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Android

MHL demo: Samsung Galaxy II turned home-entertainment system

Around about this time in 2010, I blogged about WHDI and its potential to change the way we entertain ourselves in a big way when this wireless display is implemented in mobile devices. Now a year later, that reality is still in the distant future.

Fortunately, there's something else to take its place. It's already here, and chances are your phone and HDTV at home come with it. It does require a wire, however, but that's a good thing.… Read more

The 404 934: Where portable gaming is undead (podcast)

Nothing lasts forever in the tech industry, and Nintendo's upcoming Wii U, the Sony PlayStation Vita, and all other one-trick portable gaming consoles are next in line to get the axe! At least that's what Jeff hypothesizes, although the trolls in his CNET editorial have opposing opinions.

After we sort through all the hate mail, we turn to a story about Internet domain squatters taking advantage of the #OccupyWallStreet trend to make money off the protesters.

And in the same way that Bacolicio.us set the veganism movement back several years, a new site called OccupyTheURL is turning the 99 percent into an online gimmick. Type in any Web site--the 404 homepage works--and your page will soon be flooded with graphic pop-ups of protesters blocking your access. We'd rather have bacon.… Read more

Galaxy Nexus launch date revealed

It looks like Europe could be getting the first bite of Android's Ice Cream Sandwich.

Reports from a Samsung event in London and a product page on Amazon.co.uk indicate that November 17 is the date the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be released, first in Europe and rolling out to the rest of the world shortly thereafter. … Read more

Could Sony make a PlayStation Vita phone?

Two things leap to mind this morning:

1. Sony has acquired Ericsson's part of Sony Ericsson for $1.74 billion. 2. The PlayStation Vita handheld has a 3G version, and will be released in the U.S. next year.

Somehow, can Sony's full control over the mobile phone unit lead to what I've been hoping for for years--a true PlayStation phone, preferably in the form of a revamped Vita? … Read more

Samsung Transform Ultra review: Boost's Gingerbread QWERTY

Boost Mobile is showing Android lots of love these days, most of them for candy bar form factors. This week's announcement of the ZTE Warp is a perfect example. Luckily, Boost has one "Gingerbread man" QWERTY for Android fans who like a good keyboard: the Samsung Transform Ultra.… Read more

Droid Razr preorders begin Oct. 27

If you've been itching to get a Motorola Razr back in your pocket, your wait is almost over. Starting tomorrow, Moto's new Droid Razr will be available for preorder at Verizon Wireless.

Though it may carry the name of one of Motorola's most iconic devices, the Droid Razr is no simple revamp of that original phone. Sure, it's thin, but it packs a hefty feature load into a stunning design with stainless steel, Kevlar backing, and sculpted glass. So while it may be a beauty, it also has enough power to earn it a place in the Droid family. … Read more

Shouty app helps Occupy protesters be heard

More apps and coded solutions are coming to the aid of the 99 percent "occupying" the streets from Manhattan to Oakland and worldwide.

A few weeks ago we told you about a nifty app designed with the Occupy Wall Street and elsewhere protests in mind that notifies your comrades in the event you get cuffed by the cops.

It turns out that mobile apps are helping protesters surmount other hurdles to their freedom of expression. An example: Shouty, which circumvents the ban on megaphones and other forms of amplification around New York's Zuccotti Park.

Shouty is basically a live-streaming app along the lines of UStream and others that broadcasts whatever is being picked up by the microphone as an MP3 stream available to whoever wants to connect. It's the work of coder Nathan Hamblen and others at the "social coding" site Github, where the app is available for download for Android--it's not to be confused with the iOS app by the same name, which is basically a Twitter client.… Read more

Great QWERTY smartphones you can have right now (roundup)

Editors' note: This post was originally published October 26, 2011, and was updated December 18, 2012, with five new phones.

Touch screens may be all the rage, but for many of you, there's no substitute for a phone with a physical keyboard attached.

Though there weren't any stellar candy bar phones with onboard keyboards recently released, all the devices listed here include spacious QWERTYs that slide out from behind the screen. Here's a roundup of some of the most interesting and most useful smartphones with keyboards that you can get now.… Read more

The 404 933: Where it's the nightmare before Nokia (podcast)

What's an 8-foot-tall Lego man doing on the beaches of Siesta Key Village, Florida? We don't have the answer, but it's the third one that's washed ashore in the last three years--similar occurances were reported three years ago in Brighton, England, and Zandvoort, Holland; each bearing the same cryptic messaging: "NO REAL THAN YOU ARE."

Yahoo News did the dirty work and inquired about the phenomenon to Lego's assistant brand relations manager, who vehemently denied, on record, any affiliation with the stunt, eliminating the possibility of it being a viral stunt. Who knows, maybe it was printed on a 3D imaging device by the folks at MakerBot!… Read more