Posts tagged Google
Wondering what the next version of Android will be called?
Aug 19th
It is a known fact for Android users that with each upgraded version, comes a new codename in form of a dessert.
History has seen the following names accompany each version as released:
C is for Cupcake (v1.5)
D is for Donut (v1.6)
E is for Éclair (v2.1)
F is for Froyo (v2.2)
G is for Gingerbread (v3.0)
Leaving the letter H questionable, with no apparent codename.
Low and behold, BGR has been tipped off that though it is still a ways away (3.0 hasn’t even been released yet) H will stand for “Honeycomb”. No other information is known on this new Android OS, but it makes me wonder what could be used for I? I put $20 on “Ice Cream”, any takers
[via Mobile Crunch, Source BGR]
*Hat-tip to MobileCrunch on the picture, couldn’t pass it up
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T-Mobile Launches G2 Teaser Site, Set to be Carrier’s First HSPA+ Phone
Aug 18th
T-Mobile just posted up the teaser site for their first HSPA+ phone, the G2. Previous leaks of T-Mobile’s roadmap lead us to think that it will be a HTC Android device launching sometime in September. While the people at Engaget seem to think the smokey silhouette above looks like the myTouch HD that has been leaked previously, I think it better resembles another leak, the HTC Blaze. Whatever it is, it’s coming soon and should bring a hot piece of hardware to T-Mobile. While you wait, check out the G2′s teaser site and feel free to sign up for updates if you’re into that sort of thing. Otherwise, we’ll keep you posted.
Flash 10.1 Final Hits Nexus One, Coming Soon for Droid
Aug 16th
The Nexus One received an updated version of Adobe’s Flash 10.1 plugin this afternoon, cementing and making official the biggest advantage Google and its Android platform has over the iOS ecosystem. While most of the features were already in place, the final version improves the quality and reliability of video streams and games.
This momentous occasion also falls at the same time as Froyo is being distributed amongst most high-end Android smartphones, such as the Motorola Droid, Droid X, EVO 4G, and soon, the Galaxy S variants, though that won’t happen ’till September.
It’s good that Adobe had a good test subject in the Nexus One: the distribution group was small enough that they could catch any bugs before releasing the major upgrade, and the Nexus One is considered a developers’ or enthusiasts’ phone, so generally those owners were people who wanted to try the latest and greatest beta software.
Congratulations, Adobe and Google! Check out the build in the Android Marketplace.
PS. The Droid version should be available soon, according to Adobe CEO, Shantanu Narayen. It will distributed as a second update to the version of Froyo being released now, in the coming weeks.
(via IntoMobile)
This Week In Android 8/8-8/14
Aug 15th
This week’s big Android news mostly revolved around the launch of the Motorola Droid 2 on Verizon, but that’s certainly not all that is going on in the world of Android. Google also announced their new voice commands feature for phones with Android 2.2 as well as officially launching the service Chrome to Phone. There’s a whole lot more to read up on after the break.
Motorola’s Sanjay Jha Says MOTOBLUR Will Not Stick Around
Verizon finally announces a release date for the Motorola Droid 2
Video: Sneak Peak of TweetDeck for Android
Telus updates Milestone, but isn’t 2.2 yet
So many decisions, so little time
Google pumps out updates to Gesture Search and Voice Search for Android
Motorola Droid 2 R2-D2 Edition Launching September 30th!
Nokia maintains handset market share lead, HTC cracks top ten
Nokia maintains handset market share lead, HTC cracks top ten
Aug 14th
| Company | 2Q10
Units |
2Q10 Market Share (%) | 2Q09
Units |
2Q09 Market Share (%) |
| Nokia | 111,473.8 | 34.2 | 105,413.4 | 36.8 |
| Samsung | 65,328.2 | 20.1 | 55,430.1 | 19.3 |
| LG | 29,366.7 | 9.0 | 30,497.0 | 10.7 |
| Research In Motion | 11,228.8 | 3.4 | 7,678.9 | 2.7 |
| Sony Ericsson | 11,008.5 | 3.4 | 13,574.3 | 4.7 |
| Motorola | 9,109.4 | 2.8 | 15,947.8 | 5.6 |
| Apple | 8,743.0 | 2.7 | 5,434.7 | 1.9 |
| HTC | 5,908.8 | 1.8 | 2,471.0 | 0.9 |
| ZTE | 5,545.8 | 1.7 | 3,697.9 | 1.3 |
| G’Five | 5,208.6 | 1.6 | NA | NA |
| Others | 62,635.2 | 19.30 | 45,977.2 | 16.1 |
| Total | 325,556.8 | 100.0 | 286,122.3 | 100.0 |
Nokia sold 111 million phones in the second quarter of 2010 to maintain its lead on top of the mobile phone market, at 34% market share. Based on rumours we hear in North America about Nokia’s inevitable demise, this comes as quite a shock to me, and, I’m sure, to a few of you.
RIM kept its 4th place hold on the market with 11 million handsets, and only 3.4%, but enough to keep it ahead of Apple, who sold 8.7 million iPhones last quarter for a 2.7% market share.
HTC is the big surprise here, with a 139% year-over-year increase in handsets. This is mainly due to Android’s huge proliferation in the United States, and HTC’s increased brand recognition worldwide as a favourable and reliable company.
