G1 News

At last months MWC, Peter Chou, CEO of HTC claimed that real data usage was not as strong as they had expected.

Why was that? Well, one main reason was that manufacturers had not yet delivered an affordable handset that convincingly taps into the possibilities of the mobile internet, particularly at the entry-level.

With the HTC Smart however, the fast rising Taiwanese manufacturer looks to solve the conundrum by attempted a dizzy hat-trick: deliver a smartphone experience with uncompromised functionality that is easy to use, yet affordable.

Strictly speaking, the HTC Smart isn’t a smart-phone, despite it’s name. however, it’s balance between, form, function, UI and O/S set it at the highest heights of the feature-phone market.

Central to the balance achieved in the HTC Smart is the extremely lightweight yet capable mobile operating system – Brew MP, created by Snapdragon wizards Qualcomm.  We first saw Brew performing nimbly in the INQ 3g handset, which delivered nicely optimised access to a range of social networking services including Facebook and Skype.

Combined with HTC’s  Sense UI, the HTC Smart is set to deliver one of the simplest and most intuitive gateways to using the mobile internet yet.

Add to that, HTC’s friend-feed, which thread messages from across SMS, email and instant messanger and it’s hard to see how the new addition to the HTC family is going to fail in it’s mission.

Anyone keen to start enjoying the mobile internet, but who recoil at the hefty expense of iPhone deals should definitely consider.

HTC Smart deals are available in the UK from April, exclusively on O2.

T-Mobile are getting out the big guns in the smartphone battle against the iPhone, with an opening salvo of the Android-powered LG InTouch Max, Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 and the HTC ‘Bravo’  in early 2010.

Leading with the promise of unlimited internet for their range of ‘always-on’ devices and profusion of free apps available in the Android market, the network hopes to steal attention (and sales) away from the ever-popular Apple iPhone and give consumers a selection of some cutting edge hardware.

Leading the charge is the LG InTouch Max, a recently announced social networking slider with a plethora of features (which you can read more about here), and will be for sale on the 4th of February.

The XPERIA X10 – launching as a joint flagship for Sony Ericsson with the Symbian-toting, HD-shooting Sony Ericsson Kurara – will be March’s first heavy hitter with a 4-inch WVGA touch display, 8 megapixel camera and Snapdragon processor.

Sporting a heavily customised interface that merges the best of on- and offline content in a single screen, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 is heavily tipped for success by network and manufacturer alike.

With a reported ad spend in the region of £4 million on the X10, not to mention the issues faced with the Satio, Aino and X2 upon their respective launches, it will have to be.

The final push at the end of the month is the HTC Bravo -  a ‘near identical’ device to the Nexus One according to sources – bringing advancements like an optical trackpad for scrolling (getting one over on the Google phone’s old-school trackball), multi-touch for iPhone-esque pinching to zoom and the Sense user interface that we fell in love with on the HTC Hero.

Whilst Bravo may not be the final name for the device, we can confirm that the handset will be equipped with the latest Android build, the same 3.7-inch display and 5 megapixel autofocus camera currently seen on the Nexus One, and be available for free on a £35 per month tariff.

If there is one phone that seems likely to topple Apple’s ivory tower, this one could be it…oh, and check out our sneaky exclusive picture of the HTC Bravo in the flesh, optical trackpad and all!

With a strong handset line-up like that, the network could have a serious chance of turning the heads of those not seduced by the iPhone’s almighty presence, as well as dramatically increasing the meagre 2% share of the market that Android currently represents.

However, the allure will be in the price point as much as anything, but with the X10’s big presence and the Bravo’s killer specs, these could well be the phones to turn the tide for both T-Mobile and Android in the smartphone wars.

T-Mobile are getting out the big guns in the smartphone battle against the iPhone, with an opening salvo of the Android-powered LG InTouch Max, Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 and the HTC ‘Bravo’  in early 2010.

