Planet Android

There’s a rumor running around the blogosphere that T-Mobile is fast at work on the 3G network for major rollout in the 4th quarter.  We’re talking about cities and markets like Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, San Diego, Tampa, Seattle, San Francisco, L.A, Miami, Minneapolis, Orlando, Detroit, and more.

Now, it’s not really a surprise that they would be building up their network.  It’s just a matter of time before these cities get their T-Mobile upgrades.  The news comes in the fact that they are expediting it to hit in the same time frame as the HTC Dream handset.  The Dream is the first Android-based device to come from a founding partner of the Open Handset Alliance.

Launching 3G in 20 markets at one time is the hot rumor of the day.  Allegedly, T-Mobile will flipping the switch to “ON” for these cities on October 1st.  While we’ve not been able to get anything concrete to back it, the Dream’s launch date is also tied to this date.  This is the first we’ve heard this as almost everything we’ve come across so far is closer to the end of the year.

The first Android device is not something that’s going to come sliding in under the radar.  It’s going to have a lot of fanfare and hype surrounding it.  It’s difficult for us to believe this October launch for the phone.  The network?  Yeah, sure we could see that. It seems more likely that T-Mobile is pushing harder to speed the rollout up specifically for the Dream.

There are going to be a lot of features on Android handsets that will work much smoother with a 3G network. Of course, EDGE will be available, but in order to get the real time updates and location based stuff to work best, it is in T-Mobile’s interest to get the 3G up in as many places as possible. Who wants a device hampered by network capabilities? Well, come to think of it, that didn’t stop people from buying the first iPhone.

Stay tuned to AndroidGuys as we’ll try to dig deeper and bring you more information.

Heh, looks like my new Blogger template is not without bugs -- on the comments page in this case. :) I'll have to fix that ASAP.

Even we think it’s kind of crazy how mere video of Android running on an existing device starts a frenzy that tears across the internet. Really guys, is it that exciting? It wasn’t before but perhaps now it is… because there are directions on how to do it yourself complete with downloadable files and an installer.

The directions on how to install Android on a Nokia N810 Intertnet Table are republished below and come from a variety of soucres (cited at the bottom):

1. Make sure your N810 has the latest software upgrades and is up to date. You should also have a minimum of 110 MB of free space to successfully install Android.
2. Download and save this file to your tablet and then download and install this file to your tablet.
3. Reboot your tablet
4. Start Android from the “Extras” Menu
5. Enjoy!

If you get this going, shoot us a link to a your video of installing this and playing around with it!

[Via IntoMobile, Pocketables, ITT, Random Musings]

As Google gets bigger and bigger, and expanding their reach into different service areas, they are running the risk of conflict of interest.  As it has been said before, Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO has a seat on the Apple board.  He revealed earlier in June, that he has left the room during several Apple board meetings several time when the iPhone comes up.  If you haven’t figured it out yet, Android is practically a direct competitor to the device. Where one is software only and the other is a handset and platform, it would still be like having the head of Wal-Mart sitting in on Target’s discussions.

There are a few other notable Google conflicts with various board members to take note of.

John Doerr sits on the Amazon board.  The web giant offers services which compete with Google’s App Engine.    He also invests on startups writing applications for the Iphone, having tossed some money into the Apple iFund’s $100 million pool.

John Hennessy is a member of Cisco’s board.  This could be an issue as Google and Cisco can’t seem to agree on who should get the biggest swath of the new wireless spectrum.

Sergey Brin’s wife, Ann Wojcicki is a founder of bio startup 23andMe which Google threw a little venture capital towards.

Director Ann Mather served as a board member for Shopping.com before eBay scooped it up.  Don’t forget that eBay and PayPal have a similar agenda to Google Checkout.  She might remember a thing or two from when she worked there.

Source : Portfolio.com

Back in April 08, we told you guys about the first installations of Android on the Nokia N810 Internet tablet.  The steps to get it done did seem a little intimidating, especially for non hackers and crackers.  Forget all that- there’s a brand new and easy to use installer available.

With five simple steps detailed on intomobile, you will have  Android installed on the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet.  Why wait for Q4 to run the new platform?  Go drop a few hundred on a Nokia today and have a half-baked version by lunch time.  Yeah, it’s a little risky, but you’ll look super cool.

I've had blogs before -- the kind where I imagined people wanted to read about me doing my laundry, or the cat's latest biological nonconformity. When I started this one, I decided I'd try to keep the value a bit higher, and only post things that I'd thought through, and proofread a couple times. So far I've done that.

But damn, it turns out blogging is harder than I thought. I just re-read a couple of my most recent posts, and while I'm not unhappy with them, I am not really satisfied with them, either.

I think they're still a bit too long and rambling. The message is in there, but you have to work to find it. This is after what I thought of as an aggressive editing cycle. I think I need to amp it up a notch, and go from aggressive to brutal.

A few days ago, Google released the official Google Talk app for the iPhone and it’s not exactly what you would expect.  The problem I found with it was that in order to receive instant messages, the application needs to be open in your Safari browser.   Otherwise, your status will be changed to “unavailable” when you head off to another browser window or app, only to have your Google Talk session restarted when you return.

It’s a web-based program that does not install onto your device.  On one hand, that’s a great feature, on the other, it’s severely hampered.  What at first seems like a great alternative to using text messages ends up being a useless application.  I often find I have text conversations over the course of a half hour or so if I am planning an evening with friends or figuring out where my wife and I are going to go for dinner.  Here’s the thing  - I will work on plenty of other things during my “conversation” such as taking calls, browsing the internet, and more.  I’m not confined to keeping my SMS program open.

