Flash 10.2 Arrives on Android, Brings Flash to Tablets

Adobe has finally released Flash Player 10.2 for Android. Its release marks the availability of Flash for Android 3.0.1 Honeycomb, Google’s OS for tablets.

While Flash 10.2 for Android boasts performance enhancements that improve the experience on mobile, the thrust of this update is to bring Flash to tablet devices like the Motorola Xoom. Adobe says it has been working closely with Google “to ensure tight integration and optimization between Flash Player 10.2 and new OS and browser capabilities.”

The result, Adobe says, is an integrated and fully functional browsing experience. Adobe wanted to make sure a web page with Flash appeared on Android tablets the way it does on the desktop, in the way intended by the page designer.

While Flash 10.2 for Android 2.2 and 2.3 is a production general availability release, Flash 10.2 for Android 3.0 is a beta release. In the next few weeks, Adobe intends to release GA version of Flash 10.2 for Android Honeycomb that enables hardware acceleration and Stave Video support.

Support for Stage Video and hardware acceleration was added to Flash Player 10.2 for the desktop, which was released last month. Combined, these technologies should improve the playback of HD video video and embedded content on tablet devices.

Flash 10.2 for Android 2.2, 2.3 and 3.0.1 is available for download in the Android Marketplace.

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Cosmo & Self Magazines Arrive on the iPad

It’s been a big week for lifestyle and women’s magazines on the iPad.

First, Meredith titles Better Homes and Gardens, Fitness and Parents released their respective first issues for the device, followed by Condé Nast’s Self [iTunes link] and a “bonus issue” from Cosmopolitan [iTunes link] magazine, owned by Hearst.

While the latter two were by no means as elegant as Better Homes and Gardens — which re-drafted its layouts and used video and manipulable graphics to enhance much of its staple content — they made up for it somewhat in interactivity.

Cosmo‘s quizzes are much more fun (and easier to keep track of) on the iPad than in hard copy, while Self‘s monthly slew of workout moves, for instance, can be more quickly identified and replicated thanks to sliding animations.

Some interactions, however, are more flash than substance. Cosmo‘s animated makeup how-tos are far too vague to be useful, and the diet tracker Self included in its April issue is likewise useless without a way to enter notes (i.e., keep track of anything at all).

By far the most interesting — and certainly shocking — use of in-app audio to date goes to Cosmo, which recorded men simulating various sex noises. (We don’t suggest you play “the loud moaner” at top volume in your office.)

Although neither Self nor Cosmo are groundbreaking magazine apps, regular readers of both titles will find a better experience on the iPad than in the magazines’ respective print editions. And with time and feedback, we hope, both titles will develop better versions for the device.

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HTC ThunderBolt Perm Rooted

So we had a little look over at the XDA Forums at the root of the ThunderBolt before it was released, and yes, that is always impressive. But it wasn’t permanent! What we love to see is that permanence, the real test of weather the phone is really rooted or just wearing a Halloween mask. Well let me tell you what’s happened essentially overnight – perm root. Indeedy yes, it was user jcase who let the world know that with the first step being a showing on the 16th, the 17th at nearly midnight the real test was accomplished.

The first step was “a kind soul” coming to the AndIRC palace on the 16th of this month, March 2011. They had a release ThunderBolt and it did get tested there and it was confirmed that the Temp Root accomplished some time ago did indeed still work – this test was done because the original ThunderBolt used may well have had a different build from the one released on release day. It was this night that they first tested a permanent root, but the testing was not completed because everyone got tired and decided to go to sleep.

On the 17th, yesterday, a couple of production devices were purchased and writing to /system commenced. At first they did not have recovery working, and they toiled away all day! Then it came, at 11:35 PM on the 17th of March, aka ThunderBolt Day, aka the day the device was officially released, and they had it. They had permaroot. You can chat and have a nice coffee or whatever with the doers of these deeds over at http://chat.andirc.net:9090/?channels=#thunderbolt – or you can go back to the XDA Forum Thread where they announced their kingship and see when they’re going to release directions so you can do the same.

• UPDATE: Our pals over at Android Police have the lowdown, son!

