VV(^^)VV_____OFFICIAL ANDROID OS/DEVICE THREAD_____VV(^^)VV

[jordanfean23]

anyone can help me flashing a rom to my epic? i already rooted it but don't know how to add a rom..
thanks in advance

 

[jordanfean23]

anyone can help me flashing a rom to my epic? i already rooted it but don't know how to add a rom..
thanks in advance

 

[keithdajuiceman]

Originally Posted by Alchemist IQ

Need some advice ...


I was going to get the Droid X for $199 with my upgrade but Bestbuy is giving the Droid Incredible for free with an upgrade.



Should I get the X or the Incredible?



Or should I just hold out for the Incredible HD ???

Hold out, they about verizon is about kick-in LTE phones next month or in January.



I liked MIUI ROM, but the fact it feels like im using a bootleg ios. Its has great features in the Rom, but it won't let me customize much that I can do on CM6.

I'm patiently waiting for CM6 with 4G. I'm putting my $10 4G Fee to waste

........but its way better than resource hogging HTC Sense

I went back to frost rom...good battery life and everything works..these asop roms have too many bugs that bother me...like with the miui rom the signal is trash..I get damn near 4 bars on frost rom in my house...on miui I get 1 to 2 sometimes none

 

[keithdajuiceman]

Originally Posted by Alchemist IQ

Need some advice ...


I was going to get the Droid X for $199 with my upgrade but Bestbuy is giving the Droid Incredible for free with an upgrade.



Should I get the X or the Incredible?



Or should I just hold out for the Incredible HD ???

Hold out, they about verizon is about kick-in LTE phones next month or in January.



I liked MIUI ROM, but the fact it feels like im using a bootleg ios. Its has great features in the Rom, but it won't let me customize much that I can do on CM6.

I'm patiently waiting for CM6 with 4G. I'm putting my $10 4G Fee to waste

........but its way better than resource hogging HTC Sense

I went back to frost rom...good battery life and everything works..these asop roms have too many bugs that bother me...like with the miui rom the signal is trash..I get damn near 4 bars on frost rom in my house...on miui I get 1 to 2 sometimes none

 

[king x riece]

Originally Posted by Keithdajuiceman

Originally Posted by Alchemist IQ

Originally Posted by whyte1der05five

Need some advice ...


I was going to get the Droid X for $199 with my upgrade but Bestbuy is giving the Droid Incredible for free with an upgrade.



Should I get the X or the Incredible?



Or should I just hold out for the Incredible HD ???

Hold out, they about verizon is about kick-in LTE phones next month or in January.



I liked MIUI ROM, but the fact it feels like im using a bootleg ios. Its has great features in the Rom, but it won't let me customize much that I can do on CM6.

I'm patiently waiting for CM6 with 4G. I'm putting my $10 4G Fee to waste

........but its way better than resource hogging HTC Sense

I went back to frost rom...good battery life and everything works..these asop roms have too many bugs that bother me...like with the miui rom the signal is trash..I get damn near 4 bars on frost rom in my house...on miui I get 1 to 2 sometimes none

Sense roms use 7 bars to display signal, AOSP roms use 4 so it looks like your getting less signal but in fact it's the same

 

[king x riece]

Originally Posted by Keithdajuiceman

Originally Posted by Alchemist IQ

Originally Posted by whyte1der05five

Need some advice ...


I was going to get the Droid X for $199 with my upgrade but Bestbuy is giving the Droid Incredible for free with an upgrade.



Should I get the X or the Incredible?



Or should I just hold out for the Incredible HD ???

Hold out, they about verizon is about kick-in LTE phones next month or in January.



I liked MIUI ROM, but the fact it feels like im using a bootleg ios. Its has great features in the Rom, but it won't let me customize much that I can do on CM6.

