Verizon
Google’s new Voice Actions for Android 2.2 (Froyo)
Aug 26th
What was already a very useful app has now become even more useful. Google has updated Android’s voice search app to include support for regular phone tasks. Now, with just the touch of a microphone icon, you can tell your phone to call someone, text someone, email someone, play music, navigate you somewhere, write you a note, browse the web, and much more.
Where I find the most use out of this feature is in text messaging. Let’s face it, while driving; it’s pretty much impossible to text anymore, not to mention unsafe and increasingly illegal. I used to be a pro at it, but now with physical keyboards falling by the wayside, there needs to be a new solution aside from actually calling people (Who likes calling people anyway?). Google’s new voice actions are by far the best solution I have ever come across. Vlingo offers a similar service, but without as many actions, and with, in my opinion, inferior voice-recognition ability.
To send someone a text, you simply touch the microphone button on the Google search bar, or on your home screen (if you placed it there) and say “text [recipient name] [message]”. For example, I would say “Text Jimmy Smith, Do you want to play racquetball tonight?” Then a box comes up with the message, and after confirming the recipient and the message, you can just press send. Now you have successfully sent a text message while only touching your phone twice. Pretty cool, right? It gets cooler!
Say you feel like listening to some Pearl Jam. Press the microphone button and say “Listen to Pearl Jam”. Now a box will pop up asking you which application you’d like to use. I typically use Pandora, so I selected it as my default music program for Google voice actions. Now when I say “Listen to Pearl Jam”, Pandora opens and starts the Pearl Jam channel immediately. You can use this to play music stored on your device as well. It also supports last.fm, Slacker, and Rdio in addition to Pandora.
I did run into one problem with voice actions. When I first started using it, it failed to recognize names in my contacts list. After doing a little research, I found that others were having the same problem, and that it was easily remedied by backing up your contacts to gmail, completely erasing your contacts on your phone, then resyncing the contacts from gmail. After doing that, the contact recognition worked like a champ.
Using voice commands on your phone in public still feels very awkward to me, and as a result, I mainly use this feature in the privacy of my own home or car. However, I do feel that this technology holds a firm place in the future of smartphones. Someday we will all be walking around talking to our phones like it is second nature.
Voice search for Android is available for all Android phones, but the newest version, with the actions I talked about and more, is only available for Android 2.2 (Froyo). You can find out more about Google’s voice actions, including a list of all the actions you can utilize at Voice Actions.
Jesse is editor for iPhone repair techs at iFixyouri.
Palm Pre Plus Sold Out on Verizon and AT&T’s websites
Aug 16th
We don’t want to get our hopes too high with this one, but it’s certainly worth noting that the Palm Pre Plus is currently sold out on both AT&T’s and Verizon’s websites. While we absolutely want this to be an indicator that new webOS-toting hardware is ready to roll in for these two carriers, we can’t leave out the possibility that both carriers happened to run out of stock at the same time. Plus, while the phone may be sold out online, as far as we know stores are still selling Pres as usual. For now feel free to speculate, but for me, until Sprint follows suit with the older original Palm Pre I’m not convinced.
[Via PreCentral.net]
Verizon Wireless Retailer Bought By GLENTEL
Aug 16th
GLENTEL, a leading provider in telecommunications services and solutions based out of Burnaby BC, has agreed to acquire 81.5% of Diamond Wireless LLC, from Salt Lake City Utah.
GLENTEL currently operates more than 280 locations across Canada located in retail malls and some store front locations. As the largest multi-carrier mobile phone retailer in Canada, GLENTEL offers a choice of network carrier and wireless device or phone. Perhaps more familiar to customers are their trading names GLENTEL Wireless, WirelessWave, The Telephone Booth and WIRELESS Etc.
The purchase of Diamond Wireless helps to further establish GLENTEL’s expansion in to the United States according to President and CEO Thomas Skidmore. “We endorse Diamond’s business plan to grow with profitability representing Verizon Wireless, under the continued leadership and commitment of Diamond’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Troy Crosland, and his existing management team.”
With 128 currently operating stores throughout the United States and as a “premium retailer” of Verizon Wireless products, it’s is easy to see why Diamond Wireless was such an attractive purchase.
The transaction is expected to close on October 1, 2010, and is obviously subject to many terms and conditions. The total purchase price is USD $50,450,000.
[via CNW]
Antenna-gate part deux?
Aug 14th
So it turns out Apple isn’t the only company with some ‘splainin to do.
Rumor has it the new Droid 2 is also suffering from a bit of the “Antenna-gate” syndrome, it may be a bit premature (the phone did only launch on Thursday) but here is what we know:
- Many review units are suffering from a fluctuating signal
- Death grip or not, the signal drops from full to 1 one bar when idle
- Of 6 review units seeded out for review, ALL are experiencing the same issues
No official statement from Motorola has been made, nor from American consumers with the devices in hand, but rest assured if the rumors pertain to be true, Steve Jobs will be chuckling in his wranglers.
