As unlikely as it all sounds, modern-day thieves seem to have switched their focus from banks to gaming cell phones. Vodafone New Zealand tweeted about an organized theft of the whole shipment of Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY phones destined for the island, which caused delay of the smartphone’s launch. Sony Ericsson has been hit first by the devastating tsunami in Japan forcing it to push the launch date of many smartphones like the Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, and now it’s the Xperia PLAY that takes a hit.

But we’d still leave some space for doubt as when contacted by local blog TechDay, Vodafone external communications manager Matthew East gave a suspiciously calm response to the affair: “Fear not, all will be revealed on Facebook tomorrow…”

Is there something rotten in the state of New Zealand? The whole story falls well in line with the video below depicting the birth of the first finger-equipped Humanoid-Android and how a human finger was stolen only to be transplanted to feed its gaming addiction. If that’s just clever marketing, it might have fooled a lot of people, but can it help the Xperia PLAY sales? Share your opinion in the comments below.

source: Vodafone NZ (Twitter) via TechDay

Introduction

Google’s tablet-optimized platform is now in full force permeating into the memory of consumers around the world, while at the same time, it’s attempting to conquer the landscape by presenting users a totally immersive, yet functional to the point experience. We’ve spent some time getting situated with the platform, and knowing that it’s going to be continually improved, to bring new features and expand upon some existing ones, the foundations set forth by it will uniformly have a profound impact on how it’s going to be further modified down the road. At this point, there’s no denying that tablets are going to continue marching forward and become the true computing giant over the course of the next few years, however, we just need to reflect upon some of Honeycomb’s accomplishments and our desires for improvement.

First and foremost, we have to applaud Google for sitting down and meticulously bringing the platform from the ground up – while solely keeping in mind that it’s a tablet platform and nothing more. From its surreal and futuristic design theme to its ubiquitous paneled layout within its core apps, everything concretely wraps together to give the user an experience that’s functional, cohesive, and relevant. In addition, Google has upped the ante in the personalization department, much like what we’ve seen with Android as a whole, thanks to its useful array of widgets and dynamic looking wallpapers. Although it’s still in its infancy, the Mountain View based company has done an exceptional job in fully comprehending how the tablet experience is  different from anything else out there – and tailoring it to fit that unique medium…

Read the whole article at PhoneArena.com!

Chuzzle is the first PopCam game for Android

PopCap is the game studio that brought a notable chunk of the time-consuming quality gaming time on iOS with its Bejeweled, Peggle and Plants vs Zombies, but now, after a long wait, Android gamers will also get treated with the same zombie-bashing and generally addictive fun roster. First comes a Bejeweled-like furry color-matching game Chuzzle, available exclusively on the Amazon Appstore for the sweet price of zilch today. What’s Chuzzle?

“Chuzzles: well, they’re adorable, cute, and cuddly. These googly-eyed little balls of fur giggle, squeak, and sneeze as you poke and push them across the grid. They’re also explosive when they get together in a group of three or more. And there’s only one way to make Chuzzels happy: pop ‘em. Just slide, prod, and nudge the Chuzzles with a touch of the finger to match three or more (up and down, across, or both), and send fur flying and eyeballs bouncing. Once you start popping Chuzzles you might not be able to stop.”

But it’s record-breaking Plants vs Zombies that you’re probably waiting for and PopCap won’t disappoint you as the title is coming up in a mere month, followed by puzzler Peggle in the near future. The games seem to be slated only for Amazon’s Appstore, which is currently limited to U.S. customers. Check out the link below for the first title and get your fingers ready for some serious tapping.

Download Chuzzle on the Amazon App Store

source: Neowin

Android might look like a safe system, but researchers from the German University of Ulm have discovered that using it on an open Wi-Fi network, leaves a hole open for impersonation attacks. Which devices are prone to the attack? 99.7% of Androids, or pretty much every device except for the few ones running on Android 2.3.4. The researchers summed up their finding about whether it’s possible to launch an attack against Google services:

“Yes, it is possible, and it is quite easy to do so. Further, the attack is not limited to Google Calendar and Contacts, but is theoretically feasible with all Google services using the ClientLogin authentication protocol for access to its data APIs.”

It’s the unencrypted http protocol used by the ClientLogin that allows for the user’s password and username to be easily sniffed. The scale of this is pretty big as the researchers further explain:

“For instance, the adversary can gain full access to the calendar, contacts information, or private web albums of the respective Google user. This means that the adversary can view, modify or delete any contacts, calendar events, or private pictures. This is not limited to items currently being synced but affects all items of that user.”

Luckily, it seems that the secure https protocol has been implemented for the calendar and contacts authentication in Android 2.3.4, but pictures synced through Picasa could still be a subject to the attack. To minimize the chance of having your data stolen, you could avoid using public open Wi-Fi networks or turn off automatic syncing from the Settings menu in your Android device. Hopefully, Google will release a fix for the issue now as the research has been published, but in the meantime let us know your opinion. Is that a serious issue for you?

source: University of Ulm via TheNextWeb

We’ve already heard about the HTC Puccini, a 10-inch tablet in the works over at HTC, but nothing compares to screenshots of the HTC Sense UI running atop the Android 3.0.1 Honeycomb, courtesy of HTC insider blog 911Sniper. The HTC Puccini features a WXGA resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, and will come with 4G LTE connectivity.

