Android Mobiles

After more than a year of waiting, Garmin is set to show off their newly announced nuvifone A50 next week at Mobile World Congress.  As it turns out, the device is more GPS than phone.  Surprise!

The Android-powered A50 features a 3.5-inch,  HVGA capacitive touch screen, 4GB of built-in storage, Microsoft Exchange support, full GPS, and other navigation services built-in.  The touch only device also comes with an accelerometer, 3 megapixel camera, and the Android Market.  With a heavy dose of Garmin, it  includes an e-compass and their own cityXplorer maps, as well as real-time, location-relevant information like weather, traffic, fuel prices, safety cameras, and flight status.    Look for the A50 to arrive in Europe sometime in the first half of 2010.  Pricing and carriers have yet to be announced.

Today, February 9th, 2010, Google has yet another release for us(Android Users) that extends the abilities of your Android Device and Gmail account. This free service is called Google Buzz and is essentially another social networking medium. With Google Wave not making much headway, the introduction of Google Buzz to all Google Accounts combined with the simplicity of the service, Buzz may actually prove to be quite popular.  It is accessible through your online Gmail account or from any mobile phone. Buzz specific features include just some of the following:

• Public updates and “buzz’s” that can seen by friends
• Updates can be made public to be seen by anyone
• See nearby buzz updates
• Comment on or Like friend’s updates
• See nearby buzz updates via a new layer in Google Maps for Android, iPhone, Nokia S60, and Windows Mobile
• Read buzz updates about anywhere from the Places Page
• Speak “post buzz” into Android Quick Voice Search on Android and iPhone
• Location added to buzz updates
• Pulls media/photos from links for fast and easy access

Not only will you be able to make status updates but you will also be able to share anything you want with friends such as Twitter, links, videos, pictures, and much more. For a chart of features supported on different mobile phone platforms see below:

If you have not already set up your Google Profile and combined it with Buzz, try it out now! Watch the following video for a demonstration:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Get on Buzz now! You can even check me out here.

Well Android fans, it seems that we now know when the Xperia X10 will be available to Vodafone customers.  While we still don’t have an exact date, we now know that the handset will be launching sometime in April.  The  Vodafone site is now listing the Xperia X10 as “coming soon.”  Unfortunately we are going to have to wait a little bit on the price, but lets hope it won’t break the bank.  As this phone has been an object of lust for me for quite sometime, I am really hoping a US carrier picks this handset up soon.

Samsung has announced another new Android handset, this one destined to stay back home in South Korea.   Like most everything else we’ve seen from the handset maker, it’s a touch-only phone.  Dubbed the SHW-M100S, this marks the first Android 2.1 to come from Samsung. 

The specs are right in line with other recent Android handsets. It features a 3.7-inch AMOLED display, 5 megapixel camera with 720p support, WiFi (802.11n), GPS, T-DMB, DivX support, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There’s an 800MHz processor under the hood and the UI is a new version of TouchWiz. Based on the few pictures we’ve seen so far, we’re fans of the evolved interface.  There’s no sign of any silly ‘cubes’ to be found!

Pricing has not been determined as of yet. Look for the M100S next month (March) on SK Telecom.

Source: Samsung Hub

Here are a pair of videos that come courtesy of SamsungRelease. Be sure to check out their gallery while you’re there!

We were pretty accurate when we said that “any day now” we’ll get something official about the Devour.  Motorola has just announced the first Verizon handset to feature MOTOBLUR  Based on Android 1.6, the Devour is expected in the first quarter of this year. 

Assuming you might be new to Android or what MOTOBLUR is, we’ll recap the features and benefits.  The custom user experience from Motorola syncs contacts from all your favorite services including Gmail,  Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Keep up to date with posts, status updates, and pictures all in one place!

MOTOBLUR also makes it possible to remotely wipe your Devour should it be stolen.  This way, your information doesn’t fall into the hands of  unsavory characters.  The built-in GPS allows for users to locate their phone on a map should they simply misplace it.

Looking through the full list of specs, they do match up to what were previously leaked.  Again, the Devour is not a powerful device worthy of Nexus One or Droid comparisons.  However, with MOTOBLUR, the touch sensitive navigation pad, and slideout QWERTY, it offers something new to Verizon customers.

If there’s one area where Google could improve the Nexus One experience, it would be in how support is handled.  Thankfully, things look to be headed in a positive direction.  A posting has been found on a Google’s job board that shows the company seeking a “Phone Support Program Manager, Android/Nexus One,” who will be based out of their Mountain View location.  This comes as welcome news to those users growing frustrated with forums, message boards, email support, and a perceived lack of human touch.