[Via Mobile Crunch]
Follow me on twitterMotorola Droid 2 R2-D2 Edition Launching September 30th!
Aug 12th
Word broke loose at the Star Wars Convention going on in Orlando this week that the rumored R2-D2 version of the Motorola Droid 2 (released today) will be making its debut on the 30th of next month. There’s no word on how much extra this version will cost or how many units will be produced. Either way, it’s always nice to see something a little friendlier than the sharp lines and raw attitude that are typically associated with Motorola’s Android-flavored options.
[Via Android Central]
Verizon finally announces a release date for the Motorola Droid 2
Aug 10th
Well it’s about time.
Verizon wireless users itching to dump their original Motorola Droid for the sexy successor finally have a date to look forward to and it couldn’t be any closer.
Starting online tomorrow and in stores this Thursday, the device will be available for $199.99 after $100 mail-in rebate on a 2 year voice and data term.
Hit the break for the official press release
[via MobileCrunch]
BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and LIBERTYVILLE, IL — Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today announced that DROID™ 2 by Motorola will be available for pre-sale on August 11. Hitting all the right keys, DROID 2 is a feature-packed device that helps manage work and social life with an enhanced QWERTY keyboard, ultra high-speed Web browsing, 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities, full push corporate e-mail, intuitive social messaging and Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 for access to the full web – all built on Android 2.2.
“When we announced DROID X last month, we reaffirmed our commitment to continue to bring unique Android experiences to the Verizon Wireless network,” said Jeffrey Dietel, vice president – wireless device, marketing and development for Verizon Wireless. “The DROID by Motorola was our first Android device, so it is important for us to include the successor to that phone in our portfolio. DROID 2 is not only a continuation of our commitment to Android but offers customers the features and form-factor they crave on the Verizon Wireless network.”
“With the new DROID 2, we’ve taken a big leap forward from the original DROID,” said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home Business. “We listened to consumers and are providing an even more robust experience built on Android 2.2 that includes a new keyboard, increased processing power, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities to send, access and share information even quicker than before.”
DROID 2’s super-slim design helps customers e-mail, text and tweet with ease. DROID 2 offers a redesigned symmetrical keyboard with raised keys for more responsive typing to push out notes and status updates. Speech-to-text input and the virtual multi-touch keyboard allow for quick messaging; or customers can also use Swype for even easier text input. In addition, full push corporate e-mail delivers enhanced features such as remote wipe and password enforcement so that information remains secure.
DROID 2 packs power and speed. Customers can enjoy the freedom of wireless with the 3G Mobile HotSpot and the ability to connect up to five compatible Wi-Fi® devices, and watch content on the full multi-touch 3.7-inch brilliant display, or share content captured on the 5-megapixel camera with enhanced functionality and DVD-quality video capture with DLNA connectivity to share on compatible devices.
Customers can also download favorite apps from Android Market™, which has more than 70,000 applications, and store them on 8 GB of preloaded on-board memory and the 8 GB microSD™ card, which can be upgraded to a 32 GB SD card for a total cargo capacity of 40 GB. Popular apps available on DROID 2 include NFL Mobile (downloadable), Skype mobile(™) and BLOCKBUSTER On Demand® presented by V CAST Video. Customers can even manage their wireless accounts or their contacts from their phones with My Verizon and with Backup Assistant(SM).
“It’s great to see amazing new smartphones like the DROID 2 come pre-installed with Flash Player 10.1,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager, Creative and Interactive Solution Business Unit at Adobe. “With the completely redesigned and hardware accelerated Flash Player 10.1, DROID 2 users will be able to experience the full Web on the go.”
Adobe Flash Player 10.1 lets mobile users experience millions of websites the way they were meant to be seen – with rich Internet applications (RIAs), content inside the browser, including games, animations, data presentations and visualizations, e-commerce, music, video, audio and more.
R2-D2 DROID 2
In honor of the iconic Astromech Droid from the Star Wars™ Saga, Verizon Wireless will offer a limited-edition R2-D2 version of the DROID 2, available only online in September. The special version of the phone will feature exclusive Star Wars content and external hardware designed to look like the trusty Droid from the film saga. Visitors to the upcoming Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla., can see a preview of the limited edition phone and sign up to receive alerts when the phone is ready for sale.
Pricing and Availability
DROID 2 by Motorola will be available at www.verizonwireless.com on August 11, and it will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning August 12 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. In addition to subscribing to a Nationwide Talk plan or a Nationwide Talk & Text plan, customers will also need to subscribe to an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.
