It doesn’t come as a surprise, but Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha confirmed today that his company is working in partnership with Google on an Android phone to be sold directly to consumers.
Presumably, this handset would join the Nexus One in Google’s online store. Further, Jha made clear the phone is to be released this year, along with 19 other new Motorola smartphones, all likely running Android.
Robin O’Kelly, head of corporate affairs for T-Mobile U.K., just let the Twitterverse know a few bits of Android news: T-Mobile U.K. is in talks with Google to carry the Nexus One, and that T-Mobile U.K. will also be carrying LG’s first Android phone, the InTouch Max GW620, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Portal (also known as the Galaxy Spica).
Sounds like some nice options coming for those of you on the British Isles!
Source: TheRealRiley
The screenshot to the left is purportedly from an internal T-mobile forum, with a moderator saying that the G1 will get an update by the end of January.
Take it with a grain of salt, but the word on Twitter is that this will be none other than an OTA update to Android 2.0. We shall see!
Source: therealriley
Google recently notified AdWords advertisers that it will display business phone numbers on mobile ads, allowing smartphone users to call the business with a tap. Advertisers will be charged just as they would if a user clicked through to their website.
As Rob points out at Phandroid, this is a concrete example of how Google will make even more money as mobile web use grows. And, of course, spreading Android far and wide will only grow mobile web use more quickly.
These click-to-call ads on their own may seem a minor detail, but down the road we could see simple features like this combined with location-based and interest-based targeting to create ads that advertisers will pay a real premium for. And the more money Google can make from mobile advertising, the more its in their interest to continue growing the Android platform.
Source: search engine land
Flip Video–makers of those pocketable little video recorders–announced Flipshare Mobile apps for Android and other mobile platforms (to go with the iPhone app they already have out).
New software for the camcorders lets users share videos and store them in the cloud, while the mobile app allows users to access videos previously uploaded to that cloud storage as well as videos others have shared with them.
The Android app is free and, oddly, only officially supported for the G1 and Magic.
What do you think, with a camcorder built into Android phones and access to YouTube, will there really be much call for this app?
Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha’s press event at CES today lasted less than half an hour but he crammed some fairly big news into that short time. The highlights:
The Backflip has a unique form factor: when closed, the keyboard sits exposed on the back face of the device. When open, a “Backtrack” touchpad is exposed on the surface behind the screen. Developers will be able to code for the touchpad via an API, which sounds pretty cool until the word “fragmentation” pops into your head. Like the Cliq, it’ll feature Motorola’s custom UI, Motoblur.
An official press release on the Backflip is available on Motorola’s site, and Engadget has photos and video from their hands-on with the device
Source: Engadget