The Android emulator is a key tool for Android developers in building and testing their apps. As the power and diversity of Android devices has grown quickly, it’s been hard for the emulator keep pace.

Today we’re thrilled to announce several significant improvements to the emulator, including a dramatic performance upgrade and support for a broader range of hardware features, notably sensors and multi-finger input.

Added GPU Support

The system image we’re shipping today has built-in GPU support (Android 4.0.3 r2). With Android’s growing reliance on using the GPU to improve performance, the difference is significant. In the video below, the emulator is still interpreting ARM instructions; the performance boost is the effect of putting the GPU to work.

As a bonus, since we’re now supporting OpenGL ES 2.0, your OpenGL games can now run inside the emulator.

Please note that there are a lot of GPUs out there, and we haven’t tested all of them for this beta release, so let us know if you have feedback or encounter issues.

More Hardware Feature Emulation

The hardware features of mobile devices are a significant part of what makes them a unique platform for development, so we’re also pleased to announce that in addition to the camera support we added last year, it’s now possible to use a tethered Android device to supply inputs for sensors and multi-touch input.

We’re working on providing emulator support for more hardware features including Bluetooth and NFC.

Improved CPU Performance

We’ve also improved the CPU performance of the Android emulator. Hardware floating point operation has been available for system images since Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), allowing CPU operations to be emulated roughly twice as quickly.

Last week’s r17 developer tools release included x86 system images and host drivers (available through the SDK Manager), allowing the emulator to access the host CPU natively and offer significantly faster execution.

This video shows a CPU-bound application on two emulators running the same system image, one with virtualization, one without.

Building a modern emulator

Because the Android platform allows deep interaction between applications, and with system components, we need to provide an emulator with a complete system image. Our emulator virtualizes a complete device: hardware, kernel, low-level system libraries, and app framework.

Of course, the system being emulated typically has an ARM CPU; historically, we’d been emulating those instructions in software, and that worked OK until the advent of tablet support with additional animations and complexity in Android 3.0.

The missing pieces were the completion of Android x86 support, and the GPU support in last week’s release of SDK Tools r17. This works by funneling the OpenGL ES 2.0 instructions from the emulator to the host OS, converted to standard OpenGL 2.0, and running natively on the host GPU.

Conclusion

The Android ecosystem has a lot of devices in many different form factors. Developers need a good way of testing these apps without having to own everything out there and a fast, rich Android emulator is immensely helpful.

We hope that these new improvements will make the emulator a more useful tool in your development and testing, and look forward to improving it further for you.

Read more @ Android Developers Blog

These aren’t meant to be micro-communications devices, however – they’re just your run of the mill headphones. Alongside the fact that they look cool, they are also designed to be safe. Runners, bikers, and others who enjoy outdoor activities are encouraged to wear headphones which won’t completely block sound so that they may hear their environment.

earHero provides just the thing for those of you who require that sort of functionality. They’re promoting best-in-range quality, though I wouldn’t be able to confirm or deny that notion at this point. Check out a demo of the product above, and if you like what you see be sure to check it out in more detail over at their site.

Read more @ Android Phone Fans

This is a high-end line through and through with all three tablets serving up a dish of Android 4.0 Ice cream Sandwich, Tegra 3, 1GB of RAM, a 5 megapixel rear camera capable of shooting HD video, a 2 megapixel front camera, and more. It’s a slim and sleek line whose chassis employs a smooth, brushed aluminum material.

Getting into each tablet’s specific feature-set, the Excite 10 has, of course, a 10 inch 1280×800 display with Gorilla Glass on top of that. It doesn’t feature full-sized connectivity ports like the Thrive line did, but we still get microHDMI, microUSB, and a full-sized SD card slot. Thankfully, they also include stereo speakers with SRS Audio support.

