Tag Archives: flash

software, tablets

Motorola XOOM Update Brings Adobe Flash 10.2 Support

Motorola-Xoom-Android-tablet

We were so fed up with the fact that we couldn’t have a descent flash player running on the Motorola Xoom, out of the box. Thankfully, the company (in partnership with Adobe) now has announced a new release update that will fix this well known issue, once and for all. Starting on March 18th, Adobe/Motorola will officially begin rolling out their latest OTA software upgrade, which supposedly includes required enhancements to support the upcoming Adobe Flash 10.2 player and many other things more. Huzzah!

Update1: Apparently, the OTA will hit XOOM tablets earlier than expected, and is likely to support Android’s most recent platforms, such as Android 2.2 Froyo, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and a beta version for Android 3.0.1 Honeycomb, which will soon enjoy the benefits of a smooth Android browser rendering engine that significantly improves the efficiency of data between images, H.264 playback, HTML coding, and GIF animation control.

Update2: There seems to be a manual OTA upgrade for the Motorola XOOM which can be downloaded directly from Verizon’s system update platform. The update is classed as version 3.0.1. An unofficial leaked update is now available for download here.

Update3: Meanwhile, before you rush and get your updates installed, feel free to hit the jump and take a look at the videos below. Full PR is also there for a read.

 

[Adobe]

Continue reading Motorola XOOM Update Brings Adobe Flash 10.2 Support →

tablets

Motorola Xoom Hits Best Buy on February 24th For $800, Says New Ad

3 Comments

Oh! What’s this? Looks like Best Buy is done trying to hide the one secret (actually two) that Motorola’s been keeping from us for quite a while. And when we say ‘secret’ we’re actually referring to price and availability, the two missing parts in the Motorola Xoom Android Honeycomb tablet, which were recently detailed in Best Buy’s new ad – black on yellow. So, $799 for a 10-inch android 3.0 tablet, that’s pretty expensive, isn’t it? Not to mention there’s a WiFi “lock-down” which binds to a 1 month of 3G mobile broadband data at Verizon ($20 per month for a 1GB package or $80 for the 10GB flavor). That’s one major flaw! and someone from the big M needs to intervene. As a matter of fact, there’s plenty of time to fix that crap – We are now less than two weeks, away from the official roll out, which takes place on Thursday, February 24th. C’mon guys, let’s have a little tablets competition around, shall we?

Update1: Motorola just launched the Xoom portal. Let the game begin!

Update2: Reuters is citing Motorola’s CEO, Sanjay Jha, who has just confirmed a $799 price tag  for the 32GB Honeycomb tablet, also known as the Xoom (WiFi+3G). While a WiFi-only version will run for merely $600, which is roughly equal to 32GB iPad. Is anyone surprised?

Update3: The Motorola Xoom is finally up for pre order at Best Buy, titled as “the world’s first tablet to run Android 3.0” platform on board. And the Feb. 24th release date and integrated front-facing camera for video calling makes this a perfect Valentine’s gift, don’t you think? Well, depends if you’re willing to spend $800 on your partners in exchange for a 3G-enabled 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet and some LOVE.

Update4: According to Verizon‘s web page, the Motorola Xoom that we’ are all expecting to see out on Feb 24th, won;t have flash support on launch. What? Yes, that’s exactly what the small caption down left says: “Adobe Flash expected Spring 2011.” BUMMER!!!

Update5: Motorola has just confirmed the release of its 10.1-inch Xoom sans Adobe Flash support:

“Motorola XOOM will include full support for Adobe® Flash® Player® for accessing the rich video and animations of the web, to be available after launch.”

[via Engadget]

tablets

HP webOS Tablets Rumored For a March 2011 Arrival

1 Comment

Well, it looks like we don’t really need to wait until February 9 to get details about one of the most anticipated webOS products in the HP lineup – they’re right here, courtesy of Engadget tipsters, and we couldn’t be pleased more with this, could we? Generally speaking, we’re looking at two new webOS slates that HP adds to its most impressive burgeoning portfolio, a 9-inch codenamed Topaz and a 7-inch going by the name Opal. And while we couldn’t help noticing a certain similarity between Palo Alto’s future slabs and Cupertino’s trendy and fashionable iPad device, there are yet several differences distinguishing the two species from each other – the lack of “home” button, for instance, or the presence of a micro USB port on the bottom along with a 1.2GHz processor and a front-facing camera upfront. In addition to that, we can also spot a set of three stereo speakers for audio layout (in landscape and portrait modes) on both Hewlett Packard units, while their back side seems to be getting a black glossy coating material of some sort.