I'm patiently waiting for CM6 with 4G. I'm putting my $10 4G Fee to waste

........but its way better than resource hogging HTC Sense

I went back to frost rom...good battery life and everything works..these asop roms have too many bugs that bother me...like with the miui rom the signal is trash..I get damn near 4 bars on frost rom in my house...on miui I get 1 to 2 sometimes none

Sense roms use 7 bars to display signal, AOSP roms use 4 so it looks like your getting less signal but in fact it's the same

 

[keithdajuiceman]

Originally Posted by KING x RIECE

Originally Posted by Keithdajuiceman

Originally Posted by Alchemist IQ

Need some advice ...



I was going to get the Droid X for $199 with my upgrade but Bestbuy is giving the Droid Incredible for free with an upgrade.





Should I get the X or the Incredible?





Or should I just hold out for the Incredible HD ???

Hold out, they about verizon is about kick-in LTE phones next month or in January.







I liked MIUI ROM, but the fact it feels like im using a bootleg ios. Its has great features in the Rom, but it won't let me customize much that I can do on CM6.



I'm patiently waiting for CM6 with 4G. I'm putting my $10 4G Fee to waste

........but its way better than resource hogging HTC Sense

I went back to frost rom...good battery life and everything works..these asop roms have too many bugs that bother me...like with the miui rom the signal is trash..I get damn near 4 bars on frost rom in my house...on miui I get 1 to 2 sometimes none

Sense roms use 7 bars to display signal, AOSP roms use 4 so it looks like your getting less signal but in fact it's the same

naw bruh....I was getting the 1x symbol in my house...and just to test it out I went on the web and I couldn't get a page to load up....went back to a frost rom back up went on the web page loaded up fast as hell...I had what 3 to 4 bars not once did it display the 1x symbol or no service symbol..its that rom

 

[keithdajuiceman]

Originally Posted by KING x RIECE

Originally Posted by Keithdajuiceman

Originally Posted by Alchemist IQ

Need some advice ...



I was going to get the Droid X for $199 with my upgrade but Bestbuy is giving the Droid Incredible for free with an upgrade.





Should I get the X or the Incredible?





Or should I just hold out for the Incredible HD ???

Hold out, they about verizon is about kick-in LTE phones next month or in January.







I liked MIUI ROM, but the fact it feels like im using a bootleg ios. Its has great features in the Rom, but it won't let me customize much that I can do on CM6.



I'm patiently waiting for CM6 with 4G. I'm putting my $10 4G Fee to waste

........but its way better than resource hogging HTC Sense

I went back to frost rom...good battery life and everything works..these asop roms have too many bugs that bother me...like with the miui rom the signal is trash..I get damn near 4 bars on frost rom in my house...on miui I get 1 to 2 sometimes none

Sense roms use 7 bars to display signal, AOSP roms use 4 so it looks like your getting less signal but in fact it's the same

naw bruh....I was getting the 1x symbol in my house...and just to test it out I went on the web and I couldn't get a page to load up....went back to a frost rom back up went on the web page loaded up fast as hell...I had what 3 to 4 bars not once did it display the 1x symbol or no service symbol..its that rom

 

[mastamind89]

Originally Posted by memphisboi55

How do i know when my G2 is in 4G, i was in a 4G area last night, but no indication on the screen..

TMO doesn't actually have 4G, they have HSPDA or w/e which TMO says is "like 4G" but it's more like 3.75G.
I know for AT&T phones, when hacked with a custom ROM and HSPUA is enabled an "H" will be displayed and for some other ROM's 3G is displayed even if HSPUA is enabled

Originally Posted by allreds

Originally Posted by NICKLE DIME BAY

AXURA 2.2 rom on captivate, has 4 different lockscreens. EXTREMELY fast

Hey Nickel, how did you get the 2.2 on your captivate? And sick wallpaper.

You can get 2.2 via Custom Froyo ROM
I'm getting my Captivate replaced sometime this week, hopefully tomorrow but due to random shutdowns.