These changes were made to make the tablet more slim and more comfortable to hold. Despite the press release saying 10 hours, we’re also looking at an astounding 12 hours of battery life, and many thanks goes to Tegra 3′s smart battery management and its fifth companion core (or the 4+1 model, as they like to call it). This tablet will be available starting early May with three storage configurations: 16GB for $450, 32GB for $530, and 64GB for $650.

The Excite 7.7 is nearly identical, but its 7.7 inch display is AMOLED. Unfortunately, the AMOLED display could not be employed on the other models as they couldn’t get the technology in those sizes.

The 7.7 has a microUSB port and a microSD card slot, but is unfortunately missing a microHDMI port. This one has configurations of 16GB ($500) and 32GB ($580), and while there are no current plans to bring a 64GB model Toshiba tells us they will bring one if demand is high enough.

Finally, the Excite 13 is truly remarkable due to its screen size alone. As its name implies, it’s a 13.3 inch display and has a 1600×900 display, something Toshiba is keen on calling HD+. It’s LED backlit so there should be no qualms with light bleeding or other light-related issues.

It has the same port configuration as the Excite 10. The device will also come with a nice tablet stand accessory for use in a couple of different ways. You can set it up on a slight incline for typing, or you can stand it up on a high incline for viewing. It’s pretty thin, still, at 0.4 inches and weighs just 2.2 pounds. It’ll be available in 32GB ($650) and 64GB ($750). Read on for full press details and see the full image gallery below.

TOSHIBA SET TO EXCITE THE TABLET MARKET WITH NEW 10-, 13- AND 7.7-INCH TABLETS
Toshiba Introduces Three New Android-powered Tablets, Giving Consumers More Choice
IRVINE, Calif. – Apr. 10, 2012 – Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the expansion of its Excite™ family of Android™-powered tablets with three new display sizes – 13.3-inch, 10.1-inch and 7.7-inch. The new Excite tablets boast thin-and-light designs, brilliant displays, quad-core performance as well as a full range of essential ports and smart features.

“One size does not fit all, so we are carefully considering how and where people are using tablets and designing form factors to best suit various needs,” said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. “With amazingly thin and light designs, our new Excite family of tablets continues to incorporate what consumers have come to love about Toshiba tablets: essential ports for a more complete tablet computing experience plus durability that ensures they can go the distance.”

Powered to Perform, Built to Last and Designed to Excite
The three new tablets – Excite 10, Excite 13 and Excite 7.7 – feature elegant and sturdy aluminum shells and scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass displays, making them not only stylish, but also durable. Powered by Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, which builds on the things people love most about Android – the tablets offer a simplified UI, easy multitasking, customizable home screens, resizable widgets and a full suite of familiar Google™ mobile services applications – as well as powerful new ways of communicating and sharing.
From scrolling and swiping the web, to the fast action of the latest games, the Excite tablets’ all-new NVIDIA® Tegra™ 3 processorsi deliver amazing multitasking, web, gaming and video. This innovative mobile processor features the world’s only 4-PLUS-1™ mobile quad-core CPU, providing users outstanding performance for even the most demanding applications. Apps run faster, games are played at console-quality, HD video is smoother, plus it features a unique 5th battery-saver core to handle everyday apps – extending battery lifeii.

Each tablet is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera on the back, along with a 2-megapixel front-facing shooter for convenient photography, video capture and chat. The tablets also include stereo speakers with exclusive sound enhancements by Toshiba and SRS® Labs, as well as Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® connectivity.

Excite 10: Smart, Speedy, Durable
An all-around tablet designed for home and away, the Excite 10 tablet delivers an exceptional visual experience, featuring a bright, high definition 10.1-inch diagonal AutoBrite™ LED Backlit display with 1280×800 resolution and 10-finger multi-touch support, making it an ideal choice for web browsing, reading, games and apps. Measuring just 0.35 inches thin and weighing just 1.32 poundsiii, the Excite 10 tablet is extremely portable and delivers up to 10 hours of battery lifeiv and seven days of stand-by.

