Android Phone Fans |
- HTC Wins Device Manufacturer of the Year at Annual Global Mobile Awards
- Rugged Tablet With Robot Speaker Grill From Marvell [VIDEO]
- Build Your Dreams Show Their Androids at MWC
- Mapquest Android App Lands For Free On The Market
- Haier Android Lineup Makes Me Feel Nostalgic
- Seeing in the Dark: Sony Ericsson Showcases their Exmor R Camera Sensor for Mobile
- Rumor: Sony Honeycomb Tablet in the Works
- Sanjay Jha Confirms Motorola XOOM Will Be $799 at Verizon, Wi-Fi Only around $600
- HTC Flyer Price is 670 Euros, Says Amazon Germany
- Samsung Galaxy Mini, Fit, Gio, Ace: Hands-On at MWC
- Nuance Brings FlexT9 to Europe
- Cooliris LiveShare Is a Cloud Service for Photos, See All Your Images in One Place
- Alcatel OneTouch Series Hands-on [MWC] [Video]
- Samsung Mobile Awarded Top Brand in Customer Loyalty For Tenth Consecutive Year
- ASUS Eee Pad Slide, MeMO, Transformer Hands-On
| HTC Wins Device Manufacturer of the Year at Annual Global Mobile Awards Posted: 16 Feb 2011 10:03 AM PST
HTC’s won big this year at Mobile World Congress where the GSMA hosted their Global Mobile Awards, an industry awards ceremony highlighting the finest companies in what they do. HTC was chosen for Device Manufacurer of the Year, unsurprisingly. Peter Chou of HTC was on-hand to accept the award. I think it’s well-deserved for HTC, who was the first manufacturer to give Android a shot and is still leading the Android charge in many ways. They do BrewOS and Windows Phone 7 devices too, but it was Android throughout 2010 that got HTC into the hands of countless mobile phone users everywhere. Read on for full press details.
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| Rugged Tablet With Robot Speaker Grill From Marvell [VIDEO] Posted: 16 Feb 2011 10:03 AM PST A lot of Android tablets look the exact same. Or maybe some would say a lot of Android tablets look like the iPad. Here is one that doesn’t… a made by Marvell prototype that just might come into production courtesy of a well known GPS company: My two favorite features by far:
In any case, argue with the potential for GPS-focused Android devices if you want, but you’ll be hard pressed to convince me that this thing doesn’t look pretty awesome with the tough rubber style and Android robot speaker grill.
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| Build Your Dreams Show Their Androids at MWC Posted: 16 Feb 2011 10:01 AM PST A company I’ve never heard of – BYD (Build Your Dreams) – was at Mobile World Congress showing off their wares and I thought I’d pass along the memo. Interestingly enough the company started in the battery industry, got into cell phones, then jumped into Automobiles – they sold 500,000 autos in Asia last year – and finally have been exploring renewable energy. But since you’re interested in Android, take a look: These aren’t very high powered handsets, but as you can see the only two “branded” devices they have are available in India where smartphone penetration is much lower than America and most of Europe. While you might not be amused, this is exactly what countries with developing telecommunications industries need – affordable access to smartphones. As Eric Schmidt said in his keynote last night, the great thing about the growth of smartphones in the past couple years is that it’s giving people a voice who were never heard before. Whereas information was formerly only accessible to the elite, smartphones are forcing a shift. Android is certainly a catalyst in that movement and I’m sure BYD would like to help build that dream, too.
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| Mapquest Android App Lands For Free On The Market Posted: 16 Feb 2011 09:59 AM PST Buy an Android Phone, use Google Nav, never buy another Garmin- that’s the thought process I think a lot of people have when looking at Android’s positives. Yes, I know there will be plenty of people saying that nothing can replace a dedicated GPS unit for many different reasons – reliability, size, map data, battery life etc… – but the bottom line is that in most cases Google Nav does a great job.
Remember Mapquest? I rarely ever use Mapquest anymore, almost exclusively using Google Maps on my computer and phone for everything I do that is location based. Yet, when talking to friends, I often accidentally tell them to “Mapquest it” much like I would tell someone to “Google it” for a search term.
