Amazon Kindle Fire Source Code Available

After Android 4.0 source code release, it’s a good week for open source, as Amazon has also opened Kindle Fire source code as it had to comply with Android Open Source Project (AOSP) license has some point. Source code for other Kindle products is also available. The source code for the Kindle Fire is tarred in a file named Kindle_src_6.2_11185402.tar.gz which is quite a large download (809 MB).  The file contains 4 directories with the source code for the Linux kernel (2.6.35), a modified version of Android 2.2, the bootloader (u-boot) and x-loader, first-level bootloader for OMAP SoC. I’m not sure many people will work on this version, as Android 4.0 source code for OMAP4 (The processor used in Kindle Fire) is available and has been ported to Galaxy Nexus and TI OMAP4 low cost development board (Pandaboard). So we could see Android 4.0 (ICS) running on Kindle Fire in […]

11 Recommendations for Optimizing Mobile Apps Power Efficiency

Following an AT&T Labs Research and corresponding paper entitled “Profiling Resource Usage for Mobile Applications: A Cross-layer Approach“,  AT&T found that a few simple design approaches could significantly improve mobile application responsiveness and reduce battery drain by lowering your application power consumption. They analyzed PANDORA internet radio and  discovered that the streaming music was delivered efficiently, but periodic audience measurements were draining battery life. Here is an excerpt of the PANDORA Case Study: While the music itself was sent simply and efficiently as a single file, the periodic audience measurements—each constituting only 2KBs or so—were being transmitted at regular 62.5-second intervals. The constant cycle of ramping up to full power (2 seconds to ramp up, 1 second to download 2KB) and back to idle (17 seconds for the two tail times, the first down from full-power mode and the second down from half-power mode) was extremely wasteful. Of the total […]

Samsung Demoes a WQXGA (2560×1600) 10.1″ LCD Panel

Samsung developed a 10.1-inch LCD panel that supports 2560 x 1600 resolution and exhibited it at FPD International 2011, which takes place on October 26 to 28, 2011, in Yokohama, Japan. This display using IGZO (In-Ga-Zn-O) TFTs technology. It is targeted to tablets and consume the same amount of power as current 10.1″ 1280×800 (WXGA) displays thanks to “Pentile” technology that uses red, green, blue and white color filters (CFs) as two pixels. The brightness and contrast ratio of the panel are respectively 400cd/m2 and 900:1. Its maximum power consumption is 3.4W. The power consumption of the panel excluding its backlight is just 26mW. Source: http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20111026/199826/ Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011. www.cnx-software.com

Current and Future Intel Atom Processors Promotion Video

Intel upload a new promotion video about the application made possible by Intel Atom processors: home and building management, intelligent displays, retail, IVI, communications devices, digital signage and more. You’ll see applications built around Intel Atome6xx, e6x5c, z6xx as well as future Intel Atom processors using 32nm process (Cedar Trail?) Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011. www.cnx-software.com

60 USD Android Tablet: Aakash UbiSlate 7 Tablet

After much delay, the low cost tablet promised by the Indian government is finally released. The Aakash UbiSlate 7 is designed primarily for Indian students and will be sold to them at a discount. The tablet will be manufactured by Datawind in Hyderabad, India. The retail price will be 2,999 Rupees (~61 USD), but it will be sold to the government for 2250 Rupees (~46 USD) and will end up in the hands of students for a sponsored price of 1300 Rupees (~26 USD). Here are Aakash UbiSlate 7 Tablet Specifications: Processor: 366MHz Conexant Processor Memory: 256MB RAM Storage: 2GB Flash memory + 2GB Micro SD card (expandable to 32GB) OS: Android 2.2 with Getjar Marketplace (not the default Android Marketplace) Display: 7″ resistive touchscreen Network: Wifi only. Later models will be GPRS and SIM enabled. USB: 2 x ports Audio out: 3.5mm jack / Audio in: 3.5mm jack Battery: […]

NFC Smart Meter Demo by NXP and Landis-Gyr

NXP and Landis+Gyr are showcasing smart meters equipped with NFC technology at the Metering Europe 2011 event in Amsterdam this week. The companies are demonstrating how utility companies will be able to use NFC smart meters to: Save money by removing the need to include an LCD display in a smart meter. Meter readers will instead use an NFC-enabled phone to take a reading from the meter and then use their handset to collect and view current and historical energy consumption. Use an embedded secure element in the smart meter to increase customer privacy while at the same time providing the necessary level of access to installation and service technicians. Enable authorised maintenance technicians to download metering information to handsets or tablets as well as upload firmware updates to the meter via NFC. Use secure device pairing to deliver home area network (HAN) capabilities. Provide secure and convenient pre-payment of […]

Arnova 7 G2 and 10 G2 Tablets Are Now Available

This week Amazon announced the Kindle Fire and got a lot of press coverage for its 199 USD Android Tablet. But the Kindle Fire was not the only low cost Tablets made available this week as Arnova G2 Tablet are also available in the US. Archos Arnova 7 G2 and 10 G2, respectively with a 7″ and 10″ capacitive display, are powered by  a Rockchip RK2918 Cortex A8 processor clocked a 1Ghz, 512 MB SDRAM, 4 to 8 GB flash memory, a microSD slot and run Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system. Arnova 10 G2 also have a 0.3MP front facing camera for video conference. Arnova 7 G2 can be pre-ordered on Amazon for 199.99 USD. Anrvoa 10 G2 can be purchased on Tigerdirect Ebay store for 199.99 USD.  Last week, you could also get it for 99 USD with a newspaper subscription. Like the Amazon Kindle Fire, the Arnova G2 […]

NVidia Tegra 3 ZTE T98 Android Tablet

We’ve already seen some Quad Core Tegra 3 demos and talks about Tegra 3 Tablets coming this year, but we had not heard about real products yet. ZTE (中兴) is expected to releast ZTE T98, possibly the first Tegra 3 Honeycomb Tablet later this year., which has been spotted in Beijing by zol.com.cn at PT/EXPO COMM CHINA 2011. Here are the ZTE T98 product features and specifications: Operating System: Android3.2 Processor: Nvidia Tegra 3 @ 1.5GHz System Memory: 1GB Flash Storage: 16GB Display: 7″ Capacitive Touche Screen with 1280×800 resolution. Network: Wifi, 3G (TD-SCDMA) Built-in Audio Chip Video output up to 1080p External Ports: 3.5mm headphone jack and power jack. Battery:  Lithium Battery, 4000 mA Camera:  Front camera: 2 MP, Rear camera: 5 MP. Support for JPEG,GIF and BMP pictures Sensor: gravity and accelerometer 11.5mm thick ZTE announced it would be ready in 2011, but no exact date and pricing […]