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All the Web’s TV & Movies in One Sweet Spot: Moki.tv

If you’re a digitally aware couch potato like me, you risk burning a significant number of calories surfing between Hulu, Netflix, Amazon and iTunes to get your fix of movies and television shows.

If you’re interested in mitigating that risk, you’ll want to take a look at Moki.tv, an all-in-one guide to the Internet’s entertainment offerings.

From Moki, you can browse a broad and deep catalog of almost all the silver-screen and small-screen content available on the web. You can watch free content from Hulu; subscription stuff from Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime and Comcast’s xfinity tv; and on-demand TV and movies from iTunes and Amazon Video On Demand. You can sign up with Facebook Connect, then simply select the content services you already use; Moki makes it easy to connect service with third-party authentication, so you won’t need to remember any logins.

Once you’re in, you’ll be able to rate movies and get recommendations — you can even pull your rating from Netflix to Moki and vice versa — and create a queue of shows and movies to watch. The site uses your ratings as well as ratings from IMDb, Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes to make recommendations for you; and the recommendations I got were spot-on, especially after I had imported my Netflix ratings.

Not only can you find and watch what you love without visiting a half-dozen websites; you can also find new shows and films to watch that are similar to ones you’ve already watched. You can sort content by genre, rating, popularity and release date; or you can browse award-winning films and TV shows. The site also has fascinating curated collections of content, like Shakespeare adaptations or Clint Eastwood flicks hand-picked by Eastwood himself.

In addition to getting boatloads of online video, you can explore trending lists of actors and directors, read synopses, write reviews, leave comments, and more. And perhaps best of all, if you signed up with Facebook Connect, you have an instant social connection and can see your friends’ ratings and reviews on content, too.

The site, though new, is remarkably full-featured; many of these cool features are made possible by clever integrations with existing sites and apps.

You can expect to see streaming media sources on Moki.tv soon. Currently, the site’s founders are polling users to find out which streaming sources are the most requested. Moki’s also working on an API.

We like the premise of the site — one-stop shopping for watching TV and movies online — and we like the UI, which is sleekly designed with lots of nice touches. Check it out for yourself, and let us know what you think.

Moki, Inc. is an San Francisco-based Y Combinator startup founded by Matt Huang, a recent MIT math grad, and Sandy Spicer, a fellow dev from MIT. The company is currently hiring looking for local engineering talent.

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We were just hanging out like hooligans at a Verizon store down Arizona way today when we decided to inquire about a particular phone on the horizon: the Motorola Droid Bionic. This is a phone with 512MB of RAM, a dual-core processor, and wouldn’t you know it – 4G LTE speed. As it turns out, the folks at Verizon were more than willing to hand us over a bit of info on this phone, most of it we already knew, but let slip a rather important point of interest: the release date.

While they didn’t get TOO specific as they weren’t 100% sure, they did, these Verizon people, tell us that the phone would be released somewhere around mid-April. This is a phone that’s got a front and rear-facing camera, the read totaling up to 8 megapixels of fury, with a 4.3-inch qHD touchscreen display up front. And it’s connected to the network’s 4G LTE network, the one we’re all freaking out over with the ThunderBolt. Will this phone leave the ThunderBolt obsolete instantly?

Perhaps. But there are those who still prefer HTC over Motorola. Why? Heck, I don’t know. The fact that it’s got the built-in ability to silence calls by flipping on its face is enough to keep this dude on HTC. But who knows? I and we do LOVE the XOOM tablet, and the ATRIX 4G has that lovely webtop app that we know the Droid Bionic will also be getting, so perhaps there’s hope after all? Let’s look at the press pics together and think about our decisions we’ve made in life:

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Flash Player 10.2 Up Now for Android, Incorrectly Listed as 10.1

As you might have guessed, today is indeed the day that Adobe releases their new version of Flash Player, that being Flash Player 10.2, to the world. However, there is a bit of a complication in the title, as in some places it’s listed as Flash Player 10.1, and in others it’s listed as 10.2. The correct link for the update is below, but before you go there, make sure your firmware is updated to the point it’s supposed to be at, especially if you’re using the Motorola XOOM.

