Android Android Android

Google's Android OS for smartphones is finally getting ready for a full blast. You can now consider T-Mobile's G1 and MyTouch3G as a soft launch pad as Verizon's involvement and some heavy hitting manufactures are lining up with some big hits to come: (lots of links, you've been warned!)

Verizon: Incase you've been hiding in a cave somewhere, the whole "Droid" campaign is really a whole series of Android phones that is about to arrive. You've got atleast two phones in the "Droid" series Sholes by Motorola and Eris (aka HTC Desire) coming very soon. Lets not forget Sprint has got a set or two running Android while old T-Mobile will be up to its third Android handset (G1, MyTouch3G and Pulse) and a limited edition MyTouch3G Fender edition w/ 3.5mm headphone jack!

Motorola's entire survival strategy is pegged against mobile. You've got: Sholes, Zeppelin, Cliq, Motus?, Calgary, and Morrison.

HTC is of course no slouch with its smartphone efforts, already with G1, Hero, Tattoo, Hero (Sprint version) and MyTouch3G out and about, they've got Eris, Desire, Dragon, Pulse and probably a whole lot more coming your way.

Samsung is not going to hold back either, with i7500/Galaxy, Behold II, and Moment added to its lineup.

Asus will launch an Android phone before the year is over while Sony's rumored Xperia X3 will also be running Android. Acer decides to join the Android party with Liquid.

Remember that old prediction I've made about Google Android to dominate mobile space, looks like its happening right before us!

Samsung I7500 Smartphone, Android Done Right!

As my subject line suggested, Samsung folks have been studying all the complaints and grips about the HTC/Tmobile G1 and launched their iteration with style and performance. Engadget has the details on specs so I won't go there. What I will mention is why it will be superior over the existing G1.

1. Physical Appearance: Much more refined looking and get rid of the annoying looking chin. This image rendering looks more professional duty by design and looks to have all the buttons much more accessible and laid out.
2. Feature rich + improvement: WOW! AMOLED display at 320x480. 5 Megapixel camera w/ LED flash. Tri band 3G (900/1700/1900) 1,500mAh battery (much needed improvement over G1's meager 1150mAh) and finally, in the words of Barney Stinson... "wait for it...wait..." 3.5mm audio jack!!!

This thing is pretty exciting. It just might convince me to make the switch again! Looks like Samsung is back and on top of the mobile biz.

Additional Feedback on Google G1 Review

I've spent the past two days over Christmas playing with the G1 powered by Android in depth. The phone is actually growing on me. The fact that it is powered by Google's android makes it fully integrated with all of Google products (gmail, calendar, gtalk, picasa web, etc.), this means very little configurations for a user and once you logged into your gmail account (assuming you have been taking advantages of all of Google's web services, you can have a pretty cool mobile experience and convenience over the G1. For those keeping multiple Gmail accounts, this could be a problem as G1 is only intended for one primary account. I've yet to figure out how to sign on to second or third Google account if you kept some of your web services under separate logins.

While I've mentioned that Android is not nearly as polished as latest iPhone firmware, it does have advantages over Apple's creation. For example, the phone itself is really software independent, no desktop sync software like iTunes is necessary to do anything to add songs, files, etc. Having cut and paste is also a plus. Marketplace is straight forward to use. Since the phone is multi-threaded, you can have background tasks going while doing something else. A good example is when I downloaded two or more apps simultaneously; while waiting, I was surfing the web and checking emails without any problems.

I think the G1 and Android is a remarkable smartphone, which by my definition is a phone capable of doing lots of things. And the G1 is doing a pretty good job in terms of specs and feature sets. When compared to the iPhone, it does lack the sex appeal. With Apple's core strength coming from its iPod origin, it makes it more inviting to explore the multimedia aspect whereas for the G1, I find it a chore to upload songs and movies to the SD Card. The lack of 3.5mm headset jack is a major turn off as I refuse to use the inferior headset that comes with the unit. I will continue to use the G1 for the weeks to come to provide more feedback.

HTC Dream aka Google G1 First Impression

Through a very special connection I have, I managed to obtain a special edition of the Google G1 smartphone to use (for as long as I want, if I choose so...). This phone may be the first, official unlocked version which allows me to use any GSM Sim card over any network. This phone has been approved and unlocked by Google developers so it wasn't a hack or anything. Lets get right to it. Remember, this is just a first impression. I played with this phone for about 30 minutes since I opened it up so I could form a different opinion in a few days time.