 

[mastamind89]

Originally Posted by memphisboi55

How do i know when my G2 is in 4G, i was in a 4G area last night, but no indication on the screen..

TMO doesn't actually have 4G, they have HSPDA or w/e which TMO says is "like 4G" but it's more like 3.75G.
I know for AT&T phones, when hacked with a custom ROM and HSPUA is enabled an "H" will be displayed and for some other ROM's 3G is displayed even if HSPUA is enabled

Originally Posted by allreds

Originally Posted by NICKLE DIME BAY

AXURA 2.2 rom on captivate, has 4 different lockscreens. EXTREMELY fast

Hey Nickel, how did you get the 2.2 on your captivate? And sick wallpaper.

You can get 2.2 via Custom Froyo ROM
I'm getting my Captivate replaced sometime this week, hopefully tomorrow but due to random shutdowns.

 

[nickle dime bay]

^ what he said, i just downloaded the rom i wanted and flashed it with some easy instructions from YouTube.

 

[nickle dime bay]

^ what he said, i just downloaded the rom i wanted and flashed it with some easy instructions from YouTube.

 

[mastamind89]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]AT&T Says Olympus Here by January, Then Backtracks[/h1]
File under: News

By: Stephen Schenck | 4:39 PM 29-Nov-10 | 0 Comments

AT&T may be planning to launch the Motorola Olympus even earlier than expected. Today one of the company's Facebook accounts responded to a query about the smartphone by both recognizing that the carrier will in fact be selling the handset, as well as saying the phone will be available in either December or January.

While January does fall into the Q1 2011 projections we had last heard, this new info slides that date right up to the beginning of the new year. In the time since the Facebook post first went up, AT&T Share, one of several Facebook presences the carrier maintains, has taken the reply back down. While this could point to the reply either containing incorrect information or privileged material not yet ready for public dissemination, if the former were the case we'd expect AT&T to post a correction rather that this seeming sweep-under-the-rug.

Officially, AT&T replied, "this response was posted erroneously. We don't have any information to share about upcoming devices." Well, have the information and have-to-share are two very different things, but take what you will away from this slip-up. Worst case, you'll just have to wait a few months longer for the dual-core Android handset with its supposedly-super-high-resolution screen.

Source: Facebook (post now down)
Via: BGR

[h3]http://www.bgr.com/2010/11/23/motorola’s-first-tegra-2-handset-photographed/[/h3]

[h3]Motorola’s first Tegra 2 handset photographed?[/h3]

By: Andrew Munchbach | Nov 23rd, 2010 at 02:58PM

/www.bgr.com/?p=67830">http://www.bgr.com/?p=67830">View Comments
Filed Under: Mobile, Rumors



The above photograph has been making its way around the technology blogosphere for the past several hours. What we are — allegedly — looking at is an image of Motorola’s first Tegra 2 handset, the Olympus. Purportedly, the device is a dual-core, Android set with a screen size of at least 4-inches; it is also rumored to find a home on either AT&T or Verizon Wireless. If you squint, it looks like the device pictured also contains a front facing camera, which we’re sure will become standard fare on all future high-end smartphones in 2011. There isn’t really much more to be deduced from the image and, unfortunately, the anonymous hand pictured was pretty stingy with specific details. Let us know what you think.

Read


http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/23/is-this-the-motorola-olympus-tegra-2-smartphone/

[h1][/h1]

[h1]My Gingerbread Wishlist and Speculation[/h1]
File under: News

By: Joe Levi | 1:31 PM 29-Nov-10 | 2 Comments

According to one of our readers, there is a Google event planned for December 6th, 2010 in San Fransisco. That date would seem to be right on time for an Android 2.3, Gingerbread, release announcement.

The Timeline

Whether or not the December 6th date comes to pass, the initial roll-out of Gingerbread will likely be the announcement of the long-awaited successor to the Nexus One, which we assume will be made by Samsung, and will likely be called the "Nexus S".