Delivering more performance than previous generation tablets, the Excite 10 tablet is powered by a quad-core NVIDIA® Tegra™ 3 processorv with GeForce graphicsvi and 1GB of RAMvii, opening up new possibilities for everyday multi-purpose use and next generation mobile games. Built to do more than the average tablet, users can enjoy easy syncing and sharing between all of their favorite devices, with a selection of built-in ports, including Micro USB, Micro HDMI® and a full-size SD card slot.

Excite 13: More Screen for More of Everything
Delivering more screen real estate than any other tablet on the market, the Excite 13 tablet offers a big, bright, higher resolution display, while delivering more room for everything else – from sharing photos and web browsing to playing games and watching movies with a group. Ideally suited for the home, from growing families to empty nesters, the Excite 13 tablet is only 0.4 inches thin and weighs 2.2 poundsviii, so it is still easy to carry.

With a 13.3-inch diagonal AutoBrite™ LED Backlit display with 10-finger touch support, the tablet boasts a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio and 1600×900 native resolution, perfect for watching HD movies and videos. A four-speaker sound system with exclusive sound enhancements by Toshiba and SRS Labs delivers amazing audio and an included tablet stand makes it easy to prop up on a table, kitchen countertop or coffee table to share videos with friends and family.

Not only great for movies, the Excite 13 tablet can power through the latest games and multitask with ease. Powered by the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra™ 3 mobile processorix with GeForce graphicsx and 1GB of memoryxi, the large display tablet offers smooth, console-quality gaming plus the performance for high definition entertainment. Extremely power efficient, the Excite 13 tablet is targeted to deliver up to 13 hours of battery lifexii and seven days of stand-by. The Excite 13 tablet includes Micro USB, Micro HDMI® ports and a full-size SD card slot for syncing and sharing content.

Excite 7.7: A Brilliant AMOLED Display
Toshiba’s first tablet to feature an AMOLED display, the Excite 7.7 tablet is ideal for consumers on the go and is perfect for the mobile gamer and movie lover alike. The tablet’s brilliant 7.7-inch diagonal display brings games, movies, books and photos to life like never before with rich colors, deep contrast and amazing sharpness. Extremely thin at just 0.3 inches and light at only 13.4 ounces, Excite 7.7 fits easily into a bag or jacket.

Exceptionally powerful and able to tackle the latest games and HD content, the Excite 7.7 tablet is powered by a quad-core NVIDIA® Tegra™ 3 processor with GeForce graphicsxiii and 1GB of memoryxiv. The tablet includes a Micro USB port and a Micro SD card slot for syncing and sharing content.

The Convenience of Android and Exclusive Toshiba Apps
The new Excite tablets include a full suite of familiar Google™ Mobile Service applications, including Google Play™, YouTube™, Gmail™ and Google Maps™. Additionally, the tablets come pre-loaded with a useful mix of Toshiba software and third-party applications, including TOSHIBA Book Place, which offers more than 3 million e-books, the TOSHIBA Media Player that supports content sharing, TOSHIBA File Manager, as well as Netflix™ and Zinio™, the ultimate app for magazine lovers and more.

Pricing and Availability
The Excite 10 tablet will be available for purchase on May 6, 2012 for $449.99 MSRPxv for the 16GB model, $529.99 MSRPxvi for the 32GB model and $649.99 MSRPxvii for the 64GB model.

The Excite 7.7 tablet will be available for purchase on June 10, 2012 for $499.99 MSRPxviii for the 16GB model and $579.99 MSRPxix for the 32GB model.

The Excite 13 tablet will be available for purchase on June 10, 2012 for $649.99 MSRPxx for the 32GB model and $749.99 MSRPxxi for the 64GB model.

These tablets will be available at major retailers, e-tailers and direct from Toshiba at ToshibaDirect.com.

Image Gallery: http://bit.ly/excitetablets.
Connect with Toshiba on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ToshibaUSA, on Twitter at twitter.com/ToshibaUSA and on YouTube at youtube.com/ToshibaUS.

