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.

The sole aim of the group, which was unveiled this week, is to help make it easier to put Android on ARM-based devices, of which smartbooks are the emerging choice. The group of 35 companies will pool resources and make them available for developers to get Android systems going with the ARM chipset, which is particularly well-suited for the consumer electronics market.

In the meantime, the Verizon Droid, produced by Motorola, is the hottest Android phone on the market. But early adopters of the Droid were reporting that the auto-focus feature on the device’s powerful camera wasn’t working properly, resulting in lots of fuzzy images. This week, however, many Droid owners found the focusing difficulties to be a thing of the past, prompting suspicions that Verizon had pushed a secret fix over-the-air to the phones. There seemed to be no other explanation for how such a serious bug could suddenly disappear.

In fact, the auto-focus code that Android 2.0 uses reportedly has a bug that makes for fuzzy photos in 24.5-day cycles. The camera works poorly for 24.5 days, then works properly for the next 24.5 days. This is based on the improper use of a timestamp by the focusing code, a strange cause to be sure. Hopefully Verizon will have the formal fix for this bug before the 24.5-day “good” working cycle ends.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  3 Comments
Tags: Android, ARM, droida, Solution Center for Android Alliance

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.

In the meantime, the Droid is the only phone currently available with Android 2.0, which means it’s the only one running the new Google Maps Navigation, the search giant’s free foray into the turn-by-turn navigation world. It’s only logical to assume that future phones running Android 2.0 will also be running the navigation software from Google, but as is usually the case, hackers have decided they won’t wait. A cooked OS version (ROM) has already appeared for the original Android phone, the G1, and it has a functional version of Google Maps Navigation onboard.

I’ve been using a loaner Droid for a while now, and offer my continuing impressions of the new phone from Verizon, that network’s best phone by far — although some would argue that’s not saying much.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  0 Comments
Tags: Android, droid, google maps navigation, saygus, v1

Verizon 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.

Some Droid phone reviewers have taken note of the Verizon Channel in the Android Market. This channel offers apps that have met Verizon’s approval before offering them to customers. T-Mobile announced its own channel for the Android Market this week. Both channels allow customers to buy apps and have them charged to the phone bill, eliminating the need for a credit card transaction.

Meanwhile, two recently announced e-book readers could have more than the Android OS in common. Spring Design this week sued Barnes & Noble over the Nook reader, claiming it has features the bookseller gleaned from information Spring Design shared with B&N under NDA. It has requested an injunction to prevent the Nook from being sold.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  5 Comments
Tags: Android, B&N, droid, Eris, Spring Design, T-Mobile, Verizon, Verizon Channel

The 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.

The announcement coincided with a report Wednesday that Google Maps is gaining turn-by-turn navigation capabilities. Google Map Navigation will originally be released for Android 2.0, ensuring that the search giant takes care of its own business first and foremost. The features rival those of dedicated navigation devices — and even surpass them with the ability to display the route in either satellite or street view. Street view users can see how upcoming turns will look by seeing the route superimposed over a photo of the actual intersection. Following the announcement, the stock prices for some of the major navigation device makers took a dive.

Also this week, a few details about another Android phone emerged. The Droid Eris by HTC is expected to be Verizon’s second phone with the OS. The Eris lacks a keyboard and appears to be a more budget-friendly phone. If rumors prove accurate, the Eris will be released shortly after the Droid, so there won’t be long to wait.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  9 Comments
Tags: Android, droid, Eris, Google Map Navigation, HTC, Motorola

The 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.

Meanwhile, recent announcements are making it clear that Android isn’t just a platform for smartphones — it can be leveraged on other devices as well. No fewer than three e-book readers based on the OS were announced this week, including Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Spring Design’s Alex, and enTourage’s eDGe. All three of the readers bring unique qualities to the e-book reader space, and having open-source Android onboard opens the door to a wave of possible applications on the devices. Given the closed nature of the Kindle, Amazon could have reason to be nervous.

Plus, Dell was spotted in Thailand showing off a UMPC with Android under the hood. The 5-inch Dell Streak has no voice capability, but uses Wi-Fi and 3G to provide ubiquitous connectivity. Not much is known about the little gadget, or if the company will add it to its offerings. But the video demo of the device shows a very compelling handheld web tablet.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  3 Comments
Tags: Alex, Android, Dell, droid, EDGE, Motorla, Nook, Verizon

Android 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.

Plus, Acer this week showed off an early version of a new Android phone based on the speedy Snapdragon processor. The Liquid, as it is currently dubbed, is a touchscreen-equipped phone with a large display. The 1GHz Snapdragon processor in the Liquid is beginning to be used in smartphones, and currently is the fastest processor used to run handsets. Like Motorola, Acer is customizing Android to provide social-network integration on the Liquid to appeal to consumers.

Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble is expected to announce its own branded e-book reader soon. In leaked photos online, the reader looks like the Amazon Kindle with a second small color screen at the bottom of the display to handle touch controls. What does this have to do with Android? Rumor has it this reader will feature Android under the hood.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  1 Comments
Tags: Acer, Android, Barnes & Noble, LiMo, Liquid, Motorola, Snapdragon

There’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.

Also, Motorola last month announced the Cliq as its first Android handset, and that outside the U.S. the phone would be called the Dext and released later. It turns out later really means sooner, as the Dext went up for sale in the UK this week. The Cliq will be available in the U.S. on Oct. 19 on the T-Mobile network.

Meanwhile, Acer’s previously announced and later canceled Android netbook that dual boots with Windows XP is back on again and will soon be hitting shelves, according to the company. We’re not sure why anyone would want a netbook that runs both OSes, but Acer didn’t ask us. This would be the first netbook running Android, so we’ll watch it closely to see what the advantages might be over conventional Windows. Extended battery life would be a plus in the cheap notebook market.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  6 Comments
Tags: Acer, Android, cliq, Dext, Symbian

There 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.

Meanwhile, the next version of the Android OS, dubbed Donut, is beginning to roll out in the U.S. The update is being pushed to phones in a tiered fashion, to minimize the impact on T-Mobile’s servers. G1 owners are starting to see the update first, with myTouch 3G users to follow shortly. Donut incorporates quite a few tweaks to Android and is a solid evolution of the platform, including better VPN support and camera control.

Plus, Google got in a wrestling match with the open-source developer community when it demanded that Steve Kondik, a prominent developer, “cease and desist” producing special versions of the Android OS. The developer, who’s known as Cyanogen, creates builds of Android that contain special features, and Google took offense at the inclusion of proprietary apps such as Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube. Android has been championed from its inception as an open-source platform, and developers reacted swiftly to Google’s demands. The Open Android Alliance was formed, with a mandate to create open-source alternatives to the Google apps mentioned. This would allow versions of Android to be created that could be freely distributed.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  2 Comments
Tags: Android, Android OS, donut, google, Hero, HTC

It’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.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  2 Comments
Tags: Android, Anroid MID, cliq, Ramos Digital, T-Mobile

The 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.

Also this week, Google officially released Donut, the next version of Android, to developers. Donut adds new features like a Quick Search box to the interface, along with better control of the integrated camera. It also offers CDMA support, making it fully compatible with Sprint and Verizon’s U.S. voice and data networks. The debut likely indicates that a full consumer release is not too far off in the future, given the Android team’s track record.

Plus, the first Internet tablet running Android was launched in Paris to mixed reviews. The ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet is built on Android and sports a 5-inch touchscreen. The name implies that the device should be superior at browsing the web, but the first folks to play with it found the experience a bit wanting.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  1 Comments
Tags: Android, ARCHOS 5, donut, Verizon

The big Android news this week, without question, was the launch of the Motorola Cliq, a smartphone that sports a sliding keyboard and is optimized for social network interaction. The Android platform, of course, is designed to make the most out of a continuous web connection, and Motorola has designed the Cliq to be a social media champ. The phone, which will be dubbed the Dext outside of the U.S., will appear on the T-Mobile U. S. network later this year.

Also unveiled was the cloud-based MotoBlur, which can be used to build a totally integrated interface to multiple social networks, like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The Motorola Cliq uses MotoBlur to make it easier to handle multiple social network accounts from one screen.

In the meantime, while the term app store tends to conjure up images of the one from Apple, that’s due to change. The Android Market has quietly passed the 10,000-mark in terms of the number of apps available.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  3 Comments
Tags: Android, app market, cliq, Google Phone, motoblur, motorola android phone

Motorola has followed through on its promise to enter the Android smartphone market, unveiling the Cliq, a small phone with a sliding QWERTY keyboard. The company has added its own home screen magic, called MotoBlur, that graphically integrates all user messaging accounts. Messages received appear on the screen no matter how they were sent, whether via email, text message or social network.

We cornered a Motorola rep backstage at the Mobilize conference just before the phone was announced and shot a quick video of it in action. It invokes images of an iPhone, although one with a nice keyboard that slides out of the screen. The keyboard feels really good to use, and the performance of everything is very fast. The phone will be available later this year with T-Mobile in the U.S.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  17 Comments
Tags: Android, cliq, Google Phone, Motorola, motorola android phone, smartphone

The Android-based Huawei Pulse was made available via a pre-paid plan in the UK this week and the specs on the forthcoming ARCHOS 5 Internet tablet running the Google OS were accidentally leaked online. And a Hero rode into town.

Sprint will make the HTC Hero — the next-generation Android handset that uses the innovative HTC Sense user interface — available starting Sept. 11. It sports a seven-panel-wide home screen that can be customized with widgets to display a myriad of useful information. HTC has apparently also listened to its customers, dropping the proprietary headset jack used on previous Android models in favor of the standard 3.5 mm jack. This makes the Hero compatible with the huge third-party headset market.