In the same breath as the "Nexus S" we'll probably hear about the release of the Gingerbread SDK, which will let developers start playing with all the new goodies -- and making sure their apps work correctly with the new version of the OS.

Shortly after the "Nexus S" is made available for sale (probably on T-Mobile, and likely on AT&T and Rogers), we'll probably see an OTA update pushed to Nexus One users, which will bring Gingerbread to Google's "flagship" phone -- just like we saw with Froyo.

A month or so after the Nexus One's get their update we'll likely see Gingerbread released into the wild via the AOSP. Add another several weeks and there may be a CyanogenMod ROM release based on the new AOSP source (whether this will be CyanogenMod 6.2 or 7.0 is unknown).

What We Suspect

Not long ago, someone did a bit of digging and found a subtle, but different UI for certain elements in a Google Maps update when they set their version of Google Maps to use the next revision number of the SDK (9, versus the current

.

The UI changes include a more flat and square dialog box, with buttons looking "flatter", more square, and less of a 3D look. Translucency in the header and border of dialog boxes were also removed, with a delicate drop-shadow setting the box "above" the app. Is this a glimpse at the new UI? If it is, why is it inside the Google Maps app, not across the OS itself? I'd suspect this to be a system-wide change such that current apps would automatically get the new look-and-feel, rather than an app-at-a-time which screams "inconsistency". Then again, maybe it was a design concept for internal testing that some people on the outside stumbled upon.

Not long ago we started to see a new UI element crop up: the action bubble. This mini-dialog box takes up only a single row on-screen, but contains a whole bunch of context-sensitive action items, such as offering a list of methods with which you can contact a person, or the relatively new copy-and-paste/share/search options seen in the Browser app.

The Google App Distribution Model

Google has been steadily moving away from an "apps included" model, to a "Market distributed" model not only for their core apps ("GAPPS"), but for apps that extend the functionality of the core OS, such as Google Search and Voice Search, which add the ability to search for content and launch apps using what Google calls "intents", as well the capability to write a text or email simply by speaking one structured command followed by its content.

By removing what would normally be considered core components or functionality of the OS from the OS itself, and offering them freely in the Android Market, new and updated features and functionality can be distributed over-the-air via an app installation, rather than through a carrier's full OS update, which takes significantly longer. This should enable a more consistent user experience across all devices, OS versions, carriers -- and hopefully end the dreadful issue of the "fragmentation" non-issue.

Dialer

I am still holding out for the dialer app to include a framework that will let the user select how they'd like to have their calls completed. This would enable a plug-in model such that communication providers could add their service to the list of providers through which you could complete a call. Ideally a VoIP framework would be built into the dialer itself, so you could add one (or many) VoIP providers through which to make your phone call.

Providers like Skype, Fring, Qik, T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling, and even Google Voice could then be fully integrated into the dialer app so you could make an outgoing call via any configured provider, either by setting a default communication provider specific to the contact, and/or by your network connection speed and type (which would fall-back to the next in line as your data speed or availability drops).

Since communication providers would be integrated into the dialer app, making a video call would no longer require launching a separate app, if both you and your call's recipient are capable of video calling, you can make a video call just as easily as making a regular phone call.

Unified Conversational Communication: Instant

The Messaging app should be extended to enable the same type of universal integration model, allowing a consistent user experience for Skype, Fring, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ, MSN, Facebook Chat, Google Talk, Text messaging, Google Voice Texts, and any other form of "instant" and informal conversational communication.

Unified Conversational Communication: Formal

Similarly, formal conversational communication (email) would follow the universal integration model. Gmail, Hotmail, Exchange mail, SMTP, IMAP, Google Voice mail, and any other form of email would be built into a universal email client.

By building off a universal inbox by type of communication (voice/video, instant/text, voicemail/email) the complexity of communication becomes a non-issue, you no longer need to know what app to use to be able to communicate with someone.

