Android phones get Opera Mini 5 beta

All those Android smartphone owners who have been wondering when they can ditch the outmoded Opera Mini 4.2 browser in favor of the latest beta can now unfold their pouts, stop that kicking, and remove their pounding fists from the floor. Opera Mini 5 beta for Android has arrived.

On Thursday, Opera Software pushed out the Android version of its Mini 5 browser that improves the browser experience for Java phones by leaps and bounds. The beta build is equipped with an updated interface that includes a new "speed dial" start screen featuring thumbnails of most-visited sites. The browser also supports tabs, a first for Mini but old hat on Opera Mobile.

Opera Mini 5 beta (beta 2, actually) and the nearly identical Opera Mobile 10 beta (for Symbian and Windows phones) have been making the mobile rounds since September. We're fans of the latest advances to come to the free browser, and we're looking forward to Opera making those changes final and retiring Opera Mini 4.2 (and Opera Mobile 9.6, while they're at it.) We just wish that Opera had submitted Mini 5 beta to the Android Market sooner.

To download Opera Mini 5 beta for Android, check the Android Market from your smartphone or point to mobile browser to www.opera.com/mini/next/.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Will get Android 2.1

The phone is still awaiting release but the anticipation is growing by the day. Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10, its first kicker of an Android phone is awaiting launch since time immemorial now. Also know as Rachael, this device will come with a 1 GHz snapdragon processor, a huge four-inch capacitive display and of course, the much talked about Rachael UI that seemed pretty good on the emulator videos we have seen so far. The phone is expected to be out in the next few weeks and is will come with Android 1.6 - which is the older version of the OS.
However, new reports coming in from usually reliable sources point to the possibility of the phone being easily upgradeable to newer versions of the OS, namely 2.0 and 2.1. There is, however, one major doubt looming over the ability of the X10 to support multitouch. Android 1.6 does not support multitouch and hence, there is no question of the X10 supporting multitouch in its stock form. However, if the phone is updated to Android 2.1, will the phone be able to support multitouch? That is the question. As of now, it is unclear if the hardware on the phone is capable of doing it.
The phone is expected to be super expensive with the initial price expected to hover around the $817 (Rs. 38,000 approx.) mark. Of course, the prices will vary depending on where you live.

ViewSonic Unveils New MovieBooks

ViewSonic claims to enhance movie watching experience with its four new MovieBook models. It's not just about watching movies anymore; it's about watching HD content. These MovieBooks will support playback of up to 1080p HD video content and select models would also feature touchscreen.

ViewSonic has brought out four MovieBook models of different screen sizes - VPD550T, VPD513T, VPD403 and VPD313T. Out of these four VPD550T features ultra-high 800x480 resolution supporting touchscreen. This touchscreen MovieBook model has 8GB internal memory and supports 1080p HD video output. Another VPD513T model has same ultra-high 800x480 resolution screen that supports 720p content and offers 8GB storage. Both these MovieBooks have HDMI out for connecting them to external and bigger displays.

For a bit compact screen size like that of a PlayStation Portable, VPD403 MovieBook offers 480x272 resolution (yes, that's iPhone/iPod screen resolution) and video out support of 720p HD content. This portable movie book offers support for variety of formats and has 4GB internal storage. Going more compact, VPD313T has 3-inch screen size supporting 480x272 resolution with 480p screen and supports variety of audio-video formats.

The interface looks customized and based on Linux Kernel. However, we anticipate more portable movie and entertainment players loaded with Android OS in future.

Besides watching movies, one can also read books, watch photos and listen to music on any of these MovieBooks. The prices of the MovieBooks are as follows:
200 - (Rs. 9,600 approx.)
190 - (Rs. 9,100 approx.)
150 - (Rs. 7,200 approx.)
140 - (Rs. 6,700 approx.)

The new MovieBooks will start shipping in the first quarter of the year. Specifications and details of the new MovieBooks were not available.

Nexus One: Hands On

Power and battery

Removable 1400 mAH battery

Charges at 480mA from USB, at 980mA from supplied charger

Talk time

Up to 10 hours on 2G
Up to 7 hours on 3G

Standby time

Up to 290 hours on 2G Up to 250 hours on 3G

Internet use

Up to 5 hours on 3G
Up to 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi

Video playback

Up to 7 hours

Audio playback

Up to 20 hours

Processor

Qualcomm QSD 8250 1 GHz

Operating system

Android Mobile Technology Platform 2.1 (Eclair)

Capacity

512MB Flash

512MB RAM

4GB Micro SD Card (Expandable to 32 GB)

Location

Assisted global positioning system (AGPS) receiver

Cell tower and Wi-Fi positioning

Digital compass

Accelerometer

Size and weight

Height

119mm

Width

59.8mm

Depth

11.5mm

Weight

130 grams w/battery
100g w/o battery

Display

3.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen WVGA AMOLED touch screen

800 x 480 pixels

100,000:1 typical contrast ratio

1ms typical response rate

Camera & Flash

5 megapixels

Autofocus from 6cm to infinity

2X digital zoom

LED flash

User can include location of photos from phone’s AGPS receiver

Video captured at 720x480 pixels at 20 frames per second or higher, depending on lighting conditions

Cellular & Wireless

UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900)

HSDPA 7.2Mbps

HSUPA 2Mbps

GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)

Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

A2DP stereo Bluetooth

Buttons, connectors and controls

Front / Top

[1] Power

[2] 3.5mm stereo headphone jack

[3] Charging and notification indicator

[4] Illuminated capacitive soft keys:
Back, Home, Menu, and Search

[5] Tri-color clickable trackball

Back / Bottom

[6] Camera

[7] Camera flash

[8] Speaker

[9] Dock pin connectors

[10] Micro USB port

[11] Microphone

Left side

[12] Volume Control

Additional features

• Haptic feedback
• Teflon™ coated back
• Second microphone for active noise cancellation
• SIM card slot
• Micro SD slot
• Proximity sensor
• Light sensor

Graphics, video and audio

Audio decoders

AAC LC/LTP, HE-AACv1 (AAC+), HE-AACv2 (enhanced AAC+) Mono/Stereo standard bit rates up to 160 kbps and sampling rates from 8 to 48kHz, AMR-NB 4.75 to 12.2 kbps sampled @ 8kHz, AMR-WB 9 rates from 6.60 kbit/s to 23.85 kbit/s sampled @ 16kHz., MP3 Mono/Stereo 8-320Kbps constant (CBR) or variable bit-rate (VBR), MIDI SMF (Type 0 and 1), DLS Version 1 and 2, XMF/Mobile XMF, RTTTL/RTX, OTA, iMelody, Ogg Vorbis, WAVE (8-bit and 16-bit PCM)

Image

JPEG (encode and decode), GIF, PNG, BMP

Video

H.263 (encode and decode) MPEG-4 SP (encode and decode) H.264 AVC (decode)

Audio encoders

AMR-NB 4.75 to 12.2 kbps sampled @ 8kHz