Hasta La Gadget!

The HTC Inspire, one of five AT&T Android phones that will now be able to sideload apps like Amazon's Appstore. Jim Merithew/Wired.com

After years of restrictions, AT&T will now allow Android smartphone customers to install applications downloaded outside the official Android Market.

The recently launched Samsung Infuse is the first of AT&T’s phones capable of installing apps from outside sources, including unofficial app stores or web links, a process called sideloading.

Eventually after some software updates, all AT&T Android smartphones will be capable of sideloading, according to AT&T.

“Over the next few weeks, we will also roll out this capability to existing devices in our base for which an upgrade is possible,” an AT&T spokesman said.

The HTC Inspire 4G, Samsung Captivate, HTC Aria and LG Thrive will receive the over-the-air upgrade. AT&T is also working on bringing this upgrade to the Motorola Atrix, although AT&T is waiting on a “future maintenance release” for the Atrix in order to upgrade the phone.

What AT&T isn’t saying, however, is that you most likely have Amazon to thank for this.

On March 22, Amazon released its Appstore for Android phones in the form of a standalone app. Those who wanted to access the 3,800 Android applications — including a new version of Angry Birds — from Amazon’s market were required to download the Amazon Appstore app from Amazon.com.

The problem was, AT&T’s phones wouldn’t let you do that. Users could only download apps available on the official Android Market, and because of Google’s policy of not allowing competing app stores to exist within the Android Market, Amazon’s Appstore wasn’t allowed in.

AT&T customers unable to access Amazon’s Appstore weren’t happy, and took to the forums to express frustration.

“Every day, Amazon releases a new app for free,” one upset customer wrote on AT&T’s own hosted message boards. “We continue to be left in the dark … Why can’t you just allow us to install 3rd party apps on our supposedly ‘open’ Android devices?”

On the same day as the Amazon Appstore announcement, however, AT&T changed its position. On March 22, AT&T told Wired.com, “We’re working to give our Android customers access to third-party application stores.” With the release of the Samsung Infuse this week, AT&T customers will finally have access to sideloaded apps.

Amazon confirmed to Wired.com that it had been in discussion with AT&T prior to the Amazon Appstore launch in March, and that Amazon is currently “working closely with AT&T to help make it as easy as possible for AT&T customers to have access to the Amazon Appstore for Android.”

On other non-AT&T Android phones where sideloading is allowed, users must check a box in the application settings menu for the phone “to allow installation of non-Market sources.” After checking the box, a small disclaimer pops up, letting you know it’s your fault if you download malware and screw up your phone. AT&T confirmed that a similar process will be available to the five listed AT&T phones in the coming weeks, as well as future AT&T Android phone releases.

According to an AT&T, the company wasn’t allowing sideloading because of security issues. In an interview with AllThingsDigital, AT&T CTO John Donovan said that “although there was a vocal minority clamoring for such access,” the vast majority of AT&T users prefer a secure phone more than one that can access any and every app out there.

“I’m a gigantic new services risk-taker,” Donovan told AllThingsDigital. “I’m not at all a risk-taker as it relates to security and privacy.”

A security researcher previously told Wired.com that allowing your phone to download apps from unofficial sources required some security compromises.

“As soon as you flip that switch and go away from the Android Market, which is the one place where most people go, then you are putting yourself at some risk,” security analyst Charlie Miller told Wired.com in a previous interview.

But with the release of Amazon’s Appstore, AT&T seems to be more of a “risk taker” than CTO Donovan let on. Maybe the clout of a multinational online retailer can make a company loosen up a bit, even if it supposedly means being less secure.

Typically, when tidbits about unannounced products start to trickle out, we begin our inquiry with general truths — say, “this is a smartphone” — and then work our way up to the nitty gritty. In the case of LG’s mysterious P930 device, though, our search for clues starts at the opposite end. According to an XML file on the company’s website, it’s cooking up an Android-powered device with 1,280 x 720 resolution and GPRS / EDGE / HSPDA / HSUPA connectivity. One question this string of code fails to answer: just what is this thing anyway? A smartphone? A tablet? Given the information available, we’re inclined to say this will be a slab, joining the inaugural G-Slate. It’s not that handsets with 1,280 x 720 resolution are out of the question, but we do notice that the file mentions 15 x 13 character size. When you compare that to devices such as the HTC Sensation 4G, which has a 25 x 21 char size, you’d imagine this mystery device has a lower pixel density than a phone with the same resolution. Until LG comes clean, of course, your guess is as good as ours.

[Thanks, FT]

Android-powered LG P930 shows up in XML file with 1,280 x 720 display, we think it’s a tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 13:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We couldn’t help but notice that a lot of you want to buy the Eee Pad Transformer; it’s just that your quest for one is turning up dry. We asked ASUS for an update on the shortage and the company said it’s cranking ’em out at a furious pace to meet strong demand. Here’s what a PR rep had to say:

We are ramping production every week to address the supply concerns, including almost daily air shipments into North America. We expect the supply line to improve significantly over the coming weeks.

So there you have it: if you live on the North American continent, at least, you’ll soon be able to find an elusive Transformer — and just in time for a much-appreciated Android 3.1 update.

ASUS ramping up Eee Pad Transformer production, says they’ll be easier to find in the ‘coming weeks’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 09:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lockitron. Even the name inspires a feeling of security. Security administered by giant Japanese robots, perhaps, but security nonetheless. Lockitron is a door lock that you can unlock with your cellphone.

It works like this. You replace either part or all of your door lock with Lockitron’s parts (depending on the kind of lock you have). Then, when you get home you fire up the app on your phone and hit the “unlock” button. That’s it. There is also a “lock” button for when you leave, and you can give access to a friend just by sending them an SMS with a code that lets them use their phone to open the door.

The Lockitron can also be used with an optional NFC (near field communication) add-on. This sticks onto the lock and when you wave your NFC-equipped phone in front of it it will open the door for you.

What’s not to like? If you have an NFC phone like the Nexus S, then you can now leave not only your wallet but your keys at home. Just make sure you don’t lose your cellphone, or you are royally screwed.

The Lockitron starts at $295, and is available now.

Lockitron product page [Lockitron]

See Also:

• Apple Adding NFC Contact-Less Payment to iPhone 5, Consultants …
• Remote Control Your Car With Your iPhone

For all its processing might, Intel is a non-player in the booming tablet space. Consumers, no longer trapped in the WinTel PC juggernaut, are increasingly opting for devices running software experiences optimized for more power efficient ARM processors. Intel hopes to break back into the market it once dominated with the release of “more than ten new tablets” at Computex later this month. Navin Shenoy, Intel general manager for Asia Pacific, elaborated saying “more than 35” tablets equipped with Intel chipsets are on track to ship this year. Of course, Intel chief Paul Otellini already told us that he’d have MeeGo, Windows, and Android tablets on display at the big Taiwan event. Just imagine it: Honeycomb on an Oak Trail tablet. We’ll be bringing it to you live when Computex kicks off on May 31st.

Intel promises more than 10 new tablets at Computex, including Android and MeeGo versions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 04:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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