Customers can add the optional 3G Mobile HotSpot service to their DROID 2 smartphones for $20 per month. The 3G Mobile HotSpot allows customers to turn their phones into a wireless modem for up to five compatible Wi-Fi® devices. In addition, current Verizon Wireless customers who have contracts ending by December 31, 2010, can upgrade to any smartphone, including DROID 2, without penalty.
For more information on DROID 2 by Motorola, go to www.droiddoes.com. For information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
Samsung Gem – a Wave with Android for Verizon?
Aug 5th
Verizon peeps have all the luck. According to a leak by IntoMobile, the Samsung Gem will be a lower-cost version of the Fascinate, running Android 2.1, when it is released sometime soon. The Gem looks not-so-vaguely like the newly-released bada phone, the Samsung Wave, on which the company installed their own awful software onto some beautiful metallic hardware. Honestly, 800×480 Super AMOLED on a 3.2″ screen is GORGEOUS. That the UI and apps are wholly unusable is infuriating.
So Samsung must have taken a cue from their manufacturing process; they know they’re not selling a ton of Wave devices, so why not take the hardware as is, or close enough, and slap some Android love on it. Makes perfect sense to me. Heck, I’d buy one if the price was right.
Along with the Gem, the Fascinate will be coming to Verizon in the next few weeks as well. This is their Galaxy S variant and shows little difference to the already-released Captivate and Vibrant, on AT&T and T-Mobile respectively. Rogers will also soon be getting the Captivate, and Bell the Vibrant even sooner, this week in fact.
Froyo Hitting More Devices. Onto the next one!
Aug 3rd
Froyo has officially hit the EVO 4G on Sprint (earlier than expected, no less!) and word has just reached us that the original Droid has started receiving the OTA update as well. Now all that’s left is the Droid X and the triumvirate of killer Android smartphones will have the latest and greatest of both hardware and software. It is also expected that when the Droid 2 ships on August 12th, it will come with Android 2.2 pre-loaded onto the device.
The update to Froyo seems less fraught with drama than the Eclair update to the Droid, and proves that when the carriers work with the manufacturer and the provider efficiently, things actually get done. I think the multiple-times delayed rollout of the Android 2.1 update for the Droid taught Motorola and Verizon a big lesson.
According to Android Central, the steps are pretty simple:
- Grab the update file
- Place it on the root of your SD card
- Power down, then restart while holding the X key to get to the bootloader
- When you see the exclamation mark, hold the volume up button and press the camera button
- Choose apply sdcard:update.zip
- Ignore the cache error
- Reboot
Easy peezy.
(via Android Central)
Android is the best. Or, at least, it’s the most popular. Up 886% year over year.
Aug 2nd
Android is a phenomenon. We know this, I’ve talked about it before, but the proof is in the numbers. And Android is up over 886% since last Q2. It now owns 34% of the US smarthphone market, which isn’t a dent, since RIM only has 32%. And Apple at a staggering 21.7%. How terrible!
But seriously, the reason for its explosive growth is likely the November 2009 release of the Motorola Droid on Verizon, followed by several high-profile devices on Verizon and Sprint. On Verizon, the Droid Incredible, Droid X and the Samsung Fascinate, and on Sprint the EVO 4G, the Epic 4G are all top tier phones. Their specs speak for themselves. On T-Mobile, their only major player has been the MyTouch 3G Slide, which has done very well, and they now have their own Galaxy S variant, the Vibrant. AT&T isn’t floundering, either, after launching their somewhat-crippled Galaxy S version, the Captivate, last month.
Each carrier has done well bringing Android to its customers, but none better than Verizon. The Droid 2 will be launching this month as well on Froyo. Android’s growth won’t be slowing down any time soon, but with great power comes great responsibility. Android 2.2 is being pushed to most recently-released devices such as the EVO 4G, Droid X, Droid, Vibrant and more. While it brings the platform closer to competing directly with the iPhone 4, it does not yet have the polish that iOS displays in all facets of the operating system. Apps crash or freeze, the keyboard often doesn’t register input, and it generally fails to perform flawlessly.
iOS4 has not been without its own problems, but since it is built on the solid framework of iOS 3.1.3, it appears more reliable in daily use.
As long as it continues to be AT&T exclusive, however, the iPhone will never reach the incredible sales heights of Android. Bring it to Verizon, however, and we are playing a different ball game.
9650 Running BlackBerry 6
Jul 28th
This ought to make me happy (and indeed it does). BBLeaks just posted up some images of BlackBerry 6 running on a 9650. Rumor going around is that you’ll need 512 MB application memory to run the OS. Hopefully we will see an official release for the 9650 real soon. What this also may mean is that the BlackBerry 9700 will not be upgradable to BlackBerry 6. Grr…
Source: BBLeaks
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