Asus Transformer Prime: Does quad-core really matter?

This week's announcement of the Asus Transformer Prime marks the start of a new era for Android tablets. Aside from the Prime's sleek design and PC-like transformation potential, the product will be the first tablet to run on a quad-core processor -- specifically, the new Tegra 3 chip made by Nvidia.
Let's face it, though: For most folks, things like processor cores ultimately boil down to a bunch of gobbledygook geek speak. So what does having a quad-core tablet really mean from a user perspective, and will it make a significant difference in your day-to-day life?

Transformer Prime and the Quad-Core Advantage

The short answer is that having a quad-core processor lets your tablet do more stuff simultaneously and more efficiently. Nvidia cites its new Tegra 3 processor as delivering up to five times the performance of its dual-core predecessor, the Tegra 2 -- the chip in many current high-end Android tablets, including the Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and original Asus Transformer. The Tegra 3's graphics processing unit is also said to be three times as fast as the previous model's.
More geek speak -- I know. So let's put this into real-world terms. Some things you'll notice when using a tablet with a quad-core processor:

• Web pages will load faster. The browser can execute JavaScript code more quickly and handle multiple tabs better with the addition of the extra cores; some benchmarks suggest Web browsing performance is as much as 50 percent faster on a quad-core system vs. a dual-core device.

• Multitasking will be smoother and more responsive. The extra cores in a chip like Nvidia's Tegra 3 let Android figure out which tasks need the most resources and assign computing power accordingly. With more cores to spread out the work, the system can keep up with high amounts of activity without stuttering or slowing down.

• Resource-intensive apps will have better performance. Something like Words with Friends runs fine on any ol' system, more or less, but when you start getting into apps that handle tasks like photo and video editing and graphical gaming, a quad-core chip will allow for a higher level of performance. It'll also enable developers to create new kinds of resource-intensive games that simply wouldn't be able to run (or run well, anyway) on a less powerful processor.

Quad-Core Tablets In Action
That's all fine and dandy to discuss, but how 'bout an actual example? The video below, produced by Nvidia, shows side-by-side performance of a tablet running the new Tegra 3 chip compared to various dual-core systems. Nvidia's Tegra team tells me they used devices with comparable specs (aside from the chip, of course) to eliminate as many variables as possible. The devices on the left side of the screen are running either Tegra 2 chips or Qualcomm 1.5GHz dual-core chips; the devices on the right are running the new Tegra 3 quad-core processors.

And as for the quad-core gaming potential? This next video shows some of the advancements being made by developers to take advantage of the added cores:

Quad-Core Tablets: What About Battery Life?
The first thing most people ask when they hear about quad-core tablets is how all that added processing power will affect their device's battery life. In what seems to be a paradoxical twist, a quad-core processor actually runs at a lower frequency and tends to use less power than a dual-core equivalent.

The reason? All those cores aren't just lighting up willy-nilly; instead, the system spreads out the workload and uses only the minimum amount of processing power needed at any given time. The Tegra 3 chip actually has five cores (confusing, I know), one of which is dedicated to handling low-frequency tasks like keeping the tablet humming in active-standby mode, playing music in the background, or playing a video. The four main cores, then, handle the heavier stuff, switching on and off automatically as they're needed.
Case in point: With the Transformer Prime, Asus is promising 12 hours of battery life -- and that's based on tests where the tablet was continuously playing 720p-quality video with its display turned up to a high brightness level.
Quad-Core Tablets: The Bottom Line
Look, at this point, a quad-core tablet is a top-of-the-line luxury item. If you're a casual user who wants a tablet mainly for surfing the Web, checking email, and playing some basic games, a dual-core device will probably be fine for your needs. Pretty much every quality tablet on the market right now is dual-core; most of them have excellent performance for typical everyday use.
If you're a power user, though -- someone who does a lot of multitasking, heavy-duty gaming, or high-intensity application usage -- a quad-core unit might be something worth your while. You'll pay a premium for it, no doubt, but if technology is a passion and you like having the latest and greatest stuff, the benefits could be well worth the cost.

