Archive for April, 2010

Google has taken the liberty of redesigning their image search for the Android Platform as well as iPhone 3.0+. The new design is optimized for these Operating Systems, and includes several changes. Not only does this new design take into account the small-screen format of using image search on a phone, but Google has also focus on improving the service by maximizing the number of thumbnails that can appear on a screen at once.

The HTC Incredible has arrived today. If you pre-ordered the device, then you should be receiving yours by the end of the day. If you didn’t – then you had better rush out and grab your before your Verizon Store sells the small supply that they received. To sum up some of the features of the Droid Incredible, it features:

We are all looking forward to the release of the new ‘Froyo’ build of the Android Operating System. One of the biggest fixes that we will see is the OS’s ability to support Flash. According to a lead engineer, support for Adobe Flash will be implemented in Android 2.2. It was then confirmed by Andy Rubin, VP of engineering, that Android 2.2 ‘Froyo’ will include support for Adobe’s Flash System.

Everyday we hear more about the growing number of Android-based phones circulating on the market. All of the large carriers are beginning to use the technology, and it seems that the trend is beginning to manifest itself in the numbers. According to a recent study, Android has a growing popularity rate by 32% every year. Admob was recently acquired by Google for $750 million. The company released it’s March 2010 Mobile Metrics report today, and the results are promising, to say the least.

In 2009, Facebook had launched their first Android application. Fans were thrilled to be able to access their facebook profiles via mobile phone, but unfortunately the app lacked any method to check a user’s inbox for new messages. This problem was solved with the addition of an ‘inbox’ button on the Android Facebook app version 1.2.

Garmin is set to release their first phone on T-Mobile later this year. Their first release will obviously be focused as a navigation-specific smartphone – a successor to the Nuvifone A50 which shipped out late 2009. The newer release will run on Google’s Android OS which will feature Garmin’s Navigation UI on top of it.

Hero users have been expecting an up-and-coming Android update to 2.1 for quite some time now. This OS update was originally supposed to take place in February, and was to bring the HTC Hero up to using the Android 2.1 OS. Unfortunately, the update has yet to take place, and is not said to take place sometime in June.

“Starting in June, anyone owning an HTC Hero will receive an initial preparatory update, shortly followed by the full Éclair update.”

As always, we’ll keep you updated on any developments regarding the Update. [theRegister]

We’ve all been waiting for the HTC Incredible, and it seems that the device has finally revealed itself to the world. Verizon Wireless will be featuring the new HTC Droid Incredible as a new addition to it’s line of performance Android smartphones. First there was the Droid, and now there is the Droid Incredible, and it seems that this device is going to be the one to beat now. The specs on this Android phone are simply mouthwatering:

* Android 2.1
* Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor running at 1 Ghz
* 3.7″, 480×800 screen
* 8 GB of internal storage
* MicroSD slot supports up to 16GB card
* 8 megapixel camera (stills and video capture)
* Optical joystick

Not to mention HTC’s sense UI being used on the phone and featuring 7 customizable home screens for easy access to all of the Droid Incredible’s features. The HTC Incredible will be available on Verizon Wireless on April 29th, and the device will be $199 with a two year contract. We’ll bring you more on this and other Android news only at AndroidTrek.com. [Verizon]

Android phones on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks can now use the Vonage World Mobile application which was previously limited to the iPhone, iTouch, and BlackBerry phones. This program is a VoIP which is unique as it allows you to make calls with crystal clear clarity to over 60 countries worldwide for a rate of only $24.99 a month, which trumps over your basic cellular service plans offered today. Vonage World Mobile works over Cellular phone service, Wi-Fi, and 3G connections, but is currently limited to GSM networks (AT&T and T-Mobile), as explained in the following statement made by Vonage:

“We cannot specifically address a time-line for adding these additional platforms but we will continue to expand our offerings in 2010 to include a robust set of voice and messaging services that utilize Wi-Fi and 3G wireless networks. We chose to focus on the GSM portion of the Android market first because GSM is the most popular standard for mobile telephone systems in the world.”

Vonage World Mobile can be downloaded on the Android Market or through the “Get Vonage Mobile” link which can be found on the source page. Just install the free application, set-up your service, and you’re ready to make unlimited international calls. [via Vonage]