Oh, happy day. Almost. Sirius XM is working on an Android application for its satellite radio service. And while I enjoy Internet radio as much as the next guy, I needs me some satellite radio, too. Sirius XM has a signup page to alert you when the app’s ready. Yep, they’ve got my e-mail now. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Barnes & Noble’s Nook Android-powered e-reader just got itself another update. Here’s what’s new in version 1.3:
A decent update, indeed. Check out more at Barnes & Noble, as well as manual download instructions. [Barnes & Noble]
I mentioned on Twitter yesterday that uber-cookers extraordinaire Cyanogen and Kmobs had gotten the 802.11n version of WiFi (think the fastest you can get right now) up and running on the Google Nexus One — notable because 802.11n initially was listed as a spec on the N1 but was later redacted. Above you see Kmobs’ blurry video proof, and we’ve done some testing on our own and can confirm. Let’s hope we see this in a new CyanogenMod build soonest (and hope that our battery life doesn’t take a huge hit because of it).
Sure, you can just listen to the AndroidCentral Podcast. (And you should.) But it’s much more fun to be a part of it. And there are several ways you can do so.
You can also find us on Twitter: @androidcentral | @philnickinson | @tcpj_mickey | AndroidCentral staff list.
The AndroidCentral Podcast is sponsored by the AndroidCentral Store. And thanks to these great artists for providing their music under the Creative Commons license:
Hey, all you Sprint Premiere customers out there: Your favorite carrier’s looking to give away 10 — count ’em, 10! — Evo 4G phones, four tips to either Maui, Chicago, Las Vegas or Houston (coincidentally, four cities with 4G), and $4,000 in cash. And it’s all in the name of launching the biggest Android phone yet, as well as the first one sporting WiMax. You have to already be a premiere customer, so common folk need not apply, apparently. Be sure to check out all the official rules and what-not. [Sprint] Thanks, everyone, for sending this in.
Another week, another round of our favorite applications. Up this week: Tethering, a great Google Voice utility, baseball scores and an on-screen keyboard. Check ’em out after the break.
Good news, for those of you with the T-Mobile version of the Google Nexus One: Google’s found the problem with spotty 3G coverage. And the problem is … you. In an update this week in the Google help forums, Googler Ry Guy drops a bit of a bombshell (and dispels a recent rumor about an over-the-air update that might or might not be on the way):
Hey guys,
I’ve seen some recent speculation on this thread about an OTA to improve 3G connectivity and I want to give you an update on the situation.
While we are continuing to monitor user feedback regarding the 3G performance on the Nexus One, we are no longer investigating further engineering improvements at this time.
If you are still experiencing 3G issues, we recommend that you try changing your location or even the orientation of your phone, as this may help in areas with weaker coverage.
-Ry Guy
So, it looks like it’s not something that could be fixed by another software update. If anybody has some creative tinfoil-antenna fixes, be sure to let us know. [Google] Thanks, everybody, for sending this in.
It’s been a not-so-secret bug that not all apps in the Android Market have been available on all handsets. And it’s been particularly egregious on the HTC Legend, with such apps as Google Goggles, Barcode Scanner and Twidroid not appearing. Turns out it’s had something to do with apps that can access the phone’s camera, and HTC has issued a firmware update. We’ve seen similar issues with the Droid Incredible and our AT&T version of the Nexus One. Hopefully fixes will arrive sooner rather than later. [HTC via Engadget]
Dayum! Kinda surprised this hasn’t happened before now, but there you go. Android on a first-generation iPhone. What you see here isn’t quite something you’d want to use every day (though it’s further along than we thought it might be). And you know how these ports go: Once the water starts flowing over the damn, there’s very little that can stop it. We’re gonna watch this one like a hawk. [linuxoniphone.blogspot.com] Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
And as if on cue, here comes the next phone from the major Dell leak currently under way. The Smoke brings a front-facing QWERTY keyboard to Android — something a number of us have been clamoring for for quite some time now. But that comes along with a 2.8-inch QVGA display. Trade-offs, ya’ know. There’s also a 5MP camera, Qualcomm MSM7230 processor at 800MHz, Flash 10.1 support and 512MB of ROM/256MB of RAM. That’s all packed into a 10.5mm-thick body with 1170mAh battery. This guy wet your whistle any? [Engadget]
Now here’s an interesting mix of bringing sexy to the masses, following (or preceding?) the big daddy Dell Thunder. The Dell Flash features an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 chipset — for those of you who aren’t processor nerds, that’s Snapdragon for the common man — with a 3.5-inch TFT LED screen, 5MP camera and 512MB of ROM and ROM. And that’s all in a package that’s just 11mm thick.
