Thanks to arsenito84 for running us through Android 1.6 for developers in glorious detail, including the new Android Market and the array of tweaks that it gives to the humble (in this case) HTC Magic/myTouch 3G.
But the music…oh lordy, the music.
The Samsung Galaxy might have seen a low-key release on O2, but the new ‘Lite’ model has disappeared off our radar all together.
We now have heard a rumour that the i5700 Galaxy Lite (not to be confused with the i7500 Galaxy) might not make Xmas…or 2009 at all for that matter!
The dimuitive handset runs 1.5 “Cupcake” like his bigger brother, and is available in two colourways of white/green and black/red. With a 3″ touch display, 3.2 megapixel camera and full copnnectivity over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS, the only thing that is small about the Galaxy Lite is the form factor!
If it does indeed slip to 2010, entry-level rivals like the HTC Tattoo and T-Mobile Pulse might find green lights on the Android highway in that lucrative Christmas rush for a prepay stocking filler…
Like your Android phones a little bit cool and a lot cheap? The HTC Tattoo is the perfect handset for you. Already on our radar as a hot handset to watch, the Tattoo is set for an October release on Vodafone.
With a 2.8″ resistive screen, the Sense UI that made people go weak at the knees for the HTC Hero and a 3.2 megapixel camera, the Tattoo also manages to exude a sense of style thanks to replaceable covers and a 3.5mm headphone jack for the music lovers out there.
Even more exciting, the Tattoo is aiming for that lucrative lower-end of the market by targeting the youths with an impressive, and affordable, Android device.
We wait with baited breath to see if the Tattoo materialises on prepay shedules…it has the potential to be a far less regrettable purchasing decision than indelible graffiti on your skin!
The Android-powered HTC Hero has only had one major fault levelled at it since release (apart from that opinion-splitting chin), that of the unique ‘Sense’ interface feeling a tad sluggish and unresponsive to use.
Following on from HTC’s own attempts to pimp out the Hero, Orange has released a fix on the official site, allowing users to upgrade their firmware for a boost in speed as well as the odd tweak in other departments.
The process is fairly simple, but be warned that the update will delete all your data, so be sure to back up you contacts and saucy texts beforehand…
The T-Mobile G2 Touch – the network’s take on the HTC Hero – is a little more liveried up with carrier-specific functions, and in turn seems to require a lot of tinkering before the release of a performance update.
With T-Mobile asking customers to sit tight on their forum, it looks like the G2 will see its update brought forward from an initial October/November release to the next couple of weeks, keeping up with the HTC Hero’s new go-faster stripes as well as calming the crowd of pitchfork-wielding Touch owners.
The debate of whether network-specific firmware is detrimental to phone features is a fair one, but at least the respective carriers are making a concerted effort to appease impatient owners this time.
Source: Register
So…what can Motorola’s DEXT and the MotoBLUR interface do for you social (networking) life, and how does it stack up against the HTC Hero and its Sense UI? Find out in this vid from Slashgear!
Great news for those getting jealous about all these tarted up Android interfaces on phones like the HTC Tattoo and Motorola DEXT, the Donut 1.6 build has been unveiled to developers, meaning that a new version for phones like the HTC Magic and T-Mobile G1 will be here soon enough…
See, Google has not forsaken us!
More than an incremental upgrade, Android 1.6 offers:
See it all in motion in the below video!
They’re back.
The company that thrust mobile phones into the mainstream with the StarTac and insanely successful RAZR range has returned from the wilderness with cutting edge hardware, social networking functionality and the Android operating system combined in the Motorola DEXT.
A slender handset with a slider form factor hiding a QWERTY keyboard, the Motorola DEXT has a 5 megapixel camera, 3″ capacitive touchscreen and all manner of connectivity expected from today’s smart phones including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and 3.5mm headphone jack.
The DEXT is the first Android-toting mobile from Motorola, and their unique spin on Google’s OS is a social streaming interface called ‘MotoBLUR’.
Dovetailing all of your social contact information from Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, MotoBLUR injects it all into a gorgeous customisable homescreen and presents it seamlessly…without apps, sign-ins and icons slowing up the experience.
A threaded universal inbox presents texts, e-mail, posts, status updates and tweets from all your mates in one place, making them ready to reply to from wherever you are.
If you’re worried about losing your world if leaving your DEXT on the night bus, the handset is trackable by the internal GPS and can be remotely wiped if necessary.
Thankfully, constant updates and background syncing of your data to the MotoBLUR ‘cloud’ means that all your precious information will be protected and back on your next DEXT in moments, akin to Apple’s MobileMe service…only for free.
The Motorola DEXT (called CLIQ in the US) is due for release in early October, and is geared up as an Orange exclusive device.
Pricing is yet to be released, but pre-registration starts on September 22nd, so details will be out in due course.
Big hopes for Motorola are pinned on this device, and it looks well placed in the DEXT.
Embracing the social networking explosion was a wise move, and the DEXT is sufficiently distinct from HTC’s Android devices to trade on its own merits.
Check out the full Motorola DEXT features on the site, and get a look at MotoBLUR streaming happily in the video below.
Mere days after the unveiling of T-Mobile Pulse, a bargain mobile running on Google’s Android operating system, HTC has responded with their own handset for the cool youth market – the HTC Tattoo.
A mid-range device with full customisation as its mantra, the Tattoo brings the flexible and connected ‘Sense’ experience from the HTC Hero without the smartphone price tag and pronounced jawline…
The idea of bringing the slick touch user interface of Android to a socially mobile demographic that will embrace it is a smart one, and the Tattoo might just have the looks and specs to do it justice.
The HTC Tatttoo offers a 3.2 megapixel camera, 2.8″ VGA touchscreen and a full suite of connectivity with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and a 3.5mm audio jack.
With an early October release date and a nice line in colourways, changeable fascias and Sense UI (that reminds us, Nokia, please bring back XPress On covers!), the Tattoo is HTC’s forth Android phone, and could be Taiwanese firm’s best chance of getting Android into as many hands as possible.
Pay monthly prices and prepay availablility of the HTC Tattoo will be made available nearer release, but word is that the handset will definitely be made available for free on a contract.
Check out full HTC Tattoo specifications on Omio.com.
Yes, I know many of you though this day would never come.
The official Facebook app has finally launched on the Android Market, and it allows for all the poking, liking, following and status upadating that the full desktop version of the famous social network offers…almost.
We’re giving it the benefit of the doubt as it is version 1.0, but the Facebook app lacks messaging and has been having teething problems on various Android handsets, particularly the HTC Hero.
Still, this is still an app in it’s infancy, and considering that this application was “never going to happen” at one point, let’s just enjoy the miracle of Facebook and Google playing together nicely, shall we?
The Power of the App in a mobile platform’s sucess is only too clear, with their popularity in the casual sector stronger than ever…
This is naturally the perfect time for the Android Market to receive a facelift for all those Google phones, offering screenshots to be uploaded by developers, separation of applications by paid and free, as well as a far more appealing white background.
We always thought the dark and foreboding background was a bit scary…
Anyway, have a sneaky peek below at the new Android Market, which will be available on the Donut/1.6 update…
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