Author: AndroidGuys

Sometime over the last few days Google refreshed the look of the Android Market website.  While it’s not a total redesign of the previous setup, it does look like the company is headed in the right direction.  Visitors can now browse through top free, top paid, and featured apps just a little more efficiently.  If there is one thing missing still, it’s a search box.  Come on Google.  We hear you are pretty good at search engines.  Throw one up at the top of the site.  Even if you don’t give us access to the nearly 50,000 apps in the repository, at least let us search the titles you have on the web site.

An LG Ally promo video has hit the internet and it definitely has us thinking a release is merely weeks away.  Check out the clip below and you’ll hear all sorts of wonderful references to Android apps including Latitutude, OpenTable, and eBay.  At the end of the video a website is shown directing folks to LG.com/ally, which (for now) redirects to lgim2.com.  We’re only a week away from Iron Man 2’s May 7th release. Naturally, we’d expect to see LG or Verizon step up with an announcement.

Are you ready for back-to-back super phones from Verizon!? (clip after the break)

Source: Android Central

One of the biggest complaints among Android users from day one was the limited amount of storage space for applications.  Regardless how big your phone is and what amount of internal memory users have, they will always want more.  Such is the case with “Issue 1151” over at the official Android Google Code site.  Recent activity leads us to believe that Google has pretty much wrapped this problem up and are ready to roll it out.

Apologies, but I’m not permitted to disclose scheduling information – suffice to say
it’s coming soon

Sorry for being vague, and thank you for your continued patience – I sincerely
appreciate it.

Happy friday

The quote above comes from a Google member named San.  His comments arrived just a short while ago on the site and have most of us Android bloggers anxious to learn what his definition of “soon” is.  Google I/O seems like the most logical time to announce this.  Will this be part of Froyo and will we get this in June?

Checking back a few months we can also see that Romain Guy has merged two other issues into this thread.  Issue 6783 was folded in back in February while Issue 8000 made the transition just three days ago.

Check out the short video clip below to get a sense for how the forthcoming Galaxy S can help you out in your day-to-day life.  The commercial, if you can call it that, feels like an abbreviated version of the video we saw at the CTIA unveiling.  It’s the same video used to show us how to get the most out of your handset starting from the second you wake up until the moment you go to bed.  The only difference is, it’s edited down to roughly 30 seconds.

Here’s some good news for you Android fans with AT&T service.  The Dell Aero will have the standard fare of Google applications and services.  This includes the Android Market,  YouTube, Google Maps, Google Talk, Gmail, and Google Search. It was initially reported that AT&T had taken steps to yank out of some the Google in favor of Yahoo, similar to the Backflip experience. 

For those unfamiliar with the handset, the touch-only Aero features a 5 megapixel camera and a 3.5″ nHD display.  No official launch date is known as of yet.  Here’s to hoping AT&T lets users add apps from outside of the Android Market.

Late yesterday saw Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch take to the official blog to reiterate the company’s recent stance on mobile platforms.  No longer interested in working with Apple, Adobe has decided to move forward with other mobile operating systems, specifically Android. 

It’s no longer a secret that Flash will be integrated into the next release of Android (Froyo).  Google’s own Andy Rubin verified this in a recent NYTimes interview.  We expect to see Android demonstrated  at Google I/O but when might we actually see the rollout?  Lynch sets the table for a June arrival.

We look forward to delivering Flash Player 10.1 for Android smartphones as a public preview at Google I/O in May, and then a general release in June. From that point on, an ever increasing number and variety of powerful, Flash-enabled devices will be arriving which we hope will provide a great landscape of choice.

The Boy Genius Report (BGR) is reporting that LG’s first super phone, the LG Aloha, should hit Big Red in May.  No exact date or pricing was given, but this is exciting news.  LG has yet to hit the United States with an Android phone.  This would certainly be a great way to enter the market.  Specs include a physical QWERTY, an 800×480 resolution screen, Android 2.1, GPRS, UMTS, HSDPA and HSUPA connectivity, and support for 802.11n WiFi.

Bloomberg is reporting today that Sony is expected to unveil their new televisions based off a new version  of Android called Dragonpoint.  We’re going to go ahead and say this name will be a play on words “Drag N’ Point”.  The name alone already has us conjuring up ideas of pointing and dragging icons, apps, and typing with a keyboard that uses dragging.  Swype anyone?

Google, Intel, and Sony have been working together for quite some time to bring the world a “Google TV”.  They’ve also been partnering up with Logitech to develop a keyboard that doubles as a remote control.  The television is built using Intel’s Atom processor which is a scaled down version of their PC chips.  This “Smart TV” experience will tie Internet access and other web-based services together and offer more advanced television guides.

The award-winning web-browser known as Skyfire has come to Android today in the form of Skyfire 2.0. The flash-enabled browser client works on all flavors of Android, even for you 1.5 MOTOBLUR folks! Based on cloud computing, Skyfire 2.0 lets media rich websites load efficiently and without those pesky empty boxes telling you to download a plugin. While the world waits for Android 2.2 to arrive with Flash capability, the rest of us are going to use Skyfire!

