Author: AndroidGuys

One of the worst kept secrets in the history of Android has finally come to an end.  The Droid Incredible is official from Verizon and due out April 29th.  Starting Monday, April 19th, interested parties will be able to available for pre-order online at www.verizonwireless.com.  No surprises at all when it comes to this one.  The phone is everything we’ve been seeing and reporting on for the last few weeks.

The Droid Incredible will retail for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate (debit card) providing you sign a new two-year agreement.  Highlights include Android 2.1 with the new Sense UI, a 3.7-inch AMOLED display, and an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash.

The final specs are as follows:

• Android 2.1 with HTC Sense experience
• 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor for maximum responsiveness
• Friend Stream for unified Flickr, Facebook and Twitter updates
• “Leap” view for quick access to all seven home screen panels
• 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash for crisp, detailed images
• Razor-sharp 3.7 inch WVGA (480×800) AMOLED capacitive touch display
• Optical joystick for smooth navigation
• Dedicated, touch-sensitive Home, Menu, Back and Search keys
• Proximity sensor, light sensor and digital compass
• Integrated GPS
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
• 3.5 mm headset jack

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• Droid Incredible Pre-Order: April 19th!
  The gang over at Phandroid just broke that the Droid (HTC) Incredible will be available for pre-order in just a few days! Over the last week or so there have been brief glimpses of the Incredible bein…

The team over kbwars.com is seeking up to 100 beta testers for their new Android game, Keyboard Wars.  The premise of the app is to compete using your mobile typing skills.  How fast and accurate are you?  Put yourself to the test and find out how you do against others from around the world!  There are various modes to play including practice and career with the ability to win cash and other prizes.  As an incentive to sign up for a beta account they are giving out an Apple iPad (yeah, we know) to one lucky tester! To qualify for the beta, you must have an Android phone with 2.0 or higher.

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• Developer to Watch: HyperDevbox
  We’ve received a couple of emails over the last week from a gaming studio called HyperDevbox who has alerted us to two games of theirs. Both of them, LoveCatch and the brand new ExZeus were written t…

Toshiba has officially thrown their hat into the tablet/slate ring.  In speaking with Reuters, Jeff Barney, GM of digital products for the US, hinted at several mobile devices or “slates” with both Android and Windows 7 operating system. The Android-based unit would have a lower price tag than the Windows version and would come with a 10-inch screen size. Toshiba expects these devices to focus on media consumption and tap into the ever-growing Android Market.

Source: Electronista

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• Engadget: Android-Based ICD Gemini is Most Feature-Complete Tablet Yet
  Built around the 1GHz Tegra 2 SOC, the 11.2-inch ICD Gemini should provide comparable endurance to Apple’s A4-sporting iPad, while besting it in the grunt stakes with its glorious ability to chew thro…

Not much to say here that isn’t already in the title.  Business Insider is reporting tonight that twitter CEO Evan Williams claims and Android app is on the way and “it’s going to be awesome”.  As to how this will impact Android apps like Seesmic and Twidroid remains to be seen.  Twitter recently acquired Tweetie, a company who provides an iPhone and desktop client and plans to rebrand the mobile app as ‘Twitter for iPhone’.

Will any of you drop your current app in favor of an official client?

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• PixelPipe Updates Android App
  If you are a user of PixelPipe, you will be happy to know that they have recently upgraded their Android App to allow one click publishing pictures taken from your in-phone camera.  Simply put, they …

The HTC Incredible has been rumored for an April 29th launch on Verizon for quite some time now.  Today finds the carrier accidentally letting things slip out a quick moment before stepping back into the shadows.  A staging website went live a short time ago and abruptly went into password protected mode.  It appears someone was editing a live website or didn’t realize Android hounds would sniff it out.  According to the image you see above, the Droid Incredible is due April 29th and interested parties will be able to sign up for details and announcements.

It’s out of the bag now, Verizon.

Source: HTCSource

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• HTC Incredible Specs Confirmed via Leaked User Manual
  The presumed final specs for the HTC Incredible have made their way online thanks to a leaked user guide.  If you’re feeling up to it, you can peruse the entire 200+ page document, reading up on every…

Assurant, a provider of specialized insurance products and services, has announced the release of their new Android application, Benefit Tools. Designed to help find a local dentist, the app uses Google Maps and GPS to help hunt down a nearby dental office.

