Technology Android

[THEV1LL4N]

sigh, what's your gmail. pm me it.

the lineup looks really good. i kind of liked the second one too that had the qwerty keyboard.

2009 = rubbish year for casey, forecast for 2010 = great year for casey.

 

[Casey]

A closer look at the updated specs of the Android-powered HTC Bravo – Android and Me

The hottest topic the last few days has been the leaked HTC 1H 2010 roadmap which included five new Android handsets. A couple of the phones (Bravo, Legend) had been previously spotted in the 20 HTC product names that were revealed last week and some were a complete surprise (Buzz, Salsa, Tide).

By far the most popular phone out of the five was the HTC Bravo which is classified as a high performance model.

We posted some initial specs and photos of the Bravo, but technology blog ar.is has released some updated information. The original leak from XDA reported his specs came from a brochure that was printed in October 2009 and the new specs are dated December 2009.

When the two sets of specs are compared, we can see that the HTC Bravo received a memory boost from 256 MB to 320 MB. This would tie the Samsung Behold II for most RAM in an Android phone.

The Bravo features an AMOLED display which is a first for HTC Android phones. AMOLED technology provides an ultra bright display and lower-power consumption. The screen resolution is WVGA (480×800) which is a big increase from the standard HVGA (320×480) that is featured in most HTC Android phones.

Heads will turn at the 11.7 mm thickness. Bravo will be the thinnest Android phone yet and even beat out the iPhone 3GS (12.3 mm).

Pictured at the top of the Bravo is an interesting row of five LED lights. We assume these could be used to indicate which of the five homescreens is being currently displayed.

Battery life will be a major concern with the 1 GHz processor – as we have seen other handset makers underclock the Qualcomm Snapdragon to conserve on resources. Powering the Bravo will be a 1400 mAh battery which is on par with the Motorla Droid (also 1400 mAh).

Android 2.0 is reported to be currently running on the handset but other rumors suggest it will come with Android 2.1 by the time it ships. Bravo is supposed to be loaded with HTC’s Sense UI which we know is being updated to 2.1.

We have seen some reports that the leaked pictures of the HTC Passion might actually have been the Bravo, but I do not believe this to be true unless the phone was heavily reworked. The Passion was pictured with a trackball and rumored to sport a 4.3 inch display, while the Bravo comes with an “optical joystick” and a smaller 3.7 inch screen.

HTC has separate product names for Bravo, Dragon, Passion, and PassionC which further adds to the confusion.

It should also be noted that the current specs of the phone do not include United States 3G bands. The leaked specs came from a European brochure so we wouldn’t expect they would have them listed yet. HTC has produced many different models of the same phone and we expect several of the rumored devices will find their way to U.S. shores.

Believe me when I say all of the carriers would love to market a 1 GHz phone.

Updated HTC Bravo specs as of December 7, 2009:

Size: 112 x 56 x 11.7 mm
Networks: WCDMA/HSPA: 900/2100 Mhz; GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Maximum speed: UL = 2 Mbps; DL = 7.2 Mbps
OS: Android 2.0 (likely to ship with Android 2.1)
Display: 3.7-inch WVGA (480×800) AMOLED capacitive touch screen
Camera: 5 megapixel with auto focus with dual LED flash; High definition 720p video capture
Internal memory: 512 MB flash ROM; 320 MB RAM* (original RAM was 256 MB); 16 GB micro SD card included
Chipset: Qualcomm QSD8250 1 GHz Snapdragon
Battery: 1400 mAh
Also: Optical joystick, microSD, WLAN (802.11 b/g), Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, GPS/AGPS, G-Sensor, Digital Compass, FM radio, microUSB, 3.5mm audio jack
Special features: DivX, Dolby, Facebook, FlickR, Twitter, Microsoft Exchange

 

[Casey]

RAMOS MID running Android....this shit looks dope

Spec:

Rockchip RK2808 chipset
600MHz processor
4.8″ capacitive touchscreen
WiFi connectivity
780p support
MKV, AVI, RMVB formats
2 mm thick at its thinnest point
10 mm thick at its thickest point
8 GB and 16 GB versions
Retail for around $191 and $235 (depending on version)

 

[ImmortalTech]

this android shit moves too fast, even if I buy a brand new phone today, it'll be outdated a hundred times over within like 3 months, fuck this shit, I'm buying an iphone

ps I like to say shit, just to say shit, dont lynch me

 

[Casey]

Is Google handing out the Google Phone to employees?

The above is just one of many Google Phone tweets that made the rounds yesterday. Unless this is some giant Twitter prank, looks like Google is handing these things out to employees. And they're talking.

Assuming this isn't some sort of coordinated Twitter joke (trust me, it happens), here are the details we can extract:

• It's running Android 2.1 on HTC hardware
• It should be coming out in January
• Employees were given unlocked versions
• "It's beautiful," "a sexy beast."

