G1 News

And just like that, weeks of planning, preparation and subterfuge goes out of the window…

The new Eclair/Android 2.0 sporting DROID, known in many circles going by the name of ‘Sholes’, has finally been outed…by Motorola themselves.

A premature posting on their site leaked all the juicy details, an embarrassing error that still keeps us excited, but undoes all that great hype work ahead of November’s big reveal.

The DROID feature set is pretty impressive, although we had an idea of what we were going to be getting for some time. That sleek slider form factor is easy on the eye too.

Full specs:

- CDMA 1X 800/1900, EVDO rev. A connectivity
- 550 MHz CPU
- Android 2.0 (Eclair) OS
- 3.7″ WVGA (480 x 854 pixels); 16:9 widescreen; PPI 267 touchscreen display
- 5mpx camera with 4x digital zoom, autofocus, image stabilization, dual LED flash and up to 24 fps; D1 (720×480) resolution video capture
- full QWERTY side slide keyboard
- Accelerometer, aGPS and sGPS support, proximity and ambient light sensors
- Wi-Fi b/g, Stereo Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR, USB 2.0 high speed with micro USB connector, 3.5 mm headset jack
- 16 GB microSD pre-installed; supports up to 32 GB microSD expandable
- Webkit HTML5 support, Flash 10 (available 2010)
- 1400 mAh Li Ion battery with up to 270 hrs. standby and 385 mins talk time
- Dimensions: 2.4 x 4.6 x .5 in.; 60.00 x 115.80 x 13.70 mm
- Weight: 6 oz.; 169 g

Google on-board means Mail and Maps are all present and correct, as is the Android Marketplace.

Missed the cool early virals taking a pot-shot at a certian apple-flavoured competitor? Check it below.

Our only two questions are:

1. What happened to the MOTOBlur interface seen on the Motorola DEXT? Not for Verizon’s tastes on the DROID?

2. When is it coming to the UK?

3. How can Lucasfilm own the word “Droid” What the heck is that about?

Yes, strictly three questions. I lied.

As the T-Mobile G1 and HTC Magic get released in more territories, so the shadow of Android Market grows over the world!

Phandroid has been given a special Support Team telegram, within which the latest countries to receive extra Android lovin’ for apps have been announced.

Free apps can now be downloaded in:

- Canada (eh?)

- France (oui!)

- Ireland (so they are)

- Italy (buongiorno)

- Portugal (tudo bem?)

- Spain (si)

- Switzerland (tschuss!)

…whilst local language support will be available for English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Czech and Polish.

More languages supported, the more people that can make an enjoy apps! That’s indeed the key to their success, and it’s cool to see Google recognising that.

“We inadvertently unpublished your application for all mobile providers; if you like, we can restore your app so that all Android Market users outside the T-Mobile US network will have access to your application.”

The response received by the blokey whose app was unceremoniously removed from the Android Market, after it allowed users to tether their T-Mobile G1 to a lappy for internet downloading and the like (provided they had root access to their G1).

You’d think it was quite a niche app, but the functionality was enough that T-Mobile US turned the screws and got it pulled. Network specific and-yet-somehow open app garden? Hmm, interesting…

It all sounds like an honest accident following that apology, but do you believe Google’s intentions are pure, or is the Android Market just as closed off to developer innovation when it apps have the potential to jeopardise the carriers’ food/money supply?

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

Mobile gaming publisher Gameloft was itching to get some cash money from the Android platform, and unsurprisingly as soon as the floodgates opened on paid apps into the Marketplace, they have no less than 20 titles coming out for the T-Mobile G1.

About time too, the lack of decent games was annoying! Only so many times you can play Pac-Man…

There is a good mix of some big licences, arguably what Gameloft do best. CSI: Miami (complete with a virtual moody and caring Horatio, with glasses!) and dating legend (Adriana Lima, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Mariah Carey and Jessica Biel…come on!) Derek Jeter in Pro Baseball ‘09 are the highlights, with many more games for Android handsets to follow…

“With digital distribution being the platform of the future, Android Market continues the momentum by providing new channels for consumers to find, buy and download games,” said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president of publishing at Gameloft. “We believe in the potential of Android Market, both in terms of content and accessibility. We will continue to support this platform any way we can.”

“Plus, when other devices like the HTC Magic come out…cha-ching!” he did not go on to add.