Android Dose

SAMSUNG AND GOOGLE TO DELIVER NEXUS S, THE FIRST MOBILE PHONE IN THE WORLD POWERED BY ANDROID 2.3

Nexus S offers the latest version of the Android platform, Gingerbread, 4” Super AMOLED touch screen with curved design, Near Field Communication (NFC), front and rear-facing cameras and 1GHz application processor

SEOUL, Korea,  and DALLAS, US December 6, 2010 — Samsung Electronics,  a leading mobile phone provider and the  No. 1 mobile phone provider¹ in the U.S., and Google™ today announced Nexus S™, the world’s first handset to feature the latest version of Google’s Android™ platform. Powered by Android 2.3, Samsung and Google have packed Nexus S with powerful technology and the latest in hardware features.

JK Shin, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics, said, “Samsung and Google have worked together closely to deliver the best Android smart phone experience for consumers. It has been our ambition in working with Google to continue to push the Android platform forward and create a smart phone that has both superior functionality and a stunning user-experience. It is extremely satisfying to see this partnership again bear tremendous fruit.”

“Samsung was thrilled to work with Google to create the first device featuring the much anticipated Android 2.3 OS. Nexus S is powerful proof of Samsung and Google’s commitment to bringing technology firsts to market and launching products that utilize the open and innovative Android operating system,” said Omar Khan, chief strategy officer of Samsung Telecommunications America. “Nexus S integrates Samsung’s best-in-class hardware and technology with the exciting new features and upgrades of Android 2.3 Gingerbread to give consumers a breakthrough smartphone experience.”

“Google is excited to co-develop Nexus S with Samsung, ensuring solid integration of hardware and software to deliver the lead device for the latest version of Android, Gingerbread,” said Andy Rubin, Vice President of Engineering at Google.

Nexus S is designed with Samsung’s brilliant Super AMOLED touch screen technology providing a premium viewing experience. The 4-inch Contour Display features a curved design for a more ergonomic style and feel when held to the user’s face.  Nexus S also features Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which allows you to read information off of everyday objects like stickers and posters that are embedded with NFC chips. Powered by a 1 GHz Samsung application processor, Nexus S produces rich 3D graphics, faster upload and download times and supports HD-like multimedia content.

Nexus S is equipped with a 5 megapixel rear facing camera and camcorder, as well as a VGA front facing camera. In addition, Nexus S features a gyroscope sensor to provide a smooth, fluid gaming experience when the user is tilting the device up or down or panning the phone to the left or right. Nexus S also comes with 16 GB of internal memory.

Android 2.3, Gingerbread, is the fastest version of Android yet. It features support for Near Field Communication (NFC), a new and improved keyboard with multi-touch support, Internet calling (VoIP/SIP support), and a clean new user interface. Nexus S also includes popular Android features such as portable Wi-Fi hotspot, true multitasking, access to Google mobile services such as Google Search™, Gmail™, Google Maps™ with Navigation, Voice Actions, Google Voice™ and YouTube™, and access to over 100,000 apps and widgets on Android Market™.

Nexus S can be purchased (unlocked) online and in-store from Best Buy retailers in the U.S. starting after December 16 and at Carphone Warehouse retailers in the U.K. after December 20.

Nexus S specifications

Network	2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE) : 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz 3G (HSDPA 7.2Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps) : 900 / 1700 / 2100 MHz
OS	Android 2.3 / Gingerbread
Display	4.0” WVGA SUPER AMOLED (800×480)
Camera	5.0 mega-pixel Camera + VGA front Camera,  Auto Focus, Self shot
Video	HD(720p@30fps) video playing, Video recording D1 (720×480)@30fps mpeg4, H.264, H.263
Audio	MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, AMR-NB,
Value-added Features	NFC (Near Field Communications) capability
	Android Market for more applications and contents
	A-GPS
	Gyroscope Sensor, Accelerometer, Digital compass, Proximity, Light
Connectivity	Bluetooth technology v 2.1 + EDR USB v2.0 (High-Speed) Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Memory	16GB iNAND
Size	63 x 123.9 x 10.9 mm
Battery	1500 mAh

All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

¹ Number one mobile phone provider in the U.S claim for Samsung Mobile based upon reported shipment data, according to Strategy Analytics, Q3 2010 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Reports.

