Looks like Google is now preventing anyone with an unlocked G1 from downloading for-pay applications from the Android Market. Google says this is to prevent piracy (but only in the most abstract sense, in my [worthless] opinion), but some developers don’t like the idea. Welcome to the Situation Room, I’m Wolf Blitzer. → Read More
If we are to believe this Vodafone ad (and who are we to doubt the Internet), the European carrier will be the exclusive provider of HTC‘s next Android phone, the Magic. The phone does somewhat resemble early spy shots so we could be looking at the real deal, folks. → Read More
Further, the Android team member went on to say that they were relieved that Google didn’t go against Apple’s wishes, given the legal storm that appears to be brewing between Apple and Palm, which is using multi-touch technology in its new Pre phone. Even if Apple ultimately decides not to pursue legal action against Palm (it’s not yet clear how likely that is, but Apple does have an impressive array of patents), the situation has likely soured the relationship between the two companies. Google, it seems, wants no part in ruining its relationship with Apple.
Scene: A Chinese restaurant somewhere in the valley in early 2008. Two men enter, wave off the waitress, and sit at a booth. One man is agitated.
G: What do you want now?
A: I hear you have multi-touch in the G1.
G: We do.
A: What did I tell you?
G: Is she safe?
A: She’s safe. She’ll be back at home inside of a week if you play ball. → Read More
Sometimes you just need a little doohickey to prop your phone up at a certain angle – nothing more, nothing less. Sure, you could use pencils and rubber bands but if you want more of an elegant, streamlined look and you have six dollars, then you have other options. → Read More
Do you have balls of steel? If you answered “YES!” or “SORT OF!” then you might have what it takes to flash the firmware on your T-Mobile G1 in order to get this multi-touch hack up and running, courtesy of developer Luke Hutchison. → Read More
The T-Mobile G1 has an update in the works. When the firmware will be available to owners is the main question after most of the details leaked out of the kitchen. Cupcake, as it’s been dubbed, should improve the look and the feel of the OS. The buttons should pop a bit more, there is a new transition when opening and closing apps, but most importantly is the new virtual keyboard. That particular new feature doesn’t seem to provide much function in the physical keyboard-equipped G1, but hopefully the G2 or the upcoming Huawei handset will take full advantage of it. Early screenshots after the jump. → Read More
Isn’t funny how everytime you get your hands a super-duper secret phone or random gadget, the one camera nearby is your crappy camera phone? Funny. Anywho, supposedly what you see above, and after the link, is HTC’s next Android-powered phone dubbed the G2. According to Giz, it’s a touchscreen phone that lacks a physical keyboard and will likely find its way into T-Mobile’s stable. Real or fake? Your call. Check out the phone’s backside after the jump. → Read More
Isn’t funny how everytime you get your hands a super-duper secret phone or random gadget, the one camera nearby is your crappy camera phone? Funny. Anywho, supposedly what you see above, and after the link, is HTC’s next Android-powered phone dubbed the G2. According to Giz, it’s a touchscreen phone that lacks a physical keyboard and will likely find its way into T-Mobile’s stable. Real or fake? Your call. → Read More
T-Mobile is set to bring the G1 to more even more counties. Germany and Poland will be the first counties outside of the US and England to receive the Android-based phone with a launch of February 2nd, 2009. Eventually though, Netherlands, Czech Republic and Austria will all have the phone from the region’s T-Mobile branch. Pricing for every region, except Germany, haven’t been announced yet. Germans, however, will be able to pick up the G1 for 1 Euro with a two year contract. → Read More
T-Mobile is set to bring the G1 to more even more counties. Germany and Poland will be the first counties outside of the US and England to receive the Android-based phone with a launch of February 2nd, 2009. Eventually though, Netherlands, Czech Republic and Austria will all have the phone from the region’s T-Mobile branch. Pricing for every region, except Germany, haven’t been announced yet. Germans, however, will be able to pick up the G1 for 1 Euro with a two year contract. All of this is pretty mundane expect for a statement from T-Mobile’s Chief Executive Hamid Akhavan. Click through for the utter lie. → Read More
Is that a phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me not have to recharge your G1 every two hours? → Read More
RemoteDroid allows you to use the touchscreen and keyboard of your G1 as inputs for your PC. I’m trying to think of a situation in which this would be handy and not just cool, but I can’t. Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s totally awesome. Actually, it could be useful for a home theater PC setup, or for making people think your computer is haunted. → Read More
The wait for a suitable extended battery for the G1 is finally over. I picked up the $42.95 Innocell 1400mAh battery from Seidio.com and I’m happy to report that the promise of 15% longer battery life seems to be legit. → Read More
2009 is set to be Google’s Androids big year with more and more manufacturers jumping on the open-source platform. Garmin has at least one smartphone slated for the second-half of ’09 release and with perhaps more on the way. → Read More
2009 is set to be Google’s Androids big year with more and more manufacturers jumping on the open-source platform. Garmin has at least one smartphone slated for the second-half of ’09 release and with perhaps more on the way. We’re still too far away from the launch for exact details. There is a chance that the mobile might not see a Stateside release as the tidbit doesn’t mention that side of the Pacific at all. This comes Tony An, Garmin’s Asia Pacific Marketing Director, Garmin will launch Nuvifone, its first GPS-enabled handset, in the Taiwan market in the second quarter of 2009, An noted. Garmin also plans to launch self-developed Android handsets in the second half of 2009, with production to be outsourced Chances are though, the device will be available here in Garmin’s home country – hopefully. Perhaps, 2009 will be a big year for Garmin as well. We would love to see more mobile devices from the firm with their industry-leading GPS support, something the G1 is notoriously lacking. → Read More
If you own the T-Mobile G1, you might find yourself longing for an extended battery to replace the included 1150mAh battery that comes with the phone. → Read More
Word is that Samsung is planning on launching its first Android-powered sometime in the second quarter of ’09 on both Sprint and T-Mobile. → Read More
Curious as to why Sony Ericsson (and 13 others) might have hopped on board with the Open Handset Alliance? Take a look at the November numbers of HTC, the folks behind the only Android handset currently on the market, and it all becomes clear. → Read More
Google is now formatting AdWords text and image ads for Android and iPhone mobile browsers. The ads can include mobile-only calls to action, and can be created from standard Google ads run on the Web. The ads will also work on other phones with full HTML browsers in the future as they become available. (Both the iPhone and the Android G1 have full browsers based on Webkit). By sticking with full HTML browser phones, the links in the ads can continue to point to regular Web pages and still work in a mobile context. Advertisers can also run one single campaign across the Web and advanced mobile phones, and see where they get the best response. More at the Google Mobile blog. → Read More