Now, this isn’t Google’s fault.  Rather, it’s a limitation of the Apple SDK.  We all know that Google is not going to start offering this as a program you have to buy to get the full features.  Their mobile team puts out the best app they can with what they are given.  So what’s the deal?  The Apple kit does not allow for applications like this to run in the background.  My guess is that they are working on their own branded messaging client (iChat?) that people can buy through the App Store come July 11th, or later.  Selling something for a few bucks that lets users stay connected to each other.  Whether or not it would be only for iPhone users only is debatable at this point.  AT&T has to be gnashing their teeth over something like this as they want to push their $20 unlimited text package on users.  If Apple comes out with a viable alternative, that’s an awful lot of monthly revenue going out Ma Bell’s window.

Would an Android version of the same program act in similar manner?  Probably not.  An early version of the Android SDK has been hacked onto a Nokia n810 internet tablet.  It’s already known that an XMPP service is running in the background at all times.  This is promising, as it would have programs like Google Talk could be always on.  Seriously, who wants their chat program set up so that the only time you can talk with friends is if both people have the exact same websites up on their phones at the exact same time?

A fully realized version would run in the background.  It would also allow for VoIP conversation.  I might be daydreaming here, but I picture something like this; A phone that jumps to Wi-Fi when it’s available and allows for conversations through GTalk much like the desktop version.  Skype would also be a logical application to take advantage of phones capable of Wi-Fi calling.  It’s a reach, but eBay is a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance and the current owner of Skype.  Maybe Android could see an application coming that will do just those things.  They spent over $2.5 billion dollars for it a couple years ago and have yet to do anything major with it.

I don't like JavaScript 2, ECMAScript 4, or whatever it's called. That doesn't mean I'm taking sides in the ongoing controversy. To the contrary -- I think the controversy is boring and lame. I don't like JS2 because I just don't care.

Actually I'll even go beyond that. If, in say, 7 years, we are still using JavaScript or JS2 to write Ajax applications, I'll be very sad. I don't like JavaScript, as a language. I don't hate JavaScript, but I don't like it as a matter of taste. It doesn't excite me, I don't think it's particularly powerful, it doesn't change the way I think about programming, etc. JavaScript is okay, but it's not great.

So in a way I guess I should be interested in JS2. And to whatever extent JS2 is better than JS1, then the web benefits. I guess. I don't really know though, because I haven't even so much as glanced at a spec. People whose opinion I respect think it's an improvement, but like I said, I don't care. Why?

Because I think JS2 has something in common with XSLT: they're both painstakingly-crafted, elegant solutions to completely the wrong problem.

Why, exactly, are we betting the future of the web on just another programming language? If the past 40 years of computer science have taught us anything, it's that the industry never -- never -- agrees on a single programming language. ForTran, COBOL, C, Java... things change. So why does anyone think that this time around it's going to be any different?

Worse, designing a successor to JavaScript implies that you know what's best for all developers everywhere, and have the required skills to design it. That's a hell of a presumption, even granting that it's the work of a team of talented experts and not a solo thing. I really like Python; who are you to tell me that your shiny new language is better for the browser than a language with years of history?

This is the same issue I have with XSLT. The need there is for a standardized way to transform XML from one format to another -- okay, fine, that's definitely a real need. But what is XSLT, if not machine readable instructions for performing a specific task? And hey guess what -- we have lots of different things we can use to encode machine-readable instructions; we call them programming languages, and they have a rich and varied history. In the silly days of my professional youth, I once devised a system where you basically wrote little scripts in an XML syntax, and I got rightly bonked on the head for it. It's not any better an idea for XSLT, either.

That said, for what it is XSLT is pretty well done; it's just that it's a well-done solution to the wrong problem. XSLT is a tightly-coupled solution to the problem; a loose-coupled solution that focused on defining a sort of "CGI for XML transforms" would -- in my opinion -- have been a better idea. Specify the boundaries, and let existing languages do what they're good at.

It's definitely possible to nit-pick my argument there, but I'm bringing it up because I think it's even more true of JavaScript today. I'm sure that JS2 is a great, elegant language. But the problem is, it's just not what's needed.

The web works as a platform because it embodies an effective application model implemented via open standards. But it's getting long in the tooth, which is why we have at least 3 different platforms aiming to replace it: AIR, Silverlight, and JavaFX. Each of these is basically some permutation in the cartesian product of (Vector-renderer, DOM-renderer) * (custom VM, custom language). The thing is, the browser of today is itself one permutation, and JS2 boils down to yet another.

We've already proven the model, folks. We don't need to prove it all over again.

The browser isn't broken, and doesn't need to be "fixed", either by a proprietary platform, or by a shiny new language. Instead it needs to be extended, and functionality gaps need to be plugged. That's why I don't care about JS2: its fundamental message is "the Browser of Tomorrow is the Browser of Today, just with different syntax." This is spinning our wheels, and won't do anything to advance the web.

So what is the right solution? Well, in my opinion what we need is to formalize and standardize the DOM API, agree on a single vector model and API, and specify an intermediate compilation format. That is, specify the boundaries, and let existing languages do what they're good at.