Other features in this new release:

• Pinch to zoom (on Android 2.0 and above)
• Multi-tab browsing – open up to eight windows and browse simultaneously using visual tabs
• Choose to load full desktop webpages or mobile optimized versions
• Clear session history easily upon exit to maintain anonymous browsing

The first Droid Incredible commercial is available online through Verizon’s YoutTube channel.  It appears the carrier plans to scare people into buying this handset as well.  Kicking off the commercial is the familiar DROIIIIID sound with some very Matrix-like code falling in the background.  The phone isn’t shown, but some of the standout specs are given proper attention.

Source: DroidDog

McAfee, Inc. has announced that they are providing McAfee VirusScan Mobile to Android users of Korea’s SK Telecom. The anti-malware solution is designed to secure Android-based handsets in the same manner that McAfee does for desktops. Further, the app secures personal information, offers automatic updates, and prodivdes real-time scanning. McAfee VirusScan Mobile is available as a free download to customers with a Motorola XT720. More handsets are expected before long and McAfee plans to support them as well.

Would you download McAfee VirusScan for your Android handset if it were made available to you? Why or why not? Leave a comment below and share your reasoning.

Okay, so if you want a Droid Incredible before May 4th, you may want to head down to your local Verizon store.  The official Verizon website has already thrown up a semi-warning that the Droid Incredible will ship by May 4th, indicating low stock and high demand.  This isn’t to say your phone won’t be there sooner, but to lower expectations a tad.  We’d love to know how many phones were on hand for this initial rush and what the actual figures look like.  Get ready for headlines like “Incredibly High Demand for Latest Verizon Smart Phone“.

In case you haven’t heard, the Droid Incredible has gone on sale today at Verizon stores around the country.  You can get your hands on the latest super phone for $199.99 with a 2-year agreement.  If you head to want to save yourself some money, head to Wirefly and pick one up for $149.99 with the same stipulation.  Once you get your phone, these are some of the first apps you will want to download.  That is if you follow Verizon’s recommendation.

• NFL Mobile – Exclusive to Verizon Wireless customers, NFL Mobile provides the latest news and information, including in-depth profiles of current players and draft prospects, team updates, mock drafts, expert analysis and more.  NFL Mobile is free for a limited time.
• My Verizon – Customers can use this free app to access their Verizon Wireless accounts to get balances, usage numbers and payment information and to update features, services and Family SharePlan® lines.
• Breadcrumbz – This free app allows customers to create personalized picture routes, which can be shared with friends and the world to use at a later time.  Using images, maps and voice markers, customers can build routes that go off road or inside buildings.
• Visual Voice Mail – Instead of dialing in to voice mail, customers can use Visual Voice Mail ($2.99 monthly subscription) to access and manage voice mail messages by scrolling through their inboxes to pick the messages they need to listen to, delete or reply to.  Customers can choose to respond to their voice mails immediately via text message or callback.
• Skype mobile™ – Another app exclusive to Verizon Wireless, Skype mobile allows customers to make unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls for free anywhere in the world.  Skype mobile is always on, so customers remain connected anytime, anywhere in the United States.

Any seasoned Android owners out there have any recommendations of their own?  Share them in the comments below.

Google has announced the release of their mobile-optimized Place Pages for Android handsets.  Users now access all of the same great information found on the desktop client in a tidy and mobile friendly format.  Searching for a business or place in will bring up location, ratings, hours of operation, pictures, and what the public is saying about the place. 

If you are looking at a restaurant you’ll be able to see price levels, dining style, what to wear, and whether or not alcohol is served.  And since it’s Google we’re talking about here, there are handy maps to guide you to the location with panning, zooming, and street level.  Use Place Pages to learn more about pretty much any business, point of interest, neighborhoods, and landmark.

We’re only a few short weeks away from the two-day developer event known as Google I/O.  Android developers and enthusiasts are expecting to hear some big things about our favorite mobile platform.  At this stage, we fully expect Andy Rubin and pals to give us our first looks at the next build of Android, Froyo.  Once the keynotes are finished, developers are encouraged to participate in various breakout sessions, campfires, and roundtables. 

As of right now, there are 7 Android-related sessions spread out over May 19th and 20th.  Taking a quick look at the calendar, we see a few spots left open on Thursday with “TBA” listed under Android for three time frames.  Now of course there are other TBAs listed next to a couple of other categories, but we like to think Google could be waiting to reveal these after a keynote.  Perhaps something like “Integrating Flash into your Android app” or something along those lines?

Why would we think Google might be deliberately holding out on us?  Tim Bray, a recently hired Developer Advocate,  just took to twitter with a vague, possibly coy tweet.

Google IO session schedule. Interesting TBA’s: http://code.google.com/events/io/2010/session-schedule.html

If anyone would/should know what Google is doing, he ought to be one of the inside guys.  Could he be teasing us with something awesome?  On the other hand, maybe he just happened to stumble upon the calendar in a totally innocent manner.

Do any of you have a guess as to what these sessions will be about?

Thanks Chuck!

