Android Indonesia

AppToMarket : Membuat aplikasi dari App Inventor Compatible dan bisa dimasukkan ke Android Market

2012-01-16T17:29:00.000-08:00

Mungkin ada yg belum tau caranya agar aplikasi yang dibuat dengan App Inventor bisa dimasukkan ke Android Market. So caranya adalah :

Kita menggunakan aplikasi yang namanya AppToMarket bisa didownload di http://code.google.com , aplikasi ini dibuat oleh M. Hossein Amerkashi's , thanks masta .. :)

Featurenya antara lain :

Unzip dan kemudian run – Tidak memerlukan instalasi
One-Click Feature untuk mengkonversi Aplikasi App Inventor kita ke Android Market Compatible
Save / load multiple konfigurasi file– gunakan menu File untuk Save atau Reload previous versions
Bisa di install di path direktory
men-Generate Bar code Biz Card untuk promosi aplikasi kita –gunakan menu marketing
Lock aplikasi kita pada mode portrait atau landscape
memasukkan nomor versi / kode dari aplikasi kita
mengubah nama aplikasi kita, pada field APP NAME
Bisa membuat disimpan ke handphone atau SD Card
Men-Generate keytool
Melihat info certificate – Pada menu Tools
Decompile, update manifest, and repackage file apk baru
Auto sign app dengan menggunakan sertifikat kita
Men-Generate file Zip Align untuk ultimate performance

Kita bisa mengikuti diskusi di forumnya AppTo Market disini linknya Forum AppToMarket , Well smoga bermanfaat

Sample Aplikasi App Inventor

2012-01-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

Sample Aplikasi ini dari Buku App Inventor for Android : Build Your Own Apps - No Experience Required ,sepertinya bebas untuk didownload, Isinya belum lihat semua ... he he ... , kemungkinan :

1. SounDroid : Creating anAndroid Sound Machine
2. OrderDroid : A Maintainable Mobile Commerce App
3. AndroidDown : A Location-Aware Panic Button
4. AlphaDroid : An Alphabet Tracing Game
5. PunchDroid : An Android Punch Bug Game
6. Collection Assistant : A Barcode and Database Application
7. BlueChat : A Bluetooth Chat Client
8. TwiTorial : A Twitter Application

Bisa Di download disini : Sample Aplikasi App Inventor
Bukunya bisa dibeli, ebooknya cari ndiri deh ,..... :D .... kalau belum paham ttg App Inventor silahkan lihat posting-posting sebelumnya, ... trus kalo mau coba-coba App Inventor tanpa koneksi internet lihat posting sebelumnya juga ... he he ....

Lumayan bisa buat latihan, dan menambah belajar, ....... so keep play friends .. :)

Membuat App Inventor Berjalan Tanpa Koneksi Internet

2012-01-01T04:52:00.000-08:00

Membuat App Inventor BerjalanTanpa Koneksi Internet

Sambil menunggu layanan App Inventor MIT di running untuk public, setelah transisi dari http://www.appinventorbeta.com keMIT , MIT App Inventor team membuat App Inventor Experimental untuk bisa dijalankanpada PC tanpa membuat Server dan Koneksi Internet.

Yangperlu diingat disini adalah ini masih projek experimental, sehingga :

Kita belum bisa memaketaplikasi (Package For Phone pada Menu Desaigner belum berfungsi) sehingga kita tidak bisa mencoba aplikasi pada Handset / Handphone kita. Tetapikita bisa mencobanya pada Emulator

Kita bisa mencobanya dengan menggunakanWindows (XP, 7)

Langkah-langkahnya adalahsebagai berikut :

1. Sudah menginstall java 1.6 atau 1.7 (6 atau 7), bisa didownload dari http://www.java.com ( Bagi yg sebelumnya sudah menggunakan App Inventor berarti java sudah terinstall )

Download paket file App Inventor for local PC dari http://code.google.com/p/resource-calculators/downloads/detail?name=dev-local-Dec-20-2011.zip

2. Unzip file hasil download, silahkan bisa di folder mana saja bebas, kemudian kita akan mendapatkan 3 buah folder didalamnya, yaitu

appengine-java-sdk-1.6.0
appinventor
buildserver

3. Pada folder AppInventor kita akan menemukan file startAI , klik dua kali untuk menjalanlankannya. Sehingga akan terlihat eksekusinya pada jendela mode line command

4. Buka browser, (Bisa menggunakan Chrome atau Mozila Firefox), pada bar address ketikkan http://localhost:8888 kemudian enter, maka akan muncul jendela login dengan user default, kita bisa memakai langsung atau mengubah dengan sesuai format tersebut.

5. Maka windows Desainer akan terlihat, kita kemudian bisa mulai membuat aplikasi pada App Inventor. Atau kalau sudah memiliki projek yang sebelumnya telah dibuat bisa di load kembali dari menu My Projects > More Actions > Up Load Source
6. Open the Block Editor jg bisa dicoba untuk dijalankan, begitu juga Emulator juga bisa di Jalankan
7. Jika ketika masuk ke App Inventor kemudian muncul message error "The server failed...." atau "The server is temprorarily unavailable". Please try again later” pada browser silahkan di refresh atau reload browsernya (F5)

Langkah-langkahdiatas sudah dicoba pada windows XP dan java 1.6 dan berjalan dengan baik,sangat menyenangkan bisa mencoba App Inventor di PC kita tanpa terkoneksi keInternet. Meskipun hasil aplikasi yang kita buat dengan App Inventor Experimental ini belum bisa dijalankan keHandset / Handphone kita, tetapi bisa dilihat dan dijalankan pada Emulator.

Terlihatpada Desainer kini AppInventor sudah mendukung penambahan layar (multiple screen) dengan adanya menu addscreen, wow .... sounds great isn’t ... J . Ini bener-bener sesuai yg diharapkan, App Inventorsemakin powerfull, untuk sebuah kreatif logic & programming tool.

OK,Happy Ngoprek + Inventing J, dan untuk belajar dasar-dasar membuat aplikasi dan belajar menggunakan AppInventor silahkan cek buku bagus ini ..... AndroidApp Inventor , membuat aplikasi android tanpa kode program ... pesan darimarketing ni ... he he ...

Link Penting :

1. Forum Diskusi JARS : http://groups.google.com/group/mit-appinventor-jars

2. Bugs Reports http://code.google.com/p/mit-cml-app-inventor/wiki/ReportingBugs

3. Update File JARS dari MIT mobile center : http://appinventoredu.mit.edu/

Contoh Aplikasi untuk mencoba, silahkan download : HelloWorld dan Whackecoa Apabila sudah didownload rename menjadi Helloword & Whackecoa, tanpa di unzip kemudian upload ke App Inventor dari dari menu My Projects > More Actions > Up Load Source

Bagi yg belum mengenal App Inventor : cek disini Apa App Inventor

FAQ Mengenai Transisi App Inventor ke MIT

2011-12-30T05:54:00.000-08:00

Seperti yang telah konfirmasikan oleh google mengenai App Inventor bahwa App Inventor akan di jadikan Open Source, dan dimanage oleh MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Mobile Learning Center Departemen), maka mulai tgl 1 Januari 2012 situs http://www.appinventorbeta.com akan dishutdown oleh google.

Salah satu alasan mengapa App Inventor di jadikan open source dan dihandle oleh MIT adalah Google berharap App Inventor lebih bisa didaya gunakan untuk pendidikan. Dan tentunya kapasitas MIT dalam hal ini tidak diragukan lagi, selain itu tentunya dengan menjadikan open source maka perkembangan App Inventor akan semakin cepat.

Dan FAQ mengenai hal itu bisa dilihat di http://appinventoredu.mit.edu seperti yang telah di copy dibawah ini, dan beberapa hal penting yang perlu diketahui adalah :

1. MIT merencakan untuk membuka kembali layanan seperti pada http://www.appinventorbeta.com sekitar antara quarter pertama 2012, yang update beritanya bisa diakses di MIT App Inventor Developer's Blog.
2. Pada masa periode sebelum layanan itu siap, MIT menyediakan semacam aplikasi (JAR) kita bisa setup server sendiri di Google App Enggine bisa dilihat disini http://appinventoredu.mit.edu/ (Semoga ada waktu untuk mencobanya, dan berbagi pengalaman)
3. Mengenai hal-hal lain, untuk mendapatkan update beritanya bisa mengikuti App Inventor Forums

Semoga layananApp Inventor di MIT tidak lama lagi siap, karena banyak informasi yang menyenangkan dari Forum App Inventor , seperti misalnya sudah dibuatnya fitur multiple page ( Yg berarti App Inventor sudah mendukung lebih dari satu halaman aplikasi layaknya aplikasiyg dibuat dengan native coding ). Juga fitur-fitur lainnya, yang akan menjadikanApp Inventor semakin menarik untuk dipelajari.

Welcome2012, Selamat datang harapan-harapan baru, dan semangat baru untuk lebihkreatif dan inovatif.

OK, .. Happy Inventing, .... Apabila ada berita penting lainya, InsyaAllah akan diUp-Date

UPDATE 1 : Bagaimana Membuat App Inventor Berjalan Tanpa Koneksi Internet

FAQ for App Inventor Transition to MIT

Please check the Google App Inventor Announcement Forum and the MIT App Inventor Developer's Blog for the latest developments on App Inventor’s transition to MIT.

Current as of: 12/1/2011

When will the Google App Inventor service shut down?

Google support of App Inventor will end on December 31, 2011.

When will the public MIT App Inventor service be available?

We MIT anticipate the public instance of App Inventor will be available for the general public to access some time in the first quarter of 2012.

How can I learn about progress on the MIT public service?

We will provide periodic updates on the MIT service at the MIT App Inventor Developer's Blog.

Will my current App Inventor projects transfer automatically to the MIT service?

No, legally Google is not allowed to give your project data to MIT. You will need to download your projects to your computer and upload them to the MIT service when it becomes available.

What do I need to do to preserve my projects when the Google service shuts down?

You will need to download your projects to your computer. The "Download all projects" button will create a zip
file of all your projects. Unzipping that will produce a folder with all your projects (each project itself
is a zip file) and you can upload them individually to a new App Inventor service when it becomes available.

Will my current Google projects run on the MIT public service?

Yes. The MIT instance of App Inventor will run almost exactly like the Google version.

How can I use App Inventor before the public MIT service becomes available?

MIT recognizes that many people would like to use App Inventor in the interim period between the end of 2011 until
the MIT public App Inventor becomes available. To help during this interim period, we are providing experimental Java Archive (JAR) files that experienced programmers can use to set up a private instance of App Inventor on Google App Engine, for use by small groups. Details on how to take advantage of this are posted on the MIT App Inventor Developer's Blog. Additionally, a JAR file users group has been set up to help people get started with the files.

How can I teach a course using App Inventor before the MIT service becomes available if I am unable to run my own App Engine service?

You’ll need to get help from someone who can run an App Engine service and deploy the MIT JAR code for you. Until the public instance of App Inventor is running at MIT, the only way to use App Inventor will be to run an individual instance of App Inventor on App Engine or find someone who can run one for you. The JAR file users group would be a good place to ask for this kind of help.

I’d like to help test the new service. What can I do?

MIT will start running an experimental App Inventor service before the end of 2011, and we’ll gradually invite increasing numbers of people as testers. Please stay tuned to the App Inventor Forums as well as the MIT App Inventor Developer's Blog for more details on when that system will be launched. We will make an announcement there when we’re ready to accept volunteers.

When will Google make the open source code of App Inventor available publicly?

Google will share the open source code for App Inventor with the world before the end of 2011. Please stay tuned to the App Inventor Forums to learn more.

Does MIT plan on establishing an open source project around App Inventor?

Yes, but our highest priority is to get an instance of App Inventor running for general public use. Once we have a stable version of App Inventor running, we’ll begin the process of setting up an open source project that people can contribute to. We expect this to happen in the spring of 2012.http://appinventoredu.mit.edu

Buku Android App Inventor : Membuat Aplikasi Android tanpa Kode Program

2011-09-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Untuk mempelajari atau sekedar ingin membuat Aplikasi Android, App Inventor merupakan tool yang sangat mudah dipelajari dan digunakan. Ini tidak lain karena dengan App Inventor siapapun tidak perlu punya latar belakang programmer atau IT. Tidak ada kode-kode progam yang sulit dipahami oleh orang awam di App Inventor, semua sudah dibungkus menjadi objek-objek visual seperti Puzzle.

Kita tinggal memasukkan komponen-komponen yang sudah tersedia kemudian menggabungkan, memasukkan, atau mengkonfigurasi potongan-potongan "Puzzle" tersebut dan viola akan jadi sebuah aplikasi Android yang sama fungsinya dengan yang dibuat dengan programming rumit.

Untuk yang sedang atau baru masuk ke Fakultas Matematika, Komputer, Informatika dll, App Inventor juga akan menjadi panduan yang luarbiasa untuk mengasah logika. Dan bagi yang masuk ke jurusan Informatika, App Inventor akan membuat anda lebih memahami bagaimana OOP atau Object Oriented Programming, karena "Puzzle" itu bisa dilihat sebagai sebuah objek yang pada kebanyakan bahasa pemrograman dibangun dari kode-kode baris demi baris, dan pada App Inventor kita tinggal menggunakannya atau merangkainya dengan objek lain.

Apalagi yang ingin mempelajari bagaimana mobile developing, apabila kita telah terbiasa membuat aplikasi desktop atau web, ada beberapa yang berbeda yang akan kita temukan pada mobile developing. Karena disini kita akan menemukan bagaimana menghandle touch screen, koneksi data, akses kamera, juga berbagai sensor misal GPS, Accelerometer dll, dan ini tidak ditemukan pada Desktop dan Webbased Programming.

