Since Google Chrome was first launched in 2008, a lot of Android fans have been wondering why the Google’s very own web browser has not been ported into the Android Operating System. Well, today we got a very good news to share, that is, according to the official Google Chrome Blog, the search giant is bringing the world’s most favorite browser (as per Statscounter.com’s report last December 2011) to Android.

Google Chrome for Android App is now on Beta release and will be initially available to all Android devices running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This means that only about one percent of the Android population will be able to try and test Google Chrome’s goodness.

As mentioned in the blog post, “Like the desktop version, Chrome for Android Beta is focused on speed and simplicity, but it also features seamless sign-in and sync”, which means that users will definitely enjoy fast browsing as well as ultimately responsive searching direct from the omnibus. Taking into account the mobile nature of Android devices, the browser supports intuitive gestures and tabs look to be well-defined.

There are other cool features about the Chrome like the so-called Link-preview. Sundar Pichai, SVP, Chrome and Apps at Google clearly describes them, “Link Preview does away with hunting and pecking for links on a web page by automatically zooming in on links to make selecting the precise one easier.” He added that usual features of Chrome’s desktop version are also present in the Android version such that user’s privacy preferences are given utmost consideration. In that spirit, private browsing in incognito mode is available for Android users. By signing in to Chrome, users will be able to sync bookmarks and view tabs  that have been opened on their desktops.
Google encourages Android users to send their feedback to the Chrome dev team.

Meanwhile, let’s watch this video from Google Chrome as we patiently wait for ICS update on our Androids.

The NPD Group, a leading market researcher for consumer and retail information just announced the result of its latest study for the U.S. smartphone market covering the last quarter of (Q4) of 2011.

According to the data presented, Android, Google’s Operating System tops all other smartphone OS in terms of attracting first time buyers of smartphone beating Apple’s iOS, Research in Motion’s BlackBerry, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile as well as Symbian. For the record, Android holds 57 percent of the first time buyers as compared to iOS’ 34 percent while the remaining portion of the market share goes to other smartphone OS.

On a larger scale, Android also takes the bigger cut of the pie as it covers 48 percent of the market share with iOS cutting up a close 43 percent and leaving the 9 percent to all other operating systems. The data pertains to Unit Sales which were taken from NPD Group’s monthly Smartphone Track service. Market watchers noted that Apple had been very aggressive during this period so much so that it coincided with the iPhone 4S’ debut and that its sales would most likely slide downwards unless carriers (like Sprint) offer a better data plan to lure more iPhone 4S buyers.

Ross Rubin, the Executive Director for Connected Intelligence at The NPD Group attributes Android’s impressive market performance to the fact that Android offers more variety in terms of models and network carriers thereby giving consumers especially newbies a wider option when buying. He said, “Android has been criticized for offering a more complex user experience than its competitors, but the company’s wide carrier support and large app selection is appealing to new smartphone customers.” Rubin added, “Android’s support of LTE at Verizon has also made it the exclusive choice for customers who want to take advantage of that carrier’s fastest network.”

Among Android’s top sales performer were Samsung GALAXY S II and Samsung GALAXY S 4G. Industry experts, however, sees that the only hindrance to Android’s full-blast success is the issue on fragmentation. It is now up to Google on how it plans to keep ahead of its competitors by retaining this first-time buyers and attract more experienced smartphone users to Android.

The study also revealed that smartphone sales during the fourth quarter of 2011 was 18 percent higher from 2010′s Q4 record.

LG Electronics’ LG-P880 and LG-p700 are two of the latest Android handsets that passed certification last February 1st according to Universal Plug and Play forum. Both handsets are expected to be getting a more attractive name when they are formally introduced to the market.

Packed with the latest Android Operating System, the Ice Cream Sandwich, LG-P880 and LG-p700 are foretold by industry experts to belong towards the high-end of the spectrum. Albeit with so little information about the details of the two smartphones there is no doubt that the said handsets are what could be the upscale device being circulated pertaining to the Korean Manufacturer.

Based on the limited data we gathered, the LG-P880 is the supposed to be the top of the line among LG’s turf. With a powerful processor (purported as either quad core LG X3 or dual core) running the device, it will be pretty sleek and smooth when loaded with the ICS. It also seen to be featuring 4.7 inch screen with 720p HD display capability. Other alleged features are dual cameras with 8 MP at the rear and 1.3 MP in front, fast connectivity (21Mbps HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth 3.0 support and Near Field Communication. Other plus factors are its 16GB storage and 2000 mAh battery cell.