Read more @ Android Phone Fans

If you don’t know what the Android Overload is all about, this is the place where we stash all the articles that didn’t make it onto our front page from throughout the day.  But because we felt like they deserved another shot — and informed readers are the best kind of readers — we post them here. So, that you guys can give them a final once over. Find something interesting? Leave us your thoughts.

• Android Open Kang Project build 31 is now available. [AndroidCommunity]
• AT&T fails to reach terms with workers union. [BGR]
• Court denies Motorola motion in Apple patent case. [FOSSPatents]
• Acer and Pantech reach licensing agreements with InterDigital. [Electronista]
• Google Play Music enables Labs features for web. [Google Play Music]
• Onlive Desktop moves to Windows Server 2008. Microsoft to inspect. [ArsTechnica]
• T-Mobile and Leap Wireless sign cross spectrum licensing deal. [AllThingsD]
• RIMs developer relations VP compares Android Market to a cesspool of pirated apps. [Electronista]
• Android 4.0.4 IMM76D flashable image now available for rooted users who want to get back to stock. [Google Code]

Read more @ Android Phone Fans

Summer is just around the corner and for an Android user stuck in the woods, finding a reliable power source could provide for a near impossible challenge. Up until now, we’ve seen more conventional methods of keeping your devices juiced up when away from an outlet like using solar power. And while solar power isn’t always the most efficient way of charging a device — not to mention having to rely on the not always reliable sun and low power output — this Kickstarter campaign provide a little more useful.

If you’re one of the more outdoorsy Android users, The PowerPot is an easy way to power your all your Android devices using nothing more than heat. Start a fire, put on a PowerPot, plug in your device and you’re all set to go. It’s that simple. You can find The PowerPot on its Kickstarter page where the creators have currently raised $18,000 of their $50,000 goal with 24 days left to go before funding expires. You guys can check it out via the video and link below.

[Kickstarter | EverythingUSB | Electronista]

Read more @ Android Phone Fans

If you hurry on over to DailySteals, they a pretty good deal right now on an unlocked HTC One X. The device is currently be offered up for only $630 and while that may sound a little steep to some, that’s not bad considering how much you’d have to pay when shipping the device overseas. This is about $40 cheaper than the lowest price I could find elsewhere online, and where those are currently back ordered, this one on DailySteals is available and ready for purchase.

Keep in mind, this will only work on AT&T’s HSPA+ 4G network, so no LTE here. And while T-Mobile has been switching over their 3G 1900Mhz spectrum over to 4G, that’s not readily available in all markets.

Of course, you could always wait until AT&T officially releases there’s here in states, and pick one of those off-contract. Only “problem” is those will only come in the S4 varieties and while that has been shown to best the Tegra 3 in some benchmarks, Nvidia’s processor is king when it comes to gaming. Anyone getting one of these now, or holding out?

Read more @ Android Phone Fans

Used smartphone buyers, who prefer to save a little dough by purchasing previously owned smartphones off eBay and Craigslist, may soon find little risk involved. WSJ reported today that the 4 major wireless networks in the US are teaming up with the FCC to stop the sale of stolen/lost phones once and for all. Apparently, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile all have plans to create a common database that will deny both voice and data services to devices that come up flagged as stolen or lost.

At first, carriers will come up with their own databases and sometime within the next 18 months, those databases will be pooled into one centralized repository. Currently, only Sprint as Verizon blacklist stolen/lost devices, and only within their respective networks (I’ve also heard talk that T-Mobile has finally begun blacklisting IMEI’s ahead of this announcement). A stolen phone on Sprint, for instance, can still be brought to a MetroPCS store for activation. However this wont be the case for long with even smaller, regional carriers getting in on this new database. This should not only effectively end the sale of stolen/lost devices forever, but those would-be opportunists, looking to cash-in on a deal.