AT&T’s 3G bands are on board, as well as a ("targeted" 1300mAh battery and full Flash 10.1 support. It’s more sexiness from Dell. What’s next? [Engadget]
Seems like only yesterday that we were asking "What else could we see in an Android phone?" We also were asking "Seriously? This is the best Dell can do?" Looks like we’re getting our answer, in the Dell Thunder (cousin to the Windows Phone 7 Dell Lightning), snagged in a fairly major leak from Engadget. See if these specs pique your interest any:
While HSPA specs mean GSM radios — and that means either AT&T or T-Mobile — remember that Swype currently has a deal to be on T-Mo handsets. That doesn’t mean there’s not room for more (and we’d certainly love to see Swype branch out as much as possible).
There’s also a very custom "Stage" UI on top of Android. We’ll just have to wait and see about that. And we’re a little hesitant about the lack of a dedicated search button on the front of the phone. But we’re getting way ahead of ourselves. There will be plenty of time to drool over the Thunder. [Engadget]
We asked you to tell us about your favorite racing games for Android. And while the results weren’t as numerous as other categories, there were two clear winners. We’ll take a look at them after the break.
There’s been a little bit of confusion regarding some of the specs of the Verizon Droid Incredible. Let’s clear up on of them. On every info sheet we’ve received, ROM — aka the place to which you can install applications — is listed at 512 megabytes. When you dive into the phone settings on the device, however, you’ll see listed 740MB of "phone storage."
So what gives? HTC now tells us that you can install apps to all of that space, which is a pleasant treat, indeed! Have more questions about the Droid Incredible? Ask us in this forum thread and we’ll get them answered soon.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: We have the coolest readers on the Internet. Better than PreCentral, better than TiPB, better than CrackBerry, even, and them’s big words.
Anyhoo, after the break we bring you the third installment of entries in the quest to win my Nexus One, and they keep getting better and better. Can’t wait to see what we get over the coming days. And there’s still time to enter. Details here. Good luck, everybody!
Sure enough, the Verizon Droid Incredible (you might have seen a story or two about it here), by some strange act of fate, is being shipped early to a few disbelieving customers who pre-ordered on Monday. That said, as great as it is that dude above shot video of his Droid Incredible, we’re taking away points ’cause he couldn’t go the whole 2 minutes without making an "it’s Incredible!" pun. [Android Forums via Engadget]
OK, Canadian Motorola Milestone owners … Who’s ready for Android 2.1? It’s finally available, so you’re back to level ground with those of us with Motorola Droids down south in the U.S. (Yeah, you still have us beat on that health care thing.) Anyhoo, head to Motorola to snag what you need for the update (strangely, it’s not OTA), and here’s the official changelog (pdf). [via Mobilesyrup]
Good news for our friends in the United Kingdom — you finally can make your way throughout her majesty’s land using Google Maps Navigation. Which comes in handy when airports shut down thanks to Icelandic volcanoes, right? And even better is that it works with Android 1.6, too. (Thanks, Darren, for the pic, and everyone else who sent this in!)
Update: And the Google Mobile blog makes it official.
HTC actually introduced new copy-and-paste features in the new version of Sense way back at Mobile World Congress, but let’s take a look at it here on the Verizon Droid Incredible. You can select one word, several words, or whole paragraphs, and from there paste them into another application, look up a word in Wikipedia, or share it with a friend. (You also can share links.) Note that these features are currently only available in the browser, and we did experience a hiccup or two. Take a look.
The guys at Android and Me noticed a few pings of Android 2.2 in their Google Analytics, meaning somebody’s testing out what’s at least labeled as a new version of our favorite mobile operating system. (And for what it’s worth, or server logs are showing hits from Android 2.2 as well.) It’s no great surprise if Google’s testing a new version of the OS, and we’re less than a month away from the Google IO conference (we’ll be there, by the way), which is where Android 2.0 first was demoed last year. Chances are we’ll see the next named version of Android — Froyo — at Google IO. And there’s a decent chance it’ll be Android 2.2. Stay tuned.
