Kyocera Echo offers customized apps that are optimized for the dual-screen, including VueQue, an app pre-loaded by Kyocera, which lets users watch a video in one display, while browsing, queuing and buffering additional videos in the other. A rear-facing 5 megapixel camera captures 720p video. Kyocera says this design lets the dual displays complement each other, like email on one and a full virtual keypad on the other. It will cost $189 when it launches sometime in the coming months.
Look, over there! Its another phone that nobody has any idea about! Yes sir, we’ve been seeing no namer phones popping up left and right lately, and today’s news is no break from the norm.
Some shots were recently released of what at first may appear to be a warped LG Optimus S, but upon closer inspection, you’ll see this isn’t the case. The area towards the bottom looks different than the Optimus S, as do the buttons.
LG has been hinting at something special for MWC, like the LG Optimus 3D, but we can’t be sure if that’s what we’re seeing here. Let’s not forget, however, that Sprint has a special announcement this evening, so perhaps some light will be shed at that time.
What do you think this Mystery Machine might be? Let us know in the comments!
Verizon is launching a new rugged Android phone from CASIO called the G’zOne Commando and we’ve been sent an early copy of the product manual to give you an insight into the features of this rugged outdoor phone.
The manual states:
The CASIO G’zOne Commando™ is water resistant. It provides reliable performance for outdoor activities, and in wet conditions such as driving rain or high humidity.
The phone is definitly designed for the outdoor enthusiast with a range of applications and widgets focussed on the active lifestyle. G’zGEAR provides eight useful tools for outdoor activities, including:
Earth Compass.
Walking Counter.
Adventure Training.
Thermometer.
Tides.
Sun/Moon.
Star Gazer.
While we have been asked not to post the manual, we have extracted a few photos of the device and the the tipster informed us that the device features what looks like an 800MHz processor. Check it out below.
CASIO GzOne Commando Manual HomeScreen
Although this device is primarily for the rugged smartphone user, could you see yourself using a device like this? What do you like and dislike from the initial view above? We will be looking more through this 318 page manual and sharing more information as we dig through it.
There have been lots of leaks, information and photos of the much anticipated Sony Ericsson Xperia Play a.k.a. The Playstation Phone and thanks to the AllAboutPhones in the Netherlands, we now have some information and a photo for the display stands you can expect to see in the stores.
The photos are probably for the European release of the phone as Sony Ericsson does have a bigger following in Europe and quiet possibly a bigger marketing campaign, but only time will tell. Check out the image below.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Counter Display
Are you looking forward to this phone? I know we sure are.
With AT&T and Verizon all set to unleash their first 4G handsets with two HTC devices (the Inspire 4G and Thunderbolt, respectively), the four major US carriers will soon all carry at least one 4G Android smartphone. By summer, all will have multiple options and it will be safe to say that the next generation of wireless has arrived. With this in mind, there has never been a better time than now to give you a rundown of what is coming up, how the devices and carriers stack up, and which will reign supreme.
While superphone specs like dual-core processors, mass amounts of RAM, and 4G radios all weigh heavily on the final decision, the 4G technology deployed and strength of a particular carriers coverage also play an important role. We have divided available and upcoming 4G handsets by manufacturer to make the distinction. Read on to see who comes out on top.
Sprint was the first carrier in the US to launch their 4G network, and the first to bring 4G to an Android device with the incredibly popular HTC EVO 4G. Sprint is the lone dog in the States using WiMAX as their method of 4G deployment even though the wireless industry has generally leaned towards LTE. Claiming peak download speeds in excess of 10Mbps with averages in the 3-6Mbps range, the network definitely has room for improvement, but a slow and steady rollout of their 4G coverage makes it one of the largest providers of 4G. Sprint offers three 4G handsets currently, but future handset plans are not clear.
HTC EVO 4G
The HTC EVO 4G was the world’s first 4G Android smartphone, and has been a hot seller since it’s release at the beginning of summer 2010. Though it is aging a bit, it still holds its own against even newly released Android handsets with its 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4.3-inch screen, and Android 2.2 software. Something has to be said for a phone that almost single handedly salvaged Sprint’s chances of competing in a crowded mobile market.
