Portable Electronics Ltd // Technology you can carry.

The upcoming Streak from Dell, we all know it as the Mini 5, has a few services  from Amazon preinstalled. One of which is a Kindle app.  Amazon’s MP3 store is expected since that’s already on several Android devices. On a promo picture for the Streak is has “Kindle Book Reader Applications” listed as well as a few other apps. Could Dell’s Streak  usher in Amazon’s digital book reader to Android?

There’s already a Kindle app for Apple’s iPhone and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry platforms for mobile e-book reading. Android could join them with it’s own Kindle app very soon. There will be no monthly fees for this, you can possibly download books in 60 seconds and there’s over 300,000 of the most popular books, magazines and blogs available.

[via androidcommunity]

Reports are starting to surface from South Korean government officials that the Android Market may be banned. The games in the Android Market have not yet received approval from the nation’s regulating body, the Games Ratings Board. This may cause the entire Market to be excluded from South Korean Android devices.

Google’s Korea branch has received a letter from the Ratings Board outlining what changes need to be made before the Market can be approved. If Google does not make the required changes it would get banned until they are made. 4000 games has yet to be rated by this board. There are two Android phones in South Korea and up to five more are rumored to be released this year, it would be awful for these phones to be rendered marketless.

[via afterdawn]

The awesome Android modding community continues to amaze. One of the hardest things to do is port a GSM ROM ot a CDMA phone. Koush, has recently ported the latest and greatest cyanogenmod to the Droid. Cyan’s Rom’s are always near the top of the hill in the custom ROM world. This is a luxury that was previously only available to users with HTC branded phones until now.

Recently there has been a push to port cyan’s ROM’s to non-HTC devices, there are two beta ROM’s at ModMyMoto for the Ciq which suffer from multiple bugs. But for the Droid, early reports from users has been positive. Users state that it’s very fast and stable which is a staple of cyan’s work. CyanogenMod’s add a new dimension that is unmatched by the stock firmware in a manner that makes your phone feel totally different than it did when it was stock.

Head over to cyanogenmod to try it out. Welcome to the world of cyan Droid users, enjoy!!!

First, on the topic of games, I have a small update to a story we ran last week. I had been speculating that Epic Games would announce the Unreal Engine for Android and I was completely wrong. Epic unveiled the Unreal Engine for Palm’s webOS and that was it for mobile.

We did however, get a glimpse of future mobile technology at the recent Game Developers Conference.

Imagination Technology, makers of the PowerVR GPU chip that powers the Motorola Droid, said we will definitely have “graphics comparable to the PlayStation 3 in three years”.

They can predict this with certainty because the chips are already being designed and it takes about three years for them to reach an actual handset. The new chipsets will be focused on multiprocessors and Imagination Technology claims you could theoretically have three or four in your phone.

Only Motorola produces Android phones with PowerVR chips inside, but we expect more handset makers to adopt them as performance increases. (HTC is also working with PowerVR.)

Advancements in mobile graphics technology is exciting because we are finally starting to see HDMI out on upcoming phones. Users could essentially carry around a high powered gaming device in their pocket that would easily connect to a HD TV.

Additional improvements are also in the pipes for current PowerVR chips on the market right now. A possible software-based update could bring Flash acceleration (up to 300% performance boost) and OpenCL support (which utilizes the GPU for help out in general purpose computing).

For a quick demo of what PowerVR is working on right now, check out this GDC video from PocketNow.

Related Posts

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• Verizon Nexus One typos make no Sense

Yesterday Android Central posted a leak document that said the Nexus One would feature HTC’s Sense UI. Many people questioned the information and pointed out several typos. In addition to Sense UI, Verizon listed the wrong model Snapdragon processor and the incorrect URL for Google’s phone store.

Verizon quickly noticed the mistakes and has already updated their equipment guide. Once again, Android Central has the screen grabs which show the corrected information. The Verizon Nexus One will be available only online and it will include the stock Android 2.1. This is exactly how the T-Mobile launch went down so it looks like Google is sticking with their original Nexus One strategy.

It was interesting to read the comments from yesterday’s post because our reader’s opinions were split down the middle on Sense UI. Some people love Sense and others said they would not by the phone if it was included. Thankfully, this device will have a bootloader that can easily be unlocked so you can flash virtually any firmware that your heart desires.

