Motorola Droid News

This past week Google’s developer’s conference was one of the first demos of the Android mobile phone operating system.  Announced last year by the Open Handset Alliance, a group of mobile phone manufacturers and software houses who want to have one unilateral platform for all mobile phones to run on Android looks to be one of the most interesting revolutions in the Mobile phones market.

Being developed by Google the phones are highly likely to blend well with other Google-ware like the popular Maps service and Google Mail service.  The stand out feature is that the operating system is being designed to run on a wide range of mobile phones regardless of their feature set.  In a similar way to how PC operating systems are made to work on a wide range of computers with varying specifications Android will take advantage of specific phone features such as built in GPS and touch screen interfaces.

This past week had the operating system running on a touch screen unnamed handset and it was sporting a number of new features since it was last shown off earlier in the year.  One exciting feature was how the handset was unlocked; the user had to draw a specific shape on the touch screen to unlock the keypad.  Another feature took advantage of the GPS function by having an on screen compass which had been tried on other handsets such as the GPS enabled S60 phones offered by Nokia but attendees said the example shown by Google seemed to work much more fluidly than other attempts.

The decision to show off the software at their developers conference was obviously to entice the collective minds into coming up with some ideas for possible applications for their operating system, with it being open-source software, a factor popular with the programming masses, it looks promising that any mobile phones sporting Android’s operating system would have a lot to offer the stale mobile phones market.

Obviously a lot of comparisons were made between the software and Apple’s stand out mobile phone the iPhone, the interface seemed to bear some of the Apple hallmarks such as saving Youtube links as icons on the main screen and a touch based interface.

The Android operating system is currently nearing completion with handset manufacturers Motorola, HTC and Samsung all volunteering to use Android on their forth-coming mobile phones in the next year.

Heres the question: Should I Get the Ciphone 3G Or the  HTC T5353 Diamond2 smart cell phone?

Ciphone 3G:

While both incredibly awesome smart phone, are great to have all at once. It is more likely we would only carry one by our side at all times.

Both the ciphone 3G WIFI and the HTC T5353 have great things about each other. But when it comes down to it, its more of a personal preference when choosing our phones we use.

So, to answer the big question on which smart phone should you get, should be based on key points between both iPhone, and the HTC T5353.

Key points to consider are, the Network the phone is established on, and the user experience on each phone.

HTC t5353:

The number one thing that should be considered is the service. The ciphone 3G wifi is married with AT&T, and the HTC T5353 is engaged with Verizon.

Verizon hands down has the best network service, with a greater 3G coverage than AT&T, and not to mention all those data hungry iPhones on AT&T sucking their GSM/HSPA towers dry daily. But, with AT&T’s GSM/HSPA network is standard in mort parts of the world. Meaning, you can bring your iPhone when you travel and still be able to pick it up and make a call outside of the US.

Second thing to consider is the user experience. Okay, let me tell you, there is really no learning curve when you first pick up an iPhone. You grab the iPhone, you wake it up, and now you in the most simplistic, and incredibly intuitive design. Easily being considered the quickest learnable smart phone known to man. While the Motorola Droid was built upon meeting a set of features all crammed into one, rather huge interface scattered about. Not to bash theHTC T5353 and all. It does in fact pack a punch with its ability to multitask far better than an iPhone.

Well, like I said, its all about personal preference. I have been a Mac fan for a while, but I’m not fond of the AT&T service.

You have to consider all key points of both iPhone, and HTC T5353 before reaching your decision.

So before you ask yourself “Should I get the CiPhone 3G or theHTC T5353 You should first consider both sides before your choice.

Here’s something else to consider, possibly a better way in choosing which smart phone to get.

The arrival of the Google Mobile Phone G1 Android signals the opening round of the battle between Google and its rivals, like Nokia and Apple, to create software for the next generation of mobile phones that allows users to connect seamlessly with the internet. In techie speak, well Google words a Android platform is software stack for mobile devices including an operating system, middleware and key applications. Developers can create applications for the platform using the Android SDK. Applications are written using the Java programming language and run on Dalvik, a custom virtual machine designed for embedded use, which runs on top of a Linux kernel.

A Google spokesman said that, these days, using phones “does not just mean a phone call, but rather access to the world’s information” and that mobiles will be one of the most important ways to connect to the internet in future.

The new Google Phone does not seem to offer a ground-breaking feature to rival the “wow factor” of the iPhone’s touchscreen. Instead, the G1 happily adopts the best features of the iPhone and BlackBerry — two of the best smart phones on the market.