Samsung Epic 4G
The Samsung Epic 4G was the first and only member of the original Samsung Galaxy S lineup to feature 4G support. It also was the only to feature a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, making it unique among the lineup. Featuring a powerful Hummingbird processor clocked at 1GHz and a beautiful Super AMOLED display, you can’t register much complaint about the hardware. The software, however, with its TouchWiz interface can be a bit frustrating. Oh, and the fact that it is currently stuck at Android 2.1 as Samsung delays an upgrade to Android 2.2 has been a major thorn in the sides of Epic owners.
HTC EVO Shift 4G
The HTC EVO Shift 4G is the latest addition to Sprint’s 4G family and the younger brother to the original EVO 4G. It features a scaled-back 800MHz processor and smaller screen at 3.6-inches, but gains a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Featuring Android 2.2 and HTC Sense, this handset bears some resemblance to the T-Mobile G2 and HTC Desire Z.
T-Mobile was the second US carrier to release a handset dubbed “4G,” though many would argue their network technology doesn’t match their advertising jargon. Still, their HSPA+ network can deliver theoretical speeds that hold up to the competition. Just check out this video demonstration from CES. For now their 4G phones are capped at 21Mbps, though the second half of the year should bring devices capable of 42Mbps (keyword is capable, refer to the aforementioned CES demo to see more realistic results). Currently T-Mo only offers two 4G-capable devices with another, the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, slated for release later this month.
T-Mobile G2
The T-Mobile G2 was the first native 4G device for the carrier and proper successor to the first ever Android handset, the T-Mobile G1. While only featuring an 800MHz processor compared to the more standard 1GHz chipset of other high-end devices, the G2 makes up for it with a stock build of Android 2.2 and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. A favorite among stock Android fans and the modding community, the G2 slid out of the limelight quickly but still remains a solid choice.
T-Mobile myTouch 4G
The T-Mobile myTouch 4G is the next-gen followup to the popular myTouch line of phones. Unlike the G2, the myTouch 4G does feature a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and doesn’t feature a stock build of Android 2.2. Built into the myTouch 4G’s HTC Sense UI is “Genius” buttons support for voice commands and interactions, but the real big deal on the latest myTouch is its front-facing camera. This camera uses a special version of the popular Qik video conferencing software built directly into the handsets interface, providing a seamless video chat experience over T-Mobile’s 4G network.
Samsung Galaxy S 4G
The Samsung Galaxy S 4G is an upcoming 4G handset for T-Mobile, and the second Galaxy S device in their lineup. First rumored as the Samsung Vibrant 4G, the phone borrows the internals and look of the original with a few key additions. Those additions would be the 4G radio for T-Mo’s HSPA+ network and a front-facing camera for video calling. Due out this month, it may quickly be overshadowed by the looming announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S2.
Though AT&T plans to begin rolling out their 4G LTE network towards the end of this year and into 2012, for now the company is taking a page out of T-Mobile’s book and slapping the 4G heading onto their HSPA+ network. This network should theoretically be pretty similar to T-Mobile’s in terms of speed, but they are currently quoting figures closer to Sprint with claims of downlink speeds around 6Mbps. Though all remain unreleased as of now, their upcoming lineup of 4G Android handsets could quickly change notions that AT&T is not an Android-friendly network.
HTC Inspire 4G
The HTC Inspire 4G will be AT&T’s first 4G Android handset when it launches in the coming weeks, but it probably won’t be their best. It could best be described as AT&T’s EVO 4G (or Desire HD) and features the same 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 4.3-inch display. It does get some beef in the RAM department with 768MB. It’s most enticing feature is its low launch price of $99.99 on a two-year contract, though this pricing might not be too surprising considering the phone’s rather last-generation specs. A bonus here is the phone will be among the first on AT&T to allow the installation of app from outside the Android Market.
Samsung Infuse 4G
While the specific release timeframe of the Samsung Infuse 4G is not yet known, this second Galaxy S-style phone will be AT&T’s beefed up brother to the currently available Captivate and feature a whopping 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. The processor has been notched up to a 1.2GHz Hummingbird chip, which should make the version of Android 2.2 with Samsung’s TouchWiz interface running on the Infuse feel mighty fast. The large, brilliant display is this handset’s main selling point.