The Asus Transformer Prime is scheduled to come out sometime next month; we'll likely see other quad-core tablets (and then phones) shortly thereafter. I'll be reviewing the Prime in much greater detail once Asus makes review units available, so I'll be able to give you more personal hands-on impressions of the performance then.
In the meantime, for more on the Transformer Prime and its features, see my previous analysis:

Ice Cream Sandwich and Galaxy Nexus: Is this the week?

We're almost halfway through November, the month Google's Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS and its accompanying Galaxy Nexus phone are scheduled to arrive. So where are these tasty treats already?
According to an increasing number of reports, both ICS and the new Nexus could launch within the week.
UPDATE: Android 4.0 and the Galaxy Nexus: My in-depth reviews
The most compelling new evidence comes from tablet maker Notion Ink. The company's CEO posted a blog over the weekend, noticed by the crew over at Android Central, that casually references the 17th as the date to watch for the drop of Google's Ice Cream Sandwich source code.
The significance? Once the source code is out, that means the inaugural version of Ice Cream Sandwich is officially finalized -- and both manufacturers and third-party ROM developers can get to work getting the software ready to run on all sorts of devices.

(My evolving list of which Android devices will and won't get the official upgrade will be available soon.)
I know, I know -- more rumors, right? Essentially, yes. Google has yet to confirm the date or say anything on the record about when ICS will launch, other than "sometime in November." But the Notion Ink CEO has a pretty good track record with his notes on Android release timing. Last year, the guy posted a blog mentioning a December 6 launch date for the Android Gingerbread release. He was spot-on then, so it's entirely possible he knows what he's talking about now.
[Android Ice Cream Sandwich: 10 reasons to be excited]

Google and the Galaxy Nexus News
So what about the Galaxy Nexus itself? If U.K. carriers are to be believed, the flagship ICS phone could also launch this Thursday, November 17. A representative from O2 mentioned the 17th as a sale date in a remark on Google+ late last week. Three U.K. has an "earliest delivery" date of November 18th listed on its Galaxy Nexus purchase page. And U.K. retailer Phones 4u is encouraging buyers to "pre-order today and be the first to get your hands on it on launch date," with a scheduled delivery of 11/17.
The big question, then -- for those of us in the U.S., at least -- is what's going on with Verizon. Big Red has confirmed it'll carry the phone, but thus far, it's kept quiet about any kind of definite launch date.
The rumors have been all over the map. We've seen leaks suggesting a Verizon Galaxy Nexus launch of November 17, November 21, and somewhere around Black Friday (i.e. Thanksgiving weekend). A rumor making the rounds this morning -- which is pretty unsubstantiated at the moment -- predicts Verizon's release being pushed back to early December. Until Verizon comes forward with official info, it's impossible to know which window will end up being right.
Even Samsung is dodging the question. When a Samsung exec appeared on Fox Business to show off the new Nexus last week, he said the phone would be available in the U.S. "just a little bit later this year." When pressed for more specifics about pricing, he simply said: "Hopefully Verizon will let us know very soon."

Blog reports, meanwhile, suggest internal training has begun at Verizon to prepare employees for the phone's launch. Signs of Verizon-branded Galaxy Nexus accessories have also started popping up around the Web.

And one final tidbit to keep in mind: Google has announced an Android-related event for this Wednesday, November 16. The most common theory is that the event will revolve around the next phase of Google's Google Music service -- a notion reinforced by some music store screenshots leaked over the weekend -- but given the timing, it's always possible the Android team could use the spotlight to deliver some official ICS and Nexus news, too.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs. HTC Rezound and Droid RAZR]
All considered, we're almost certainly at the final stretch; Ice Cream Sandwich and the Galaxy Nexus should be in our hands soon. Between that and the quad-core power of the upcoming Transformer Prime, we should have no shortage of new toys to lust after this winter.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich source code released

Here we go, gang: Google has just released the source code for the Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS.
Android engineer Jean-Baptiste M. Queru posted the news in the "Android Building" area of Google Groups moments ago. From Queru's post:

Over at our Android Open-Source Project git servers, the source code for Android version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is now available. ...
This is actually the source code for version 4.0.1 of Android, which is the specific version that will ship on the Galaxy Nexus, the first Android 4.0 device. ... Build configurations for other devices will come later.