“We always look for ways to keep our products and communications relevant to our customers and sales force, and the way they use technology is always changing,” says Rever. “It’s very gratifying to be able to provide an industry-first tool that will help Assurant Employee Benefits connect in a new and meaningful way.”

Aside from finding local dentists, the app also give users updates via company news and Twitter feeds. It’s expected that more features and add-ons are integrated with future releases. Look for Assurant Benefit Tools in the Android Market with the rock bottom price of FREE.

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• Quick Look: Grade Ticker (Video Demo)
  Grade Ticker is a simple, but incredibly useful app for professors and teachers. Leave it open next to you as you grade an exam and tally the point deductions as you go. Eliminating the need to go bac…

Google is constantly tweaking their Gmail for mobile site, adding nifty little features here and there to improve the experience.  Last week saw some subtle changes to the page for composing new messages.  One of the new features is that the address field automatically expands, allowing users to see all email addresses entered.  When adding names to your email, an autocomplete dropdown window provides contact choices, similar to the desktop experience.  Once selected, the full address is hidden with only the name shown in the address field.

Other features found in the new Gmail for mobile experience:

• Remove the contact you just added by tapping Backspace.
• Press the ‘+’ button to see your top contacts, or hide them by pressing the ‘–’ button.
• If for some reason autocomplete fails you and the person you are trying to reach is a Gmail user, just type their Gmail username and a comma, and we’ll take care of the pesky @ sign and the rest (so [hikingfan] becomes [[email protected]].)
• The page now fills the entire screen, giving you more space to see what you’re writing.

How many of you are using the mobile site over the native client found in Android?  Are there any features you’d like to see integrated into the mobile version?  What’s missing from the native app?

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• Gmail for Mobile Adds Buzz Integration to Inbox
  

  Yesterday it was announced that the latest version of Google’s Gmail for Mobile website h…

The device dashboard over at the official Android Developers site has been updated after months of inactivity.  With the Motorola Droid recently getting bumped up to Android 2.1 over the last couple of weeks, it’s no surprise that Android had dwindled down to 3 major builds (1.5, 1.6, and 2.1).  The promising news comes in knowing that nearly every Android handset in the United Sates will be at Android 2.1 at some point over the next few months!  Sprint has plans to get their Hero and Moment phones up to snuff while Motorola will get their lineup on track by Q3 of this year.

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• Froyo and Gingerbread Aim to End Android Platform Fragmentation
  

  Engadget is reporting today that the Google is looking to tackle the growing problem of Android fragmentation head on with the next two installments of Android: Froyo and Gingerbread. You know, th…

We’re very proud today to be able to introduce our new endeavor, AndroidGals.  We’ve put together a fantastic new site that we think will play well for both newbies and enthusiasts and alike.

So what is AndroidGals?

Simply put, it’s a site written, and maintained, by female Android fans.  Designed to be as little more intimate than the other sites you may visit, AndroidGals is more blog, less news.  We’re not trying to do another AndroidGuys.  Rather, we’re aiming to provide users a great source for reviews, editorials, and opinion.

Starting out, the plan is to publish around four to five posts a week.  As time goes and we really get into a groove, multiple daily posts will be the goal.  We feel really good about the Gals on board with the site and think you’ll enjoy getting to know them through their writing.

As is the practice with AndroidGuys, we want to hear from you!  Feel free to drop us a line and share your thoughts.  By the way, if you’re interested in joining the AndroidGals team, email us at androidgals @ gmail.com and we’ll be in touch!

AndroidGals: Android, from her point of view.

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• Why an AndroidGal?
  With all of the choices of different smartphone platforms out there why would I choose Android? All of the platforms have offer access to applications that the user can choose to install. They all p…

We’re pleased to announce another giveaway of Slacker Radio Plus accounts!  If you’re not familiar with the streaming music service and Android application, it allows for personalized radio stations built around artists, songs, and genres.  The Radio Plus accounts give you all the great features of the free version plus a host of other options!

• No Audio or Banner Ads
• Unlimited Song Skips
• Complete Lyrics
• Unlimited Song Requests
• Mobile Station Caching

One of the great new additions to Slacker Radio Plus is cached stations. These act like your normal stations except they can be stored on you handset to be played back where there is no data or WiFi connection!

What’s Up for Grabs?

Three 3-month subscriptions
Two 1-year subscriptions

How to Enter

We’re big fans of the nice and easy contest approach. Leave a comment below to be entered into a random drawing for one of the five prizes!  We’ll draw the winning names on Thursday night and read the winners off on the new podcast!