Motorola Atrix 4G
The Motorola Atrix 4G is the handset everyone is talking about, and for good reason. It will be AT&T’s first to feature a dual-core Tegra 2 chipset clocked at 1GHz per core as well as an unheard of 1GB of RAM, giving this thing computing power more like a laptop than a phone. That’s exactly why Motorola and AT&T are offering a laptop dock that will transform the smartphone into a perfectly capable netbook. The problem is, for that experience users will need to shovel out a hefty $499.99 after contract for the combo pack. The phone by itself is a more reasonable $199.99 (though the laptop dock still costs $499.99 by itself). Pricing aside, it’s hard to find a phone on this list that bests the Atrix 4G.
Verizon will technically be the last carrier to have a 4G device with the HTC Thunderbolt rumored to launch a day after AT&T’s HTC Inspire, but the carrier will be the first network to deploy LTE as their next-generation technology. We ran our own speed tests on Verizon’s new network and came up with some pretty impressive results. We got a consistent 28Mbps over LTE, an unheard of speed. The actual downlink numbers may drop once Verizon’s 4G bands get a bit more crowded, but their network currently blows all others away. An upcoming lineup of four Android 4G devices offers plenty of options.
HTC Thunderbolt
The HTC Thunderbolt will be Verizon’s first 4G device, and amounts to a pretty similar device to the Inspire 4G on AT&T (and EVO 4G on Sprint). 1GHz processor, 768MB RAM, and a 4.3-inch screen round out the Thunderbolt running Android 2.2 with HTC Sense on top. Perhaps the biggest selling point (though Verizon won’t advertise it) for the 4G LTE handset is its ability for simultaneous voice and data over 3G, a before unrealized potential of CDMA technology. But we are talking about 4G, and while this handset is perfectly capable we don’t see it as Verizon’s best.
Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone
Though an official name hasn’t been confirmed, the handset unveiled as the Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone has a lot in common with AT&T’s Infuse 4G. Despite a 4.3-inch display rather than a 4.5-inch, the handset uses the same Super AMOLED Plus technology to deliver brilliant picture quality. The device hasn’t been dubbed a Galaxy S phone, but its Android 2.2 and TouchWiz interface provide the same experience.
LG Revolution
The LG Revolution, like the Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone, still has a few secrets to reveal, but as of now doesn’t seem to carry the dual-core processor of its foreign counterpart, the LG Optimus 2X. The phone gets a 4.3-inch display and front-facing camera for Skype video chat capabilities. It is expected to launch in Q2 of this year.
Motorola Droid Bionic
The Motorola Atrix 4G for AT&T won’t be the manufacturer’s only dual-core handset. Verizon gets their own in the form of the Motorola Droid Bionic, the only 4G handset announced to carry their iconic Droid branding. With a dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, the phone matches the Atrix 4G. In the RAM department, however, the Bionic gets only 512MB compared to the Atrix’s 1GB. The Bionic also lacks the docking capabilities of the Atrix. Despite this, it remains Verizon’s most appealing 4G option and is set for a launch later this spring.
***
So which is the best of the bunch?
It’s a close tie between the Motorola Droid Bionic on Verizon and the Atrix 4G on AT&T, but we’re going with the Atrix 4G for several reasons. Not only does its computing power best every other phone on this list, but its docking ability complete with a Linux-based desktop environment featuring Firefox web browsing is one of the most impressive moves we have seen in the mobile world as of late. It stunned us at CES, and though the pricing of the laptop dock will turn some off, we believe this may be the future of mobile computing. Unless you need a new phone right now, if you are on AT&T or planning to switch, we’d wait it out for the release of this handset over the HTC Inspire 4G and others.
Here is how we’d rank the top 4G phone by carrier:
AT&T – Motorola Atrix 4G
Sprint - HTC EVO 4G
T-Mobile – Samsung Galaxy S 4G
Verizon – Motorola Droid Bionic
Which carrier’s 4G lineup ranks number one?
