Video Calling: The Future of Android?

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Since at least the days of the Jetsons, we've expected that video phones would someday be the standard method of communication. While several videophones have launched over the last decade-and-change, none of them have managed to gain any popularity. Skype allows video chatting, and for the last few years webcam equipped notebooks have acted as a sort of poor man's overly-bulky video phone.

Now Saygus has launched an Android smartphone that claims to be the first mobile in America with 2-way video calling. On its own, the Saygus is fairly easy to dismiss as a gimmick. It's got a middling processor and nothing else to set it apart as 'special'. After reading this Android & Me report about Google's Gizmo 5 acquisition, however, things were thrown into stark relief.

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Posted on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:12:50 CST | by Robert Evans

Saygus Android Phone is First with 2-way Video Calling

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Saygus has announced a new Android-powered smartphone called the Saygus VPhone that claims to be the first device in America with 2-way video calling capability. The handset is expected to be offered as a CDMA handset on Verizon's Open Development Initiative.

The two cameras on the device include a 5MP main camera with autofocus and flash and a VGA forward facing camera for video calling. The handset also has WiFi, USB, and Bluetooth tethering that allows up to eight devices to connect as an access point. Read more

Posted on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Dell Android MID on AT&T in 2010?

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AT&T customers are in an odd position. Their carrier has a host of issues in actually delivering the coverage it promises. But, at the same time, ATT users have access to some of the hottest mobile gadgets in the world. And, if Digitimes is correct, they're about to get one more.

A Chinese-language newspaper, the Commercial Times reported that Dell has outsourced all Mini 3 smartphone production to Foxconn. They've also decided to rely on Quisda for the production of their new MID line-up. We've heard rumors before of a Dell Android MID, and now it appears that the company is actually working on a series of such devices.

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Posted on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:47:31 CST | by Robert Evans

ICD To Unveil Android Tablet At CES 2010

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While all the analysts and bloggers speculate over the iTablet and the Courier, ICD has a tablet PC heading for CES 2010 that actually exists. And it runs Android 2.0, which adds about 15 extra points to its Geek Cred. While CNet says that full details won't emerge until CES 2010, the company has already put out a thorough PDF about the product.

The tablet, named Vega, will come in 7", 11", and 15.6" versions. The resistive touchscreen will be capable of displaying 262,000 colors, and the whole tablet will be powered by an Nvidia Tegra processor. It'll have 512 MB of RAM and 512 MB of NAND Flash memory. Video conferencing will be possible with this tablet, thanks to its front-facing 1.3 MP camera. While the internal memory on this thing is going to suck, you will be able to use a 32 GB micro SD card to store your media.

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Posted on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:33:40 CST | by Robert Evans

Holiday Deal: Cheap Sprint Android Phones At Best Buy

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If you're a Sprint customer with a hankering for an Android smartphone, you need to roll on down to your local Best Buy while the holiday season is still in full swing. We reported yesterday that the retailer was offering the HTC Hero for only $99. Now we've learned that this deal didn't extend only to the Hero. Best Buy is doing a special holiday discount for all Sprint Android phones.

To be fair, that only includes two devices right now. The HTC Hero and the Samsung Moment both cost just $99 now with a 2-year contract. Since this is Best Buy we're talking about, you don't even need to worry about rebates. $99 is all you pay out of pocket. Since both phones were priced at $179, this is one hell of a deal for Sprint customers.

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Posted on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:45:20 CST | by Robert Evans

ZiiLabs To Make 1 GHz Android Smartphone?

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Ah, ZiiLabs, makers of the ill-fated but sexy ZiiEgg. Their first big Android device flopped, because no OEM was willing to buy and brand it. The company isn't going to quit there, though. At the Zii Summit 2009 the company is set to unveil a tablet PC, netbook, portable e-reader, and a "phone with fully featured Android platform".

Android and Me states that this new Android smartphone is likely to pack Zii's latest invention, the ZMS-08 CPU. The ZMS-08 is fair competition for NVIDIA's Tegra processor, as well as the Snapdragon processor.

