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Jelly-bean-flavoured name rumours have been swirling around Android 5.0 since last September. And in the clearest hint yet that this is indeed the name of choice, Google was dishing out jelly beans to conference goers at the exit of its Android-themed Mobile World Congress stand this February. Wink-wink-nudge-nudge.

We're yet to get an official, rubber stamped confirmation from Google that Jelly Bean is the name for Android 5.0 but don't bet your piggy bank on outlandish alternatives such as Jammy Dodger or Jam Roly Poly.

So when is Jelly Bean likely to land? Google hasn't made an official announcement -- but considering ICS arrived in autumn 2011, and is still the exception rather than the rule on Android devices, it seems pretty unlikely Jelly Bean will arrive sooner than this autumn -- despite Google previously keeping to a roughly six-monthly update schedule.

However, Jelly Bean could just get an airing at Google's annual I/O developer conference, which takes place at the end of June, so keep your eyes peeled for some potentially meaty news in about a month. 

What do we know about Jelly Bean's features? Once again, not much since nothing has been officially confirmed -- Google wasn't handing out feature lists with those MWC jelly beans. Of course, that hasn't stopped the rumour mill churning out a few sugar-coated nuggets of its own.

One juicy but perhaps unlikely rumour is that Jelly Bean will run Windows 8 -- in a dual-boot scenario that would allow Droid lovers to switch between Android and Windows. The theory behind this cake-and-eat-it-scenario is that it would give Android lovers the on-the-go versatility and simplicity of Droid, along with the power and depth of Windows for more involved tasks.

However, many Android fans would probably say the OS is just as powerful and deep as Windows. And mixing open source free-to-use software with a proprietary OS is definitely an unfortunate crossing of the streams that suggests if there is a dual-boot option, it may be just that -- an option, rather than an 'as standard' feature.

In any case, Google's Chrome OS is a more likely candidate for dual-booting action. Last year Google's then chairman Eric Schmidt told MWC delegates that Android and Chrome OS will converge -- when the time is right. So perhaps Jelly Bean netbooks could be on the cards.

Another mooted update to Android involves adding more gestures to the interface. Last year Google filed a patent that used a series of letter gestures to act as short-cuts -- drawing the letter W, for instance, could be used as a quick way to fire up Wikipedia.

But reading the runes in patent filing has about as much predictive power as telling fortunes via tea leaves. Companies frequently patent all manner of outlandish inventions just on the off-chance, or to stop other companies patenting similar inventions. Some patent filings are even decoys -- deliberately designed to put people off the true development scent. So while more gestures in Jelly Bean seems likely, exactly what these will be and do isn't yet clear.

A more widespread prediction for Jelly Bean is that Google's Chrome for Android browser -- available now to ICS users -- becomes the standard offering in the OS, rather than an additional download via Google Play.

Another best guess is that Google will seek to compete with Apple's Siri voice assistant with its own mouthy interface addition. And many Android users are also anticipating some kind of file manager application, to help manage what are becoming increasingly complex media machines, along with (hoped for) improvements on the battery and power management front, and a speedier way to get the latest version of Android (which may just be wishful thinking).

For now, Google is keeping its Jelly Bean coloured cards close to its chest -- at the time of publication the company had not responded to a request for comment -- so take all these rumoured features with a pinch of salt and stay tuned for more news as we get it.

Source - CNET.com

When doubleTwist first launched two years ago, it set the bar very high for music players’ feature sets. Since then it has undergone a massive transformation, adding features such as video playback, wireless syncing, and even streaming films from your phone to your game console.

The most important feature is still media playback. Playing your music using doubleTwist is a pleasant experience; everything from pausing and fast forwarding to audio equalising is simple. You can do other nifty things that make managing your music easier, such as swiping up to reveal your current playlist and flicking your screen to move tracks.

doubleTwist also contains one particular feature that should appeal to audiophiles: an equaliser. Equalising is great for those of us who like to make sure every aspect of their music is pitch perfect – for example, if I would like a song that’s mainly drum solos to have more bass I can just fire up the equaliser and adjust the settings freely. Although some users won’t ever find the need to go near this feature, for audiophiles equalisers have almost become a necessity whilst playing back their music.

A new feature, introduced in November, is based on Podcast syncing: you can now subscribe to and download podcasts through the app itself. Before the update, this was done by connecting it to your PC and doing all the browsing and downloading via the doubleTwist desktop client. It worked, but the new method is a blessing. You can stream podcasts directly to your device for free, but to download or subscribe to them you will need to buy an optional upgrade that weighs in at €4.99.

One of doubleTwist’s most touted features is the ability to sync without wires via what they called “AirSync”. AirSync allows you to just open the app on your mobile, activate the desktop client and drag and drop whichever media files you please. This is a really neat feature as it gives the end user a taste of the inescapable future of wire-free synchronisation. I found the transfer reasonably fast, bearing in mind that it was being done over Wi-Fi.

doubleTwist is well known for its music playback, but not so much for its video playback. Once you sync some of your videos through the desktop application they can then be easily accessed through the app. I found video playback to be very smooth and, although its featureset does not match up to specific video apps (such as MoboPlayer), it offers enough satisfy anybody who just wants to play back their video files without any extra bells and whistles.

The UI also got a lot of attention in the November update. Previously, doubleTwist’s interface was something that you would expect to see in Gingerbread or even Froyo, but the new update brings the UI into the Ice Cream Sandwich era.

The main menu has received a really great overhaul that makes it a pleasure to use. At the top we have a list of different menus we can access including “Settings,” “Music,” and “Videos.” This element definitely took a leaf out of Windows Phone 7′s book with its “slide-left-or-right to move between different menus” approach. But this is most definitely not a bad thing. Using the main menu is a very fluid experience.

Selecting your music is a major part of any music playback app, as is how it is presented. Luckily, doubleTwist uses a beautifully designed grid view to show you your music collection. Anybody who uses iTunes will find this grid approach very familiar, and so they will also be aware of how intuitive it is.

Once you select your music you will be brought into the part of the app where most people will spend the most of their time, the playback screen. doubleTwist’s playback screen is much different to that of other music apps available. The playback screen maximises every pixel of your Android device’s display in an effort to make all the controls you may need available in the one view, rather than having to switch between several.

Playing back your video collection in doubleTwist is simple, thanks to the minimal interface that is used both when selecting your video and during playback itself. Selecting your video is as simple as selecting “Videos” from the menu and tapping the video. During the playback of your video you can tap on the screen at any point during the video to see your control panel glide gracefully into view. From here you can pause, fast forward or rewind.

Overall the UI of doubleTwist is a great example of beautiful UI design on the Android platform.

doubleTwist’s revamp has improved the app in many ways. Everything from selecting your media to playing it back has been given an overhaul, which makes the app a pleasure to use. Couple this with features such as an equaliser and wireless synchronisation and you definitely have a great app on your hands.

However, note that if you want to maximise the potential of the app with features such as an equaliser or wireless syncing, it will cost you.

Apple has an interesting relationship with Samsung. They are Samsung’s biggest customer, buying up valuable components to power the successful iPhone and iPad lines. However, right now they’re suing Samsung’s mobile division for copying Apple’s intellectual property.

Samsung are, of course, the makers of the Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets, all running Android, while Apple produce the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, all running iOS. The intellectual property specified in Apple’s case refers to both the hardware and software design aspects of iOS and the devices that run them.

Firstly, Apple has pointed out the design similarities in the hardware. Rounded rectangular product shape, substantial black bezels with roughly equal width (on iPad) or roughly equal width on parallel sides (on iPhone), and a front surface dominated by a screen are some of the claims Apple mades. In the software world, Apple is also keen to point out the similarity with a grid of icons and a separate row easily distinguished from from the others as they do not change as home screens are moved.

Apple also points out the design similarities in the packaging, with each coming in a rectangular box with a large front view of the product and an immediate presence of the product once the lid is removed.

In this case, the claims are, unfortunately, hard to ignore.

Another fairly obvious claim is similarities in the home screens. Apple points out the layout similarities, especially the 4 x 4 grid of icons with a dock at the bottom.

And then there are the icons themselves, which have an undeniable likeness. Take the phone icon, for example. An angled, light-coloured phone on a green gradient was the design choice of both parties when there are clearly other options.

Apple also notes their patents on a few iOS features, including the bounce effect you get when you scroll to the top of a list. Apple regularly touts its multi-touch technology and, of course, this is pointed out as an infringement here.

Well, when you put them side by side (see above) the devices do look similar. There’s no doubt that things such as the angled phone icon are not a coincidence, and it’s hard to ignore that one side has been influenced by the other.

Samsung seems pretty unique in this case with TouchWiz. Other Android skins don’t opt for the iPhone-esque app tiles and instead many have transparent icons, like those you’d use on a PC.

However, are you confused by the two? I’m certainly not. Sure, the similarities are there — but I doubt many walk into a store aiming to buy an iPhone but end up walking out with a Galaxy S oblivious to reality. Apple has ground with their various patents and trademarks, but the “consumer confusion” card can’t really be played here.

Naturally, since it’s Apple and Android, there are some fanboy views to be expressed. The biggest argument that the Android side has come up with so far is the image below.

The above image has since been debunked. The Samsung F700 was announced at Cebit 2006 but it wasn’t actually shown. It’s first public debut was actually after the iPhone was shown at Macworld 2007.  But it’s still a grid of icons with a central hardware button.