Though the Atrix 4G beats out the Droid Bionic head-to-head, the top carrier spot easily goes to Verizon. Their 4G LTE network is the real deal, and their lineup of devices from four of the top smartphone manufacturers provides options that put other lineups to shame. Sure, you might not be able to grab a sub-4-inch screen if you want 4G on Verizon, but we don’t see that as a problem.
If you are currently between carriers you have an interesting decision to make. Do you get the Motorola Atrix 4G at AT&T? Or do you align with Verizon on the strength of their network and upcoming handset lineup? Or maybe you choose to go with Sprint or T-Mobile, who will no doubt have some exciting things to show over the coming weeks. Unlike when the HTC EVO 4G first brought next-gen network technology to Android, you know have plenty of choices when it comes to 4G.
If you have a difference of opinion, register it in the poll below!
We told you last week that LG was likely to introduce a 3D phone at the Mobile World Congress in just a few weeks. And while it’s hard to really know with the Android rumor mill being what it is, this one panned out to be true. LG just issued a press release stating exactly that.
Mobile World Congress will be held February 14th (happy Valentine’s Day!) to the 17th. The Optimus 3D, the first 3D mobile phone — featuring glasses-free technology at that — will be making its appearance in Barcelona in about two weeks. As soon as the news comes out, we’ll be bringing it to you! Full press release below.
LG TO UNVEIL WORLD’S FIRST FULL 3D SMARTPHONE AT MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LG TO UNVEIL WORLD’S FIRST FULL 3D SMARTPHONE AT MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2011
3D Recording-Viewing-Sharing of Life’s Precious Moments Anytime, Anywhere
SEOUL, Feb. 1, 2011 – At this year’s Mobile World Congress, LG will unveil the LG Optimus 3D, the world’s first 3D smartphone offering consumers a full 3D experience right in the palm of their hands.
The LG Optimus 3D addresses the lack of 3D content issue — one of the biggest problems facing the 3D market — with a complete platform for a one-of-a-kind experience on a mobile device. LG’s most advanced smartphone to date will feature a dual-lens camera for 3D recording, a glasses-free LCD panel for 3D viewing and diverse connectivity options such as HDMI and DLNA for 3D content sharing anytime, anywhere.
Further details and a live demo of the LG Optimus 3D will be offered at Booth #8B178 at MWC in Barcelona from February 14 to 17.
We all know the feeling. A new Android handset starts to be rumored. Eventually pictures and FCC filings for the device begin to leak out. Based on speculation it is called the next big thing, and when it finally launches it sells out in mass quantitates. A few weeks later a new Android handset shows up at the rumor mill, and the cycle starts again. Without even owning an Android phone for more than a couple months we start questioning if we really got our money’s worth.
If you have experienced this situation, you are simply a victim of what a report at CNN is calling Android’s Law. As new iterations of the Android operating system are deployed, the manufacturing cycle of new smartphones featuring the OS becomes shorter. What once took a handset manufacture close to 10 months to accomplish is now being churned out at a rate closer to 7. That’s a shift from what was basically a year-long guarantee that something better wouldn’t come along, to a point where we might have six months at best to feel like the coolest kid on the block. With the large number of handsets announced at CES and even more coming at MWC, that life cycle could be getting even shorter.
But should this even matter? After all, the HTC EVO 4G launched last June on Sprint still stacks up pretty well to against the HTC Thunderbolt coming to Verizon later next month. The shorter life cycle also gives smaller companies such as ZTE and Huawei an opportunity to penetrate the Android smartphone market.
Does the shrinking lifespan of your mobile technology make you hesitant to purchase a new Android phone? Or does the great variety of choices make it an even better experience? Let us know in the poll below.
Maybe Google wasn’t completely honest about making Honeycomb a tablet-only platform? Engadget got a tip last night that showed how to set the Honeycomb emulator in SDK from WXGA (1024 x 768, the default tablet resolution) to WVGA (current smartphone resolution basis). The result? I drastically changed UI, that most signifies what we are seeing on the current versions of Android. Most of the Honeycomb flavor was stripped away to a basic launcher.