It has the easy-to-navigate and intuitive touchscreen, like the iPhone. But, like the BlackBerry, it has a qwerty keyboard, which slides out, and a “trackball” that helps you navigate around the screen.

The internet giant emphasised that the phone is not a “Google phone” per se, as it is manufactured by HTC, a Taiwanese manufacturer, and will be offered exclusively by T-Mobile in Britain. To obtain the phone, customers must sign up to an 18-month contract that costs £40 a month.

The phone may represent a threat to Apple’s iPhone and iPod, as the new device is able to download digital music from amazon.com. As a result, about six million tracks will be available on the G1 at the touch of a button.

In terms of style and design the Google G1 cannot compete with the Apple iPhone sleek design and to touch, the G1 looks and feels plastic and clunky by comparison.

The mobile allows easy access to Google’s range of online applications, such as Gmail, its personal e-mail service, and YouTube. The G1 also allows you to see Google Maps in “street view”, so you can explore cities virtually, as if standing on the street corner itself.

However, the buzz surrounding the G1 has less to do with ground-breaking new features, and more to do with Google’s innovation — the Android operating system that runs the phone. Google’s aim is to get more people online, using search and advertising services from which it makes money. Google hopes to take the lead over Apple by making Android “open source” — meaning that people will not be charged to use it on their handset or for writing applications for it. This means that anyone can write programs that will run free of charge on an Android-powered phone.

Google Inc, the internet search giant has been planning for an all-out assault on the mobile-phone market via its own branded handset, which is called “Nexus One.” The new device will be one of the most advanced Smartphones present in the market with Android operating system and a large screen, and will directly challenge Apple’s iPhone supremacy in the sector.

Recently, the company has announced that the new phone has been distributed to employees to try out. It is reported that the handset would be sold via T-Mobile in US and unlocked version that can be capable of operating on any network, and will be available next month.

It is presumed that the device may steal the show from popular Android devices like the Motorola Droid, but can it stand tall against the Apple’s iPhone?

Specifications

According to sources, the new Nexus One will run Android 2.1 software and will be manufactured by HTC, exclusively for Google. It seems that the device is expected to feature onboard camera, Wi-Fi, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Bluetooth, A-GPS (with Google Maps) and 3.5mm audio jack. Google has designed the entire user experience for the handset and it will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor.

Nexus One on T-Mobile?

According to latest report, Google has announced that it will sell two versions of its own branded cellphone viz. one with a service contract with T-Mobile USA after Verizon refusal and another will be sold online and unlocked. It seems that the new device will be available as soon as January 5.

Can it challenge Apple’s iPhone?

Google name: Various analysts predict that the new device from Google will challenge Apple’s iPhone dominance just like IBM mainframe versus the Macintosh tussle. The phone is yet to be launched but, people expect that Google’s official backing and design would certainly be welcomed with an instant fan base. Just like Apple, Google has also a huge base of trusted fans who would be the future buyers.

SIM unlocked: In contrast to Apple, the “Nexus One” will be available SIM unlocked, which means that users could insert a SIM card from their favorite wireless service vendor. However, it is reported that Google has joined hands with T-Mobile, to subsidize the prices for US consumers who agree to a service contract.

Price factor: It is expected that to challenge the supremacy of Apple’s offering via AT&T subsidies, Google will also adopt aggressive pricing. Also, it is reported that the search giant will combine its “Google Voice” feature in the phone, which will provide phone service with unlimited free calls.

Applications: However, in one area, Google has to work hard, which is the number of applications. Apple has made available well over 100,000 apps, whereas Android is far behind with 12,000 apps. It is true that the iPhone maker has mastered the apps market and recently updated iTunes to stay competitive.

Meanwhile, Google had acquired Admob Inc, a maker of technology that integrates ads into thousands of mobile phone apps for $750 million. The acquisition will certainly help the company to improve its weak front in future.

Discussion

Many analysts predict that the Nexus One will not support for Microsoft Outlook users, who had played a key role in BlackBerry’s enterprise and SMB success. Also, by adopting Android for its own Smartphone, Google can irritate other Android Partners. Meanwhile, it seems that the new handset will satisfy the needs of business users, and will be paired with various Google Apps and services.

Full article at www.telecomcircle.com

The review of the phone should be divided into two components – the Android Platform and HTC phone.