That intermediate format could be bytecode like the JVM or .Net CLR, plain old JavaScript (which GWT has proven can be used for this purpose), or even "JS plus compilation-friendly extensions". Between Tamarin and SquirrelFish and ten years of the JVM, I think it's pretty well established that this is a solvable problem. For that matter, ditch the idea of an integrated VM entirely, and establish a standard API where an external process can attach to your browser DOM, without the browser needing to run code at all.

With one of these approaches, the browser -- through incremental steps -- becomes just as "innovative" as SilvAIRLaslavaFX, while still based on the open standards that have worked so well so far. This is basically the same pragmatic gap-filling philosophy that Gears and HTML5 have, though taken a step farther.

The problem is that this is messy work, and it's far less sexy than designing your own language or busting out with your own runtime out of whole cloth. It feels less innovative, because it's less of a dramatic change. But as DOM, CSS, and XMLHTTPRequest have proven repeatedly, it's the modest, targeted innovations in the web that have caused the biggest revolutions.

I just read an article over on BloggingStocks by Bryan White called “Google’s one chance for Android - become a wireless carrier” where he poses an interesting theory.  He feels that Google needs to become a mobile virtual network operator in order to successfully “sell” Android to the masses.  I’m not sure what I think of the idea quite yet.  It does bring up some interesting things to ponder though.

White also says that the delay that in getting Google to ship hardware running Android is not due to software changes in the platform.  He alleges that Google has had more than enough time to fine-tune things and that the hold up is likely a result of the relationship between carriers and consumers in the US. Our providers have been generally reluctant to loosen their grip on subscribers. The term “open” scares the heck out of corporations, yet the most locked down “smart” phone on the market has turned the biggest service provider into a big dumb pipe.

Thinking back to the days before the 700MHz auction, a lot of bloggers and tech enthusiasts were pondering whether or not Google would want to build out a network if they’d won. Even before that, we had rumors of Google wanting to become a wireless provider too. Google has enough money to buy lease huge chunks of airwaves to offer their own handsets and rules.

Although they haven’t taken off here in the states, a quick check over at wikipedia indicates that there are over 360 active or planned MVNO’s around the world.

You Tell Us

Would you consider switching carriers to sign with Google if they provided service?  At what cost?

Wow!  We sure hope they adjust the internal marketing strategies for the new Hotspot @ Home plans over at T-Mobile USA.  One of our readers sent in a snapshot of what’s being called The Daily Tremor.  He stopped in a store with a friend to pay his bill and saw this on the screen. How this ever got approval from the corporate big-wigs is beyond us.  Using a natural disaster to push the latest services is never really a good idea.

Take a look at the right side of the picture and you’ll see what appears to be a demolished house, obviously damaged by an earthquake.  In the days of political correctness and litigation, this could be begging for a lawsuit.

We’ll try to update you guys with a better picture as soon as possible.

In our last episode, we discussed how the Android Intent systems functions, in effect, like a message bus, and how one can set up an IntentReceiver to serve as a consumer of bus messages. Today, let’s complete the picture, creating both a message consumer and producer, as two separate applications, so you can see how one Android application can send messages to another.

Since this post will be discussing two full applications, we’ll only be showing relevant bits of the code in the post itself. You can download the pair of Android projects here — the code is available under the Apache 2.0 License.

To set up messaging between two Android applications, you need to:

1. Choose a name for the Intent, to distinguish it from other Intent names already in use
2. Decide how you are going to package useful information into the Intent, such as by using putExtra()
3. Set up an IntentReceiver, as in the previous post, to watch for an Intent of your chosen name
4. Have your message producer create a properly-named Intent and call broadcastIntent(), so the Android underpinnings will deliver the Intent to your patiently-waiting receiver

Let’s take a look at the consumer side, implemented as a ListActivity:

public class ConsActivity extends ListActivity {
protected static final String BUS_MSG=
new String("com.commonsware.android.intents.BUS_MSG");
protected static final String BUS_MSG_BODY=
new String("com.commonsware.android.intents.BUS_MSG_BODY");
protected final IntentFilter filter=new IntentFilter(BUS_MSG);
private ConsIntentReceiver receiver=new ConsIntentReceiver();
private ArrayAdapter adapter;

@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle icicle) {
super.onCreate(icicle);
setContentView(R.layout.main);

adapter=new ArrayAdapter(this,
android.R.layout.simple_list_item_1);
setListAdapter(adapter);
registerReceiver(receiver, filter);
}

@Override
public void onDestroy() {
super.onDestroy();
unregisterReceiver(receiver);
}

class ConsIntentReceiver extends IntentReceiver {
@Override
public void onReceiveIntent(Context context, Intent intent) {
adapter.addObject(intent.getStringExtra(BUS_MSG_BODY));
}
}
}

The name of our magic Intent for inter-application communication is given the local name of BUS_MSG, but that’s just a static string ("com.commonsware.android.intents.BUS_MSG"). We create an IntentFilter to watch for such messages, and in onCreate() we use that filter to connect our ConsIntentReceiver to watch for these messages. The net is that ConsIntentReceiver#onReceiveIntent() will get called for each BUS_MSG our producer sends. In ConsIntentReceiver#onReceiveIntent(), we extract the body of the message (BUS_MSG_BODY) via getStringExtra() and pop that value into our list. We should get a new list entry for each message the producer produces.