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Posted on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:28:43 CST | by Robert Evans

Samsung Galaxy Spica I5700 Android Smartphone Now Official

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Samsung officially introduced its new Galaxy Spica I5700 smartphone. The handset offers powerful Android features with lots of connectivity and access to Google mobile services. The Spica can access Facebook and MySpace.

The Spica has an 800MHz processor and operates on the HSDPA 3.6Mbps networks and on EDGE/GPRS networks. The handset runs Android 1.5 and has a 3.2-inch HVGA 320 x 480 screen and a 3MP camera. Read more

Posted on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Droid Speaker Glitch Spotted?

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Well, it looks like the very first glitch in the Motorola Droid smartphone has come to light. Engadget reports that a number of Droid users have encountered a very peculiar problem. Every so often, the external speakers on the phone will cut out and die for no apparent reason. So far, all signs point to this being a software issue and not a problem with the Droid's hardware itself.

If you encounter this issue with your Droid, try restarting it. Some users have found that a restart fixes the problem temporarily. A more permanent fix will have to wait for a patch from Motorola. If you can't hold on that long, Moto is replacing all effected handsets.

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Posted on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:05:35 CST | by Robert Evans

Android 2.0 Source Is Available And Runs Already On The G1

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The source code of Android 2.0 that the Droid is running has been released and apparently one Android developer already got the new Android OS to run on the T-Mobile G1.
There was some discussion of the new Android 2.0 release could run on the old G1, but it can. Apparently it took only a couple hours to get Android 2.0 to work on the G1, only video/audio playback is not working yet. Read more

Posted on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

250,000 Droid Sales?

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The Motorola Droid is no iPhone killer, but that doesn't mean it hasn't already been a massive success. Initial estimates of first-weekend sales were around 100,000 and that total is believed to have almost tripled in the ensuing week. WHERE (via BGR) has registered around 25,000 Droid handsets now active on their tracking system. Since WHERE's penetration is around 10%, this means around 250,000 Droid smartphones.

That may not seem too impressive when compared to the million+ opening weekend sales common to the iPhone. For a normal smartphone, a quarter-of-a-million sales in this span of time is excellent. Moto's handset isn't going to topple the status quo, but it might be enough to keep the ailing manufacturer alive and solvent.

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Posted on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:42:26 CST | by Robert Evans

Samsung Behold II OLED Android Phone Launches Nov. 18th on T-Mobile

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Samsung and T-Mobile unveiled the Behold II OLED Android phone in early October. Today T-Mobile announced that the Samsung Behold II will be available on November 18th in U.S. T-Mobile retail stores.

Available exclusively from T-Mobile USA, the Behold II SGH-t939 is the first phone from T-Mobile to feature a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen for crisper colors and wider viewing angles, which is paired with a 5MP camera with autofocus, zoom, flash, five shooting modes and video capabilities. The Behold II features Samsung's 3D cube menu providing access to six multimedia features: music, photos, videos, the Web, YouTube and Amazon MP3 for music downloads.
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Posted on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:30:45 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Official: Flash Comes To Android In First Half Of 2010

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Alright, so we pretty much knew this already. Flash has been expected to hit at some point in early 2010 for a while now. Now, however, we've got official word from Adobe on the Flash download site. TmoNews has found that, if you now attempt to download flash player on the T-Mobile G1, you will be prompted by a screen that contains this text;

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Posted on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:50:17 CST | by Robert Evans

Motorola Droid Dismantled, Photographed In The Nude

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I hate to be the bearer of crude news, but the following article is basically going to be high-tech gadget porn. The borderline-mad scientists over at PhoneWreck have finally gotten their hands on a brand new Droid to take apart and ogle. As expected, the Droid is a breathtaking assortment of tightly packed circuits and well-machined metal. Staring at it brings one word to mind; labyrinthine.

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Posted on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:00:52 CST | by Robert Evans

Analyst Says: 100,000 Droids Solid Opening Weekend

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If you'd asked me six months ago, I'd have said Motorola was on the fast train to bankruptcy-town. After the astonishing success of the Razr, the company fell into a sharp decline and saw their market share drop like a stone. Now, though, it appears as if it was far too early to count Moto down. They've come back swinging with the new Droid. And, so far, their Android flagship seems poised to bring the company back to solvency.

