Android This Week: Angry Birds, Opera Mobile Coming - GigaOm

Android phone owners got some game-loving news this week as the full version of Angry Birds was released. The release was unusual in that the app is free, as GetJar has a unique ad-supported distribution model in place. Rovio Mobile’s decision to give an exclusive deal for Angry Birds to GetJar was also out of the ordinary, as it means the hottest game in town will not be available from the Android Market. Google must be hoping this doesn’t start a trend, as it cuts out the 30 percent royalty Google normally takes from each app sale.

Opera Mobile will be coming to the Android platform in a few weeks, as announced by the company this week. Opera Mobile brings the desktop browsing experience to the smartphone better than previous versions of the browser. This new browser will take advantage of the hardware capabilities found in current smartphones, and implement a pinch/ zoom interface that rivals that in competing browsers.

The number of apps in the Android Market is growing rapidly, and the openness of the platform opens up the door for utility apps that improve the user experience. Keyboard apps fall in that category, and as many Android phones rely on onscreen keyboards developers have stepped up and produced quite a few of them. A keyboard app that may have more features than the others is Ultra Keyboard, as demonstrated in our video review. The app offers multiple keyboard layouts, multiple input methods and can translate text into a number of languages.

Kevin noted that handset makers are going to be offering Android-based smartphones in India soon, anticipating another half-billion new Android users as a result. In addition, some of the smartphones in India may be from brands unfamiliar to U.S. users; Indian companies Spice Mobility, Olive Telecom and Micromax are expected to be offering Android phones as well.

GigaOM had a cool infographic this week showing the steady progress of Android’s march toward market dominance that’s worth a look.

Gingerbread is next up on the Android dessert menu, and from the looks of it, most Android users have managed to upgrade to either Eclair or Froyo versions. Kevin took a look at Android Market data provided by Google’s dashboard service, and found that nearly three-quarters of Android users are using Android version 2.1 or above. Let’s hope more users are able to upgrade to Froyo before Gingerbread is out of the oven.

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Early next-gen MacBook Air may have surfaced in photo - Electronista

Images of what's claimed to be an early prototype of the next-generation MacBook Air have surfaced in a new leak. The design, purportedly dating back to April of this year, implied that there may still be a 13-inch version but also that Apple would have addressed some of the common complaints of the Air's 2008-era build. Engadget pointed out that it would eschew the drop-down expansion row and have two USB ports, one on either side, as well as an SD card reader and the requisite Mini DisplayPort output.

As hinted earlier, no room was shown for a fully-enclosed 1.8-inch hard drive. Apple would instead use a 'raw' SSD that could be just a circuit board with flash memory chips and a controller. Most of the space in the design would instead be devoted to the batteries, which were represented here by four separate packs. It's possible a finished design would change the layout.

The notebook was listed as new and identifed itself in System Profiler as "MacBook Air 3,1," but the parts shown are a direct holdover from the existing model and use a 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo S (the SL9400) with 2GB of RAM. Its age may have been borne out by design touches, since the bottom and glass trackpad would be new but the top would still have the all-aluminum frame of the original.

As the system showed is at least half a year old, it's considered entirely probable that Apple will have upgraded the processor, RAM and other components now that they should be either available or at lower prices. Whether or not a 13-inch model ships might also be called into question; Apple has been known to alter or cancel plans late into development, and multiple sources have all made no mention of a 13-inch Air sequel while remaining confident that a 11.6-inch version exists. A possibility exists that Apple may carry both sizes.

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Bill Clinton at UCLA Rally for Brown and Newsom - NECN

(NECN/CNN: Los Angeles, Calif.) - What better way to secure votes than to bring in the big guns!

Democratic heavy-hitter former President Bill Clinton is in Southern California Friday hoping to reel in votes for his party.  
He's stumping for gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom-- who's running for Lieutenant Governor.  

They were at a campaign event at U-C-L-A.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave their introductions.  

All three made rock-star entrances in front of a screaming crowd of some 6,000 students.  

Clinton urged students to get out and vote during this critical election--- saying it's quote 'not enough to have voted for a new president if you will not let him govern.'

Brown is in a tight race with Republican Meg Whitman for the governor's seat.  

While Newsom is up against Republican Abel Maldonado-- who was appointed Lieutenant Governor when the spot was left vacant by U-S Representative John Garamendi.

Clinton was in Orange County earlier Friday-- and heads to Northern California to support other Democratic candidates though the weekend. 

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