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“Writing user interface layouts for Android applications is easy, but it can sometimes be difficult to optimize them. Most often, heavy modifications made to existing XML layouts, like shuffling views around or changing the type of a container, lead to inefficiencies that go unnoticed.

Starting with the SDK Tools Revision 3 you can use a tool called layoutopt to automatically detect common problems. This tool is currently only available from the command line and its use is very simple – just open a terminal and launch the layoutopt command with a list of directories or XML files to analyze:

$ layoutopt samples/
samples/compound.xml
  7:23 The root-level <FrameLayout/> can be replaced with <merge/>
  11:21 This LinearLayout layout or its FrameLayout parent is useless samples/simple.xml
  7:7 The root-level <FrameLayout/> can be replaced with <merge/>
samples/too_deep.xml
  -1:-1 This layout has too many nested layouts: 13 levels, it should have <= 10!
  20:81 This LinearLayout layout or its LinearLayout parent is useless
  24:79 This LinearLayout layout or its LinearLayout parent is useless
  28:77 This LinearLayout layout or its LinearLayout parent is useless
  32:75 This LinearLayout layout or its LinearLayout parent is useless
  36:73 This LinearLayout layout or its LinearLayout parent is useless
  40:71 This LinearLayout layout or its LinearLayout parent is useless
  44:69 This LinearLayout layout or its LinearLayout parent is useless
  48:67 This LinearLayout layout or its LinearLayout parent is useless
  52:65 This LinearLayout layout or its LinearLayout parent is useless
  56:63 This LinearLayout layout or its LinearLayout parent is useless
samples/too_many.xml
  7:413 The root-level <FrameLayout/> can be replaced with <merge/>
  -1:-1 This layout has too many views: 81 views, it should have <= 80! samples/useless.xml
  7:19 The root-level <FrameLayout/> can be replaced with <merge/>
  11:17 This LinearLayout layout or its FrameLayout parent is useless

For each analyzed file, the tool will indicate the line numbers of each tag that could potentially be optimized. In some cases, layoutopt will also offer a possible solution.
The current version of layoutopt contains a dozen rules used to analyze your layout files and future versions will contain more. Future plans for this tool also include the ability to create and use your own analysis rules, to automatically modify the layouts with optimized XML, and to use it from within Eclipse and/or a standalone user interface.”
[Via Android Developers]

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“As a general rule of thumb, we’d say that whenever you hear rumors of an Android-powered candybar with a numeric keypad, it’s probably going to end in tears. Such might be the case with Sony Ericsson’s codename “Susan,” a device originally thought to accompany the X10 in the company’s brand-spanking-new Android line but now apparently thought to be a simpler QVGA dumbphone coming to market as the J10 with WiFi and a 5 megapixel cam with flash. Not as exciting, no — but the good news is that the phone should come in as a member of the GreenHeart line, meaning that it’ll probably be made of eco-friendly materials and get packed in with an ultra-low or zero-power draw charger (when there’s no phone attached, anyway). No word on pricing or release just yet.”

[ Via engadget ]

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I can’t believe it has already been zero days since Bell launched the first Galaxy as its very first Android device.  It seems like only earlier today! Finally, rumor rolls around for the successor – Galaxy2!

According to PhoneReport – super secret ninja that shall not be named, Eldar Murtazin, has got his hands on the Galaxy2 and had a rather enjoyable experience.

The phone reportedly packs an awesome 32GBs of internal memory and a 4″ AMOLED display.  Said to run Android 2.1 and launch the second quarter of 2010.

We’ll keep an eye out for you but as per usual – if you see something on this before we do, let us know!

[ phonereport ]

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A couple weeks ago we posted an article with what was then the current update from Acer on their 2010 plan.   Naturally we had to speculate a bit based off the quotes we were given – and it boiled down to 3-5 Android devices for 2010.

This was based off the fact that only 10% of their 2009 lineup was Android and that he (Aymar de Lencquesaing) had said:

“Next year it will be much more balanced,”

..along with:

De Lencquesaing said Acer had no plans to follow top cellphone makers, which introduce 50-100 new handsets each year.

“Our sweet spot is probably 8-10 devices, there we would feel comfortable,” he said.

Well – good news Acer fans!  Today and Acer executive stated that they will ship 5 or 6 Android devices during just the first half of 2010 – and that the second half is still being evaluated.

“Acer plans to launch as many as six new smartphones with Google’s Android mobile operating system in the first half of next year, a company executive said Thursday.

The world’s second largest PC vendor this week started rolling out its first Android handset, the Liquid smartphone. The device went on sale via Hong Kong operator CSL on Wednesday and at Far EasTone Telecommunications of Taiwan on Thursday.

“We’re still evaluating the second half,” said Roger Yuen, vice president of Acer’s smart handheld business in Asia. Acer will ship five or six Android-based handsets in the first half of 2010, he said.

Acer plans to unveil Android mobile phones for three price levels, top-end, mid and low-end, as well as models aimed at business users and consumers, he said. The executive declined to say when Acer’s second Android mobile phone will be available.

Liquid, a 3.5-inch touchscreen smartphone with a Qualcomm 8250 Snapdragon chipset inside, was announced earlier this year. The device uses version 1.6 of Android, comes with a built-in GPS receiver for location services and a 5-megapixel camera.

The smartphone will be offered by mobile operators in Europe by the first quarter of 2010 and will continue to roll out around the world, Yuen said. Currently, it is only available through operators in Asia.”

We’ll keep an eye out and as soon as we see a product lineup of any sort you can bet you’ll see it here!