What pops out the most about running this emulator is a phone environment is the status bar is extremely different than what is in Gingerbread. It is odd because until Gingerbread, the status bar was always white. We thought Google was making a new UI standard for Android by making everything have a black/green tone in Gingerbread.
Maybe this is all just a glitch? One thing is for sure, Google is hosting a Honeycomb event this Wednesday. Maybe there is more to Honeycomb that just tablets that they will reveal? We shall see very soon.
I’m not sure if it’s the device itself that I love or if it’s the laptop dock ability. No matter what I see of this device, I wish more and more that it would come to T-Mobile, but I know there is no chance of that ever happening.
We do know that the Atrix 4G will be going on sale through Costco and Amazon for only $150, which is a smoking deal for a device of this caliber. This will be the first Dual-Core Android device to hit the U.S., which is a pretty exciting thing for all of us and for AT&T, the carrier making it happen.
We had a little one on one time with this device at CES. Check out the link for what we got to play with.
Now on to the promo video from Motorola. It almost gives me the chills.
HTC has a lot of announcements planned for Mobile World Congress, coming up in a few weeks. Those of you who might want a sneak-peek, though, are in luck! One of the leaked devices that is expected to debut at the conference in two weeks was spotted out in public. A faithful Engadget reader was able to snap a few pics and send ‘em in, and it definitely matches the rendering of one of the upcoming devices, right down to the front-facing camera. We don’t have names yet, but stay tuned, and we’ll bring you more information on all of HTC’s new devices in the upcoming weeks.
Mickey Mouse and his crazy cast of Disney cartoon characters you know from you childhood (or your child’s childhood) aren’t only an American phenomenon – they’re popular all over the world. So popular that in Japan, Disney Mobile is launching their very own Android smartphone in Mid-February called the DisneyMobile DM009SH:
They do an amazing job of making it look appealing, but when push comes to shove, what’s it all about?
3.8-inch screen
Android 2.2
Flash
Wi-Fi / GPS / Bluetooth
CCD960-megapixel high-definition camera
Infrared
3D Display
I had a little bit of trouble digging deeper as the page is in Japanese, but Android 2.2 on a 3.8-inch screen is a solid start. And as you may have guessed, the phone is packed with Disney content both inside and out. Check out that “Mickey” logo on the bottom and back of the Disney Phone:
Some of the in-phone elements you can expect are a boat load of Disney Wallpapers, Disney Widgets, Disney Emoticons for TXT & E-Mail, Disney Photo Decoration, Disney calendar including the birthdays of Disney characters, Disney App Store and much, much more.
I don’t know of a Disney phone available in the United States and find it pretty amusing that Japan gets one first, but I suppose even the adults there are crazy about cartoons. Case and point? Hello Kitty.
Are you jealous Japan gets the Disney Phone? Is this something you would get for yourself? Who am I kidding… is this something your girlfriend/wife would get for herself or your kids? In my mind, the type that would want this are too young to use a phone and I’m hoping there aren’t enough adults that would want this unless they’re just getting it to amuse their children. That being said, this is probably the reason it’s headed to Japan – where Disney is more popular among adults – and not the United States.
But that’s just my guess… I haven’t personally touched the magic. Doesn’t it look a bit like Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X10 or Arc? Hmmm.
The guys over at the Engadget Mobile Team were fortunate enough to get the ever rarely seen in public, Xperia Play, aka the PlayStation Phone. The preview comes packed with pics and videos for your viewing and drooling enjoyment. The device has been teased for quite some time. Now, it’s finally time to get a good and close up look at the device from all angles. This is the next best thing from touching it folks. We can feel gamers around the world beginning to tingle with excitement, as the device becomes more and more of a reality. Hit the break for more info and check out the butload (yes, that’s a quantity) of pics, plus videos of Engadget’s excellent preview for the Play and let us know what you think in the comments below. Read More…
Concept phones are a love/hate sort of thing: you love what they bring to the table, but you hate the fact that you might never see it materialize. The latest shows an HTC-made “Cartridge Phone” that would allow you to switch between several operating systems – including Android and Windows Phone 7 – by switching cartridges in and out. In a perfect world, we’d all want that phone. I’m not even sure if it’s technically possible, but licensing issues alone would get in the way. But if someone is able to make a reality out of this, let me know: I’ll be the first in line. [Yanko via Android Community]
A team of engineers at SSTL and the Surrey Space Centre in Guildford want to see if the sophisticated capabilities in today’s mobile phones can function in the most challenging environment of all: space.
