Introducing Music Beta by Google

Google Music

Google Music Beta lets you upload your personal music collection to listen anywhere, keep everything in sync, and forget the hassle of cables and files.

                            

VIA

T-Mobile G-Slate Hands-On: Who Wants 3D Lite

Under the hood, there's not much separating the T-Mobile G-Slatefrom its nearest known competitor, theMotorola Xoom. Both run stock builds of Android Honeycomb. Both use the Tegra 2 chipset. Both have 1 gig of RAM. Both come equipped with 5 megapixel and 2 megapixel rear/front cameras. So what's different? Aside from size, the G-Slate uses T-Mobile's 4G-ish network and has "3D" capabilities, if you really want to call it that.

T-Mobile's 4G-ish network and has "3D" capabilities, if you really want to call it that.

At 8.9-inches, it's noticeably smaller than a 10-inch tablet, but not so small that you're yearning for the extra real estate. Like the Xoom, the G-Slate is a half-inch thick and it weighs about 1.4 pounds, so it's a bit heavier in the hand than the iPad.

T-Mobile's 4G mobile broadband is certainly faster than most 3G networks and can load pages and videos in a reasonable amount of time. Reception issues are a non-issue (around NYC, at least). But again, this is not LTE, nor is it WiMax. It's HSPA that's been beefed up.

When it comes to the 3D functionality, I'm not really sure why they bothered. The display doesn't support 3D video files. The stereoscopic cameras shoot in 3D, but you need to output it to a 3D-capable display to be able to view anything you shoot. And their solution for 3D on the tablet is anaglyphic 3D recording (and viewing) of videos and photos. Unfortunately, this isn't 1995, and most people aren't going to be impressed by stuff popping out at them in red and blue (at least, I hope not). Simply put, 3D is a gimmick on the G-Slate.

As for the other aspects of the G-Slate, navigating through the Honeycomb UI feels smooth, and apps are generally speedy. The browser zips through pages that aren't burdened with photos and Flash and javascript, but tends to hiccup when faced with any of those items.

The Flash 10.2 beta is also available for the G-Slate, and it works...mostly. It'll play videos smaller than 720p and load most Flash elements in web pages. But its inclusion is not life changing and HTML5 video is still smoother on this thing. Often, there are noticeable artifacts during playback and a bit of choppiness. But if you really need to view Flash content, it does the job.

The 1280x768 screen looks sharp at 168 dpi, but has a bit of a greenish tint to it. It tracks taps and finger presses well, though scrolling could be a bit more responsive (which becomes apparent while web browsing).

So other than some irrelevant 3D features, and mobile carriers, the G-Slate isn't all that different from the Xoom—they basically have the same guts. If you're debating between the two, it'll mostly come down to size preference.

SOURCE

Google preps Android for its corporate interview

With over 300,000 devices activated per day, Android's clearly firing on all cylinders from a consumer standpoint, but much like the famed Cheez-It wheel, some would argue that the OS isn't quite mature enough for unabashed enterprise use. 

Being a corporation itself, El Goog's obviously been toiling around the clock to change that, and it's taking three major strides today. An updated version of its Google Apps Device Policy enables employees to secure a lost or stolen Android 2.2+ device by locating it on a map, ringing the device, and resetting the device PIN or password remotely via the new My Devices website. Furthermore, Apps admins now have an option in the control panel to "Encrypt Data on Device," which will now include requiring encrypted storage on Android 3.0 tablets. Finally, Google Apps Lookup is acting as a type of internal blackbook, allowing users to easily sift through colleagues and contact them through one form or another. So... hired?

The Inquirer, Google Apps (1), (2) Official Google Enterprise Blog

LG's dual-core Optimus 2X superphone now available

The world's most adored across-the-pond mobile retailer has just received its first batch of LG superphones, a gem by the name of Optimus 2X. As you well know by now, the company's playing this up as the planet's first dual-core smartphone, and while we'd hoped that the Tegra 2-based device would be everywhere by 


now, at least it's sticking to its scheduled release date over in Europe. Those interested in picking one up can get a SIM-free version headed their way for £449.99, while a free-on-contract affair can be had with T-Mobile, Vodafone and a host of others. Your credit card's been awful naughty of late -- dish out a little punishment by visiting the source link below. 
[VIA]