[ PCWorld ]

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The fellas over at AndroidandMe got their Nook in the other night and while a full review is in the works still – they have posted an unboxing and initial thoughts video for all you e-readin’ readers out there.

They didn’t have a ton to say in the article itself but here’s a little preview for ya:

“It feels very svelte and sturdy in my hands. All the buttons seemed to be in natural places and the e-ink screen looks just phenomenal. It looks sharp and clean from all angles. Overall the unit feels rather petite, although I’ve never used a Kindle so I don’t really have a real point of comparison.

The color touch-screen down below is a nice bonus. Seeing the covers of the books and being able to swipe through large lists is a definite plus.

The Nook isn’t the snappiest though, the boot-up and first load of some titles requires some patience. Thankfully this should improve with future software updates. The e-ink screen flickers a tiny bit when refreshing but the annoyance is minimal.”

They have posted a video, which is here:

..as well as an impressive collection of pictures.  Head on over to check those out!

When they get their full review posted I will this post. So if this bad boy is on your wishlist keep an eye out over the next couple days!

[ AndroidandMe ]

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“Dell is to launch an Android-based tablet device, Pocket-lint has learnt, possibly beating the also rumoured Apple tablet to the market.

The new model, which will go up against the currently available Archos Internet Tablet and recently announced JooJoo (formerly the CrunchPad), will allow users to surf the Web from a handheld device bigger than a touchscreen smartphone, but smaller than a standard netbook.”

“Details so far are thin on the ground, but our multiple “black ops sources” tell us that it will feature a 5-inch screen, run the Android OS and be coming to the UK in the new year, with a more than likely announcement expected at CES 2010 in Las Vegas.

Dell is of course staying quiet on this, but did give us more than the standard no comment when we asked it for more details:

“Dell continually develops and tests new products that extend the mobile experience. We have not made any product announcements and do not comment on speculation, rumour, or unannounced products”.

We will keep you posted.”

[ Via Pocket-lint | engadget ]

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Phonedog has published a video review of the Samsung Behold 2 and let me tell you – that was one hell of a painful video (for Samsung) to watch. Sure, the phone *looks* nice but to at least one reviewer.. is a disaster.

John went out of his way to repeatedly point out what he hates about the phone (which is appreciated, keep it up!).  Check the video out for yourself but here is a little preview of what he says.

The Bad:

- The amount of hard buttons on the bottom is overwhelming – partly due to the useless Cube button.

- The hold button is a hassle to try to use.

- Still using old Qualcomm 528MHz Processor and you can feel it.

- TouchWiz features feel like a downgrade to the Android familiar, and is totally useless at times.

- I repeat: He doesnt like the homescreen, hates the  keyboard,  and the mixed and matched UIs is a mess. If you get the phone -  replace the UI.

The Good:

- If you’re from 1992 you will love the cube!

- When comparing to Behold 1 – big improvement.

- 320MB RAM is nice.

- Putting the Power Control widget in the notification bar was great idea.

- Camera software is awesome and takes good pictures, swiping in Gallery is nice.

So, how do you guys feel?  Disagree with some of what he says or has this video alone changed your mind on the Behold 2?

I will keep an eye out for his written review and update this post when when I see it.

UPDATE: The (short) written review is up. Click on over to see the few pictures he’s include, but his text is as follows:

“Ughh.  TouchWiz plus “The Cube” is overkill personified. Neither of Samsung’s customizations actually adds anything to the Android install on Behold 2. TouchWiz in this context basically just replaces Android’s application drawer with Samsung’s widget and app drawer, resulting in a more cluttered and confusing home screen – particularly if you’re coming from virtually any other Android device in the world.

Cube is just a mess. Somehow Samsung’s managed to make the user interface harder to use in exchange for bogging the system down with a layer of buttons and graphics. Seriously – what’s the point of the Cube? It’s hard to use and doesn’t really look cool.

Otherwise, Behold 2 is a worthy enough competitor it’s very similar T-Mobile stablemate, myTouch 3G. You get a touchscreen Android device that’s slim and easy to hold but lacks a high-res capacitive touch display.   Compared to mT3G, Behold 2 ups the megapixel count on the camera but lacks a trackball for easier one-handed use.”

[phonedog | Written Review ]

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Man oh man, every other article I see and/or write is about the Motorola Droid! Droid this Droid that.. but you know what?  Fine with me.  Not just because I own the phone. Not just because it’s my first Android device. It’s not because it’s TIMES #1 gadget of the year, or because its (arguably) Motorola’s last big push to survive in the mobile industry and I’m rootin’ for ‘em.

It’s because this phone is downright awesome. Yeah, I said it. Awesome.

So you can probably expect news to continue on this phone for a bit longer. As long as it’s newsworthy news, it’ll be posted. As for right now? Well, here’s a couple little things to hold you over until the next Droid article publishes across 10 different sites.

Update your phone manually

Do this at your own risk fellas. BGR posted instructions last night and we have a couple different sets of instructions posted in our forums. Here and here. (Thanks iamkewl and syntrix!)

I personally am waiting for the over the air. Not really one of those guys that care to risk it when it’s coming anyway but there are plenty out there who want to and as you can see on the thread, they are.

Second update rumored for January

The same guys also posted news that they hear – the following: “One of our connects has informed us that while the current OTA has only gone out to around 10,000 devices, there is already another one waiting in the wings and it’s tentatively scheduled for late January. Could this be for an Android OS 2.1 update? We’ll see…”

…So there you have it folks. This morning’s Droid post.

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