Why are they doing this you might be asking? Shaun Kenyon, the project manager at SSTL, said, “They come now with processors that can go up to 1GHz, and they have loads of flash memory. First of all, we want to see if the phone works up there, and if it does, we want to see if the phone can control a satellite.”
Although the specific phone model to be used hasn’t been announced yet, SSTL wants to use the phone to control a 30cm-long satellite and take pictures of the Earth in the mission later this year. If this works, it could potentially save tons of money and weight for future similar projects in space.
The team chose Android because of its open source software, which means they can tweak it if need be.
“We’re not taking it apart; we’re not gutting it; we’re not taking out the printed circuit boards and re-soldering them into our satellite – we’re flying it as is,” Kenyon explained. ”And, in fact, we’re going to have another camera on the satellite so we can take a picture of the phone because we want to operate the screen and have some good images of that as well.”
All I know is I can’t wait to see pictures of this Android smartphone in space! What device do you think they’ll choose? Let us know in the comments.
Just yesterday we got word that an update was poised for release on the Nexus S and that it would fix the SMS bug seeing text messages sent to the wrong contact, and now several of you readers have reported in to inform us that the update is starting to reach handsets now. Never mind that yesterday we heard it wouldn’t be out until next week, the update bring the version number on Android on the Nexus S to 2.3.2.
Update is going out over-the-air right now, so hang tight and it should hit your Nexus S shortly if you have one.
This is hands down one of the coolest concepts I’ve ever seen. Pictured above is a concept rendering of a “Flip” phone, which was designed by Kristian Ulrich Larsen. The Android device would have THREE physical displays that can be manipulated a number of ways, which you can see pictures of after the break.
Continue on to watch a video of this dreamy concept phone and let us know what you think in the comments!
Keep in mind, this is just a rendering. Hopefully this beauty becomes more of a reality in the future, though.
The latest in crazy, whacky concepts is pretty neat – a triple display phone that’s running Android and can fold and bend for different uses. It can be transformed from your traditional slate up to a pyramid of sorts to give you a blocky space-age looking device. And this concept is said to include a full QWERTY keyboard somewhere, but I’m not sure exactly how one would access it.
It’s not that I wouldn’t want something like this to take off – I’m all for the theme that seems to have taken 2011 by storm, innovation – but is this practical enough to be picked up by an R&D firm? I don’t think so. At least not for the foreseeable future. For now, it’s something cool to look at. You can do just that by hitting the play button below. [via Engadget]
We’ve been keeping an eye out for more info on the Giorgio Armani special edition of the Galaxy S for quite some time now. If you want to pay extra for a version of your phone that doesn’t do anything extra but has a flashy UI, a pricey name, and looks fancy, you’ll enjoy the pictures located at the source link. They got a hands-on and took some nice pictures, so we can see it up close now. It’s definitely snazzy, but is it worth the extra money? Sound off in the comments.
I’m a relatively new Android user, having gotten my HTC EVO 4G in early September of last year. However, before switching to Android from the iPhone (and let me say, thank GAWD I did), I did tons of research on the benefits on Android, and one thing that kept coming up was rooting. Rooting, if you’re unaware, basically gives you superuser access to your phone, removing certain protections put upon your phone by carriers or manufacturers. Some phones are easier to root than others, and I was pleased to see that the EVO could be rooted fairly easily (thanks to the wonderful folks on the Unrevoked team).
This definitely falls under the “now why didn’t I think of that?” category. Ever had your phone battery die while en route to an important party or event, only to show up to a bunch of pretty upset people, wondering where the heck you’ve been, and why couldn’t they get a hold of you? Last Resort has you covered so this kind of mishap doesn’t happen again. At a predetermined percentage of your battery, the app will send preselected contacts a text message explaining that your battery is about to die and then displays a custom message of your choice.