Bagi pendidik App Inventor juga bisa digunakan untuk mengasah logika matematika, kreatifitas dan juga seni. Ini sudah dibuktikan di US, beberapa sekolah sudah menggunakan App Inventor dalam mengasah kreatifitas siswa. Dan sekarang setelah oleh Google di jadikan Open Source, App Inventor akan semakin dikembangkan lebih jauh, dan bertambah keren karena sepertinya akan dikawal oleh MIT University dan komunitas Open Source dunia.

Dan selain itu semua, apabila anda ingin bermain-main dengan handset Android anda, sekedar membuat aplikasi lucu-lucuan, misal ucapan selamat untuk pacar anda, teman-teman anda, ... merekam suara anda, memaket foto-foto anda dan kemudian membaginya, anda akan benar-benar jatuh cinta pada App Inventor ini, ...Well ..... lets dive into creativity & innovation world ...

isi dari buku antara lain :

Bagian I Projek Latihan

# Berkenalan dengan App Inventor

# Memulai App Inventor

# Hello World

# PaintPot

# Paintpot dengan Kamera

# Whac Kecoa

# Super SMS

# Jogja Map Tour

# Android Parkir

# Remote Control Robot Lego NXT

# Quiz Kita

# Take Quiz

Bagian II Konsep Dasar

# Memahami Arsitektur

# Rekayasa dan Debugging Aplikasi

# Properti dan Variabel

# Blok Kondisi Bersyarat

# List Data

# Blok Pengulangan

# Database

# Sensor

Update 10 Oct 2011 :

# Buku sebagian sudah dicetak, bbrp pre-order sudah dikirim, semoga bermanfaat

# Halaman Block Lengkap berwarna, sehingga akan memudahkan dalam memahami dan mempelajari

Update November 2011 :

# Buku sudah tersedia di toko-buku Togamas, Gramedia

# Apabila habis atau anda tidak menemukan di toko buku, silahkan order online (Akan kami kirim apabila masih tersedia)

App Inventor : Hello World

2011-09-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hello World

Pada bab awal ini kita akanmemperlajari beberapa hal mendasar pada App Inventor, terutama bagaimanabekerja menggunakan Komponen Desainer – Component Designer , Blok Editor –Block Editor juga menggunakan Emulator untuk menguji aplikasi. Dan projek pertama kita adalah membuatprojek ritual, yang juga dibuat pada semua awal belajar membuat aplikasi, yaitumembuat aplikasi dengan nama Helloworld. Ok kita langsung mulai :

Aplikasi ini adalah sebuah aplikasi sederhana, ketika kita menyentuh layar –Click button akan terdengar dering jam wekker dan juga bergetar -Vibrate, dan kemudian setelah itu kita akan mengembangkannya dengan sebuah fitur ketika menggoyangkan handset –Accelerometer sensor akan langsung terdengar suara dering wekker otomatis seperti ketika kita menyentuh layar. Aplikasi ini akan menggunakan gambar jpg dengan dimensi sekitar 300x300px yang akan ditempatkan pada sebuah button – tombol dan juga suara dering dengan format mp3.

Buat projek baru dari New > Helloworld

Gb. Membuat Projek Baru

Maka akan terbuka jendela Blok Editor berisi Viewer, Components dan Properties yang merupakan kanvas kerja kita. Kemudian masukkan Label dari Pallete > Label , seperti pada gambar

Gb. Memberi Label

Set properti nya pada Text = My Hello World , Font = Bold, Background = Orange
Masukkan Button dari Pallete, dan klik button yang telah dimasukkan pada viewer sehingga terlihat propertinya, dan kemudian masukkan image untuk button dengan cara : klik button dan pada jendela properti image > add sehingga muncul jendela upload file, pilih browse untuk mencari file gambar anda, kemudian klik OK.

Gb. Mengeset image Button

Maka gambar akan diupload dan masuk menjadi image pada tombol button1.

Gb. Image pada Button1

Setelah itu kita akan menambahkan suara, dari jendela Pallete > Media kemudian drag drop komponen Sound kedalam viewer. Komponen Sound adalah Non-Visible sehingga dimanapun dia diletakkan akan berada dibawah viewer.
Klik pada Sound sehingga terlihat propertinya di jendela Properties, set source dengan suara yang kita miliki. Ini akan membuat source suara diupload, dengan cara seperti file gambar pada button tadi -browse.

Gb. Menambahkan Suara

Kita telah selesai pada tahap ini, selanjutnya adalah bagaimana membuat komponen-komponen yang ada ini bisa berfungsi sesuai dengan yang kita inginkan
Klik pada Open the Block Editor, sehingga muncul jendela Opening …. Pilih Run langsung, atau Pilih simpan atau save file .jnlp tersebut. Apabila disimpan Setelah tersimpan di komputer kita, jalankan dengan meng-kliknya dua kali file tersebut –RUN , pastikan ketika membuka file ini adalah menggunakan javaw – Java Webstart. Cara setingnya adalah klik kanan pada file, Open With > Choose Default Program > kemudian cari pada C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\javaw dan kemudian cheklist pada Always use the selected progam ..... abaikan peringatan security warning

Gb. Save Aplikasi

Akan terbuka, jendela Downloading application biarkan sampai selesai,

Gb. Seting javaw –Java Webstart untuk membuka file yg didownload

Pilih OK pada pertanyaaan starting Block Editor, hingga muncul Editor seperti dibawah ini yang berarti jendela kerja Blocks Editor kita sudah terbuka dan siap untuk digunakan

Gb. Jendela Blocks Editor

Klik pada MyBlok > Button1 kemudian pilih event Button1.Click sehingga muncul di viewer

Gb. Memasukkan Event untuk Komponen Button1

Kemudian pilih Sound1 > Sound1.Play tarik dan tempatkan pada Button1.Click

Gb. Memasukkan Event Button1 & Suara

Untuk mencobanya kita set terlebih dahulu emulatornya, klik pada new emulator, OK pada starting the emulator hingga muncul emulatornya, buka key lock dengan menggeser tanda kunci disebelah kiri

Gb. Emulator

Kemudian kembali ke Block Editor, klik pada Connect to Device > pilih emulator tunggu hingga proses download selesai dan aplikasi akan tampil di emulator. Coba klik pada layar emulator apakah aplikasi yang kita bikin berfungsi, yaitu akan mengeluarkan suara dering weker ketika di klik. Apabila kita mencobanya pada Handset Android, kita bisa menyentuh layarnya.

Gb. Aplikasi pada Emulator

Kemudian kita akan tambahkan fungsi lainnya, yaitu fungsi getar. Dari My Block > Sound1 tambahkan event Sound1.Vibrate , kita akan melihat event ini memiliki text bertuliskan millisecs ini berarti kita bisa mengeset waktu getarnya –variabel ini disebut juga argument. Caranya klik pada layar block editor diluar block event, yang akan membuat munculnya deretan menu tombol Text, List, Math dan yang lainya, untuk memberikan nilai vibrasi-nya yaitu pada tombol Math > 123

Gb. Event Sound1.Vibrate

Hingga muncul block number, klik pada block number dan ubah angkanya -dalam satuan milisecond . Cuma sayangnya dengan emulator kita tidak bisa mencobanya, karena getaran hanya bisa dirasakan di Handset.

Gb. Event Sound1.Vibrate & Setwaktu

Kita akan belajar lebih jauh dan mengembangkan aplikasi yaitu dengan menambahkan sensor accelerometer, caranya kembali ke Komponen Desainer di Browser, pilih Pallete > Sensor kemudian drag-drops AccelerometerSensor1. Sekali lagi mengingatkan dia adalah komponen yang Non-Visible, sehingga akan langsung berada diluar layar.

Gb. Komponen AccelerometerSensor1

Kembali ke Block Editor, dan pada MyBlock sudah terdapat komponen AccelerometerSensor1 tarik keluar blok event AccelerometerSensor1.Shaking , juga komponen Sound1.play . Ini berarti kita membuat event ketika handset di goyangkan maka akan langsung terdengar suara dering wekker. Kemudian bisa kita coba di handset kita.

Gb. Event AccelerometerSensor1

Untuk membuat aplikasi kita menjadi aplikasi yang mandiri, bisa kita memaket -Packaging dan download aplikasi yang kita buat ini dengan cara dari Komponen Desainer kemudian menu Package For Phone pada sebelah kanan. Terdapat dua pilihan yaitu disimpan pada komputer atau langsung di Handset kita.

Gb. Packaging Aplikasi

Apabila kita pilih disimpan di komputer, maka akan dipaket dan didownload ke komputer, sedangkan apabila di download ke Handset maka akan langsung terinstall.

Worktoon

LearningPoint

Dari yang telah kita praktekkankita telah belajar beberapa hal dasar tentang :

Mengenal Lingkungan kerja yaitu Komponen Desainer, Blok Editor, juga Emulator
Kita melihat adanya komponen yang terlihat pada Interface aplikasi kita -Visible dan komponen yang tidak terlihat –Non-Visible
Mengenal beberapa komponen dan bagaimana mensetting properti dari komponen tersebut, memberikan event dan juga mengatur fungsionalitas –Behavior dari event
Memaket – Packaging aplikasi dengan extention .apk , hingga bisa kita bagikan aplikasi ke pengguna selain kita dan diinstall di handsetnya, entah itu nantinya kita bagikan secara gratis atau dijual di market.

WhacKecoa di Market

Cek ttg Buku App Inventor disini :

Download di Slideshare : App Inventor Hello World

Memulai App Inventor

2011-09-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

Memulai App Inventor

Untuk menggunakan App Inventorada beberapa hal yang harus di siapkan terlebih dahulu, yaitu :

> Memiliki Account Gmail terlebih dahulu, dan masuk –Log In ke http://www.appinventorbeta.com , apabila anda belum memiliki Account Gmail maka terlebih dahulu mendaftar pada http://www.gmail.com
> Setelah masuk anda akan diminta untuk membaca & menyetujui term of service dari google, klik pada tombol I accept the terms of service.

Gb.Term Of Service

Untuk memulaiApp Inventor :

1. Miliki Account gmail, http://www.gmail.com

2. Masuk ke http://www.appinventorbeta.com

Download & Install Java 6 (1.6) dari http://www.java.com
Download & Install AppInventor_Setup_Installer_v_1_2.exe http://www.appinventorbeta.com/learn/setup/setupwindows.html
Install & Setting driver HP Android apabila ada
Have fun with App Inventor .. :D

> anda akan dibawa ke halaman App Inventor Setup, dimana terdapat dua tahapan dasar pada setup yaitu :

Pada platform windows, - apabila anda menggunakan Linux anda bisa download App Inventor setup untuk Linux :

v SetupKomputer, yaitu memiliki komputer PC dgn syarat untuk Windows. SistemOperasi Windows yang didukung Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7

v Telah menginstall Browser minimal Google Chrome4.0 – rekomendasi , Apple Safari 5.0 , Microsoft InternetExplorer 7, Mozilla Firefox 3.6

v Menginstall Java 6– java 1.6, bisa juga java 1.7 yg bisa download di http://www.java.com,

v Kemudian install AppInventor_Setup_Installer_v_1_2.exeyg bisa di download di http://www.appinventorbeta.com/learn/setup/setupwindows.html

Gb.App Inventor Setup

Setup lingkungan Developing, yaitu :

v Menggunakan Emulator,: pada penggunaan emulatortidak memerlukan setup diawal, karena tinggal diaktifkan dari blok editor.

v Menggunakan Handset Android. - Kalau tidak ingin mengesetnya kita bisalangsung melakukan developing.

Setup Handset Android

Tahap ini dilakukan apabilaanda ingin langsung mencoba hasil develop anda ke handset android. Pertama andaharus memiliki kabel data USB, dan menginstalldriver handset Android anda. Hampir semua handset android di dukung oleh AppInventor, dan pastikan juga anda telah memiliki memory SD Card yang terpasang.

Setelah itu setting padahandset kita :

1. Masuk pada home screen

2. PilihSetting > applications

3. Pada Unkownsources di ceklist

Gb. Setting

4. Pilih Development, ceklist pada USB Debugging dan Stay Awake

Gb. Setting

Setelah itu koneksikan Handset anda dgnkabel USB Data ke komputer – dalamkeadaan screen unlock, hingga akan muncul dua pesan notifikasi pada ataslayar yaitu :

v USB Connected, yang berarti handset telahterhubung ke komputer.

v USB Debugging Connected, yang membuat AppInventor di komputer mengontrol handset.

Sampai disini berarti handset androidkita telah siap untuk digunakan untuk mencoba aplikasi yang kita buat denganApp Inventor.

Catatan:

Perlu diingat apabila andamenggunakan browser Mozila firefox agar semua berjalan lancar, apabila kitamenggunakan fasilitas script - NoScript extension , dan juga apabila ada firewall yang aktif, silahkan dikonfigurasikan apabila mengganggu atau menghalangi koneksi developing. App Inventorakan mencari Setup secara otomatis, tapi apabila ada pertanyaan path lokasi AppInventor biasanya ada pada C:\ProgramFiles\AppInventor\commands-for-Appinventor.

> Setelah semua konfigurasi dan setting selesai, anda bisa langsung masuk ke lingkungan developing dengan melalui http://www.appinventorbeta.com - apabila tadi masih login anda langsung akan dibawa ke jendela developing :

Gb. JendelaDeveloping

Klik pada New, dan mulai projek baru misal dengan nama Helloworld, kemudian klik pada tombol OK

Gb. Membuat ProjekBaru

Maka akan terlihat langsung projek kita

Gb. Projek Baru

Lingkungan Kerja App Inventor

Sebelum kita melanjutkan untukmemulai developing, kita mengenal terlebih dahulu lingkungan kerja pada AppInventor yang terdiri dari :

Komponen Desainer – Component Designer yang berjalan pada Browser, digunakan untuk memilih komponen dan mengatur property.

