Hasta La Gadget!

As Google TV gears up for a Honeycomb-based v2.0, the team announced at the I/O event that developers could get access to “Fishtank” hardware for them to test their apps on and here it is, revealed by Geek.com. The hardware itself is a relatively nondescript box packing an Intel CE4100 processor (no ARM…yet) and a Logitech Revue wireless keyboard that connects wirelessly via a USB dongle, plus a few more ins and outs than retail boxes have including coax. The software is the real star with its Android 3.1 style blues and blacks in the new menus providing access to a list of running apps, logged in accounts and notifications. Things could change before the beta ends, but this report indicates a major issue between is how developers will get to display or interact with live TV. Being able to overlay data on a live feed, or at least have Dual View picture-in-picture is a big part of many developer’s plans and so far Google has apparently not committed to making API access available. Bringing interactivity to broadcasts would be a major advantage for Google TV as a connected TV platform if it can pull it off, we’ll see if it makes it into this summer’s update or if it ends up on the waiting-for list alongside SageTV integration.

[Thanks, @ohpleaseno]

Google TV 2.0 ‘Fishtank’ developer kit revealed running Honeycomb and apps originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It may have happened to you before — you’re walking down the street somewhere on a balmy summer night when, out of nowhere, the empty car next to you honks its horn and you spit your skeleton right outta that purty mouth. Yeah, you have Zipcar to blame for that. Ever since the introduction of its iOS app back in 2009, users have been able to reserve a car on-the-go, and freak out unwitting pedestrians. Now Android users get to join the party — officially. While the apps’ market availability is nothing new, the recent shucking of its beta tag and some UI enhancements make this coming out party noteworthy. There’s a good reason Time Magazine named it one of the “50 best iPhone Apps in 2011.” Also, wireless honking — in case you forgot.

Continue reading Zipcar Android app sheds the beta, late-night driverless honking to increase

Zipcar Android app sheds the beta, late-night driverless honking to increase originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a common problem, really. You crack open your app haven of choice, stumble around for a few moments, and back out in frustration — it’s yet another round of Angry Birds instead of toying with something new. If Yahoo has its way, said scenario will no longer be a part of your routine, with the company’s App Search wizardry aiming to nix the guesswork so often associated with finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. It’ll be available on the PC (and momentarily, for iPhone and Android platforms), and will differ from those other app search alternatives by providing an all-in-one place that combines description, price, overall star rating from users, and screenshots. It’ll also pester you with daily, personalized recommendations of the iPhone and Android apps you should consider based on the apps you’ve downloaded, but only if you’re into that kind of thing. Head on past the break for the full spill, and feel free to Ctrl+F for the good stuff.

Continue reading Yahoo App Search, AppSpot make sense of App Store and Android Market

Yahoo App Search, AppSpot make sense of App Store and Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google has already made some tough moves to tackle fragmentation, but it’s clearly still wary of the problem. It’s just tweaked the Android Market web store to show users which apps are compatible with which of their gadgets. Of course, compatibility screening was already in place for users who accessed the Market from within their device, but this update should still be of use to those who surf the web store, especially if they’re rocking multiple handsets or a phone-plus-tablet combo.

Android Market web store now checks which apps are compatible with your devices originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 06:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ideally, we’d do our smartphone software shopping free from the specter of malicious apps masquerading as useful ones. This past weekend, however, 26 apps in the Android Market were discovered to be packing pernicious code called Droid Dream Light. Apparently, the dastardly devs who made the malware took existing apps and modified them to send details (including IMEI and IMSI info) about the infected handset to a remote server upon receiving a call. The code can also download and cue new package installations, but it needs user approval to do so. Google promptly pulled the offending apps, but their appearance serves as another reminder to be careful when downloading software on your smartphone — prudence demands minding your app permissions, lest your little green bot start stealing your personal info.

More malware in the Android Market: Google removes 26 deleterious app doppelgangers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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