Archive for November, 2009

Hooray for Acer! The company that once made ::cough::mediocre::cough:: computers, but is now shining with vibrant colors with their awesome up and coming Acer Liquid, is now planning to build even more Android phones in 2010. For nearly all their cell phone endevours in the past, they have been willingly loyal to Windows Mobile. But now, it looks like Acer’s lineup for the year is going to be more balanced. To quote Acer:

“There is definitely momentum behind Android. The pace is faster than most would have anticipated one year ago,”

In Travis terms, this means that they’re definitely planning a stiff 8-10 lineup of Android Operated phones. So once again, Hooray for acer! [AndroidCentral]

Have you heard the news? Best buy will be selling Android based phones for $99 each on black friday, and to all of you cell phone users who have been planning on picking up an Android phone lately, but haven’t wanted to drop the cash to do so, now is your chance. The $99 Android phones that will be available are:

• Sprint HTC Hero
• Samsung Moment (Sprint)
• T-Mobile myTouch 3G
• Motorola CLIQ (T-Mobile)
• Droid Eris (Verizon)

So there you have it. The lineup. If there was ever a time to invest in an Android phone, now is the time. So on Black Friday, head to Best Buy, and enjoy your newfound toy, whichever one you may choose. [AndroidCentral]

If you’re an avid reader of Google News, you might have noticed a mobile facelift of the news aggregator on your Android devices. That’s because Google just released the new Google News for Mobile (Android, iPhone, Palm Pre) and as Google explains it:

This new version provides the same richness and personalization on your phone as Google News provides on desktop. Our new homepage displays more stories, sources, and images while keeping a familiar look and feel. Also, you can now reach your favorite sections, discover new ones, find articles and play videos in fewer clicks. If you are an existing Google News reader on desktop, you will find that all of your personalizations are honored in this mobile version too.

We think it’s a pretty good translation for the Android screen but then again, we’re not hardcore Google News users. What do you guys think? [AndroidCentral]

We’ve seen the Dell ‘Streak’ Android MID before. It’s a 5-inch Android-powered MID that packs a 800×480 capacitive touchscreen, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash and runs Android 2.0. Why is it news again? Because there are reports floating around that point the Dell Streak to AT&T in 2010. Yep, the US company that didn’t release their first Android phone in the US and the carrier that has ignored Android altogether, are together for one device. Guess it kind of makes sense.

This is especially interesting considering Dell’s first Android smartphone, the Mini 3i, is giving priority to China and Brazil. We guess if Dell decides to launch the Streak in the States, we could forgive them for leaving us in the dark about the Mini 3i. [AndroidCentral]

One of the cooler applications on the iPhone, Bump, has finally found its way to Android. If you’ve never heard of Bump before, it’s okay for now, but the potential of the application and the all-around cool factor is definitely worth remembering. Bump allows you to share contact information and photos between two phones just by ‘bumping’ (tapping) them together. It’s an uber-quick way to exchange phone numbers and pretty much genius in its execution, you’ll definitely wonder how come it doesn’t come stock on all phones after you use it.

All you have to do is fire up the app and you’ll be ‘bumping’ in no time. As Bump grows in popularity, it’ll become even more useful because people you bump into at coffee shops, meetings, conferences, etc. can just ‘bump’ you their information just as easily. The best thing is that the Android ‘Bump’ works with the iPhone ‘Bump’–Bump is cross-platform. Go download it in Android Market and get to bumping! [AndroidCentral]

November 6th, 2009 - Droid Day - It’s FINALLY here. After seeing all the commercials, all the leaked pictures, and gathering al the information–you can finally go and get one yourself! The Motorola DROID is available for $199 with new 2-year contract and the DROID Eris is available for $99 with new 2-year contract. Both phones are amazing, both phones will be on Verizon.

If you’re looking to save a buck or two, Wal-Mart is offering the DROID for $188 with new 2-year contract. And as you already know, Best Buy and Verizon Retail stores are selling the DROID today as well. Go get yours!

The DROID Eris is available for $99 but if you’re looking to score one off-contract, it’ll cost you $499.99 at Best Buy Mobile. [AndroidCentral]

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 (that’s what it’s called now) has been officially unveiled and the details are now clear for this most anticipated device. Everything we saw leaked and loved is there–Android, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4-inch touchscreen, 8.1 megapixel camera, and of course, the ‘Rachael’ UI. Everything about the hardware is still the same–beautiful lines, slight curves, and an overall stunning design. So what’s the news?

Sony Ericsson is planning a whole line of these ‘Rachael’-powered devices with the XPERIA X10 being the flagship device. The ‘Rachael’ UI might even pop up on other operating systems like Symbian and maybe even WinMob. All of these ‘Rachael’-powered devices will likely show up in the first half of 2010 (so DROID, you have nothing to worry about…yet)

Sony Ericsson added their own touch to Android 1.6 and we’re really impressed with some of their concepts. They’re introducing Timescape, a MOTOBLUR-esque social networking integration that streamlines all of your social networks. Mediascape, which is the beautiful music application we saw yesterday. And face recognition, which will allow for automated photo tagging by recognizing your friends after they’ve been tagged by you and will even allow you to call friends when you tap on their face when viewing a picture. [AndroidCentral]