To get the update you need on your XOOM, all you’ve got to do is go to Settings, then About Tablet, then System updates. If when you click this button your tablet informs you that your system is currently up to date, more than likely you’re set to go. If you are sure you did not receive [this update] which would bump you up to Build number HRI66 and Android version 3.0.1.
To get the new version of Flash, head over to [this link right here] which goes directly to the Android Market where you’ll be able to install or, if you’ve got a device that already worked with Flash, simply update. If you hit this link with your tablet and it shows up as 10.1, don’t fret, install it anyway. Soon it will be listed as 10.2 and all will be well. Meanwhile you’ll have Flash and your life will become all roses and daisies.
Also note that they’re calling this a BETA release for Android 3.0.1+ tablets and a “finished production quality release for Android 2.2 and Android 2.3 devices.”

BONUS here’s the product description:

Bring the FULL web to your device with Flash Player- videos, games, apps & more

Flash Player enables a FULL web browsing experience.

NOTE: This is a finished production quality release for Android 2.2 and 2.3 devices and a BETA release for Android 3.0.1+ tablets. Please check with your device manufacturer or carrier to ensure you have the latest firmware update for your device.

Flash Player delivers access to your favorite web videos, games and interactive content. Flash Player on your device gives you:

• The freedom to access the same rich web content you experience on a desktop PC from your mobile device – anywhere, anytime; 
• Uncompromised browsing without ‘empty boxes’ on web pages.

For optimal performance and the most immersive experience on Android 3.0.1+ tablets, view Flash Player delivered content in full screen by using the menu buttons provided by content providers, or by tapping content once followed by a long tap to bring down a button in the upper left corner which can be tapped to enable full screen mode.

By clicking “Install” I agree to the License Agreement terms at http://adobe.com/go/eum. Manage your privacy settings at https://settings.adobe.com/flashplayer/mobile.

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HTC Thunderbolt battery life to get extended options

It’s no secret that part of the delay of the Verizon HTC Thunderbolt release was do to the challenging battery life of the handset on the 4G/LTE network. In SlashGear’s review today, that was never more obvious when solely relying on 4G for average use, the Thunderbolt red barred after less than 3 hours. And even though coupling 4G with WiFi the battery life becomes comparable with other HTC 4G options, clearly something needs to be done. HTC is addressing battery life concerns by announcing they will be selling an optional extended life battery in the near future.

“We want customers who are power users, that are going to have the hotspot on all day, to just go,” said Pat Bucci, Verizon’s director of accessory products.

The new battery, which will cost $49.99, nearly doubles it’s mille amp hours from 1400 mAh to 2750 mAh. But that extra boost comes at a cost because it will add another ounce to an already hefty 6.23 oz handset. And the Thunderbolt will also have to deal with being thicker as the larger battery means a new backing that will come with the battery. There is no word if that new backing will also eliminate the hefty metal kickstand that is built in.
In addition to the new extended battery, Verizon will also be offering a charging dock for $59.99 that can charge both the phone and a backup standard or extended battery in concert. A second standard battery will run about $30. Another option takes advantage of the Thunderbolt being the first Verizon phone that supports wireless charging. The optional Qi-compatible back and charging pad will set users back $29 for the Qi back and another $70 for the charging pad. Geez, that’s a lot of money to address an obvious battery life flaw.

• [via GearLive]

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HTC Thunderbolt review on SlashGear

Vince over at SlashGear got his hands on the long anticipated, and often delayed, HTC Thunderbolt by Verizon and considering it’s 4g hardware is “seasoned,” the impressions are positive. The design of the Thunderbolt standard for an HTC handset, large 4.3″ screen, metal chassis, industrial look. And while the display is a standard WVGA TFT touchscreen, the colors are impressively crisp and warm. And the design is actually narrower than most 4G phones, considering the extra space needed for it’s built in metal kickstand.