The tablet will feature Qualcomm’s third-generation MSM8660 chipset clocked at the impressive 1.5GHz and if that’s doesn’t mean much to you, why don’t you check out the benchmark cracking performance of the dual-core MSM8660 silicon demoed by the company mere weeks ago? Real-life scenarios of using the silicon muscle include handling 1080p full HD videos and HTML5 playback, which both ran without a hitch. The MSM8×60 family of processors is made with 45-nm technology and comes in three versions: MSM8260 for GSM networks, MSM8660 for CDMA carriers and MSM8960 for LTE. But what could be even more important, is the work that HTC has done with Sense on Honeycomb, which you can see in the screenshot below.

source: 911Sniper (translated)

Thanks, Philip!

We got a tip that Amazon is in the final stages of building its Android-powered tablet, and it turned out not one, but two of them might be on tap from the giant online retailer – quad-core “Hollywood“, and “entry level Coyote” ones.

According to our tipster, Coyote will sport a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2, and is already prime for production, but there is more work to be done on Hollywood, which is supposed to feature NVIDIA’s Kal-El quad-core chipset that is coming later this year.

We last heard a rumor that Samsung is helping Amazon build its tablet, and we know that the Kal-El chipset is slated for Q3 production, and NVIDIA even promised that we’ll see tablets with the quad-core Cortex-A9 silicon in August. Kal-El is supposed to have 12 GPU cores, and be 5x faster than Tegra 2. Now, the only question is since when dual-core became entry level?

Thanks for the tip!

Just what is it about the HTC EVO 3D that makes retailers want to hide the fact that they are taking pre-orders for the phone? You might recall that we told you all about Best Buy’s secret pre-order period for the EVO 3D. Starting Thursday, Radio Shack is starting its “hush-hush” pre-order period for the same device.

Don’t expect a Radio Shack rep to bring it up to you or ask you if you want to reserve the HTC EVO 3D. No signs will be adorning the inside of the store or the window. If you want to reserve the EVO 3D from Radio Shack, you must go up to the desk and tell the rep that you want to pre-order the phone. We suggest using this Top Secret phrase, “I’d like to pre-order the HTC EVO 3D, please.”

A leaked picture of an internal memo stresses the confidentiality of the retailer’s action saying that material received about the EVO 3D is “to be considered highly confidential until the launch date.” Reps are warned not to “provide, take screenshots, or post this information to outside parties.” Radio Shack employees are urged to consult the company’s Confidential Information Guidelines and the firm’s Media Policy. Sharing information with third parties could lead to improper information being released by the media, warns the memo.

The document notes that because there is no launch date yet, that reps should temper the expectations of customers by making them understand that they will have to wait for the launch info to be made public before receiving the phone.

Nonetheless, starting Thursday you can head over to Radio Shack, buy a $50 gift card (which of course you can use toward the final purchase price of the phone) and reserve yourself an HTC EVO 3D. Just make sure you have an alibi and plausible denial just in case someone asks you if you have pre-ordered the handset from Radio Shack.

source: AndroidCentral

This internal memo tells Radio Shack reps that all information about the HTC EVO 3D, including the retailer's pre-order period for the phone, is highly confidential

As we reported, the Motorola X2 is expected to be available as soon as May 19th for Direct Fulfillment orders and should be in the stores on May 26th. And as we get close to the release of the phone, Motorola has put up a Product Support page for the handset. And on the web site is a link to the Motorola DROID X2’s User Guide which confirms the 1GHz dual-core processor on the handset as well as the 4.3 inch qHD display.

While the Motorola DROID X2 will not support 4G, it will be the first Verizon handset to offer a dual-core processor. Combined with the popularity and flagship status of the original DROID X, we would expect to see some pretty good demand for the phone when launched. Will you Verizon customers be picking up the Motorola DROID X2 on launch day, or will you be holding out for the DROID Bionic, or maybe even the Verizon Function? The latter, as we reported earlier Monday, appears to be the name for Big Red’s version of the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Thanks, Big Eaze22!

source: Motorola

A link to the User Guide of the Motorola DROID X2 can be found on Motorola's support page for the phone

For Google Talk’s video chat to work, you need an Android handset with a front-facing camera and the 2.3.4  build of Google’s open source OS. That limits the possible choices right now to the T-Mobile Nexus S and the Sprint Nexus S 4G. If you want to use the feature anywhere where your carrier has coverage, you’re limited to just the Sprint model. Why? Because T-Mobile is blocking the video chat feature over its 3G pipelines.

When a T-Mobile Nexus S user tries to use the Google Talk video chat, he/she gets a message that says, “You must be connected to a WiFi network to start a video chat.”

As the latest batch of Android phones gets launched, most are coming equipped with front-facing cameras. Once the new devices are launched with Android 2.3.4 and the other models receive upgrades to that build, the number of phones able to use Google Talk’s video chat will grow in number tremendously.

source: AndroidCentralForums via Google

Driving the heart of the industry is none other than pure on-contract handset pricing, but as time passes on by, prices are generally lowered greatly to attract customers. Already, we’ve seen RadioShack offering the still desirable HTC Inspire 4G for $29.99 with a contract, but now it looks like Amazon is following suit to compete.

More than considered to be a great value even at its usual price of $99.99 through AT&T, the handset’s price drop to $29.99 is indeed fabulous – even more when you’re getting a top-notch smartphone from HTC’s camp! Fortunately, the deal isn’t simply only available to new customers, but it’s offered to existing customers as well with qualified upgrades. Naturally, free two-day shipping is included with the deal to further save you more money.

Sure it might not be as highly prized when compared to some of the newer Android devices on AT&T’s lineup, but it’s still nonetheless decent with its new pricing.

source: Amazon via Engadget