread out of the box; those handsets running Froyo will get a 2.3 update sometime in the fall. No word on pricing, nor on whether the XT316 will make it to North America, though we have seen it cross through the FCC. [gallery]

Panasonic UT-PB1 tablet/ereader gets video demo

By Chris Davies
on 12 Jul, 2011

Panasonic has outed a new Android-based ereader, using a 7-inch 1024 x 600 LCD display rather than an e-paper panel like the Kindle or NOOK. The Panasonic UT-PB1 slate, which made its debut at the e-Book Expo Tokyo DigInfo reports, runs an unspecified dual-core processor and, rather than taking on the iPad, is expected to target new ebook buyers in their 30s and 40s. Like most Android tablets we're seeing, there's an integrated webcam, WiFi and a microSDHC memory card slot, and there are the usual apps for browsing, email and other functionality. Panasonic has tweaked the UI with a pinch-gesture bookshelf layout, showing which titles are unread and which are partly-read. Meanwhile there's also a push-messaging system using the UT-PB1's WiFi connection and a specially-developed API, that can display new Rakuten information as it's released. Panasonic expects the UT-PB1 to be primarily a Japanese-market device, where it will come preloaded with 600 ebook titles. No word on pricing or availability. [youtube OZ_9NFfMTwM] [via Engadget]

Vizio tablet hits Amazon pre-order for $350

By Chris Davies
on 8 Jul, 2011

Vizio's 8-inch Android tablet has gone up for pre-order at Amazon, offering a 1024 x 768 capacitive touchscreen, Honeycomb OS and the ability to control HDTVs and other A/V equipment via an integrated IR emitter and universal remote app. The slate was announced back at CES 2011. Pre-orders through Vizio itself began at the start of the month, with the tablet expected to begin shipping on July 18. There it's $399.99, versus the $349.99 that Amazon is asking, though when you buy direct you get it with a 16GB microSD card and a special folio case that also works as a stand. If you can do without those accessories, though, you can save $50, and we imagine many would-be buyers will be looking for the cheapest option. Your money gets you front and rear facing cameras and WiFi b/g/n, though Amazon isn't saying when it expects the slate to ship. [via NetbookNews]