The Verizon N1 will feature the same Android 2.1 as the first device.

Related Posts

• Verizon Nexus One to include Sense UI, available only online
• CDMA Nexus One clears FCC, headed to Verizon soon
• For those N1 users who desire Sense UI
• HTC Desire (Bravo) expected to be next Android superphone
• Warning: Do not try this at home with your Nexus One

With the Nexus One headed to Verizon and Vodafone in the coming weeks, customers on other networks are starting to wonder if and when they're provider will be offering the phone.  One such carrier, Sprint could really use a new Android handset with high end specs like Nexus One.

One of our readers was recently in an online chat with a member of the Sprint team.  Being that he will be ready to get a new handset soon, the subject of the phone came up. 

Here's the interesting part of the transcribed chat:

03/12/2010 11:40:46PM   Rick Bradley: "Questions about upgrading my existing phone"
03/12/2010 11:41:17PM   Agent (Brad M): "May I have your concern in detail?"
03/12/2010 11:42:58PM   Rick Bradley: "Yeah. I'm due for to upgrade my phone to a new handset in the next couple of weeks. I definately want to get the best phone available. I have heard through the rumor mill that Sprint MIGHT be offering the nexus one with google possibly as soon as april"
. I'd really like to use this phone and I'd hate to have to go to verizon.. is there any chance you could confirm or deny this rumor of sprint carrying the nexus one ?
03/12/2010 11:44:08PM   Agent (Brad M): "Sure. Let me check this."
03/12/2010 11:45:16PM   Rick Bradley: "thank you for checking"
03/12/2010 11:45:28PM   Agent (Brad M): "You are welcome."
03/12/2010 11:47:02PM   Agent (Brad M): "I am sorry. We do not have any update on the launch of this phone right now."
03/12/2010 11:47:59PM   Agent (Brad M): "However, I have notated your account."
03/12/2010 11:48:13PM   Rick Bradley: "in what capacity ?"
03/12/2010 11:48:43PM   Agent (Brad M): "Once we launch this phone, you will be notified with our promotional advertisement."
03/12/2010 11:49:52PM   Session Ended

While this is not proof of anything concrete, it certainly sounds like Sprint expects to offer the Nexus One in some capacity.   Whether that's directly through the carrier or more in a supportive role has yet to be figured out.  Also, the echoes a conversation someone else had with the carrier just a few weeks back.

What do you guys think?  Excited by the prospects of the super phone on the Now Network?

Might We Suggest...

• Opinion: What Does Verizon’s Nexus One Mean for Sprint?
  Neowin, with help from their inside informant, reported that Verizon will be getting the Nexus One on March 23rd. With the CDMA version of the phone spotted passing through the FCC, this date seems ve...

We know you've been champing at the bit for some Odroid news... wait, you forgot already? You know, the Android-powered handheld game system that the manufacturer, Hardkernel, bills "the developer-focused portable game device"? To be honest, we'd hope that the company would focus on game players, but that's really beside the point: the thing finally has a release date: "early March." And for those of you lucky enough to get in on the ground floor, they've gone and upgraded the thing to Android 2.1. Peep it in action after the break.

Continue reading Odroid handheld game console due early March sportin' Android 2.1

Odroid handheld game console due early March sportin' Android 2.1 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Community  |  Hardkernel  | Email this | CommentsJoseph L. Flatley030352238674914053210538044984998099759112037774325747677338155944481420197536161705280074528591333917295001134504534096095560990844213649640986101037899953698511905794413143356034178471773323653401620847119719436715197909703243893747122645091163524357830390160518710545357217558506731084033828445391063310011117194774811459195514850966441213015974837874520969108301564513340044011598187902897237390309318702010703989872008901462888429026540311177915949456915616178883244309726822

As we’ve all heard by now, Skype Mobile is coming soon to Verizon’s Blackberry and Android phones. It sounds good, but how does it compare to Google Voice (GV) and why isn’t Verizon pushing Google Voice with the same enthusiasm?

Presumably, the Skype deal involves Skype giving Verizon a cut of the revenue earned selling Skype services to Verizon customers. Otherwise, there would probably be no deal. Skype has always been snubbed by carriers, but they’ve finally figured out how to get in the door… by paying the man! Meanwhile, Google has managed to leverage its Android operating system to get GV distributed.

