Google's Android

We’re proud to present to you: Buddymob the app!

Kristina — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:24:36 +0000

The Google’s Android blog was lucky enough to be contacted by Kiboo, a mobile application development company in Belgium that has developed a new app for the Android called Buddymob. Can you spot Buddymob on the screen:

This multitasking Buddymob application allows you to:

Publish messages

Manage your contacts

Publish a post

Get status updates from friends

Find out where you friends are

Chat with your friends

It has fully customizable settings that allow you to keep your connection even after exiting out of the app!

For more information on this android app, you may visit the Buddymob blog. If you have any specific questions, leave ‘em in a comment and I’ll be sure to pass them directly on to the developers.

This is bound to be a cool little app that ties together all of your social networking needs!

Hello Moto: Hello Android

Kristina — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:06:55 +0000

Motorola, one of the original members of the Open Handset Alliance, is reaching out to Android developers. It’s being reported by the Washington Post, that Motorola- who hasn’t had a popular phone since the RAZR- is compiling an Android team of about 350 members.

Getting their hands into the Android Hype early could help boost Motorola’s less-than-impressive sales as of late.

Source:
The Washington Post
Channel Web

EA Games Coming to Your Android

Kristina — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:37:18 +0000

A spokesperson for EA Mobile says that, “EA will support the Android platform, as any platform that can deliver a robust game experience is good for introducing new consumers to mobile games.” But don’t get your hopes too high because EA is waiting until the Android App Store allows paid applications, “EA Mobile has elected to wait for the launch of a content billing solution to bring their premier IP to market.”

The bottom line:

Initially Android App Store will only be allowing free applications; EA is waiting until they can make you pay for The Sims app, etc. on your mobile phone.

Source:
Pocket Gamer

T-Mobile G1 Official User Guide

Kristina — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:12:25 +0000

T-Mobile has posted the G1 User Guide! Take a look here:
http://support.t-mobile.com/knowbase/root/public/tm30235.pdf

Click on images to make them larger.

Source:
T-Mobile G1 User Guide

Visa: Everywhere your Android Wants to Be

Kristina — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:56:24 +0000

Visa has announced that they are developing an app for the Android App Store that will allow customers to receive Alerts, receive targeted Offers based on recent sales, and use a Locator to find local stores that accept Visa. Users will be allowed to pick and choose from the three options (Alerts, Offers, and Locator) and only enable the ones they want. Users will also be able to cancel out from any of the three options at any time.

Visa is also working with Nokia on the ability to make payments through your mobile device. The Nokia 6212 Classic will have the ability to “make contactless payments, remote payments, money transfers, as well as receive alerts and notifications.” The phone will be available starting next month to financial institutions, and to the general public sometime after that.

The Nokia 6212 Classic.

Source:
PC World- Business Center

MobileWe meet Android!

Kristina — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:33:22 +0000

At the T-Mobile G1 webcast earlier this week, we were told that there would be no desktop syncing application similar to Apple’s MobileMe. This was a big dissapointment to many eargerly awaiting all the glorious details of the G1.

Well, here come the heroes: Funambol. In a recently released press release, Funambol says that they will be providing an application for the Android operating system that allows you to “sync and share your contacts from other mobile phones as well as from popular desktop apps such as MS Outlook and webmail such as Yahoo!, Gmail and AOL.”

This third party application that will be available to download from the Android App Store is aptly named MobileWe.

“MobileWe for the Rest of Us means providing easy-to-use sync for Android users,” said Hal Steger, Funambol VP Marketing.

Read the entire press release here.

T-Mobile Removes 1G Restriction on “Unlimited” Data

Kristina — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:44:26 +0000

T-Mobile has released a statement retracting their original move to cap their “unlimited” data plan at 1G. Now each person who runs in excess will be reviewed and dealt with on a case-by-case basis. This is how the majority of other major mobile phone carriers enforce their data policies.

“We reserve the right to temporarily reduce data throughput for a small fraction of our customers who have excessive or disproportionate usage that interferes with our network performance or our ability to provide quality service to all of our customers,” said a statement from T-Mobile for NY Times.”

Your Choice of G1 Colors: Black, White, & Brown

Kristina — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:39:49 +0000

Black:

White:

Brown
Thanks to Android Community

Well, what do you think? Which color is your favorite? Which one looks tacky? Cheap?