Physical Appearance: if compared to an iPhone or BlackBerry Bold, the G1 is, sadly, not all that attractive. Its matte finish black is minimalist at best. There are minimal amount of buttons which is good and the main functions like phone, power/hangup, back, home and menu is sufficient for its purposes. There is a BlackBerry like trackball which surprisingly is very handy to use on its Android software. I find myself using very little of the touchscreen as I have been trained to rely in via an iPhone. Speaking of G1's touchscreen, it does require more effort to press on screen to execute a command. Even though this phone does have a slide up keyboard, its relatively thin for having such luxury. The battery cover is kind of a pain in the ass to open, it clips onto the back over a few plastic tabs, I fear that if I swap out my SIM card in n' out a few times, it could break the darn thing; easily one of the poorest battery cover design in the history of all cell phones. The LCD is sharp with good color and contrast, but it fails to impress me as I find the iPhone and BlackBerry Bold's display much crisper than the G1.

Android OS: this firmware is what I called "love it and hate it" relationship. I can find it quite robust at times and love the fact that all the menu's and layout is overly simple to figure out. But at times it can be very un-intuitive. Simple functions like Zoom in and out (which is very important) is not executed well here. The internet browser is capable of full webpage browsing but is not as polished as the mobile Safari but better than the Nokia browser. There is one area this browser out performs others; the ability to load previously visited pages quickly, something the iPhone is not very good at. Having a full QWERTY keyboard can enhance the mobile experience, it comes in real handy when typing in WEP passwords to wifi access points. The email program is basically Gmail (only?); which requires you to have a Gmail account if not already. It works great with one drawback, it doesn't zoom in or out of a graphical HTML email like the iPhone mail app. The camera works but results is mediocre, again, losing out to iPhone camera which I always thought was one of the best on a phone. I haven't had time to checkout the market place for additional applications; I will report back in the near future. I plugged in my AT&T sim card for this test and phone calls are loud and clear; however, I can't seem to figure out why it won't let me surf the web via my unlimited data Media Max 200 plan. I will ask my "connection" to ask Google engineers tomorrow and go from there. [UPDATE: after some research, I seemed to have figured out how to get EDGE data connection via my AT&T SIM. The connection is pretty quick over EDGE despite that G1 is setup for T-Mobile's 1700MHz 3G network]

Major complaint: Google Account required (not a very open but understandable strategic move). Basically the entire sync is based on having a Google account. The notion itself is understandable and even respectable, my big gripe is how much I hate Gmail's contact or address book and it forces me to use it. I have a problem with Gmail's contact in that it is trying to be too smart, hence adding random names and not giving me a whole lot of control in the way I like my contacts groupped or listed. On top of that, when ever I decide to upload a clean contact list and delete the old ones to avoid duplication, it wipes my Gtalk contacts out. I wish the phone would allow me to just sync to any desktop contact book instead while giving me the option to sync over Google Accounts wirelessly as an option.

Overall: I am trying to spend more time with this device before jumping into conclusion. With iPhone currently reign supreme, I am having an open mind to accept the G1 as is. From a physical attracation standpoint, this phone is not going to win any beauty contest. In terms of raw functionality, I see a lot of potential. I haven't played with the new BlackBerry phones (Bold, Storm) a whole lot but from what I am seeing thus far, the Anroid-powered G1 is definitely up there in terms of smartphone functionality. Stay tuned for more of my mobile experience using Android in the near future.

TMobile G1 Official: $179, $25 Data Plan, Rad!

The cat is out, TMobile G1, first ever Android OS based smartphone has been unveiled this morning. Looks like its available for purchase today in NY and will be commercially available by Oct 22nd, 2008. This thing is hot. Looking good. There is a rumor indicating WM 7 is delayed until 2nd half of 2009, thats not going to be good for market share against Apple and Google.

TMobile HTC Dream, G1 or Android Phone

Folks, meet the TMobile Dream or HTC Dream or G1 or Google Phone. Whatever it will be named, this is the Android boasting smartphone with all the buzz. We are about 10 hours away from the official launch event but Engadget got some updates from TmoNews and found these pictures with following specs:

* HVGA 480x320, 65K Color
* 3.1MP Cam back, VGA Cmos Cam upfront
* GPS
* WiFi
* No Stereo Bluetooth (I think there is regular bluetooth)
* Google Apps (Maps, Cal, YouTube, GTalk, etc.), Gmail Acct is req'd
* 5.6oz. 4.6" x 2.16" x 0.63 (kind of a big boy phone)
* Data plan req'd, no prepay plans allowed

I gotta admit, from these views alone, I can't seem to be aroused by these product images. This looks like a love child of an HTC Tilt and iPhone. However, Google typically has a way of launching cool things that makes me eat my words. So I am still holding high expectations for this phone, more importantly, the Android OS that will ultimately change the way mobile community behaves.