Mapquest has just launched a free Android Application – they’ve had an iPhone app for awhile – and the app takes advantage of many of Android’s core competencies including:
Google has a huge advantage in the mapping and navigation world right now, but nothing that can’t be overcome or no reason a competitor can’t reclaim a boat load of market share. Mapquest’s SVP and GM said their iPhone app is used as much as Google Navigation on the iPhone, a claim I can’t verify and I’m not sure if Christian Dwyer can either. There are some advantages to Mapquest over Google Maps/Nav, including leveraging OpenStreetMap data so they can much more easily provide international data. Download Mapquest, give it a whirl, and let us know how you like it! [Via SearchEngineLand]
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| Haier Android Lineup Makes Me Feel Nostalgic Posted: 16 Feb 2011 09:18 AM PST Remember the good old days of Android, when only one phone existed and digging up news and rumors on any others was like Sherlock Holmes detective work? I do… and it was during those days that we told you about the Haier H7 Android phone that ran Android 1.5 with a 2.8-inch LCD screen and 2MP camera. How things have changed. Not only are those specs that would currently make any Android enthusiast wince, but Haier has been hard at work on their Android lineup.
While they don’t have any stateside powerhouses, you’ve got to give it to Haier for making a run at Android. They’ve got some new products coming out in the upcoming months and they’re eager to share them with us. We’ll keep you posted if they bring anything noteworthy, but until then enjoy some of the pics I snapped in their booth.           
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| Seeing in the Dark: Sony Ericsson Showcases their Exmor R Camera Sensor for Mobile Posted: 16 Feb 2011 09:18 AM PST At Sony Ericsson’s booth at Mobile World Congress, aside from great new Android handsets like the Xperia Play and Xperia Arc and great accessories like the LiveView, they also have a neat little demo set up showing off their Exmor R camera sensor technology. It is designed to be a superior camera for low-light situations, and their demo involving a series of blacked out boxes had some pretty unbelievable results. Shooting through a tiny hole in the front, the Exmor R brought out color and detail that was even hard to see with just your eyes. Pretty impressive stuff. We were too engrossed in toying around with the Xperia Play to get our own demo, but thankfully Sony Ericsson has provided us with one they shot themselves. Pretty cool, huh? This sensor is found in three out of four of their SE’s new Android handsets: the Xperia Arc, Xperia Neo, and Xperia Pro. That means the Xperia Play is the odd man out, but who has time for pictures when you’re so busy gaming? [via SE]
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| Rumor: Sony Honeycomb Tablet in the Works Posted: 16 Feb 2011 09:15 AM PST
I can’t say I’m totally surprised considering everyone and their mothers are jumping on the tablet bandwagon now that Honeycomb is nearing, but here goes the rumor anyway: Sony – without the Ericsson, apparently – wants in on the fun. Engadget reports that a 9.4 inch 1280×800 tablet by the entertainment company is in the works. As for the outline that’s supposed to give us an idea of how this thing looks, I’ll let Engadget describe it to you because I’m having a bit of trouble getting my imagination going.
Other rumored specs include a Tegra 2 processor, front and back facing cameras, a USB-A port for standard-sized USB devices, an RF module, and more. It’s also said that a Q button may be incorporated for Qriocity functionality. Qriocity is a new media service Sony announced at CES last month. If you want the rest of the full run-down (aesthetics stuff, really) head on over to Engadget. But we’re going to skip that fluff and jump right into pricing and availability: $600, and September seems to be the target date. Take it all in with a grain of salt people: that’s how rumors work. [Update]: How could I forget about the “Sony taking their time to customize Honeycomb” bit? Yea, they’re doing that. Let’s hope they don’t mess around with that bottle of honey too much.
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| Sanjay Jha Confirms Motorola XOOM Will Be $799 at Verizon, Wi-Fi Only around $600 Posted: 16 Feb 2011 08:56 AM PST
According to a report originating at Reuters, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha has confirmed what Best Buy leaks previously suggested: the Motorola XOOM will be priced at $799 when it lands on Verizon Wireless. We can only hope that carrier subsidies can put some sort of dent in that high figure, but after spending enough time with the XOOM it is, in my opinion, definitely worth every dollar. The silver lining (get it?) is that the Wi-Fi only version will cost around $600 up front. The Samsung Galaxy Tab may have suffered from pricing, but it was an overall flawed tablet experience to begin with. With Google’s backing and Android Honeycomb, the excellent hardware should still draw buyers, right? We know it’s a favorite pastime of Android enthusiasts (including ourselves) to lament the expensive nature of Android tablets, but that comes from a history of ultimately disappointing devices. But with a Wi-Fi only version priced competitively to the iPad and offering a comparable if not superior experience, isn’t the price justified? I have some confidence that the new Android tablet experience backed by big-name manufacturers could help alleviate fears of investing money in Android tablets. Motorola did it for their smartphone business and Android in general with the Droid, didn’t they? Why not with the XOOM, too? This thing is set to launch any week now, so best start counting the pennies in the piggy, boys and girls. It’s going to take 79,900 cents worth of them. [via LSE Finance & Stock News]
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| HTC Flyer Price is 670 Euros, Says Amazon Germany Posted: 16 Feb 2011 06:34 AM PST
We’ve finally got ourselves some preliminary pricing information for the HTC Flyer tablet introduced yesterday at Mobile World Congress. Amazon Germany has revealed a 670 Euro price point – that’s just over USD $900. Many were hoping to see it a bit cheaper than several of the Honeycomb tablets coming out as they see this as HTC’s Galaxy Tab. The reality is that we’re still not sure if the price is justified or not because we haven’t seen enough of the tablet. Amazon didn’t include a date to go along with their little reveal, but HTC told us this thing should be out within a month’s time. It’ll be interesting to see how carriers will price this if they allow subscribers to subsidize the cost. Let’s hope any subsidy puts it right around the Galaxy S’s average price point ($400-$500) when it debuted. [via TabletGuys, Thanks Denny!]
