Author Archive for James Kendrick

Android This Week: ARM Alliance Formed; Droids Fix Themselves?

By James Kendrick | Saturday, November 21, 2009 | 6:00 AM PT | 1 comment |

Android is like a snowball rolling downhill — it won’t be long before it’s moving too fast for anything to stop it. That movement is surely going to spread from the smartphone sector, where Android has its roots, to that of smartbooks. Knowing this, ARM and the Android folks have put their heads together and formed the Solution Center for Android Alliance. Continue »

Android This Week: Google Maps Nav on the Droid; Saygus Who?

By James Kendrick | Saturday, November 14, 2009 | 6:00 AM PT | 0 comments |

gigaom_icon_google-android A new Android phone was popping up all over the web this week, one that looks like a chubby Droid. The V1 has all of the standard features you’d expect in an Android smartphone plus the promise of a unique video calling function, and is due to be launched next year, according to the company bringing it to market, Saygus. Never heard of Saygus? Neither had we. Continue »

Android This Week: Two Droids Hit Big Red; Carrier Channels Debut

By James Kendrick | Saturday, November 7, 2009 | 6:00 AM PT | 5 comments |

gigaom_icon_google-android1Verizon has been all over the Android news this week, with two of the hottest phones finally arriving on the scene. The Motorola Droid, a stylish phone almost as thin as the iPhone but with a sliding QWERTY keyboard, debuted Friday. Early reviews are not finding the keyboard to be much of a bonus, but it’s amazing to find one at all in a thin handset. Verizon is also offering the HTC Droid Eris for just $99 with a contract. It’s shipping with the HTC Sense interface on top of the stock Android UI, making it the cheapest phone thus equipped. Continue »

Android This Week: Droid Lands on Verizon; Google Adds Navigation

By James Kendrick | Saturday, October 31, 2009 | 6:00 AM PT | 3 comments |

gigaom_icon_google-androidThe big announcement in the Android world this week was the official release of Motorola’s Droid on the Verizon network. The Droid is the first Android phone for Verizon, and the carrier is throwing a lot of advertising weight behind the launch. GigaOM has a Droid for review, so look for continued coverage of it here. The handset is almost as thin as the iPhone, but it brings a physical keyboard into the mix, something Apple’s handset lacks. The next version of Android, 2.0, is standard on the Droid, making it the first phone with the new OS. Continue »

Android This Week: Verizon, Dell Join the Party; e-Books Abound

By James Kendrick | Saturday, October 24, 2009 | 6:00 AM PT | 0 comments |

gigaom_icon_google-android1The Android world is getting bigger all the time. After much speculation, Verizon this week confirmed the introduction of its first Android phone with a slick advertising campaign. The Verizon Droid, which is expected to be announced next week, will be made by Motorola. (The handset was previously dubbed the Sholes.) The ad campaign includes TV spots in the U.S. listing the various ways that the Droid is better than the iPhone. Based on press kits sent to the media, the Droid is expected to start shipping Nov. 9. Continue »

Android This Week: Quick Search Box, Liquid With Snapdragon Debut

By James Kendrick | Saturday, October 17, 2009 | 6:00 AM PT | 1 comment |

gigaom_icon_google-androidAndroid news is getting hotter every week, as the platform becomes poised to take off. This is due to new handsets being released now through the end of the year. And the ability to search across a phone’s content and the web for that desired nugget of information is a highly desirable feature for consumers. The latest version of Android addresses that craving by adding a universal Quick Search Box widget that facilitates searching across Apps, Contacts, Browser and Music. The widget can be put on the home screen, making universal search just a tap away. Continue »

Android This Week — Look Out, Symbian; UK Gets Motorola’s Dext

By James Kendrick | Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 6:00 AM PT | 5 comments |

gigaom_icon_google-androidThere’s no question that Android is the hottest smartphone platform right now. Handsets running Android are being announced almost every day, and industry analyst Gartner projects phenomenal growth for the OS. Android, which currently claims a mere 2 percent of the smartphone market, will grab a smooth 14 percent of the market by 2012, Gartner predicts. This will see the operating system pass the BlackBerry and the hip iPhone in market share. Most of this share will be taken from Symbian, as Nokia continues to slide. Continue »

Android This Week: Donut Arrives; Developers Alliance Formed

By James Kendrick | Saturday, October 3, 2009 | 6:00 AM PT | 2 comments |

gigaom_icon_google-android1There was a lot of activity in the Android world this week. We got our hands on the latest Android phone, the HTC Hero, and it’s looking pretty darn nice. The Hero is coming soon to the Sprint network in the United States, and while it’s been available outside the U.S. for a while, the hardware has been changed for this version, most noticeably the removal of the “chin” found on the G1. A video of the Hero that demonstrates the HTC Sense interface as it runs on top of Android is available at jkOnTheRun. Continue »

Android This Week: Motorola Cliq Pre-Orders Near, MID Teaser

By James Kendrick | Saturday, September 26, 2009 | 6:00 AM PT | 1 comment |

gigaom_icon_google-androidIt’s been quiet on the Android front this week, as the industry took a much-needed rest following the frenzy surrounding the unveiling of the Motorola Cliq phone earlier this month. The biggest news this week was a leak of some internal T-Mobile promotional materials that pegged the Cliq pre-orders to begin Oct. 19. T-Mobile is the U.S. carrier that will offer the Cliq to customers, apparently starting on that date. There is no official word on when the Cliq will actually start shipping, but Motorola has repeatedly said it will happen before the holidays.

Plus, a Chinese PMP maker has a teaser for what appears to be an Android mobile Internet device to be announced this week. The Ramos Digital MID looks to be the same MID that had previously appeared as a concept by chipmaker Rockchip, and it’s expected to support HD video playing. This would be the first non-phone device running Android — and likely the first of many.

Android This Week: Verizon Calls on Android; Donut Debuts for Developers

By James Kendrick | Saturday, September 19, 2009 | 6:00 AM PT | 1 comment |

gigaom_icon_google-android1The Android train keeps slowly picking up steam, and Verizon could be getting onboard soon, if rumors are to be believed. While T-Mobile is the primary Android carrier in the U.S., industry observers have been speculating for some time that Verizon would pick up at least one Android-based handset for its network. A rumor popped up this week that “Big Red” is set to release an Android phone in just a few weeks.  The mystery phone is supposedly from Motorola, which just recently launched its own first Android smartphone. Continue »

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