Gb.Komponen desainer

Komponen desainer , terdiri dari :

Viewer : untuk menempatkan komponen dan mengaturnya sesuai tampilan yang diinginkan.
Pallete : adalah list dari komponen yang bisa dipakai
Component list : merupakan tempat list komponen dari projek yang kita pakai
Media : mengambil media audio dan gambar untuk projek kita
Properties : ketika anda klik komponen pada viewer maka propertiesnya akan terlihat pada panel ini

Blok Editor – Blocks Editor berjalan diluar browser, dimana digunakan untuk membuat dan mengatur behaviour dari komponen yang kita pilih pada komponen desainer.

Gb.Blocks Editor

Emulator , digunakan untuk menjalankan dan mengetest aplikasi yang kita bangun. Ini sangat bermanfaat apabila kita belum menggunakan handset langsung, karena Emulator Android ini telah terintegrasi dengan baik.

Gb.Emulator

Ketiga Lingkungan kerja diatas,akan bisa tampil secara bersamaan dan secara bergantian juga berpindah kitaakan menggunakannya dalam membuat aplikasi android dengan App Android.

Contoh Aplikasi yg mimin bikin pake App Inventor di market : WhacKecoa ,silahkan dicoba

Cek ttg Buku App Inventor disini

Artikel selanjutnya : Hello World

Download di Slideshare : Memulai App Inventor

Apa Itu App Inventor

2011-09-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

App Inventor adalah sebuah tool untuk membuat aplikasi android, yang menyenangkan dari tool ini adalah karena berbasis visual block programming, jadi kita bisa membuat aplikasi tanpa kode satupun. Mengapa disebut visual block programming?, karena kita akan melihat, menggunakan, menyusun dan drag-drops “blok” yang merupakan simbol-simbol perintah dan fungsi –event handler tertentu dalam membuat aplikasi, dan secara sederhana kita bisa menyebutnya tanpa menuliskan kode program –coding less. Wow kedengarannya menyenangkan bukan?.

Betul skali, kita tidak harus memiliki basic programmer, mengerti kode-kode atau berkecimpung dalam dunia teknologi informasi untuk membuat aplikasi dengan App Inventor. Bahkan App Inventor tidak hanya untuk membuat aplikasi, karena bisa digunakan untuk mengasah logika anda, sperti halnya menyusun sebuah puzzle. Untuk programmer tentu ada opsi-opsi advance untuk membuatnya sesuai dengan level kita.

Framework visual programming ini terkait dengan bahasa pemrograman Scratch dari MIT, yang secara spesifik merupakan implementasi dari Open Block yang didistribusikan oleh MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program yg diambil dari riset yang dilakukan oleh Ricarose Roque. App Inventor menggunakan Kawa Language Framework dan Kawa’s dialect – yg di develop oleh Per Bothner dan di distribusikan sebagai bagian dari GNU Operating System oleh Free Software Foundation sebagai Compiler yang mentraslate visual block programming untuk diimplementasikan pada platform Android. Tentu disini anda tinggal menikmati kemudahan yang ada. alu, apa yg bisa kita lakukan dengan App Inventor?, yang bisa kita lakukan dengan App Inventor adalah :

Just for fun

Katakanlah anda memiliki Handset Android, atau baru memasang virtual handset Android pada komputer anda, atau bahkan tidak sama sekali, App Inventor akan bisa menjadi sesuatu yang menyenangkan seperti halnya anda menyukai mengedit gambar, bermain puzzle, mengasah otak anda seperti mengisi TTS, atau belajar sebagai basis menguatkan kemampuan logika anda, semua terasa menyenangkan.

Learning tool

Entah anda seorang pelajar, mahasiswa, guru, dosen atau hobbist anda akan bisa menjadikan App Inventor sebagai tool belajar anda. Jika anda seorang guru atau dosen anda akan membuat App Inventor menjadi alat pengajar yang hebat, karena visualisasi akan mempermudah siswa memahami dan menguasai apa yg anda ajarkan.

Membuat aplikasi

Mulai dari membuat prototype, aplikasi untuk kebutuhan pribadi & organisasi, atau aplikasi serius yang bisa anda jual

Apabila anda telah mencoba menggunakan App Inventor, anda akan merasakan betapa mudahnya, tentu disamping karena berbasis visual drag drops ini juga karena anda :

>Tidak perlu menghafal dan mengingat instruksi atau kode-kode program
>Komponen & Blok event tersedia dengan lengkap anda tinggal menggunakannya. Layaknya sebuah objek anda tinggal merangkainya dengan Komponen & Blok yang sesuai fungsinya, tinggal meletakkanya seperti puzzle tinggal merubah propertinya, misal memberikan nilai angka untuk mengeset timer dll.
>Event handler akan memudahkan anda dalam menangani setiap “kejadian” atau event yang anda ingin handle. Misal anda membuat sebuah aplikasi untuk menangani sms, dalam App Inventor anda tinggal mengambil –drag drops blok yang menangani event sms.

Aplikasi yg bisa dibuat dengan App Inventor

Dari tadi kita membicarakan tentang mudahnya menggunakan App Inventor, anda tentu kemudian bertanya-tanya aplikasi apa yang bisa kita buat dengan App Inventor, apa “Cuma” main-main saja?, well jawabannya tergantung anda menginginkanya menjadi seperti apa.

Karena dengan App Inventor relatif kita bisa menggunakan imajinasi kita seluas-luasnya, seperti pepatah pada android “Dalam Android imajinasi adalah batasannya”. Disini kita akan bisa membuat Games, Tool App misal barcode reader, aplikasi berbasis lokasi, untuk mengontrol LEGO Robot atau juga aplikasi untuk berkomunikasi dengan web.

App Inventor bisa di akses di http://www.appinventorbeta.com ..... ,harus online ketika membuat aplikasi-nya, silahkan baca di posting selanjutnya

Contoh aplikasi yg dibuat dgn App Inventor, Silahkan download di market :
WhacKecoa & Song Of Android Indonesia

Cek ttg Buku App Inventor : disini

Artikel Selanjutnya disini Memulai App Inventor

Download di Slideshare : Berkenalan dengan App Inventor

Lenovo announces IdeaPad A1, the $199 Android tablet, we go hands-on (video)

2011-09-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

By Tim Stevens posted Sep 1st 2011 12:00PM

If you thought you couldn't get a real Android tablet from a brand you've heard of for less than $200, think again. Lenovo's just announced the IdeaPad Tablet A1, a 7-inch Android unit that we got a sneaky first glimpse of back in July. Now it's real, and it's cheap, it's running Gingerbread, and while it doesn't hold a candle to the Galaxy Tab 7.7, it honestly feels like something far above its price point. Read on for our impressions.

Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet A1 hands-on

There are plenty of cheap Android tablets out there, but most have sketchy construction and many are locked out of the Android Market -- meaning no Gmail app, no Maps, and none of the other built-in Google goodies. That's not the case with the A1, which is running Android 2.3 Gingerbread on a single-core Cortex A8 processor. It has front- and rear-facing cameras (the back one rated at three megapixels) and a 7-inch, 1,024 x 600 display.

Again, those are specs that don't compare to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, but something tells us you won't be able to score one of these for the $199 asking price that the A1 starts at. For that you'll get 8GB of storage, but a 16GB model will go for $249, 32GB for $299. We're told only the 16GB and 32GB models will be shipped to the US, which is a bit of a shame, as with both microSD and SD expansion it'll be fairly easy to add more. Connectivity is limited to WiFi, but there is a GPS in there, so it could make for a passable navigation device.

This certainly isn't the slimmest tablet on the market, but it's very comfortable to hold in the hand, and Lenovo says it has the same sort of magnesium alloy rollcage inside as used on ThinkPads, here adding durability and stiffness. Also, it's available in pink, and you don't see that every day on a tablet. We did find the blue a bit more fetching, but we won't think less of you if you opt for the more refined black or white options when this thing ships sometime later this year.

Update: In case you're wondering, yes, we asked if it would be upgraded to Honeycomb. We didn't get a straight answer, but it didn't seem particularly likely.

Source : engadget

Samsung Unveils Galaxy Tab 7.7 Android Honeycomb Tablet

2011-09-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

New 7-inch Honeycomb tablet is first with a high-resolution Super AMOLED Plus display.

By Melissa J. Perenson, PCWorld Sep 1, 2011 10:17 pm

Samsung today launched the successor to its original Galaxy Tab tablet, one year after first showing off the 7-inch Galaxy Tab at last year’s IFA trade show in Berlin. That Samsung would refresh that initial model, and bring its naming convention more in line with the other tablets in the company’s lineup (the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 8.9) was predictable. That Samsung would include a Super AMOLED Plus display on such a large screen was less of a given, but no less welcome.

A year ago, some observers had theorized that Samsung might include an AMOLED display on its first Galaxy Tab. But the company didn't show off its 7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display technology until November 2010. The panels—actually 7.7 inches—went into mass production in August 2011, so the use of Super AMOLED Plus makes total sense for the next-generation 7-inch-class Tab.

The display brings the benefits of Super AMOLED Plus (bright display, vibrant colors) together with a sharp resolution—1280 by 800 pixels. That makes it the highest-resolution display on a tablet we’ve seen. So far.

The Tab’s introduction today, as with the Samsung Note, was a worldwide unveiling. As of now, according to Samsung, there are no plans for it to come to the U.S. market. That said, fall CTIA isn’t far away—and I fully expect we will have news coming from Samsung about Tab 7.7’s U.S. availability just in time for the final holiday shopping crunch.

The Tab 7.7 packs a 1.4GHz dual-core processor (no word on the type of CPU) and Android 3.2v Honeycomb (not clear what the “v” stands for on the spec sheet, though this does include Samsung’s TouchWiz UX interface). Like Samsung’s other Galaxy Tab introductions this year, the 7.7 distinguishes itself with its slim and sleek design. The Tab 7.7 measures 7.89 millimeters thin, or 0.31 inch, practically two-tenths of an inch less than the original Galaxy Tab’s depth.

The new model is lighter, too: It weighs only 335 grams (0.75 pound), which shaves a full tenth of a pound off the weight of last year’s model, and makes this tablet one of the lightest on the market. That weight also helps to make this device the first tablet to seriously begin to close the gap between tablets and dedicated e-readers with E Ink displays. Granted, e-readers now hover around the half-pound mark, but the Tab 7.7’s progress in shedding weight is noteworthy, nonetheless.

Another less touted, but notable inclusion: Universal Remote Control functionality, so you can control your home entertainment system components directly from the tablet. (Presumably this capability uses a built-in IR blaster, but that wasn’t stated on the available spec information.) After trying out a URC on the newSony Tablet S, I’m convinced this will be one of the must-have features for a tablet going forward.

The connectivity options in this model are strong. The Tab 7.7 supports HSPA+ 21mbps networks, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands), and Wi-Fi Channel Bonding for improved Wi-Fi performance. As announced in this worldwide version, the Tab 7.7, like the original Tab, supports voice calls. Assuming the 7.7 comes stateside, though, I would expect we’d lose the voice capability, just as we did on the original Tab. (Memo to U.S. carriers: Some consumers actually want their tablet to be capable of acting as their phone, too.)

Samsung says the Tab 7.7’s 5100 mAh battery will provide up to 10 hours of video playback.

The unit will come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities, with a microSD card slot on board for up to 32GB of files. The cautious language of Samsung’s press release indicates a dangerous trend forming, though. The company specifies the microSD card slot is for “direct media files transfer” only, something that Sony did with its Tablet S as well. I don’t like this trend one bit: Consumers are used to card slots supplementing their storage, not being used solely as a transfer mechanism.

Clearly, with this announcement, as well as the recent release of theAcer Iconia A100 and others, the 7-inch-tablet market has a new lease on life. Now all we need is Samsung’s release timing and pricing, which I expect we’ll hear more about by October.

Would you recommend this story?

Source : pcworld

Preview of Google TV Add-on for the Android SDK

2011-08-23T03:23:00.000-07:00

[This post is by Ambarish Kenghe, who’s a Product Manager for Google TV — Tim Bray]

At Google I/O, we announced that Android Market is coming to Google TV. Today, we’re announcing a preview of the Google TV Add-on for the Android SDK. With the upcoming OS update to Honeycomb, Google TV devices will be Android compatible. That means developers can build great new Android apps for TV, optimize existing mobile or tablet apps for TV, and distribute those apps through Android Market.

While the add-on does not contain all features of Google TV, it enables developers to emulate Google TV and build apps using standard Android SDK tools. It also provides new APIs for TV interaction, such as TV channel line-up. Google TV emulation is currently supported on Linux with KVM only, and we are working on support for other operating systems. We’re very happy that through KVM we’ve been able to create a fast Android emulator for TV.

Depending on the design and use case, an existing Android app may work well on Google TV as is, or it may require fixes. With the add-on you can test your apps to determine if they would be a good fit for TV and whether any tweaks are required. We are also publishing UI guidelines to help you with topics like optimizing for D-pad navigation, presenting information for 10-foot viewing, designing apps that work well across devices, etc. The guidelines include information on how certain UI elements on Google TV differ from other Android devices.

As with other devices, apps that require features not supported on Google TV won’t appear in Android Market on Google TV. For example, Google TV-based devices do not have a touchscreen; hence apps which require touchscreen will not appear. Conversely, if the manifest says touchscreen is not required, the app will appear. Please follow our guidelines carefully.

These are still early days for Google TV, and this release is another step in providing developer tools for the big screen. While the number of apps available on TV will initially be small, we expect that through this early release of the add-on you'll be able to bring optimized TV apps into the ecosystem more quickly. To start doing this, download the Google TV add-on today. Also, please continue to reach out to us on the Google TV Android Developer Community forum. We look forward to your contributions!

