G1 News

Google has begun to swing the banhammer around their non-walled garden of Android Market, sending tethering apps for the T-Mobile G1 like WiFi Tether For Root Users flying out in the process…

Apparently, these applications which sharing the cellular data connection via USB or WiFi to another gadget, usually a PC or lappy, contravene the networks’ Terms of Service…

According to them, via disgrunted dev of the above app:

“Google enters into distribution agreements with device manufacturers and Authorized Carriers to place the Market software client application for the Market on Devices. These distribution agreements may require the involuntary removal of Products in violation of the Device manufacturer’s or Authorized Carrier’s terms of service.”

Sounds a lot like T-Mobile started voicing their discontent at all of these apps allowing people to get data on the cheap using tethering… So just how open is the Market? The answer seems to be as open as the networks and manufacturers deem it to be. This wouldn’t be a problem if they weren’t signing from the rooftops how much a Utopia it was for developers to work in as opposed to Apple’s Orwellian nightmare of rules and regulations.

Seems like the walls around the Android Market are just a little more padded than those of the App Store, but electrified nonetheless…

Source: Android Community

In addition to a less volatile name, the Android app previously known as ScanTorrent has now gone on sale on the Android Market, for a cost of $2.99.

It has plenty of functionality, including:

• uTorrent & Vuse support
• Load By URL, Load By File
• KTorrent – PHP and HTML Interfaces
• Sort By Publish Date or By Seeds and Leechers (Default)
• Purchase opportunities upon Barcode Lookup – Long Click result to open Browser.
• Failed Submissions to the Client are retried automatically at application open and exit.
• Choose maximum number of Torrent Search results (25 [Default], 50, 100, 250)

Irrespective of the hazy legality surrounding torrents and their uses, the BarTor app is undeniably an impressive use of the G1’s features and Android’s flexibility.

Source: Android And Me

It seems like the T-Mobile G1 could be the first smartphone in this generation to receive Adobe’s web add-on Flash, and not even from Adobe themselves.

We knew that Adobe had been working on getting it working, even seen a demo of it in action.

Nevertheless, embedded solution peeps BSquare have been mentioning by way of press release that they have been “tapped by a global tier 1 carrier to port the Adobe Flash technology to the Android platform”. Must be T-Mobile!

Or could it be one of the many holders of the HTC Magic trying to create some daylight between their device and the iPhone?

Flash is a software-based player for web browsers that allows for high quality games, video streaming and website animation inside a window. Up until now, a truly working solution is only available for Windows Mobile and Symbian via Skyfire, but nothing similar for the iPhone or G1 is available.

With all of this new found attention, at the moment it’s hip to Bsquare!

Yes, I only wrote this news to put that line in.

We’ve already pledged our devotion to ShopSavvy, Big in Japan’s barcode snapping app for Android/the T-Mobile G1 which lets you know the nearest and cheapest place to purchase your favourite items.

It now has a very impressive new feature, knowing whether the item scanned is actually in stock at the locations which show up. Unfortunately, the technology used only has stock information for US stores, but it’s only a matter of time before they hook up with a European equivalent!

Saving you money and now a wasted journey, ShopSavvy has just gotten a little more clever!

Source: App Scout

Exciting news about Android, and more importantly the T-Mobile G1!

Super statisticians AdMob have discovered that Android/the T-Mobile G1 has managed to obtain 5% of the US smatphone market, in only a matter of months. Not bad for a single device!

Even more interesting is the factoid that 5.2% of all smartphone web traffic is from the G1. Nice, that browser is second only to the iPhone’s Safari for web stuff!

Being the only handset to run Android at the moment, it means that they have done something very right with the mobile experience! People must be getting fed up of the clunky interface phones used to have…

Source: Android Guys

You might have lost yours, you might just be wondering what a G1 is like up close before you take the plunge, but here’s the instruction manual for the T-Mobile G1! This user guide goes into detail describing all of the functionality of the handset, but it doesn’t explain why we don’t have the ability to record video!

Download it the T-Mobile G1 user manual here.

The first ever Android handset is now available to the Italians courtesy of HTC, launching the Dream (a.k.a. T-Mobile G1) on the TIM network.

Unlike the T-Mobile G1, the HTC Dream only comes in black, but will be offered on both contract and prepay setups. The latter costs around €429, whilst the Dream is free on a pay monthly deal!

Let’s see how TIM handles the onslaught of the sexy new HTC Magic, available on Vodafone soon in Italy as well as in the UK. Having the v1.0 Android handset whilst Voda shows off the hot new 2009 model will make the Dream a tough sell…

Mobile blogaholic with a G1? Then wpToGo is by far the best app currently available, allowing you to post to Wordpress blogs from the comfort of your mobile phone.

It is certainly a no-frills app, but added functionality of late has included post editing, with the ability to add tags and support for multiple blogs also becoming available.

Only issue is that it is far from comfy to use if you want to write an essay or particularly vitriolic diabtribe about the lack of Cupcake, but that’s a shortcoming of the T-Mobile G1’s tenny tiny keyboard, rather than the app itself. Get involved, you won’t be disappointed!

–Authored using wpToGo–

Android and Me found these new adverts for the T-Mobile G1. Made by LA outfit A Friend of Yours, they deserve to get used! Very funny, very reminiscent of the original Playstation ads in the UK.

Please use these spots to add some personality to the phone, TMo! No-one knows what it is, and the damn flashmob adverts do little to fix that fact! These are a bit tongue-in-cheek, poke a bit of fun at the G1, but damn if they aren’t memorable!

I can now freely admit that I had a raging app habit on the iPhone, spending between £15 and £20 per week to get my ‘fix’. It took maxing out my debit card and going to India for two weeks to finally kill those demons, and thankfully I went back to living a relatively normal life.

Then the T-Mobile G1 got a Android Marketplace. And then the Marketplace got apps. Suffice to say, I am firmly in the clutches of an app relapse, here’s six of my favourite finds so far!

1. Jewellust

It’s Bejeweled. It’s good. Nuff said! How did they come up with the name? Interesting story:

“Jewellust is our neologism, it fully means: JEWELry-LUST. Lust for jewelry.”

So, there you go.

2. Military Madness

Like Advance Wars on the Nintendo DS? This is where the idea came from. Cutesy turn-based warfare, just like real life.

3. Discover Pro

Transfer any file you want, anywhere you want, wirelessly. From the G1 to your computer, moving files around on your PC, anything on the same wi-fi network gets handled. Saves me loads of time and hassle moving MP3s and movies around the place. Awesome!

4. Cubik

It’s Tetris. It’s horribly patent infringing. It’s free.

5. TxtSpeed

Get your Mavis Beacon on, learn to speed up your G1 keyboard typing with this fun timekiller. Then get a job as a secretary, and charm your way into the corridors of power! That’s my plan – am currently at Stage 1…learning to type in high heels.

6. TuneWiki

I miss you, jailbroken iPhone App! Now it’s here, doing the same awesome kareoke on your mobile thing, but on the G1 and better! Now in addition to seeing lyrics, you can link it up to see the YouTube videos of your stored songs, then see the song choices of other TuneWiki-savvy people in your area. Awesome.

Download them, cherish them, use them. I have.

Which apps are you guys loving at the moment? Let me know in the comments section!