Personally, I’m all about the white option even though I easily opted for a black 16G iPhone.

G1 versus the iPhone: the basics you need to know!

Kristina — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:44:21 +0000

Hardware Specifications:

Weight: G1 = 158g vs iPhone = 133g

Battery Life: G1 = 5 hours talk time, 130 hours standby vs iPhone = 5 hours talk time, 300 hours standby

Screen Size: G1 = 3.2inches vs iPhone = 3.5in

Camera: G1 = 3MP vs iPhone = 2MP

Storage: G1 = 2GB (expandable to 8GB) vs iPhone = 8GB or 16GB

Processor: G1 = 528MHz vs iPhone = 835 MHz

Mobile Applications

On the iPhone you use iTunes on your desktop, laptop or mobile device and the App Store.

On the G1 you will be downloading the majority of your content through wifi (unless you want to risk going over your cap of a mere 1G data limit by T-Mobile), or through your SD card. The G1 comes with a 1gig SD card that can be upgraded to 8gigs maximum by you for an additional fee (around $50+). The G1 will come pre-loaded with my Google applications already.

Music

Amazon versus iTunes.

Amazon MP3 store will be the G1′s version of iTunes. The library of audio and video files is not (yet) as extensive as iTunes; however the prices will be slightly cheaper and there be no digital rights management. This means you can easily transfer your purchased data between devices with no hassles.

Features

The type of keyboard you prefer is a big consideration for most buyers when choosing between the G1 and iPhone. There are those users who will always want a hard keyboard, and then there are those who have adapted to the virtual keyboard and love it. I’m included in that second grouping, although at first I missed the hard keyboard that my old Samsung Blackjack offered.

Does the G1 offer a virtual keyboard in addition to the hard keyboard? If you know the answer, please leave a comment! I have not yet gotten a chance to play with the G1 in person =[

G1 = Touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard, Internet access via 3G and Wi-Fi, additional content via Android Market, music from Amazon, built-in GPS, and “compass” for easy navigation, instant messaging, push-email, locked Sim card, Web browsing.

iPhone = Touchscreen, virtual QWERTY keyboard, multi-touch gesture support, Internet access via 3G and Wi-Fi, additional music and applications via iTunes and App Store, built-in GPS (second-gen iPhone), Visual Voicemail, multi-touch gesture support, Microsoft Exchange support, push-email, locked Sim card, Web browsing.

Cost

The overall two-year cost of owning a $200 iPhone is $2360 (unlimited texting). The cost of owning a G1 with an identical texting plan is between $1620 and $2460.

The T-Mobile G1 will run you $180 with two-year contract – add $25/month for an unlimited data plan (which includes unlimited Internet usage and limited messaging) or a $35/month plan for unlimited messaging. A basic T-Mobile voice plan range from $30/month (300 minutes) and $60/month (1500 minutes). T-Mobile says in order to purchase the G1 you must also get a “qualifying rate plan.”

Apple’s iPhone will run you $200 (8GB) which also requires a 2-year contract. The rate plan will set you back basic rate-plan is $70/month (which including unlimited Internet access). For another $20/month you can get unlimited text messaging, or for an additional $15/month you can get 1500 text messages, or for an additonal $5/month you can get 200 text messages.

For more comparison articles please visit the Comparisons page!

Source:
Network World

T-Mobile Squashes Your G1 Fantasies With the Fine Print

Kristina — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:52:04 +0000

Caveat Emptor: Buyer Beware

You must ALWAYS read the fine print.

According to T-Mobile’s fine print, your data services from them will be capped at just 1GB per month! If you use beyond your 1G they will reduce the rest of your cycle to 50KBPS or less. What does that mean? Your phone would be running at roughly the same speed as your old dial up modem that you tossed five years or more ago! Yikes!

So how much can you download for 1GB? According to Silicon Alley Insider, “One gigabyte is about how much it takes to download the equivalent of a few albums, a decent quality movie, and a decent quality TV episode — not much. Add to that whatever email, Web browsing, file downloading, app downloading, and whatever else you’ll be doing, and it wouldn’t be far-fetched for the power users that Google is courting to hit that 1 gigabyte cap — 34 MB a day — on a regular basis.“

AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon all offer a 5GB cap– that’s five times the amount T-Mobile is offering!

Bummer.

Source:
Silicon Alley Insider