Source : Android-Developers

Lifehacker Pack for Android: Our List of the Best Android Apps

2011-08-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

Whether you're an faithful Android user or you've just unboxed your first Android phone, there's a wealth of free and cheap apps in the Android Market that can turn your device into a mobile powerhouse. Our second annual Lifehacker Pack for Android is stuffed full of apps to keep you connected to home, office and friends, or just help you stay entertained on the go.

The Lifehacker Pack is a yearly snapshot of our favorite, must-have applications for each of our favorite platforms. If you're curious to see how things have changed this year, here's last year's Lifehacker Pack for Android.

Want to skip to a specific category? Use these links:

Productivity

Evernote

Evernote for Android has been regularly updated and has come a long way since it made it into our pack last year. The app scored a huge update in April that added shared notebooks, geolocation, sharing with Facebook and tighter integration on your phone, and more. Evernote says mobile is their most rapidly growing space, and it shows in their Android app.

Download Page

Springpad

Springpad is another utility that allows you to take notes and snippets from the web and the things around you and save them for future reference. Where Evernote focuses on notes and web clippings, Springpad expands the idea to products, places, and more The app combines all of those clippings with a robust organizer and to-do manager that can change the way you work.

Download Page

Astrid

What started as a side project of a Google engineer has turned into Android's leading to-do list organizer and manage, and is still one of our favorites. It's simply, it's easy to use, it ~~syncs with Remember The Milk~~ RTM syncing has since been removed, and it'll keep you in line so you don't forget to do the things you need to do.

Download Page

Mint

Even though other services have appeared to help manage money and finances, Mint still holds the title for all-in-one web-based financial management tool. Mint has updated with budgeting tools and the ability to add transactions manually, making it even better for on-the-go budgeting. Make sure you lock the app with a PIN though, in case your phone falls into the wrong hands.

Download Page

Internet/Communication

Dolphin Browser HD

Dolphin HD is still one of our favorite alternative Android browsers, and given the state of Android fragmentation, it's good to have a browser that'll work well on any version of Android you may have. The interface is remniscent of desktop browsers, with tabs on top for easy access, but they slide away to save real estate. Even though we like Dolphin Browser, it's certainly not the only one out there.

Download Page

Google Voice

Google Voice is still one of the best utilities to manage your voicemail, SMS messages, and take advantage of low-cost (or in some cases, free) calling on the market. If you have an Android phone, you'll at least want to use Google Voice for your voicemail, but to get the full benefit, you may consider porting your number. Here's how to make that easy. Once you've made the move, here are some useful tips.

Download Page

Twitter for Android

There are plenty of great Android Twitter clients available, but we keep coming back to the official Twitter for Android app because it's clean, easy to use, and it gets the job done. Plus, the app was recently updated with multiple account support and push notifications, making it even better.

Download Page

Google+

Google's new social network is now the fastest growing social network ever, and just topped 25 million users. As soon as the network launched, the Google+ Android app launched with it. The app gives you access to your stream and all of your circles on your phone, can automatically upload your photos to Google+, and lets you see and join Huddles on your phone quickly. If you're in Google+, the Android app is a must-have.

Download Page

Location-Aware

Google Maps and Navigation

Every Android phone comes with turn-by-turn navigation and driving directions, complete with traffic overlays, drive times, nearby gas stations, and even restaurants on the way if you want something to eat when you're on the way. Google Maps Navigation will even route you around traffic if the path is congested, and if you prefer you can just fire up the map to get a top-down view of where you're planning to go.

Download Page

ReQall

Even though it's actually a to-do list and task management suite, the ReQall app for Android can tell where you are and remind you if you have something to do in that location. You'll never again have to drive home from the office, pass the grocery store, and completely forget that you meant to buy milk and eggs on the way. Here's how to use ReQall to make your to-dos come to you.

Download Page

Utilities

Titanium Backup

If you're looking for a comprehensive backup utility for your Android phone, Titanium Backup is the app for you. The app can back up your files, your SD card, your apps, your settings and configuration, and even dump all of that data to the SD card or Dropbox so you can root, tweak, and play with your phone, then restore if you need to. Titanium Backup is central to our guide to setting up an automated backup process for your Android phone.

Download Page

Dropbox

Dropbox is still the go-to file syncing and storage solution for almost every major platform. There are alternatives, but we still love Dropbox for its wide availability and its ecosystem of utilities, tools, and plug-ins that are available for it. Plus, since the app doesn't take up space on your phone until you download a file, it's a great way to extend the storage of your phone without adding anything to it.

Download Page

Swype

Swype is so popular that more Android phones come with it pre-isntalled than don't these days. If you haven't used it yet, it's worth the download. Once you start using it you won't find yourself tapping individual letters every again. You'll get so used to gliding your fingers across the screen from letter to letter that you'll miss it if you move to a new phone without it.

Download Page

Tasker

If you've ever said to yourself "I wish my phone would do this and then immediately do that" without having to do it yourself, Tasker is for you. You don't have to be a power user to make the most of Tasker, but it definitely helps. Tasker is perfect for turning on WiFi when you get to the office without you having to interact with your phone, or turning on Bluetooth when you get in the car.

Download Page

Voice Search

Voice Search has been upgraded several times since it made the pack last year, and if you're not making use of it, you should be. The app now lets you navigate by voice command just by speaking the address, send emails and SMS messages by speaking the recipient and then the message, and of course, search the web quickly by talking to your phone. Once you get used to dictating your SMS messages while driving, you'll never feel the urge to text while driving again.

Download Page

File Expert

There's no shortage of file management and browsing tools for Android, but File Expert gives you a tabbet interface that's easy to browse, easy to search, and lets you share those files with other computers on your network via Wi-Fi without connecting to a computer. The app even rolls in an SMB client for audio and video streaming on remote computers when you're away from home.

Download Page

Media

Google Music Beta

You don't have to be in on the Google Music beta to download and install the new Music Beta player for your Android phone. It helps, but the Music Beta player also plays the music on your Android device, and looks much better than the stock music player that ships with Android. You can browse by tiled album art, switch to landscape mode to flick through cover art to find a song, or scroll through a list of album or artist names while the persistent player at the bottom makes sure you don't have to stop the music to search.

Download Page

Pandora

Pandora is almost ubiquitous, but its Android app is a pleasure to use, especially while driving. The app offers access to all of your stations and ratings on the go, and can automatically adjust your stream quality based on the data connection you have. Creating new stations on your phone is easy, and your new stations will be available on the desktop the next time you get to a computer.

Download Page

Kindle

The Kindle app for Android gives you access to Amazon's massive ebook store and all of the books inside. You can read them on your Android phone, or you can save your place and pick up on your PC or Mac, or on your Kindle Ereader, if you have one – but with the Android app, you may not need one.

Download Page

MoboPlayer

The default Android player leaves much to be desired, especially media format support. MoboPlayer crashed onto the scene with software decoding and broad format support, a smooth and clean player that supports gestures to control playback and volume, and is completely free.

Download Page

Doggcatcher

Google Listen may be ubiquitous when it comes to downloading and enjoying podcasts on your Android phone, but Doggcatcher is probably the best app for the job. The app supports audio and video podcasts, variable speed playback, off-hours downloads or Wi-Fi only downloads, and even though it's pricey, many of you thought it was more than worth the money when we looked at the best mobile podcast catchers.

Download Page

Spotify

Spotify's launch in the US was big news, and if you've scored an invite to the service or signed up for a premium or unlimited account, you can take your music with you using the Spotify app for Android. For Spotify free or Unlimited users, you can use the mobile app to sync your own music collection with the app, but Premium users get the benefit or offline playback and the ability to search Spotify's database of music on the go and listen to new music at any time.

Download Page

Food and Entertainment

FourSquare

FourSquare has come a ways from just being a way to tell the world where you are at any given moment and collect points to see outgoing you are compared to your friends. Now that the service is rolling in local deals and check-in bonuses and benefits with businesses in communities around the country, FourSquare can be a great way to have a little fun checking in and sharing your location with friends, but also a great way to save a few bucks on appetizers and drinks at your local bar.

Download Page

Netflix

The Netflix mobile app just launched and is still on a select few devices, but we're talked about how you can get around that in the past. When and where it works, it works well, and lets you stream anything in your Netflix Instant queue to your Android phone over Wi-Fi or 3G. You'll need an account to use it and you should watch how much data you use, but it's a great way to pass the time when traveling or away from home.

Download Page

Yelp

Yelp is still the best way to find a new place to eat or something to do in your area. Take location reviews with a grain of salt (the way you should for anything on the web) but Yelp's ability to show you what's in your immediate vicinity either by map or augmented reality view are fun to use. Even if you're not interested in the fun factor and just want to find a place that's open at 3 in the morning and you're hungry, Yelp is there for you.

Download Page

Art and Photography

PicPlz

iOS users have Instagram, but everyone has PicPlz, another social network/photo sharing service that will remix your photos with filters and effects to add interest and then share them with your friends on the service and with your friends on Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and other networks. PicPlz will even drop your photos on Dropbox so you can get to them on other devices if you want.

Download Page

Magic Hour

Magic Hour, named for those first and last sunlit hours of the day where the light is perfect for shooting video and capturing gorgeous photos, offers filters and photo editing tools to tweak your photos on your Android phone. You can apply simple filters to add interest, or you can change the brightness, contrast, or build your own filters to apply, and then share the final product with friends. Check out the free version to get a feel for the app before buying filters or buying the full version.

Download Page

Camera360

Camera 360 also applies filters and effects to your photos to try and spice them up, but the focus of this app isn't just to make photos of your cat more palatable to your Twitter friends. Camera 360 has HDR effect filters, a tilt-shift and color-shift mode for your existing photos, and the ability to share those final photos on Facebook or Twitter.

Download Page

The Extended Pack

Twidroyd, Twicca, and TweetDeck

Twitter clients are a point of contention for many people – everyone has their favorite. If you dislike the official Twitter client, TweetDeck gives you access to your Twitter feed and your Facebook stream in one app, and many of you have suggested Twicca to us as a beautiful client that's worth mention – so we took a look. Also, it's worth noting that Twidroyd was our App Pack selection for Best Twitter client.

Download Twidroyd, Twicca, or Tweetdeck

Swiftkey and 8pen

Swype is certainly the ubiquitous alternative Android keyboard, but it's not the only one out there. We've discussed some of the best Android keyboards out there based on the type of typer you are, so don't stick with Swype just because you have it. 8pen may look wacky, but once you start using it, it's remarkably intuitive, and Swiftkey's latest updates make it even more attractive and easy to use, especially for tablet users.

Download Swiftkey or 8pen

This list is hardly exclusive, and there are tons of other great Android apps we couldn't feature here. Do you have Android apps not listed that you can't live without? Share your favorites in the comments below.

You can reach Alan Henry, the author of this post, at alan@lifehacker.com, or better yet, follow him on Twitter.

Source : Lifehacker

PIX: Top 5 Android Honeycomb Tablets

2011-07-18T01:17:00.000-07:00

Last updated on: July 18, 2011 12:51 IST

Gourav Jain, Tech2Date.com

So you think iPad is the best thing to happen to humankind since the invention of the wheel? Take a look at this year's best Android Honeycomb tablets that might just be up your alley.

Tablets have been around for a number of years now but it is only recently that they have risen to popularity. This is largely thanks to the Apple iPad released not so long ago.

If you have been thinking of investing in your very own tablet then take a look at this year's top 5 Android Honeycomb tablets.

Courtesy: Tech2Date.com

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Image: Top 5 Android Honeycomb Tablets

The most celebrated aspect of the Toshiba is that it brings something to the table that the popular iPad 2 does not.

This includes a changeable battery, dual cameras, Flash support, as well as a number of extra data ports. It also appears to be one of the more durable devices of its type, having been made out of materials specifically resistant to the activities of daily life.

Image: Toshiba Tablet

The T-Mobile G-Slate is one of those products that promises the world but doesn't really deliver much more than the average tablet.

On the other hand, it is one of the best in its price range. It features a slightly smaller screen display than competitors, but makes up for it in its better quality screen.

While the optional 3D camcorder was a good idea, many say it is not worth the price.

Image: T-Mobile G-Slate

Asus Eee Pad Transformer

The IT world was wondering when Asus was going to come to the party.

After much anticipation it finally released the Eee pad transformer. Even though it is on the lower end of the price spectrum it has much to offer. It sports The Android 3 Honeycomb, a dual core processor and an entire 16GB of storage.

With the optional extras you can use your tablet for business by day, and transform it into an all-round entertainment device by night.

Image: Asus Eee Pad Transformer

The Iconia Tab from Acer is a pioneer in its price range, proving that you can get a device for all your needs at a fraction of the cost without compromising on quality.

As with its competitors, it is powered by the Android 3 Honeycomb and a Nvidia Tegra 2 processor.

Other great features are the 5MP camera, integrated LED flash, as well as GPS and Flash capability.

Image: Acer Iconia Tab

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 was somewhat of a follow-up to the 7-inch tab which ran on 2.2 Froyo. This offering seems to be at the forefront of tablets and is giving iPad a run for its money.

It runs on Android Honeycomb 3, built to be sleek and streamlined, featuring an 8MP camera, 1280 800 resolution, and is extremely light.

These are the top 5 Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets at the moment. They are each built to suit different lifestyles anywhere from the workaholic to the gaming enthusiast. These devices are at the top of their class, so if you are looking to add a tablet to your collection then think seriously about investing in one of these.

If you are aware of any other Android Honeycomb Tablets do share it with us, via the comments section.

Image: Galaxy Tab 10.1

Source : rediff

Customizing the Action Bar

2011-04-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

Posted by Tim Bray on 13 April 2011 at 2:28 PM

[This post is by Nick Butcher, an Android engineer who notices small imperfections, and they annoy him. — Tim Bray]

Since the introduction of the Action Bar design pattern, many applications have adopted it as a way to provide easy access to common actions. In Android 3.0 (or Honeycomb to its friends) this pattern has been baked in as the default navigation paradigm and extended to take advantage of the extra real-estate available on tablets. By using the Action Bar in your Honeycomb-targeted apps, you'll give your users a familiar way to interact with your application. Also, your app will be better prepared to scale across the range of Android devices that will be arriving starting in the Honeycomb era.