Better Browsing

Web browsing in the Android world is already pretty good. Some key functionality that we're missing includes a good way to incorporate tabbed browsing, and (outside CyanogenMod ROM) private or "incognito" browsing is limited to the desktop.

Better Booting

Quick-boot should become common-place on all Android phones. When powering your phone off completely, rebooting should take seconds. Several to dozens of seconds is too long for a phone to boot up.

Tablet/Higher Screen Resolution Support

Currently Android only supports screen resolutions of 854x480 pixels. That doesn't mean that OEMs (like Samsung with their Galaxy Tab) can't come along with a 1024x600 panel and slap Android on top. They can do this, but apps that you download from the Market might not work right or scale properly.

In Gingerbread, it's very possible that Google will raise the ceiling on the resolution maximum of Android thus allowing for super-high-pixel-density handsets to come to market, but also to ensure that developers can make their apps as tablet-friendly as possible. To avoid fragmentation, a new SDK would be issued for Gingerbread that will allow a developer to essentially build two apps into one APK: one for smartphones, one for tablets. And, more smartly, the user can toggle to "tablet view" on his smartphone should he want to take advantage of the different interface.

Additionally, should your Android-powered phone become your "mobile computer" that you can connect to a desktop monitor or big-screen TV, it makes sense that a "physical screen dimensions" setting be added to the device's configuration. By adding this in addition to the pixel resolution, apps could change their layout to better suit the physical size of the screen they're being displayed on, without running into complications with devices running at higher resolutions (more pixels per inch), but the same (or similar) physical dimensions. Think "car dock for your TV".

Tweaks to the Home Screens

Android has the most customizable home screen of any other mobile operating system. While it's great to load your screens with icons, widgets, folders, and shortcuts, re-arranging the icons can often be a drag when you can only move one icon at a time -- or when you don't have enough space left on your screen to drop in a larger widget. It'd be great for there to be an "edit mode" in Gingerbread that would allow you to shuffle around multiple home screen items at once, then hit "done" when you were satisfied.

Also overdue in Android in regards to the home screen is a way to add or remove homescreens. OEMs like Samsung have made this option available, but it's still not built into Android. Also, the Leap feature, made famous by HTC, allows you to zoom out and see all of your homescreens in one view. Gingerbread should make this a native feature, allowing for easier management of your (sometimes) many homescreens.

A Decent Music App

I'll admit it, Android's stock music player app sucks. Seeing what the competition can do, Google needs to step up to the plate and make an music app that blows iTunes and Zune out of the water. It's long overdue.

Carrying on with the universal integration model mentioned previously, Pandora, Last.fm, Slacker, and devices that have a built-in FM tuner should extend this "Music API" and be seen simply as providers in the Music app.

Unified Video

Regardless of the video provider (local, Netflix, TV.com, T-Mobile TV, Hulu, YouTube, video podcasts, or even content streamed from your home DVR/Google TV), video should be presented in (and searchable via) a consistent, elegant, simple, and fast video player.

What did I miss?

Of course a lot of that is a pipe-dream, and likely won't make it in Honeycomb (let alone Gingerbread), but it's my wishlist of a fully unified and user-friendly device.

What did I get right? What did I get wrong?

What would you like to see that I didn't mention?

Thanks: Pascal F.

Brandon Miniman contributed to this article

 

[mastamind89]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]AT&T Says Olympus Here by January, Then Backtracks[/h1]
File under: News

By: Stephen Schenck | 4:39 PM 29-Nov-10 | 0 Comments

AT&T may be planning to launch the Motorola Olympus even earlier than expected. Today one of the company's Facebook accounts responded to a query about the smartphone by both recognizing that the carrier will in fact be selling the handset, as well as saying the phone will be available in either December or January.