Most Commented Posts

• Reuters: Nexus One Available Directly Through Google Website January 5
  Reuters is reporting that a source of theirs indicates a January 5th date for the Nexus One to go on sale.  They’ve been advised that it will be at a  “reduced price to consumers who agree to a serv…

Motorola has updated the timeline for rolling out Android 2.1 to their various handsets.  We now have details and a window of expectation for each of their phones, including the recent Cliq XT. Strangely, the latest T-Mobile handset is slated to get an update a full quarter before AT&T’s Backflip.  Verizon’s Devour doesn’t have a date listed yet as it’s listed under “Upgrade under evaluation”.  For the full list, check out the chart below.

Source: Motorola Forums

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• New Motoblur Handset or Really Good Photoshop Job?
  

  Droiddog.com is reporting that the handset pictured to the left may be a new Motoblur prototype from …

Camangi is sending out emails today in an effort to let people know about their revised Android-based Webstation.  According to the hardware maker, the new version of their tablet features a firmware update as well as some preloaded applications.  We did some checking around and found that and specially designed flavor of the Aldiko e-reader app comes installed. Further, fring, the software that provides calls and chat (facebook, twitter, Skype, MSN, GTalk, Yahoo messenger, AIM, SIP) is also loaded on the Webstation.

At $275, the price is still a bit expensive when one looks at similar offerings from other companies. However, a a few more preloaded apps or Android Market integration could go a long way to turn heads.

Webstation specs include:

• Web browser, Email/Gmail Web, Digital Frame, Aldiko ebook, Gallery, Music, Video, fring, Weather and so on
• 7-inch resistive TFT LCD touchscreen; 800-by-480 pixels resolution; 16 million color
• 8 GB SD card memory for over 10,000 ebooks, 30,00 songs, 10,000 photos
• Aldiko eBook viewer: EPUB; Photo viewer: JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP; Audio playback: 3GP, MP3, OGG, MID, WAV; Video playback: 3GP, MPEG4
• Standby time: up to 4 days(without GPS & WiFi connection); Internet and media use: up to 4-5 hours

How would you improve the Camangi Webstation?

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• Camangi WebStation Slashes Price to $275
  The Camangi team has shaved over 25% off of the price of their WebStation, knocking it down to $275.  However, it’s likely not enough of a discount to draw a substantial amount of attention.  It’s up …

After dominating the desktop market for years, Intel recognizes they have a long road ahead of them in terms of smart phones.  Android, as a platform, was initially designed to run on handsets powered by processors made with Arm technology.  Because of this, Arm has been enjoying a 98% mobile phone market share as of 2007.  Intel understands as well as any company that they could do well to load Android onto their Atom-based phones.  Today sees the chip giant announcing they’ve already done just that.

Intel already has Android running on Atom-based smartphones and certain customers are interested in using it, said Renee James, general manager of Intel’s software and services group, on the sidelines of the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing.

Source: PCWorld, AndroidPolice

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• Flash Player 10 Coming to Android in October
  Adobe’s Flash Player 10 is coming to Android, officially.  No more speculation or hoping… we are a ‘go’ for launch.

  During a recent earnings call for Adobe, President and CEO Shantanu Naraye annou…

What's the Genius Button?

The recent images of the myTouch Slide have given us the best look at the phone to date.  There’s one thing we’ve not seen discussed elsewhere so we’re calling on you to help.  If you look to the bottom right of the physical buttons, you’ll see a lime green button with a lowercase “G’ printed on it.  In one image, we can see what appears to be an application called ‘Genius Button’.

This obviously has to be something T-Mobile as opposed to HTC or Google.  A quick check of US Trademarks tells us that T-Mobile filed for the trademark just over a month ago on March 2nd.  We’re curious as to what it actually does.  Is it a quick access button to your favorite social networking services?  Does it pull up an all-in-one portal with news, weather, RSS, and more?  More importantly, is this something we’ll see on other handsets?

If you have anything to offer in regards to the Genius Button, hit up our contact page!

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• T-Mobile myTouch Slide Features Android 2.1 [UPDATE]
  The fine folks over at TmoNews have gotten their hands on another picture of the forthcoming myTouch Slide.  This time around, we’re treated to a screen of the firmware.  As it appears, this will be t…

If screen shots like the one above are any indication, Sprint is gearing up for for the release of their HTC EVO 4G handset.  Expected in the “summer” of 2010, the huge, sexy WiMAX-capable phone is being rumored with a June 6th/13th launch.  The picture at the top of this post shows the HTC9292 (EVO 4G) listed in Sprint’s inventory system.  This isn’t saying the phone is going to be arriving any sooner, but it’s nice to see things progressing.