Queru goes on to note that the release is a large file and may take some time to become available to everyone.

Now, the release of the Ice Cream Sandwich source code isn't directly significant from a typical user's perspective; this is raw code, after all, and not something you could just install onto your phone as-is. The real significance is two-fold:
First, this means the Ice Cream Sandwich software is now considered complete. That's obviously huge.
Second, this means manufacturers and third-party ROM developers can start working on prepping Ice Cream Sandwich to run on all sorts of Android phones and tablets. The source code was the one piece of puzzle they were missing up till now.

The next big question is when Google's ICS flagship Galaxy Nexus phone will arrive. With the Ice Cream Sandwich OS officially out in the wild, one would imagine its launch is right around the corner; numerous leaks and rumors, in fact, suggest the phone could appear as early as this Thursday. Google has an Android-related event scheduled for Wednesday, so it's possible we could learn more then.
UPDATE: Android 4.0 and the Galaxy Nexus: My in-depth reviews
I'll be launching a list of which devices will and won't be getting the official Android 4.0 upgrade very soon, so stay tuned. In the meantime, for more about ICS and its many new features, click over to my full Android Ice Cream Sandwich FAQ.
It's on, baby -- it's on!

Watch Google's Android event live

Google's got some more big Android news up its sleeve -- and it's only a matter of hours until we get all the gooey details.

Google has an Android event scheduled in Los Angeles for this afternoon (Wednesday, November 16). The event, entitled "These Go To Eleven," appears to be related to the next phase of Google's Google Music service; numerous reports suggest the G-Team will unveil a full-fledged music-purchasing store that's integrated into the Android Market. But there may be another surprise on the way as well.
Remember, Google released the source code to its new Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS earlier this week -- but oddly, we haven't heard any firm details about the launch of its flagship ICS phone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. A flagship Nexus device would typically ship around the same time as the new OS, and plenty of unofficial leaks point to the Galaxy Nexus landing this week.

Then there's the fact that today's Android event appears to involve T-Mobile. Google's original invitation shows a building with the T-Mobile logo printed on its side; T-Mobile later followed up with an invitation of its own touting an after-party that'll let everyone "experience the world of T-Mobile and Google." T-Mobile, as you know, has partnered with Google on Nexus device launches in the past.

So what's it all mean? That's up to interpretation right now, but putting the various clues together, it certainly seems plausible that we could hear some specifics about the Galaxy Nexus release and perhaps an additional carrier on which it might be available. (Thus far, Verizon is the only U.S. carrier that's publicly committed to carrying the phone.)
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UPDATE: Alas, no Nexus launch news yet; T-Mobile's presence was apparently just related to the Google Music stuff, which was the sole focus of this event. For more on what's new with Google Music, see Google's official blog detailing the announcement.
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Whatever the news is, it won't be long till we find out for sure. Google's Android event starts at 2 p.m. PT today; that's 5 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. Central. You can see exactly when the Android event starts for you by plugging in your city into the "convert to" box on this time zone converter.
Once you've got your local start time figured out, just bookmark youtube.com/android. That's where Google will provide a live stream of the event once it gets underway.

