Just a few months after announcing the IdeaPad S2, Lenovo has brought the Android 4.0 ICS powered 9.7-inch IdeaPad S2109 to light.
In a YouTube video, Lenovo teased some of the specs of the tablet; it wields a 8.9mm-thick gunmetal unibody case wrapped around a 9.7-inch 1024×768 IPS screen. That's not a very impressive resolution, but it does match the iPad 2–which of course has now been superceded by the new iPad with it's 2048×1536 resolution LCD.
The S2109 comes with the now fairly standard setup of a micro-HDMI port, micro-SD expandable memory card slot, and a micro-USB port. Lenovo opted to only equip the S2109 with a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, with no rear camera present. Lenovo also claims the battery life for the S2109 will reach 10 hours. The final bit of info we’ve been given is that the back of the device features four SRS TruMedia-branded speakers. Just to leave us eager in anticipation, Lenovo has not yet revealed the SoC nor the onboard memory capacity for the S2109.
With Lenovo having just recently announced the IdeaTab S2, comparisons are begging to be made between the two. The IdeaTab S2 is just a hair larger than the S2109 at 10.1 inches and packs the brand new Qualcomm S4 MSM8960. That’s just a fact to keep in mind while we wait for further details about what the S2109 may possess. For now price and availability are unknown, but we’ll keep you updated as further details arise.
Just today, Google announced that it was rolling out Android 4.0.4 to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) for download, with build IMM76D. The note at that point by JBQ was that the timeline for ROM push for the final build was unknown.
In a tweet and Google+ post, Google has now noted that Android 4.0.4 images are beginning to push out for the GSM/UMTS Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S, and Xoom WiFi. Absent are the CDMA/WiMAX Nexus S on Sprint and the CDMA/LTE Galaxy Nexus on Verizon, both of which are likely waiting on carrier approval. The update includes bugfixes, stability improvements, faster camera launch (which we've noticed in leaked 4.0.4 builds), and better performance in some areas.
We’ve started rolling out Android 4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich, to UMTS/GSM Nexus S, Xoom Wi-Fi, and HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus devices. #android
— Android (@Android) March 28, 2012
We're anxiously waiting for our own GSM/UMTS Galaxy Nexus to get the push so we can test out the final build and see what all has changed. Hopefully Google also updates the factory images for Galaxy Nexus pages for those of us who are impatient.
Source: Google
Most mobiles – 73% – are smartphones and nearly half are running Google’s Android operating system, according to the latest research.
ComputerWeekly: IT hardware
Over the last few years of smartphone ownership, one of the most satisfying and somewhat surprising uses has been listening to good old fashioned FM radio, streamed through the internet and to my phone. They're not ideal for this, certainly. Phone speakers are tolerable at best for music, and often not loud enough to fill a room. And streaming, especially in WiFi dead spots around your house, can deplete your phone's battery quickly. And yet, dedicated internet radio devices have remained a bit of a niche; and a niche often reserved for those with money to spare. The earliest internet radio device, the Kerbango was a 0 flop, whose legacy (if not looks) and price carry on with Tivoli Audio’s Networks internet radio. And though cheaper devices have rolled out, including Logitech’s Squeezebox, the prospect of buying a device solely dedicated to streaming internet radio limits the appeal to buyers.
Archos, no stranger to undercutting on price and focusing on media playback, introduced their Archos 35 Home Connect last year, to compete in this space by leveraging Android to bring more than just internet radio to your home. Priced at 0, Archos has basically taken 2010-era smartphone internals (TI's OMAP 3630, indeed) and strapped them to a pair of speakers and a 3.5” screen. Does this repurposing of Android make for a compelling buy? Let’s find out.
Lots of Gray
The design of the Home Connect is simple, if a little bland. The 3.5” screen is centered on the device and flanked by the speakers. The traditional Android controls (back, menu, search and home) are joined by volume controls as soft buttons just below the screen. A VGA front-facing camera sits just above the screen, and around back we find a microSD slot, micro USB port (for power and PC-connection), 3.5 mm headphone jack and a power button. The casing is glossy, grey plastic and though there’s a certain heft to the device, this doesn’t feel like a device that would survive a terribly large fall.
The display uses a TFT panel, which lacks in resolution and image quality. At 480×272, and producing washed out colors and blacks not much darker than the case, you probably won't watch a lot of video on this screen. This, despite Archos typical dedication to including extensive video codec and container support. More frustrating than the display, is the touchscreen layer. I’ve never met a resistive touchscreen I’ve liked, and though this one is no more offensive than any other, it’s still the most frustrating aspect of the Home Connect. Key presses are often missed and swipe gestures are an exercise in frustration. Some hardware buttons could have gone a long way to remedying the problem, particularly if a directional pad were included. Better still, swapping the resistive layer for a capacitive one would be like mana from heaven.