Aside from the minor details, and the fact that the first webOS tablets family may start shipping in March of 2011 (unconfirmed), we do not have much to say, except that at least one version, out of the two that HP plans to release, will be offered in three optional paths: as a WiFi-only model, as part of an AT&T 3G plan or with Verizon’s Wireless’ LTE network. Either way, we hope these rumors turn out to be true. Stay tuned.

Update1: As far as measures go, rumor has it that the Opal will be sized at 180 x 144 x 13mm while the Topaz slate is a bit bigger, at 241 x 190 x 13mm. Screen wise, we’re looking at a 1,024 x 768 pixel TFT LCD multitouch display, instilled on both versions, along with a “premium audio” system based on HP’s most  advanced Beats audio platform. Other than that, we also hear that potential buyers are likely to be given “tens of gigabytes” of cloud storage, which frankly sounds pretty neat as well, but then, you’ll have to wait for February 9 in order to get even more savvy.

Update2: The good guys over at Pre Central have managed to put their hands on an internal paper with a list of specs of HP’s upcoming tablet. As it turns out, the 9.7-inch HP Topaz is likely to include a 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor on board, along with 512MB of DDR2 memory, an Adreno 220 GPU for the graphics, a mic,  802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 1024 x 768 touchscreen resolution, a front-facing 1.3MP webcam and either 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage at your choice. Besides that, we also expect some neat goodies under the lid, such as a built-in accelerometer, paired with a gyroscope, and a light sensor for auto background colors, while battery wise, we’re looking at somewhere around 8 hours of continuous work.

[via Engadget]

Continue reading HP webOS Tablets Rumored For a March 2011 Arrival →

News, tablets

Hannspree Rolls Out a 10.1-Inch Android 2.2 Tablet With Tegra 2 Chipset

Hannspree is no stranger for us at this website, but frankly it’s not as popular as other established companies you may well know. Nevertheless, you might still find it interesting, especially with that new 10.1-inch multi-touch tablet which the company has recently shown. Basically, for the €399 (about $505) that Hannspree is asking for, you’ll buy yourself a nice and lavish Android 2.2 device, packing a 1,024 x 600 capacitive display with 16GB of internal storage, WiFi, Bluetooth, a built-in accelerometer, HDMI output and one USB host. The 3,500mAh battery is said to deliver up to 8 hours of high-def video playback when this thing comes out somewhere around the end of this year, we’re told.

[via Tblt.de]

Continue reading Hannspree Rolls Out a 10.1-Inch Android 2.2 Tablet With Tegra 2 Chipset →

General, News, software

Here’s what Steve Jobs Really thinks About Flash

1 Comment

Steve Jobs has just posted a defying letter on Apple’s website, where he explicitly explains the reasons why his company has eventually decided to ditch Flash and not to support it on Cupertino devices, such as  iPad, iPhone and the iPod Touch. In general, what Steve Jobs says in here is that the use of Adobe’s most favorable Flash platform is considered in his point of view obsolete and literally belongs to the past. In his words “Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice.” and more about that from Jobs: “the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.”

But that’s just the bottom of the line of Steve Jobs thoughts. If you break them down to very small pieces, they might fall through the grid of pure rational argumentation. In a nutshell, the father of the iPhone claims that Flash technology is not open. In other words, Adobe’s Flash products, even if widely available, are still controlled by Adobe itself and not by any other entities – meaning, Flash is a closed system. As for the lack of “full web” experience allegations in Apple products, says Jobs that the new web is adjusting itself to Apple’s latest standards and for that matter big websites like Youtube, Netflix, Facebook et al already supporting the cause. As for “Reliability, security and performance” Steve thinks that Flash is the main reason for Mac crash and argues that Adobe has never been able to provide good Flash plug-in/add-on for Apple mobile phones. Steve Jobs also refers to the problem of fast battery drain and the pesky multi-tasking issues that Flash can actually cause.