Okay, Verizon is happy, Skype is happy and Verizon users can now call other Skype users for free so they are happy too. This appears to be the main benefit to Verizon users, calling other Skype users… while those being called are at their PC or have the app running on their smartphone. Sure, there are millions of Skype users saving billions of dollars calling internationally, and for these people it will give them the added benefit of calling from their Android phone, but for all other calling within the US and internationally (calling from the US), GV is the less expensive alternative… and with 100% Android integration.

Before going into detail on the cost savings, let’s first look at how Skype Mobile is being implemented for Verizon and how it is different. Skype is a voice over IP (VOIP) service that traditionally allows calling over the internet rather than the public switched telephone network (PSTN). All other mobile Skype apps on various mobile phones use the carrier’s data service rather than the voice service, i.e. does not use minutes. However, in the case of “Skype Mobile”, Verizon is carrying Skype calls, using its voice network, from the smartphone to Skype’s VOIP gateways and Skype routes the call to the destination over the internet. In doing so, Verizon is requiring a voice plan (and data plan), but has wisely chosen not to deduct minutes for Skype Mobile calls.

Wow, this sounds great! It doesn’t use monthly plan minutes, but to call someone on their cell or home number, users need to buy Skype credit for the minutes used. Sounds like a pre-paid cell plan, but I digress. It’s not that Skype Mobile is a bad deal, in fact it’s a real good deal for “Unlimited US/Canada”  calling for only $3 per month. What makes it unattractive is that GV with a Friends & Family plan allows for unlimited calls (at least to the US) for free… without the $3/mo charge.

By simply setting the GV access number as a F&F number, users can make unlimited outbound calls without deducting from one’s monthly plan minutes. Of course, taking advantage of this requires a 900-minute individual plan or 1400-minute family plan whereas using Skype Mobile will not, hopefully. This may leave Verizon users wondering if it might be more cost effective to use Skype Mobile exclusively, opting for the least expensive, lowest minute voice plan. This plan blows up pretty fast after thinking it through, however.

Skype Mobile cannot be used exclusively the same way GV can to save monthly cell charges. Attempting to call regular numbers would generally require the use of caller ID and a Skype ‘Online Number’ for $60 per year. This doesn’t sound too bad, but here’s the kicker… using the Skype number means users will be receiving SMS at this number and according to Skype’s published SMS rates, sending SMS to/from US cell numbers is 11 cents  per message. That’s $55 for 500 messages. Therefore, Skype Mobile may only be viable for calling other Skype users. For those with elaborate Skype networks, this is great news. For all other calls, Google Voice is still king.

While GV is great for Verizon users, what about the other major US carriers? AT&T has its A-List, same deal. As for T-Mobile, the original Android carrier, there are probably over 100,000 Nexus One users and hopefully many have a MyFaves account. Those who signed a new contract, thus giving up the My Faves feature, are not able to take advantage of GV to the same degree. Sprint? Well, Sprint doesn’t have a F&F equivalent, but users may already have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes, which would make GV unappealing anyway. For international calling, GV is still a viable option, however.

When comparing international rates, GV is cheaper to nearly every destination by varying amounts anywhere from 5% to 50% or more. When calling more popular countries using GV, an across-the-board comparison shows calling land lines will cost 5-15% less while calling mobile numbers will cost 20-50% less. Be sure to check rates (for Swype and for Google Voice) for the country you are calling or see this comparison chart. There are, in fact, a few exceptions where Skype is cheaper. They are: Belgium, Austria, Chile and the Czech Republic -2.1 cents per minute using Skype vs. 3 cents using GV. Calling Finland is 3.1 cents per minute vs. 5 cents using GV. Sounds insignificant, but the savings percentage is 43% and 61% respectively.

Verizon deserves a round of applause for opening the door to a VOIP app even if it isn’t VOIP in the truest sense. Skype Mobile will serve avid Skype users very well and bring in more customers. This is good for users and good for competition making Skype Mobile a great companion to Google Voice. Meanwhile, we await Google’s integration of Gizmo5 or will it remain on the back burner?

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It’s feeling a little like deja-vu here at Android Community, with another Android device from Motorola in to review. Hot on the heels of the Motorola DEVOUR and Motorola BACKFLIP comes T-Mobile’s latest Android smartphone, the Motorola CLIQ XT. As the name suggests, Motorola are positioning the CLIQ XT as a derivative of the original CLIQ (launched back in November 2009) but eschewing the QWERTY keyboard in favor of a newly slim line touch screen-only form factor. Question is, have Motorola done enough to update the rest of the smartphone? Check out the full Android Community review after the cut.

