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Remember how we saw some HP TouchPad devices mysteriously show up running Android, and the ensuring HP investigation as to how they ended up in the hands of consumers? Well, there was no conclusive answer as to how that happened, however HP has now released the kernel source code for that version of Android for the Touchpad to the CyanogenMod team.

Wifi drivers aren’t included, but this is still great news for those toiling away to bring the latest version of Android to TouchPad owners. The information derived from the kernel brings some interesting info to light, as RootzWiki user Green notes –

“It seems to be a totally separate development from the webOS kernel (this was suspected from the very beginning), but now the comments in the code seem to imply that HP had another team working on Android port to Touchpad and that team appears to be totally separate from the webOS team. I wonder if that means there was a plan to ship the Touchpad with Android that were then preempted by webOS plans after Palm purchase.”

What it all amounts to in the long run isn’t really known just yet, but hopes are that portions of it will be adopted into the CyanogenMod 9 Android 4.0 port for the HP TouchPad. Bugs aside, the TouchPad make a great little tablet when Android is loaded on it (and, some would argue, when it’s not).

Source: RootzWiKi; via: webOS Nation

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/mc52rcbWod8/story01.htm

Sony’s Honeycomb-powered clamshell device, the Tablet P, isn’t what you’d call a conventional Android tablet. So it should come as no surprise that it had a fittingly unconventional path to release, with a variety of different sizes and form factors being considered before everything was finalized.

According to Engadget Chinese, which was recently given a tour of some early Tablet P prototypes, the device started life as a mock-up made out of a cheap wallet, before a host of more practical designs were considered. These included various 5 to 7-inch setups, and during the height of the netbook craze, Sony was even considering going with a Windows/Intel x86 combo for the device’s hardware and software base.

Eventually, due to battery life and heat dissipation issues, that idea was dropped, paving the way for the Tegra and Honeycomb-based device that we’re all familiar with today. The Tablet P may not have set the world alight just yet, but at least the story of its development shows how Android’s versatility can leads to all kinds of unique products finding their way into being.

Source: Engadget Chinese

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/C8o-ELK0Vnk/story01.htm

Sprint this morning announced that Baltimore and Kansas City will be the beneficiaries of its new LTE network when it launches later this year. That’s to go along with Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, which were named previously.

Baltimore and Kansas City have some historical significance, with the former being the carrier’s first Wimax city (way back in the XOHM days), and the latter being its backyard. Oh, and the two cities also will be getting enhanced 3G speeds. So they’ve got that going for them, which is nice.

Still no firm date on when we’ll see the LTE network launch (“mid-2012″ is all anyone’s saying), but we do know we’ve got the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the LG Viper waiting for us when it does.

Source: Sprint

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), February 08, 2012 – Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced that Baltimore and Kansas City are expected to receive 4G LTE and upgraded 3G service by mid-2012. Sprint recently announced that 4G LTE and enhanced 3G service are also expected by mid-2012 in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Sprint 4G LTE will enable faster speeds for data applications, and the enhanced 3G service promises better signal strength, faster data speeds, expanded coverage and better in-building performance.

The launch of these large metropolitan areas demonstrates the continued commitment by Sprint to invest in its network through Network Vision. Sprint customers in these areas will soon enjoy ultra-fast data speeds and improved 3G voice quality. Whether a Sprint customer is using a smartphone to share a video of a double overtime game between the Kansas Jayhawks and Missouri Tigers or a Baltimore chef is checking the Web via

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/quVjL14XhCo/story01.htm

There hasn’t been much to cheer about on Wall Street lately when it comes to Android manufacturers’ earnings. HTC and Motorola have both issued relatively disappointing quarterly results for long enough to annoy the investment community. In the case of Motorola, the big GOOG has come to their rescue anyway.  Motorola didn’t even hold a conference call to discuss its latest quarter (because of the Google deal, it said). They’re getting assimilated into the Google unless something goes haywire with the merger. 
But HTC is still an almost perfect pure play on the Android smartphone market. Yeah, they support Windows Phone too, but almost all the volume is on Android right now, and I think it’s a safe be that this will continue to be the case in 2012.

Neither Motorola or HTC seem to be performing very well. Motorola can’t seem to get enough volume shipped to make a profit on phones, while HTC’s profitability has slipped considerably. The latest quarterly forecast from the Taiwanese giant is for an operating margin of only 7.5 percent.

So what does all this mean to investors and consumers?

I think investors need to keep in mind that Android vendors don’t have much ability to differentiate on software. Especially with the release of ICS, the features and capabilities of the OS are much improved and there is less of a need for vendors to mess around with something that is already very good.

This leaves vendors to compete on hardware. And even there, it’s a challenge.  Most of the volume is for the same old sheet-of-glass form factor that we’ve all grown to love since the launch of the iPhone back in

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/0CiNdz_fwaM/story01.htm

If you happen to want a high-end smartphone with all the bells and whistles but have that slide-out QWERTY keyboard to make your messaging chores a lot easier and enjoyable at the same time, then you can never go wrong with the Motorola Droid 4. If you’ll recall, the handset has already made its rounds to make itself known as early as the latter part of 2011 but the announcement to make the handset official only came at CES 2012.

No release date was given during the announcement of the Motorola Droid 4 but there were rumors every now and then that pop up pointing to a certain date that the

Article source: http://www.technobloom.com/motorola-droid-4-to-hit-verizon-shelves-of-february-10-with-199-99-on-contract-price-tag/225216/