And then there’s “the most important reason” why Apple has given up on Flash. Apparently, Apple doesn’t want letting “a third party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the enhancement and progress of the platform”, or in our words, Apple wants to give more freedom and direct access to its unrelenting developers, and willing to do so over Adobe’s personal expenses. So there you go guys, a thorough and sincere letter, containing  Steve Jobs thoughts. Jump straight after the break, read it, and then decide which side to support.

Continue reading Here’s what Steve Jobs Really thinks About Flash →

Computers, News, Video

ICD’s 11.2-inch Gemini Tablet Breaks Cover, With Nvidia Tegra 2 and Android OS Onboard

2 Comments

ICD is no stranger to the growing interest in modern tablets technology at all. In fact, the company has already shown us some of its most unique and attractive Android-powered nifty slates, it has launched over the past three months, and boy they look good, aren’t they? Back then, no one seemed to care that much. Today, on the other hand, when multiple players (especially the big ones) such as Apple and HP, have taken the wraps off their own handy-dandy tablet machines, it’s a whole new world out there, and ICD seems to understand that pretty well, otherwise it wouldn’t have thought of launching yet another one, would it? And its latest revelation, also known as the Gemini, is definitely a game changer in this boiling sphere, with 11.2-inch 1366 x 768 capacitive touchscreen on top and some very impressive line of components seating under the lid – amongst you’ll find a 2 mp front-facing webcam along a 5 mp autofocusing slit on the back, FM radio, SD card reader, GPS, 802.11 b/g/ n WiFi connection, Bluetooth, HDMI, MicroUSB port, dual stereo speakers, a 40Wh removable battery and last but not least, Nvidia Tegra 2 SOC  – here that iPad, JooJoo, HP Slate et all? Still no word about pricing or shipping dates, but we’re all over the place to bring the latest updates. Meanwhile, you can check out the specs and comparison sheet, right after the break.

[via Slashgear]

Continue reading ICD’s 11.2-inch Gemini Tablet Breaks Cover, With Nvidia Tegra 2 and Android OS Onboard →

Computers, Internet, News

Apple Reveals Its ‘iPad-Ready’ Websites List

1 Comment

The iPad is scheduled to go live in less than 24 hours now, and there seems to be an enormous excitement  across the blogsphere pond – everyone is looking forward to Saturday morning fete. Apple’s week is definitely going to be busy and long queues will start stretching along the streets – it’s going to be fun, no doubt. But the iPad, which most people would probably define as an internet surfing board, lacks Flash and that’s completely rigid, especially for the sake of web video support . Still, Apple has just released a descent list of various popular websites which are said to include latest web standard components such as HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript that suppose to fully support the iPad internet experience. Among those sites you’ll find CNN, Reuters, New York Times, Vimeo, Time, Major League Baseball, The White House, Virgin America, Sports Illustrated, Flickr, People Magazine and TED. Happy Surfing!

[Apple]

Computers, News

HP Slate Shows Up In Adobe Flash Demo and A Marketing Teaser

It’s been over two months since we last saw the HP Slate in action, popping out at CES and making first appearance, courtesy of Mr. Microsoft himself, Steve Ballmer. Back then, it was just a preliminary introduction, but today you get to see the big picture, as shown in a short teaser the company has launched at its own Youtube channel (which admittedly made us super excited) and in Adobe’s walkthrough demo that literally  introduces the flash capabilities (the iPad would probably miss) and how efficient they are to our personal working environment, through HP’s future tablet that regretfully, lacks pricing or shipping dates, as of today. Hit the break to catch the action.

[hpcomputers]