Until then, you can learn much more about Ice Cream Sandwich in my massive Android Ice Cream Sandwich FAQ. And if you still need a reason to get pumped up about the release, check out my 10 reasons to be excited about ICS, too.
Whatever you do, keep your eyes and ears open. Big things are happening in the world of Android right now, and this afternoon's event may unleash the fuel that'll really get things rolling.
JR Raphael writes about smartphones and other tasty technology. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

Hands on: Google's Galaxy Nexus and Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Google officially unleashed its Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS on Monday, and now, the flagship ICS phone is finally making its debut. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus went on sale in the U.K. Thursday morning and is expected to launch on Verizon Wireless within a matter of days.
I've been spending some hands-on time with the Galaxy Nexus and Android Ice Cream Sandwich this week. I'll be putting together in-depth reviews of the phone and the operating system soon, but I wanted to share some of my early impressions with you now.
Getting to Know the Galaxy Nexus and Android Ice Cream Sandwich
First, I should point out that the Galaxy Nexus unit I have is not the Verizon LTE edition; it's an HSPA+ version of the phone that'll be sold globally. The phone, provided to me on loan from Google, is connected to T-Mobile's network. It could also work with AT&T or any other compatible HSPA+ carrier anywhere in the world.

To be clear, Google says the LTE edition of the phone is the one that'll be available at launch here in the States (the official timing estimate is still "sometime in November"). As of now, no U.S. carriers other than Verizon have announced plans to offer the device, though that could obviously change in the future -- and there's no reason you couldn't buy an unlocked HSPA+ model and use it on another carrier, too, if you're willing to pay the unsubsidized price.

Got it? Good. Now let's move on to some thoughts based on the hands-on time I've had with the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich so far.
Galaxy Nexus: The Body
Make no mistake about it: The Galaxy Nexus is one slick-looking device. The phone's form reminds me somewhat of the Samsung Galaxy S II, particularly the Sprint model. It's not identical, mind you, but the two devices definitely look related. The Galaxy Nexus has more rounded edges and a nicely contoured display. It's also larger than the GSII, given its supersized 4.65-inch screen.
Here's what's interesting, though: For as large as that screen size sounds, the Galaxy Nexus is surprisingly not bulky. I was initially skeptical as to whether a 4.65-inch display would make the device seem too big to hold and lug around in my pocket all day. As soon as I actually had the device in my hand, those worries went away.
For some perspective, the Galaxy Nexus is actually about equal in width and thickness to the Sprint Galaxy S II and just 0.2 inches longer in length. The Galaxy Nexus is 2.7 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches; the Sprint GSII is 2.7 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches.
Galaxy Nexus: The Display
Speaking of displays, a lot of folks have been wondering how the Galaxy Nexus would stack up next to other Android phones when it comes to screen quality. The Galaxy Nexus uses Samsung's new HD Super AMOLED technology, which is a change from the Super AMOLED Plus seen in the Galaxy S II line of devices.
Let me put your fears to rest: The screen on this thing looks mighty fine. The display is crisp and bright, with brilliant colors that really pop. I haven't noticed any jagged edges or pixelation in my usage so far. With a resolution of 1280 by 720 -- compared to 800 by 480 in the Galaxy S II -- this phone more than holds its own.
Ice Cream Sandwich: First Impressions
The Galaxy Nexus hardware is one thing, but the even bigger story is the phone's software -- you know, that little ol' thing called Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. We've been hearing about Ice Cream Sandwich for ages now, so what's it actually like to use it?
Based on my initial impressions, it's pretty damn impressive. Using ICS feels like using a prettier, more polished, and more powerful version of Android; it's close enough to what we know to be familiar, but evolved enough to be exciting.
ICS gives you five home screens with a customizable favorites tray that stays in place when you swipe between panels. The favorites tray features four icons -- which can be set to any app shortcuts or folders you want -- along with a centered icon that takes you to your phone's full app drawer.
The app drawer is also now your one-stop shop for home screen customization. It contains all the apps and widgets installed on your phone, and all you do is long-press any item there to drag and drop it onto any of your home screens. This takes a little bit of getting used to, I found, but having played with it for a while, it really strikes me as a far more simple and intuitive approach.