Leading with the promise of unlimited internet for their range of ‘always-on’ devices and profusion of free apps available in the Android market, the network hopes to steal attention (and sales) away from the ever-popular Apple iPhone and give consumers a selection of some cutting edge hardware.

Leading the charge is the LG InTouch Max, a recently announced social networking slider with a plethora of features (which you can read more about here), and will be for sale on the 4th of February.

The XPERIA X10 – launching as a joint flagship for Sony Ericsson with the Symbian-toting, HD-shooting Sony Ericsson Kurara – will be March’s first heavy hitter with a 4-inch WVGA touch display, 8 megapixel camera and Snapdragon processor.

Sporting a heavily customised interface that merges the best of on- and offline content in a single screen, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 is heavily tipped for success by network and manufacturer alike.

With a reported ad spend in the region of £4 million on the X10, not to mention the issues faced with the Satio, Aino and X2 upon their respective launches, it will have to be.

The final push at the end of the month is the HTC Bravo -  a ‘near identical’ device to the Nexus One according to sources – bringing advancements like an optical trackpad for scrolling (getting one over on the Google phone’s old-school trackball), multi-touch for iPhone-esque pinching to zoom and the Sense user interface that we fell in love with on the HTC Hero.

Whilst Bravo may not be the final name for the device, we can confirm that the handset will be equipped with the latest Android build, the same 3.7-inch display and 5 megapixel autofocus camera currently seen on the Nexus One, and be available for free on a £35 per month tariff.

If there is one phone that seems likely to topple Apple’s ivory tower, this one could be it…oh, and check out our sneaky exclusive picture of the HTC Bravo in the flesh, optical trackpad and all!

With a strong handset line-up like that, the network could have a serious chance of turning the heads of those not seduced by the iPhone’s almighty presence, as well as dramatically increasing the meagre 2% share of the market that Android currently represents.

However, the allure will be in the price point as much as anything, but with the X10’s big presence and the Bravo’s killer specs, these could well be the phones to turn the tide for both T-Mobile and Android in the smartphone wars.

Yes! I’m back from the wilderness with New Year wishes and a late Xmas present for anyone wishing their Motorola Droid could do multi-touch! Well, when surfing the web anyway…

AllDroid forums has posted a solution that enables Droid owners to enjoy the multitouch capabilities that are being enjoyed by the Motorola Milestone in Europe not because of a lack of hardware skills, but rather due to the iPhone’s iron-clad patents.

Rooting is required, (check out the associated post for how to do that) and enjoy jailbroken content as well as custom software.

Step 1: Do a backup of the files (Browser.apk and Browser.odex) you’ll be patching.

Step 2: Remount /system to RW (mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock4 /system).

Step 3: Delete /system/app/Browser.odex

Step 4: Download MTBrowser.zip file from here and extract it to your desktop.

Step 5: Now, adb push libmtwebcore.so /system/lib, then adb push Browser.apk /system/app/Browser.apk.

There you have it! Pinch-to-zoom, multifinger action on your Droid, courtesy of some studious Android developers!

Source: Redmond Pie

Motorola Droid fans rejoice!

If you want a little bit of freedom to download custom themes, application and games onto your fancy new Android device, you need to perform a little magic that goes by the name of ‘rooting’ the device.

It works on both the original Android 2.0 that the handset ships with, as well as the new Android 2.0.1 software update which was recently released as an update for the Droid.

AllDroid once again to thank for the honours…

Step 1 (Recommended): Update to the latest Android 2.0.1 (over the air) software update.

Step 2: Download the file for Android 2.0.1 OTA update for Motorola Droid posted in the AllDroid forum here.

Step 3: Rename the .zip file that you downloaded in Step 2 to update.zip.

Step 4: Move it to the SD Card on your phone.

Step 5: Turn off the DROID, then power back on while holding the X key.

Step 6: When you see a “/!\” symbol, press both the vol+ button and the camera.

