Hasta La Gadget!

If you’ve been dreaming of a world where Android apps are free to roam across your Windows desktop, you’re in luck, because BlueStacks has just turned your reverie into reality. Today, the startup unveiled an alpha version of its App Player — software that allows users to run a host of Android apps on Windows PCs, tablets or desktops, without requiring them to make modifications to their original OS. Available as a free download, this early test version comes pre-loaded with ten apps, and can support an extra 26, on top of that. BlueStacks’ free Cloud Connect app, meanwhile, allows you to port third-party apps directly from your handset to your computer, though some games, including Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, are prohibited. Those, it turns out, will be included under a paid version of the App Player, which BlueStacks hopes to launch at a later date. You can take the free software for a spin at the source link below, or meander past the break for a demo video, along with a pair of press releases.

Continue reading BlueStacks App Player lets you run Android apps on Windows PCs or tablets (video)

BlueStacks App Player lets you run Android apps on Windows PCs or tablets (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaks are flying left and right as Samsung’s Unpacked event approaches, with the latest coming from Romania’s Mobilissimo.ro. Today, the site published new images and video of what could be the Samsung Galaxy Nexus — the long-awaited follow-up to the Nexus S. At this point, it’s difficult to say whether the device (model number “Tuna”) totally jibes with the leaked specs we saw earlier this week, though its spacious display (rumored to be of 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED stock) does look rather sharp — the screenshots we’ve seen are indeed at 720 x 1280 resolution. Other than that, the handset appears to boast a 1,750mAh battery, along with a five megapixel camera and that rumored Ice Cream Sandwich UI, replete with onscreen buttons.

Compared with the Nexus S, the front-facing camera on this handset is shifted further to the right, with the proximity sensor nestled between the earpiece and the shooter, rather than all the way on the left. Its corners, meanwhile, seem less rounded than what you’ll find on the earlier version, though we noticed that it does have a micro-USB port lurking at the bottom center, much like its ancestor. Of course, we’ll have to wait until October 11th to see whether these shots are as good as advertised, but you can head past the break to see the purportedly authentic video or to gaze at some extra screenshots.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Nexus spotted in the wild? (video)

Samsung Galaxy Nexus spotted in the wild? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gingerbread has apparently made a substantial mark on Android users, with new figures showing it holds a 38.2 percent share of all Google OS-powered devices. That’s some kind of growth from the one percent sliver it held earlier this year. Froyo still remains dominant at 45.3 percent, but fragmentation continues to shrink, with 95.7 percent of all Google-coated devices now running Android 2.1 or above. These figures, taken from Android Market statistics over the last two weeks, give a pretty good illustration of the gulf between Android smartphone and tablets, as well, with Honeycomb versions accounting for a meager 1.8 percent. But the tablet version will likely get a boost from Ice Cream Sandwich — which, as we all know, is just around the corner.

Android Gingerbread has growth spurt, grabs 38.2 percent device share originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A whole new world? A whole new computer? Those are some pretty epic promises coming from the folks at Canonical, especially since we’ve seen the most recent beta and Ubuntu 11.10 and, while its packed with welcome improvements over Natty, it’s not exactly revolutionary. Still, we’re excited that on October 13th the final release of Oneiric Ocelot will be hitting the web with an improved Dash that integrates search Lenses, new default apps, a spiffed-up app switcher and application syncing across multiple devices. There are plenty of other little tweaks and improvements that add polish to the popular Linux distribution — more than we could possibly cover without inspiring a string of TLDR comments. If you’re the adventurous type you can download the second beta now, but we suggest you wait till the timer at the source link reaches zero. If you want to spread the Gospel of Ubuntu you’ll also find a printable flyer at the source with a QR code and tear-off URL strips that lead to ThisIsTheCountdown.com.

The countdown to Oneiric Ocelot begins, Ubuntu 11.10 arrives October 13th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MeeGo OS, the bastard love child of Intel and Nokia, isn’t dead yet. The operating system is being re-packaged as “Tizen,” as Intel and Samsung shack up with a host of partner companies on the mobile OS front.

Tizen is based on Linux and will be an open-source operating system hosted by the Linux Foundation. Also backed by Samsung, the OS will place a heavy emphasis on HTML5 development and web apps, as opposed to a native app emphasis like iOS and Android have. Tizen will support a variety of devices such as handsets, tablets and connected TVs.

Why the switch to Tizen? Five words, one abbreviation: HTML5. Imad Sousou, director of Intel’s Open Source Technology Center, believes HTML5-based apps are the future, and a simple upgrade to the MeeGo OS just won’t cut it. “Shifting to HTML5 doesn’t just mean slapping a web runtime on an existing Linux,” said Sousou in a recent blog post. This would mean that APIs not visible to HTML5 programmers could be more flexible, allowing them to “evolve with platform technology” and vary from market to market.

MeeGo was originally a combination of Nokia’s Maemo and Intel’s Moblin operating systems. Nokia dropped the platform in favor of Windows Phone earlier this year and Intel reportedly halted development of the platform in early September. Currently, there aren’t too many devices that run MeeGo with the exception of the Nokia N9 smartphone and an Asus Eee PC netbook.

It’s interesting that Tizen is an effort endorsed by Samsung, as Samsung has its own mobile operating system called Bada (its SDK was recently released to developers). But the move actually makes sense: software giant Microsoft teamed up with hardware manufacturer Nokia. Software giant Google teamed up with hardware manufacturer Motorola. Teaming up with an open-source software platform like Tizen could give Samsung — which endorses a number of platforms including Android, Windows Phone and Bada — additional control over its mobile future.

Intel is pushing Tizen for developers, endorsing the OS with its AppUp developer program and HTML 5-based developer framework. The new OS will “incorporate the same principles and open source philosophies” as MeeGo.

Tizen will also support the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC) web development environment for cross-platform applications. Web-based apps can run on any phone, and as more are developed, could potentially break down “platform wars” barriers by letting more native apps run on the current major mobile platforms. Services like Appcelerator’s Titanium Studio are also bucking the native app trend by providing tools for developers to publish cross-platform web apps.

Intel plans to make the transition to Tizen over the next few months and aims to make the transition to Tizen as easy as possible for devs. Code already contributed to the MeeGo project will be ported over to and compatible with Tizen.

A release date for the Tizen OS is set for early 2012, with Tizen-running devices arriving mid-year.

Image: The MeeGo phone browser (Steve Paine/Flickr)