So, without further ado, let’s see the producer:

public class ProdActivity extends Activity {
protected static final String BUS_MSG=
new String("com.commonsware.android.intents.BUS_MSG");
protected static final String BUS_MSG_BODY=
new String("com.commonsware.android.intents.BUS_MSG_BODY");
private EditText body;

@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle icicle) {
super.onCreate(icicle);
setContentView(R.layout.main);
body=(EditText)findViewById(R.id.body);

((Button)findViewById(R.id.send))
.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View view) {
Intent i=new Intent(BUS_MSG);

i.putExtra(BUS_MSG_BODY, body.getText().toString());
broadcastIntent(i);
}
});
}
}

For simplicity of the demo, we re-declare BUS_MSG and BUS_MSG_BODY. In theory, those would be defined in some central source code spot that both projects could pull from.

The activity is just a field (EditText) and button (Button). When the user clicks the button, we take the contents of the field, pour that into a BUS_MSG Intent as the BUS_MSG_BODY “extra” (via putExtra()), then call broadcastIntent() to send that Intent on its merry way.

To see this in action, compile both projects and upload them to your Android emulator. Start up the BusConsumer activity, then start up the BusProducer activity. In the producer, type in some text and send it using the button. Switch back to the BusConsumer (click the Home button, then on the BusConsumer icon), and you will see your text in the list.

Note that we are running two completely separate applications here — an Intent can cross process boundaries with impunity. However, there is nothing to prevent you from using this technique within a single application (e.g., a service letting an activity know about newly-arrived information).

Our next series of Building ‘Droids posts will look at creating fancy lists — not just plain text, but list entries with fancier formatting, icons, and the like. Along the way, we’ll explore some dusty corners of the adapter framework, learn how to inflate views, and so on. Until then, happy coding!

Most of us believed the potential was there for the Instinct to come away as a worthy phone, capable of selling well.  Not many of us would have guessed that the Instinct would have made itself comfortable on the throne of Sprint’s fastest selling EVDO handset within the first week of availability, breaking records for the initial launch of any Sprint product.  They’ve even been selling out at locations across the country.  We must say that Sprint has done a wonderful job in promoting the Instinct.  It looks like some of that rumored $100 million ad blitz is working.  We hope they can get behind their Android based phones in the same manner.

In keeping with the sell out theme Sprint is becoming very generous and giving fans a chance to sell out too.   They’re holding a video contest that encourages site visitors like yourself to participate in the greatest product placement movie ever by leveraging your own content to “Sell Out” using your home videos.  The first 1,000 videos to be accepted and posted to YouTube get $20.  One video will win $10,000! Yeah, you read that right - ten large!

If you want to participate then you should first check out the rules.  After that, you’re ready to head over to to Instinct The Phone and start selling out your family for $10,000!

We’re back with the next non-Android item that you need to put on your radar. It comes from one of the Open Handset Alliance members we love the most.  High Tech Computers (HTC) threw everyone for a curveball back in May when they announced the Touch Diamond.  Pretty much the whole world was looking to get their first glimpses of the HTC “Dream” and see what the first Android form factor would look like.  We were delightfully wrong.

As we mentioned before, the HTC Touch Diamond looks to be quite a gem.  Take a look at some of the specs and you’ll see why we’re so excited about this one.

• Quad-band
• Windows Mobile 6.1with TouchFLO 3D
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, GPS, and HSDPA support. Customized mobile web browser
• Accelerometer
• 3.2-megapixel camera
• 4GB internal storage
• 256MB flash memory and 192MB RAM
• 528MHz processor

There were some pictures that popped up recently showing a Sprint logo on the top, giving us the first glimpses of the CDMA version.  With a GSM model dropping elsewhere, we expect to see the US iteration in the coming months.

HTC Touch Diamond Captured on Film

’sup,

So when would you say the slick new UI will be available in the sdk?

Andrew

We’re pretty sure you are referring to the version we’ve seen in the Google I/O video demonstration.  It is slick to be sure and heads and tails above the one that came with the initial SDK’s.  As far as a window of time for the release, we’re gonna say it’s a few months off still.  According to an email that was sent out to the top 50 entries in the first Android Developers Challenge, it will be available to them roughly three weeks before the deadline of the second round.  For those following along, that’s been pushed back to July 28th.  Doing some simple deductive reasoning, we figure the semi-finalists should see theirs any day.  For the rest of you guys and gals, it’s probably going to be at least August or later before it’s given out to the masses.

I don’t understand why there are very few games for Android. Most of the winners of the OHA competition were map-based programs. It kind of annoys me that there were so few games developed for Android. I was expecting more graphics and more eye candy on the Android phone than was presented. Hopefully there will be lots more stuff added in the final result. I was also wondering if the Android will be able to play video and tv at 720p, you know, with the Nvidia chip 2500 or something of the sort?

Thanks
-Jeremy

You’re not wrong for thinking there are not many games for Android.  Looking through the list of the semi-finalists we see a lot of location based stuff too.  We’re thinking it had something to do with the criteria used to judge the entries.  There were 4 categories that each program was ranked on with one of them being indispensability.  Now, we’re not sure about you, but most games don’t fall under that too often.  We also think there weren’t a bunch of games simply because a lot of people were looking to take advantage of the GPS, tower-triangulation, and other features.

To address the part about eye candy, don’t forget that what we’ve seen so far is only the foundation of the devices.  Once carriers and handset makers get their hands on it and start to brand them with their programs and user interfaces, then it will get that glossy, finished look that you might be expecting.