Android
Never before has any platform drawn so much attention as Android and the new platform is sure to delight the smart phone users. The platform is optimized for the touch screen and has a user friendly user interface. The platform makes the web-based communication applications (email, chat, You Tube) mainstream though Orkut is a notable omission. Google’s mobile strategy is clear – Popularize its online PC properties like search, email, maps on the mobile by providing the same experience across the two platforms. Google wants its user base on PC to use its properties while they are online using the mobile. It also wants to attract new users by riding on its brand equity and its strong position in web based communication applications. The Google id gives automatic access to email, chat and Youtube and there is no separate log-in required at the time of usage.

The response of the system is fast and one never has to wait for the mobile phone to transit from one screen to another. It is not clear if the response is fast due to the processor or the Android platform.

The best part of the new platform is its browser. The browser gives a near PC experience to web browsing. It has the capability of opening multiple browser screens and it is easy to switch between the screens with relative ease. It is possible to zoom in/out the screen to suit the individual preference in terms of the font size. The text adjusts to the screen size at any zoom level. Touch and the track ball enhance the navigation experience (Kudos to the track ball. It mirrors the mouse experience).

The phone lacks the features for business users e.g. there is no Microsoft Exchange Server, no synchronization with Outlook e-mail, Calendar, Contacts, etc.

SMS is a pleasant experience. It provides conversation threads in the same screen. Composing SMS is like composing a mail and it provides the facility of attaching a file to the SMS (converts into MMS). This is similar to Symbian but it allows the users to create slides to be attached to the SMS. However, it is not possible to forward the SMS which is not only surprising but also shocking. Also, there is no facility of delivery notifications. There is no on-screen input and hence the keypad needs to be used for typing any message

Though the platform provides a clear benefit to the web users, it is on a weak wicket when it comes to the call management and contact management. The call management suite of Symbian gives a much better experience e.g. the option of sending SMS/MMS using the call log is not possible in Android. The call log is confusing as it lists dialed, received and missed calls in the same list. In the contact management, it is not possible to send the contact as a business card.

Applications: Android has a Marketplace from where the applications and games can be downloaded (freeware as well as paid). The quality of the applications is good and a number of useful utilities are available for free but the number of such applications is limited. The users can set shortcut keys for the application launch. However, it is not possible to make folders and hence management of applications and multiple files is a problem.

HTC Phone
The phone has an excellent touch screen and innovative form factor. The track ball on the phone for navigation takes the experience up several notches. However, the phone lacks a good speaker. The signal quality is poor and the keypad is hard to use. The battery life is poor and does not do any justice to the functionalities that Android has to offer. The GPS did not work properly during the test period. Camera quality is poor and taking pictures is a challenge. There are no camera settings like focus, zoom, etc. and video recording is also not possible. No option for video call.

Verdict: Go for this phone only if you want a good web experience. The platform still needs to improve on basics of a good phone but it is a good start by Google and it seems that the next battle would be fought on the platform – who will be the winner Symbian, Android and Microsoft?

Google is breaking away from the virtual world this autumn with the launch of its first mobile phone. Not content with dominating the search and online advertising arenas, the innovative company has developed a phone that has as much power as the desktop computers in use just a few years ago, and is clearly intended as a serious challenger to Apple’s iconic iPhone.

There’s a three megapixel camera, one-touch access to YouTube and instant messaging service Google Talk, and as well as listening to music users will be able to download tracks from a new service, Amazon MP3.

All of which shouts loud and clear that the G1 is targeted firmly at consumers. In fact when it’s launched in the UK in November on the T-Mobile network, there won’t even be a business tariff at first.

The phone, officially called ‘the T-Mobile G1 with Google’ will be free on a £40 tariff, including unlimited data for browsing. T-Mobile expects the device to appeal to some business users as well, however, and there are some features that make the G1 an interesting option for the growing number of mobile workers, wherever they are.

The phone, known as the G1, runs on Google’s own operating system, Android, which is designed to bring the experience of desktop computing to mobile devices. It connects to the internet through Wi-Fi and 3G and, like the iPhone, making calls, sending emails via Gmail, surfing the web and using contacts and calendars are a touch of the screen or a click of the trackball away.

Although the G1 has the same 3.2 inch screen as Apple’s iPhone and a similar touchscreen keyboard that takes up much of the screen space, it has one major difference: a slide-out qwerty keyboard. Although the keys are tiny this arguably makes email on the move easier and more realistic as you can type in a message of a decent length and view it on a large screen. The G1 is the first phone to have a built-in compass with motion-sensing technology, and users can navigate by using street-level Google Maps: no more getting lost on the way to meetings, interviews, or lunches.