Step 7: Now simply follow the onscreen menu to install update.zip file.

Step 8: Reboot your Droid phone.

Now you’re rooted! Your Droid is ready to roll if you want to do anything from adding a fancy new theme to sprucing up the browser!

The T-Mobile Pulse – the first handset to bring Google’s Android platform to the pay-as-you-go community — has just been given a pre-Xmas price drop to a more affordable £137.

With a 3.5″ capacitive touch display, Microsoft Exchange support and 2GB of memory, the Huawei-built T-Mo exclusive is a steal, and factoring in a month of free sat-nav and access to the Android Market, as Know Your Mobile states, the Pulse exemplifies smartphone functionality at a feature phone price point.

UPDATE: A deal over at the T-Mobile site sees the price of all prepay phones slashed by 33% until 6pm tonight! That sees the T-Mobile Pulse drop even further to only £91.34, and also huge savings on their entire range of mobiles.

Adding in a mandatory tenner top-up upon registration, that means you can pick up some of the best that Android has to offer for a shade over £100…quite literally a bargain.

Rejoice! As we were drowning our sorrows that humble Android phones were unable to sample the delights of the new Google Maps Navigation in the UK, Electric Pig have a solution to get our handsets buzzing!

Simply follow this tutorial to get Google Maps Navigation on Android 1.6 handsets, from the HTC Hero to the Motorola DEXT, you’re covered with a great, and more importantly free turn-by-turn solution!

This solution is here, courtesy of Electric Pig (and friends)!

What you’ll need

• 1 Android 1.6 phone
• 1 microSD card
• 1 microSD card reader or USB cable

Preparation

• If it’s not updated, install the 1.6 Donut upgrade for your Android phone. The device should prompt you to do this itself, once it’s online.
• Download the ApkInstaller app from the Android Market (Search for “apk”).

Method

• You’ll need to download a specially modified version of Google Maps onto your PC, available here [Thanks to partypas for getting it working]. It’s a mere 2MB download so will take just seconds.
• Connect your phone via a micro USB cable, or slip the micro SD card into a reader and plug it into your PC. Copy across the file.
• Disconnect your Android phone from the USB cable, or insert the micro SD card.
• Install the modded Maps by firing up ApkInstaller and opening the file you copied across to the micro SD card.
• You might be prompted to give the phone the OK to install non-Android Market apps if you haven’t already. Do so.
• You’ll now have two Maps icons in your menu screen (See screenshot). Open the second one, and input your directions in Google Maps as you normally would.
• You’ll be given the option to “Show on map”, or “Navigate”. Press the Navigate option and, bingo, you’ve got Google Maps Navigation.
• Finally, download Nav Launcher from the Android Market to quickly jump to the Navigation feature in Maps.
• And that’s it: you’ve now got a free satnav app on your Android phone. Enjoy Google Maps Navigation in the UK!

There you have it! Maps on the cheap!

UPDATE: Ah. This is just for full-on Google experience phones, unfortunately…so the HTC Magic and T-Mobile G1 are the phones in question.

Flying in the face of recent statements, Gameloft have issued a press release unveiling plans to launch High Definition gaming on the new breed of Android phones including the Motorola DROID/MILESTONE and Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10, as well as cementing their support of current generation Google-powered devices.

Earlier this week, Gameloft’s finance director Alexadre de Rochefort spoke of scaling back investment for the fledgling platform, citing iPhone sales as being 400 times higher than on Android Market for their games in the last quarter, as well as a lack of assistance from Google in the promotion of titles.

Whilst the press release places a great deal of emphasis on referring to the ‘2nd generation’ of Android phones, it seems as though Gameloft are attmempting to clarify their intentions of maintaining a presence on the operating system, at present as well as in the future.

In that case, are they scaling back investment, or not?