Vodafone just pulled the curtain back on their first Android handset, the Vodafone 845. To be clear, this marks the first of their own branded phones.  They currently offer the HTC Legend, Nexus One, and Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.  So what’s the 845 all about?  Is it a superphone like the rest of their lineup?  Not so much.

The specs read like an entry level Android phone with its Android, 2.1, 2.8-inch screen and 3.2 megapixel camera.  But you know what, that’s quite okay.  As much as our average reader might disagree, the world doesn’t need high end Snapdragon phones.  If these are the types of handsets that help Android take over the world, we’re cool with it. Other specs gathered by Engadget include 128MB RAM and 512MB storage.

As of right now, we don’t know what the price or official release date is.  Interested consumers are advised to register for updates via Vodafone’s website.

One of the biggest gripes about the Android-based Archos 5 tablet is the hoops one must jump to install apps.  With no official Android Market support, crafty users are forced to hack their tablets or side-load apps. That’s not the easiest thing to do when there are nearly 50,000 apps out there.  A known workaround called Market4Archos allowed users to access free applications in the market.  Paid apps, however, were left in the dust.  Until a recent firmware update that is. 

I don’t know why, but suddenly I’m getting paid-for apps listed under Android Market after the update. Cool!

Users with firmware version 1.7.99 have been reporting that paid apps are showing up in the Android Market.  Be advised, you must still have a hacked Archos 5 to get to these applications.  The firmware doesn’t simply add the Android Market to the device.

Source: liliputing

Wireless provider Sprint is doing what they can to have you looking like a champ this coming Mother’s Day.  Hesse and Co. have put together a list of Android apps designed to make mom’s life easier around the home and office. We’ve taken a little initiative and appended some links for you guys to check out. 

• Baby Go! – Keeps little ones entertained with colorful letter blocks that dance around the phone’s screen at the push of a button. Meanwhile, the app locks the device itself so information is protected.
• BugMe! – The quick and easy note-taker for Android and BlackBerry smartphones, BugMe! users can jot notes, ideas and errands and easily set reminders to sound an alarm and pop up an alert when the item is due.
• Healthy Diet For Kids – Helping kids lead healthy lifestyles begins with parents who teach their children to recognize healthy and unhealthy food. In this game your child’s goal is to select the healthy items to get “health reward” points.
• MomsZeal – Discuss parenting and anything about being a mom anytime, virtually anywhere on your phone. Community members can post thoughts, questions, comments and answers.
• MobiZim Parental Controls – Provides parents peace of mind by showing them their children’s mobile phone usage, such as calls, text messages, location and Web browsing history.

First things first!  Before she goes off on a downloading frenzy,you have to make sure your mom has an Android phone.  As of right now the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment are both $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a new two-year service agreement.

So what are you waiting for? Get your mom on the Now Network, now.

Garmin Ltd. and ASUSTeK Computer Inc. (Garmin-Asus) have officially announced their next Android-based handset, the A10. This time around, the company is turning their focus to pedestrians and personal navigation. The A10 comes with a 3.2-inch HVGA touch display, a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus, and a 1500mAh battery.

Garmin gas preloaded the phone with detailed maps to help eliminate the need for servers to update locations. This also ensures that users don’t drop their turn-by-turn directions in the event they lose cellular coverage. And what would a Garmin device be without automobile-ready navigation? The A10 comes with a powered audio mount that magnifies the volume for the times users decide to get back into a car.

The device comes with a host of Google applications installed, including YouTube, Google Maps, and Gmail and is compatible with Microsoft Exchange server. There’s an optional cityXplorer Maps, application available which helps users plan routes using public transit (bus, rail, tram).

Look for the Garmin-Asus A10 around the middle of the year in Europe and Asia-Pacific.

A very early look at the upcoming Firefox Mobile “Fennec” browser is now available to Android users thanks to one the developers behind the project.  Before you go running off to download the app, there are a few things you should know.  This should be considered “pre-alpha” and is by no means a 100% stable client.  In fact, this should actually be classified as simply usable.  There are known bugs and issues with the software that will likely frustrate the average user.

Check out a few of the bullet points from developer Vladimir Vukićević’s blog:

• We’ve only really tested this on the Motorola Droid and the Nexus One.
• It will likely not eat your phone, but bugs might cause your phone to stop responding, requiring a reboot.
• Memory usage of this build isn’t great — in many ways it’s a debug build, and we haven’t really done a lot of optimization yet.  This could cause some problems with large pages, especially on low memory devices like the Droid.
• You’ll see the app exit and relaunch on first start, as well as on add-on installs; this is a quirk of our install process, and we’re working to get rid of it.
• You can’t open links from other apps using Fennec; we should have this for the next build.
• This build requires Android 2.0 or above, and likely an OpenGL ES 2.0 capable device.
• This build must be installed to internal memory, not to a SD card.

We’d also like to add that Fennec is a 10MB download that expands to over 31MB upon installation.  If you’re running low on system resources, you might want to skip this app altogether.  No sense in choking your phone out just to play with a buggy web browser.

We know you’re going to ignore us and download it anyway so here’s how to do it.  Point your Android phone to bit.ly/fennec-android or scan the barcode below and you’ll be able to grab it directly.