Just because Action Bars are familiar, doesn’t mean that they have to be identical! The following code samples and accompanying project demonstrate how to style the Action Bar to match your application’s branding. I’ll demonstrate how to take Honeycomb’s Holo.Light theme and customise it to match this blog’s colour scheme.

Icon

This step is easy; I’ll use the wonderful Android Asset Studio to create an icon in my chosen colour scheme. For extra credit, I’ll use this image as a starting point to create a more branded logo.

Navigation

Next up, the navigation section of the Action Bar operates in three different modes; I’ll tackle each of these in turn.

Standard

The Action Bar’s standard navigation mode simply displays the title of the activity. This doesn’t require any styling... next!

List

To the left, a standard list drop-down; to the right, the effect we want to achieve.

The default styling in list navigation mode has a blue colour scheme. This is evident when touching the collapsed control in both the top bar, and the selection highlight in the expanded list. We can theme this element by overriding android:actionDropDownStyle with a custom style to implement our colour scheme:

The above uses a combination of state list drawables and 9 patch images to style the collapsed spinner, the top bar of the expanded list and sets the highlight colour when picking an item.

Tabs

Here are the before-and-after shots on the tab navigation control:

The tab navigation control uses the standard blue colouring. We can apply a custom style to android:actionBarTabStyle to set our own custom drawable that uses our desired palette:

Actions

Before-and-after on the individual items in the Action Bar:

The individual action items inherit the default blue background when selected. We can customise this behaviour by overridingandroid:selectableItemBackground and setting a shape drawable with our desired colouring:

@drawable/ad_selectable_background

The overflow menu also needs some attention as when expanded it shows a blue bar at the top of the list. We can override android:popupMenuStyle and set a custom drawable (in fact the very same drawable we previously used for list navigation) for the top of the overflow menu:

Selecting items within the overflow menu also show the default selection colour. We can set our customised selection colour by overridingandroid:dropDownListViewStyle:

These changes gets us most of the way there but it’s attention to detail that makes an app. Check boxes and radio buttons within menu items in the overflow section are still using the default assets which have a blue highlight. Let’s override them to fit in with our theme:

@drawable/ad_btn_check_holo_light @drawable/ad_btn_radio_holo_light

Background

I’ve left the background transparent as inheriting form Holo.Light works well for our desired palette. If you’d like to customise it you easily override theandroid:background item on the android:actionBarStyle style:

Bringing it all together

Putting all of these components together we can create a custom style:

We can then apply this style to either an individual activity or to the entire application:

Note that some of the system styles that we have overridden in this example will affect much more than the Action Bar. For example overriding android:selectableItemBackground will effect many widgets which support a selectable state. This is useful for styling your entire application but be sure to test that your customisations are applied consistently throughout.

Familiar but styled

Customising the action bar is a great way to extend your application’s branding to the standard control components. With this power, as they say, comes great responsibility. When customising the user interface you must take great care to ensure that your application remains legible and navigable. In particular, watch out for highlight colours which contrast poorly with text and provide drawables for all relevant states. Explore this demo application which exercises the functionality offered by the Action Bar and demonstrates how to theme it.

Source android-developers

Android Galaxy Mini Dibanderol Rp 1,6 Juta

2011-02-18T21:24:00.000-08:00

Jakarta - Telkomsel bersama Samsung meluncurkan paket bundling smartphone berbasis Android, Samsung Galaxy Mini. Paket smartphone seri S5570 yang sudah dilengkapi kartu perdana Simpati ini dibanderol seharga Rp 1.599.000.

VP Channel Management Telkomsel Gideon Edie Purnomo berharap paket Samsung Galaxy Mini Telkomsel ini bisa membuat layanan berbasis Android ini bisa dinikmati masyarakat dengan harga terjangkau.

"Ini merupakan salah satu upaya kami dalam menyediakan solusi layanan mobile lifestyle berkualitas dengan harga yang semakin terjangkau, khususnya bagi kawula muda yang selalu mengikuti tren perkembangan teknologi terbaru," ujarnya di Jakarta, Sabtu (19/2/2011).

Pasar pengguna smartphone berbasis Android di Indonesia meningkat secara signifikan dalam kurun waktu satu tahun terakhir. Pada tahun 2010, Android menempati posisi ketiga sebagai sistim operasi smartphone yang paling banyak digunakan dengan tingkat pertumbuhan pengguna lebih dari 200 kali lipat dibandingkan 2009.

Yoo-young Kim, Managing Director PT Samsung Electronics Indonesia, melihat perkembangan smartphone Android tidak hanya di kalangan profesional namun juga bagi anak muda. Anak muda dinilai sebagai pasar yang tepat karena memiliki semangat ingin mencoba pengalaman baru.

"Melalui Samsung Galaxy Mini dengan sistem operasi Android Froyo, anak muda dapat menikmati pengalaman menyenangkan dengan berbagai macam aplikasi dan social hub yang telah terintegrasi sehingga memungkinkan mereka memilih cara berhubungan dengan sahabat dan keluarga," ucapnya.

"Bersama Telkomsel, kami ingin memberikan manfaat lebih agar anak muda dapat lebih leluasa menikmati pengalaman bersama Samsung Galaxy Mini," pungkas Yoo-young Kim.

Samsung Galaxy Mini merupakan smartphone dengan desain trendi yang memanfaatkan sistem operasi Android 2.2 Froyo, didukung prosesor berkecepatan 600 MHz.

Smartphone dengan layar sentuh berukuran 3,14 inci ini menyediakan berbagai fitur, seperti memori internal 160 MB, kamera 3 megapiksel, radio FM, bluetooth, GPS, konektivitas 3G yang sudah mendukung HSDPA, serta slot microSD berkapasitas hingga 32 GB, dan Wi-Fi.

Paket Samsung Galaxy Mini Telkomsel memberikan penawaran layanan akses internet unlimited TelkomselFlash seharga Rp 50.000 perbulan yang bisa digunakan untuk browsing, email, chatting, dan social networking.

"Untuk mendapatkan paket tersebut, pelanggan cukup menghubungi *253*557# atau mengirimkan SMS, ketik ULMINI, kirim ke 3636," jelas Gideon.

Paket bundling Samsung Galaxy Mini Telkomsel ini mulai dipasarkan di lebih dari 50 gerai ponsel berlogo Samsung di Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Pekanbaru, Padang, Palembang, Bandar Lampung, Batam, Banjarmasin, Pontianak, Balikpapan, Samarinda, Makassar, Kendari, Palu, dan Manado.

Saat berlangsungnya pameran penjualan di Plaza EX, Jakarta, 19 Februari 2011, pelajar dan mahasiswa bisa memperoleh harga spesial Rp 1.299.000, cukup dengan menunjukkan kartu pelajar atau kartu mahasiswa ketika melakukan transaksi pembelian.

Untuk mendukung kenyamanan pelanggan saat menikmati berbagai aplikasi Android dalam Samsung Galaxy Mini, Telkomsel telah menyiapkan jaringan broadband yang didukung lebih dari 37.000 Base Transceiver Station (BTS) termasuk 8.000 Node B (BTS 3G) di seluruh Indonesia.

Source Achmad Rouzni Noor II - detikinet

8 Alasan OS Android Kuasai Dunia

2011-02-02T23:48:00.000-08:00

Jakarta - Sistem operasi Android baru saja menjungkalkan Symbian, sebagai OS mobile terpopuler di dunia. Ini adalah tonggak yang penting bagi Google dan memberikan sinyal bahwa Android memang akan mendominasi ranah ponsel sejagat.

Kira-kira, apa sebabnya Android bisa melesat dan menguasai pasar smartphone dengan cepat? Berikut ada delapan alasannya, seperti dikutip detikINET dari eWeek, Kamis (3/2/2011):

1. Setiap Versi Bertambah Baik

Dengan upgrade rutin yang dilakukan, setiap versi Android dijamin semakin baik performa maupun fiturnya. Versi terbaru yakni Android 3.0 atau Honeycomb menjanjikan penambahan kualitas yang signifikan.

2. Smartphone Android Memang Bagus

Kesuksesan Android tidak lepas dari smartphone pengusung OS ini, yang memiliki bermacam fitur bagus. Sebut saja Droid X, Galaxy S sampai HTC Evo memiliki banyak kelebihan sehingga konsumen tertarik membelinya.

3. Membiarkan RIM Terlena

Pada awalnya, Google seakan terkesan membiarkan BlackBerry dari RIM menguasai pasar enterprise. Penjualan Android lebih terfokus pada konsumen umum. Namun setelah sukses di pasar consumer, kini Android mulai membidik pebisnis dan makin banyak kalangan korporat memakai Android ketimbang BlackBerry.

4. Dengan Sedikit Model, Apple Tidak Dapat Melawan Android

Dengan hanya memasarkan iPhone 3GS dan iPhone 4, Apple semakin kelabakan melawan Android. Lusinan smartphone Android bukanlah lawan yang sebanding meski iPhone sebenarnya masih sangat laris.

5. Penurunan Pangsa Pasar Microsoft

Peruntungan Microsoft di ranah OS mobile kurang baik belakangan ini. Peluncuran Windows Phone 7 dinilai terlambat dan pangsa pasar mereka menurun. Hal ini memberi celah bagi Android meraih semakin banyak kue pasar smartphone.

6. Nokia Sempoyongan

Dari yang semula sangat dominan menguasai arena smartphone, Nokia kini mulai sempoyongan. Salah satu alasannya, OS Symbian yang kukuh mereka pakai dianggap ketinggalan zaman dibandingkan Android. Jadilah konsumen mulai banyak melirik OS robot hijau.

7. Dukungan Vendor Kelas Atas

Dukungan penuh vendor kelas atas amat membantu melonjakkan popularitas Android. Bahkan mungkin tanpa dukungan nama-nama seperti Samsung, Motorola dan HTC yang menyajikan ponsel berkelas, Android tidak bakal sesukses sekarang.

8. Keampuhan Merek Google

Reputasi merek Google yang hebat membuat para konsumen tidak meragukan Android. Mereka sepertinya memercayai Android akan memberikan sebuah pengalaman memakai smartphone yang bisa mereka nikmati.

Sumber Fino Yurio Kristo - detikinet

detikinet

Axioo Pico Pad Ramaikan Pasar Tablet 7 Inci

2010-12-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

Satu lagi tablet 7 inci yang siap menggebrak pasar Indonesia tahun depan: Axioo Pico Pad.

Tak mau kalah dengan tim nasional yang semalam memukau lewat gocekan bola. Axioo, vendor asal Indonesia dengan prestasi global ini menyihir penggemar gadget berbasis Android dengan tablet yang sudah dilabeli Google certified.

Apa artinya? Menurut Budi Wahyu Jati (Director – Corporate Division, Axioo), Pico Pad memampukan pengguna mengakses langsung Google Market dan selalu ter-update dengan berbagai aplikasi baru yang ada di sana.

“Kalau [dengan perangkat] yang belum disertifikasi Google, pengguna hanya mengakses situs web yang memang disediakan vendor untuk mengunduh aplikasi,” jelas Budi kepada wartawan di sela-sela acara launching Pico Pad hari ini (30/12) di Jakarta.

Selain itu, perangkat yang ditenagai prosesor Qualcomm 600MHz ini dan RAM 512MB ini memiliki keistimewaan berupa menu berbahasa Indonesia dan nuansa batik. “Ini khusus untuk yang ditawarkan ke pengguna Indonesia,” papar Budi. Namun sayangnya Pico Pad batik ini menurut Budi Wahyu Jati tidak akan dijual ke negara lain yang menjadi pasar Axioo, seperti ke negara-negara ASEAN dan Eropa.

Axioo Pico Pad mengadopsi sistem operasi Android versi 2.2, dengan koneksi internet yang secara default bisa mengakomodasi HSDPA. Tablet yang termasuk kelas 7 inci ini rencananya akan dilempar ke pasar dengan harga sekitar Rp 4 jutaan. Sebagai kelengkapannya, Axioo membundelkan kartu memori berjenis microSD 16GB pada Pico Pad.

Ditanyai kemungkinan Axioo membuat tablet dengan sistem operasi selain Android, “Sementara ini roadmap kami masih dengan Android,” Budi menjawab diplomatis. Menurutnya Android menawarkan kekayaan konten yang menarik. Bahkan Axioo sudah mencanangkan untuk merangkul pengembang-pengembang lokal agar semakin banyak berkontribusi ke Google Market.

Sementara menurut David Kartono (VP Product Development & International Sales, Axioo), sistem operasi yang sedang naik daun ini dipilih karena melihat perkembangan jumlah serta antusiasme penggunanya. “Kabarnya sampai Juni 2010, pengguna Android bertambah 160 ribu per hari,” papar David. Hal ini, imbuhnya yakin, akan mendorong teknologi maupun pasarnya.

source : infokomputer

Acer's Android tablet (and its gyroscope) previewed on video

2010-12-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

By Joanna Stern posted Dec 22nd 2010 4:06PM

While Acer wasn't willing to let us power on its forthcoming Android tablets at its press event last month, it looks like the company just doesn't have the same kind of control over its partners or employees. Three videos of what appears to be Acer's 10-inch Android tablet have popped up on YouTube, and not only is the slate powered on, but the footage provides a pretty clear look at some of Acer's custom Android apps.

The entire UI looks like it's still in a beta stage and the video itself looks like it is some sort of internal test demo -- don't forget Acer is planning to ship these with Honeycomb in April -- but the company seems to be messing around with gyroscope-based page turns and some unique zoom gestures within the photo / e-reader application. We're assuming the tablet is running Froyo as there's a quick peek at the homescreen and app drawer in the first video, but other than that we're really at a loss for details here. Hit the break for the trio of videos and to see it all for yourself. Oh, and Acer, if you send us one, we promise to go easier on the screen (see 0:12 of video three) than this lady... just sayin'!

