Android 2.3 Gingerbread SDK and the Nexus S announced by Google

Android 2.3, GingerbreadGoogle, just moments ago, launched the next iteration of the Android and Nexus product lines: Gingerbread and the Nexus S. The Nexus S, with a 4" Contour Display, two cameras, 16GB of memory and Near Field Communication, is jaw-dropping. But let's not get distracted by shiny things; as software nerds, it is Android 2.3, Gingerbread, that really interests us.

If you're feeling brave, dive right into the Android 2.3 Platform Highlights. It's aimed at developers, but most of the main features are spelled out in plain English. Here's a taster:

  • Faster, more intuitive text input -- the default keyboard has been significantly improved, and multi-touch 'key-chording' means faster input
  • UI refinements for simplicity and speed -- the UI has been simplified, with menus and settings now easier to find. It looks like the whole thing will be quite bold and 'primary colored'
  • One-touch word selection and copy/paste -- this one's quite hard to explain, better to look at the two pictures
  • Improved power management -- apps will be automatically closed if they steal a lot of CPU time, and users can now see at a glance which phone components and apps are taking up the most power
  • More ways to communicate -- Internet calling (VoIP/SIP), Near Field Communication and video calling with the front-facing camera are now possible
There's lots of other low-level changes, but I won't bore you with them. It's safe to say that, as I write this, app developers the world over are drooling on their hairy feet. To put it another way, that Sony PlayStation phone that you've seen on Engadget -- it's only possible because of some big changes in Android 2.3's architecture.

With regards to availability, Gingerbread will be open-sourced in the next few weeks. The Nexus S will be available to buy in the US from December 16, and in the UK from the 20th.

There are videos of the phone itself, and some developers getting their nerd on, after the break.

Continue reading Android 2.3 Gingerbread SDK and the Nexus S announced by Google

Android 2.3 Gingerbread SDK and the Nexus S announced by Google originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/06/google-announces-android-2-3-gingerbread-sdk-and-the-nexus-s/

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Daily tip: How to invite someone to a Calendar event [Beginner]

How to invite someone to a Calendar event Ever wonder how to invite someone else to an iPhone or iPad Calendar event? Whether you’re setting up a meeting for work or a gathering for family or friends, if you have a MobileMe or Exchange account (including Gmail set up as Exchange), you can send an invitation that pretty much anyone can accept. We’ll [...]

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British government wants all porn filtered out of the web, all fun sucked out of life

You can't be surprised at developments like these when you elect a political party whose very name is Conservative, but it's still rather sad to hear that the current UK government is putting pressure on ISPs to "protect children" by universally blocking access to porn websites. It's not outright censorship, you'll be able to "opt in" and restore your freedom to explore adult content (or anything else that's been inadvertently blocked), though it's all a rather misguided effort in our eyes. Claire Perry, one of the leading voices behind this push, cites stats noting that 60 percent of nine- to 19-year olds have found pornography online, yet she fails to elaborate on what's been so traumatizing or debilitating about the experience -- or why violent content is getting a free pass. We still think good parenting -- say, by using the local controls built into your OS or search engine -- is a much cheaper option than some complex censorship wall, but that won't prevent the Conservatives from pursuing legislation over the next couple of years if broadband providers don't figure out blocking mechanisms of their own. For shame, Britain.

British government wants all porn filtered out of the web, all fun sucked out of life originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 04:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/20/british-government-wants-all-porn-filtered-out-of-the-web-all-f/

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Opera 11 RC 2 now available for download

opera 11
Opera's developers have been pushing hard to finalize version 11 of the do-it-all browser. After just releasing the first Opera 11 RC only yesterday, they've already shoved the build aside to make way for RC2.

While you won't find any new functionality in the RC, the RC builds are more stable and usable than previous snapshot releases. Extension support has been improved as well, and there are are now around 200 you can add to your Opera 11 install. Opera's mail client has also been greatly improved, with drag-and-drop ordering of accounts and folders and a navigation panel which hides itself automatically when you're using a non-mail tab in browser.