“We’re working quickly to solve any customer support issues as they come up, and we are trying to be as open and transparent as possible through our online customer help forums. We continue to address all issues in as timely of a manner as possible, and we’re flexible and prepared to make changes to our processes and tools, as necessary, for an optimal customer support experience,” the company said in a statement.

We’re assuming that whatever is done for the Nexus One will ultimately happen for other handsets as they are rolled out.  Whether that includes phone support or not remains to be seen.

Source: CNET via Androinica

This is the kind of preferential treatment we’ve been hoping for since Android was announced.  Google just announced a pair of new features that help blur the lines between your PC and Android experience. Using your Google account, users can now pull up previous searches and starred/favorite places in the latest version of Google Maps. More specifically, you can pull up a search on your Android device that was initially done on a computer. Did you save a few local hot spots in Google Maps while on the laptop this morning? Bring ‘em up on your (insert Android phone) tonight!

Both of these features are available in Google Maps 3.4. The brand new Nexus One update going out this week will already bake in the new version. For the rest of us, we’ll have to wait a bit until it’s rolled out in the Android Market. We can’t wait to see where they go with these features and especially how Latitude gets integrated!

Looks like Google won’t be having any of that backtalk from Steve Jobs after all. According to the Nexus One News and Updates page, Google will be rolling out an over-the-air update for the Nexus One beginning today. Some may not receive the update until later in the week. The update is said to include some new features, as well as bug fixes.

Here’s what Nexus One-ers can expect:

Google Goggles: this mobile application will now be available directly on your device by launching it from your All Apps menu. Just use your Nexus One camera to start searching the web

Google Maps: the Maps application with be updated to a new version, Google Maps 3.4, which will include:

• Starred items synchronized with maps.google.com – access your favorite places from your phone or computer

• Search suggestions from your personal maps.google.com history – makes it easy to search for places you’ve searched for before

• Night mode in Google Maps Navigation – automatically changes your screen at night for easier viewing and driving

Pinch-to-zoom functionality: devices will now include a new pinch-to-zoom mechanism in the phone’s Browser, Gallery and Maps applications

3G connectivity: we will provide a general fix to help improve 3G connectivity on some Nexus One phones

This OTA update is sure to shake things up a bit. Google has been extremely vague and shady when it’s come to speaking about pinch-to-zoom and other multi-touch gestures. Cyanogen has already enabled these gestures for the “rooting” community, but it requires you to load his custom ROM onto your device. This update is long overdue, but probably the most welcomed update in Android history. It’s sure to shun all the non-believers who said that Google was scared of Apple. Looks like the gloves are off.

Video below, courtesy of Engadget:

Click here to view the embedded video.

[Source - Engadget]

Early last month, we mentioned that an official Wordpress application for Android might be arriving shortly.  One month later, to the day, we’ve learned that it can be found for free in the Android Market.  According to the Wordpress blog, it looks and feels similar to the free wpToGo app that has been around for quite a while.  In fact, that app will no longer be supported as the  Open Source WordPress for Android app will get all the focus.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Features include the ability to:

• Configure and manage multiple blogs
• Comment moderation including the ability to reply to comments
• Create and Edit Posts including categories, tags and photos
• Create and Edit Pages
• Get notified of new comments in the Android notification bar

I know personally that I’ve been waiting a while for this app.  I can’t wait to see how it evolves over time as new features are integrated.  I’m sure many of our writers will be excited for this as well!

Source: AndroidAndMe

Rumors of a Sprint enabled Nexus One have been floating around since Google announced that the “superphone” would make it’s way to Verizon in the Spring. Then, Walmart decided to kick the rumors into a higher gear by “accidentally” launching a Nexus One coming soon page which showed 3G bands for ALL major US carriers.

Now, according to Gizmodo, Sprint users can jump for joy. Below is a letter received from Sprint Customer Solutions:

“Thank you for contacting Sprint regarding the nexus one.

Unfortunately, this handset model is not on offer as of now.

Once it is launched, you will see promotional campaigns related to the launch date, cost and the features of the handset on our Web site and other promotional media.

Thank you for showing interest in our products & services. Please let us know if you would like us to assist you with anything else.”

It makes sense for Sprint to get the Nexus One. If a Verizon version is already being made, it would make no sense for Sprint to miss out. The company has been pretty Android-quiet since the release of the Hero and Moment. The Nexus One on Sprint would mean that people could enjoy the most powerful Android device available, on a robust 3G network, at a low cost. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited by this! Now all we need is an official announcement!