Source : engadget

Google Maps 5.0 for Android Adds 3D, Offline Access

2010-12-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

Google on Thursday released an updated version of Google Maps for Android that incorporates 3D capabilities and offline access.

Since the launch of Google Maps for mobile five years ago, map views have consistently "remained the same: a flat, north-up map and the need for a strong Internet connection," Google said in a blog post. "Today, we're changing that for the first time."

Rather than downloading maps as set of small, square images stitched together to form a map, Google Map 5.0 will use vector graphics to dynamically draw a map, Google said. This will allow for tilting when you drag down with two fingers. "Tilt while zoomed in on one of the 100+ cities around the world with 3D buildings to see a skyline spring to life," Google said.

Users can also twist with two fingers to rotate, pinch to zoom, and access a compass mode.

"Center the map on your location, and then tap the compass button in the top right corner," Google said. "The map will flip into 3D mode and start rotating to match your perspective, while still keeping all the labels upright and readable."

Using vector graphics will require 100 times less data to get maps across all zoom levels, so Google said it will be able to cache large areas on your phone based on where you use Maps the most. As a result, you can refer back to those maps when you're in an area without Internet connectivity.

"This way, you can rely on having fast, robust maps available to you where you're most likely to need them," Google said.

Google Maps 5.0 will automatically start caching most-visited areas when a device is plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi. "We're already hard at work improving the algorithms and technology behind these features, so over time you can expect to see maps work better in more offline situations," Google said.

These offline capabilities will also extend to Google Maps Navigation beta, the company's free turn-by-turn GPS navigation feature. It will now support offline rerouting in case you drop a connection en route, though users will still need connectivity to start a route. Google will start rolling out the feature in the next few weeks.

To download, search Google Maps in the Android Market. 3D and offline capabilities require Android 2.0 or higher.

Huawei's Low-cost IDEOS Android Phone Coming

2010-12-14T01:01:00.000-08:00

Huawei may be a name not too popular with many, but the company has its presence in devices that you may be using. Like your Tata Photon+ or a similar USB 3G dongle is mostly made by them. But now, the Chinese giant is waving its flag big-time with three Android phone launches in the country one after the other.

The first one will be launched this month in the under Rs. 10k bracket - the IDEOS U8150; as Indian Android enthusiast blog Androidos.in reports. It is expected to be priced at under Rs. 8,000 but does not miss out on key features that we really care for - like a 2.8 inch (that's not it), QVGA (nope, no excitement there), "Capacitive" (YES, that's the one) touch-screen. The second sixer the IDEOS U8150 strikes is Android 2.2 (Froyo) at launch, while competing models like the Samsung Galaxy 5 i5500 or even the Micromax Andro still run Android 2.1 with no confidence that they'll ever get updated to 2.2. A worrisome part about this phone is the kinda slow 528 MHz processor; while the other two we mentioned, have 600 MHz ones.

Now, in our experience, 528 megs has turned out to be incapable to run the UI smoothly or perform tasks like playing a DivX video. Let's hope the interface is smoother due to the Android 2.2's speed optimizations. Rest of the specs are pretty good for an under 8k phone - Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS, 3.5mm jack and a 3.2 megapixel camera. If the phone is actually priced at Rs. 7,000, it will make buying the Resistive screen plagued Micromax Andro A60 absolutely redundant. It will also serve up a good competition for the Samsung Galaxy 5 - if and only if that 528 MHz processor bottleneck doesn't slow down the UI too much.

That is what's coming down this month, but looks like the company has bigger plans for the months to follow. As TelecomYatra reports, two mid-range Huawei IDEOS branded phones - the X5 and the X6 - will reach the Indian shores by mid-January 2011. Both are similar in terms of specs. Like the X5 comes with a 3.8-inch capacitive screen, while the X6 has a bigger 4.1-inch 800 x 480 pixel one.

Both support Dolby mobile sound enhancement and 3G speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps. Both have 5 megapixel auto-focus cameras that can also record 720p video. The X6 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 1 GHz processor. Lastly, both also have an HDMI port (mini-HDMI, we assume) to hook 'em up to a bigger screen. Pricing details of these phones are not disclosed as yet.

Source : techtree

Seperti Apa Spesifikasi Nexus S?

2010-12-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

Nexus S (google)

Jakarta - Nexus S akan menjadi ponsel Google penerus Nexus One. Ponsel dengan Android Gingerbread ini memiliki spesifikasi mirip Galaxy S.

Samsung agaknya sekarang sedang di atas angin dalam hal ponsel Android. Produk unggulannya di ranah ini adalah Galaxy S yang terbukti cukup laris.

Seperti diumumkan dalam blog resmi Google, Selasa (7/12/2010), Samsung pun akhirnya secara resmi diperkenalkan sebagai rekanan Google dalam membuat Nexus S.

Seperti apa spesifikasi Nexus S? Berikut adalah beberapa data yang dikumpulkan detikINET:

Nexus S akan memiliki prosesor 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird. Prosesor ini, sama dengan yang digunakan pada Galaxy S, berbasis ARM Cortex A8.
Nexus S memiliki memori 512 MB, setara dengan 'standar' saat ini yang digunakan iPhone 4 maupun Samsung Galaxy S.
Seperti dijanjikan CEO Google Eric Schmidt, Nexus S akan memiliki perangkat Near Field Communication. NFC ini bisa digunakan untuk transaksi keuangan lewat koneksi nirkabel jarak dekat.
Kemampuan grafis Nexus S diperkuat oleh PowerVR SGX 540. Sama dengan Galaxy S, sedikit berbeda dengan iPhone 4 (SGX 535).
Kapasitas Nexus S adalah 16GB, sama seperti iPhone 4 16GB dan berbeda dengan Galaxy S (8GB internal, 16GB via microSD).
Nexus S memiliki dua kamera. Satu di belakang (5MP) dan satu di depan (VGA). Di bagian belakang terdapat lampu LED untuk membantu penerangan.
Layar yang digunakan serupa dengan Galaxy S, yaitu Super AMOLED berukuran 4 inchi dengan resolusi 800 x 480.
Satu yang unik, layar Nexus S memiliki bentuk lengkung agar nyaman saat digunakan untuk menelepon.

Wicak Hidayat - detikinet
Source : detikinet

Andy Rubin Shows Off Android 3.0 On Prototype Motorola Tablet

2010-12-07T04:44:00.000-08:00

Devin Coldewey 8 hours ago

Andy Rubin is, as I type this, in the middle of a demo of Android 3.0 (AKA Honeycomb) at Dive Into Mobile. The rest of his talk I’ve got written up elsewhere, but this was too cool to pass up. The software is running on a prototype MOTOPAD that looks really slick, though it was only out for a moment and there are but few pictures at the moment. I’ll be updating this post as more information breaks.

First thing he showed off was a new lock screen and then what appeared to be a brand new “desktop” with widgets and buttons in the corners. Different UI aesthetic than earlier versions of Android. He then launched the new, 3D-and-vector-based version of Google Maps that should be coming to your phone in just a couple days.

Honeycomb will be out “next year,” which is a pretty vague deadline, but if I remember correctly, we’ve heard Q2 for the Moto tablet. Another improvement he notes is the ability to split applications into multiple “fragments,” i.e. a mail app would have two panes for mail and inbox, which would be viewed sequentially on a phone but simultaneously on a tablet. There’s a new app grid and Gmail appears to have gotten a much nicer version of itself, which I would bet money is a lot like what they’re going to show off tomorrow at their Chrome thing.

The tablet itself looks to me to be larger than the 7″ we heard a while back, but it’s really difficult to tell without actually being there. I’d guess 9″ at 16:10 from these pictures. I don’t know how big Andy Rubin actually is, so my frame of reference is a bit off.

I’ve always said the Android versions we’ve had are a bad fit for tablets. This looks like a different story. I’m looking forward to Honeycomb.

Barnes And Noble Android Nook Color gets app SDK

2010-12-04T07:21:00.000-08:00

Barnes & Noble has finally released the software development kit for the Android-powered Nook Color and this could lead to multiple apps on the color e-reading tablet.

While the Nook Color is powered by Android, it won’t be able to access the more than 100,000 apps in the Android Market. Barnes & Noble did say that it would be relatively simple to port existing programs over, although it will vet these apps for various criteria.

First of all, you can expect Barnes & Noble to axe the apps with excessive violence or nudity but it will also stop competitors from getting on its platform. Don’t look for the Amazon Kindle app to show up on the Nook Color anytime soon even though porting the Android app should be relatively simple.

With a 7-inch color touchscreen and decent hardware under the hood, the Nook Color could be a decent mobile gaming device. While I’m not expecting the next Rage HD to pop up on it, I could easily see a crossword game or Words With Friends being a bit hit with the e-reader crowd.

Will this be enough to make the Barnes & Noble tablet a big success? It’s tough to tell. While the e-reader has a nice price tag at $250, it may never garner the amount of apps that the Apple iPad has right now.

Additionally, we’re in line to see a glut of Android apps from the likes of Motorola and others that will be able to access many of the programs from the market. We may also start to see a price war for Android tablets and that makes the Nook Color price tag not as appealing.

Still, this is a positive sign for Barnes & Noble Nook Color users, as it will give them more things to do with that tablet.

[Via Engadget, nook developer]

Mobile phone display mega shootout: The full picture

2010-12-02T23:56:00.000-08:00

Introduction

There are so many of them that it’s pretty hard to make up your mind. It all boils down to LCD vs. LED although this simple fact is easy to overlook. You can go ahead and blame it all on marketing but that’s one thing that just can’t be black and white. Instead of keeping it simple, manufacturers are busy making up catchy names.

Had enough with LCD? Be our guest, try Super LCD. There’s even Super Clear LCD for the sake of being different. Same with AMOLED. There’s the garden variety. But there’s also Clear Black and Super AMOLED.

Anyway, with so many screens around even we got mixed up. And instead of writing down “We’ll never again mistake regular LCD for Super LCD” three thousand times, we got assigned to do this article. Yes sir. Coming up, boss. It’s about LCD and AMOLED, about Super AMOLED and SUPER LCD. It’s about the Retina display, which technically is a type of LCD.

This is not a story going back to monochrome displays and the dawn of STN and CSTN screens. That would’ve made an even bigger mess. Instead, we’re focusing on present day touchscreen and the varieties it comes in. We have each technology represented and it’s quite a bunch of highly popular and fairly recent phones being judged by the quality of their screen. From the good old LCD to the ClearBlack AMOLED by Nokia – they are all here, with all their strengths and weaknesses.

And here are the contenders, along with the display technology they stand for. In the LCD corner, the HTC Desire HD and LG Optimus 7 are next to the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10.

HTC Desire HD • LG Optimus 7 • Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10

The Samsung S8530 Wave II is on the enhanced LCD team – technically, it’s Super Clear LCD, the brand name Samsung use to market their own SLCD-based screens. The Retina display is not just another LCD screen either – like the Apple iPhone 4 is not just another phone.

The Samsung S8530 Wave II • Apple iPhone 4

The Nokia N8 is running for AMOLED, while the C6-01 has Nokia’s ClearBlack technology behind it. Finally, we have a couple of Super AMOLED screens – on the Samsung I9000 Galaxy S and Samsung S8500 Wave.

Nokia N8 • Nokia C6-01 • Samsung I9000 Galaxy S • Samsung S8500 Wave

An elite club it is and that goes to show how important screens are. Manufacturers can’t go on for ever offering more and more features, so things like screen quality are becoming a key selling point.

Next go to : gsmarena

Lomba Aplikasi Android Berhadiah Rp 400 Juta

2010-11-30T05:36:00.000-08:00

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Buat Anda yang mau tantangan membuat aplikasi, lomba Ericsson Applications Awards – Code for Cash 2011 pantas dicoba. Apalagi, lomba bertingkat dunia tersebut menjanjikan hadiah tak kecil, 30.000 euro atau lebih dari Rp 400 juta.

Lomba ini terbuka bagi mahasiswa dan karyawan perusahaan yang mempekerjakan kurang dari 100 karyawan. Mohon dicatat bahwa partisipasi secara individu tidak akan diterima, namun perserta harus dalam bentuk sebuah tim beranggotakan dua hingga empat orang. Peserta harus menciptakan aplikasi berbasis Android (web atau native) yang menggunakan paling sedikit satu Ericsson Labs API dan memiliki hubungan dengan tema "Connected Things."

"Saya sangat berharap ini dapat menarik peserta terbaik dari Indonesia dan menjadi pemenangnya," kata Mats Otterstedt, Presiden Direktur, Ericsson Indonesia, dalam siaran pers yang diterima Kompas.com.

Kompetisi tersebut di bagi menjadi dua bagian, untuk mahasiswa dan satunya lagi untuk perusahaan. Tim pemenang pada setiap kategori akan menerima uang sebesar 15.000 euro dan ponsel dari Sony Ericsson. Sony Ericsson juga akan menjadi salah satu panel penjurian sebagai salah satu partisipasinya dalam kompetisi tersebut.

Ini merupakan kompetisi tahap kedua setelah event perdana yang sangat sukses tahun lalu, yang telah dimenangkan oleh seorang mahasiswa dari Waterford Institute of Technology, Irlandia. Pemenang aplikasi yang dimenangkan oleh seseorang dari Irlandia ini, dinamakan CallerProfiler untuk Android, mengkombinasikan jaringan sosial dengan IP telephony yang dapat menayangkan informasi dari Facebook dan situs jejaring sosial lainnya saat sebuah telepon masuk diangkat.