You'll also find Opera 11's tab stacking more solid now, with RC2 landing several crash fixes for the clutter-busting feature. Like comepting browsers, there have also been tweaks made to the address bar -- which now shows more detailed security information about the site you're browsing. Search suggestions are now supported as well, using Google's prediction API.

If you were waiting for hardware acceleration, it looks as though you're going to have to wait for a future version. There's no sign of HWA in Opera 11 RC2 and ECMAsciprt 5 support is still somewhat lacking. Hopefully both those shortcomings will be addressed in the near future.

Check out the screenshots after the break, or go grab Opera 11 RC2 and take it for a spin yourself!

Download Opera 11 RC2 for Windows, Mac, or Linux

Get Opera addons

Continue reading Opera 11 RC 2 now available for download

Opera 11 RC 2 now available for download originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/15/opera-11-rc-2-now-available-for-download/

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My Personal iPad App Wishlist

There’s quite an abundance of apps available for the iPad but there’s a couple more I’d personally like to see in the near future. Maybe with a little luck the wait won’t be for much longer. So here’s my current iPad app wishlist, not too much to ask for don’t you agree? BBC Radio iPad [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ipadbuzzblog/~3/GHKA0mSWO_I/

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Microsoft nerd reverse engineers Christmas lights, uses them as IM indicators

Christmas lights as IM indicators
Apparently, even domestic Christmas lights are controlled by computers nowadays, and hopefully, as you all know, that means they're hackable. Andrej Kyselica, a Microsoft employee, took some GE-35 Christmas lights, hooked them into a .NET Micro Framework embedded controller, took another developer's work, developed a driver -- and voila! PC-controlled Christmas lights (video after the break).

In the demo, Andrej uses Microsoft Lync (Office Communications Server) to connect his instant messenger contacts (presumably Live Messenger) to the Christmas lights. The lights then show each contact's current status -- green, yellow and red -- or he can manually set them as 'out of the office', which is a rather pretty purple color. If the light is off, nobody is home.

While this is a cool hack, it pales in comparison to another computer-controlled Christmas lights experiment, which has been going since 2002: Alek's Controllable Christmas Lights. Alek lets you control over 21,000 lights, and inflate or deflate Elmo, Santa and Homer Simpson.

Continue reading Microsoft nerd reverse engineers Christmas lights, uses them as IM indicators

Microsoft nerd reverse engineers Christmas lights, uses them as IM indicators originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/15/microsoft-nerd-reverse-engineers-christmas-lights-uses-them-as-im-indicators/

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Amazon offers refunds or replacements for problem-causing Kindle covers

It's not often you hear of a case causing technical problems with an electronic device, but that's just what a number users have been saying about Amazon's own Kindle Leather Cover. Apparently, the problem stems from the metal hooks used in the case -- they're designed to conduct electricity in the lighted version of the case, but in the non-lighted version they're reportedly causing Kindles to freeze or reboot. While the company hasn't officially confirmed the problem, Amazon has told PC Magazine that its engineering team is looking into the issue, and that it will offer a refund or replacement to anyone experiencing a problem with the case, no matter when it was purchased. Those looking to take Amazon up on that offer can email kindle-response@amazon.com.

Amazon offers refunds or replacements for problem-causing Kindle covers originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Dec 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Z9fIL-hpeog/

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IPad Five-in-One Dock Adapter: When Will the Madness End?

Just as seemingly every year the number of blades on a disposable razor inevitably increases, so every few months a new iPad dock adapter adds yet another input. In August we saw the 2-in-1 camera-connector, with USB and an SD-card slot. The just last week we were treated to the plasticky wonders of the 3-in-1 [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/12/ipad-five-in-one-dock-adapter-when-will-the-madness-end/

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