While January does fall into the Q1 2011 projections we had last heard, this new info slides that date right up to the beginning of the new year. In the time since the Facebook post first went up, AT&T Share, one of several Facebook presences the carrier maintains, has taken the reply back down. While this could point to the reply either containing incorrect information or privileged material not yet ready for public dissemination, if the former were the case we'd expect AT&T to post a correction rather that this seeming sweep-under-the-rug.

Officially, AT&T replied, "this response was posted erroneously. We don't have any information to share about upcoming devices." Well, have the information and have-to-share are two very different things, but take what you will away from this slip-up. Worst case, you'll just have to wait a few months longer for the dual-core Android handset with its supposedly-super-high-resolution screen.

Source: Facebook (post now down)
Via: BGR

[h3]http://www.bgr.com/2010/11/23/motorola’s-first-tegra-2-handset-photographed/[/h3]

[h3]Motorola’s first Tegra 2 handset photographed?[/h3]

By: Andrew Munchbach | Nov 23rd, 2010 at 02:58PM

/www.bgr.com/?p=67830">http://www.bgr.com/?p=67830">View Comments
Filed Under: Mobile, Rumors



The above photograph has been making its way around the technology blogosphere for the past several hours. What we are — allegedly — looking at is an image of Motorola’s first Tegra 2 handset, the Olympus. Purportedly, the device is a dual-core, Android set with a screen size of at least 4-inches; it is also rumored to find a home on either AT&T or Verizon Wireless. If you squint, it looks like the device pictured also contains a front facing camera, which we’re sure will become standard fare on all future high-end smartphones in 2011. There isn’t really much more to be deduced from the image and, unfortunately, the anonymous hand pictured was pretty stingy with specific details. Let us know what you think.

Read


http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/23/is-this-the-motorola-olympus-tegra-2-smartphone/

[h1][/h1]

[h1]My Gingerbread Wishlist and Speculation[/h1]
File under: News

By: Joe Levi | 1:31 PM 29-Nov-10 | 2 Comments

According to one of our readers, there is a Google event planned for December 6th, 2010 in San Fransisco. That date would seem to be right on time for an Android 2.3, Gingerbread, release announcement.

The Timeline

Whether or not the December 6th date comes to pass, the initial roll-out of Gingerbread will likely be the announcement of the long-awaited successor to the Nexus One, which we assume will be made by Samsung, and will likely be called the "Nexus S".

In the same breath as the "Nexus S" we'll probably hear about the release of the Gingerbread SDK, which will let developers start playing with all the new goodies -- and making sure their apps work correctly with the new version of the OS.

Shortly after the "Nexus S" is made available for sale (probably on T-Mobile, and likely on AT&T and Rogers), we'll probably see an OTA update pushed to Nexus One users, which will bring Gingerbread to Google's "flagship" phone -- just like we saw with Froyo.

A month or so after the Nexus One's get their update we'll likely see Gingerbread released into the wild via the AOSP. Add another several weeks and there may be a CyanogenMod ROM release based on the new AOSP source (whether this will be CyanogenMod 6.2 or 7.0 is unknown).

What We Suspect

Not long ago, someone did a bit of digging and found a subtle, but different UI for certain elements in a Google Maps update when they set their version of Google Maps to use the next revision number of the SDK (9, versus the current

.

The UI changes include a more flat and square dialog box, with buttons looking "flatter", more square, and less of a 3D look. Translucency in the header and border of dialog boxes were also removed, with a delicate drop-shadow setting the box "above" the app. Is this a glimpse at the new UI? If it is, why is it inside the Google Maps app, not across the OS itself? I'd suspect this to be a system-wide change such that current apps would automatically get the new look-and-feel, rather than an app-at-a-time which screams "inconsistency". Then again, maybe it was a design concept for internal testing that some people on the outside stumbled upon.

Not long ago we started to see a new UI element crop up: the action bubble. This mini-dialog box takes up only a single row on-screen, but contains a whole bunch of context-sensitive action items, such as offering a list of methods with which you can contact a person, or the relatively new copy-and-paste/share/search options seen in the Browser app.

