Let’s wrap up the week with one more morning edition of the best darn tech wrap up show on the net, the US Update. We kick off the morning with a fresh new Casio carbon fiber G-Shock, dubbed the GW-9300 Mudman (yes this watch is mud resistant). We jump on over to some leaked images of the upcoming HTC Kingdom, an Android smartphone with a qHD display like the Sensation. We close the show with new on the Android 2.3.4 update rolling out to the Nexus S and one blockbuster feature guaranteed to brighten your day.
April, 2011
If HTC had to choose a best friend based on today’s sales and revenue, we’d imagine that friend would be Google. The world simply can’t get enough of HTC’s Android smartphones as the company sold 9.7 million units in the first quarter alone. The combination of the Inspire 4G, Thunderbolt, EVO Shift 4G, Desire S and Incredible S were consumed with what seemed like an insatiable consumer appetite. To cut to the chase, HTC’s revenues were up 174.5 percent year-on-year.
Sound the alarms, Google Talk for Android smartphones now supports video and voice calling. A feature previously only available to Android Honeycomb tablet touting souls, the video-capable Google Talk client will gradually be rolled out to Nexus S devices “in the next few weeks” as part of the Android 2.3.4 OTA update. An update for other Android 2.3+ devices is expected “in the future”.
![The future of HTC smartphones: HTC Kingdom and Rider [photo]](http://cdn.electricpig.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Screen-shot-2011-04-29-at-2.49.03-PM-150x150.png)
Want a free glimpse into HTC’s Android smartphone future? Please remember the cost of admission when judging the quality of these megapixel-deficient photos. The HTC Kingdom and Rider will be the next qHD-packing smartphones unleashed to the Android community, following in the footsteps of the HTC Sensation.
The days of Google playing the role of a passive moderator to app submissions to the Android Market is coming to a close. Following the removal of many virus infected apps earlier this year, the search giant has made its second bold leap, by removing apps which provide ‘free’ tethering. Is this a sign of Google playing a more active role, possibly even curating future Market submissions?
Casio’s is adding a new addition to the G-Shock family this June. The Casio G-Shock GW-9300 Mudman follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, packing a fully dust-proof design with the reliability necessary for nearly any terrain. Critical information such as temperature, moon phases and direction are also in tow — how about we take a closer look at this fine timepiece.
It’s the end of another month, so as ever we took the time to update our best Android apps of all time: Top 100 feature, throwing in the finest apps released this month worthy of being in the download pantheon. Come see what’s in, and what’s out.
Going down smoother than a bottle of aged whiskey, it’s your morning US Update. Kicking things off this fine morning is official shipments numbers of the Motorola Xoom, a warning issued by RIM that smartphone shipments will not meet forecasts and a 3D navigation update to Samsung’s Galaxy players. This and more on your US Update.