We weren’t joking about the deja-vu; the CLIQ XT (which will be sold as the Motorola QUENCH outside the US) has the same 3.1-inch HVGA 320 x 480 capacitive touchscreen as the DEVOUR and BACKFLIP, together with the latter’s 5-megapixel autofocus camera. There’s 3G – though here it’s support for T-Mobile USA’s 3G network, rather than Verizon or AT&T – along with WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.0. It also gets Motorola’s MOTOBLUR social networking system, which pulls in updates from Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other services, links them with contacts on your handset, and allows you to post updates to one or all of the networks from homescreen widgets.

Unfortunately, it’s MOTOBLUR that’s likely to blame for the CLIQ XT’s aged version of Android. With devices like the Google Nexus One and the HTC Legend – which we reviewed earlier this week – delivering Android 2.1, to launch yet another device with Android 1.5 seems increasingly unforgivable. Motorola say they’re working on an updated version of MOTOBLUR which will be compatible with 2.1, but there’s no public timescale as to its release; similarly, there’s no telling when – or if – further updates to coincide with newer versions of Android might arrive. To be fair, this is something HTC users have faced with HTC Sense, but it’s a concerning fragmentation trend in Android right now.

Even taking into account the limitations of Android 1.5, the CLIQ XT isn’t exactly a speed demon. Unchanged from the original CLIQ is the 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A chipset, something even Motorola themselves have abandoned in other recent devices. It adds up to an occasionally sluggish user experience, particularly when navigating between data-heavy apps (such as MOTOBLUR) or using the onscreen keyboard; given there’s no hardware QWERTY any more, that’s doubly frustrating.

Perhaps to assuage such annoyances, T-Mobile and Motorola have partnered with Swype to preload the company’s predictive keyboard technology onto the CLIQ XT. Rather than demanding you hunt-and-peck across the ‘board, Swype allows you to drag your finger from letter to letter, guessing at the word you were aiming for when you lift that finger from the display. We’ve already been using Swype on the Nexus One, and it works very well, certainly if speed is your number one priority. After some practice it’s possible to far outpace a regular on-screen keyboard, especially once you realize the dictionary is still capable of picking out the correct word even if your finger-accuracy isn’t 100-percent.

Non-dictionary words can be entered – and are subsequently stored – by tapping them in as usual, though we prefer the layout of other Android keyboards such as HTC’s to Swype’s. It’s also more successful with longer words; where we had ongoing problems was with shorter terms, those with apostrophes – such as “don’t” – and confusion between single and double letters in words. Meanwhile the trackpad underneath the touchscreen works as well as that on the back of the BACKFLIP, but we still found ourselves using the touchscreen more often than not.

Other changes Motorola have made include adding in pinch-zooming and Flash Lite in the browser, though their processor choice means the CLIQ XT is unlikely to see an update to full Flash. Best of all, though, is the work they’ve done on the Android media player. In its native form it’s an unloveable thing, but after Motorola have had their way there’s automatic lyric and album art downloads from Tunewiki and Internet radio streaming, along with an FM radio and YouTube support. It addresses one of the core shortcomings of Android in its present form, and lays down a challenge to Google themselves for the next release of the platform.

The 5-megapixel camera may tick all the spec sheet boxes, but performance is underwhelming. Autofocus is slow to lock, and more often than not images themselves are blurred or poorly exposed. Maximum video capture is 352 x 288 24fps, which falls short of what other recent Android handsets can manage. Meanwhile the HVGA display and the early version of the OS means there are numerous apps in the Android Market that won’t run on the CLIQ XT, though you do get the usual bevy of preloaded Google titles such as Gmail and Google Maps. Since there’s no Google Maps Navigation beta for Android 1.5 (only 1.6 and higher) if you want turn-by-turn directions then Motorola will point you in the direction of T-Mobile’s TeleNav partnership, which charges $2.99 per month (versus Google’s free alternative).