Across the pond, T-Mobile UK announced the availability of the Huawei Pulse handset for £179.99 ($295). What sets this offer apart is the ability to use the Pulse with a pre-paid plan, sans contract. The Android OS is very data-centric, so carriers have been reluctant to offer devices running on it with this type of contract. This is probably just the first such offer in the EU; hopefully we’ll see it or something similar in the U.S.

And while ARCHOS isn’t preparing to launch its Android-based Internet tablet until Sept. 15, this week it was mistakenly listed as being for sale on the B&H web site before being quickly taken down. As typically happens in situations like these, the detailed information was noted prior to its removal, including the fact that it will be offered in both hard-disk and solid-state disk configurations ranging from $294-$420. The ARCHOS 5 is shaping up to be the most innovative implementation of the Android system to date.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  4 Comments

The Android community got some big news this week, with Motorola announcing it will present its Android “portfolio” at our own Mobilize 09 conference on Sept. 10 in San Francisco. In the meantime, a new TV streaming app with advanced video playback features hit the market and an expected Android netbook got put on hold.

Netbook creator ASUS has previously discussed the development of an Android netbook/smartbook device, even going so far as to show off a prototype earlier this year. But CEO Jerry Shen told attendees of an investors conference in Taipei this week that, “Currently, I still don’t see a clear market for smartbooks.” Shen went on to indicate that, given the limited amount of engineering resources, the company had shifted an Android smartbook to low priority. To date, ASUS has been the most visible company working on Android netbooks, so this is a blow to the Android faithful.

And Spb TV was released for Android this week, bringing with it more than 100 international TV channels to current handsets. The program has a TV guide complete with broadcast reminders and can display picture-in-picture on the little screen. It sells for $9.95 in countries that offer paid apps in the Android Market; there is also a limited, free version available.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  0 Comments
Tags: Android, Asus, google, Google Phone, mobilize 09, Motorola, Netbook, Spb TV

The Android world got another app store this week, one aimed at so-called “high-end” devices such as the forthcoming ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet. But in the meantime, existing owners of some not-so-high-end Android handsets were warned the only way they’ll be able to get OS updates is by buying an entirely new device.

ARCHOS this week set a date for the official launch of its Android-based ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet, which sports a 5-inch display designed for playing HD video. It’s expected to allow TV recording on the 500 GB hard drive, too, thanks to the TI OMAP3440 processor, which is optimized for video processing. The launch event is scheduled to take place on Sept. 15 in Paris.

The French company also instituted a soft launch of a special app store for the Android platform. The AppsLib is intended to handle programs for “high-end” Android devices such as the new Internet Tablet. What the folks at ARCHOS didn’t explain is why a second app store for Android is needed, and why they think developers should submit their apps to it instead of the Google Android Market.

And concerns were raised that some of the most popular Android handsets may not be getting further OS updates. Some Android engineers tweeted that the T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream) system memory used for the OS is completely filled with the current version 1.5. Further updates are unlikely, they claimed, as new versions always get bigger due to added features. Note that no official statement has been made verifying this claim; if true, however, G1 owners would be forced to update their handsets if they want newer versions of the OS to be supported.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  5 Comments
Tags: Android, archos 5 internet tablet, G1, Google Phone, HTC Dream, T-Mobile G1

Phones running the Android operating system have been available worldwide since April late 2008/early 2009, starting with the T-Mobile G1, which is known outside of the U.S. as the HTC Magic Dream. The HTC Android phones have been good sellers globally, including the second phone in the Android line, the HTC Magic. And according to HTC CEO Peter Chou, the number of HTC Magic handsets sold has topped the one million-mark.

HTC also produces what so far is the sexiest Android phone on the market, the Hero. Chou also said this week that in Taiwan, Chunghwa Telecom customers who sign up for a 2-year contract will have their Hero device 100 percent subsidized. The phone will run $630 otherwise, so that’s one healthy subsidy.

Elsewhere, Microsoft and Nokia unveiled plans to bring Office Mobile to the Nokia smartphone line. To date, Microsoft Office support on Nokia phones was being provided by third party DataViz with its Documents to Go suite, which is also available for Android. A new version for the Android platform was released this week that adds PowerPoint and PDF support to the Word and Excel handling already provided.

And it was revealed that starting next week, O2 customers will be able to get their hands on Samsung’s first Android phone. The Samsung Galaxy i7500 is expected to have a Qualcomm processor on board, running at 528MHz.

Twitter This Article   Facebook This Article   Email This Article

Inbrics Android MID with QWERTY Slider Coming to CES jkOnTheRun – by Kevin C. Tofel "; iPhone’s Curvy Competition & Devious Droids TheAppleBlog – by Liam Cassidy "; BackPack Shelf for Mac — Adjustable Gear Storage jkOnTheRun – by James Kendrick "; 5 Energy Storage Players That Won Smart Grid Stimulus Funds Earth2Tech – by Katie Fehrenbacher ";

Posted by James Kendrick on GigaOM  |  Permalink  |  15 Comments