Android Ice Cream Sandwich includes native stylus support

Styli and Android haven’t exactly been strangers as of late — with devices like the HTC Flyer and Samsung Galaxy Note offering pen-based input — but it looks like that option will soon be even easier to implement with Ice Cream Sandwich. As noted on Reddit, Google’s recent overview of some Android 4.0 platform highlights includes a small tidbit towards the end that details the “full support for stylus input events” in the OS — including features like pressure sensitivity and the ability to distinguish motion events from different sources (i.e. a pen and your finger). Of course, it still requires some hardware-level assistance from tablet and smartphone makers, but native support in the OS could well open up some interesting possibilities, especially when it comes to third-party apps.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich includes native stylus support originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Transformer Prime gets official landing page, shows mostly bezel

After getting its first showing at AsiaD, we know ASUS’ Transformer sequel is super thin, powered by NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 chip and coming soon. And now we really know it, because the Transformer Prime has been gifted an official landing page, along with a requisite shadowy product shot. There’s no trace of the original’s mocha hues, which have been replaced with something brighter, and we think it looks mightily enticing. Those with a similar fetish for modular tablets can ensure they’re up-to-date by bookmarking the source link below.

Transformer Prime gets official landing page, shows mostly bezel originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Burger King Billboard Gets Diabetes Graffiti

Someone has graffitied this Burger King billboard in downtown Seattle to transform it into criticism about how sugary fast food contributes to diabetes and the obesity crisis.

The original billboard does that classic advertising trick of getting away with making a joke while still promoting an idea that’s not so great for you, which is to eat more deserts at Burger King.

The billboard shows an ice cream cone, a parfait, a milkshake and then a Burger King logo. Underneath the items in progression it says “side,” “entree,” and “drink.” To modify it into a commentary, on the logo, the vandalizer drink a bloated person with a frowny face and x-ed out eyes. Below it they scrawled, “diabetes.”

Soda Free Sundays [Facebook]
[via COPCWA]

Microsoft talks Windows 8 portrait mode, really wants you to be proud of it (video)

Windows 8 in portrait mode

If Apple is that paranoid friend that has four deadbolts on his door and a loaded weapon in every room, then Microsoft is the over-sharer who tweets where, when and what he had for lunch — including both before and after photos (and we’re not talking about pictures of a clean plate). Redmond wants you to know about everything it does — no accomplishment is too minor for a lengthy explanation of the what and why. Take for example, portrait mode. Windows 8 will have one. We know what you’re thinking, “well I would frackin’ hope so,” but the devs want you to know this isn’t just some feature they slapped in the OS knowing people would expect it. The team studied users both familiar with and new to the tablet form factor. They looked at grip, posture and when people chose to rotate their slates. And, if you’re some weirdo who likes reading things on their side, there’s a rotation lock option. For more details hit up the source link and the video after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft talks Windows 8 portrait mode, really wants you to be proud of it (video)

Microsoft talks Windows 8 portrait mode, really wants you to be proud of it (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo Ideapad Android tablet now available for pre-order, $350 outright


The Lenovo Ideapad is now up for pre-order with an “Estimated release date: 10/27/2011″. Some good news regarding this Android Honeycomb tablet, a couple months back Future Shop listed it for $499.99 but it’s been slashed to $349.00 outright – 30% savings even before being sold. The specs of this Wi-Fi only tablet ring in at a 10.1-inch display, 1GHz dual core processor, a 5 megapixel camera with a 2 megapixel camera front facing camera for video calling and weighs 239 grams.

Source: Future Shop

Related posts:

  1. Lenovo announces Android 3.1 powered “IdeaPad K1″
  2. Toshiba Thrive Android 3.1 tablet now available to pre-order, estimated release date is August 12th
  3. Lenovo’s Android Ideapad gets listed for $499.99 at Future Shop

Asus Tweets ICS is “Coming to an @ASUS #EeePadTransformer near you”

Well isn’t this a pleasant surprise?  Looks like the updates just keep hitting the Transformer without a hiccup.  The device has been gracious and generous enough to get regular updates, mostly due to its popularity, no doubt.  And it looks like Ice Cream Sandwich will be no exception this time around.  Asus revealed via their official Twitter account that the device will see sweeter days (see what I did there?) and to stay tuned for a date.