Bloomberg reports that an analyst has estimated that 100,000 Droids sold over the first weekend of sales. That's far, far below the type of opening-weekend sales we've seen for the iPhones, but for any other smartphone its extremely good. The Droid isn't going to become the sort of worldwide phenomena that the iPhone is, but that doesn't mean it won't be extremely successful.

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Posted on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:45:35 CST | by Robert Evans

Secure Mobile Payment App for Android Unveiled

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Charge Anywhere has announced the first secure mobile payment application for the Android platform. The payment solution and payment gateway service Charge Anywhere for Android is now available. Android mobile phones can now be used as payment acceptance devices and the app is available through the Android Market.

The app has a touch screen interface and allows merchants to quickly accept credit and debit card transactions at the point of sale via the smartphone. The software also supports an optional Bluetooth printer for printing receipts. Read more

Posted on Mon, 9 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Slacker Radio Launches For Android

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Just in case Pandora wasn't good enough for you, Slacker, Inc. (one of the best names for a company ever) has just announced the launch of their Slacker Radio app for Android. Users with Android smartphones can now download the app from the App Market. Like most other custom radio apps, Slacker is 100% free to download and use.

Slacker Radio sets itself apart from the herd by offering several cool features not seen on similar applications. Artist biographies, album reviews, and song lyrics are available to users at a glance, and the app also contains the ability to 'peek ahead' and preview music. The app also lets users totally ban artists and songs from their station.

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Posted on Fri, 6 Nov 2009 08:14:11 CST | by Robert Evans

Droid Only $149.99 With Contract On Sale At Sears Online [Update]

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Verizon Wireless launched the Motorola Droid Android 2.0 smartphone today. The Verizon Online store offers a cool user interface for purchasing the Droid, but it costs you $199.99. I just saw on the Sears site that they sell the Droid with contract for only $149.99 because of a $50 instant discount for new Verizon Wireless customers.
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Posted on Fri, 6 Nov 2009 07:33:27 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

The Droid Is On Sale

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Today is a big day for Verizon Wireless and for Google's Android, the hottest Android smartphone is going on sale. You can already buy the Droid on the Verizon Wireless site for $199.99 with 2 year contract or $559.99 with month-to-month ($35 Line activation fee applies).

Verizon Wireless really went all out for the Droid. The Droid shopping pages even resemble the horizontal sliding screens of the Droid UI. It is actually fun to shop for the Droid and its available plans. Read more

Posted on Fri, 6 Nov 2009 04:39:29 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Droid Gets Reviewed By Mossberg And Pogue

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Celeb gadget reviewers Walt Mossberg from the WSJ and David Pogue from the NY Times have also filed their take on the upcoming Verizon Droid from Motorola.
Droid reviews have already been out since last week, but of course it is interesting to see what Mossberg and Pogue have to say about the Droid.
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Posted on Thu, 5 Nov 2009 08:46:01 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Motorola Droid: $188 At Wal-Mart?

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This Friday is the day Android fans around the globe have been waiting for. The Motorola Droid is about to launch, and scores of Android fanboys will (presumably) be lining the streets to get first dibs on their new handsets. While the Droid is definitely a smartphone worth lining up for, you might want to be careful choosing which store to line up in front of.

If you'd planned on picking your Droid up from a Verizon store, you seriously need to reconsider those plans. There the Droid will cost you $299.99 out of pocket, with a $100 rebate redeemable afterwords. As we reported earlier, Best Buy will sell you the Droid for just $199.99, with no rebate hassle of any sort. In addition, Android and Me states that a tipster has informed them that Wal-Mart will be selling the Droid for a total price of just $188 with a 2 year contract. Read more

Posted on Thu, 5 Nov 2009 06:58:54 CST | by Robert Evans

HTC Droid Eris Gets Unboxed Already

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The 2nd Android phone in the Verizon Wireless Droid series is called Eris and is still not official, but a lot about the lower cost Droid has been leaked already.
BGR received and posted several unboxing photos of the HTC Eris. Read more

Posted on Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:45:41 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr