Author: Casey Chan

LG is slated to release three new Android phones in the near future but sadly, none of them are currently coming to the US. The first two, the LU2300 and the SU950/KU9500, are very interesting. The LU2300 (pictured above) is the device we once guessed was the awesome Aloha in the US. It packs the increasingly common 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a physical QWERTY-keyboard, 3.5-inch AMOLED 800×480 screen, and a 5-megapixel camera. The SU2300 is said to share the same internals sans the physical keyboard. Those are top notch specs and we can’t help but be jealous of South Korean Android users who will receive both devices in June (we’re also jealous of their commercials!).

The UK is also getting some love in the form of the LG Optimus, formerly known as the LG GT540. We saw this device back in CES and felt it was a good mid-range device. Specs are unclear but don’t expect much, the LG Optimus is available starting May 1st in the UK.

See more pictures of the LG Android devices after the jump! [via unwired view] 

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Could that weird Motorola Android device we saw last week actually be the Motorola MT820 pictured above? The button arrangement is different but the transparent flip screen, camera placement, and general shape is very familiar. If they’re not the same phone (one being prototype, other being final), they at least have to be part of the same family right?

The MT820 certainly looks a lot better than what we previously saw but that could be the higher resolution shots talking. We’re still unsure about the whole ‘flip’ form factor but rumors are suggesting that the extra screen allows the MT820 to display 3D images. The MT820 is headed to China’s TD-SCDMA network, which means we’ll likely never see the phone. Not like we were dying for it in this first place, the form factor is still too weird and 3D is currently more a gimmicky feature than anything. What do you guys think? Do we want 3D on our phones yet? Ever?

Hit the link to see more pictures of the MT820 [slashphone]

We don’t know if we’re being foolish in believing that Sony Ericsson can hit its target launch date, but the latest report hovering around is that the Xperia X10 Mini & X10 Mini Pro will hit Rogers in May or June. That time frame fits with the original summer timeline we heard previously and considering we felt both devices were ready back in February, it’s not that much of a reach.

Whether Sony Ericsson and Rogers can hit that date is of course another matter, but we’re hopeful they won’t bungle this release like the big brother Xperia X10. Surprisingly, the price of the X10 Mini & X10 Mini Pro on a new 3-year contract is expected to be rather affordable. The X10 Mini is expected to retail for $49.99 and the X10 Mini Pro will be priced at $69.99. That would be a great price point for the miniature versions of a once sought after phone. [mobilesyrup]

The Dell Aero, the sort-of good-looking Dell Android phone headed to AT&T, just got some new information that’s just not worth getting excited about. The Aero is said to use a middling 624 MHz Marvell processor, a 3.5-inch capacitive screen, and a capacitive stylus for handwriting recognition. If you remember, the software is all sorts of crazy and the leak suggests that there’ll be a media player that will use Windows Media DRM to protect downloaded music (dont ask us why). But it’s not all bad, QuickOffice, ActiveSync, on-device photo editing, and social networks come stock on the Aero too. However, it’s expected to run Android 1.5 with 2.1 as a promised update later this year, and we all know how that story goes.

Compared to the other Dell phones leaked yesterday, the Aero is just, un-exciting. At least it’s going where Android phones go to die AT&T. [Engadget]

Bluetooth 4.0 just got finalized and will start rolling out to devices by the end of the year. Along with extending range from 30 feet to 200 feet, 4.0 introduces a new low power mode that will be seen in either single or dual-mode iterations. More »

Hey, look over here. It’s the T-Mobile myTouch Slide in pristine white! [via TMoNews] This is the first time we’ve seen a white myTouch Slide in the wild and it sure looks clean. Remember, the myTouch Slide is coming in 3 colors (red, black, and white) and have seen a black version in real life as well. Honestly, we don’t know what’s the hold up with the release, the myTouch Slide looks pretty ready for release in our eyes. We’re pretty excited to use HTC Sense and Android 2.1 on a device with a hardware keyboard!

And if that’s not enough, TMoNews also has new shots of the custom "Espresso" interface on this bad boy.

