Android 5.0 Jelly Bean Released Soon

The well-connected guys at Digitimes feed the mill once more with a rumor that slates the next iteration of Android for the second quarter of 2012. According to their sources in the bustling Taiwanese manufacturing sector, Google plans to move fast with Android 5.0 Jelly Bean, driven by the relatively slow adoption of Ice Cream Sandwich, but also by the looming launch of Windows 8.

The news snippet is scarce in details, but a couple of important things pop out. One, Google is likely to specifically push Jelly Bean for tablet devices. Two, the guys in Mountain View would love to steal some of Windows 8’s thunder by enabling easy dual-boot on Windows 8 tablets.

Another charge in the tablet wars

So far, the results of Google’s efforts in the tablet area have been less than stellar. For some reason (price, fragmentation, public perception, marketing), Android-powered tablets haven’t been exactly flying of the shelves.

Ice Cream Sandwich is still too new to make a dent in iPad’s dominance. While most of the big names have announced that ICS will come to their devices, only a few tablets sport it already.

Understandably, Samsung, HTC, and other Google manufacturing partners are a bit wary when it comes to yet another version of Android. Even Motorola, soon to become even closer to Google, and one of the early adopters of ICS, has announced that its ICS rollout will only gather steam by Q2 2012, and will probably end in late autumn.

With all the problems created by a fast release cycle, Google can’t afford to waste any time. Apple will probably announce the iPad 3 this Spring, which will bolster its position in the tablet market even further. Plus, there is a wildcard in the game – Windows 8 is also expected to hit the markets later this year.

Will Jelly Bean borrow from Chrome OS to fight Windows 8?

Microsoft hopes to grab a piece of the tablet pie when it releases its revamped Windows 8. According to Digitimes, Google will fight back by integrating technology from Chrome OS into Jelly Bean, which would enable manufacturers to deliver tablets (and notebooks) running both Windows 8 and Android 5.0. Moreover, users will be able to quickly switch between the two operating systems, even without rebooting the device.

The Chromebook line is another area where Google needs a breath of fresh air. Launched with fanfare last year, the Chrome-running notebooks haven’t take off at all. The recent wave of Ultrabooks makes Google’s mission even harder. Jelly Bean may help here too.

To conclude, Google has a lot at stake with the new Android 5.0. The success of this new version may finally give the Mountain View giant the foothold it needs to fight Apple’s iPad. The arrival of Windows 8 may complicate things even further. No matter what happens, we can’t wait to see how Jelly Bean looks and feels.

How to take Screen Shot in Android Devices

I could have done an introduction post but I’ll pass with that one this time and get down to business right away. Android is fabulous. I think it has fantastic future. With more and more devices adopting the opensource platform offered by Google, there’s a race out there for writing applications for Android. I’d like to start of this blog by writing a post on how to take screenshots of your android phone. Yes there are some applications out there which do the job but require root access. We’ll be seeing a more native and fool proof method of taking screenshots on you android screens.

1. Make sure you have Java Runtime Installed. If you don’t get it first and install it (Download link at the end of the post).

2. Connect your phone to your computer using your data cable.

If it is your first time connecting to computer using data cable, you’ll be prompted with installing drivers. I am using Windows 7 so I’ll focus on using your Android phone with Windows 7.

3. Once the phone is connected and all the drivers are installed, staying on the home screen click the menu button and navigate to

Settings > Application > Development and check the checkbox which reads USB debugging.

4. Now we need download what is called as Android SDK. (Download link at the end of the post)

5. Once downloaded, extract the content to some folder.

6. Go to the folder inside the Android SDK folder and navigate into the folder named tools.

7. Double click the file named ddms. This should open a window titled Dalvik Debug Monitor and will show your android device.

8. Click on the device menu and select screencapture to start capturing screens from your android phone.

Everytime you have to capture a new screen, click Refresh button. Click save to save the file to a specified location. Following is a sample screenshot of my home screen.

Google Android Based Home Entertainment System

Google is developing a home-entertainment system to stream music wirelessly throughout a users’ houses, The Wall Street Journal reports. The device will be Google-branded, marking a first for the search giant which historically develops software it then licenses to outside vendors. The system will most likely be Android-powered and will allow users to download music and stream it to Google-made speakers or other Web-connected devices in a home or office.

The system may also be able to stream other digital media beyond just music. Apple, one of Google’s main rivals, has long developed both the hardware and software for its products. With its pending acquisition of Motorola Mobility, Google is looking to make waves in the hardware sector as well, and this new home entertainment solution could be one of the first own-brand devices to launch following the approval of Google’s Motorola buy, which is expected to come next week. The Android-powered entertainment system will reportedly be available later this year.