Ice Cream Sandwich: The Buttons (or Lack Thereof)
As you've probably heard, Google is moving away from physical navigation buttons with Ice Cream Sandwich; instead, you get on-screen buttons that appear as needed and rotate automatically to match your phone's orientation (like what we've seen on tablets running the Android Honeycomb OS). After years of using Android phones with four permanent physical buttons, I expected this to be a major adjustment -- but it's actually been pretty painless. Since the new on-screen buttons appear when you need them and where you need them, it's really a natural transition and doesn't feel the least bit odd.
(With phones that do have physical buttons, by the way, the buttons will continue to work as they always have; see my Ice Cream Sandwich FAQ for details.)
One thing I wondered with this new setup is how search and particularly Voice Actions would work. I've grown accustomed to being able to long-press my phone's search button, after all, and then speak a command or search term. The answer is that Ice Cream Sandwich places a search box at the top of the home screen that -- like the favorites tray on the bottom -- stays in place as you swipe from one panel to another. You just tap the main part of the box to launch a standard text search (which covers the Web as well as all sorts of content on your phone) or tap a microphone icon at the right of the box to launch a Voice Actions prompt.

Ice Cream Sandwich: Everything Else
It's going to take some time to fully explore all the improvements and added features Ice Cream Sandwich delivers. You've got everything from a completely revamped settings menu (long story short: massively improved) to the new facial recognition system for unlocking your phone (very cool, even if not 100 percent perfect). The OS is filled with loads of subtle new flourishes, too, ranging from a reimagined folder system to a bevy of nice-looking new animations and transitions.

There's also stuff like a brand new browser with instant Chrome bookmark syncing, a souped-up Camera app with panoramic capabilities and zero shutter lag, and fresh-looking new versions of apps like Calendar, Gmail, and Google+. Ice Cream Sandwich introduces whole new interfaces for notifications and multitasking, too, as well as an expanded "People" tool (formerly known as contacts) and a bunch of new scrollable, resizable widgets for your home screens.
All this, and I'm still barely scratching the surface. I'll be diving into Ice Cream Sandwich and the Galaxy Nexus in much greater detail in the days and weeks to come. Stay tuned for my full in-depth review and plenty of other bite-sized tidbits I'll be sharing along the way (follow one of my social media accounts, linked below, if you want to catch it all).
This is the beginning of a new era for Android, my friends -- and believe me, our journey is just getting started.

A snapshot of Android 4.0's cool new photo sharing features

Google's new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is full of interesting surprises. One thing that caught my eye just recently is how easy ICS makes it for you to share photos from your phone.
When you take a photo with Ice Cream Sandwich, it appears as a small thumbnail at the bottom of the Camera app, like it has in past versions of Android. Tapping on the thumbnail brings up a new enlarged viewing screen that has handy icons for all of your connected social services, ranging from bundled apps like Gmail and Google+ (which, yes, is now included as part of the OS) to third-party programs like Dropbox and Twitter.

If you have too many share-ready services to fit in the space, as I already do on the Galaxy Nexus I'm testing, ICS simply makes the list scrollable so you can swipe left or right to see more. Everything's on screen in front of you, though, with no hidden menus or hard-to-find commands.


The feature that really made me smile is in the Gallery app, which you use for browsing through photos and other images on your phone. When you pull up a picture in the Ice Cream Sandwich Gallery app, you see a sharing icon above it that holds a dropdown list of all those share-friendly services. Convenient, sure, but that's to be expected.
The touch I wasn't expecting is an icon that appears next to that main share command. Once you've shared your first photo, that icon automatically becomes a shortcut to the service you used -- which, in my case, was Dropbox. Effectively, Android learns what sharing service you like and gives you a one-touch shortcut to send your photos there in the future.
Better yet, if you touch the icon for a couple of seconds, you can actually customize it to make it a shortcut for any sharing service you want. Not too shabby.

I expect to find plenty of other neat little bells and whistles as I explore Ice Cream Sandwich further in the days to come. Be sure to check out my hands-on look at ICS and the Galaxy Nexus for a broader overview of my impressions.
And stay tuned: Much more ICS coverage is on the way soon, including my full ICS and Nexus reviews. We're always talking Android over on Google+ and other social networks, too; if you haven't joined me yet, come say hello.