Motorola are claiming up to 6hrs talktime or 325hrs standby on a full charge, though with MOTOBLUR regularly pulling in updates you’re looking at a nightly top-up if you want to make it through the day. Shutting off the social networking features would obviously prolong the CLIQ XT, but given they’re so integral to the overall experience we’re not sure why an owner would do that (rather than, say, picking another Android device). It’s also worth noting that Android 1.5 lacks the in-depth power monitoring tools of later versions.

Given Motorola’s more recent Android phones have been spread across various networks as exclusives, you can’t exactly accuse them of flooding the market. Still, after the excellent DROID we’d like to have seen a little more imagination in their latest handsets, the CLIQ XT included. Contrasted with the HTC Legend – which, admittedly, won’t be arriving in its current European form in the US – the CLIQ XT’s chassis feels overly-plastic and under-designed. The expanse of textured battery cover (of which Motorola provide two color choices in the box) is calling out for a more inspiring treatment, and the hardware feels either underwhelming (like the HVGA resolution or lackluster chipset) or underused (like the 5-megapixel camera).

Of course, the CLIQ XT’s saving grace is likely to be its price, and while T-Mobile are yet to announce official figures we’re expecting the smartphone to come in at around $130 with a new, two-year agreement. That would put it not far short of the $150 T-Mobile are currently asking for the original CLIQ, which is obviously bulkier than the newer handset but otherwise offers much the same experience. The CLIQ XT fits reasonable in the hand and is certainly more pocketable, but it does feel a little like T-Mobile are treading water having previously led the carrier pack when it comes to Android. It’s not a bad smartphone by any measure, and its media player functionality is ahead of the game when it comes to rivals based on the same platform, but the Motorola CLIQ XT falls short of anything but mid-range, middle of the road mediocrity.

So what started as a quiet and respectable gathering of geeks has slightly ballooned into a full on party. We were able to secure a much larger space and have been able to send invites to dozens of you that RSVP’d over the past week. We are again getting close to capacity, so if you haven’t RSVP’d yet, do so by firing an email to RSVP@androidandme.com.

The meetup is going down at Opal Divine’s in downtown Austin on 6th street. Come join us for some food and drink or to just say hey. We’ll have free t-shirts on hand and would like to put one all over your midsection.

Andy over Austin

Which brings me to some bad news. Originally, we ordered way more shirts than we had spots. Now that we have a larger area, we’ve got way more space than shirts. It’s a stinky situation but we’d rather hang out with as many of you as possible rather than turning people away because we don’t have enough shirts. Because we came up a bit short we’ll only be able to give tees to the first 50 guests to check in to the party.

Since location-based services seem to be all the buzz at this year’s event, we are going to try a small experiment. We want all the guests to check in, tweet, or buzz about the gathering with Gowalla, Foursquare, Twitter, Brightkite, or whatever location-aware micro status updating doohickey currently has your fancy. Doing so will score you a free shirt. At the party we’ll have a table set up for the shirts and to score one you’ve simply gotta come with phone in hand and show us a status update.

We think it’ll be fun to see what effect (if any) a large crowd simultaneously spewing social alerts would have. And you get a free tee. So really everybody wins (except those after the first 50, you don’t win. At all.) To sum things up, we made this handy poster (which you’ll find at the event, marking the tee table):

Handy chart leading you to a free shirt (click for full size)

Also, that crazy awesome poster up top features our favorite Android characters Andy & Bill and was illustrated by Angie just for the event. We’ll have a couple dozen of them on hand at the party to give away so arrive early if you’d like to get your hands on one. If you just can’t wait, here is a Flickr set filled with shots of the final posters.

To sum things up: party tomorrow night, tees for the on-time, fun for all. If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, do so now. Looking forward to seeing all you guys there!

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Update: Verizon has corrected their equipment guide. No Sense UI for their Nexus One.

So much for that rumor. Verizon’s version of the Nexus One will not be sold in stores, but it will could include HTC’s new Sense UI.

Android Central has posted a new leaked document which states the Nexus One will only be available online through Google’s phone store. Buried in the features of the phone is the surprising news of Sense UI. The first Nexus One shipped with stock Android 2.1 and we assumed all the devices in Google’s store would do the same.

It is generally expected that Google and Verizon will announce the Nexus One on March 23rd at CTIA. If they follow the same launch strategy as the first Nexus One, the device could be available to purchase on the same day.

If you are on Verizon and were waiting to purchase the Nexus One, does this new information affect your decision? Do you prefer stock Android or Sense UI? Are you ready to order the phone on day one?