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| Samsung Galaxy Mini, Fit, Gio, Ace: Hands-On at MWC Posted: 16 Feb 2011 06:26 AM PST Samsung unveiled four entry-level Android handsets last month – the Mini, Fit, Gio and Ace – and we got our grubby hands on them for the first time (as expected) at Mobile World Congress. None of these devices will blow you away but they’re the type of offering I’d suggest to a first time smartphone user who doesn’t want to be bothered with the Android learning curve and a huge piece of hardware in their pocket. Want an introductory Android that does a lot more than your current phone and the ability to do so much more if you’re up for learning? The Mini, Fit, Gio, or Ace could be your next phone. The Galaxy Mini reminded me a lot of the HTC Wildfire S announced yesterday. They’re both new iterations of successful phones but I thought they looked alike, too. Comparing them side by side I notice less of a difference, but both reminded me of smaller, dumbed down versions of the Nexus One We’re always eager to see the next age of elite phones but don’t forget there is a massive number of non-smartphone users the manufacturers would love to convert. Maybe the Galaxy Mini, Fit, Gio and Ace will help accomplish that task.
T-Mobile USA will launch the Galaxy Mini in the Spring for $50 to $75 on a 2-year contract.
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| Nuance Brings FlexT9 to Europe Posted: 16 Feb 2011 06:23 AM PST Nuance has today announced availability of FlexT9 – their multimodial software typing solution – to Europe. Already available in the United States, the app gives you the ability to use Nuance’s Dragon Dictation for voice, T9 trace for Swype-like input, T9 write to input words as if you’re writing on paper, and good ol’ reliable XT9.
English, Spanish, German, French, and Italian are the six languages included in this version, and I’m sure there’s room for more should demand pop up down the line. It’s a $4.99 download in the Android market, so be sure this is something you can benefit from before taking the plunge. Full press details ahead.
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| Cooliris LiveShare Is a Cloud Service for Photos, See All Your Images in One Place Posted: 16 Feb 2011 06:21 AM PST
Eric Schmidt must not be the only guy in a position of influence to think unique cloud access is the next big area for mobile. Cooliris has recently raised a round of $9.6M from investors. We’re not sure LiveShare could be the next Flickr or Picasa, and in many ways Facebook does similar things in terms of organization and sharing, but with new money coming in we are excited about the innovation it could spur.
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| Alcatel OneTouch Series Hands-on [MWC] [Video] Posted: 16 Feb 2011 06:12 AM PST Alcatel’s looking to bring affordable Android devices to Europe with their OneTouch series. We stopped by their humble abode here at Mobile World Congress just to see what type of value they provide for their customers. There were three phones on hand starting with the OneTouch 990. Alcatel calls this their flagship Android handset. It has a 3.5 inch capacitive display, Android 2.2, a 5 megapixel camera, a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, and Alcatel’s custom user interface on top. It’s going to cost about 180 Euros off contract when it finally does come out sometime in Q2. I was a bit underwhelmed by what was supposed to be their flagship. The software ran incredibly slow, moving around the homescreen was difficult, and the display made everything look uglier than it probably was. The phone is still considered a prototype, however, as it still has a few months to go before it’s ready for prime time. They had two other phones – the 908 and the 890 – which are considered their lower-teir phones. The funny thing is that they ran a lot smoother than the 990, though they both have slower processors. (We weren’t able to determine which architecture it was, however.) The 890 is an interesting device, though, in that it doesn’t have a capacitive display. It also has no 3G radios. We’re told they felt people who were going to use this phone wouldn’t need to use 3G data, so they elected to exclude it to keep costs down. This device also had physical call end and send buttons and a 2 megapixel camera. It’ll launch with Android 2.1 but she said there was no word on if it’d ever be upgraded. The 908 was a bit better – it had the same display size as the 890, but it uses capacitive technology. It also excludes call end and send buttons, and it has Android 2.2 out of the box. And unlike the 890, the 908 will include quad-band 3G radios. And it also has the same processor. They were rather uninspiring, but for the market they’re aiming for they’ll have to do. The 990 will cost 180 euros, the 908 will cost 130 euros, and the 890 will be 99 euros once they’re all out sometime before summer.