No one grabbed any concrete hardware details, but hopefully those are the next to come around. Great White Snark elaborated on his original tweet in the comments over at TechCrunch:

Yeah, it's a hot, sexy mess. And I mean that in a good way. Similar form-factor to the iPhone, but with a smooth-brushed-metal-looking shell instead of a glossy one. And perhaps a smidgen lighter.

Super fast, speech-to-text in EVERY app, awesome "live wallpapers" in the background that respond to touch in really beautiful ways. Like water ripples that emanate out from a touch.

Confirmation, or mass hysteria? Whatever it is, we'll be on the lookout for more details. [TechCrunch]

 

[Casey]

The Google Phone, the mystical Google-branded device to challenge the iPhone, Droid and Palm Pre, might actually be real – and coming in January.

Twitter reports from a CNet staffer and some Google employees suggest the phone, built by HTC and running Android 2.1, could launch in January 2010. The versions handed to Googlers at an all-hands meeting are GSM-unlocked.

The best evidence thus far comes from CNet podcaster Jason Howell, who Tweeted the following:

-”Capacitive touch screen and on screen keyboard only, yes. Re: AT&T, it was unlocked. Dude just put an AT&T sim in it 2 test it.”

–”It was thin. Dare I say as if not a bit thinner than iPhone. Scrolly ball like on the hero. This one was running on AT&T. #googlephone”

–”Wasn’t able to gander @ h/w specs unfortunately. Supposedly, Google employees were given tons of these phones today. unlocked. #googlephone”

–”Supposedly we should start hearing a lot about the new Google phone over the next few days. Its slick in an HTC hero sorta way.”

–”The new Google Phone runs on HTC hardware. I saw it w/ Android 2.1. Homescreen has new visual enhancements like animated desktop wallpaper.”

–”…I just had my hands on the Google Phone. I feel so priveleged!”

A tweet from Leslie Hawthorn, a Product Manager at Google’s Open Source Team seems to back up Howell’s observations:

–”Stuck in mass of traffic leaving work post last all hands of 2009. ZOMG we had fireworks and we all got the new Google phone. It’s beautiful”

Google Phone: Google’s Brand Play?

If true – and it seems increasingly likely that some form of Google-branded phone will arrive in 2010 – the launch of a Google Phone would give Google the kind of brand recognition in the handset market that the iPhone currently enjoys. Like Google? You’ll love the Google Phone!, ads could proclaim.

Doubts Remain

But Google is also trying to get its Android OS on as many handsets as possible: surely HTC’s rivals will be more than a bit perturbed to see Google promote the “official” handset above all those running Android? And the Google Phone is a device that’s been rumored since at least 2007. Other commentators on Howell’s podcast, meanwhile,Buzz Out Loud, have previously expressed doubts about Google Phone rumors: could it be a big joke?

Our hunch is that we will see a Google Phone next year: the evidence is moving beyond the circumstantial.

[via Techcrunch]

 

[THEV1LL4N]

i think i still want an android toaster phone.

 

[Casey]

So the Google Phone Is Real – GigaOM

Yes Virginia, there really is a Google Phone! And no, I don’t mean all those Android-powered devices, but instead a Google-branded phone that is made by an original equipment maker. The company has started giving away these devices to its employees, who started tweeting about it last night, and the company had to make an announcement this morning. In a blog post on the Android Blog, Mario Queiroz, Vice President, Product Management writes:

We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe. This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it. Unfortunately, because dogfooding is a process exclusively for Google employees, we cannot share specific product details. We hope to share more after our dogfood diet.

Amazing, crazy, why? Those were the first things that ran through my mind when I read that Google is actually make a device. This is very much a page out of Microsoft’s playbook. Microsoft makes specification designs and Google seems to be doing just that. Of course, just as Microsoft and its Zune came along to compete with all those Play4Sure MP3 players, Google can make its own hardware and thus compete with the same folks who are betting the farm on Android.

The company says it is doing this for the employees, but why shouldn’t we believe that they will start selling it to consumers? After all, Google has the brand and the means to do that. If I am Motorola, then I shouldn’t be happy, because now I am going to be competing with a Google-branded device. I need to talk to Google about the rationale of this decision before passing judgment. I have fired off emails to Motorola and other Android supporters as well

Reading between the lines, Google’s decision to release a device shows that the company is worried about the fear of fragmentation of the Android ecosystem that we have often talked about. By putting its stake in the ground, the company is hoping that it doesn’t make the mistake that Microsoft made by dragging its feet in releasing Zune and ceding the market to Apple’s iPod. The iPhone, despite the issues with AT&T’s pokey 3G network, as very eloquently pointed out by Verizon in its ads, continues to sell like a monster. Google doesn’t have much time and needs to respond fast.