Untuk detil informasi mengenai proses aplikasi dan kompetisi, silahkan mengunjungi www.ericssonapplicationawards.com. Kompetisi akan berlangsung hingga 31 Maret 2011, dan hasilnya akan diumumkan pada Juni 2011. Di antara proses seleksi, Ericsson juga menggelar lomba kecil yang bisa dimenangkan.

Nah, mengenai detil informasi proses aplikasi dan kompetisi, silahkan mengunjungi www.ericssonapplicationawards.com.

Sharp LYNX 3D Smartphone Android 3.8 Inci Terbaru Tidak Perlu Kacamata 3DSharp LYNX 3D Smartphone Android 3.8 Inci Terbaru Tidak Perlu Kacamata 3D By

2010-11-24T00:14:00.000-08:00

Selain meluncurkan smartphone Android yang mampu menampilkan 3D tanpa kacamata yaitu Sharp Galapagos 3D, Sharp ternyata juga meluncurkan smartphone terbarunya bernama Sharp LYNX 3D SH-03C bagi NTT Docomo di Jepang. Smartphone Android 3D ini menawarkan spesifikasi mumpuni dengan prosesor 1 Ghz, kamera 9.6 Mp, digital tv tuner, layar berukuran 3.8 inci.

Perangkat ponsel 3D ini akan menggunakan sistem operasi Android 2.1 walau carrier akan menawarkan update ke versi 2.2 yang bisa mendukung Flash 10.1 dan kemampuan tethering. (sumber)

Ayo kita lihat video Sharp LYNX 3D:

source : beritateknologi

2011, Tablet Android Kuasai 15% Pasar

2010-11-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

Kamis, 18 November 2010 - 13:01 wib

Susetyo Dwi Prihadi - Okezone

Galaxy Tab, tablet berbasis Android

LONDON - Tablet komputer berbasis sistem operasi Android Google diprediksi akan menguasai 15 persen dari pasar dunia pada tahun 2011. Ini artinya tablet Android bakal menjadi pesaing terberat dari iPad.

Prediksi ini sendiri dikeluarkan oleh IMS Research, yang juga mengharapkan tablet Android akan menguasai 28 persen pangsa tablet pada tahun 2015. Beberapa pembuat perangkat keras yang akan menjual tablet Android, termasuk Samsung, Dell, Motorola dan Cisco.

Samsung telah membuat taruhan terbesar di tablet Android, dengan meluncurkan Galaxy Tab untuk T-Mobile, Sprint dan Verizon Wireless di AS, dengan peluncuran AT&T yang ditetapkan untuk 21 November. Samsung mengharapkan dapat menjual 1 juta tablet di musim liburan 2010 saja.

"Ketersediaan Samsung tablet Tab Galaxy melalui operator seluler seperti AT&T di Amerika Serikat dengan cepat akan meningkatkan kehadiran Android Google di pasar tablet," kata analis IMS Research Anna Hunt, seperti dilansir eWeek, Kamis (18/11/2010).

Sementara Hunt juga memprediksi tablet akan menguasai 75 persen dari pasar atau lebih pada saat ini tahun depan.

Popularitas tablet sendiri melejit setelah diluncurkan pada bulan April, penjualan jutaan unit dalam beberapa bulan pertama, hingga saat ini berhasil menjual sebanyak 4,19 juta pada kuartal keempat saja.
(tyo)

Google CEO: Android Is for Touch, Chrome OS Is for Keyboards

2010-11-16T05:17:00.000-08:00

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has finally made it clear what differentiates Google’s Android OS from the soon-to-be-released Chrome OS: keyboards.

That’s a rather simplified expression of the bigger picture; but ultimately, Google () sees Chrome OS as the operating system for traditional computers, such as PCs, netbooks and laptops, which may include touch interfaces but always include keyboards; and the company sees Android () as an operating system best suited to mobile devices, which may include keyboards but almost always include touch interfaces.

During his talk at Web 2.0 Summit, Schmidt was asked by a member of the audience about Android’s perceived fragmentation. In addition, Schmidt was asked about where Chrome OS should be used vs. Android and where they overlap. The audience member professed that he was confused about Google’s strategy surrounding both platforms.

Schmidt responded in a few parts. His first point was that Android isn’t fragmented, stating that you can still run the same app on all Android phones — a point which our readers are welcome to dispute in the comments. However, Schmidt emphasized that he wants to make sure you can run the same apps on all Android devices.

What I found more interesting was his response to the difference between Chrome OS and Android. He iterated multiple times that it seems like Android is optimal for touch devices, while Chrome OS is best suited for traditional keyboard devices. While this explanation makes perfect sense to us, we’ve never heard this explanation from Google’s CEO until now.

In other words, if Google builds a touch-based tablet, it’s going to run Android. If it builds a new type of keyboard computer device, it’ll run Chrome OS. Schmidt says to expect Chrome OS “in the next few months” and the new version of Android (a.k.a. Gingerbread) in the next few weeks.

Google Android Turns 3 : Happy Birthday Android

2010-11-07T17:27:00.000-08:00

Today marks exactly three years since Google and a slew of hardware and carrier partners officially announced the Android mobile operating system.

It was almost a year after that before the first major Android () handset was released – the G1 on T-Mobile – and not until late 2009 that the Motorola Droid, complete with an aggressive ad campaign, catapulted the platform into the mainstream consciousness.

Today, a wide variety of manufacturers are producing Android phones, and they’re sold on all major carriers in the U.S. In fact, in aggregate they’re now outselling those running on Apple’s iOS, with recent numbers putting Google ()’s share of the mobile operating system market at nearly 20%.

With variants of the Android operating system now being extended to other platforms like tablets, Internet-connected televisions and even automobiles, we can only see it getting more pervasive in the years ahead.

Three years ago, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said, “Our vision is that the powerful platform we’re unveiling will power thousands of different phone models.” Three years later, it appears his company is very much on the way to doing so.

source : mashable

Tri gandeng CSL Blueberry rilis Handroid Pad MI700

2010-11-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

kabarbisnis.com: Merek ponsel lokal melakukan gebrakan dengan menghadirkan Handroid Pad MI700, tablet telepon yang memiliki fungsi lengkap sebagai ponsel pintar android, netbook, tablet PC dan router.

Perangkat canggih ini dibundling dengan kartu perdana Tri Internetan sepuasnya dengan bandrol Rp 3.999.000,- yang memberikan manfaat gratis internetan sepuasnya selama enam bulan. Paket ini tersedia di 28 3Store di seluruh Indonesia, gerai resmi CSL dan toko ponsel atau komputer di Indonesia.

“Pasar aplikasi android market menunjukkan pertumbuhan yang menggembirakan. Tim android developer menyatakan telah menembus angka 100.000 aplikasi. Selain itu prospek pertumbuhan pasar tablet PC maupun ponsel juga sangat positif. Minat konsumen sangat tinggi terhadap tablet dan telah mendorong pesaing Apple meluncurkan produk serupa. Hal ini inilah yang melatarbelakangi diluncurkannya Handroid Pad CSL MI700,” ujar Herman Janto, Chief Executive Officer CSL Blueberry.

Menurut Herman, mereka ingin menghadirkan solusi telematika yang terintegrasi dalam satu perangkat, tentunya dengan harga yang sangat terjangkau bagi masyarakat Indonesia.

"Kami menyambut gembira kerja sama Tri dengan CSL Blueberry yang memadukan layanan data Tri dengan tablet telepon berteknologi tinggi dari CSL Blueberry. Kerja sama ini semakin memberi kemudahan bagi masyarakat Indonesia untuk dapat mengakses internet dengan harga terjangkau," ujar Suresh Reddy, Chief Commercial Officer Tri.

Tablet yang berukuran tujuh inci, merupakan tablet berbasis chipset Qualcomm USA dengan prosesor Qualcomm MSM7227 dan didukung oleh sistem operasi Android 2.2. Selain itu, CSL Blueberry melengkapi MI700 dengan fitur untuk telepon, dan fungsi router untuk sharing wi-fi.

MI700 memberi kepuasan bagi pecinta Android dengan memberikan banyak aplikasi gratis Android market yang tersedia plus akses internet 1 GB per bulan selama 6 bulan dari Tri. Dengan gratis data ini, masyarakat Indonesia yang membeli paket bundling MI700-Tri dapat melakukan bermacam aktivitas mulai dari download, akses jejaring sosial hingga browsing.

“Dengan perangkat seharga Rp 3.999.000, para pecinta tablet telepon dan PC bisa mendapat fitur senilai 6 jutaan dengan hanya menggunakan Handoid Pad CSL MI700 ini,” imbuh Herman.

Desain
Tampilan layarnya flat dengan luas tujuh inci. Ukuran bodinya, 179.4 mm (H) x 110 mm (W) x 11,5 mm (T). Sudutnya yang aerodinamis, dengan material stainless steel warna putih untuk keliling bodi, yang dipadu dengan warna hitam, membuat Handroid Pad CSL MI700 tampak elegan dan mewah.

Terdapat sejumlah tombol di sisi bodinya. Di sisi atas, ada tombol volume, slot kartu memori dan lubang untuk kartu telepon GSM. Sedang di sudut kiri atas terdapat tombol power, dengan speaker di sisi kiri dan kanan atas. Sementara di sudut kiri bawah, ada lubang USB, jack audio 3.5 mm, dan mic.

Di bagian belakang, terdapat kamera utama beresolusi 3.2 mega piksel. Selain kamera beresolusi 3.2 mega piksel, terdapat juga empat ikon menu di sisi kiri layar: ikon back, browser, recent, dan tombol menu.

User Interface
Dengan layar berukuran tujuh inci, membuat Handroid Pad CSL MI700 cukup enak digunakan terlebih untuk Anda yang gemar dengan multimedia, bermain game. Apalagi didukung dengan layar berteknologi TFT WVGA, gambar video maupun foto pun terlihat tajam.

Bagi yang terbiasa dengan smartphone Android, sepertinya tak akan merasa asing ketika melihat Handroid Pad CSL MI700. Terdapat sejumlah ikon menu di home screen-nya. Ada empat ikon virtual antara lain untuk akses ke multimedia dan browser. Sedangkan di sisi kiri ada ikon untuk akses telepon dan membuka menu utama.

Handroid Pad CSL MI700 yang memiliki empat widget, ini menggunakan screen capasitive touch screen yang sensitif. Cukup mudah dan enak digunakan, termasuk ketika menulis dokumen. Tidak membutuhkan waktu lama untuk membiasakan menulis di layar dengan sentuhan jari. Yang menarik, aplikasi tidak hanya untuk menulis teks aksara atau angka, tetapi juga bisa memasukkan dokumen dalam bentuk gambar atau suara.

RouterHandroid Pad yang satu ini memiliki kelebihan yang belum dimiliki oleh tablet lain. Salah satu kelebihan dari Handroid Pad CSL MI700 ini adalah fasilitas router untuk sharing wifi. Jadi kita tidak perlu khawatir jika tidak ada hotspot. Karena dengan fasilitas ini, kita bisa berbagi wifi.

Android MarketFasilitas ini merupakan salah satu keunggulan yang disediakan oleh Handroid Pad CSL MI700. Ponsel canggih keluaran CSL Blueberry ini, menyediakan fasilitas Android market yang menyediakan berbagai macam aplikasi yang dibutuhkan secara gratis. Bisa dibilang produk csl Blueberry ini, melebihi ponsel Android lainnya dengan seabrek fasilitas yang disediakan.

Tablet
Layaknya sebuah tablet, Handroid Pad CSL MI700 ini juga dilengkapi dengan beragam aplikasi. Tidak sebatas aplikasi untuk akses ke internet atau multimedia. Tetapi juga aplikasi untuk membuat dokumen tertulis dengan aplikasi Note Pad. Sehingga, sangat mendukung untuk Anda yang biasa “mengendalikan” operasional kerja dari luar kantor.

Dokumen itu pun bisa langsung dikirimkan ke klien melalui e-mail. Tidak hanya dengan akses melalui WiFi, tetapi Handroid Pad CSL MI700 juga bisa digunakan mengakses internet melalui telepon dengan jaringan GSM. Pendeknya, ini merupakan smartphone yang memiliki kemampuan canggih.

Multimedia
Tablet ini dilengkapi dengan aplikasi multimedia. Aplikasi standar, seperti umumnya perangkat smartphone lainnya, juga ada di Handroid Pad CSL MI700. Seperti kameranya ada dua dengan kamera utama beresolusi 3.2 mega piksel. Kamera ini sekaligus bisa digunakan untuk merekam video. Sementara pemutar suaranya, bisa membaca beragam format file. Dengan dua buah speaker yang mampu mengeluarkan suara berkualitas bagus, menjadikan perangkat ini asik digunakan untuk menonton video, mengakses Youtube, atau bermain game.

Dengan sistem operasi Android 2.2 dan chipset Qualcomm MSM7227, perangkat ini bisa dengan mudah digunakan mengunduh aplikasi yang ada di Android Market. Mulai dari aplikasi untuk meningkatkan performa MI700, musik, atau game. kbc7

Sumber : kabarindonesia

Ziio, Tablet Android Murah dari Creative

2010-11-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

Creative Ziio (electronista)

Jakarta - Creative bikin kejutan. Vendor yang dikenal dengan produk pemutar musik ini tiba-tiba terjun meramaikan pasar komputer tablet dengan merek Ziio.

Tablet Creative Zioo menggandeng OS Android 2.1 dan memiliki dua pilihan ukuran, 7 Inch serta 10 Inch. Harganya pun tak terlalu menguras kantong. Di Amerika Serikat, tablet ini rencananya dibanderol USD 279 atau sekitar Rp 2,5 juta saja untuk versi 7 Inch.

Seperti dilansir PCWorld dan dikutip detiKINET, Rabu (3/11/2010), Creative menyatakan tablet besutannya akan mulai dipasarkan Desember 2010. Tablet ini rencananya bakal dijual di berbagai belahan dunia.

