April 30, 2009 by Tap
You've got to love the way that news travel on the Internet. Someone somewhere says something. Someone else picks up on it and repeats it on their blog and then it spreads like a virus and before you know it, this 'news' becomes fact. That's how I feel about the latest news regarding what's supposed to be Motorola's first Android phone, the Calgary.
Don't get me wrong, BGR has a reputation for breaking stories first and more often than not, getting it right, but I'm not going to get too excited about the Calgary just yet. Already this month we heard about the S8000 which was supposedly Samsung's first Android phone. I saw several blogs saying that this was 'confirmed' – wrong. And let's not forget the TouchZINE HD which surfaced again last month – wasn't that supposed to be Motorola's first Android phone. Turns out it was fake but that didn't stop overexcited bloggers from posting the Photoshopped images all over the web as Motorola's next big thing. I think you get my point.
Anyway, as much as we'd all love the Calgary to be an Android phone (although I have my reservations about that laser-etched keypad which I hated on my Motorola RAZR) I don't think we should get too excited just yet.
Source: BGR
Update: Say hello to the Motorola "Ironman"
Yet another Motorola phone which, according to BGR, "will most likely run Android and be out by the end of Q3". Another one to add to the wait and see list.
April 28, 2009 by Tap
T-Mobile UK today issued a press release confirming that Android 1.5, a.k.a. Cupcake, will be coming to Google G1 users in May. This comes as the company confirms that it's set to reach 100 000 G1 units sold in the UK in just six months since launch. For those of you who haven't already read up on Android 1.5, here'a list of new features according to T-Mobile:
- New touch-screen keypad
- Full video record and playback in MPEG-4 & 3GP formats
- Direct uploading of video to YouTube
- Copy and paste within browser
- View Google Talk friends' status in Contacts, SMS, MMS, Google Mail, and Email applications
- Animated window transitions
- Accelerometer based application rotations
- Faster camera start-up and image capturing
- Direct upload of photo to Picasa
- Faster acquisition of GPS location
- More home screen widgets
- Stereo Bluetooth support of both A2DP & AVCRP profiles plus auto-pairing
- Faster browser with updated Webkit & Javascript engine
- In-page search function
- User interface refinements to key tools including
Google Mail,
Email,
Browser,
SMS & MMS,
Contacts, call logs and favourites,
Camera & gallery,
Calendar,
Applications management
More good news came in the form of T-Mobile's commitment to launch another Android phone later this year although there’s no word on exactly when or who the manufacturer will be.
Source: T-Mobile
April 27, 2009 by Tap
We can finally put previous Samsung rumours to bed with official news that the company's OLED touchscreen I7500 and not the S8000 is going to be its first Android phone – and what a phone it should be. It's taken Samsung a little longer than HTC to come to the party but they've certainly come in guns blazing and will give HTC's G1 and Magic a good run for their money.
So in terms of specs, how does the I7500 stack up? Well firstly there's a 3.2 inch capacitive OLED touchscreen versus HTC's 3.2 inch TFT; a 5 megapixel camera versus 3.2 megapixel; 8GB of internal memory expandable via microSD and instead of the usual mini-USB connector there's a standard 3.5mm stereo headset connector.
Add to that package GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi, all using a similarly spec'd 528MHz Qualcomm processor and you've got a real contender for the number one Android phone spot. Physically the handset will be sleeker (almost 2mm thinner than the HTC Magic) and hopefully lighter. Battery life should also be better thanks to a larger 1500mAh battery together with the improved efficiency of the OLED screen.
Samsung's I7500 is expected to be released this June as an O2 exclusive in Germany so it's not certain that we'll ever see it outside of that country. Nevertheless, if the I7500 is an example of Samsung's commitment to Android, the future looks bright.
Via: the::unwired
April 22, 2009 by Tap
New information on HTC's Android Hero has surfaced over on xda-developers. According to the post, an employee at a wireless developer firm "just received word from the US carrier (cannot disclose who yet) that the release date for the HTC Hero (Android) is October 11th 2009."
Now I don't usually give these kinds of unsubstantiated posts too much credence but a few things got my attention. Firstly, the forum member's provider is AT&T. That, in itself, is meaningless but consider the following. Last month fairly credible news surfaced that the HTC Hero had been picked up by Orange. Now considering that Orange and AT&T are GlobalView partners, it seems logical, at least in my view, that the undisclosed carrier is in fact AT&T. Until I hear otherwise, that is my assumption and if it's true, that means AT&T subscribers may have to wait another six months before they get an Android phone.
April 22, 2009 by Tap
After being out of the news for some time now (certainly as far as Android is concerned) this seems to be Sony Ericsson's week in the spotlight as more Android-related news comes to light.
After last weeks quote by Sony Ericssons' CEO seemed to put the breaks on the company's Android plans, a short post by DigiTimes claims that according to the Chinese Commercial Times newspaper, Orange will be launching a Sony Ericsson Android phone in time for the 2009 year-end holiday season. While some see that as pure speculation it does actually make sense and backs up a similar report which first surfaced last month. Looks like we can't rule Sony Ericsson out of the Android phone race just yet.
Source: DigiTimes
April 21, 2009 by Tap
Back in December last year when Sony Ericsson joined the Open Handset Alliance, the company’s head of Creation and Development, Rikko Sakaguchi, had this to say: "Sony Ericsson is a strong supporter of open operating systems and we believe the Open Handset Alliance offers an exciting opportunity for a new and unique user experience only Sony Ericsson can deliver."