Coming to an @ASUS #EeePadTransformer near you… Stay tuned for dates

This does beg the question however, will the Transformer 2 come with ICS pre-loaded?

Asus Tweets ICS is “Coming to an @ASUS #EeePadTransformer near you”

Upcoming changes to Reader: a new look, new Google+ features, and some clean-up

Posted by Alan Green, Software Engineer

In the next week, we’ll be making some highly requested changes to Google Reader. First, we’re going to introduce a brand new design (like many of Google’s other products) that we hope you love. Second, we’re going to bring Reader and Google+ closer together, so you can share the best of your feeds with just the right circles.

As a result of these changes, we also think it’s important to clean things up a bit. Many of Reader’s social features will soon be available via Google+, so in a week’s time we’ll be retiring things like friending, following and shared link blogs inside of Reader.

We think the end result is better than what’s available today, and you can sign up for Google+ right now to start prepping Reader-specific circles. We recognize, however, that some of you may feel like the product is no longer for you. That’s why we will also be extending Reader’s subscription export feature to include the following items. Your data belongs to you, after all, and we want to make sure you can take it with you.

  • Your subscriptions
  • Your shared items
  • Your friends
  • Your likes
  • Your starred items

Like always, the new Google Reader will be a great place to read and share your feeds. And in addition to Google+, you’ll still be able to share to almost any service using Send To. We’re looking forward to launching the new features very soon.

Sony Music Unlimited arrives for Android tablets, bearing gifts of unlimited music

It’s been a week of upgrades for Sony Tablet S owners. First came news of the PlayStation Store’s arrival and now comes confirmation that Sony’s Music Unlimited service is available, as well. Yesterday, the company announced that its music streaming service has finally made its way to the Tablet S and other Android slates, a little more than four months after launching on Google-laced handsets. The basics remain the same: $4 per month for a basic subscription or $10 per month for premium service, though Tablet S owners can take advantage of a 180-day free trial, in case they still have their hesitations. Stream past the break for the full PR, or grab the app for yourself at the source link, below.

Continue reading Sony Music Unlimited arrives for Android tablets, bearing gifts of unlimited music

Sony Music Unlimited arrives for Android tablets, bearing gifts of unlimited music originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS says Eee Pad Transformer tablet will get ICS upgrade… sometime

We’ve already gotten some information about which phones will be getting the Ice Cream Sandwich update and when, and we’re now starting to get some official word on tablet upgrades as well. Speaking with Pocket-lint, an ASUS rep said that the Eee Pad Transformer “will be getting [the] update to ICS,” but that the company “can’t provide a schedule at this stage.” Still no word from other Honeycomb tablet manufacturers, unfortunately, but we’ll keep you posted. Of course, this also leads us to believe that the freshly-unveiled Transformer Prime will likely have Android 4.0 right from the factory, but we’ll have to wait (presumably, anyway) until November 9th to know for sure.

ASUS says Eee Pad Transformer tablet will get ICS upgrade… sometime originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS’ Jonney Shih unveils Transformer Prime Android tablet: 10-inch, 8.3mm, quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3

Whoa, Nelly! ASUS head honcho Jonney Shih just revealed the “next-generation Transformer tablet” here at AsiaD! It’s the same one that we saw teased just yesterday, and Jonney affirmed that it’ll ship with a quad-core NVIDIA chip, 10-inch display, mini-HDMI port, a 14.5-hour battery, an SD card slot and a top lid that looks precisely like its Zenbook line. Oh, and it’s 8.3mm thick, though Jonney didn’t specify as to whether that was docked or undocked (we’re guessing the former!). Naturally, it’ll ship with Android, and we’re assuming it’ll be Honeycomb to start. That said, Shih did affirm to Walt Mossberg that he expects Ice Cream Sandwich to hit tablets by the end of the year — “perhaps earlier.” Finally, we were informed that it’ll be called the Transformer Prime, and while a final ship date wasn’t given, we’re told to expect more news on that front during the November 9th “official reveal.”

ASUS’ Jonney Shih unveils Transformer Prime Android tablet: 10-inch, 8.3mm, quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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