Earlier today we mentioned how Sparrow was acquired by Google and at that time we had a few statements coming from the folks at Sparrow. And well, it looks like the folks at 9to5Mac were able to get a short statement from Google. At risk of offering a spoiler here, the Google statement is similar in nature to what we had heard direct from Sparrow. For what it is worth, here is what Google had to say;
“The Sparrow team has always put their users first by focusing on building a seamlessly simple and intuitive interface for their email client. We look forward to bringing them aboard the Gmail team, where they'll be working on new projects.”
A bit of good news for those rocking an Asus tablet. Specifically, a Transformer Pad, Transformer Prime or Pad Infinity tablet — you will be getting an update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The update has been confirmed by the folks at Asus, however the when remains the question. At the present time, Asus noted that these tablets will be updated in the “coming months” and that they plan to offer more details in terms of the “expected timeframes for these updates near their release.” In other words, Jelly Bean is coming, you just cannot know when just yet. That aside though, at least those with a Transformer Pad, Transformer Prime or Pad Infinity have something positive to look forward to getting. Lets just hope that Asus doesn’t make you wait all that long.
The Nexus 7 is a great tablet, but I think we all wish there was a way to expand storage. While I’m sure there are workarounds that involve rooting the device, there is another way to enjoy your favorite videos, songs and photos without risking the functionality of your device or sacrificing storage space. That’s where the Kingston Wi-Drive comes in.The Wi-Drive lets you stream content to your tablet without requiring an internet connection. The only thing you have to do is connect the Wi-Drive to your computer, load up on content and start streaming. Well, there are a few more steps to take, but that’s what this video is for.
In this video, I show you how to connect the Wi-Drive, and bridge it to your home wireless network. Trust me, it’s easier than it sounds.
We all know that two of the most important events this year is the release of the Samsung Galaxy S III and the upcoming Olympics 2012 in London. So, wouldn’t it be cool to have this two together? That’s exactly what Samsung did in Korea as it launched the Olympic Edition Samsung Galaxy S III, limited edition pack. Yes you read it right, Samsung not only released the branded smartphone but included some cool Olympics-related stuff as well. Inside the Samsung Galaxy S III pack is of course, the standard package plus 3 different holders shaped in the form of a Cyclist, Weightlifter and a Taekwondo athlete. The base of each of these holders is painted with the British flag for added accent. Additionally, the pack also comes with a back cover design featuring a faceless British royal guard, plus a miniature British royal guard soldier which can be inserted into the 3.5mm jack of the Galaxy S3 for decorative purposes. A static wallpaper featuring the same faceless British royal guard can be downloaded from Samsung Apps starting July 22. Unfortunately, the price of the package is still unknown at this time. But sources say that the back cover costs around $10 (US).
Amazon has announced their latest partnership, one that will benefit those who happen to use Prime Instant Video. That partnership is with Warner Bros. and means more available content. Amazon and Warner Bros. have stated that shows such as Fringe and The West Wing are now available for your viewing pleasure. In addition, it was noted that a “variety of fan-favorite TV shows” which includes Dark Blue, Alcatraz and The Whole Truth are also available. In terms of the first two shows mentioned, Fringe and The West Wing, these will be Prime Instant Video exclusives during this summer. Otherwise, Amazon is now touting Prime Instant Video as having more than 18,000 movies and TV shows as being available. Those with a current Amazon Prime membership can begin watching now and all others, Amazon has a one-month free trial offer available at this time. And after your free trial is over, the Prime membership will set you back $79 per year which includes unlimited streaming along with free two-day shipping on “millions” of items and the ability to borrow up to one Kindle ebook per month.
Coming as a bit of surprise, Google has officially acquired Sparrow. The news has been confirmed by way of the Sparrow team who have recently posted the news. And also sent out an email to all Sparrow users. Both of these postings were similar in nature, however we have included both here in this posting. Beginning first with the note posted on the Sparrow website;
We’re excited to announce that Sparrow has been acquired by Google!