Continue reading HP Slate Shows Up In Adobe Flash Demo and A Marketing Teaser →

Applications, Mobile, News, Operating Systems, Phones

Google's Nexus One Officially Announced With Android 2.1 Preloaded Inside

3 Comments

So Google has finally launched the most anticipated Nexus One, and if you happen to live in one of the following 4 countries – the US, UK, Singapore or Hong Kong – you can get it right away from Google’s website, priced at $529.99 without a contract or merely $179 including a T-Mobile two year plan (in the US). Other people will have to wait at least until Spring 2010, when it believes that Google will be adding more countries to its smartphone lineup. The phone itself is an HTC brand, coming with a 3.7-inch 800×480 AMOLED display, which regretfully doesn’t support multi-touch at the moment, although Google says it’s not an hardware issue but a software tweak and it’d consider adding screen gestures capabilities in the future. Besides that, you get a fast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor,paired with a 5 megapixels camera including an integrated LED flash that can shoot MPEG-4 video and have it uploaded directly to Youtube. Additionally, this 11.5mm thick device has a built-in compass, GPS, WiFi, A2DP stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack, a multicolored LED under the trackball, an accelerometer for landscape view and two mics, positioned on front, for complete noise cancellation. It runs all common frequencies and compatible with HSDPA 7.2Mbps, UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900), HSUPA 2Mbps and of course, GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz). The 1400mAH battery inside is claimed to provide 5 hours of 3G browsing and 7 hours of 3G talk time, while storage wise, you receive only 512MB of internal flash along with a 4GB micro SD card, expandable up to 32GB. See the full specs here.

Moving forward with the details, the Nexus One packs Google’s “latest greatest” Android 2.1 platform – also known as Eclair – which crams some nifty stuff inside, like the voice recognition feature that works throughout the entire UI and activates almost any feature in the phone. That way, you can use your voice to write SMS messages and notes (speech-to-text), or tell the Google Earth search engine where should it go. Other than that, Google has implemented a Cooliris technology into the Nexus One gallery app, so you get 3D visualization whenever looking at images in landscape mode. It has a lot of widgets to offer, such as weather and news RSS, and the smartphone’s homescreen customization is interactive and houses 5 panels to store your apps and shortcuts. Stay tuned. Video is right after the break.

Update1: And looks like Adobe is now jumping on Google’s bandwagon by demoing its Flash 10.1 beta on a Nexus One superphone. Check it out after the break.

Update2: Well, what do you know, the European version of Nexus One, apparently supports multitouch capabilities out-of-the-box, while US devices don’t. We’re not so sure why, but as someone suggested, the trigger for the abyssal differences might be the fact that Apple has a US Patent on multitouch which doesn’t apply on European countries. Maybe. Google says it’s carefully reviewing this issue at the moment.

Update3: Different from what has been reported, Google’s Nexus One seems to be incompatible with “n” draft wireless connectivityand official specs state it supports only 802.11b/g WiFi frequencies. We’ll have more about this soon.

Update4: You knew it had to happen sooner or later, did you? No? then get this – iFixit guys have taken Google’s Nexus One on a mission and disassembled it into small pieces of technology craft. See the results here and after the break.

Update5: We’ve added two more stunning videos right after the break, in which you can watch Nexus One’s manufacturing process with stress tests such as bending, slamming, dropping, and cracking, all over the place. A must see creation!

Update6: Turns out Google now has live person phone support in case your Nexus One has problems that need to be solved. It’s 888-48NEXUS (63987) and said to work from 07:00am to 10:00pm PST. Right now the line will handle only status and shipping issues while tech problems can find answer via Google’s support forums, FAQs pages, email support and HTC/ T-Mobile customer care departments.

Continue reading Google's Nexus One Officially Announced With Android 2.1 Preloaded Inside →

Audio, Media Players, Video

Sony's OLED NW-A840 Walkman Hits The 64GB Flash Storage Mark

Sony strikes again, this time with the new NW-A840 mp3 player, which is a 7.2mm walkman device that sports a 2.8-inch OLED display, upscaled to 720×480 pixel resolution via a built-in TV output. In addition, the A840 is probably one of the first portable audio  machines we’ve ever seen, to include a staggering 64GB flash drive storage, which lets you accommodate your entire audio/video library collection on such a tiny frame. Also bundled inside the box are Sony’s premium MDR-EX300SL earbuds, which come along with a reasonable battery, claimed to deliver up to 29-hours of music playback or 9 hours of video. Scheduled to October 31st, you get to choose out of three different A-series versions – the first, 16GB NW-A845 priced at ¥24,000 (or $265), the second, 32GB NW-A846 which will cost you ¥30,000 (or $330), and THE third, a 64GB NW-A847 that will set you back for ¥40,000 (or $440) – all available either in Brown/Gold flavors (in picture) or an elegant Black.