The Google App Distribution Model

Google has been steadily moving away from an "apps included" model, to a "Market distributed" model not only for their core apps ("GAPPS"), but for apps that extend the functionality of the core OS, such as Google Search and Voice Search, which add the ability to search for content and launch apps using what Google calls "intents", as well the capability to write a text or email simply by speaking one structured command followed by its content.

By removing what would normally be considered core components or functionality of the OS from the OS itself, and offering them freely in the Android Market, new and updated features and functionality can be distributed over-the-air via an app installation, rather than through a carrier's full OS update, which takes significantly longer. This should enable a more consistent user experience across all devices, OS versions, carriers -- and hopefully end the dreadful issue of the "fragmentation" non-issue.

Dialer

I am still holding out for the dialer app to include a framework that will let the user select how they'd like to have their calls completed. This would enable a plug-in model such that communication providers could add their service to the list of providers through which you could complete a call. Ideally a VoIP framework would be built into the dialer itself, so you could add one (or many) VoIP providers through which to make your phone call.

Providers like Skype, Fring, Qik, T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling, and even Google Voice could then be fully integrated into the dialer app so you could make an outgoing call via any configured provider, either by setting a default communication provider specific to the contact, and/or by your network connection speed and type (which would fall-back to the next in line as your data speed or availability drops).

Since communication providers would be integrated into the dialer app, making a video call would no longer require launching a separate app, if both you and your call's recipient are capable of video calling, you can make a video call just as easily as making a regular phone call.

Unified Conversational Communication: Instant

The Messaging app should be extended to enable the same type of universal integration model, allowing a consistent user experience for Skype, Fring, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ, MSN, Facebook Chat, Google Talk, Text messaging, Google Voice Texts, and any other form of "instant" and informal conversational communication.

Unified Conversational Communication: Formal

Similarly, formal conversational communication (email) would follow the universal integration model. Gmail, Hotmail, Exchange mail, SMTP, IMAP, Google Voice mail, and any other form of email would be built into a universal email client.

By building off a universal inbox by type of communication (voice/video, instant/text, voicemail/email) the complexity of communication becomes a non-issue, you no longer need to know what app to use to be able to communicate with someone.

Better Browsing

Web browsing in the Android world is already pretty good. Some key functionality that we're missing includes a good way to incorporate tabbed browsing, and (outside CyanogenMod ROM) private or "incognito" browsing is limited to the desktop.

Better Booting

Quick-boot should become common-place on all Android phones. When powering your phone off completely, rebooting should take seconds. Several to dozens of seconds is too long for a phone to boot up.

Tablet/Higher Screen Resolution Support

Currently Android only supports screen resolutions of 854x480 pixels. That doesn't mean that OEMs (like Samsung with their Galaxy Tab) can't come along with a 1024x600 panel and slap Android on top. They can do this, but apps that you download from the Market might not work right or scale properly.

In Gingerbread, it's very possible that Google will raise the ceiling on the resolution maximum of Android thus allowing for super-high-pixel-density handsets to come to market, but also to ensure that developers can make their apps as tablet-friendly as possible. To avoid fragmentation, a new SDK would be issued for Gingerbread that will allow a developer to essentially build two apps into one APK: one for smartphones, one for tablets. And, more smartly, the user can toggle to "tablet view" on his smartphone should he want to take advantage of the different interface.

Additionally, should your Android-powered phone become your "mobile computer" that you can connect to a desktop monitor or big-screen TV, it makes sense that a "physical screen dimensions" setting be added to the device's configuration. By adding this in addition to the pixel resolution, apps could change their layout to better suit the physical size of the screen they're being displayed on, without running into complications with devices running at higher resolutions (more pixels per inch), but the same (or similar) physical dimensions. Think "car dock for your TV".