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This is getting confusing. First, the Xperia X10 wasn’t going to get multitouch because the hardware wasn’t capable. Then we heard that the Xperia X10 would receive multitouch in a software update. And now it’s back to square one — no multitouch, ever, on the Xperia X10. How do we know? First, we found out on Twitter. And then SE Communication Manager Harold de Kort said so. In his words:

“Multi-touch will not be a feature in future updates for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 because the device does not support multi-touch due to her software and hardware configuration. The operation and user experience of the phone will be further improved and Sony Ericsson will come with her own intuitive way of, for example, zooming in and out.”

So there you have it folks. No multitouch on the Xperia X10. And frankly, it’s been so long since anyone has been excited about the X10, we’re not sure anyone cares if there’s multitouch or not.. [via Twitter and androinica]

The Garminfone has taken a long journey to hit a US carrier and now, finally, it’s getting official. T-Mobile just announced that the Garminfone will be available later this Spring, and this "Garminfone" is a dead ringer for the Garmin-Asus nuvifone A50 we saw back at MWC. It only rocks Android 1.6 with a 600MHz processor, 3.5-inch display, 3-megapixel camera and your usual slew of connectivity options. So yeah, this Garminfone is happening. The question remains whether anyone would want a mid-level device that prioritizes GPS before everything else. For some reason, we’re thinking no. [Garmin via engadget]

Though the above picture of a Motorola Android device looks innocent enough, don’t be fooled–it’s a flip phone. And yes, leave it to Motorola to cook up some interesting form factors for Android. After introducing the Backflip, it looks like Motorola has a flip Android phone in the works. But the Motorola Android flip phone isn’t the size of your typical flip phone, which could’ve be neat, it’s smartphone sized, which just maks the thing unwieldy. We’re not even sure if the ‘flip’ portion of the phone offers any functionality other than protecting the screen.

The phone is reported to be an engineering prototype and of course looks to run the Motorola favorite, Motoblur. Specs are hard to come by, but we’re sure more will be revealed soon. Either way, if Motorola keeps throwing things against the wall, we’re sure something will stick, right? Does a flip phone running Android interest you guys?

Hit the jump to see more pictures of the Motorola Flip Android phone. [it168 via engadget]

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Could the Samsung Galaxy S, brilliant screen and all, follow in the Nexus One’s footsteps and launch on all 4 major US Carriers? That’s what Forbes is reporting. According to Broadpoint.AmTech analyst Mark McKechnie the Galaxy S will be on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, & T-Mobile "sometime later this year". If true, that’s a huge move by Samsung because nearly all of US mobile phone subscribers will have a chance to use, and thus be wowed, by the Galaxy S.

Remember, the Galaxy S is a phone that is ridiculously fast and has the most beautiful of screens (if you need a reminder, check our hands-on). And though it’s as ‘flagship’ a device you can get, Samsung still needs to stack the odds to compete with the Evos and Incredibles of the Android world. Having all 4 carriers on their side is certainly one way to do it.

US Cellular confirmed via Facebook that the HTC Desire will be hitting their network this summer. According to US Cellular: 

The worst kept secret in online history! HTC Desire with Android from U.S. Cellular, coming this summer after our rigorous testing is complete. Now have fun guessing which other Android phone we’ll launch.

This explains why the HTC Desire, currently a European exclusive, popped up in US Cellular’s rebate forms last week. US Cellular doesn’t currently have any Android phones in its product portfolio so adding the HTC Desire is a huge coup for them. Adding intrigue is their ‘other’ Android phone planned for launch. Would it be the HTC Legend? Or a non-HTC Android device?