Here's a great quote that someone left underneath that article:

For the mass consumer market, think about what having a “nearly” free phone with near-zero monthly operational costs will result in?

Who cares about “designer apps,” give me free or cheap any day.

Free GPS voice nav, free’ish VOIP and SMS(Gizmo5), Google Talk/Voice and WAVE; combined with QR Tag and barcode reader (ultimate ad platform; and, remember, Goog just shipped 100,000 Tags out last week)…

It will be as essential to the mainstream’s daily lives as Google/Search has become. It will be the most targeted advertising platform in the world, in your pocket. And, you will NEVER leave, since you’ll never understand why it costs $50/month/phone for other services; plus paid apps…

Scary? Sure. But, hey, If a family of four can have 4 smart phones with a monthly cost of under $50. Probably closer to $25? Less? And, the “information” (ads) you receive are relevant to you?

Nearly-free smart-phone mobile changes everything. It’s probably Google’s biggest play since they first launched (it will make them money, compared to YouTube). And, who’s going to compete against them?

This does create a range of opportunities for advertising/content/technology folks to step in with some fascinating, entirely new, mobile ad/brand experiences, provided they are Android/XMPP/Voice-XML friendly.

Google wins when they put the consumer-first and damn the Industry as a whole. I think they win, big time, here. Thankfully, I’m not an iPhone/App Developer (a job that will cease to exist within 2-3 years?).

 

[Casey]

Google Phone AKA Nexus One

 

[S O F I]

Supposedly being released without a carrier.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

looks okay, design inst the best... android phones need to start creating phones that will also appeal to people who care about the look of the phone more than anything else. not just functionality. they should make a very cheap and lightweight phone with good looks, even if it doesnt have touch screen.

i think LG are planning this for one of their slide qwerty keyboard phones.

 

[Casey]

Latest render of the HTC Legend looks dope

 

[THEV1LL4N]

nice. looking a lot like the hero.

didnt htc pledge their future with windows mobile, meaning they would be focussing on winmo os more than android because of the partnership theyve had with microsoft over the years?

 

[Casey]

No they did not. That brochure that was leaked had the whole of HTC's firsthalf-2010 lineup, and there were only 3 WinMo phones there.

On another note, this shit looks mad nice.

Well here you have it folks, honest-to-goodness pics of the Google Phone... AKA, the Nexus One. As you can see by the photos, the design of the device is largely similar to those we've seen, but the graphic on back is slightly different, and that piece of tape is covering a QR code (how very Google of them). Just like we've heard before, the updated OS features new 3D elements to the app tray, as well as an extended amount of homescreens, though it looks like the lock screen / mute is the same as in Android 2.0.1. Additionally, there's now a new grid icon at the bottom of the homescreen, which when pressed brings up a webOS card-style preview of all homescreen pages -- which raises some interesting possibilities. Apparently there's been a new software update for the device pushed tonight, and sure enough the phone is identified as the Nexus One on the system info page. Quite clearly this device is running on T-Mobile, and is also using WiFi, so there's two other questions you've got answers to. The phone also appears to come loaded up with Google Navigation (a bit of a no-brainer) and the brand-spanking-new Google Goggles. Hardware wise, the Nexus does look incredibly thin and sleek, and while there's not a slew of buttons (those four up front are clearly touch sensitive), there is a dedicated volume rocker along the side. Oh, and note this... no HTC logo anywhere to be found. We'll update the post as / if we get more info, but for now, feast your eyes on the gallery below!

Update: One item of interest. In the packaging there's a quick start guide which points users to a "questions" page at google.com/phone/support. The page is a dead end right now, but it certainly gets an eyebrow raise from us. If there is a real Google Phone in the offing, that seems a likely landing page for support.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

i mean, as in they would continue working with windows mobile instead of switching to android and most of their phones would run windows. maybe it wasnt so apparant back then how many android phones would be coming.

 

[Casey]

WinMo is a dead platform and HTC know that all too well.

 

[vg4030]

For those with Hemorrhoid phones check out this for wallpapers :thumb:

Android Wallpapers 640×480 Section

 

[Flipmo]

No they did not. That brochure that was leaked had the whole of HTC's firsthalf-2010 lineup, and there were only 3 WinMo phones there.

On another note, this shit looks mad nice.

Dude, that's sicker than H1N1. Gonna be awesome.

 

[Casey]

[youtube]_GUO7MdqzA8[/youtube]

Nexus Boot Animation and Lock Screen

[youtube]wEbW-fxzHtc[/youtube]

Nexus Home Screen (Android 2.1 with animated wallpaper backgrounds!!)

 

[S O F I]

Anyone bummed about the design? I thought it'd be better.