Theory: Android's Ice Cream Sandwich keyboard based on BlindType

One of the most powerful but underplayed features in Google's Android Ice Cream Sandwich release is the new system keyboard. As I've been testing ICS and the Galaxy Nexus these past several days, I've grown increasingly impressed with what this thing can do.

Now, I'm growing increasingly confident the ICS keyboard is based at least in part on the technology of BlindType, a virtual keyboard startup acquired by Google last October. This is just my personal theory; Google has made no official statement about BlindType's contribution or lack thereof, and an Android spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.
But using the keyboard in Android 4.0, it strikes me as increasingly likely that's the case. BlindType, if you don't remember, built tons of buzz with blogs and videos showing off its virtual keyboard in the months prior to its acquisition. The
company promised to "redefine Android keyboards" with a "revolutionary system." It would adjust to your "perceived keyboard and typing style," BlindType promised, and allow for "super sloppy typing."
"Extra, missing, or swapped character? No problem," one of BlindType's promotions declared.
All of this could just as well be describing the new Android Ice Cream Sandwich keyboard. The ICS keyboard lets you type sloppily, all over the place, and it manages to figure out what you're trying to say. The accuracy is astonishing; as someone who tends to prefer Swype over any tap-based virtual keyboard, I've been surprised how happy I am using the stock ICS option.


Even Google's own description of its ICS keyboard seems to match what BlindType touted. The official Android 4.0 Platform Highlights page says the new system keyboard is "faster and more accurate," with "error correction and word suggestion" improved through "a new set of default dictionaries and more accurate heuristics for handling cases such as double-typed characters, skipped letters, and omitted spaces."
I went back and pulled a couple of the old BlindType promotional videos. Take a look:


I even tried typing some of the exact garbled character combinations from BlindType's demos into ICS; in many of the cases, the translations worked the same way. Note the suggestions on the far left in each of these screenshots:

Now, clearly, the BlindType technology wasn't simply dropped in to replace the Android keyboard -- even if the technology's there, it's obviously been refined, and the ICS keyboard has plenty of other elements involved -- but I'll be damned if there isn't a connection.
For ages now, the Android community has been wondering what happened to BlindType after the acquisition and if/when we'd see its technology appear. I have a sneaking suspicion we finally have our answer.

Android 4.0 and the Galaxy Nexus: My in-depth reviews

With Ice Cream Sandwich and the Galaxy Nexus, Google's Android operating system has really grown up.
Ice Cream Sandwich, aka Android 4.0, introduces sweeping changes to the Android platform. This is a big deal, folks: We're talking a whole new graphical look, a whole new method of getting around, and more improvements and added features that I can count. And the Galaxy Nexus is built to run it all seamlessly and effortlessly.
I've spent the past several days using the Galaxy Nexus and ICS. I've carried the Nexus around as my primary phone; I've spent hours exploring the hardware and software to get a full understanding of how they perform and what they have to offer. Lab tests and 24-hour reviews certainly have their place, but I've always been more interested in seeing how something works in the real world -- the way a real person would use it.


Long story short: Ice Cream Sandwich transforms the Android experience, and the Galaxy Nexus is a brilliant vehicle for delivering it. The hardware and software have their flaws, of course, but the level of progress that's been made is mind-boggling. Even just after using the Nexus/ICS combination for these several days, looking at a Gingerbread device feels like visiting the past. And trust me: Once you go ICS, you won't want to go back.
But enough chit-chat -- let's get into it. My in-depth review of the phone starts here:
Samsung Galaxy Nexus: Pure Google, pure delight
And my deep dive into ICS is below:
In-depth: Google's Ice Cream Sandwich -- a new era for Android
This isn't the end of our focus on Android 4.0, either; as I've said before, our journey is just beginning. Stay tuned for my evolving list of which devices will and won't be getting the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade (it's coming soon, I promise) and plenty more ICS analysis.
JR Raphael writes about smartphones and other tasty technology. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.