Really? Typo?

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Our recent look at the Nexus One touch screen generated a lot of questions and now we are back with some answers. The Nexus One touchscreen is not “broken” – it just suffers from a hardware limitation we were not aware of and did not perform as we expected.

For starters, let us look at the actual touch sensor used in the Nexus One. HTC selected the ClearPad 2000 capacitive touchscreen sensor. This touch sensor first debuted in 2007 and we believe HTC has used it in all their Android phones.

The ClearPad 2000 has support for “two-finger interaction and gestures” such as pinch zoom and pivot rotate, which is exactly how Google implemented it. Pinch zoom in the browser, gallery, and maps works flawlessly and we have no complaints.

The problems arise when developers try to use complex two-finger movements (like those found in games).

These multitouch issues have been well documented on the Android Developers forum and a Google employee responded with the following:

“This has nothing to do with the Android platform.  Please do not file bugs about it.  Android is just reporting what the hardware is capable of reporting.  There is no “normalization” for games or such, there is just the data the screen provides.  (Though there is some special code in the current framework for cleaning up the data from the Droid screen; arguably this should be in the driver or firmware for it, since this is really screen and hardware specific kind of stuff.  At any rate, it is not applicable to basic screen capabilities like here.)”Dianne HackbornAndroid framework engineer

The Motorola Droid features a different touch sensor (I don’t know which one. Help?) from the HTC phones and includes “some special code” which is the reason it performed better in our testing.

So what is this special code and can it be used on the Nexus One? Steve Kondik (Cyanogen) dug through the source and found the following:

Interestingly, there is a hack in the framework (which is enabled on the Droid, but not on the N1) that can be enabled by setting config_filterTouchEvents. With it disabled (the default), I get the axis-flipping problem. Enabling it fixes this, but there are still issues with the points “sticking” when they cross.CyanogenBacon lover

So as you can see, the Nexus One (and all other HTC Android phones) suffer from hardware limitations, but we could see an improvement in performance through a future software update.

Now that most of us are aware with the limitations, we know what to expect from future Android games. Developers can use two touches as long as they are careful about how they are implemented. Advanced two-finger gaming as seen on the iPhone, might never be possible because of the hardware that HTC is using.

If you want something to look forward to, check out the newer Synaptics ClearPad 3000. This touch sensor supports true multi-finger gestures and can recognize up to ten touches. Maybe HTC will pony up the cash and include it with their next superphone.

Synaptics ClearPad 3000 Series from Synaptics, Inc. on Vimeo.

Related Posts

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It’s no surprise that Vodafone are set to offer the Google Nexus One, what we haven’t known so far is when it might be arriving or how much the Android 2.1 smartphone will cost.  Still no figures or exact dates, but Vodafone UK have updated their Coming Soon page with a “register for updates” option for the Nexus One.

So far all the listing says is that the Nexus One is coming soon, though we previously heard from a UK paper that the launch would take place in April 2010.  As for pricing, a leaked Vodafone Germany document suggested that the subsidized handset would come in at €149.90 (£136).  We wouldn’t be surprised to see the Nexus One hit the UK from free on high-priced contracts, however.

[Thanks Andy!]

The HTC Incredible has been seen in the wild, yet again, leading us to believe the handset has been prepped and readied for a CTIA announcement.  Dressed in Verizon black and red, this super phone has an awful lot going on under the hood.  If you look at the bottom right of the battery cover you will see the Verizon logo silk-screened in the corner. We'd be very surprised if CTIA comes and goes without a word from anyone.

We've scoured over 107 pages of the AndroidForums post where these images come from and have collected some specs.  Since nothing is confirmed by HTC or Verizon, these details are subject to change. 

With that out of the way, here's what we can expect out of the Incredible:

• 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
• 3.7 inch AMOLED WVGA 800x480
• 512MB ROM | 1GB RAM
• 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and autofocus
• Android 2.1 | Sense UI
• Optical track pad
• 1300 mAh battery
• 8GB MicroSDHC card
• FM Tuner
• Dimensions: 117.5 mm (L) x 58.5 mm (w) x 11.9 mm (T)

So... who wants one?

Might We Suggest...

• HTC Incredible Appears in Verizon Inventory System
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Consider this a complete rumor, but Techtree is reporting that Google might be working on a “scaled down” version of the Nexus One for new markets like India. They claim this new device will be slimmer than the N1 and speculate the camera and internal memory specs will be reduced.

