Author: AndroidGuys

It’s not very often that we get to see pictures of handsets to go with FCC approvals. Such is the case with this new HTC phone, the PC70110. Based on the looks, we can safely assume this will be an Android-based unit. Look to the front keys for a row of buttons that mimic the Droid Incredible.

Nothing concrete is known about this handset aside from the AT&T 3G bands it was approved with. Some are beginning to believe this might be the HTC Wildfire as its design could fit the “playful and full of youth” description. The handset maker recently conducted a poll on their Facebook page asking fans to help pick the name of their next release. Other choices included HTC Jovi, HTC Zeal, and HTC Festi.

We’ll be sure to bring you more on this handset as we can gather it.

Source: PhoneDog

The Man

The NY Times has a great little interview with Google VP Andy Rubin where he talks about Android’s future among other things.  When asked his thoughts on the recent Steve Jobs comments about Android offering porn, Andy says he doesn’t quite get where Jobs was coming from.  “I don’t really have a rationale for that,” he said. “It’s a different style of interacting with the public and the media.”

Rubin believes that Android will overtake iPhone in terms of handsets sold although he didn’t specify as to when.  “I don’t know when its might be, but I’m confident it will happen. Open usually wins.”  The NY Times wondered whether or not the typical customer cares about open versus closed and if it really matters in the end.  Rubin believes consumers will, adding, “When they can’t have something, people do care. Look at the way politics work. I just don’t want to live in North Korea.”

The rest of the interview touches on Chrome and Android tablets, how Android addresses API’s, and Flash coming to the next release of Android.  Flash and Froyo can now be officially mentioned in the same breath.

So how would the head Android himself handle a lost protoype?

“I’d be happy if that happened and someone wrote about it.  With openness comes less secrets.”

Samsung is said to be considering the business feasibility behind creating televisions with Android.  The Korean manufacturer already moves more units than anyone in the world so this may or may not come to fruition. As rival Sony is rumored to be hard at work trying to integrate Android into televisions via set-top boxes, it sounds as if Samsung is evaluating embedding the platform directly into tv sets.  The company plans to watch how the market reacts later this year when competitors start to launch similar products.

Source: Korea Herald

Time for some reader feedback!  We want to know which Android handset and wireless provider make for the best combination.  Is it the Droid Incredible because of the hardware? Maybe something from T-Mobile because of rate plans?

Leave your opinion in the comments below!

Since it’s launch in January, Vodafone UK customers have been anxiously anticipating the arrival of the Nexus One.  In a matter of days (April 30th), they’ll be able to go to a local store and pick one up.  For Free.

Effective immediately, customers can pre-order the Nexus One at zero cost providing they agree to a 24-month contract.  For as low as  £35 a month, subscribers  get 600 minutes, unlimited text, and 1GB of mobile internet and webmail.  It will be interesting to see what kind of numbers the Nexus One does when people can walk into a store and hold it before buying.

The latest AdMob metrics report is out and it gives some insight into how the composition of Android phones. Did you know that as of March, there 12 manufacturers with 34 different Android devices? Yup. Further, 96 percent of Android’s traffic comes from 11 handsets. That’s a heck of a jump from the two phones back in September.

Android traffic primarily came from three flavors 1.5 (38 percent), Android 2.0/2.1 (35 percent) and Android 1.6 (26 percent). Motorola and HTC were the top handset makers, accounting for 44 percent and 43 percent of traffic, respectively. The number one device with Android traffic was still the Droid (32 percent) whereas the Nexus One was down near the bottom at two percent.

T-Mobile has just made a minor software update available to their Motorola Cliq XT handset.  Limited to the first 1,000 people to download it, the update improves data connectivity, decreases random reboots and force closes, and more.  The update just hit about 20 minutes ago and we can confirm its availability. Unlike most OTA updates, this download is done in two parts.

Here’s how to get the update on your phone:

1. Open Settings
2. Scroll to, open “About Phone”
3. Tap “System Updates”
4. Download Update
5. Install Now
6. Repeat Steps 1-5

Source TmoNews

After waiting patiently for the Nexus One to arrive on Verizon’s network, customers have learned today that there will be no such animal.  The official Google Phone store has removed the placeholder indicating a spring launch and replaced it with a blurb about buying the “similarly feature-packed cousin”, the Droid Incredible.  No word has been been given as to why the Nexus One was scrapped.

Related to 3G issues?  Worry over cannibalization of Droid Incredible?  Fear that it wouldn’t sell as compared to the latest and greatest?  Chime in with your guess below!

It sounds like we might be getting an official NYTimes application for Android any day now.  According to Google Mobile OS, a demo for a NYTimes app was found on the Nexus One YoutTube channel.  Unfortunately, the video cannot be found any longer.  On a positive note, an FAQ page has made its way online with some interesting questions that give insight into the app.

Some of the features we can gather include the ability to change font size, share via twitter and facebook, and read offline with caching.  The free app will be available via the Android Market and nytimes.com/androidapp whenever it goes live.

With all the recent talk about Android growth and trying to sway developers to the platform, we thought we’d stroll by Androlib to get a feel for where the number of apps sits today.  Now, we know that Androlib is in no way the official word on actual figures.  We realize that until Google announces a figure, everything else is suspect.  However, we have always found Androlib helpful in looking at the overall picture and trends.  The charts they put together help us to see the bigger picture.

As of this writing, there are 47,517 total applications in the Android Market.  At the rate things have been going we can likely expect the unofficial number to eclipse 50,000 sometime in the coming week or two.  In terms of paid versus free apps, things haven’t changed much over the last few months.  Roughly 40 percent of the available titles are paid while the rest are offered at no upfront cost.  Surprisingly, the ratings for Android are rather favorable with only one in five apps rated at 1 star.  We’d like to think those are the soundboards and sexy wallpaper apps churned out a dozen at a time.  Be sure to check out Androlib for more information and pretty charts!

Prediction: Google officially announces the Android Market has 50,000 apps at next month’s Google I/O conference.

Harpo Studios has announced the release of the brand new Oprah Mobile app aimed at hardcore fans of the daytime giant.  For a one-time $1.99 charge users can keep up with just about every aspect of Oprah, from the talk show to her magazine and twitter account. Users can enjoy video clips, vote in polls, listen to audio, and order tickets to the final season.  Oprah Mobile also provides instant help in locating the local channel and time(s) for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” based on their location.  Download the app out of the Android Market today!

SIRIUS XM Radio has announced that an official application will be available next month, providing over 120 channels of sports, news, and commercial-free music to customers.  We get the feeling this will require Android 2.1 as the press release continually refers to the app being designed for Droid and Nexus One handsets.  The app will be available as a free download and provide customers a 7-day free trial to SIRIUS XM Premium Online.

The SIRIUS XM App will allow users to:

• Listen to over 120 channels of SIRIUS XM Premium Online programming on the go, even while surfing the web or checking email.
• Bookmark SIRIUS XM Premium Online channels for fast, easy access through a “Favorites” function.
• View the current channel plus what is playing on all other available channels via the “Lookaround” function.

If you are interested in signing up for notifications, there’s a page for that!

Barnes & Noble recently rolled out a firmware update to their nook e-book reader and it features some nice changes. This latest version (v1.3) now features a  pair of Android games – Chess and Sudoku, as well as a beta web browser.  The browser comes as a result of may users asking to log into public WiFi spots that require authentication via a webpage. One of the biggest changes to the nook is the new “Read in Store” feature which will let users read complete eBooks in Barnes & Noble stores.  Other improvements include faster book loading, page turning, and an updated home screen.  Of course there are also the requisite bug fixes and tweaks that come with nearly every firmware release.

Please note that the update must be done over WiFi as it’s not being supported via a 3G connection.  If you are a nook owner, it’s suggested you head here to grab the firmware update with your device.

One Android feature that our readers have been asking for is the ability to update all applications and games to the latest release.   It’s not uncommon for the average user to see 15 or more notifications a day indicating new versions of downloaded apps.  As phones get bigger and allow for more applications, the headache will only get worse.  It appears Google understands this and has taken steps to address the situation.  Rather than a full blown “update all” option, the Market found in Android 2.2 appears it will give users the option to automatically update apps in the background.

Would you use this feature? Are the total opt-in type?  Do you only trust specific developers?

Source: 4chan via Phandroid

We reported earlier this week that HTC Desire customers were frustrated after finding many popular apps were not available to them in the Android Market.  Apparently, Legend owners have the same gripe.  For the Desire, it was quickly found that the reason behind this was that Google had yet to sign off on the ROM. What about the Legend?

HTC’s support page is now indicating that a firmware update is available for the Desire, but it strangely refers to the camera.  Engadget Mobile believes this is the OTA firmware you are looking for.  Keep an eye on your phone for the notification of an OTA update.  Have you already received this download?  Did it help?

The worst part about leaking handsets to the internet is the seemingly endless waiting period until actual launch.  Take for instance the Dell Smoke.  Not due until second quarter of 2011, we’re now forced to sit on our hands for a year.  A year!?  Thanks for nothing Engadget!

So take a look at that picture to the left. The stretched out BlackBerry/Palm Pixi looking phone is said to have a 2.8-inch QVGA screen, 5-megapixel camera, and a “non-conforming” style aimed at enterprise and business users. The Smoke is expected to have the Froyo flavor of Android powering an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 processor with HSPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and dual-mic noise canceling, and more! Between now and the expected launch next year there’s plenty of time for things to change. Be sure to head to Engadget for the original post and additional pictures!

That picture you are staring above this paragraph… it’s a Dell phone. Yep, that sleek beauty is called the Flash and it’s yet another Android phone to begin pining over. Engadget has scored what appears to be an entire handset roadmap for the PC giant tonight and this marks the second Android unit. Let’s get into the nuts and bolts, shall we?

Compared to the Thunder, the Flash feels like Dell’s idea of a mid-range device. The phone features a 3.5-inch WVGA LCD touch display, a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and image stabilization, and TV-output. For the real geeky types, the Flash is powered by an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 processor and boasts 512MB RAM and ROM with microSD expansion up to 64GB. Oh yeah, we almost forgot – it will be running Android Froyo with Flash 10.1 capability as well! The only bad news we can find comes in the expected release.  Look for this one on AT&T in the early parts of 2011.

Head to Engadget to see the full leaked document with extra pictures!

Okay Dell, we get it.  You do have some rather serious plans for Android.  Engadget has scored a doozy of an exclusive this evening by leaking a new Android-based handset from Dell.  Called the Thunder, it’s a counterpart to the forthcoming Windows-Mobile based Lightning.  You’ll have to forgive us if we get drool all over this post.

Cutting to the chase, here’s what you can expect from Dell’s first super phone.  For starters it’s packing Android 2.1 under the dashboard with a new custom UI called Stage.  Judging by the picture tied to the Engadget article it appears to be very stylish and clean.  The Thunder boasts a 4.1-inch WVGA OLED touch screen with curved glass, an 8-megapixel camera, and (wait for it) Flash 10.1 with an integrated Hulu app.  SCORE!

Other features include twitter and Facebook integration, Swype keyboard, and HSDPA/HSUPA connectivity.  According to Engadget, this phone will be sold on AT&T later this year with world-friendly HSDPA versions as well.  An LTE version is slated for “near the end of 2011”.  Boy that sure seems like a far way off.  Let’s hope that they were mistaken with that!

Heathrow Airport is celebrating their resumed flights this week with the announcement of Heathrow Airport Guide for Android handsets.  As the official app for the United Kingdom’s largest airport, this title comes in both free and paid flavors.  Using Heathrow Mobile travelers can check for terminals, find restaurants and shops, and stay up to date with parking, fares, and directions. 

For what we assume is a limited time, customers can download the PRO version at no cost.  The two big differences between this and the free version are live flight tracking and timetables.  If you find yourself traveling to and from the UK, you’ll want to grab this one up!  We’ve included the barcode for the PRO flavor below.  Scan it with your Android handset today!

Scan/Click to Download Heathrow Airport Guide PRO

A handful of lucky Verizon customers are finding that the Droid Incredible they just ordered on Monday have started arriving.  Such is the case with user SoSmarmy of AndroidForums.  After mentioning in a thread that he received his phone a day after ordering it, a handful of envious members cried “Pics or it didn’t happen!” hoping to find out the truth.  Well, you can guess what happened next…

Apparently this had something to do with some glitch in the Verizon ordering system and has since been addressed.  If you already pre-ordered a Droid Incredible, chances are pretty good you will be waiting until the 29th.  Oh the agony!