Get Your Very Own Chrome Notebook

Google has opened up a pilot program to anyone who want to test out the new Chrome OS on a new CR-48 Chrome Notebook designed specially for this pilot program. This baby can boot up in about 10 seconds and shut down instantly thanks to an SSD and of course the Chrome OS. If you think you're the one to be one the the lucky test pilots then go ahead and sign up to be considered! It's free and you probably will get to keep the CR-48 notebook all to yourself. 

Here are some specs:

• Built-in WiFi and 3G
• Webcam
• 12" LCD display
• Oversized touch pad
• Full-size keyboard
• 8-hours of battery life

Source Google Pilot Program

Google Nexus S Announced, Gingerbread Pre-Loaded

Google have announced their official Android 2.3 Gingerbread running Nexus S by Samsung. The Nexus S will be available December 16th for $199 on a two-year contract with T-Mobile or $529 unlocked. Google's Nexus S features the following hardware specs:

• 4" WVGA Screen with 480x800 resolution
• Contour Display with curved glass screen
• Super AMOLED
• 235 ppi
• Capacitive touch sensor
• Anti-fingerprint display coating
• 1GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) processor
• 16GB iNAND flash memory
• Back-facing 5 megapixels camera with flash and auto focus
• 720 x 480 video resolution
• Front-facing VGA camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11 n/b/g
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR

Check out the creative Nexus S ad below.

Source Google Nexus S

The First Trojan for Android is Discovered

 

Well it seems like Android is becoming a PC, as security firm Kaspersky detected a trojan going by the name of "Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a”. This trojan is downloaded  as an Android app and according to  Kaspersky it is the first known Android targeted trojan.

The trojan poses as a media player app but when the app is installed, it starts sending SMS's to premium rate numbers without telling the user. As the creators of the trojan usually set up the numbers, they benefit from this scam. These types of trojans have been on mobile phones for years, but as far as I am aware, this is the first time it has been put on an Android device.

Kaspersky Lab is supposedly working on Android-specific antivirus software and plans to release it early next year. Even though there are antivirus apps already available in the Android Market, it was supposed to be unnecessary. But I guess it is only a matter of time before we see the 1990s war between the Mac and PC start all over again.

Source CNET

You Can No Longer Buy a Nexus One :(

 

A couple of days ago, Google announced that they had just received the last shipment of Nexus One's. But today, Google has just sold out of Nexus One's on it's online store. The Nexus One was the official Google developer phone and was wildly known as one of the best handsets out there, even though it did not catch on outside of the geek community.

However, as we said a couple of days ago, the Nexus One will still be available through Vodafone in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and here in the UK with a contract of course. So you can get the Nexus One if you really want it from Vodafone, but you better hurry, as they will stop selling them when they run out of stock.

There is only one thing to say. Nexus One, we will miss you.

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Source Google

Google Updates Image Search Results

Not long ago today I needed to search Google thru their image search (no, not for gadget porn), and to my surprise I was blown away by the new and updated search results. The new image grid now packs much more images into one page without any text at first, but once you hover over an image, it will pop out and enlarge with info and links. This new image search result will require getting used too. There is no telling if Google will keep it this way, only time will tell.

R.I.P Nexus One

 

Widely believed  to be the best phone among the geek community, the Nexus One is coming the end of its life. As Google is no longer going to make its own Android handset and they have just received its last shipment of handsets. The Nexus One never really caught on outside of the android and geek community, even though it is a great handset and probably the one of the best phones available at the moment.

However, Google will keep selling them in the UK through Vodafone, and through KI in Korea. But in N.America, it will no longer be available unless you are a registered Google developer, then you can get it through Google’s partners. It will still be the official Google developer phone and it will still get the latest Android OS before any other phone.

Source Google

Android Marketplace has 70k Apps

The Android marketplace has just passed the 70,000 apps. Now this was to be expected as the popularity of Android has skyrocketed in the past year. Also it only took 3 months to get from 50,000 apps to 70,000.

However, the big news is that AndroLib is saying that Android users have downloaded more than 1 billion apps from the android marketplace. That's an very impressive number, but is only an estimate and it has not been confirmed by Google.

Source AndroLib

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