In regards to 720P resolution, your guess is as good as ours.  You’d think that by having Nvidia, Texas Instruments, Intel, Qualcomm, and more in the Open Handset Alliance, we’d get bleeding edge stuff.  If we were betting men, we would put money on “YES” in this case.

Hi there,

Is it your expectation that applications developed on Android will be “free” to the end-user and hence ad supported?
Or, do you expect that the developers will set the pricing themselves and sell on a subscription basis?

Larry

This is a common question and hot topic among the Android watch dogs.  There was a lot of speculation that Google intends to give the farm away in exchange for ad placement and location based marketing.  As time has progressed, it seems less and less likely that you’re going to have to see AdSense everywhere.  We’re hearing different distribution plans from developers. Everything from completely free to subscription based with a little bit of “we’re not quite sure yet” in between.

Let’s get this one cleared up real fast.  When we say “film”, we mean “very blurry, grainy pictures”.  We did our morning browse over to Phone Arena and found 2 ultra-low resolution pictures of the HTC Touch Diamond wearing a Sprint dress.  As we reported before, this device is quite a beauty.  It might be a few more months, but we can’t wait to get our hands on the US version!

The pictures do show what looks like the TouchFLO 3D interface so we’re excited.  Designed to be used with only one hand, this is the handset that HTC announced back in May when the world was expecting to see the Android-based “Dream” phone.  Even though we don’t know what that device looks like with 100% conviction, it’s alleged to be the one used to demo Android at the I/O conference last month.

The HTC Touch Diamond still gives us a good idea as to the form factor and design of what might come down the road for Android.

Quick, almost painless switch…Copied over my Firefox and Thunderbird profiles as-is. Installed all internal IBM apps including Notes, AT&T VPN Client with just an apt-get against an internal repo. Using Pidgin for Yahoo/MSN/GTalk and XChat for IRC. Thank god i don’t have to forego my favorite tools like IntelliJ, Yourkit. Hiccups so far: My Dell Wireless 1450 [...]

Google’s Android is not set to launch for quite some time still, but it seems that the hard workers over at xda-developers didn’t get the memo. The collaboration on the forum has been able to produce a “working” version of Google’s Android on the HTC Touch Cruise. The term “working” should not be over emphasized though.  It seems that they are able to install and boot Android, add contacts, and some have been able to make and receive a call or two. Unfortunately, simple tasks like sending an sms are still impossible and disconnecting from a call is a hassle since Android does not recognize the touch screen while in a call.  So is this progress for Android?  Absolutely!

Keep in mind that the people who have been able to pull this off are not working directly with Google or any phone manufacturers.  They are simply hobbyists, poking around with Android, working on hardware that was designed for windows mobile.  This shows how dynamic Android is and the potential that it has as an open source OS.

The first part of an interview with Peter Chou, (HTC’s CEO), went online this morning.  The chat came last week when Chou and company were in Australia to debut the HTC Diamond Touch.  Among the topics covered so far in the series of questions are TouchFLO 3D, HTC Touch Pro, and of course Android.  Keep an eye out for the rest of the interview, due some time later this week.

Yeah, we will definitely, surely, leverage our knowledge on user experience and usability and user interface - we will definitely leverage our knowledge to apply to the whole portfolio. But they will not be completely identical, of course. We want to make sure that they have differentiation, innovation on different devices.

This week’s topic concerns the technology behind those headsets that make everyone look so uber-cool.  How important is Bluetooth to you?  Do you use it very often?  For what reasons?

Sound off with your comments.

Tele Atlas, a Dutch Digital Map maker has signed a 5 year deal with Google which will see its maps been included in cellphones based on Android including other Google services. We think this deal will do good things for the big G as they venture deeper into the mobile arena where they could, just maybe become kings.

According to the Wall Street Journal… the agreement is the latest evidence of the increasing demand for global positioning satellite, or GPS, services — particularly for people on the move.

Tele Atlas will provide maps for Android when it is launched later in the year.  Hopefully it see any of the so-called ‘delays’ that seem to get traction over the internet.

I found an article on ZDNet.co.uk that does a great job of outlining the differences between Google’s OHA and Symbian’s Foundation. The article breaks down who the members of each alliance are, and even points out which organizations are a member of both. Could this pose a conflict of interest, or is it just good business to be in both camps? You can read the complete article here.

I see no reason why the two companies can’t co-exist, but given Nokia’s world wide handset marketshare I would have to give the initial advantage to them.

Unlike Google, Nokia already has handsets developed, and I don’t see a need for major overhauls to the current Symbian OS. The Symbian Foundation should result in a flood of software that hopefully finds it way to the market faster than in the past due to its newly opened platform model. In the past the process for independent developers to gain a license to develop for the Symbian platform was an effort in futility.

However, in the end I give Google’s Android a better chance of “sticking” here in the US than I do the Symbian OS. There are very few S60 handsets available in the USA today, and I don’t see that changing just because the platform is now open. In the US it’s been more of a hardware issue as to why Nokia’s S60 devices haven’t found a home or audience here. The user interface doesn’t come across as the most accessible of the bunch either when compared to Windows Mobile and Blackberry devices. Having sold all three to consumers the simple task of changing a ring tone was more difficult for them on the Nokia devices than any of the others. To be sure, Nokia has had a hard time competing against the likes of HTC and Blackberry in the smartphone arena in the US.

One thing is certain. All of those rumors about Nokia warming up to Android were just that. Rumors. It seems Nokia has drawn a line in the sand, and the chances of them endorsing Android for their handsets is slim and none. Right?

