Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were wondering what hip-hop artist 50 Cent is talking about on Twitter, but you don’t really want to sign up for Twitter? Well good news, there’s now an Android app that covers that exact scenario. The app is called 50 Cent Tweets, and that’s all there is to it, nothing more, nothing less. It even has notifications to alert you every time the rapper shoots out 140 characters of wisdom. If this sounds like an app you absolutely need to have, you can grab it from the Android Market now for the low low price of free. And it even runs on Android devices running as low as Android 1.6, talk about backwards compatibility!

[Android Market link]

Full feature list:

• Navigate by section, topic or contributor
• Download your homepage and favourites for offline reading with the touch of a button, or schedule a daily download for a time that suits you
• Browse our award-winning audio and video content
• Save contributors, topics and sections to your favourites
• Add favourites to your homescreen with an expanded view or link
• Swipe through stunning full-screen picture galleries
• Share articles and galleries using the Android share menu
• View content in portrait or landscape orientation

The application is compatible with all popular SMS apps such as Chomp and HandCent, as well as the stock SMS app, and works in both English and French. It features auto detection of SMS speak abbreviations as well as spelling. There’s also a feature to add your own translations and you can set a tolerance for how much you want it to correct. There’s even a fun stats feature where you can see who your worst offending friends are. It’s currently available for devices running Android 1.6 or higher.

[Android Market link] [via XDA Developers]

Are you a fan of heavy metal? Do you like Slayer? Well good news, the band now has their very own official Android application available now in the Android Market. The app offers streaming access to all the band’s music, videos, tour dates and news. So far every single review in the Market gives the app 5 stars. After a quick install, we had no problem streaming a couple songs and music videos. Not included in the download is the long hair required for head-banging and the pint of goat’s blood for Satanic rituals. Requires Android 1.6 or higher.

[Android Market]

Seriously, why would you even embarrass yourself like this, ViewSonic? Android 1.6 on a new tablet? You might be accepted by the Windows community but you’re being laughed at by the Android community. It’s almost as if Android was an afterthought to a Windows 7 tablet just to be able to say it runs Android. This thing better be on the fast track to get some Honeycomb or it’s dead in the water. I don’t even think the hacking community will care enough to try and mess with it.

At least the hardware specs are somewhat decent. 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB RAM, and 1,024×600 resolution 10.1 inch screen. Pricing starts at $599 for the 16GB model and $679 for a 32GB SSD drive. And of course, it dual boots Windows 7 and Android 1.6.

Full Press Release:

ViewSonic Delivers the Best of Both Worlds With Immediate Availability of Its ViewPad® 10 Tablet

10.1″ Dual-Boot Tablet Brings to Customers a New Level of Convenience

WALNUT, CA–(Marketwire – March 7, 2011) – ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today announced North American availability of the ViewPad 10. Giving users a choice between Windows® 7 and Google Android™ within the same device, this 10.1″ dual-boot tablet is ideal for maximizing business productivity alongside entertainment.

“The lines of professional and personal life are blurring, which creates a need for devices that are suited for both sides,” said Adam Hanin, vice president of marketing for ViewSonic Americas. “The ViewPad 10 delivers just that by enabling users to merge business productivity with personal enjoyment anywhere, anytime. We are proud of our 10-year tablet history and are dedicated to further extending our tablet product portfolio to meet every individual need.”

Packed with a high speed Intel® Atom™ 1.66GHz processor and integrated 2GB of memory, the ViewPad 10 is a powerhouse of mobile computing. Built with a 1024×600 panel with LED backlight technology partnered with capacitive multi-touch functionality, the device provides a crystal clear viewing experience, even when multitasking across several applications.

The ViewPad 10 enables consumers to take Windows on the road, allowing access to Flash-based content and programs like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat, wherever they are. Plus social media applications like Facebook and Twitter, sharing photos and surfing the Web through Google’s Android 1.6 platform are only a switch away, making this device the perfect companion for those looking to work, play and share on the go. Throw in the built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and 1.3 megapixel built-in front camera, the ViewPad 10 is fully optimized to keep users connected.