So, if you’re one who would find this app useful, as we suspect most will, then head on over to our apps database for more info and for download. The app will run you .99 cents, but we’re sure you feel the same way that we do when we say that’s a small price to pay for convenience and peace of mind. Don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments below. Hit break for a list of features and more screen shots. Read More…
Looking to by one of the hot new phones Verizon announced in the last 2 weeks? After the break is an interesting Info-graphic breaking down the Droid Bionic, iPhone4 and HTC Thunderbolt.
My friends, I have seen the beauty of Honeycomb (Android 3.0) and now there is nothing on the market today or in the next couple of months that can convince me to buy anything before the release of 3.0. It is a smart and sexy design – this Honeycomb.
I have been lusting for Gingerbread for a long time. I could not wait, I had to have it. I installed it on my Evo 4G as soon as there was a half-baked rom available. Well, that love has been destroyed. Every version of Android that has been released to this point has left me wanting just a little bit more. I’ve wanted a more attractive UI. A refresh that sets Android so far apart from the competition that all the competition could do was scratch their heads and say, “What now?”
Honeycomb does it for me. And as we have learned, Honeycomb is not just for tablets. If you haven’t watched the interview Engadget did with Matias Duarte, Android’s Director of User Experience, go watch it here (just a warning, this is a 25 minute interview). If you want to skip ahead to verify my claim of not being just for tablets, skip ahead to roughly 10:15 in the video.
While at CES there were two phones that just blew me away….I even contemplated switching from Sprint to AT&T just to get my hands on the Atrix 4G. The LG Optimus 2X is also incredibly desirable to me. Neither phone came with 2.3 installed (although LG may very well end up getting 2.3 installed quickly). The Atrix 4G on the other hand will most likely be stuck at Android 2.2 for a while. I am not going to go off on Motorola for this. Seeing as they have added the Webtop environment to the Atrix (enabling the laptop feature to work well) it would be foolish of us to believe that Motorola will be updating quickly. *I would love to be wrong about this, and maybe with their early access to Honeycomb they will surprise us all.* It’s just a fact of life, any addition to the Android OS – Blur, Sense, TouchWiz, etc leads to extended wait times for updates to the newest version. The Webtop environment will most likely cause delays as well.
This is the reason that I have chosen to not purchase another phone and certainly not allow myself to fall victim of the $299.00 Galaxy Tabs temptation. T-Mobile shared this video with the world on youtube. This is what I have been waiting for. I have lost my love for Froyo and Gingerbread, my next phone/tablet must be Honeycomb. Below is a video that T-Mobile posted showing off the LG G-Slate which we covered yesterday.
Sammy appears to be readying another LTE-ready device for MetroPCS, this time in the form of a QWERTY slider called the Forte. The device will feature a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 5MP camera, TouchWiz, and will ship with Android 2.2 with the possibility of a 2.3 upgrade down the line.
Not much else is known, including pricing and availability, so stay tuned.
TechCrunch and Bloomberg have been suggesting that a couple of “facebook phone” are being developed, and one of which is being made by INQ. Just recently, INQ placed a mobile phone spec sheet to the FCC for Bluetooth certification, which it now has as well. That handset name is the INQ Cloud Touch, and speculation is now that this is the first of at least 2 facebook phones we’ll see in the near future. The INQ Cloud Touch is described as:
An Android smartphone built to make messaging faster and smarter. It’s designed around the way people naturally communicate and has Facebook built into its core. The homescreen features multiple entry points to different Facebook functions, while a dynamic widget displays a feed of status updates, albums, videos and photos.
The mockup shown above displays a touchscreen with full QWERTY, which was one of the designs rumored by Bloomberg. As far as we know, this device will be running Android as well, which allows them to play with a custom UI, allowing all kinds of facebook features. Which carrier(s) will get this device is unknown, but a European launch may be likely as it would be home turf for INQ out of London. AT&T has also been rumored to provide the facebook phone in the US, but no details or confirmation have been given by any party. We’re sure to hear something soon though now that this has made its way to the web.
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