Without much news surrounding Android in the past week or so, sometimes you just have to create your own news. You can enter the Android Robot Photoshop Contest by posting your picture over at Android Forums.

This has the chance for hilarity to ensue. Check out the “sample image” called “Andro Dice” which appears to be a Mixed Mobile Artist spoofing Kimbo Slice - the popular Mixed Martial Artist:

Goodluck!

This is not meant to be a review of the Instinct. These are simply my impressions of the unit. I will save the reviews for the sites dedicated to Samsung and Sprint handsets.  Instead, we will save our reviews for handsets that actually run the Android OS.  I also want to thank our friends at Samsung for allowing us to experience the Instinct first hand.

While comparisons to Apple’s iPhone are inevitable, Samsung’s Instinct has enough under the hood to stand on its own merit as a competent alternative. Earlier this month Scott posted an “unboxing” of the Samsung Instinct that can be found here. You can refer to that post for pictures of the instinct.

When I first picked up the unit I was impressed with its compact design. It’s definitely pocketbable, and while the decision to go with plastic rather than glass for the screen resulted in a lighter unit, the device appears to scratch rather easily through normal wear and tear. Investing in a screen protector is a must for this unit. I liked the no slip surface on the back as well. If you’ve ever held a T-Mobile Dash or HTC Excalibur you will know what I mean.

One handed operation is possible for most tasks with the exception of messaging. The default screen orientation for messaging is landscape and one handed operation is not possible in this mode. While you can switch to portrait mode at the press of a button the keys don’t stay in their QWERTY position. Instead they are listed alphabetically, which makes typing out a message harder than it needs to be. Sure you can get used to it, but you shouldn’t have to! The button layout was okay, and I had no problems finding my way around to adjust the volume or to activate the camera.

Speaking of the camera, picture quality was okay for a 2 MP but some pictures lacked brightness. The addition of a some type of flash would have been useful here. You have to wonder why Samsung didn’t opt for a 3 or 5 MP camera since the phone will be running on Sprint’s high speed network.

The GPS feature functioned “okay” but I did experience a bit of lag when I changed directions from the systems chosen route. It took close to :45 to :60 for the unit to catch up with my new location. It uses Telenav which seems to be the software of choice for most mobile phone manufacturers.

Build quality didn’t seem up to par with the iPhone. While the Instinct is lighter it doesn’t feel as sturdy because of it’s plastic body. Another hint at the Instincts questionable build is the “hollow” feeling you get when you tap the phone in your hand. This could be a by product of the haptic feedback, but there’s a definite ringing that you feel in your hands when the phone is jolted.

The haptic feedback works great, and should be standard on all touch screen phones going forward. It made composing text messages and emails so much easier than on the iPhone, because you could feel every tap of the screen register with a vibration. Very cool.

The touch technology used in the Instinct is just a notch below that of the iPhone when considering responsiveness. This was particularly evident when scrolling through pages of text such as web browsing. There was just a hint of a delay present, but I have to believe that had I not experienced an iPhone prior to the Instinct I would have been fine with the Intinct’s touch screen performance. While the screen wasn’t as bright or sharp as the iPhone I found it perfectly acceptable, and it wouldn’t be a reason for not considering the Instinct.

I have to say that the performance of Sprint’s network in my area was questionable at best. While using features such as the TV, I was not impressed with the video playback quality. The picture was very grainy and the frame rate was sporadic at best. I couldn’t see paying for a service that performed so poorly.

Overall I would say the Instinct gets more right than it does wrong, and it’s a great first step for Sprint into the foray of “iPhone killers.” While it may not kill the iPhone it at least gives us a hint as to what is possible in future iterations of touch screen devices. Apple doesn’t own the patent on intuitive touch screen displays and the Instinct is a prime example of this.  If the Instinct were running Android I would have no qualms about making it my device of choice.  Samsung and Sprint have produced a great phone to build on and with a few refinements it could be the one to beat in the future.  I can’t wait to see the sequel.

Earlier, Gary Krakow from thestreet.com launched a  controversy when he said that there wouldn’t be a Google’s android based  mobile this year.

He was totally wrong, according to HTC ’s CEO , further more mister Krakow has confirmed in his last video that Google despite of facing roadblocks will finally launch on time their first Android based mobile, the rumor points to T-mobile to be the first operator to go.  Gary added that working hard and spending so much time with T-Mobile and HTC prevents Google from moving forward with China Mobile, Sprint Nextel and other carriers for the pre-Christmas launch of Android.

I am still convinced that Google should have made the gPhone to prevent such tough problems but who knows the future is made of ?

The message bus is a tried-and-true model in application development. Whether it is the humble Win32 message loop or full-fledged publish/subscribe message-oriented middleware solution, software components have long been publishing messages that other components receive, either by explicitly checking some message queue or by virtue of the message matching some pattern the receiver subscribed to.

Guess what? The Android system of Intent objects is just a message bus. The principal aim is for the bus to pass around messages related to the system, from media card inserts to requests to perform some action on some piece of content, like a contact. But, the Intent bus can be used by your own activities and other Android components, not only for communicating with Android, but with each other.

In today’s segment of Building ‘Droids, we’ll look subscribing to messages on the bus using an IntentReceiver. Later, we’ll look at sending Intent objects on the bus to be delivered to your receivers, or receivers others might set up.

