Android Mobiles

We are all but certain that HTC will unveiling the Legend next week at Barcelona.  There have been a handful of “in the wild” shots this week, leading us to believe the demo models are circulating and the handset maker is ready to show it off.  Unfortunately, they won’t be the first to release any official photos or specs. KPN, a telco in the Netherlands, has just gone live with a few images of the new device with the specs.

Granted, the pictures aren’t high resolution, they still do enough to whet our whistles. The specs are pretty much everything we’ve been expecting so far – 600MHz, Android 2.1, 5 megapixel camera, optical trackpad.   This appears to be a mid-range Android handset and a definite successor the Hero from last year.  Expect this on KPN sometime in early March!  No word on pricing as of yet.

Thanks to Nick from HTCSource for the heads up!

Ask around and you’ll find that most Android enthusiasts are fans of what HTC did with Sense UI.  Rather than pumping out stock Android handsets void of any character, they poured all kinds of things into Android.  Not only did it refresh the interface, but it added features as well.  Sense is not just a skin on top of Android. So as the plain vanilla Android experience continues to evolve and get prettier, what happens to Sense?

Nick over at HTC Source happened upon a video this morning that shows Android 2.1 running with Sense on top of it.  The guy in this sideway video is running the latest release on his Hero.

Where Google’s WebOS-like cards give added function to the desktop experience, HTC gives it a slight boost.   Skip to around 6:50 into the clip below and you’ll see a pinch-to-zoom feature that pulls all 7 homescreens up with previews.  Tap the widget or screen and presto!  You’re there.  Yes, we know.  Swiping doesn’t take all that long to get from one end to the other.  It’s still nice to see HTC doing their part to push Android further.

Even though CES was a huge coming out party last month, next week’s Mobile World Congress looks to be even bigger.  This is the event to attend if you are a handset maker with half a decent product line.  Anyone who is anyone will be in Spain next week showing off their coming devices.  Among those big names… HTC.

We’re nearly certain that HTC will unveil the Legend handset next week.  The heir apparent to the Hero, it maintains the look and feel of one of their most popular handsets of 2009 while bringing some new to the table.

The Legend was spotted a couple of times this week, giving us a pretty good look at the front and back sides.  We’re fans of the back design as it’s not your typical flush battery cover; We like the character it adds.

As we wait for the official announcement, here’s a few rumored specs.

• 3.2-inch HVGA AMOLED Touch Screen
• 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 Processor
• 5 megapixel camera with LED flash
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi, Magnetic Compass
• Quadband GSM / EDGE plus dualband HSPA
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• 1300mAh battery

HTC has formally announced the release of “ROM Version:3.05.401.3″ which allows for Magic owners to download and install Sense UI.  This means the great features and customized widgets found on the Hero can be yours!  Head to HTC’s website to download the ROM Update Utility (RUU) to your PC.  As always, be sure to back up your files and important data before undertaking something along these lines.  Be sure to have your serial number handy too.

A member of the Sprint team took to their official message board to bring everyone up to speed in terms of their Android efforts.  As you may know, the carrier plans to update both their Samsung Moment as well as their Hero handsets to Android 2.1 at some point in the first half of the year.

A while back we announced our plans to update our Android devices to 2.1 in the first half of 2010. I just wanted to follow up with a quick status. The 2.1 update is currently being tested and things are going very well so far. We’re still targeting the first half of 2010 and if things continue to go smoothly we should have the update well within that time frame. I’m sure there will be a lot of questions about procedures and more exact time-frames but for now I won’t be able to say much more. I just wanted you all to know that things are still on track. – tooner (Sprint Employee)

We’re fans of companies who proactively reach out to their users and potential customers.  It’s nice to know what they’re working on and how things are progressing.  It’s that silent, ivory tower approach that turns people off and has them assuming that complaints fall on deaf ears.