Android As An Appliance
Though they tout the nearly limitless number of internet radio streams available, Archos doesn’t advertise this simply as an internet radio. Leveraging Android as the operating system means that the device is as versatile as the apps you can install (on Android 2.2, at least). Pre-installed apps are mainly media centric, though Tango is included for video calling. Angry Birds is the only truly surprising inclusion; if scrolling on a resistive screen is difficult, gaming is torturous. To download new apps users use a special version of AppsLib, whose catalog is broad, but unimpressive. The top free app is a Google Apps installer that grants the device Market access, a suitable testament for AppsLib’s selection. With Market installed the limiting factor is that resistive screen. Media streaming apps (Netflix, Pandora, etc) work well, though inputting usernames and passwords is challenging. Productivity and messaging apps are made almost unusable by the touchscreen, but then you probably have a phone, tablet or PC nearby for that. There’s just no getting around it, Android notwithstanding, this is a streaming device first and foremost.
The pre-installed internet radio app is one of the best, Tune-In Radio Pro. The parent company RadioTime, first developed an engine for aggregating internet radio streams in 2003 and is put to use in Logitech’s Squeezebox and other streaming devices. The Tune-In Radio app was introduced in 2008, and after a few years has matured into a feature rich, stable service with apps on iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices. The “Pro” edition of the app caches content allowing users to pause and time shift streams. It’s not quite Tivo-esque since there’s no facility for scheduling recordings, but a nifty feature for live content, or playing back a song. Users can easily search for streams based on genre, location or name. Station and track data is updated on screen, on streams where it’s available, and the interface is easy to use, if a little drab.
So, we’ve settled on this as a media playback device, how’s it do? Tivoli’s speakers are all high-end components designed to match their top dollar price. These . . . are not. That’s not to say they’re without merit. Indeed, if you’re used to listening to music through your phone’s speaker, this is much better. Stereo separation isn’t huge, but volume is much better and the range is sufficient for internet audio streams. As a frequent NPR listener the speakers seem perfect for the spoken voice, with a broad resonance that gives voices a fullness that a small phone speaker fails to do. Music doesn’t have the impact that a set of larger speakers and separate sub woofer would, but there’s much more bass available than on your phone. Sound is mostly distortion free as you raise the volume, though I suspect the speakers could be driven louder and Archos simply set 100% to be well within the speakers capabilities. Audio then, is great for an Android device, but won’t wow those who’ve bought anything from B&O.
Though typical use case is as a plugged-in device, the home connect does have a battery, so it can be carried around untethered (but within range of your wireless network). Battery life while streaming isn’t quite all-day, figuring closer to four hours than eight, but if you’re around the house you’re probably not too far from a microUSB charger no matter what room you’re in. WiFi range is as good around my house as any other WiFi connected devices, though the thick walls of this old house make horizontal penetration much worse than vertical. Though 802.11 a/b/g/n is offered, users are limited to 2.4 Ghz bands, making it vital to position it farther from your microwave for kitchen use.
Wrap-up
With the 35 Home Connect, Archos tries to answer the question, "Is Android a good platform for an internet appliance?" Past internet appliance efforts (the Chumby among them) have found little traction; while streaming audio devices have been hampered by their limited abilities and high cost. While the 35 Home Connect acquits itself well as an audio streamer, it falls short as a broader internet appliance. The display is adequate, and the Android build is stable and effective. But a resistive touchscreen makes the experience less than stellar. Being able to expand services by adding apps (like Spotify) make this device competitive with other devices at the same price point. But there’s just no getting around the fact that Android is a touch interface, and if touch response is lacking, the experience just won’t cut it. That said, I love the idea of the Home Connect and hope Archos (and others) continue to refine the genre. Same device with an OLED screen and capacitive touch, and you have a real winner.
{Ed. note: We've foregone presenting our usual testing data because of the nature of this product. If you're a developer or just curious, feel free to e-mail me at the by-line link and I'd be glad to share.}
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The long road to Android 4.0 for US subscribers seems to be getting shorter; and for some lucky users the time has come. AT&T's HTC Vivid was one of their first LTE devices, and made the list of HTC devices that would be receiving Ice Cream Sandwich. Typically these OTA updates are pushed after extensive testing and to a handful of devices at first. However, as first reported on Android Central, some owners were able to pull the update by dialing *#*#682#*#*. The update includes HTC's updated Sense 3.6 skin, which seems a little less intrusive than their prior iterations and does open up its Beats Audio feature to third party applications for the first time.
As a Gingerbread device the VIvid's no slouch; featuring Qualcomm's S3 APQ8060 (1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon), paired with the MDM9600 for connectivity, and 1GB of RAM, performance was on par with other phones of that generation. With this update we will have our first chance to directly compare performance on ICS between two similar SoCs (TI's OMAP 4xxx and Qualcomm's S3). No doubt a lot of time has been spent by both Qualcomm and HTC in optimizing the build for the hardware, and hopefully that work will be pushed to more AT&T users in the coming weeks.
Interested Vivid owners should try the update code, users on XDA are reporting varying success; if your phone updates, please post performance results as you get them. We'll update the post if we learn more.
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