Activities are set up to receive Intent messages, as defined in AndroidManifest.xml via intent-filter elements. For example, most applications have an activity with an intent-filter set up like this:

<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>

To receive your own messages, particularly when you only want them at certain times, you will want to use IntentReceiver. Here’s a quick recipe:

First, come up with the name for the Intent you want. This should be distinct from any other Intent name on the device. The easiest way to ensure this is to have it use your application’s Java namespace, such as:

protected static final String PROXIMITY_ALERT = "com.commonsware.tourit.intent.action.PROXIMITY_ALERT";

Next, create an IntentFilter that will look for Intent instances with your supplied name, such as:

protected final IntentFilter proximityLocationIntentFilter = new IntentFilter(PROXIMITY_ALERT);

Then, create your own concrete subclass of Android’s IntentReceiver class, implementing onReceiveIntent(). This method receives a Context (e.g., the Activity instance where you created this IntentReceiver) and the Intent message that arrived. It is up to you to do something useful with that message, such as update an activity’s UI (be sure to do this on the UI thread!) or update a SQLite database.

Finally, when you want your IntentReceiver to watch for messages, call registerReceiver() in your Activity or other Context, providing it the IntentReceiver and IntentFilter, such as:

private ProximityIntentReceiver receiver=new ProximityIntentReceiver();
// ...
registerReceiver(receiver, proximityLocationIntentFilter);

Later on, when you no longer need to receive the messages, call unregisterReceiver() with the same IntentReceiver instance you used with registerReceiver().

In our next episode, we’ll see how to set up a component to send messages on the Intent bus.

If you have spent time in the dating game, you know the harsh reality: it is usually better when you are being wooed by someone, than it is when you are running after them. When you are the one who is trying to win over someone, no matter how great your qualities and offerings, they may act reluctant, express doubts, second guess your motives and in the end, not accept you at all. On the other hand, when someone is wooing you, even if they know your negative qualities and idiosyncrasies, even if you act all pricey, they might still brush those aside and pursue you; they will be happy to accept you as you are and make a good life with that.

Reading about Google working with handset makers and carriers, I get the impression that Google is wooing a bunch of Reluctant Rebeccas who are demanding much and not making it easy for Google. The angst of a hassled suitor is best expressed by Google’s director of mobile platforms, Andy Rubin: “This is where the pain happens,” he says. “We are very, very close.”

Very close, but no cigar… yet.

Imagine how much better it would have been if things were the opposite: if all the carriers and handset makers were lining up at Google’s gates because they were desperate to have this great new awesome that Google had built. Even if they had to a pay high price for it.

Google should have built The gPhone first. It should have worked with one handset maker, in secret (with occasional leaks to the “person familiar with the matter”, of course!), to build the most awesome piece of mobile hardware. And, instead of spending time and resources to build and manage a reluctant alliance, Google should have concentrated all its own energies on doing what it does best: make innovative software with a revolutionary, irresistible UI.

With such exclusive focus, Google would have been ready to launch the g(od)Phone this June or July. Imagine the launch where Google not only showed off an awesome, unlocked, full-featured, uncrippled phone, but also offered the open mobile platform Android for free to anyone who wants it, and announced the Android developer challenge! Now, that would have been a true 1-2-3 knockout punch from which that other locked-and-limited-but-shiny-and-popular phone coming out in July would have found hard to recover. Carriers would have lined up to get the gPhone on their networks ASAP. Handset makers would have lined up to get Android on their phones ASAP. Developers would have lined up to churn out apps for the original godPhone and all other Android phones ASAP. Happy customers the world over would have lined up to get the new gPhone ASAP. Really, can you imagine how all that would have played out? That would have shaken up the mobile world, alright! Then, Google could have built the OHA as a strong coalition of willing converts, rather than a loose alliance of skeptical and reluctant participants.

Instead, what we have today is a situation where Google is scrambling hard to help T-Mobile launch the first Android phone before the end of the year. This is taking up enough of Google’s resources that Sprint cites that as an excuse for not offering an Android Phone on its own network yet. Of course, Sprint has other excuses too: top management shuffling, plans to skip 3G and go straight to 4G with the Android phone, preference to offer its own branded services on the phone (read ‘walled garden’) rather than offer Google’s built-in services. Sprint, purported founding member of the OHA, has made ambiguous and non-committal statements about Android from the very beginning. So, I am not surprised that they are not ready to offer an Android phone any time soon. In fact, I’m glad that Google is first working with T-Mobile, the carrier which cripples phones the least among all the popular US carriers.

Google should have learned from its Gmail launch. Gmail is a complete email product, with innovative, unique features. It wow-ed the world when it was launched. Some Gmail features are so unique, almost no other email provider has replicated them or even offered them as options years after Gmail launched. Remember the days when people all over the world were desperate to get an invite to Gmail? Now imagine that Google never built Gmail, and instead built a plug-in to work with Outlook or Yahoo mail or any other email system, to bring the Gmail features like threaded conversations, labeled mails, hidden quoted text, etc. to your existing mail box. Google would have had to go through hard and frustrating times to get the plug-in to work with the numerous mail systems out there. Having done that, it would have been even more difficult to get the other email providers to offer this plug-in as an optional feature, if at all. Even if Google had offered the plug-in as an independent download, it would not be as ubiquitous and useful as Gmail is today.

