Hasta La Gadget!

Tired of waiting for Google Music? How tired? If you’ve been pushed to your wit’s end, and you’re willing to give RealNetworks one last chance to actually impress you, Sprint’s got a new service for you to dip your toes into. Sprint Music Plus is a newfangled app that can be accessed via the carrier’s website and on Android / BlackBerry handsets, serving as a “single, convenient destination for customers to discover, purchase and play individual and bundled offers of full track music, albums, ringtones and ringback tones.” Naturally, everything in here is DRM-free, and aside from being a hub for transactions, it doubles as a media management tool where playlists can be created and new content can be recommended based on prior purchases. We’re told that customers can receive a discount if angling for a bundle — which includes a full track, ringtone and ringback tone — with $0.69 to $1.29 (per tune, mind you) being thrown straight to your Sprint bill. Care to give it a spin? Android users can head just past the break for a QR code, while everyone else can give those source links a hit.

Continue reading Sprint Music Plus app gives users yet another mobile jam portal… if you’re cool with RealNetworks

Sprint Music Plus app gives users yet another mobile jam portal… if you’re cool with RealNetworks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With over 300,000 devices activated per day, Android‘s clearly firing on all cylinders from a consumer standpoint, but much like the famed Cheez-It wheel, some would argue that the OS isn’t quite mature enough for unabashed enterprise use. Being a corporation itself, El Goog’s obviously been toiling around the clock to change that, and it’s taking three major strides today. An updated version of its Google Apps Device Policy enables employees to secure a lost or stolen Android 2.2+ device by locating it on a map, ringing the device, and resetting the device PIN or password remotely via the new My Devices website. Furthermore, Apps admins now have an option in the control panel to “Encrypt Data on Device,” which will now include requiring encrypted storage on Android 3.0 tablets. Finally, Google Apps Lookup is acting as a type of internal blackbook, allowing users to easily sift through colleagues and contact them through one form or another. So… hired?

Google preps Android for its corporate interview, adds new encryption and security measures originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Apr 2011 02:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic has been kicking around the idea of a tricked-out Android-based in-flight entertainment system for awhile, and now it’s ready for airlines to start retrofitting their livery. The system, dubbed eX3, runs Android, relieving restless fliers with news, live television, games, and what the company calls on-board social networking, but that’s mostly a nod to the Facebook app. Other amenities include broadband internet access and GSM service, touchscreen controllers, capacative screens, proximity sensors, and, in some cases, 3D displays. Not going to front — we’re stoked on the idea of tuning out on-board babies via multi-hour Angry Birds sessions, but we’re seriously hoping the airlines ignore one of the system’s marquee features: in-flight video conferencing.

Panasonic gives its in-flight entertainment system an Android makeover, adds 3D displays originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’d be too easy to simply describe BlueStack’s suddenly titillating software as Android’s Parallels for Windows, but really — why try to complicate things? Currently available only in test form, the program is designed to run a virtualized copy of Android atop a not-at-all-virtualized copy of Windows, and the implications could be far-reaching. According to a hands-on demonstration given to the folks at Slashgear, BlueStack’s software enables Android and Windows to share utilities and drivers; in other words, you can print something within Android via your Windows print driver, or make a call in Android’s Skype application via Microsoft’s VoIP drivers. We’re told that multitasking was smooth and succinct, and while there’s no access to the Android Market, test builds are including Amazon’s Appstore as an alternative. If all goes well, the company should let the code loose “later this year,” but it’s hard to say what kind of price tag (or stipulations) will be attached. Can’t think of a good reason to have Android and Windows living harmoniously? Here’s one. (Oh, and you’re welcome).

BlueStacks offering Android virtualization within Windows, harmony for one and all originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Openness has always been Android’s beauty and its curse. Google’s mobile operating system is available to any manufacturer that wants a slice, meaning you see it everywhere! It’s also historically been a place for hardware specialists and carriers to flex their software muscles, leading to custom alterations—skins—that often leave an elegant smartphone solution ugly, unusable, or both. More »