The LG-p700on the other hand is attracting snoopers with its seemingly extraordinary HD display resolution which is 640 x 480. Said graphic resolution are usually distinct to devices with portrait orientation. Having seen that, most techies assume that the handset will likewise be sporting a QWERTY keypad in portrait mode. As for this machine’s internal hardware, the LG-p700 will be packed with a TI OMAP 4430 processor with 1GB of RAM.

And just like how we take any other predictions and rumors, we’d like to keep our wait and see attitude for now until we get to watch the tech revolution unfold in Barcelona this year.

With the Mobile World Congress 2012 taking place soon, more and more devices are getting leaked ahead of the scheduled Tech affair which is set to kick off on February 27. Among the rumored slash leaked devices, HTC Primo is one of the most talked about precisely because it boldly redefines what is affordable or cheap in the smartphone category.

A lot of information about the HTC Primo are circulating around the rumor mill, and in so far as the details of the budget-friendly smartphone’s specs are concerned, it’s definitely loaded – so much unlike your usual entry-level handset. In fact, it looks more of a mid-range device in spite of its not so big display.

What’s so interesting about the HTC Primo? Well, primarily because it will be running on Ice Cream Sandwich. Then it is reported to have functionalities beyond what’s on a typical low to mid-range devices such as 3.7 inch touchscreen in Super AMOLED Gorilla glass screen, 1GHz dual core processor with 512MB of RAM, 5 megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture, 720p video capture capability, dual shutter mode in video recordings, pre-loaded with HTC Sense 4.0 UI. With such modest specs, who would have thought that this baby  will be coming out with Beats Audio although it is still uncertain if the highly priced Beats headphones will be included in the package.

The image you see above is just a mock-up of what the HTC Primo should look as revealed to Stuff by an HTC insider, with more or less the same look as the first HTC smartphone with Beats by Dre, the Sensation XE. While there are no details revealed as to the HTC Primo’s release date, the price-range according to the rumor should sit anywhere around £250 or $390.

Music-inspired mobiles are always a great hit among all types and set of market and judging from feedback that we’re hearing, this early Android fans are already aflutter to see the real HTC Prime. Guess we’ll be having another exciting MWC in Barcelona.

In the midst of its ”Stop Online Piracy Act”/”E-PARASITE Act” (SOPA) and “The PROTECT IP Act” (PIPA) protest, WIkipedia, the most popular online encyclopedia released the Official WIkipedia App for Android.

As everybody know, WIkipedia offers free online encyclopedia reference with over 20 million articles in its repository and covers around 280 different languages. Now, after more than two years of waiting since the Wikipedia App for iOS came out in 2009, Android-based users can finally utilize the official Wikipedia App on their devices courtesy of Wikimedia Foundation. With the emergence of the officially released software, searching through Wikipedia’s vast resources just became simple and quick.

The Android App which right now is on Version 1.0, is guaranteed to work on all Android devices from Android 2.2 or Froyo up to the latest although we are yet to hear any feedback from those loaded with Ice Cream Sandwich. Some of the salient features that the app has include:

• Saving article to read later or offline;
• Searching for articles nearby;
• Sharing articles using Android “Share” function;
• Reading of article/s in a different language; and
• Full screen search

According to the developer, one of the highlights of the app is the inclusion of location-based feature which can prove to be particularly useful when making searches that concerns places or locations.

The Wikipedia App is available for free just like its iOS and mobile counterpart. While looking at some of the reviews and feedback from those who tried and tested the app, we have seen a lot of happy users. With merely 558kb in size, it should take very little time to download and install. Having been released just a few days ago, the app already falls within the 100,000 to 500,000 installs range. Notably, it just goes to show how Android users have been eagerly waiting for this software.

The app still leaves a lot of room for improvement in terms of UI and other functionalities but knowing WIkipedia, we assume that the team is already working on them. Click the link to download the App from the Android Market.

Taiwanese Electronics Manufacturer, ASUS has once more won the nod of approval from Android fans with its latest tablet, the ASUS Transformer Prime TF201 and the soon to launch TF700. The slate is one of the most awaited devices for this year after it made a buzz among techies towards the end of 2011. In fact, Transformer Prime TF201 was reported to have had such a long list of pre-order reservations when it was first announced in the UK, with only a few retailers confirming to have the Transformer Prime on their stocks.

However, a week after its initial release in the UK, ASUS has been getting complaints from Transformer Prime owners on several issues, primarily due to its Ice Cream Sandwich update. According to the complaints posted over the XDA Developers forum, some users experience problem in getting the ICS update to their Transformer Primes while those who have successfully installed the ICS update update are also complaining on other issues from the Serial Number error to screen lockup.

