AdMob just released a report that analyzes various metrics to compare users of the following devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, Android and Palm’s WebOS (notably missing–RIM). The metrics are age, gender, app downloads, app purchases, and likelihood of recommending the device to a friend or colleague. CNN has a pretty good take on the report, along with charts. You can find it here: http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/02/25/6-ways-iphone-and-android-users-differ/
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Pictured right is a Google Nexus One phone running HTC’s popular, proprietary user interface, Sense. In a nutshell, the ROM from the HTC Desire is being ported to the Nexus One. Although the hardware differences between the HTC Desire and Nexus One are minimal, this is no minor feat nor is the porting complete. Modaco, the hacker porting the ROM, reports that the system file was too large for the Nexus One’s internal storage and some modifications were needed, not all of which are complete.
Expect many Nexus One users to run this ported ROM given the widespread criticism of the “plain” Android 2.1 user interface and the rave reviews of the Sense user interface. Keep in mind that you will need to root your Nexus One to install another ROM and you run the risk of making your phone inoperable. (The lawyer in me wanted to remind you of that.)
[via Engadget via Modaco]
It’s been a long while since I last blogged about a phone but this one is worth a post on every tech blog. Samsung might hit it out of the ballpark with the Halo i8520. Here are the specs: Continue reading »
Click to Visit MWC2010 Website
While certainly overshadowed by the Olympics, there is another international event taking place this week. It is the Mobile World Congress 2010 which takes place February 15-18. This is the premiere event for mobile device manufacturers. 47,000 attendees are expected and over 1,300 companies will exhibit products. Based on rumors and some bona fide news, we can expect the following:
There’s a slew of blog posts the past couple days about Apple’s decision not support Adobe Flash on it’s upcoming tablet, the iPad. Things got interesting today. Adobe employee, Lee Brimelow, fired back with a blog post that really shows off Adobe Flash… and it’s use on porn sites. Apparently, the blog post was short lived but below is a screenshot:
Nokia’s N900 has been hacked to allow it to boot Maemo (native OS) and Google’s Android. The video shows that the phone is capable of running either OS. It appears that the phone’s internal memory has been partitioned, similar to most dual boot computer setups. The video follows along with some implications.
The rumors were right that the Google Nexus One will be launched on T-Mobile and T-Mobile alone. However, Mario Queiroz, a Google executive, has confirmed that Nexus One will be available on Verizon in the Spring.
Unless you are due for an upgrade now and cannot wait, the Nexus One is a far superior phone to the Motorola Droid (unless, of course, you are lost without a physical keyboard). Furthermore, the unsubsidized retail price of a Droid is currently higher than the unsubsidized retail price of a Nexus One.
Given that this did not leak as a rumor, perhaps the decision by Verizon came at the 11th hour. The decision by Verizon makes sense; Verizon customers who want the best available Android device might pack up for T-Mobile. By Spring, however, there should be many more Android choices.
P.S. Among other tidbits revealed about the Nexus One in Mountain View today, customers who order the Nexus One directly from Google will be able to custom engrave the back of the device with a short message. I’m thinking “#tmobilesux” could be popular.
Below is the official video of the Google Nexus One in action:
[via All Things Digital]
Engadget is the first outlet to review the upcoming Google Nexus One phone that will debut in two days. The review is fairly comprehensive. It includes picture and video. Of course, the review attempts to answer the most pressing question: “is this the be-all-end-all Android phone / iPhone eviscerator? In two words: not really.” Below is a summary of current rumors about the device:
The Google vs. Microsoft war received far more attention in 2009 (Google Web Search vs. Bing, Chrome Browser vs. Internet Explorer and Chrome OS vs. Windows) but Google is also waging a significant war with Apple. This will be the story of 2010. It is no wonder why Eric Schmidt, Google CEO, left Apple’s board of directors in early 2009. Below are five attacks Google has recently made on Apple:
The Sony XPERIA X10 could be the premiere Android mobile phone in 2010. The phone has ridiculous specs: 4 inch capacitive touchscreen, 1 Ghz processor, 8 megapixel camera and all the other bells and whistles found on Motorola’s Droid. It also features a custom user-interface that looks slick. This phone will be very expensive compared to current Android devices. The expected unsubsidized retail price of the XPERIA X10 is $880. Contrast that with the Droid’s unsubsidized retail price of $660. Note that the delta could buy a low end netbook. Nonetheless, this is one killer phone. Below is a video that was released today that shows off the XPERIA X10 running Google Visual Search (beta I wrote about here and here) with some dance music in the background:
The Sony XPERIA X10 will definitely put Sony on the map for high-end mobile phones. Google Visual Search, which runs on all Android phones, will help Google to rule the digital world.
[via Will Park @ IntoMobile]
Notion Ink SmartPad (top: L/W view and bottom: H view -- 0.6")
The “Notion Ink SmartPad,” pictured right, blurs the line between eReader, netbook and smartphone. The image to the right is a mock-up from Notion and a reliable spec sheet has leaked online. The Notion Ink SmartPad features:
Droid user jealous of your iPhone friends who pinch-zoom? Motorola Droid users can now (unofficially) upgrade their ROMs to add multi-touch. Many of the Android Google apps support multi-touch, including Google Maps, but the feature has been disabled in the U.S. because of a concern over an Apple U.S. patent. The European version of the Droid, unemcumbered by Apple’s U.S. patent, has multi-touch. The ROM is derived from that version of the phone which is marketed as the Motorola Milestone. Complete instructions and the download can be found here.
Like the U.S. Droid, the Google Nexus One phone that is being “dogfooded” by Gogglers also does not support multi-touch functions. Let’s hope there’s a European version of the Nexus One in the works. :)
[via Redmond Pie]
The very popular remote desktop solution used by many businesses, Citrix, is releasing a Blackberry app this month and will soon begin previewing an Android version. The app will be similar to the Citrix app for Windows Mobile and the iPhone. The app will allow those who work for companies with Citrix servers to login remotely and access documents and Windows programs remotely. The apps will support Citrix HDX technology which enables phones to view Flash-based websites and 3D vector-based graphics. Learn more at Citrix’s site.
Google is asking Google Voice users to opt-in and donate their voicemails to improve the transcription service. Donated voicemails may be listened to by humans and manually transcribed to improve the transcription service. If you’re so inclined to donate voicemails, I recommend donating the really juicy ones to spice up the job of listening to them.
On a more serious note, this shows Google’s dedication to improving the quality of the transcriptions which I believe is the stepping stone for the Google Translation service for Android.
[via Official Google Voice Blog]
Pictures and complete specs for the HTC lineup of upcoming phones leaked today. There are some great looking phones coming from HTC, particularly those running Google’s Android. Marc Flores at Boy Genius Report broke the news and posted the information about 30 minutes ago. Head over to their post for the pictures and specs.