We care a lot about how people communicate, and we did our best to provide you with the most intuitive and pleasurable mailing experience.
Now we’re joining the Gmail team to accomplish a bigger vision — one that we think we can better achieve with Google.
We'd like to extend a special thanks to all of our users who have supported us, advised us, given us priceless feedback and allowed us to build a better mail application. While we'll be working on new things at Google, we will continue to make Sparrow available and provide support for our users.
We had an amazing ride and can’t thank you enough.
Full speed ahead! Dom Leca CEO Sparrow
Next up, the email;
We’re excited to let you know that Sparrow has been acquired by Google! You can view our public announcement here, but I wanted to reach out directly to make sure you were aware of the news.
We will continue to make available our existing products, and we will provide support and critical updates to our users. However, as we'll be busy with new projects at Google, we do not plan to release new features for the Sparrow apps.
It's been an honor and a pleasure to build products for all of our wonderful users who have supported us over the years. We can’t thank you enough.
We look forward to working on some new and exciting projects at Google!
With all that, we can only hope that the current Sparrow apps are at least maintained. We also hope that Sparrow for iPad will still be released. Bottom line, while we are trying to be happy for the folks at Sparrow — we would be lying if we were to say that we were not nervous about the future of Sparrow (both for Mac and iOS).
Rdio for Android has recently been updated. The app update can be found in the expected location — the app section of Google Play. According to the listing, Rdio for Android is now sitting at version 2.2.1 and maintains that requirement of Android 2.1 or later for use. The app measures in as a 9.7MB file download and brings some new features including a grid view for new releases. Rdio has also had some general user interface improvements and bug fixes as well as the following;
We have yet to see anything in terms of a release date from Verizon, however it looks like the carrier will soon be updating the LG Spectrum smartphone. And yes, we are talking about a new dessert — Ice Cream Sandwich. The details of the update are instead coming by way of the LG support forums where an employee has been posting. According to said employee, the LG Spectrum will get the Android 4.0 ICS update “very shortly.” He then goes on to mention that while he “cannot give out any dates until Verizon assigns a FOTA date and makes the announcement” — that time is “getting very close.” Finally, we here at GadgeTell will keep you updated on any changes, however you can also check out the LG Company Updates page which can be found here.
Sony rolled-out a rather nice update for their Music Unlimited app for Android back in March that added offline playback on smartphones. And while it has been a while since, it looks like another decent update has landed. The latest arrives as version 1.4.0 and maintains support for devices running Android 2.1 or later. The app measures in as a 9.4MB file download and brings goodies to include the ability to create your own artist-based internet radio stations with the My Channel feature and the ability to move the APK file over to the SD card (on supported devices). In addition, Sony Music Unlimited now also has a 30 second “preview mode” available with no account required and now allows new users to sign up for accounts directly from their mobile device. That all being said, if you are a Sony Music Unlimited user you may want to fire up Google Play and grab the update.
The creator of Tweet Lanes has come out and explained why the app is not yet available for Android tablets from Google Play. Basically, it’s just not good enough yet.
Tweet Lanes developer Chris Lacy explained that even though Tweet Lanes is technically functional on tablets, it is not optimized for tablets.
“My reasoning is simple: I have not yet had the chance to implement dedicated tablet support into the app, and I do not think it is good enough to allow an app that has been lovingly and meticulously designed for a phone 4″-5″ screen to simply be scaled up on a tablet”, Lacy wrote.
Lacy has been frequently updating Tweet Lanes since its release. The APK files are readily supplied by Lacy outside of Google Play. You can grab the APK and force Tweet Lanes to run on a tablet, but it’s merely a scaled up version. Native tablet support for Tweet Lanes is coming eventually.
I think Lacy is making the right choice. There are not enough tablet-specific apps available from Google Play, and his actions may convince other developers to fully support Android tablets.
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