Salah satu kelebihan Ziio adalah kompatibel dengan perangkat musik Creative. Kualitas suara pun diklaim mumpuni dengan codec Apt-X dan pemrosesan audio khas Creative yang dinamakan X-Fi. Sedangkan aplikasinya disediakan via toko aplikasi ZiiStore.

Creative Ziio didayai prosesor ZMS-08 (ARM Cortex A8) dan mampu memutar video 1080p. Kemudian ada dua buah kamera, Wi Fi, slot MicroSD sampai port HDMI.

Strategi Creative menyasar segmen tablet dengan harga terjangkau sepertinya tepat. Hal ini bisa menjadi alternatif bagi yang merasa iPad atau Galaxy Tab kemahalan. ( fyk / eno )

Android's App Store Is Growing Fast, Coming After Apple

2010-11-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

Apple now has 285,000 apps available for the iPhone. An impressive tally that's almost three times the nearest competitor, which is Android.

But, while Android might not be as big today, it will soon enough. Apps available for Android grew to 100,000 today from 30,000 in March, a 233% increase. Apple over the same period went to 285,000 from 170,000, a 67% increase.

Research in Motion's app store has grown to around 10,000, a nice, but ultimately insignificant, bump. Microsoft, about to launch its new smartphone platform, says it will have 1,000 at the start.

Source : Businessinsider

Nexus Two To Be First Native Android 2.3 Device

2010-10-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Nexus One was the very first phone to get the upgrade to Android 2.2, so it makes sense that the Nexus Two will also be a flagship phone for a new Android operating system. If new reports are to be believed, it'll be the first to have Android 2.3, AKA Gingerbread, pre-installed.

The device, which was designed and manufactured by Samsung instead of HTC in collaboration with Google (like the Nexus One), will be officially unveiled November 8 at a pumped-up media event in Times Square. I4U will be on hand at the event to provide all the full details once they become official.

But for now, we're getting word that Android fans should be happy to hear. By incorporating Android 2.3, that would mean the new OS is complete and ready for deployment. Updates to existing Android phones should hopefully not be too far behind, even though most of us have just recently gotten the update to 2.2.

Other early details about the Nexus Two suggest it will have a 4-inch AMOLED or Super AMOLED display, a 1.2 GHz processor, 5 MP external camera and 1.3 MP front-facing camera, as well as 16 GB of internal storage and 512 MB of RAM.

It'll pack a powerful punch to the Android market, as those specs are more powerful than we've seen on any existing Android phone to date.

The Nexus One was well received in reviews among mobile enthusiasts, but due its lack of brick-and-mortar retail availability, and a very underwhelming marketing campaign, sales were abysmal. By placing Samsung, one of the most prolific Android supporters, at the helm of the Nexus Two project, it stands a much better shot at success.

Carriers for the phone haven't been officially detailed yet, but it's likely it will have the same carrier partner as the Nexus One - T-Mobile. Rumors suggest it might also be made available for AT&T.

Again, the Nexus Two will be officially christened at an exclusive, balls-out New York City spectacle, and we'll be there to get all the juicy details. Stay tuned.

AndroidAndMe. Via After Dawn. source i4u

The Nook Color Might Be a Better Android Tablet Than We Thought

2010-10-30T16:56:00.001-07:00

The Nook Color's built on top of Android, but seemed crippled in its potential to be a killer Android tablet by the way it'd run apps. Well, the reality is, it could be a solid little Android tablet after all.

At the Nook Color announcement, Barnes & Noble wasn't super clear about how apps and its own app store would work in relation to the larger Android ecosystem and Market. But now that we've talked to them about the development program a little more in depth, things look peachier.

Barnes & Noble is going to run their own app store for the Nook Color, distributing and selling applications. It's a "curated" experience, meaning they'll have to approve apps for the store, which developers can start submitting in "early 2011," with apps approved "within weeks" of submission. So the apps that we saw at the launch, like Pandora, is all that'll be available for a couple of months. (They won't disclose how they're splitting revenue with developers but said they're using a "familiar" scheme, so the standard 70/30 probably applies.)

The Nook Color won't run apps straight out of the Android Market, but that doesn't mean it can't run them—in fact, they've done a lot of tests on apps from standard Android smartphones and they "pretty much run on Nook Color," which has Android 2.1 under the hood. (The Nook's native interface and apps are just standard Android application layers.) Barnes & Noble's special Nook SDK runs on top of the standard Android one, and gives developers access to exclusive extensions and APIs for the Nook and its interface. So porting Android apps isn't difficult. B&N says it's more like "optimizing" them for Nook than porting them.

While Barnes & Noble really doesn't want the Nook Color "to be perceived as a multipurpose device," and their goal is to "extend the reading experience through applications," their definition of apps that do that is quite elastic. In fact, they don't have to be text-y at all. I posited a Netflix or other video service app, and B&N's Director of Developer Relations Claudia Romanini said they'd probably fly. "Is it attached to a book? Maybe not. But when I'm looking at content, I'm looking for multiple touch points. The fundamental question B&N is asking of apps is, "Woul
d that reading user be interested in consuming that content?"

Frankly, most of what I use my iPad for is reading—RSS, books, newspapers, email—and Netflix. If the Nook Color can deliver that in a slick way, well, that's all I really want out of an Android tablet, especially for $250. And given that it's plain ol' Android underneath, I won't be surprised when the more enterprising Android nerds make it capable of doing a lot of other things too.

Send an email to matt buchanan, the author of this post, at matt@gizmodo.com.

Source : Gizmodo

Barnes & Nobles Luncurkan Nook Color

2010-10-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

New York, CHIP.co.id – Nook Color meramaikan pasar tablet dunia. Diluncurkan Selasa lalu, 26/10/10, di Manhattan, New York, Amerika Serikat oleh jaringan toko buku besar Barnes & Nobles. E-reading tablet ini dapat membaca buku, majalah, koran dan buku anak-anak dengan fitur layar berwarna.

Nook Color yang memiliki ketebalan kurang dari 1/2 inci ini menawarkan fitur layar sentuh berwarna berukuran 7 inci dan dilengkapi memori 8 Gb yang mampu menyimpan sampai 6000 buku atau jika dikombinasikan sekitar 1.000 buku, 25 majalah, 10 surat kabar, 50 buku anak-anak, 500 lagu dan 150 foto. Jika kehabisan memori, Nook Color menyediakan slot untuk kartu memori MicroSD. Nook Color juga dilengkapi fasilitas Wi-Fi. Barnes & Nobles mengatakan produk ini juga akan dipasang fitur 3G seperti pada produk Nook sebelumnya.

Selain aktivitas membaca, Nook Color juga dilengkapi fasilitas browsing internet namun tanpa dukungan Adobe Flash. Sambil membaca, pengguna Nook Color juga bisa mendengarkan musik melalui headphone jack, streaming radio dan bermain games. Bagi social media junkie, Nook Color juga menyediakan sarana berbagi dan update status.

Fitur Work on the Go memungkinkan pengguna Nook Color membuat, menyunting, dan melihat file Microsoft Office seperti Word, Excel dan PowerPoint. Nook Color juga dapat digunakan untuk mentransfer file PDF, ePub dan JPG untuk personalisasi wallpaper.

Buat pengguna Nook Color telah tersedia 2 juta judul buku dan beragam majalah. Barnes & nobles juga menawarkan aneka judul buku dan majalah interaktif untuk anak-anak .

Beberapa fasilitas menarik yang disediakan Barnes & Nobles adalah Lifetime Library. Fasilitas ini adalah perpustakaan pribadi tempat pengguna menyimpan buku yang dimiliki dan bisa dibaca di mana saja, kapan saja. Fasilitas lain adalah pengguna bisa saling pinjam meminjamkan buku tanpa biaya hingga 14 hari dengan teknologi LendMe antar sesama pengguna Nook Color.

Nook Color dijual seharga 249 dolar, sekitar setengah harga iPad Apple dan sekitar 100 dolar lebih mahal dari produk Nook berlayar hitam-putih yang dirilis tahun lalu. Barnes & Noble mengatakan pelanggan bisa langsung membeli Nook Color, yang didukung oleh software Android Google, sekitar 19 November 2010.

by Alexander Louiciano

Source : chip.co.id

Liquidware Announces an Open Source Android Development Kit

2010-10-23T03:15:00.000-07:00

Canton, MA (PRWEB) October 21, 2010

Liquidware, a leading open source engineering firm based in Boston, MA announced on Tuesday the availability of an open source hardware Android development platform. The Android Modular Gadget Platform is the first commercially available modular development kit based entirely on open source software and hardware reference designs. The Android Modular Gadget Platform is designed for rapid prototyping Android systems. The gadget platform is designed around 5 main modules, each of which can connect directly to each other to facilitate rapid development. Those modules include an organic LED (OLED) touchscreen, a high performance ARM carrier board, an extended capacity lithium ion battery, USB hub, and wireless G card module. When combined, these modules create a fully networked Android gadget capable of running any and all APK Android app files.

In 2010, Android grew from a small cell phone operating system into the preferred operating system for consumer and industrial design development. Today, thousands of hardware engineers and software developers have made Android their platform of choice for end-user applications.

Google's own development platform, the Nexus, was launched in 2008, and saw tremendous popularity amongst software developers. Since then, however, few development kits have been developed and launched.

"This presented a major problem for Android development," said Justin Huynh in an interview on Tuesday. "The current Android devices on the market are designed for software only applications. They're not designed to integrate into third party sensors, industrial control and automation systems, or medical devices."

"We built the Android Modular Gadget Platform to cater to rapid prototyping engineers and developers looking for the absolute fastest way to get a product proof-of-concept functional."

While Android has enjoyed rapid growth and successful adoption in the marketplace, it faces steep competition from Apple's iPad and iPhone operating system, as well as the newly announced Microsoft Windows 7 Mobile platform. However, Android's operating system is the only open source system, and therefore developers are choosing it over the proprietary options from Apple and Microsoft due to the availability of lost cost and free compilers and development tool chains.

"At Liquidware, we believe in the power of Open Source. Our customers are sophisticated, high end developers and advanced systems engineers. They demand the best, and most efficient tools available. Today, nothing beats a 100% fully open source development stack, which we're proud to deliver in the Android Modular Gadget Platform."

In the past, consumer gadget development platforms were delivered using closed source, proprietary systems. These cost $1,000-2,000 in software alone, and frequently ran on a limited subset of hardware. The integrated development environment was often error-prone, and buggy, and hardware development took months. Today, open source software tool chains and open source hardware reference designs have reduced out-of-pocket software costs to $100-200, and dropped hardware development timelines from months to weeks.

About Liquidware

Liquidware is one of the fastest growing engineering firms, specializing in high speed, lower power embedded systems product design, rapid prototyping of medical devices, parallel systems, and defense engineering.

Liquidware is also one of the most widely recognized organizations of Open Source Hardware hackers. Based in Boston, MA, Liquidware has three primary lines of business: high end medical device development, defense systems engineering, and Open Source Hardware design. Liquidware's hardware has been used by some of the world's leading research institutions, consumer product firms, and is deployed in field operations worldwide.

Trademarks
OMAP and Beagle Board are trademarks of Texas Instruments. ARM is a trademark of ARM Limited. All
other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Editorial Contact for Liquidware
Justin Huynh
Liquidware, Press Manager
(646) 835-9728
justin(dot)huynh(at)liquidware(dot)com
www.liquidware.com

Introducing the DIY Android Gadget Starter Kit

This past weekend, Chris and I hacked Android onto the Beagleboard Embedded Gadget Pack. It was the culmination of about 3 weeks worth of working straight through, sleeping very little, and consuming many ASCII bunsen burner Red Bull's :-) The result is the DIY Android Gadget Starter Kit, which includes everything anyone would want or need to get started programming Android hardware and software applications, and to make a custom Android device.

Here's a picture of the Android DIY kit assembled:

The DIY Android Modular Gadget development kit uses the same base modules as the Open SciCal, which got written up on Wired (thanks!), and also as the Embedded Beagleboard Gadget Pack, which has been really popular with embedded systems engineers:

This is a nice perspective shot of the Android home menu, where the apps are typically stored and can be launched. The settings menu and options are fully functional, and the system comes preloaded with SL4A, a high performance scripting language that lets programmers write GUI's in Perl or Python (and a handful of other scripting languages):

Justin uploaded all of the modules, components, and preprogrammed SD cards onto the Liquidware shop over here... and here.

Source : Antipastohw

Gandeng Indosat, Galaxy Tab Dibanderol Rp 6 Juta-an Gandeng Indosat, Galaxy Tab Dibanderol Rp 6 Juta-an

2010-10-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

Jakarta - Galaxy Tab akhirnya secara resmi mendarat di Indonesia. Tablet PC berukuran 7 inchi itu pun bakal dipasarkan pada kisaran harga Rp 6 juta-an, termasuk paket internet yang ditawarkan Indosat.

"Samsung Galaxy Tab sudah bisa didapat mulai 30 Oktober. Dengan harga Rp 6,9 juta pengguna sudah mendapatkan paket unlimited Indosat selama 6 bulan," Eka Anwar Head of marketing HHP Business, Samsung Electronics Indonesia di Ritz Carlton, Selasa (19/10/2010).

Sementara itu, meski dipaketkan pada layanan Indosat namun Samsung mengaku pengguna masih bisa menggunakan operator lainnya. Untuk menggunkan akses data, atau sekadar melakukan panggilan.

"Selama periode peluncurannya, kita memang bekerjasama dengan Indosat. Namun user masih bisa menggukan kartu dari operator lain. Tapi nantinya bakal dikenakan tarif data reguler," jelas Eka.

Galaxy Tab, diklaim Samsung sebagai tablet PC Android pertama yang menggunakan layar 7 inchi. Dengan segudang fitur yang dibawanya, produk ini diklaim bakal bisa mengalahkan rival utamanya, iPad. ( eno / wsh )