On all these issues, ASUS has been very quick to address the complaints as its Technical Manager, Gary Key posted on the same forum that they already found a fix to some of the glitches. Meanwhile, those who got their Transformer Prime TF201 from the UK would seem to be very lucky because according to a statement from ASUS UK, “As part of our unwavering commitment to our customers, we wish to allay some recent concerns regarding the Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201. After extensive checks we can confirm that no units have been supplied to the UK with a known WiFi issue. Any customers experiencing WiFi issues specifically are advised to contact our support hotline on tel. 0870 1208 340.”

In addition to that assurance, ASUS UK advices all UK customers that they are also getting an extension to the standard warranty such that from 1 year, they are getting an additional 6 months or 18 month warranty in total. And those who purchased the Transformer Prime TF201 in the UK and are not happy with the performance of the GPS module, they may “return the unit to their point of purchase for a full refund as per standard consumer rights that apply in the UK”.

From that same statement, ASUS confirmed that a new version of the Transformer Prime as unveiled last week at the CES in Las Vegas, TF700T, will become available in the UK before June although no pricing details is disclosed. This version will be sporting a 10.1 inch screen in full HD and equipped with a quad-core Tegra 3 processor as well as Wi-Fi connectivity.

Truly, ASUS is bent on attaining its target of shipping out 6 million units of tablets for the year 2012.

This year’s CES is pretty much packed with surprises and wonderment. The CES crowd was obviously impressed with Polaroid’s latest offering, the SC1630 – characterized as a High-End Digital Camera with the Power of Android.

With the intention of setting a higher bar to the Camera Phone standard, Polaroid has introduced its SC1630 Smart Camera where a handset’s phone feature takes a backseat in favor of the camera. This ambitious initiative can only be made possible by no other than a photography institution such as Polaroid.

The Polaroid SC1630 is meant to take photos (and videos)  with superior High Definition digital quality as well as providing a hassle-free editing, sharing, uploading and even tagging of these captured images. Along with its 16 megapixel camera, the SX1630 comes with a 3X optical zoom similar to that of a point and shoot camera except that it also doubles as a smartphone with the Android Operating System providing more power to its performance. The demo units at the CES were loaded with the older version of the Android OS, however, Polaroid stated the company is targeting that the final products to be rolled out  will be carrying the Ice Cream Sandwich.

Equipped with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, uploading and sharing of images can be done on the fly. Other features of the Smart Camera SC1630 are automatic face detection, geo-tagging, and on screen editing like red-eye removal, color correction, cropping and image resizing.

Even Polaroid’s executives have a lot to say about the SC1630, “The newest member of the Polaroid family, the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera unites the beauty of high-end digital images with powerful Android connectivity features. The result is an instant experience of click, capture and share that enables social networks to see and experience the moment as if they were there,” said Scott W. Hardy, President, Polaroid. Meanwhile,   Executive VP Emanuel Vorona, made a quick account of how the company was able to come up with such a Smart Camera, “We start off with a camera frame and then we’re trying to make this device smarter.”

According to some reports, the SC1630 will be available in the US market sometime in Spring. About the price, the device is said to be sold at around $300 US. Nothing was mentioned about Polaroid’s plans and pricing scheme for other regions.

Ushering in the world’s biggest consumer technology tradeshow – the CES 2012, Lenovo is grabbing the attention of tech enthusiasts with a stellar line-up of multiple devices but most particularly it’s upcoming Smart TV.

The K91 is Lenovo’s venture in claiming the first ever Smart TV running on the latest Android Operating System, the Ice Cream Sandwich. Not only that,  Lenovo K91 will also be the first television to be equipped with QualComm’s 8060 1.5GHz Snapdragon dual core processor. Such attributes further boosts Lenovo’s drive to revolutionize technology in every living room.

For the first ICS powered TV, Lenovo has packed in three principal features  expected of a Smart TV, namely, Video On Demand (VOD), Internet applications and traditional TV programs. Most of those who were able to have a glimpse of the K91 were initially impressed of the tube’s Sandwich User Interface. Navigation is conveniently cool with a touchpad remote control that has a motion sensor and 5-way keys. This television will also be a great companion to game lovers as it is also supplied with a three axis game pad to use with the on-board “console quality” games.

In addition, the K91 has a 1080p IPS display as well as a 5MP camera for making video calls and face recognition as it supports security and parental control functions. Initially, the Android ICS TV will come in 55-inch magnitude complete with HD and 3D capabilities. However, Lenovo hinted that the company plans to come up with a smaller version which a dimension of 42″.