Android, as we mentioned previously, is the number one platform in America, overtaking RIM in the last quarter. Worldwide, it still trails Symbian by a lot, and BlackBerry by a small amount, but has overtaken iOS to take third place at 10% worldwide marketshare.
Two years ago, few would have predicted that Android would become as successful and ubiquitous as it has in such a short amount of time. But here we are, two years later, and it’s a thriving brand, product, and platform.
Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Operating System in 2Q10 (Thousands of Units)
| Company | 2Q10
Units |
2Q10 Market Share (%) | 2Q09
Units |
2Q09 Market Share (%) |
| Symbian | 25,386.8 | 41.2 | 20,880.8 | 51.0 |
| Research In Motion | 11,228.8 | 18.2 | 7,782.2 | 19.0 |
| Android | 10,606.1 | 17.2 | 755.9 | 1.8 |
| iOS | 8,743.0 | 14.2 | 5,325.0 | 13.0 |
| Microsoft Windows Mobile | 3,096.4 | 5.0 | 3,829.7 | 9.3 |
| Linux | 1,503.1 | 2.4 | 1,901.1 | 4.6 |
| Other OSs | 1,084.8 | 1.8 | 497.1 | 1.2 |
| Total | 61,649.1 | 100.0 | 40,971.8 | 100.0 |
(via Gartner Research)
Telus updates Milestone, but isn’t 2.2 yet
Aug 11th
This is a bit of a surprise! IntoMobile is reporting that Telus’ Milestone has been updated, but the software version is 2.1 still. Don’t expect Froyo anytime soon, then.
The updates include:
- Alarm Improvements
- Music Player Functionality
- Audio Quality Enhancement
- PIN Lock Improvements
- Proximity Mode Enhancement
- “My Location” Improvements
Check out the update at Motorola’s website, and wait patiently for 2.2.
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.
Motorola’s Sanjay Jha Says MOTOBLUR Will Not Stick Around
Aug 9th
Good news comes from Motorola Co-CEO Sanjay Jha today, who claims that Motorola’s social-focused Android skin MOTOBLUR, will begin to be phased out of the company’s future handsets. While Motorola had the right idea with MOTOBLUR, the implementation is off and the skin mostly results in a slower and more jumbled Android experience.
Dr. Sanjay Jha was quoted saying the following:
With MOTOBLUR, we have found that being able to convey the value proposition around MOTOBLUR is not an easy thing to do in a 30-second ad spot. We have decided that we will focus on the value proposition of products and not MOTOBLUR as a brand name in its own right. MOTOBLUR continues to be important and I think you will see increased functionality in MOTOBLUR. This notion of push-Internet is going to be very important to us, but as a brand name, which we make matter in front of consumers as a brand name, I don’t think that’s going to be our focus going forward, but we see the experiences that we deliver is being relevant and differentiating us.
With Motorola’s recent move away from MOTOBLUR by implementing the skin found on the Droid X and the upcoming Droid 2, it seemed evident that MOTOBLUR’s life was running short. Now, if only we can get Motorola to drop the whole skinning thing and just give us some stock Froyo to work with. Baby steps people, baby steps.
[Android and Me via Engadget]
SE Xperia X10 Goes to AT&T Too Late, Too Bad
Aug 9th
Seriously? You haven’t even updated the device to Android 2.1 yet? This is a travesty.
Sony Ericsson announced today they are to release the Xperia X10 this week on AT&T’s network, the only network in the US in need of some great Android devices. Too bad this isn’t one of them, at least not in its current form.
We’ve had the phone in Canada since April, and I have to say, while the hardware is sexy as hell, its implementation of Android 1.6 is half-baked, buggy and slow. Almost unusably slow, especially for the hardware it’s running on.
On the surface, the device is a dream. 1GHZ Snapdragon, 512MB RAM, 8MP camera, beautiful sleek exterior, 4″ 800×480 screen. Really, really nice.
But the on-screen keyboard is terrible. The Mediascape and Timescape apps are awful, and cannot be deleted from the device. And the fact that it’s running a version of Android that has been available for more than a year is inexcusable, especially when most other devices have been updated to 2.2. SE is only claiming that the X10 will be updated to 2.1 in Q4 of this year, which could be December 31st.
So, in my opinion, avoid this puppy. AT&T customers have a much better phone in the Samsung Captivate already.
This Week In Android 8/1-8/7
Aug 8th
Even though this week was BlackBerry Torch week, that doesn’t mean Android didn’t have its fair share of news. Multiple numbers came in this week showing tremendous growth in the market share and mind share of Android handsets, the Nexus One isn’t completely dead, and there were various other Android phone release rumors and announcements. Check in after the break to see the week’s Android News.
Android is the best. Or, at least, it’s the most popular. Up 886% year over year.
Half of BlackBerry Users are Ready to Jump Ship to Android and iPhone
Froyo Hitting More Devices. Onto the next one!
Bell Samsung Vibrant launching August 6 for $149.95
Motorola Flipout Now Available From Rogers for $29.99
Android OS Takes the Lead from BlackBerry in Q2
Google Keeps the Nexus One Alive as an Official Developer Phone
Samsung Gem – a Wave with Android for Verizon?
Droid X Froyo Update Coming in “Early September”
HTC Desire Available From Telus for $79.99! Whoa!<Rumour: Bell Samsung Vibrant not unlockable
WIND Mobile Getting High End Motorola Milestone XT720 Android Device?
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