I’m having a hard time believing the source, but we know Google will be introducing more models in their phone store and adding more carriers later this year. For all we know, they could be talking about a modded version of the HTC Legend that would include stock Android instead of Sense UI.

Google’s Eric Tseng is leading a panel next week to discuss the Nexus One strategy so maybe we will learn more soon.

[Thanks Ajay for the tip]

Related Posts

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Verizon fans will soon have another awesome Android handset in lineup. There has been a few pictures and specs of the device leaked today. Rumors have this phone replacing the Eris, it’s another Sense UI Android but this has an 8MP with dual LED Flash. Unfortunately, the snapdragon has been underclocked to 768MHZ. Pictures and specs after the break.

The specs confirmed so far:

* 8 megapixel camera with autofocus
* Memory: 512 MB ROM, 512 MB RAM (320 free to the user)
* Android 2.1 with HTC’s Sense UI
* Optical Trackpad
* 3.7? WVGA (800×480) AMOLED Screen
* 1300mAH battery
* FM Tuner
* 802.11b/g WiFi
* 117.5 mm (L) x 58.5 mm (w) x 11.9 mm (T)
* 1Ghz Snapdragon processor, underclocked to 768Mhz.

[via androidforums, mobilecrunch]

The XDAndroid project, for Windows Mobile devices with (W)VGA displays, has progressed to a fully usable port of Android to a Touch Pro 2. Past ports haven’t been as successful as this one, there were too many bugs and the build was not user friendly. That’s now a thing of the past and maybe now all WinMo phones with a WVGA display will be able to load Android and use it like it was the native OS on the device.

This hack has working calls, SMS and data. Click the links below if you want to try them out on your phone.

Android on HTC Windows Phones:

• Touch Pro2 (GSM)
• Touch Pro2 (CDMA – must take SIM card out) (thanks MrPippy)
• Touch Diamond2/Pure
• Touch HD
• Touch Pro/Fuze (GSM)
• Touch Pro (CDMA)
• Touch Diamond (GSM)
• Touch Diamond (CDMA)

Click here to view the embedded video.

[via pocketnow]

Motorola was in attendance at this year's CeBIT and they were showing off the new HS1001 home phone made in conjunction with Binatone.  The omnipresent Nicholas Charbonnier (Charbax) was also there and grabbed some video of the device in action.  Running what appears to be a customized version of Android 1.6 experience, the HS1001 handles VoIP, gets emails, and messages just like your handset does. [Video after the jump]

The unit is expected to sell for 99€ in Europe and $149 in the USA when it arrives this summer. As pointed out by Charbax, the phone comes with a speaker-equipped charging station so you can play your Pandora or Slacker Radio stations while docked.

Might We Suggest...

• CES 2010: Motorola HS1001 Home Phone
  Our friend Taylor of AndroidAndMe spotted this strange looking device from Motorola (HS1001) while in Vegas the other day.   Upon closer examination, he found that it's actually a cordless home pho...

The Galaxy Spica has been in the news often in the past few weeks. Earlier in the week there was an announcement that the handset was on its way to Roger’s Wireless in Canada. Today, a short video demonstration was released.

The Galaxy Spica offers a 3.2? AMOLED HVGA capacitive display, 3.2 megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, 3.6Mbps HSDPA/UMTS, 800MHz processor and up to 7 hours of talk time and 10 days of standby. It has Android 1.5 preinstalled with the promise of being updated to 2.1 in the future. That may come sooner then expected, although in the video it seem pretty unresponsive or maybe because its two guys trying to demo the same device.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The lone Android device on Vodafone has now been confirmed to get Android 2.1 by HTC. This low end Android device features HTC’s Sense UI and has the smallest screen on any Android device (and it is resistive).

In a statement released by HTC:

“Kindly note that now we understand that a phone running Android OS 2.1 is available that you are excited to get an update for your Tattoo. We are still working hard to Sense for building this new version but we expect to have the upgrade finished and ready to go soon. Please understand that it takes time to customize any Android release to Ensure You Have The Sense provides intuitive experience, and we hope you can be patient for just a little while longer.”

All these 2.1 announcements are good but I am ready to see them on the devices rather than just talk about it coming.

[via frandroid]