At this point, Lenovo has only planned to release the K91 in China this 2012 without mentioning further details about pricing and intention for worldwide release.

Acer’s newest entry to the Iconia Tablet line-up, the Iconia Tab A200 will be officially launched this coming January 15th in the US.

WIth a 10.1 inch display, this slate is to be considered one of the most affordable branded tablet in the market with full feature of Android Operating System. Set to get an update to Android 4.0, also known as the Ice Cream Sandwich, before the end of February, this device is forecasted to be one of the hit gadgets this coming CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Boasting its dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, the Iconia Tab A200 offers a good value for money investment for those who are thinking of buying an alternative to a netbook or other pricey tablets. Acer is positioning this model as a gaming tablet as well since they have integrated a GeForce GPU for smoother gameplay particularly with HD games. In fact, the Iconia Tab A200 is pre-loaded with the Tegra Zone Application for Android where users can search, access and download the latest Android-based games which are made mainly for Tegra powered devices. Moreover, Acer has bolstered up the Iconia Tab A200′s hardware by taking in a six-axis motion sensing gyroscope for a more precise and responsive performance.

Mr. Eric Ackerson, Sr. Product Marketing Manager for Acer America made this announcement via a press release, pre-empting the device’s  CES debut in the US. “The Acer Iconia Tab family of tablets is an excellent example of Acer’s ability to deliver high-performance, full-function mobile devices at unbeatable values. Acer brings the Iconia Tab A200 to consumers at an affordable price, without making sacrifices on key tablet features such as expansion, connectivity to other devices, HD displays and cameras.” he added.

The Iconia Tab A200 will come in two variants, in 8GB and 16GB flash storage. Although most Android fans will hardly find any distinction of the tablet from the others in terms of specs, the Iconia Tab A200 has some fascinating plus factors like its full-sized USB port and the attractive eye candy colors as it comes with titanium casing in gray and red. Other features include front-facing camera in 2MP, 1,024 MB DRR2 memory, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a battery life of 8 hours.
As for the pricing, the 8GB model sells at $329.99 while the 16GB has a price tag of $349.99 in the US.

Incidentally, the Acer Iconia A200 was reported to be on pre-selling online in the UK via very.co.uk at £299 only with an expected availability by January 6th.

That is according to Adam Powell, an Android Framework engineer as posted by Tim Bray over Android Developers’ blog. On that note, we can say that Google, as the creator of Android, has finally stepped-in to clearly set a new interface standard for all Android devices and make Ice Cream Sandwich look more consistent on each and every Android from now on.

In the coming days, Android device manufacturers will be required to roll-out their ICS-based devices with the “Holo Theme” pre-set as the default user interface. As explained by the post, this move is intended to make the “Ice Cream Sandwich Experience” basically the same for everyone who uses the latest version of the ANdroid Operating System. Google said, “In Android 4.0, Holo is different. We’ve made the inclusion of the unmodified Holo theme family a compatibility requirement for devices running Android 4.0 and forward. If the device has Android Market it will have the Holo themes as they were originally designed.”

This recent announcement from Google will be very much appreciated as far as Android fans are concerned. It has been quite sometime already that Android’s loyal users have been clamoring for an improved UI that will be available on every Android device regardless of the brand or device manufacturer. The Holo Theme requisite proves to be the answer to the missing unique Android experience.

For those who are not aware, the Holo Theme family have long been in existence since the time of the Honeycomb or Android 3.0 version. Now, the inclusion of the unmodified Holo Theme on every Android running on Ice Cream Sandwich and its future versions, Android developers will be able to produce applications more efficiently not to mention that it will save a considerable production hours since there will be less variations in terms of how the app would look and feel on the device. Google has likewise found a way to adress a bigger concern, that is of the Android developers. In addition, Google through Android’s resource system has provided the necessary tools for developers to refer to when making their applications.

As a result of the standardization, all manufacturers from this day forward needs to include the Holo Theme in order to access the Android Market. This does not however, prevent device makers to come up with their own customized UI like the TouchWiz and HTC Sense as Google explicitly stated that it has “no desire to restrict manufacturers from building their own themed experience across their devices”. As long as manufacturer’s custom skins are installed alongside the Holo Theme on an ICS device there should not be a problem.

One great advantage of the standard theme would be a faster upgrade as “formally separating these theme families will also make future merges easier for manufacturers updating to a new platform version, helping more devices update more quickly.”

Android really is getting more and more interesting.