Archive for December, 2008

If you’re the type of person who just can’t stand not being able to take things apart, solder wires, and put things back together working even better than when you disassembled them, then here is some fun news for you. Now you can connect your T-Mobile G1 to your iPod dock! All you need is some knowledge of how to solder wires, and this step by step guide posted here at webnetta.com. We all know that this is completely unnecessary, but it is pretty cool to say the least. Plus, when all your friends come over, you can be the only one of the group who can charge your G1 on your iPod dock! Yay! [AndroidCentral]

With all the hype about Android devices, companies are leaving the cunsumers on the edge of their seats to find out what the next Android devices to be released will be. Well the word around town is that Samsung will be releasing Android Devices to both T-Mobile and Sprint in Q2. Both of these devices are supposedly going to resemble the Amnia and Instinct, which generally feature a large screen and small buttons. We will keep you posted on any updates as they are released, only at AndroidTrek.com. [AndroidCentral]

Today in Android Cell Phone News, things just keep getting better and better everyday for Android Cell Phone fans. Sanjay Jha, who is the CEO of the Mobile Devices group at Motorola, has confirmed the once rumor that Motorola will stop making phones for the Symbian Operating System and the UIQ user interface, and will now only be running Windows Mobile and Android. For all of the Android Fans out there and PC lovers - this is great news! Honestly, I believe that Motorola just fits the Android scheme of things altogether. [AndroidCentral]

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]

Well here is the shoe we have been waiting to drop. The beloved G1 has come under fire lately due to the apparent inability to turn the data roaming off during trips across seas resulting in unwanted charges. We have recently reported that a man was recently charged ~$100.00 roaming fees while in the UK after he was told by a T-Mobile rep that he would not be charged. T-Mobile has finally issued a statement that should clear up any confusion. In short, they say any users with the base G1 with no added applications should have no problem turning the data roaming abilities off, however there are some third party applications that may be downloaded from the popular Android Market that require internet access and will automatically override settings and turn the data roaming on when in use. Customers are cautioned to research whether or not any application will use this feature prior to downloading and be aware of it’s functionality before travelling abroad. Sorry G1 and T-Mobile guess we were kind of hard on ya…

T-Mobile Statement->T-Mobile is committed to delivering the best experience in wireless to our customers. If a T-Mobile customer would like to use their T-Mobile G1 while outside the country, they should contact Customer Care before they leave to ask that the World Class feature be added to their service at no additional charge. If they choose, customers can also disable data roaming on the G1. This can be done by going through the following steps: Home Screen > Menu > Settings > Wireless Controls > Mobile Networks > Data Roaming.

Wow, it seems someone is having second thoughts about getting in bed with Android. We reported earlier that Sprint CEO Dan Hesse was quoted telling a group of reporters that the Android platform was not “good enough to put the Sprint brand on it”. Well… La Di Da… Dan…
It seems that Google and Sprint have kissed and made up since Rich Miner, Google’s vice president of mobile technology, gets his very own keynote. I wonder if this means a Sprint/Android phone is soon to come out. Sprint also announced that it will put more resources in its Titan open source platform that will allow coders to build java apps for Sprint’s Windows Mobile phones.

Well reported the other day about the new developer version the T-Mobile G1 with for the low, price of $399.00. If you already have the G1 and need, or want the Developer’s benefits (software & hardware unlocked), then you can go here to get the instructions to achieve your goal. Hats off to the hackers who extracted the bootloader making the procedure known for the rest of us mortals. This is for those who already have root access and are not scared to mod their G1. A word to the weary though, if you brick your phone you are going to have crawl back to T-Mobile, tail between your legs, begging for forgiveness and hoping they will re-activate your smartphone.

[modmygphone]