Google Announces 1 Million Android Devices Are Activated Each Day, That’s Right… EACH DAY

It’s no secret Android has grown exponentially since the mighty G1 arrived years ago. Using Google I/O to set the biggest stage, Google has announced over 400 million Android devices have been activated and 1 million devices are being activated each day. This is a major step up from hundreds of thousands of devices per day that was announced merely months ago.

This just shows that Android devices are not only adopted by all cultures worldwide, but is here to stay as a platform.

Make sure to stay tuned with Talk Android for all the latest Google I/O news… which of course you can find by clicking here.

Live from Google I/O 2012

You didn’t think Talk Android would miss the biggest Google event of the year did you? Our own Stacy Bruce and Ed Caggiani will be there getting all the juicy details. Tomorrow is Day 1 and the keynote begins at 9:30am PST / 12:30PM EST. Be sure to come back to Talk Android because you will be able to watch it in its entirety right here.

As far as expectations goes, we know we will see a little Jelly Bean, a new Nexus Tablet, maybe a major Google TV update, and whole bunch more. We might even see Sergey Brin walking around with a Project Glass prototype. I’m sure there will be a little of the expected, but I’m also sure there will be some really cool surprises. If you can’t watch the keynotes, and need to get up to speed, be sure to click here for all Google I/O related news.

More pictures from the scene after the break.

Google I/O site updated with access to streaming sessions, community-oriented events schedule, more

Google has updated the website for Google I/O only a few days before the start of the event. The landing homepage has been freshened a bit, a new schedule page is up and running with information on streaming keynotes and other sessions for those following from remote locations.

Visitors now have access to announcements and live status updates. Google also provides instructions on embedding a Liveblogging gadget on your own website to stream sessions, display announcements, and pull Google+ posts in real time. This means you can tune into Talk Android at 9:30am PST on June 27th and 10:00am PST on June 28th to watch the keynotes from our site.

Google also added information on a variety of community-oriented events that will take place during Google I/O, such as a cardboard tube fighting tournament, laser etching and welding workshops for those looking to create a truly unique laptop or mobile device case, or even doing karaoke across the Golden Gate Bridge.

If you are heading to Google I/O, the refreshed site will help when you can get to your laptop instead of working off your mobile device using the Google I/O mobile app. If you are not able to make it to the conference, keep an eye on the site for updates and to access streaming sessions. Be sure to stay tuned to the TalkAndroid site as our own Stacy Bruce will be in attendance and providing updates from Google I/O.

source: Google I/O

Mysterious Sprint Motorola Full QWERTY Keyboard Smartphone Outed

Another day, another leaked device coming out of the blue— this time an intriguing slider phone by none other than Sprint and MOTO. According to sources, the QWERTY device you see above is supposedly a “test device”, but looks to come jam-packed with an assortment of features. In addition to the 5-row keyboard layout, you’ll notice the gorgeous, yet completely button-less display— which will allow users of the device to truly utilize the virtual buttons found in Ice Cream Sandwich on the display screen. Aside from the obvious in the photo, there are no additional details such as what’s in the guts of the phone— though there’s some speculation this device may be the first offshoot of that little Intel-MOTO collaboration we told you about earlier in the year.

While there’s not much to go off of at this point for this mysterious device— one can’t help but be excited at the idea of possibly having a Sprint-branded DROID slider phone. Stay tuned with Talk Android as we will look out for any additional details on the smartphone.

source: Android Central

HTC One X Owners Reporting Another WiFi Issue, This Time Involving The Way The Phone Is Held

Another day, another set of WiFi issues plaguing the HTC One X smartphone. While one significant WiFi issue that plagued the smartphone was resolved, there is apparently a new and more significant WiFi problem affecting some owners of the smartphone. When the smartphone is held in a certain position, the device will lose much (if not all) of its WiFi signal strength. The widespread problem which has been first reported in XDA Forums, seems to affect the HT23 and HT24 models. There are a few solutions that have been identified as well. Users can either exchange their devices if they’re under warranty or if they’re not— they can always open their device and get everything taken care of the hard way. Naturally it’s recommended that owners try to hold off from doing the extreme as HTC is fully aware of this new issue and has its engineering teams working round the clock to get this fixed.

Here’s hoping HTC gets this resolved as soon as possible. Stay tuned with Talk Android as we will continue to provide updates for this developing saga.

source: XDA Forums

Chameleon Homescreen Closes Kickstarter Project Only to Open New One Next Week

The folks from the Chameleon tablet project have posted an unfortunate message on their Kickstarter page explaining that the project’s funding process has to start over again. The Kickstarter project was doing well obtaining financial backing until it ran in to an issue with Amazon Payments. The account Teknision Inc. was using actually belonged to an employee and that employee is no longer with the company. Kickstarter only uses Amazon’s payment service and now cannot accept any of the money pledged for this project. Since they are not allowed to switch accounts midstream, the only option available is to recreate the project and start over again. None of the funds pledged to date can be accepted and would have to be pledged again to the newly created project. No one who pledged funds to the current project will be charged.

