G1 News

I was interested to see a new mobile maker getting into the business and taking advantage of Android lowering the barriers to entry, and Philips’ V808 phone had the chance to do great things!

Now the truth is coming out, and it is all laced with sad, sad, sadness…

It will be an exclusive to China Mobile, and a version of the OPhone customised Android operating system will be doing the heavy lifting.

So out goes the Android Market, as well as fluffy luxuries like 3G, Wi-Fi and multi-touch. Ouch.

Silver lining? At least Philips are making Android phones. Perhaps they should tell Sony Ericsson to get on board, they could do with some help.

Hey! We’re glad to offer a range of new mobile phone deals, thanks to comparison site Omio!

Looking at the top tabs on the site, you’ll now see links to pages where you can grab the HTC Magic as well as the new HTC Hero and even newer T-Mobile G2 Touch!

The deal comparison engine sliders allow you to set the ideal number of minutes and texts, and the amount you are willing to spend each month. Then it does the rest, and brings up the best offers instantly!

So if you are lucky enough to reside in the UK and are looking for an Android fix, you’ve found it!

UPDATE: T-Mobile G2 Touch deals all fixed and added now!

Well, it seems like T-Mobile UK is taking those Twitter 101 business lessons to heart, using their account to announce the release of the T-Mobile G2 Touch on their site from the 28th of July, and in stores in the coming days.

A HTC Hero by another name (but still as sweet), the G2 Touch is impressive thanks to the slick user interface and refreshing handset design.

The smartphone offers an antidote to those ’sold out iPhone 3GS’ woes, and has the Android Marketplace and a fine line in personalisation thanks to widgets and profiles that each offer a markedly different user experience.

Other plus points include Flash support on the G2’s browser and Microsoft Exchange mail support, although we are yet to see what magenta-flavoured additions T-Mobile will bring to the device.

Best Android phone out now (well, tomorrow)? Certainly. Best touchscreen phone on the market? It’s a close one.

What will become of our humble T-Mobile G1? I shudder to think…

Seems like the Android interface isn’t just for people that drink champange out of crystal slippers and wear monocles to bed, the HTC Click offers to bring the mobile platform to the masses in an unassuming form factor.

Sporting the usual array of Google phone buttons and a style reminiscent of the HTC Touch, the Click could be out as soon as Q4 2009. Corners have indeed been trimmed in an effort to lower the price, noticable changes like the trackball being replaced by a large d-pad are noticable, but far from a deal breaker.

Rumours that it could have the same user interface as the HTC Hero proves interesting…what will justify the cost of a pricier Android device if they all have identical UIs? Soon megapixels and gigabytes of space will mean less and less if the experience is no different.

Isn’t that why the T-Mobile G1 and HTC Magic are still without even a hint of a Rosie update?

Source: Slashphone

The LG GW620 Eve has been revealed as the first Android device, enterprising folk at NieuweMobiel.NL dug up XML files on their website that have given a few bits away…

It will have:

• 320 x 480 pixel touchscreen
• UMTS/HSDPA 3G
• QWERTY keyboard

Can’t wait to see what the form factor will be!

Despite HTC having a BFF relationship with Microsoft, word has it that the Taiwanese manufacturer will be shacking up with Google’s platform in 2010. A lot.

HTC currently has 26 Windows devices on its European website and only 2 on Android, but have been the only company to truly back the device with head-turning handsets from the T-Mobile G1 to the Magic.

With a third of HTC phones coming to market running on Android in ‘09, it looks like next year could see a range of devices that don’t have Ballmer’s seal of approval…

Source: Engadget

The HTC Hero is now out on Orange, offering the next gen of Android with a slick new interface and a great form factor. Available online and in stores (although not my local in Camden, where the guy had NO idea what I was on about), the handset is available for free on deals from £29.36 per month.

The HTC Hero packs a 5-megapixel camera, 3.2″ touchscreen and GPS in a gunmetal finish, and is an Orange exclusive.

T-Mobile, however, has a very similar handset coming soon called the G2 Touch, and will still have the Sense UI and slick form factor.

With Android handsets coming from the major manufacturers in the next few months, this could be the watershed moment for Google’s new platform!

HTC Hero deals are available from Omio.com now!

Lucky, lucky Android Community.

Whilst not due for release until the end of the month, they have recently come into possession of the brand spanking new HTC Hero, and are doing the decent thing and poring over every facet for our amusement.

The form factor comes under thorough scrutiny, as does the new Sense User Interface, HTC Footprints and the profile-based customisable homescreens.

Sit back and watch the future of Android! Well, the soon-to-be present for the UK and Europe (and past for savvy Rosie firmware/T-Mobile G1 hackers), but you get what I mean!

June 10th saw T-Mobile and Google cementing their business relationship with a press conference, with Android updates at the forefront of discussions.

It seems as though the versions beyond Cupcake that have seen the HTC Hero and Sony Ericsson Rachel turn heads are not the end, with future versions on the way to advance both social networking and payment methods for apps other than Google Checkout. T-Mobile will helpfully let payments go straight on your monthly bill (how nice of them!).

As for naming conventions, we’re back on the tasty treats trail after the brief ‘Rosie’ deviation, with “Donut”, “Eclair” and “Flan” on the horizon. Whatever they are called, we just hope they are as good as the ones that have cropped up thus far, and keeps on satisfying our cravings for sweet smartphone updates.

Source: Boy Genius Report

Okay, we are now officially paying attention to the new Sony Ericsson XPERIA ‘Rachel,’ check this amazing video demo really showing off the new customised user interface!

The underlying tech is unmistakably Android (the transitions and Google search box are dead giveaways), but it is gorgeous! The 3D ‘card’ interface, the threaded messaging, the slick integration of Facebook, images and Twitter updates, the…everything!

It is all so smooth, so intuitive, it looks like sci-fi mobile phone tech come to life. It is clearly a emulation from a computer simulating the UI, but with a super-fast Snapdragon chip doing the heavy lifting, the Rachel might be able to pull this off!

That said, the transition animations still seem swift enough to use on a daily basis. As long as they pull the images for contacts from Facebook a la the INQ1, the Rachael’s visual-driven interface will be nothing short of a revelation.

Combined with the form factor leaked earlier, this is now the Android phone to watch. Wow, the HTC Hero was so impressive a week ago…but we far prefer the cleaner and brighter interface or Rachel to the slightly busy ‘Sense’ UI.

Source: USEB