Google Maps Mobile Gets Streetview, One more Step Towards Mobile Domination

Google Maps Mobile application for BlackBerry and most Java-enabled phones can now support the famous street view, even on full screen. This is of no surprised since we knew the Android package would have this capabilities. However, seeing the demo video on the GoogleMobile blog is surreal. Having your entire mobile screen panning across in street view is definitely impressive. This just might convince me to dust off the old N95-3 and use it until iPhone supports it! Visit google.com/gmm for the latest update via your smartphone.

HTC Touch HD Video Preview, Damn Sweet!

Ok, I am going nuts over here as I want one of these bad boys so badly. The HTC Touch HD has already made it to my watchlist and most of the tech community seem to agree with me that this has the potential to be the iPhone killer. In my opinion, I don't need any phone to be an iPhone killer, I am just stoked to see iPhone, HTC Diamond and HTC Dream all having state of the art mobile OS (OS X, WM Pro 6.1 and Android). What a great time we live in, mobile fans, rejoice and enjoy the video from our friends in France.

WSJ: HTC Dream/G1 aka Google Phone $199 w/ Contract

According to the Wall Street Journal, the upcoming Gphone (HTC Dream, G1, Google Android Phone) will be sold for $199 with a 2-year contract, priced squarely against the iPhone 3G 8GB.

Read Here.

A Bunch of Nice Smartphones Coming Soon

Few weeks ago, I wrote an article about "Exciting Windows Mobile Smartphones" which was to show a bunch of upcoming smartphones that are very attractive to a mobile fanatic like myself. Since then, a slew of smartphones have begun to show face and I am here to list a few from my watchlist:

Samsung Omnia aka SGH-i900 (GSM, $800-900, WM Pro 6.1, already available, 3G but not US Supported). The Omnia is a Windows Mobile Professional power house. Like the iPhone, a large LCD w/o keyboard gives it a clean design (resolution is 240x400) Featuring a built-in 8 or 16GB of storage and if that is not enough, you can always add another 8 or 16GB microSD for storage hogs. Samsung has put in a unique TouchWiz UI similiar to HTC's touch-flo layer on top of the basic WinMo control. Also included, is full version of Opera Mobile allowing desktop-like web browsing.

BlackBerry Bold (GSM, est $300, BB OS, release in Oct, 2008, 3G AT&T), the blackberry bold is kind of an old news but it has yet to be released. Its the latest revision of the tried and true QWERTY form factor that made BlackBerry(s) famous. I had a full write up on how important this phone will be for BlackBerry here.

BlackBerry Thunder aka 9500 (CDMA, Verizon, est. $250 contract price, BB OS w/ Touchscreen, release in Q4, 2008, 3G EV-Do). The first ever Touchscreen BlackBerry without a keyboard has definitely rocked the industry with its presence (or phantom presence). This phone has long been in the rumor and I am still surprised to see it come true. From the pre-release photos, I see a very slick product that is known for its reliability and communications ability which will give the iPhone's design a run for the money. Although this unverified video seen here hasn't impress me with its UI and response time, so I hope the video is fake. In any case, this phone should be a strong contender for 2009.

HTC Dream or G1, aka Google Android Phone (GSM, est. $199 contract price, Android OS, est. release 10/13/2008, 3G Tmobile USA). HTC Dream is going to change the smartphone and mobile industry thanks to the first-ever Google Android OS. It will be the first device from the Open Handset Alliance setforth by Google and there are tons of 3rd party applications coming out soon. With Google's massive support for everyone involved, I strongly believe this phone is going to rock the house. On top of the amazing hardware specs (3G, WiFi, Graphics Acceleration, large touchscreen LCD, full QWERTY keyboard, etc.), the Android OS is going to include a full suite of Google apps (Gmail, Gmap, Gtalk, Docs, Picasa, etc.). I may not be able to get this phone right away as I am already tied to an AT&T contract, but you can be sure I will be buying an Android-powered phone shortly. I also anticipate this phone to be as successful for T-Mobile as the iPhone has been for AT&T.

HTC Touch HD (GSM, Unknown $$$, WM Pro 6.1, releasing Q4, 3G, hopefully 3G US also). HTC Diamond has been talk of the town, unfortunately, when compared to the iPhone, it falls a little shy with the LCD screen size and the lack of 3.5mm audio jack has been a turn-off for me personally. Well, HTC has heard their users loud and clear with the Touch HD. An enormous 3.8" LCD touchscreen with 400x800 WVGA high resolution which of course playsback the famous Touch-Flo beautifully. Engadget just got done with a hands-on test with one, overall verdict is positive. Because of this phone, I am now holding off from buying a HTC Diamond.

So these are some of the upcoming smartphones that I am looking out for in the near future, if I missed any good handsets, feel free to give me a shout-out.

Google Android Phone by T-Mobile Debut 9/23

This just in, Engadget reports a upcoming media event for the Google Android phone launch. The heat is cranked up in the mobile world today!!!