Toshiba Builds Retina-Topping LCD Display With Nearly 500 PPI

The age of 720p smartphone displays is just beginning, with phones like the Galaxy Nexus on the way that will squeeze a high-definition picture down to a portable size. None of us expect the race for higher-and-higher resolutions and denser-and-denser pixel structures to stop now, but where exactly is it heading? Toshiba just announced a new display it's engineered for portable devices that looks like it could set the bar pretty darn high.

This particular component is a smidge too large for a typical smartphone screen, measuring in at 6.1 inches, which lands it in that buffer zone between smartphones and tablets filled with irregularly-sized devices like the Galaxy Note – the same size range we heard Samsung say would be perfect for mobile devices targeted towards women. We might be more excited if it was a 4.5-inch screen, and for all we know Toshiba is already considering manufacturing a version more along that size.

How many pixels do you think would fit on a 6.1-inch display? Toshiba has managed to cram-in a 2,560 x 1,600 array, far surpassing even 1080p. When that many pixels are on a screen that size, we're looking at a pixel density of 498ppi. If you thought Apple's Retina Display was easy on the eyes, this Toshiba tech might just blow your mind. At that resolution, we're really approaching a place where, even close-up, LCDscreens will start to resemble the quality of printed material. Suffice to say, we're excited to see how Toshiba ends up bringing this display to the mobile market, though that's almost certainly a long way off. 

Android Application Weekly 21 Oct 2011

In this episode of the Android Application Weekly we demonstrate some apps that will keep you entertained, allow you to distort your photos in a funny way, and control your computer from across the room. To download these directly to your Android smartphone or tablet just take a picture of the QR-Code using Google Goggles or any other QR-Code scanner or click on the app title link to be taken directly to the Android Market.

Air Penguin – A free application



Air Penguin is an easy to control yet challenging game. The object of the game is to jump, slide, ride, and bounce from one ice berg to the next while avoiding the water and other obstacles. To control Air Penguin just rotate your Android smartphone from side to side and up or down.



Full HD Backgrounds – A free application 



Although there are many free wallpaper apps out there, Full HD Backgrounds gives you the option to save the wallpapers in many different formats. Select a background from one of the categories or search for exactly what you are looking for. Select the style of wallpaper you would like to assign to your Android and save it as a favorite for future reference.



Photo Warp – A free application



With Photo Warp you will be able to accent your photos in strange ways. Turn your friends into alien type figures, squeeze their face, or make their rear end huge. Save the images to share with the ones you just changed.



Mobile Mouse – A lite and $2.99 full version 



With more computers now equipped with HDMI ports many users use their HDTV as a monitor to create a really large display. Mobile Mouse allows you to control your computer through a Wi-Fi connection acting as a capacitive mouse and keyboard from across the room. The paid version has other settings and hot keys to help save time.



Jelly Defense – No Lite and $2.99 full version



Jelly Defense is one of the best tower defense style games to ever come to a mobile platform. The object of the game is to defend your planet’s crystals from being taken by the invaders. Use currency to buy and upgrade new towers, collect currency by destroying the enemies progressing through the paths.


Live Wallpaper – Halloween Ghosts - A lite and $0.99 full version

Android 4.0 SDK Port to Nexus S 4G In Progress

While the devs behind CyanogenMod have stated that they're waiting until the Android 4.0 Ice CreamSandwich source code is released before attempting to integrate the new operating system with their project, other devs are attempting the kludgy business of using the files from therecently-released Ice Cream Sandwich SDK to try and force the OS on a smartphone ahead of schedule. It looks like he still has a very long way to go, but one such intrepid soul has revealed his efforts so far in getting Ice Cream Sandwich onto a Nexus S 4G.

Probably the most annoying problem at the moment is the reported issue with touchscreen input; right now, you need to use two fingers at once for the phone to track your movements. Assuming that gets worked-out, there are still problems with WiFi, audio output, and Bluetooth that need to be addressed. While those are just annoyances, the touchscreen issues are apparently really getting in the way of the phone being usable, and fixing them is top priority.

It's likely we'll hear of some more refinements to this project come in the weeks leading up to the Ice Cream Sandwich source release, but ultimately that moment is what we're really waiting for, to start seeing the unofficial Android 4.0 builds begin. 

Sony Ericsson: No More Updates For Xperia X10

This past summer, Sony Ericsson brought owners of the Xperia X10 into the present day by finally releasing a Gingerbread update for the phone, skipping Froyo altogether as it upgraded the X10 from Eclair. If you thought that action meant SE was interested in continuing to breathe some newlife into the aging phone, think again, because it looks like that update will be the last the X10 may ever see.

An X10 fan sent a tweet to Sony Ericsson's UK branch, where he wondered if there were any plans to get Android 2.3.4 on the X10; the late July update was for Android 2.3.3. Sony Ericsson responded with an unequivocal denial, further adding, "there will be no more updates for the Xperia X10."

While this isn’t exactly surprising news, considering the phone is pushing the 18-month mark, we never like to hear about a smartphone throwing-in the towel like this. The good news is that you needn't necessarily rely on Sony Ericsson to keep your X10 on the most recent Android builds, since there's beenwork at bringing CyanogenMod to the X10 (along with most other Xperia models). The latest release hasn't included X10 support, but it's clear from developer forums that work is still underway. 

iOS Tip: Selectively Hide iTunes Content in Purchased List

Ever since Apple introduced iCloud back in Juneyou are able to see a list on your device of all your downloaded and/or purchased Music, TV Shows, Apps and Books in the Updates tab of your App Store or Purchased tab of your iTunes. This is all thanks to iTunes in the Cloud.

The principle is very easy: everything purchased get into the list for easy re-downloading. How about when your list becomes cluttered with all the apps you once downloaded, tried and no longer use? And when you don't want other people having access to your device to see your purchasehistory? Or maybe you just want to filter out the list according to whatever preference of yours? We'll show you how!

This is valid for Music, TV Shows, Apps and Books. Fire up your iTunes application on your computer and go to the iTunes Store on the left. On the Store home page click the Purchased (New) link on the right side of the page and you'll be presented with the screen shown below.