This latest announcement does little to play down rumours that Gameloft may concentrate their efforts on iPhone in the meantime, with a view to ramping up Android development once the platform has a bigger slice of the smartphone market and a wider range of handsets available to consumers.

Today, Google announced that their new Maps Navigation system is now available for devices running the Android 1.6 operating system…provided you live in the U.S., that is.

As Android 1.6 is the build that all phones aside from the Motorola DROID (to be called Motorola MILESTONE if you call elevators by their real name, which is a ‘lift’) are running on, even the humble T-Mobile G1 and HTC Magic able to get a new lease of life and sense of direction.

Android 1.6 stops short of enabling full Droidery for Maps Navigation, leaving out the “Navigate to…” voice commands enabled by the 2.0 ‘Donut’ update.

US users can point your browsers to the Android Market, whilst UK users can make a gun using their thumb and forefinger and point at their temple in desperation…

Source: Android Release

Despite the Android platform bringing smart phone connectivity to the masses in handsets like the HTC Tattoo and T-Mobile Pulse, French developer Gameloft is finding it lacking for gaming, reporting that they are scaling back development for the fledgling operating system.

“We have significantly cut our investment in Android platform, just like…many others,” Gameloft’s Director of Finance Alexandre de Rochefort told investors at a conference.

The Android Market is said to be a major factor in this decision, with the service lacking the ’shop window’ browsing functionality of the App Store, as well as the absence of an iTunes-style desktop client for computers.

“[Android Market] is not as neatly done as on the iPhone. Google has not been very good to entice customers to actually buy products. On Android, nobody is making significant revenue. We are selling 400 times more games on iPhone than on Android,” Rochefort continued.

With Apple’s App Store contributing 13% of revenue into Gameloft’s coffers last quarter, and a steady stream of titles garnering both critical and financial acclaim on the iPhone, it comes as no surprise as they focus efforts on the more financially viable platforms.

If Android is lagging behind Apple’s App Store success story due to the iPhone’s huge existing install base of users, could impending high profile Google-powered phones such as the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 and Motorola MILESTONE redress the balance?

If so, it is likely that Gameloft, one of the largest and most prolific mobile game publishers, will return to this potential gaming goldmine at a later stage.

Source

Sony Ericsson’s Android-packing XPERIA X10 has just been unveiled for US journos to salivate over, and whilst the reception has been a touch less than rapturous, one real concern from Gizmodo is for the high-end handset’s pricepoint.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the phone will come in at £528 ($879.99) SIM-free, seemingly a huge deal on the side of the Atlantic accustomed to heavily subsidised handsets.

Networks over there are not as willing to take the hit on the cost of the smartest of smart phones, hence the occasional delay before reaching US soil at a reasonable price (see XPERIA X1, HTC Touch Pro etc.).

Still, the X10’s pricing really isn’t out of sync with devices residing in the VIP lounge of the mobile phone party…if anything, it’s a bit of a bargain.

A cursory glance over the eXpansys site has the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 available for £605, whilst the Palm Pre retails at a steep £499. The less said about the iPhone 3GS’ heart-stopping £879.99 ($1,463!) price on Play.com, the better…

The pricing for the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 seems entirely justified given the superfast 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4.1″ capacitive touch screen, 8.1 megapixel camera and impressive user interface.

The X10 is the first phone from Sony Ericsson to sport their propietary new graphical overlay, now officially dubbed ‘Nexus’ and engineered to seamlessly work over a range of operating systems.

Nexus UI is a heavily graphics-driven amalgam of the best of a user’s on- and offline content, with SocialScape scouring tweets and status updates and presenting them on your home page, whilst MediaScape explores your movies, music and photos suggesting artists you might like.

The X10 seemed in better shape, with Nexus certainly working far smoother and more responsively than demoed at the initial announcement, but it still has a little ways to go before being ready for public consumption early in 2010.

For a more detailed explanation of the XPERIA X10, see Omio’s coverage from the UK event, as well as taking a gander at the video below.