Update: Looks like Sony just rolled out a European version of that Japanese NW-A840 walkman, which boasts exactly the same features, including a 2.8-inch OLED, paired with 7.2mm thin body and 28 hours of audio playback, but named NW-A845 and available in a 16GB “Falcon Black” version, only. Image after the break.

[Via Sony Insider]

Continue reading Sony's OLED NW-A840 Walkman Hits The 64GB Flash Storage Mark →

Audio, Media Players, News, Video

Cowon's S9 Curvy PMP To Make a Debut In Korea First (Update: Then In The US)

Remember Cowon’s S9 PMP that was first introduced at IFA 2008 in Berlin? Turns out it will make a debut in Korea on December 16th in 4GB / 8GB / 16GB versions, for 219,000 won ($150), 259,000 won ($178), or 309,000 won ($213), respectively. Truth to tell, we were skeptical about this one, specially after discernible delays in the European launch and due to the lack of information concerning a US release. However, Cowon has proved it can live up to its promis and according to yesterday’s official announcement, the Korean company will deliver the goods, despite some “problems in production”. In other words, we are expected to see the S9 player landing on western shelves, somewhere around the beginning of 2009.

In any case, this stylish curvy 3.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen player boasts some impressive specs, including a strong Dual Core processor, an FM tuner, T-DMB tuner, A2DP Bluetooth 2.0 connection, a TV output and even a G-Sensor accelerometer (probably for future games). Furthermore, it supports MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, WAV audio formats and MPEG-4 SP, WMV9 SP, H.264 BP video formats, while the battery provides up to 55hrs of audio playback or 11hrs of video playback.

Additionally, first GUI screen shots imply for a wide range of usability, and  plenty of touchscreen features that Cowon plans to bring into the S9, as some of them resemble the iPod touch and some carry their own identity. Stay tuned for more to come.

Update1: checkout the new video and full specs after the break.

Update2: UK release is scheduled to December 15th. Price wise, the Cowon S9 will be priced at £169 ($252) for the 8GB and £199 ($297) for the 16GB.

Update3: forget the delays, Cowon has officially announced that the S9 US release will go live on December 19th, priced at $199.99 (8GB) / $239.99 (16GB). You will be able to find it at Amazon.com, eBay.com, Newegg.com, B&H, and ZipZoomFly.com.

Update4: Cowon has already issued the first S9 firmware update, fixing some bugs and UI corrections.

Update5: You can get over 250 flash games for your S9, in 3 packs, compressed in RAR. Just open the files and copy to the flash library –  Game Pack 1 ; Game Pack 2 ; Game Pack 3

Update6: April 16, Cowon releases a 32GB version in South Korea, to be available for ?379,000 ($287). Still no word about a US release for this one.

Update7: May 3rd – Cowon’s 32GB S9 PMP finally arrives Stateside and can be found at Amazon.com for $299.99, either in Black or Titanium flavors.

Update8: As if any of you had any doubts about the possibility that someone out there will eventually open up this sleeky device and start playing with the inner parts, think twice, as the guys at Anything But iPod recently introduced in their Cowon forum some neat images of the S9 cracked open and dissected into small parts, offering a rich look of the touchscreen PMP from the inside. Hit the link for more pictures of the disassembled unit.

[via AnythingButiPod]

Continue reading Cowon's S9 Curvy PMP To Make a Debut In Korea First (Update: Then In The US) →

Applications, Media Players, Operating Systems

Archos Firmware 2.0.10 Brings Flash 9 To 5th Generation PMPs

2 Comments

archos-605-mini Today, after months of speculations, Archos has finally met the expectations and released firmware update 2.0.10 that includes:

  • WebTV and Radio (with optional Plug-in).
  • GPS (with optional car cradle).
  • Alarm Clock.
  • Flash 9 support.

There’s no doubt that among the new features above, the most juicy newsworthy one is the Flash 9, which places Archos PMPs at the top of the players and the only ones to support flash 9. The new release enables Archos users to surf the internet seamlessly, without having to miss any web details or applications, as the tendency points to built-in flash 8/9 web services. The new firmware is available to download here, check out the videos after the break.

[via Archos]

Continue reading Archos Firmware 2.0.10 Brings Flash 9 To 5th Generation PMPs →