Google’s attempts to push Android on reluctant carriers and handset makers is akin to pushing a Gmail plug-in on existing email systems! Moreover, it makes you wonder what compromises and limitations Google might be building into Android in order to make it acceptable to the carriers. I’d like to believe that Google would not do that, but then I’d also have liked to believe that Google does not offer a self-censored search engine in China.

Anyway, what is done is done. For better or worse, Android is on the path it is on now. Nobody wishes for its success as much as we do. But it’s still not too late for Google to make and market its own branded, full-featured and unlocked godPhone which can be held up as a standard for other phones to measure up to. Perhaps, they should partner with the struggling Motorola, which has put its best engineers to work on an Android phone, to make the ideal gPhone. An ideal gPhone would serve Google (and us, the mobile customers) very well. For one thing, it would show the world what Android can really do. And, it would prevent carriers from crippling other Android (and even non-Android) phones too much. Why would people buy a crippled phone if a full-featured one is available? And even if the carriers crippled their phones a little, they would be forced to offer something in exchange - like awesome hardware or innovative services or simply cheaper phones - to tempt customers to buy those phones. Would be a win-win for everybody.

The new Google CFO is a telco veteran.  Newly appointed Patrick Pichette was Bell’s Canada CFO for two years.

This is not surprising to see him picked with the recent new goals of Google.  Beyond Android, they are going to continue to think mobile. We felt we should point out that Mister Pichette was nearly one year retired.  What kind of deal was dangled in front of him?  Pichette’s background and experience in telco confirms his ambitions putting Android as the next big thing in the mobile area.

Mister Pichette will join Google Aug 1. and takes overs his new job as CFO Aug.12.

Source :Silicon Alley Insider

Let’s have a little bit of fun today, shall we?  I was inspired to put this together after reading something from The Motley Fool yesterday.  Anders Bylund’s article (Popping the BlackBerry Bubble) was focused on RIM’s recent earnings and the challenges facing the company.  When the subject of Android came up, he threw in a little conclusion jumping that I’d like to expound upon.

…Nokia is nibbling at the BlackBerry’s traditional home field with new models of a corporate-use slant, and Sony Ericsson might jump aboard that Android bandwagon, too. The competition looks…

Now, this was the first time I read this anywhere, so I reached out to Anders.  His reply got me thinking and had me digging for clues like the Scooby Doo gang.  Let’s take a look at some reasons why this could happen and connect some dots.  Here’s what we do know so far:

• Sony Ericcson’s new flagship device (EXPERIA-X1) is rumored to be built by HTC, using a Qualcomm chip
• Recent gossip was that SE might consider buying HTC
• SE just announced their first T-Mobile device in 5 years
• T-Mobile, Qualcomm and HTC are founding members of the Open Handset Alliance
• Ericsson is considered Associate Members of the LiMo Foundation.
• Sony Ericsson officially joined the Symbian Foundation this week with Nokia

Adding all this together doesn’t mean anything specific.  No one bullet point is more telling than others.  There’s no hard evidence to support this every happening but if it were to, these are the clues to look back on.  If there are legitimate talks between SE and HTC, then we have to imagine Android has come up in those discussions.  Keep in mind that you don’t have to be a member of the Open Handset Alliance to support Android.

What do you guys think?  What’s the likelihood of seeing and Android-based Sony Ericsson phone?

After buzz about Android’s possible delay spread like a virus, Google staff put out the wildfare be re-asserting their “2nd Half of this year” position. HTC CEO, Peter Chou, confirmed that the company is, “still shooting for the end of this year,” according to an interview with APCMag.

The fact that this comes from an OHA member other than Google is pretty significant. HTC has long been rumored as the company that will release the first ever Android enabled handset, called the HTC Dream. But if the company that seemingly has the largest headstart is only “shooting” for the end of the year and isn’t “definitely” launching the phone, that should raise some questions about what other manufacturers are “shooting” for.

This is all that we’re hearing from the manufacturer side of things… HTC seems to be the only company making solid, public assertions about their Android timelines. The carrier situation is another whole story.

If HTC has the Dream ready for launch before the end of 2008 but either no carrier is ready to support Android and/or no carrier comes to an agreement with HTC, will they still consider their 2nd Half of 2008 timeline accomplished?

From the sound of things, HTC may be the only top-tier manufacturer who will have an Android phone ready to roll before the end of the year. T-Mobile may be the only Carrier ready, willing and able to support Android before the year’s end. So if HTC and T-Mobile don’t plan on working together for the Dream, will our Christmas Dream come trues?

Apologies… will our HOLIDAY Dream’s come true. We’re trying to be all-inclusive here. Which of these manufacturers and/or carriers WOULDN’T want to put an Android Handset out before the end of the Calendar year?

Every 4th quarter, the retail boom makes and/or breaks many businesses. Whoever is able to deliver Android before the year closes out stands to gain an awful lot by being one of the first to market.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs seems to have quite an interest in Google Android. The Department of Industrial Technology is trying to get Google to set up an Android certification center in Taiwan to speed up development of Android for the mouth watering masses.  According to Wen-jen Ho, director of Multimedia Technologies Laboratory:

The OHA, while waiting for High Tech Computer (HTC) to roll out its first Linux smartphone based on the Android platform, has not yet decided on how to carry out the certification process for Android-based mobile devices, Ho noted.

Android devices are expected to be manufactured in Taiwan and China, but with all the political problems concerning China and Taiwan you can almost bet that this move by the Taiwanese Government is a way to one up China.  But hey, what do we care? If it means cheaper phones for us, we’re all for it!