Ah… the rumors do seem to run rampid at the close of the 2008 year. Well we reported earlier that Motorola was developing mid level and high end handsets for the Android platform but would not come out with anything until late in 2009. Now there is talk from Spain that Motorola is abandoning Symbian all together. The Symbian/Motorola relationship was tentative at best with most of Motorola’s eggs in the UIQ basket that fell to the wayside with Symbian’s transition to an open platform. Motorola’s timetable does not seem to have changed with release dates for the Android based handsets slated for Q4 of 2009. We still think this is giving the competition a big jump as far as market exposure. Hope we don’t have to tell Moto “We told you so”. But on the optimistic side, Motorola and Android seem to be a good pair and we look forward to seeing what their offspring will bring.

We told you yesterday about the “cupcake” branch of development and we are already seeing the nifty little upgrades that are coming out. We came across this video demonstration of a soft keyboard on the G1. One handed texting will soon be a reality on T-Mobile’s G1 and could hit as soon as January 2009. Check out the vid and tell us what you think!

Related Android Trek Posts

1.5 Million G1 Phones Ordered!! on October 13th, 2008

Aardvark to Carry MS Exchange Torch for Android on October 31st, 2008

Android Application Zooms in on Apple Remote Capability on October 11th, 2008

Android Kernel Gets "Cupcake" Update on December 18th, 2008

Android Treks Across Asia and Australia on November 5th, 2008

Google’s development team has released notes on the new “Cupcake” developmental branch which will roll out a rather large drop of changes in the near future and smaller drops later on that will improve on the core Android platform. The upgrades are broken down into subsets that include but are not limited to: Applications, Download Manager, Framework, Bluetooth, Systems Software, Radio and Telephony, Developer tools and build systems. For a more detailed breakdown visit the Android Developers Web Site here. All new code is reported as being formally merged with the master branch of the newer code base, therefore nothing reported should be lost. Hopefully we will see said improvements soon.

Android Market now has the new My Maps Editor by Google. My Maps Editor will allow users to customize their Google maps on Android powered handset. Users can create, edit, share and view customized maps as well as synchronize the maps with the My Maps tab on Google Maps.
You can take your desktop maps on a road trip and update and personalize the map on the go. The application gives control over markers, lines and shapes on the map. Also supported is geo-tagging , allowing you to post photos taken with the phone. Changes are conveniently, and automatically synchronized with your phone so you won’t have to upload any changes. We liked it. Did you?

[androidcommunity]

We all remember Jeffrey Sharkey, the developer who won a ton of $$ from Google for his CompareEverywhere software. Guess who decided to put Mr. Sharkey on the payroll. Before he starts at his new job at Google, he has been coding overtime to finish up on OilCan. OilCan is essentially “Greasemonkey on Steroids” for the Android platform. Oilcan is used to customize any website.
Oilcan can make JavaScript call to scan a barcode, or launch into Maps or other Android Apps. Greasemonkey scripts can customize websites to the users’ personal tastes that can help when dealing with small mobile screens by shredding excess columns and margins. There are currently thousands for GreaseMonkey scripts available today. If you would like to educate yourself there is an OilCan site with more information. Download OilCan here by following this link from your G1 browser.

The Visa Mobile Application showed its face on the Android Market recently marking the first financial application for the Android platform from a big name company. Currently available for Chase Visa cardholders, you can get real time alerts to track purchases making sure that there is no “Unauthorized” use of your card. You will also have the ability to get coupons via your phone to be displayed on the screen at retail counters to receive the discounts. The application will also have a store locator to show where to go to redeem offers.
Keep in mind that this is a BETA version of the software that comes with a huge disclaimer stating “unfortunately, no data transmission via a mobile handset can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.” Use at your own risk. The general consensus is that this is just a bolt hole in case T-Mobile unintentionally breaches their security protocols. It should prove to be a useful and popular application with 4 out o f5 stars and has gotten some good online press. Test it out and let us know what you think.

Check out this image (Thanks to ModMyGphone.com) of China’s pet Android project, code named the OPhone. The OPhone is a cooperative endeavor by Lenovo and China Mobile that will utilize a version of the Android OS melded with TD SCDMA (China’s choice 3Gstandard) known as China Mobile’s OMS or Open Mobile System. China Mobile has been working on the OMS for a while and knows the importance of a proprietary handset Os. An inside source has been quoted. ,”Given these(iPhone, Android, Symbian) developments, it is becoming very clear that developing a proprietary handset operating system is essential for dominance of the mobile Internet market in China. At the moment, China Mobile is in a comparatively weak position without its own operating system. With its own operating system, China Mobile will be able to commission customized phones from handset makers and keep its hand strong in negotiations over profit sharing. There is even the possibility that China Mobile may move into manufacturing handsets itself.”
Not much is known about this phone other than what can be concluded from the visual. The OPhone has a large touchscreen interface, and what appears to be a single hardware ‘Home’ button.
From the picture it looks like the Chinese have got it right. Hopefully more handset makers will follow suit.
[modmygphone.com]