It appears Sprint and HTC are unleashing a whole host of accessories for the EVO 4G as another leaked image shows nearly a dozen items to spend your cash on.  Among the standrd fare of chargers and bluetooth headsets, there’s also the with HDMI output, a car mount, screen protectors, gel skins and protective cases, and replacement shells.  We had a chance to look at these at CTIA and think they could go a long way to personalizing the phone.

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• HTC EVO 4G (a.k.a. Supersonic) on Sprint
  It’s here! The “Supersonic” that has been running through the rumor mill has officially been announced by Sprint as the HTC EVO 4G. It has everything they said it would have, and more.

  WiMax
  …

The fine folks over at TmoNews have gotten their hands on another picture of the forthcoming myTouch Slide.  This time around, we’re treated to a screen of the firmware.  As it appears, this will be the first Android 2.1 handset to arrive at T-Mobile.  Yes, there is that one device called a Nexus One but this will be the first you can pick up at a T-Mobile store.  Rumors have this phone pegged for next month with a May 17th release.  Be sure to check back as TmoNews tells us there are more pics coming later!

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• T-Mobile myTouch Slide Shows up in the Wild Wearing a Pretty Red Dress
  We were hoping that the myTouch Slide would have picked up a bit of sexiness since we last checked in.  It seems T-Mobile and HTC might be trying to do exactly that, putting a shiny gloss of red paint…

Plink, one of the winners of the second Android Developers Challenge is only too pleased to announce today that they’ve been acquired by Google.  Their app works remarkably similar to Google Goggles – Snap a picture of some artwork or painting with your phone get back wikipedia-like results.  Users can also order posters of said artwork.  As an Android-only application, it’s a great title to show off to your iPhone-toting friends.  For now, Plinkart will still be available as a download in the Android Market.  Going forward, updates to their app will cease as the focus shifts to Google Goggles.  We conducted an interview with PlinkArt back in December for those of you who’d like to learn more!

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• ADC 2 Follow Up
  Want to bone up on some apps that were submitted to the Android Developers Challenge 2 last week?  We suggest checking this thread over at Google Groups.  It’s emerging somewhat as an unofficial pla…

The square Motorola device that hit the internet late last week via a (pulled) DroidDog article has some truth to it.  We’re ready to move beyond the outlandish backstory and on to the details.  Are you ready?  Ok, so the phone is codenamed ‘Motorola Twist’ and it’s slated to arrive in June. From the sounds of it, this will be a compact, niche handset targeted at staying connected.  Android-france was able to get their hands on what looks like an internal Motorola document (translated) that fleshes out some of the goodies associated with the phone.

Hardware specs include:

• Android 2.1 (Flash) with 1.5 Motoblur
• OMAP 3410 700MHz
• 512 MB ROM
• 256 RAM
• WCDMA / HSPA: 850/1900, GSM / EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900
• microSD card slot
• 2.8-inch 320×240 screen QVGA
• 3 megapixel camera
• Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi
• 3.5 mm Headphone Jack
• Browser with Flash support and multi-touch
• 940 mAh battery

We’re anxious to see what Motorola has in store for Motoblur, 1.5 if anything.  Judging by the picture of the phone, we expect to see widgets to allow one-touch access to turning off WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.  It’s hard to picture a radically different experience this early on.  Our guess is that it’s subtle add-ons a la HTC’s Sense UI update.

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• New Motoblur Handset or Really Good Photoshop Job?
  

  Droiddog.com is reporting that the handset pictured to the left may be a new Motoblur prototype from …

Sorry for the bad pun in the title.  We tried to avoid it as best as possible.  UPS has announced the release of their new Android application today which tracks packages and helps find the nearest location.  Further, users can calculate shipping rates, time-in-transit, and create shipping labels. If you’re a frequent eBay or Craigslist type of person, you’d probably find quite a bit of help in a tool like this.

Scan/click to download UPS Mobile

It’s not necessary to log in to track packages, however once you do, there are additional options available. For instance, you can rename the tracking number to something like “John Elway rookie card“. You can find the free application in the Android Market today or by scanning/clicking the barcode to the right!

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• New Motoblur Handset or Really Good Photoshop Job?
  

  Droiddog.com is reporting that the handset pictured to the left may be a new Motoblur prototype from …