What do you guys think? Is this a great idea that could lead to less insurance claims and bystanders who actually return lost devices? Can you find some kind of negative impact this could have on consumers?

Read more @ Android Phone Fans

While some would argue that a new device “soak test” holds no value when it comes to its newsworthiness, I beg to differ. Soak tests can be a great way for users to get a preview of what’s coming around the bend for their beloved devices. Take the upcoming Motorola DROID RAZR/ Maxx soak test we told you guys about last week. While at first it was scheduled to be nothing more than your average maintenance update (that admittedly, never happened), it now looks like things could have taken a turn for the better.

According to Droid-Life, who received a tip from a member of the Motorola Feedback Network that the previous Razr/Maxx 6.12.181 software update has been scrapped. Instead, Motorola is going full steam ahead with the it-couldn’t-come-any-sooner Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade. All of this, coming form the Moto FN forums manager, who made the following statement (but has since been removed):

The Motorola Feedback Network is an almost “secret society” forum where daring users can sign their life away and become beta testers for new device updates. Now, if this rumored ICS soak test checks out, and there aren’t any device threatening bugs, we can expect a full-on rollout for the masses shortly thereafter. And that, my friends, is why we like getting the inside scoop on soak tests. You guys hyped?

Read more @ Android Phone Fans

Everybody likes to claim “firsties.” And today, Chrysler hopes to claim that title with their “industry first,” in-vehicle wireless charging system for the 2013 Dodge Dart. The wireless charging system will come as an available option and carry a cost of $200 plus installation. After installation, the system will be found inside the center console where a user can simply toss their compatible device in, start their car up, and begin charging. Just set it, and forget it.

Of course, you will need a phone with these capabilities either built in (super rare) or with some sort of 3rd party solution to take advantage of wireless charging. Still, with rumors that the Samsung Galaxy S III’s “killer feature” could be wireless charging, maybe we’ll start seeing this become more of a trend in the coming months. Full press release can be found below.

Chrysler Group LLC Introduces Industry-first In-vehicle Wireless Charging

Charges iPhone, Blackberry, MP3 Players and Droid-based devices
New Mopar® Feature First Available on All-new 2013 Dodge Dart

April 9, 2012 , Auburn Hills, Mich. – Look mom, no wires.

After being the first to eliminate heavy, bulky owner manuals from its vehicles, Chrysler Group LLC, through its Mopar® division, will now be the first to eliminate unsightly dangling power cords in its vehicles by offering in-vehicle wireless charging.

The company will first make the technology available on the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart that arrives in dealerships in the second quarter of this year.

"At Mopar, we look for every single opportunity to make our customers’ lives easier," said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. "Our industry-first in-vehicle wireless charging system is the perfect solution for those connected customers who are always on the go."

For easy access, a seamlessly integrated power bin, measuring 8.27 inches by 9.5 inches by 3.25 inches, is installed just below the center stack and in front of the center console. The bin has a built-in charging grid that is activated when customers place in their battery-powered device. The unit begins to charge when the vehicle is started. A phone case, specifically designed for a variety of smartphones, is required and included with the feature.

Mopar in-vehicle wireless charging is available for $199.99, plus installation (part number 82213216).

[BGR]

Read more @ Android Phone Fans

Those of you on T-Mobile who have been holding your breath for the upcoming HTC One S will soon be able to exhale. A few leaked images from some newly leaked internal training slides hint that a launch is fast approaching. Really there’s not much here we didn’t already know about the device, but it’s interesting to see how T-Mobile will try and market the device.

TMoNews also goes on to report that the April 25th is looking like the new launch date, providing everything goes according to plan and there’s no unexpected delays. Any T-Mobile customers have their checkbook ready for the One S? Or will you continue holding out for something better?

UPDATE: Looks like TMoNews was able to get a hold of another leak, this time confirming the April 25th launch date directly from inside those T-Mo training slides.

Read more @ Android Phone Fans