To be honest, we’re only familiar with US Cellular through their renaming of Comiskey Park (White Sox). Any US Cellular customers out there? Are you guys interested in the Desire? [via androinica]

The Dell Mini 5 (formerly known, or is still known, as the Streak) just cleared the FCC and from the looks of it, is heading to T-Mobile. Wait, what? Didn’t we just say that the Mini 5 was packing AT&T 3G? Why, yes we did. So how is it heading to T-Mobile, too? Because Dell wants to own the Android MID/tablet space, apparently. And from the few times we’ve seen the Dell Mini 5 in action, they just might. Can we get an official launch date, now? [via engadget]

Hurray, Google’s made search cleverer in three ways to make up for our, uh, less cleverness. If you misspell a name, it uses identifier words to fix your search, so if you search ‘kyle vanhelsing gizmodo’ it should take you to the right guy. Also, if you search for “aiprt,” autocorrection now skips the usual “did you mean airport?” banter, taking you directly to results for “airport.” (With the option to actually search for “aiprt,” if that’s what you meant.) More »

In a nod to the power of social networks, HTC wants Facebook users to vote on the name of its next device. The options? Jovi, Zeal, Wildfire, and Festi.  No details about the device are given so we don’t know if it’s going to be an Android-powered, Windows Mobile-powered, or dumbphone-powered device or even what form factor it’ll take. But even if with all that mystery, to be able to have a little say in what the name of the next HTC device is going to be is kind of cool.

On the poll, HTC cryptically says that they’re looking for a name "that is playful and full of youth". And given that they’re hosting the survey on Facebook, we can assume it’ll deeply tie into social networking. Basically, there’s a good chance that this phone isn’t for the grown up in us. Hopefully, HTC continues this trend of customer input cause it’s pretty darn fun.

Psst, our vote is currently in last place. Which name are you voting for? [facebook]

HTC, maker of amazing Android phones, is reportedly working on an Android Tablet, which we’re going to assume is going to be just as amazing. The details on the tablet device are unclear; HTC rep Quinton Leigh simply revealed that an Android "tablet" — it might not be the traditional tablet shape — is in the works. This is definitely exciting because even though Android Tablets have been announced before, none of them came from a company that puts making great devices first, everything else second.

Leigh also stated that Android mobile phones will soon pack 1080p video and 5.1 surround sound. We’re not sure how soon (or realistically) that’ll come to be, but given that HTC delivers top notch hardware (see: Evo), it’s certainly within the realm of possibility. The argument of whether we need 1080p video and 5.1 surround sound on a mobile device is a completely different matter.

So yes, HTC is once again pushing the envelope of innovation. What’s new? [phonereport.info]

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro are both expected to hit Rogers this summer. We’re not denying that it could happen, as when we played with the X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro at MWC they both felt ready, but given the ridiculous circumstances that have delayed their big brother device, the Xperia X10, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see these two somehow delayed as well. But maybe, just maybe with the Xperia X10 officially launching on Rogers on April 15th, these two will stay on track. Miracles can happen after all. [mobilesyrup]

Officially official specs for the Droid Incredible  have officially hit and they’re in line with the specs we’ve previously leaked. That is the Droid Incredible will rock a beautiful 3.7-inch 480×800 WVGA OLED screen and the increasingly popular 1 GHz Snapdragon Processor. 8GB of internal memory is also confirmed but these specs don’t go on about the 802.11n, which we’ve seen listed before. In any case, combining the two spec sheets makes for an awesome phone. We can’t wait to get our hands on it. [Verizon Wireless via Engadget]

Also, according to the latest leaked screens of Best Buy inventory [via Phandroid], the Droid Incredible is expected to hit Best Buy on April 25th, 4 days earlier than the expected launch date. The price off-contract is listed at $599.99 which is par for the course for a device like this. Pic of that after the break.

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If you’ve got a couple minutes on your hands, be sure to watch these quick little Android commercials from Korea. They’re hilarious, cute, fun, quirky and pretty much capture every positive emotion you have over that cute little green robot. If you weren’t a fan of the Droid commercials, these are for you. If you were a fan of the Droid commercials, these are for you too. It’s in Korean only but that doesn’t stop the fun one bit. We don’t need to understand what’s going on in order to enjoy watching that green robot dance. Can someone make a movie about him, already?

Watch the awesome Android commercials after the jump! [via leakdroid]

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