Tweaks to the Home Screens

Android has the most customizable home screen of any other mobile operating system. While it's great to load your screens with icons, widgets, folders, and shortcuts, re-arranging the icons can often be a drag when you can only move one icon at a time -- or when you don't have enough space left on your screen to drop in a larger widget. It'd be great for there to be an "edit mode" in Gingerbread that would allow you to shuffle around multiple home screen items at once, then hit "done" when you were satisfied.

Also overdue in Android in regards to the home screen is a way to add or remove homescreens. OEMs like Samsung have made this option available, but it's still not built into Android. Also, the Leap feature, made famous by HTC, allows you to zoom out and see all of your homescreens in one view. Gingerbread should make this a native feature, allowing for easier management of your (sometimes) many homescreens.

A Decent Music App

I'll admit it, Android's stock music player app sucks. Seeing what the competition can do, Google needs to step up to the plate and make an music app that blows iTunes and Zune out of the water. It's long overdue.

Carrying on with the universal integration model mentioned previously, Pandora, Last.fm, Slacker, and devices that have a built-in FM tuner should extend this "Music API" and be seen simply as providers in the Music app.

Unified Video

Regardless of the video provider (local, Netflix, TV.com, T-Mobile TV, Hulu, YouTube, video podcasts, or even content streamed from your home DVR/Google TV), video should be presented in (and searchable via) a consistent, elegant, simple, and fast video player.

What did I miss?

Of course a lot of that is a pipe-dream, and likely won't make it in Honeycomb (let alone Gingerbread), but it's my wishlist of a fully unified and user-friendly device.

What did I get right? What did I get wrong?

What would you like to see that I didn't mention?

Thanks: Pascal F.

Brandon Miniman contributed to this article

 

[djaward]

They already talking about 2.3 but I havent received 2.2 yet. WTFREAKINGF???? Sprint is really starting to piss me off.

 

[djaward]

They already talking about 2.3 but I havent received 2.2 yet. WTFREAKINGF???? Sprint is really starting to piss me off.

 

[keithdajuiceman]

Originally Posted by djaward

They already talking about 2.3 but I havent received 2.2 yet. WTFREAKINGF???? Sprint is really starting to piss me off.

Blame Samsung

 

[keithdajuiceman]

Originally Posted by djaward

They already talking about 2.3 but I havent received 2.2 yet. WTFREAKINGF???? Sprint is really starting to piss me off.

Blame Samsung

 

[yankeephan87]

I had a couple of questions for droid heads. When you say 2.2, 2.3 do you mean updated os like apple does with their 3.0 or 4.0? Also, is there a program like itunes for droid phones where I can download and sort my music and podcasts?

 

[yankeephan87]

I had a couple of questions for droid heads. When you say 2.2, 2.3 do you mean updated os like apple does with their 3.0 or 4.0? Also, is there a program like itunes for droid phones where I can download and sort my music and podcasts?

 

[davizzy]

Originally Posted by JordanFean23

anyone can help me flashing a rom to my epic? i already rooted it but don't know how to add a rom..
thanks in advance

First download a rom. You can find them at xda's site. Once you have it into your SD card you can flash a rom. Since this is your first time flashing DO A NANDROID BACK-UP before you flash anything. I would suggest you download the rom manager app since it makes things easier.

 

[davizzy]

Originally Posted by JordanFean23

anyone can help me flashing a rom to my epic? i already rooted it but don't know how to add a rom..
thanks in advance

First download a rom. You can find them at xda's site. Once you have it into your SD card you can flash a rom. Since this is your first time flashing DO A NANDROID BACK-UP before you flash anything. I would suggest you download the rom manager app since it makes things easier.

 

[ljlukelj]

Which rom are you guys running? I am on Fresh's ROM with Kings CFS11 Kernal. I am looking for optimal battery life.

 

[ljlukelj]

Which rom are you guys running? I am on Fresh's ROM with Kings CFS11 Kernal. I am looking for optimal battery life.

 

[shabooyah1124]

Is there a release date for the Mecha yet?