One thing users will notice though is the Thunderbolt’s heft at 6.23 oz. But it comes packed with a 1.3 megapixel front facing webcam and an 8 megapixel auto-focus rear facing camera with dual-LE flash. Under the hood, the Thunderbolt sticks with the tried and true 1 GHz Snapdragon single core processor, which is surprising considering the marketing focus on the Thunderbolt is one of speed and performance. And sadly, that’s where this 4G phone falls short as there are much faster options out there.
The Thunderbolt does make the most of that Snapdragon processor thanks to 768MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. It’s running a mature Android 2.2 (Froyo) out of the box, and we’re hoping that HTC will boost it up to 2.4 Gingerbread sooner, rather than later. But that usually takes some time as Sense is used as an overlay and it usually takes some time to accommodate the new flavor to the many features Sense users are accustomed to.
Where the Thunderbolt really shines is in it’s 4G/LTE performance, specifically in hotspot host mode. Users can share the Thunderbolt’s 3G/4G connection with up to eight WiFi devices tethered to it and enjoy a pleasant surfing experience. Vince connected his iPhone and MacBook pro through the Thunderbolt via WiFi and the Thunderbolt’s 4G connection hardly batted an eye with 18.73 Mbps downloads and 4.39 Mbps uploads.
When it comes to battery life, we’ve heard a lot of bad news about the Thunderbolt. It was rumored to be causing it’s launch delay. And at first blush, it seemed that relying solely on a 4G connection the Thunderbolt would only not last the day, but users would be lucky to get through Noon. But when combined with a WiFi signal, the battery life on the Thunderbolt becomes on par with other HTC devices on the Verizon LTE network.

• For more, check out SlashGear’s review here.

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HTC Thunderbolt battery life to get extended options

It’s no secret that part of the delay of the Verizon HTC Thunderbolt release was do to the challenging battery life of the handset on the 4G/LTE network. In SlashGear’s review today, that was never more obvious when solely relying on 4G for average use, the Thunderbolt red barred after less than 3 hours. And even though coupling 4G with WiFi the battery life becomes comparable with other HTC 4G options, clearly something needs to be done. HTC is addressing battery life concerns by announcing they will be selling an optional extended life battery in the near future.

 “We want customers who are power users, that are going to have the hotspot on all day, to just go,” said Pat Bucci, Verizon’s director of accessory products.

The new battery, which will cost $49.99, nearly doubles it’s mille amp hours from 1400 mAh to 2750 mAh. But that extra boost comes at a cost because it will add another ounce to an already hefty 6.23 oz handset. And the Thunderbolt will also have to deal with being thicker as the larger battery means a new backing that will come with the battery. There is no word if that new backing will also eliminate the hefty metal kickstand that is built in.
In addition to the new extended battery, Verizon will also be offering a charging dock for $59.99 that can charge both the phone and a backup standard or extended battery in concert. A second standard battery will run about $30. Another option takes advantage of the Thunderbolt being the first Verizon phone that supports wireless charging. The optional Qi-compatible back and charging pad will set users back $29 for the Qi back and another $70 for the charging pad. Geez, that’s a lot of money to address an obvious battery life flaw.

• [via GearLive]

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Android loses out to iPhone bigtime in JD Power Satisfaction Ratings

Oh snap, looks like JD Power still loves the iPhone more than every other phone they’ve got a rating for, those dastardly dudes. They’ve got every other bigtime brand on there, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and even Nokia, Palm, and RIM Blackberry, though we’re also not sure how they found those groups to top Samsung and their Galaxy S device line. Of course you could notice that Apple scores amongst the lowest for battery function, that owing a bunch to the researchers found that those using social networks (battery drainers) enjoyed their phones significantly more than those who had no use for such things.

Feel free to look at the pips on the chart above, or you could take a peek at the full press release below which, when compared to last year’s survey, shows the iPhone to, of course, maintain its position from last year. From there it’s just a bit different – HTC and Motorola switched positions, all three of them (those two and Apple) all dipping in satisfaction from last year just a tad. People know what they want more and more every year, and it’s tough to satisfy!
Of course then there’s regular phones, for people who don’t like to play Angry Birds and such, Sanyo leading that pack, LG being second, Samsung going third. Have a peek deep into the dots and find yourself crying over the fact that Apple, Palm, and Blackberry are even on the list. Horrifying!