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| Samsung Mobile Awarded Top Brand in Customer Loyalty For Tenth Consecutive Year Posted: 16 Feb 2011 06:11 AM PST Samsung Mobile has just announced that they have been awarded the #1 spot in customer loyalty for their 10th consecutive year – they’re only the 8th company to do that, and the first mobile division or company to achieve the feat.
"Samsung is honored once again to retain the Brand Keys customer loyalty distinction for yet another year, a clear sign of our commitment to not only creating innovative products, but to also continuously surpassing customer expectations," said Dale Sohn, president for Samsung Mobile. "We know that a brand is only as strong as the people who support it, and securing many more decades of brand loyalty leadership is a task Samsung takes very seriously. We look forward to many more years of successfully and diligently meeting our customers’ needs as we continue to grow in the mobile marketplace." Brand Keys is the research firm who conducted the study – they are specialists in customer loyalty so they hold a lot of weight. It’s hard to forget that Samsung has a mobile business outside of smartphones, and even within smartphones they aren’t just Android horses. I’d like to see how that study would look if they surveyed the die-hard community of Android fans here and at places like Android Forums and XDA. Full press details ahead.
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| ASUS Eee Pad Slide, MeMO, Transformer Hands-On Posted: 16 Feb 2011 05:59 AM PST Acer first announced their Eee Pad Slide, Transformer, and MeMO at CES but we got the opportunity to test them out for the first time at MWC. Video footage was not allowed since the units aren’t finalized, so all I managed to snag were still pics, but I’m pretty interested in what ASUS brings to the table. The ASUS Eee Pad Slide is the one I personally found most interesting. It’s super slim when closed but you can slide it open to reveal a FULL QWERTY keyboard:
I love the idea but ASUS definitely needs to improve the slide mechanism – it’s a bit rigid and forced when opening/closing but if they could make it a bit smoother it would be really nice. I was pretty amazed how slim the keyboard portion remains, meaning when it’s closed and you’re not using the keyboard you don’t sacrifice much portability. With the slider closed it’s still a pretty strong device in and of itself.
As usual, Tegra 2 and Honeycomb is looking like a pretty good combination. The device looks even better when you have a beautiful young lady and company rep modeling it:
Another tablet with keyboard combo ASUS has coming out is called the ASUS Eee Transformer:
Instead of merging tablet and keyboard with a must-use mechanism, ASUS allows you to completely detach them from eachother with the flick of a switch.
The tablet functions fully on its own so you can easily leave the keyboard behind and bring the tablet along for travel.
Some of the Transform specs:
Tegra 2 and Honeycomb again? Yes please! Lastly we’ve got the ASUS Eee Pad MeMO which is a slate with stylus.
I wasn’t personally intrigued with this device because it’s a bit small for my liking and I don’t personally have a need for a stylus. Then again, there are many other people who prefer a pocketable tablet and who desire a stylus- these folks could definitely end up loving the MeMO.
Yet again we’re looking at Honeycomb but this time on a Qualcomm 8280 1.2GHz processor. I would have preferred the dual core NVIDIA solution and I’m thinking that the smooth fluidity of UI would have gone a long way when using a stylus. Handwriting is a utility where you don’t want any jerkiness.
Neither of these devices was actually running Honeycomb in their current form… which is why they didn’t let us film it. These devices should be launching in April, May and June respectively so stay tuned!
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In the spirit of last night’s MWC keynote by Google big wig Eric Schmidt, here is a little photo sharing application and online service that organizes your photos into cloud-based streams to be shared with as many or as few people as you’d like. Cooliris LiveShare 1.2 was released earlier this week, providing users of Android and other smartphones the ability to share photos with a slight twist. Instead of being organized by user or random albums around the web, LiveShare organizes your photos by event and you pick and choose who and how much people can access. The stream updates in real time as photos are captured. The cool thing here is that the service isn’t necessarily restricted to one person contributing per album. You can add family and friends and create one giant, social stream of a sight-seeing trip, a friend’s wedding, or a night out on the town.
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