A few months on and we are still waiting for this unique experience which it seems won't be coming any time soon. That's according to Chief Executive Hideki Komiyama who, in an interview with Reuters, said that Android "does require a lot of evaluation, as well as a lot of testing, a lot of acceptance from a consumer viewpoint, and there is still some time to go."
So does that mean Sony Ericsson is actually working on a new Android phone or is the company too busy fire fighting just to stay afloat? I understand the need for evaluation and thorough testing but that doesn’t seem to have stopped HTC from releasing two phones already - granted they have been OHA members a lot longer. As for acceptance from a consumer viewpoint, I think T-Mobile's successful launch of the G1 phone should go a long way to confirming that.
Given Sony Ericssons' financial woes of late it's not surprising that they haven't been too keen to take a risk on Android but let's hope they finally bite the bullet. Of course I'm speaking entirely as an Android fan and it's not to say that releasing an Android phone is going to turn things around for the company, it's just that I'd like to see something like the X1 running Android.
Source: Reuters
April 18, 2009 by Tap
So Friday the 17th came and went with no sign of Vodafone's HTC Magic. Yet another deadline slips thought I this morning as I prepared to lambast them for leaving us hanging once again.
But wait, what's this email in my inbox - could it be? Yes folks, better late than never, the HTC Magic is now officially available for pre-order and, as previously reported, will be available free on plans from £30. Visit Vodafone to get yours now. (Will only be shipped 1st May.)
April 15, 2009 by Tap
We first got a glimpse of Samsung's supposed Android phone back in March when a blurry slideshow presentation image was leaked. Now, according to a Czech website the same phone's been revealed again and this time we can actually make it out. However, everyone seems to have taken the original source to heart and seem certain that this is an Android phone. I am less convinced.
The original Czech article simply says that the phone 'could be' the first Samsung phone to run Android. That in itself should give some pause for thought. Add to that the fact that there is mention of 'Cubic' which some say is a reference to Samsung’s next interface makes it seem more likely that this phone will run Samsung’s native OS rather that Android. So, the jury is still out and until we get some real facts, this phone will have to stay off the TAP Android Phone List.
Source: iDNES.cz via GSMArena
April 14, 2009 by Tap
A preview SDK for Android 1.5 has been released and I have to say it's looking good. This is no minor update and the list of improvements is considerable. It seems like the 'cupcake' offshoot finally seems to have merged itself back into the main SDK so thankfully we can stop talking about cupcake updates and just focus on Android 1.5.
As I said, the list of improvements is considerable and you can view the highlights here but here are some of the things I'm most looking forward to.
UI Improvements to the Browser, Gmail, Calendar and Email
Although the new web versions of Gmail and Calendar are great I still find myself using the native Android versions of these apps on occasion. It will be interesting to see how the 1.5 versions of these applications compare (batch updating in Gmail is already a big improvement). On the subject of Android's browser, there was no mention of security improvements. A big issue I have is the inability to access Windows password protected websites which I'm sure is a problem for many business users. Let’s hope we see a fix for that in the near future.
Home screen widgets
There has been a serious shortage of home screen widgets as a result of potential security issues. One of cupcake's features was support for secure widgets and this has now been included in 1.5 so hopefully we will start to see some useful third-party widgets in future.
SD card filesystem auto-checking and repair
When I first got my G1 I had a hell of a time trying to get it to see the SD card properly (and I know I'm not alone in this regard). After much fiddling and formatting I eventually got it to work but it would have been nice if there were some built-in tools to check SD cards.
General Usability Improvements
- Accelerometer-based application rotations – at last, we will be able to use apps in landscape mode without opening the keyboard.
- Faster Camera start-up and image capture
- Much faster acquisition of GPS location
As you can see, there are some significant improvements which are aimed at providing real benefit to end-users - this is not just a developer-oriented update. All that remains now is to see how long it takes to reach our phones. Not too long I hope.
April 9, 2009 by Tap
Don't get me wrong, Google's recent updates to the mobile versions of Gmail and Google Calendar are great but as an Android user they leave me with a bit of a dilemma. Here's why.
Firstly, Gmail. I really like the new interface. It's clean, simple and intuitive. I like the easy access to the labels menu. The compose screen is easy to use and I particularly like the context menu that stays on the screen when you scroll through the contents of an email. Add to that the fact that (with Gears installed) you can create emails offline and send them later. All of this makes the new mobile Gmail far better than the native Gmail app that comes with Android. The problem is that Gmail notifications are still linked to the native app so clicking on a new notification in your status bar opens the native Gmail instead of the browser version.
Moving on to the Calendar, Android's native Calendar works pretty well for me as it is and the addition of event editing to the web version is of no real benefit to Android users using the native app. What is nice about using the online version is the ability to easily switch between Gmail and Calendar in your browser. Another gripe I have about the web Calendar (and maybe this is just a setting thing) is that in month view, I can’t see which days have events scheduled. The native calendar app displays this very well.
The upshot of all of this is that I'm still left with a mail/calendar solution that, instead of being a single integrated app, ends up being a mix of both native app and browser versions in order to give me all the features I want, the way I want. This leaves me a little bit disappointed.
Oh, and does anyone know if there's a calendar widget for Android yet? Before moving to the G1 I had a WinMo HTC TyTN that displayed events/tasks on the home screen. I have yet to find a way to do this on my G1.