But don’t all GUIs form roots to the iPhone? Grid-aligned icons are something that I’ve used on my PC (and more recently my Mac) for a long time, so that’s nothing new. However, with Apple expanding the app home screen idea to Mac OS X this summer, I’m sure it’s something they want to protect as it’s soon to become such an important feature across their product lines. Even the tiny iPod nano uses the same layout, sans the dock of course.

When we look at the facts, Apple has a solid case. They’ve cited numerous patents in both hardware and software and even away from all the legal talk, the obvious similarities are evident. In fact, it seems insane that Samsung has went forward with such obvious design aspects, ones that were first being shown in iOS right from the start.

So what’s the likely outcome of this case? I’m not an IP lawyer and don’t claim to be. However, I reckon there’ll be some changes on Samsung’s part. I’m guessing they’ll opt to change the packaging and then roll out some new interface tweaks to avoid paying royalties to Apple. The real outcome will start to become evident once Samsung releases new devices. We’ll see whether Apple has had an effect on the design team at Samsung.

Source : http://android.appstorm.net

As we know Android Smartphones are selling like hot cakes these days. Everyone wants to have Android enabled smartphone. So, if you are seeking the android featured smartphone in the range of  Rs.10,000-12,000, then this article is definitely for you. Below is the list of Android Smartphones lying in the range of 10000-12000.

Samsung Galaxy Y is newly announced smartphone running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Its is a fully touch bar smartphone with stylish design. Galaxy Y supports WIFI, 3G features. It has 2 MP camera. Its features truly justify the price of this smartphone. The price of Samsung Galaxy Y smartphone in India is Rs. 7350/- .

A nice product from Samsung runs on Android 2.3 platform. Samsung Galaxy Fit is featured with 5M camera, stylish design, WiFi, Capacitive touch display and many more. You just need to pay 9200/- (INR) to have this smartphone to your pocket.

Samsung Pop S5570 is a Full Touch Bar Device running on Android 2.2 (Froyo). Pop S5570 has 3 MP camera with 3x Zoom feature. Memory is expandable up to 32 GB, WIFI support and stylish design. One can easily grab Samsung Pop S5570 by just paying Rs. 8,215/-.

A beautifully designed smartphone by LG running on Android 2.2 (Froyo). LG Optimus One P500 has  3.2″ capacitive touchscreen, WIFI support, Google voice search and many more. Its internal Memory is expandable up to 32 GB. LG Optimus One P500 is featured with 3 Megapixel camera. Price of LG optimus one P500 is Rs. 9690/-

Micromax A70 is really a low cost android smartphone. You are really getting a fully featured smartphone in just Rs. 7500/-. Micromax A70 is running on android 2.2. It has 5 MP camera, WIFI support, 3G support, large capacitive display and many more.

Make your touch experience more better with this awesome android application TouchPal Keyboard, the most innovative and the best keyboard on Android. It’s the Global Champion of GSMA Mobile Innovation Award.

Facebook app for android allows you every time to stay connected with your friends and serve your social network with updates.

Enjoy your high speed internet browsing with p[era mini web browser app for android. A web browser for mobile devices offering fast speed, Opera Mini uses Opera’s servers to compress webpages so they load faster.

This key unlocks premium features such as editing, Google Docs & Adobe PDF. Edit , View & Create Microsoft Word, Excel, & PowerPoint files & high fidelity viewing of your PDF files.

The original barcode scanner on Android. Aim the camera at any product’s barcode, wait for the beep and ShopSavvy will provide you with a list of online and local prices.

Transform images with core Photoshop features in an app designed for tablets. Combine images, apply professional effects, share results with friends and family through sites like Facebook, and more – all from the convenience of your tablet.

Beautiful set of Widgets containing clock widget, clock and weather widget, weather widgets, date widgets and toggle widgets with skins/themes support.

The year is 2350, and corrupt intergalactic corporations are the rule of law, hiring bounty hunters and mercs to do their bidding. The best of the best are known as SHADOWGUNS. Experience the action games on your android smartphone.

Drive the world’s fastest cars and enjoy some of the highest performance racing action ever seen on Android.

Use the unique powers of the Angry Birds to destroy the greedy pigs’ fortresses!The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the greedy pigs who stole their eggs.

Rise to the top and become a ninja master in NINJUMP, the latest FREE game from Backflip Studios, makers of PAPER TOSS!

Slide, rotate, and drop your Tetriminos into place with touchscreen ease.

Jump, jump, jump to the top with the smash iPhone hit now available for Android!

Have you ever been bored at work, crumpled up a piece of paper and counted how many times you can make it in a small trash can?

Complete the mission unveiled in the first opus of one of the most acclaimed FPS games on Android, this time on fronts all over the globe.