Users will be able to download additional programs onto the G1 from the Android Market, an online software superstore. Android is open-source, so anyone can develop programs for the phone and make them available to other users without going through a Google approval process. Google claims Android effectively makes the phone future-proof, as users will be able to get frequent updates to the operating system as well as new software. And somewhere among the seriously practical and seriously playful applications that are sure to be developed, there will be some that make the G1 more useful to businesses and professionals.

Android is another step towards the current obsession of technology companies: providing the perfect mobile experience. Everyone in the industry is working on finding a way to harness the computing power tucked up in those little handsets to allow everyone from students to mobile professionals to do much more with their phones.

At the moment, however, while the G1 supports Microsoft’s Word and Excel, it doesn’t support Exchange for enterprise email. You need a Google Gmail account to use the email service and it won’t synchronise with Outlook, although it is possible to automatically redirect work email to a Gmail account, and its likely that one of the first third-party applications will be support for Exchange.

Other applications available to download at launch will include cab4me, which finds and books a cab based on your locations, PedNav, which helps you find the best walking or public transport route to where you want to go, and Shopsavvy, a program that turns the phone into a bar-code scanner that can give you instant price comparisons.

The G1 will run on a version of Google’s new browser, Chrome, offering easy searching of the internet, and fast results, but the phone won’t have Apple’s patented multi-touch technology that lets you enlarge and zoom in on web pages simply by making pinching and expanding movements on the screen with your fingers.

Google’s first phone, made by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC, also loses out to the iPhone in the looks department, with most reviewers saying it’s an ugly duckling to Apple’s swan. There’s no doubt that the iPhone is the prettiest phone around, but this could change once future Android-based design-led handsets made by the likes of LG and Samsung are released in the next year or so.

Ahead of its launch, the critics have given the G1 a mixed reaction. The consensus seems to be that it’s a good first effort, fast and responsive, and probably the first serious contender to the iPhone, but it just isn’t as sleek, exciting and sexy.

Despite the inevitable, and not always favourable, comparisons with the iPhone, gadget and Google lovers are enthused about the G1: some reports estimated that ahead of its US launch in October, the entire initial US allocation of 1.5 million handsets had been pre-ordered, with another two million earmarked for high-street retailers. T-Mobile won’t start taking pre-orders in the UK until a couple of weeks before the phone’s release, but it says tens of thousands of people have already registered their interest.

The ‘Google phone’ might not be getting people buzzing about its design, but the use of Android as its flexible foundation will grow the global smartphone market hugely. The day when we’re all using fast, powerful, easy and practical mobile devices in our day-to-day lives and at work, wherever that might be, is getting ever closer. This time next year, the G1 and its offspring could well have dealt another fatal blow to the desktop PC.

To learn more about the G1 and register an interest, go to www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobile-phones/whats-hot/

LG has at long last presented the new LG Chocolate Touch VX8575, LG’s 4th Chocolate phone. (after the VX8500, VX8550 and VX8560)

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The New LG Choclate Touch VX8575 (after the VX8500, VX8550 and VX8560) is presented in the open touch screen format. It is fitted out with a 3-inch touchscreen display with WQVGA resolution and support for262k colors. Its other features include a 3.2-megapixel, 1 GB of dedicated music storage, microSD(HC) slot and GPS.

The Battery of  the LG Chocolate Touch has a capacity of 1,400mAh and allows up to 306 minutes  of talk time and up to 470 hours of standby time.The New LG Touch VX8575  supports networks CDMA dual band (1900/800 MHz) 1xEV-DO rev.0.

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LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 operates under Google Android 2.0 operating system. Dimensions of Motorola Droid are 115.8×60×13.7 mm and weight is 169g.
LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 will be $199 (of course, subject to the two-year contract with Verizon Wireless). The  LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 went on the market on  November 6. The LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 is $79.99 with a two-year service agreement with Verizon Wireless.

Now here comes the best part: For a very limited time, you have the opportunity to get the brand new LG Chocolate Touch Phone for free! All you have to do is fill out some simple questions and it could be yours. But don’t forget, this is a very time limited offer!

So hurry and get the new LG Chocolate Touch phone for free!

View full post on Droid Forum – Verizon Droid & the Motorola Droid Forum – Motorola Droid

Google wants to open a new front in the land of the mobile telephones with the first that works with its “Android” software. Its greater attractive is the open code, which enormously lowers the costs to the manufacturers. This first device, known as the Google Phone, is a product of the Taiwanese HTC, wants to shade the Apple iPhone or the Blackberry in the land of the mobile communication. The popularity of the Google brand name and the benefits of the price of 199 dollars could be the keys.

