Mayur's Posterous

This is probably the most fanboy-ish thing I've ever done.

I love tech and I obsess over every gadget based on its merit but I never get into the whole fanboy craziness.

Q. So why did I put Android wallpapers on the iPads at my friendly neighbourhood electronics store?

A. Because I can.

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HP Touchpad at Sharaf DG

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So everyone knows by now that HP has pulled the plug on their Touchpad tablets only a month after its release. A 16GB Wi-Fi version used to retail for $400 but the same model is now being sold for $99.

Given this crazy sale price, everyone wants one now (as expected). It's impossible to get one in the States or UK (I didn't even know they sold these in the UAE). I took this picture at Sharaf DG and those guys have NO idea about the price cut. I feel sorry for the sales guy who spent about 5 minutes explaining the OS on the device (WebOS) and how this will be a strong competitor for the iPad. He thought I was joking when I told him that HP is discontinuing the device, even the manager confirmed that he had no idea about the price drop.

$99 roughly converts to AED 365 and would be an AMAZING price for a home tablet given the specs (scroll down and select "TECH SPECS"). Also, I'm pretty sure that a lot of people are working on Honeycomb to be ported to the device.

Now I gotta call them up every single day and hope for a price drop soon.

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iPhones control interactive billboard in Stockholm to win McTreats

Ah, Sweden. The land of Akvavit, crayfish parties and billboards that respond to your iPhone.

You heard that right. McDonald's, not exactly a hotbed of Swedish cuisine but a popular place to eat nonetheless, has installed an interactive billboard in Stockholm. Enter a special URL, and you can play pong on the billboard with your iPhone. If you can survive for 30 seconds in the game, you get a digital coupon for some treats at Mickey D's.

 

What's brilliant is that you don't need to download an app to play the game - just enter picknplay.se into a browser, and a web app checks your location to verify that you're near the billboard. You knew there was a good reason to keep Location Services turned on all the time...

Another game on the same billboard has you snap a photo of a McTreat with a phone (not necessarily an iPhone) to get a free goodie at a local McDonald's.

via TUAW

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Barnes & Noble NOOK Color hacked to run MeeGo Linux

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B&N Nook Color update released, brings Froyo, apps, and Flash, we go hands-on (video)

We've been waiting for this day: our little reader would finally become a big boy tablet -- without having to resort to any sort of hackery. We knew it was coming and, as of now, owners of the Barnes & Noble Nook Color should be receiving notices that their devices are ready to drop those training wheels and run some proper apps. Flash web browsing, downloads, games, e-mail, it's all here. Click on through for our impressions and a video of the update in action.

Obviously the biggest addition here are the apps themselves, and sadly we're not talking full Market access -- nor access to any of the standard Google applications like Gmail or Maps. Barnes & Noble has its own set of libraries that software developers must include and use, providing the unified experience the company wants to bring to its little ecosphere, making the look and feel of apps jive with the rest of the system. As to which apps will be available, we saw a number of games, cooking helpers like Epicurious, and, yes, Angry Birds -- though we weren't able to get the latter to install successfully.

To that end, frequently used apps slot right in next to your most recently read books and magazines, and browsing for them in the store is just like hunting for printed titles, even carrying over the same categories -- or genres, as it were. The stock browser now includes Flash support and things perform reasonably well, but there was some noticeable lag at times when playing videos or scrolling about on pages with animations. Performance is generally good, but there are definitely some responsiveness issues and it's safe to say your Nook won't exactly be making any owners of dual-core Honeycomb tablets jealous when it comes to performance.


The reading experience has also been improved, with proper page turning animations, important for those who need a little visual flair with their reading. Reading can now be done in landscape mode for anyone so inclined, while books can include videos and animations. No, you won't be seeing a dramatic recreation of Jean Valjean stealing bread, but you might just find some how-to videos in cookbooks showing you how to properly activate your yeast.

Some children's books are also being updated, adding "read and play" functionality that mixes simple games and challenges in with the text and pictures. In one Dr. Seuss book we were presented a picture of multiple white dogs and were asked to tap on the one wearing roller skates. We found it.

There are a number of other tweaks coming, too, including beta access into a new social portal. This lets you see what friends are reading, taunt them for their Twilight addiction, and even guiltily request to borrow a copy of Breaking Dawn. This has the potential to make the Nook's lending functionality far more useful than it is now.


Ultimately this latest update turns the $250 Nook Color into a fine entry-level tablet with a comfortable size, nice screen and a rather accessible price. That said, this is still a far cry from the pure Android tablet experience that many enthusiasts want. In other words: this isn't likely to stop those Nook hacks that we've come to know and love over the years.

Update: Barnes & Noble indicates the software will be pushed to WiFi-connected devices over the "coming weeks," but if you just can't wait you can download your update here.

Update 2: We've added some further pictures and a more detailed video.

via engadget.com

 

Android devices: BEST INVESTMENT EVER.

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Android Event 02-02-2011 explaining Honeycomb features using a Xoom

 

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The new Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY. Android is ready to play

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Motorola - Empower the People

Why can't they make an ad based on the merit of their product?

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NoteSlate: the $100, single-color tablet that will replace your legal pad forever

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Apple and Android tablets are great if you want PC-like functionality in a slim package, but what if you just want an inexpensive device that can take digital notes?  Enter NoteSlate.

The company’s NoteSlate tablet is a simple device that’s designed for a single purpose – taking notes.  The device features a spacious 13” eInk screen that takes notes in only one color.  Users write on the screen with the included stylus, and notes can be easily erased by flipping the stylus around and erasing, just like you would with a pencil.

The NoteSlate has a simple 3 button interface for saving or deleting notes, and navigating through pages.  Notes can be saved to an SD card or accessed through the device’s USB port.

Measuring only 6mm thin, the NoteSlate isn’t much bigger than a legal pad.  The device also only weighs 10 ounces.  The NoteSlate’s eInk screen sips power, and will last up to 180 hours (nearly 3 weeks) on a single charge.

The best part of the NoteSlate is its price tag – the company plans to sell the NoteSlate for only $100.  The NoteSlate can only write in one color, either white (pictured), black, green, blue or red.  A version of the NoteSlate that supports multiple colors is in development.

The basic, black and white versions of the NoteSlate are expected to launch in June 2011.  Red, green and blue versions of the device will be released in December 2011.

We’re enthusiastic about the NoteSlate, especially since handwritten notes are difficult to take on the iPad and Android tablets.  Fully featured tablets are also often overkill when all you want to do is take notes, especially when price is considered.  Sure, the NoteSlate is limited in many ways, but for $100 this is a tradeoff that is worthwhile, particularly in educational or instructional environments.

 

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My Nook Color runs Android 3.0 a.k.a. Honeycomb.

First off, a big thank you to everyone who sent me all those links when this exciting news broke out!

I still can't believe that I'm running a brand new generation of Android (N1 owners still waiting for "official" 2.3 Gingerbread to release). When Honeycomb was first shown at CES, I had read a lot of reports that there will be specific hardware requirements and that you couldn't just brute force run 3.0 on any device, especially not on my $250 e-reader. The UI for 3.0 is very much Tron-esque and ... shiny :D

Although this is an early release of Honeycomb, the graphics run smooth on my device. I've attached a short video showing the ripple effect of the lock screen.

Some more pictures from bootup to a few menu options including Settings and Recently Used (multi-tasking) menus.

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I <3 the Android Community.
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