To ensure the ViewPad 10 grows with each person’s individual needs, the device offers expandable memory options via a micro SD card slot for up to 32GB of additional space. The dual-boot ViewPad 10 is now available — with Android 1.6 and either Windows 7 Home Premium (with a 16GB SSD hard drive) or Windows 7 Professional (with a 32GB SSD hard drive) for respective ESPs of $599 and $679.

For more information on ViewSonic’s products, please visit ViewSonic.com or follow ViewSonic on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About ViewSonic
ViewSonic® Corporation is a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions. ViewSonic develops, markets and supports a broad range of innovative products, including LCD TVs, computers, LCD monitors, projectors, digital photo frames, digital signage displays and digital media players. For further information, please contact ViewSonic Corporation at 800.888.8583 or 909.444.8888; or visit ViewSonic.com.

Not sure if this is real or not, but I got a little laugh out of it. Appears to be Android 1.6 or lower though. I’m sure this has been around for a while, but it’s new to me.

[via AcidCow]

Tweet your Google Hotpot reviews on Twitter. Previously Google Hotpot was sort of on the back burner and not many people used it. Essentially you rate places on Google Maps, sort of like Yelp. Now built into Google Maps is the ability to rate the place, then tweet about it to tell your friends it was great or it sucked.

Ping your Latitude friends and searching for places. This feature is one that could really be cool, or if you have that “one friend”, get annoying real quick. There’s already a feature in Latitude where you can get reminders to check-in at a place if you’ve been there a while. Personally I already found that a little annoying, especially if I’m at home and not at one of the 30 businesses around me. But I can see the usefulness if you’re out and about and a friend wants to know where you are, they can just ping you. Instead of, oh I don’t know, texting or calling. Both parties will need the latest Google Maps for the feature to work.

Additionally you know have the ability to search for places to check in on Latitude. Previously you could only pick from a list based on your GPS location. If you’re in a densely populated area, the place you are might not actually show up. Or if your location is just a wee bit off, it could be frustrating.

The latest Google Maps is available now in the Market for download. It only runs on devices with Android 1.6 and higher. You can find it here.

[via Google Mobile Blog]

Another welcomed feature is Mark Previous As Read. Scroll through your feeds and don’t see anything interesting? Hit the button and mark all stories as read above the point you stopped. Really cool and useful instead of having to flip through each article.

One last note, the widgets only work with Android 2.2 and higher, and the app will only work with Android 1.6 and higher. Grab it now in the Android Market.

[via Official Google Mobile Blog]

When the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 came out, about 6 months ago, it was one of the highest spec’d Android phones available. With it’s 8.1MP camera, and 1Ghz SnapDragon processor as well as a 4 inch touchscreen, it still can hold its own with the flagship phones of today (Droid X and HTC EVO 4G). But there’s one little thing holding it back, and that’s the fact that it STILL runs Android 1.6 and that’s not suppose to change till later this year. But the good news for AT&T users, is that you should soon have yet another option in Android. Just passing AT&T’s technical review, it’s said to be available “in the coming weeks”, which could be sometime next month. We don’t want to know what AT&T is going to do to the phone meanwhile, but let’s hope they don’t chain it up too much. No other immediate info is available, but look for it around $200 on a new two year contract.

Is anyone still excited about this phone like they were at the beginning of 2010?

Featuring a 2.6-inch QVGA touch screen, 256MB of RAM, 512MB of ROM, and a 416 MHz processor and runs Android 1.6 as well as an optical trackpad. Now just looking at those specs you would think it’s the worst Android phone ever. But without a huge screen you probably won’t be running many medi-acentric applications. And the form factor will probably appeal most to texters and emailers.

[via Android Community]