The project is very ambitious and HTC has gained an enviable position next to Google in their jump to the mobile communications, a technological landmark that had been awaited for a long time. HTC has a great presence in the market and its models are very popular; although until this moment it had been in the shade in the West, manufacturing for other companies like Compaq or Palm.

One of every six smart phones sold in first half of this year in the United States was made by HTC although they did not use this name, according to the consultant Nielsen Mobile. Now, the Google Phone, known as the T-Mobile G1, could be its luxury business card. The head of HTC marketing explained on the comparisons with the sector giants like Apple or Research in Motion: “We are far from being there”. They face the problem of not having its own software to develop the mobile devices, as it does happen with iPhone or Blackberry. Until the moment, HTC mobiles have used different versions of Windows Mobile. HTC are the people in charge of the first “smart phone” based on Windows, the Orange SPV, which was distributed in Europe. On its part, Google does not make mobiles but web pages and online services.

The union of both companies took place two years ago, when they began thinking about the T-Mobile G1 or the Google Phone. So far T Mobile has the exclusivity being the G1 cell phone provider company.

Google wants that its “Android” software to become the standard within “smart phones”. The G1 could be the “Trojan horse”. For this reason it has enticed operators and manufacturers to join its side, using the nature of the open code of “Android”, which will enormously lower the price of the costs, as the main argument.

As far as the design of the G1 goes, it will follow the present canons, it has a tactile screen of great dimensions. In addition, it will incorporate a “touchpad” in the inferior part. The screen will slide to one side revealing a keyboard, equipping it with an aspect similar to the one of a small laptop. As far as navigation by Internet and the use of applications, it’s been thought and it optimized to use those of Google, like Google Maps, its search engine, YouTube or the electronic mail Gmail.

“Android” will also “borrow” ideas from the iPhone or Mobile Windows. For example, it will be possible to cut and paste text as in the Microsoft software and is developing a platform for content download similar to the AppStore, although in this case everything will be free. This will be called the Android Market.

To Google is today the leader of the market of internet advertising, with an income of 16,500 million dollars only in 2007. T-Mobile will profit from the device, not only with the sales, but also through its online partner company Amazon.com, that, with a service that allows to download content to the T-Mobile G1. Together with the telephone launch more than six million songs will be available.

Google has launched its first ever mobile phone known as G1. The phone is going to work on T-mobile network. It will function with the Android operating system. The Google G1 Android Mobile Phone has got a reasonable cost and the mobile is made available with some free contracts in UK. The mobile has all the latest features. It has a touch-screen that allows the individuals to access every functionalities on the phone by simply tapping on the screen. This mobile very well demonstrates its QWERTY keyboard that actually allows people to compose messages very easily. Though this is not a problem at all as the mobile has a touch sensitive screen whereby letters can be easily typed by simply tapping on the keyboard that gets displayed on the screen. The mobile is capable of searching internet at high speed. The ‘one touch Google search’ is good enough for this reason. The phone facilitates real web browsing and with it one gets easy access to every Google application.

Google G1 Android Mobile Phone is also good for messaging purposes besides calling. This gadget can send instant messages, text messages and emails very easily. Its 3.2 MP camera is good enough for people to capture captivating pictures and videos. These can then be stored in the whopping memory of the device. The mobile can also be used to watch YouTube videos as its applications support it. This handset has a music player that is capable of playing music files in every popular format. It can also be used to play games that are either downloaded from the internet or are preloaded in the whopping memory of the gadget.

This fascinating gadget has made a new leap in the Android market. Now people using the phone can play games, go for social networking, do shopping and more with the aid of this mobile. People can also download wirelessly and can use the device for multiple purposes with new applications made available almost everyday. One of such application introduced in the phone is ‘myfaves’. This feature enables you to call five favourite members. The calls can be forwarded to landlines and unlimited nationwide calls can be made easily. Then the presence of the ‘Notification pane’ also allows you to keep a track of the missed calls, voice mails and downloads that are made.

People using the HTC G1 Android Mobile Phone can also have a one touch access to ‘google maps’ and ‘google calendar’. This phone is doubly advantageous as it also has ‘Gmail’ and ‘Google Talk’ features. This mobile has high speed access of 3G and Wi-Fi networks. Thus internet can be easily accessed even if the person is on a go. Users can connect to Wi-Fi networks directly. This handset also functions on 2G and EDGE networks.