J.D. Power and Associates Reports:
Social Media Use Drives Higher Satisfaction among Owners of
Smartphones and Traditional Mobile Phones
Apple Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Smartphone Manufacturers,
While Sanyo Ranks Highest among Traditional Mobile Phone Manufacturers
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 17 March 2011 — Overall satisfaction with smartphones and traditional mobile phones is considerably higher among owners who use their devices for social media activity, compared with satisfaction among owners who do not access social media platforms on their phones, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction StudySM—Volume 1 and the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Wireless Traditional Mobile Phone Satisfaction StudySM—Volume 1, both released today.
Among smartphone owners who use their device to access social media sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, satisfaction averages 783 on a 1,000-point scale—nearly 22 points higher than among those smartphone owners who do not often use social media sites on their device. Currently, more than one-half of smartphone owners report having used their device to access social media sites via the mobile Web or mobile applications. While rates of mobile social media site usage are not nearly as high among owners of traditional mobile phones (9%, on average), satisfaction among traditional handset owners who use their device for social media is notably higher than that of traditional handset owners who don’t access social media (754 vs. 696).
“It’s not unexpected that smartphone owners access social media sites from their device more frequently than traditional mobile phone owners due to features such as larger screens and QWERTY keyboards,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. “However, these findings demonstrate that equipping devices with powerful features and service is key to creating positive customer experiences with wireless devices.”
The study finds that wireless users who engage in mobile social media activity on their mobile device also tend to use it more often for calls, texts and data; are more likely to purchase additional wireless services in the future; and are also more likely to provide positive recommendations for their handset brand and service provider, compared with users who don’t use social media on their device.
“It’s clear that the gap in satisfaction between customers who use social media applications on their device and those who don’t is driven by several factors, but the critical ingredient is whether the user has a positive experience with the wireless device itself,” said Parsons. “Providing features that facilitate social networking activity and make it easy for users to communicate and share information between various social media sites may be an effective way for service providers to further engage customers and increase loyalty.”
These two studies measure customer satisfaction with traditional wireless handsets and smartphones among owners who have used their current mobile phone for less than two years, by examining several key factors. In order of importance, the key factors of overall satisfaction with traditional wireless handsets are: operation (30%); physical design (30%); features (20%); and battery function (20%). For smartphones, the key factors are: ease of operation (26%); operating system (24%); physical design (23%); features (19%); and battery function (8%).
For a fifth consecutive time, Apple ranks highest among manufacturers of smartphones in customer satisfaction with a score of 795 and performs particularly well in ease of operation, operating system, features and physical design. Motorola (763) and HTC (762) follow Apple in the smartphone rankings.
Sanyo ranks highest in overall wireless customer satisfaction with traditional handsets with a score of 715. Sanyo performs well in three factors: physical design, battery functionality and operation. LG (711) and Samsung (703) follow Sanyo in the traditional handset rankings.
The studies also find the following key wireless handset usage patterns:
The average price of a traditional wireless mobile phone continues to decline and averages $73 in 2011, compared with an average of $81 at the beginning of 2009. The decline is primarily due to discounts provided by handset providers and wireless service carriers to incentivize sales. Currently, 46 percent of owners report having received a free mobile phone when subscribing to a wireless service, which is a historical high.

Mobile applications continue to enhance the smartphone user experience. Two-thirds of owners say they have downloaded games and social networking applications to their device. More than one-half (54%) say they have downloaded travel software, such as maps and weather applications, while 53 percent indicate having downloaded entertainment-oriented applications. This indicates that smartphone owners are continuing to integrate their device usage into both their business and personal lives.

Ownership tenure impacts overall satisfaction with the device experience. Those who report owning their device less than one year are significantly more likely to be more satisfied than those who have owned their wireless phone for a longer period of time (773 vs. 728). Newer devices tend to offer more features, services and better quality than older phones.

The 2011 U.S. Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction Study—Volume 1 and the 2011 U.S. Wireless Traditional Mobile Phone Satisfaction Study—Volume 1 are based on experiences reported by 7,275 smartphone owners and 11,347 traditional mobile phone owners. The studies were fielded between July and December 2010.

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