Chameleon claims that the new Kickstarter project will be up next week and will offer to include the wallpaper pack beginning at the $5 donation level to compensate for the inconvenience this situation has caused its funders. They have reached out to Talk Android letting us know that those who pledged should be receiving email updates and will be notified when the new project is live. They are encouraging folks to resubmit their pledge to help the project move forward… again.

The Chameleon tablet is setting out to make your home screen display change according to where you are and what you are doing. Check out this Kickstarter project using the link below.

source: Kickstarter

Google looking to bolster Google+ with Meebo acquisition

Online instant messenger supremo Meebo has announced that is has agreed terms with Google on a prospective buy-out. Early details are limited at this time although a figure of $100m has been circulating the web. Meebo posted the following message was posted on the company website:

We are happy to announce that Meebo has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Google!

For more than seven years we’ve been helping publishers find deeper relationships with their users and to make their sites more social and engaging. Together with Google, we’re super jazzed to roll up our sleeves and get cracking on even bigger and better ways to help users and website owners alike.

We’ve had a blast building Meebo so far and we’re really excited to start the next leg of our journey.

Thank you all for coming along for the ride!

Meebo Team

Just in case you were in any doubt as to what Google has planned for the service, a spokesperson for Google released the following statement on the acquisition:

We are always looking for better ways to help users share content and connect with others across the web, just as they do in real life. With the Meebo team’s expertise in social publisher tools, we believe they will be a great fit with the Google+ team. We look forward to closing the transaction and working with the Meebo team to create more ways for users to engage online.

Google already has Google+ Messenger and Google Talk baked into Android each offering similar functionality. Will the purchase of Meebo finally see Google pick a direction with it’s social media and instant messaging solution? Will Meebo’s famous ‘Meebo Bar’ make an appearance in Android? Keep tuned in to Talk Android as this is definitely one to keep track on.

Source: The Verge

Contest: Week 3 of our ASUS Transformer Pad Prize Pack giveaway courtesy of ASUS, NVIDIA, and Talk Android

We’ve already handed out two Transformer Pad Prize Packs so it’s now time for our final and third giveaway. As a refresher, the prize pack consists of an ASUS Transformer Pad TF300, a matching keyboard dock, a Logitech controller, and a Jambox speaker. For this week all you have to do is comment below with your favorite TegraZone game in terms of gameplay. You have until next Wednesday, May 30th at 11:59pm EST. We will pick a random winner and make the announcement on Thursday, May 31st.

As you know NVIDIA is celebrating the first anniversary of the TegraZone, and with it came the Players Choice Awards and these Transformer Pad Prize Packs. NVIDIA is giving away seven of these prize packs so we encourage you to head over to NVIDIA’s Players Choice Awards site and cast your votes for your favorites games in the TegraZone in terms of best graphics, best gameplay, and overall fun. Once you vote, you’re automatically entered. Both contests are separate so definitely comment here and vote at NVIDIA’s site for more chances to win one of these awesome prize packs.

For a listing of all eligible games, hit our previous post or head over to the TegraZone.

Good Luck!!!

And the winner of the ASUS Transformer Pad Prize Pack for Week 1 is…..

As you know, we have ASUS Transformer Pad Prize Packs to give away. We’re giving away three of them, and we just finished week one. Congratulations goes out to Jason Keilholz who is going to receive an ASUS Transformer Pad TF300, a matching keyboard dock, a Logitech controller, and a Jambox speaker. Jason voted for Shadowgun for best graphics, which I think was an excellent choice.

These prize packs are for the celebration of the one year anniversary of the NVIDIA TegraZone, which now has around 40 games all optimized for the Tegra 2 and/or the Tegra 3 processor. If you haven’t already, please head over to NVIDIA’s Players Choice Awards site and cast your votes for the best TegraZone games of the year. They are giving away seven, yes that’s seven, of these same prize packs. All you have to do is vote and your automatically entered for a chance to win.

Talk Android still has two more prize packs to hand out so look for our next contest post shortly.

Win a White DROID RAZR compliments of Motorola and Talk Android

We have another DROID RAZR to give to one of our lucky readers and this time it’s white. We are going to keep this one really simple. All you have to do is head over to our forum post and tell us what phone you have now. You have until Thursday, May 17 at 11:59pm EST time to enter. We will pick one random winner and make the announcement on Friday, May 18. The winner will be contacted through the email associated with their username. Good Luck!!!

Click here to enter