Google, Nexus S, Android, Google Search, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Voice, YouTube, and Android Market are trademarks of Google, Inc.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2009 consolidated sales of US$116.8 billion. Employing approximately 174,000 people in 193 offices across 66 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visitwww.samsung.com.

OpenFeint announced today that they have over 100 live games now in just 2 months. As part of that announcement in the spirit of Thanksgiving they have dropped 8 new titles on the Android gaming scene including huge iOS hits! Android game downloads for OpenFeint games has quickly surpassed 8 million downloads since its recent launch some 2 months ago. James Citron CEO of OpenFeint said “This is one of the most impressive set of games we’ve helped bring to the Android community.” Continue reading “In the spirit of Thanksgiving OpenFeint Launches 8 More Games on Android” »

Google does what it can to hire and retain the best and the brightest minds around.  Who can blame them?  They have strategically taken over the web search niche, being favored by the elite and educated alike.  However, in this economic climate, it’s increasingly harder for companies to keep such talent.  So what’s a mega-corp like Google to do?  Give everyone a pay raise.  A 10%, across the board pay raise at that!  It’s Mountain View’s hope that such a bold move would boost morale and encourage those hard-working, ping-pong playing chaps to stick around.

Unfortunately, one person got a pink slip instead of a raise.

Late Tuesday, CEO Eric Schmidt announced the raise via an internal memo to all employees.  A copy of said memo had been received by Fortune, along with Business Insider, who initially broke the story.  Unfortunately for the leaker, Google PD not only found out who it was that leaked the memo, (s)he was also terminated.  We’re talking within hours here folks.  In a prepared statement, a spokesman said the following:

“While we don’t typically comment on internal matters, we do believe that competitive compensation plans are important to the future of the company,”

What does this mean for John Q. Hamandegger who’s looking to leave the company?  Simple:  Google is willing to pay you even MORE for your talents and knowledge.  After doing some rudimentary information-gathering, I found that a lot of employees of the popular social networking site Facebook, about 15%, list Google as their former employer.  One person in this list is Lars Rasmussen, creator of Google Maps and Google Wave.  Another is Google’s former chief of sales and operations, Sheryl Sandberg, who is number 2 on the Facebook ladder, along with former Product Manager Bret Taylor, who is now the chief technology officer for Facebook.  Other notable figures include YouTube co-founder and CEO Chad Hurley, and AdMob co-founder Omar Hamoui.

However you look at it, you have to give it to Google.  In an era where businesses would rather cut salaries or lay-off a slew of staff, Google decides to invest in its talent from within.  Be warned, however; it’s best to tell your family about a big raise, and not the world.

Source:  CNNmoney.com

According to a tweet by Koush this evening ClockworkMod Recovery for the G2 is now available for your consumption via Rom Manager! You must have the latest version of Rom Manager installed (version 2.5.0.6). Now that permanent root has been established and ClockworkMod Recovery has been ported its just a matter of time until we see a working version of Cyanogenmod on the G2! Good news for all those that went out and purchased the G2 already and for those that decided to wait!

Hot off the press today CAPCOM made a major announcement that they fully intend to bring 3D gaming to Smartphone handsets. CAPCOM announced today that 3 games are going to ship pre-installed on smartphones in the future. “Mega Man”, “Resident Evil: Degeneration” and “Ghosts n’ Goblins: Gold Knights” are going to ship on the just announced Sharp 3D Phones. Continues after the break

Continue reading “Classic Video Game Makers CAPCOM, Bandai and Konami announce 3D games coming to Android” »