Filed under: Cellphones

Google sets up Android support team in Taiwan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As expected, Google and LG have joined Apple, AT&T, and Verizon in settling their visual voicemail patent lawsuits with Klausner Technologies. The LG agreement is the more straightforward of the two, since it covers LG devices like the Versa directly, but things get more complicated with Google since it doesn’t actually make its own phones — Klausner wouldn’t say if the agreement shielded Android licensees from patent claims. We’re hoping Google’s attorneys got it all sorted out, but we’ll see who else is next on Klausner’s naughty list.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Google, LG settle visual voicemail patent suits with Klausner originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android Dev Phone 1 owners are pretty much expected to handle their own business when it comes to firmware updates, but those of you who like to kick it official take note: El Goog’s just released Android 1.1 for for its totally unlocked version of the G1. Most of the fixes are to do with POP3 accounts, and paid apps are now supported with a catch: you won’t be able to access any paid apps that use Android’s hilariously weak-ass copy protection features, because the ADP1 comes rooted out of the box and thus able to read / write the folder protected apps are stored in. So yeah, ADP1 owners now have access to paid apps that don’t have copy protection — we’re guessing that’s not a large number. Honestly, we don’t see the point of this: nothing’s ever going to stop piracy, and pissing off the people willing to buy $400 unlocked phones that don’t come with support doesn’t seem like the best way to build brand loyalty. Maybe you want to reconsider, guys?

Filed under: Cellphones

Google issues first Android Dev Phone 1 update, clarifies paid app situation originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Low light, candles in the corner — seriously folks, these shots are downright sultry. Optus’ HTC G1, er, Dream has been spotted and photographed in some random corner of the world, and while it basically looks like every other G1 you’ve ever seen in this hue, we’re absolutely certain that Australians in attendance are more than happy to have a look. You know where to head for the rest.

[Thanks, Tom]

Filed under: Cellphones

Optus’ HTC Dream spotted, photographed passionately originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 05:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dev Phone 1 is good for many things that the stock G1 is not — hardcore geek street cred, developing Android apps, exercising your 1337est hacking skills — but one thing it’s not good for is buying and enjoying paid apps out of the Android Market. It seems Google has disabled access to paid apps from Dev Phone 1s, likely in response to the almost-immediate discovery by users that rooted devices had access to the hidden folders where the apps were stored, effectively making pirating them trivially easy. In all likelihood, the move doesn’t actually have anything to do with whether your phone is radio unlocked — it’s the rooting that’s the concern, and frankly, we’re a bit shocked at Google’s naivete at thinking these things were going to stay protected without at least a glancing effort at real DRM. You’d think that developers willing to shell out $400 for the device aren’t going to take too kindly to being locked out of the goods — which, ironically, could be their own — so let’s hope Google’s planning on cleaning up the shop and opening back up sooner rather than later.

Update: Get a load of this — we have an unlocked, rooted G1 on hand, and it still has access to paid apps. Same problem, essentially the same phone, but Google’s glossing it right over. If we had an ADP1, we’d be fuming right about now.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Google blocking paid Market apps from Dev Phone 1 users originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android may be doing its best to exterminate Linux on the mobile platform, but a dedicated group of fans is doing its best to keep it alive and on the move. One of those is a G1 user by the handle ghostwalker who managed to get a full X-Windows environment running on his handset. Building on the already working Debian version for the G1, he installs LXDE (the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment) on top and then connects to that using the Android VNC viewer. The process sounds straightforward (as far as these things go) and is fully detailed at the read link, but as always don’t blame us if you break your poor Android’s shell — and heart.

[Via Hack A Day, thanks Neerhaj]

Filed under: Cellphones

X11 on G1 hack is for those who like a little extra OS in their OS originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like Google is officially in the app store game — Android Market now contains paid apps. We haven’t gotten the update on our G1 yet, but if you have RC33 it’s rolling out now — reboot and let us know what your first purchase is!

Filed under: Cellphones

Paid apps appear in Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Admit it, you want some Cupcake, but you’re afraid of ditching the physical keyboard altogether. Good news for those of you who’ve snagged an Android Dev Phone 1, because your wish may be our command. The guys at Make have the lowdown on how to flash Cupcake to the device and experience that on-screen keyboard in all its glory. The hacked OS certainly wasn’t ready for primetime, and that hotly-anticipated soft keyboard was still a little buggy — but there is some hope for using the phone with one hand. We’ll bet Google / T-Mobile keep this one in the oven a bit longer until it’s ready to take on the masses, but at least we’re seeing some fresh baked goodness on something other than the Magic. There’s video of the Macguyver’d OS in action after the break.

[Via Geek.com]

Continue reading Android Dev Phone 1 gets in on the Cupcake action early, deemed to be a little undercooked

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Android Dev Phone 1 gets in on the Cupcake action early, deemed to be a little undercooked originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okay, an Android RAZR would have been amazing, but sadly Motorola didn’t announce anything at all at MWC, so our dreams are on hold for the moment. In fact, day three was bereft of any major announcements, but there was some action: Telstra boss Sol Trujillo’s prototype HTC handset running Windows Mobile 6.5 was pickpocketed, we played with a few real Android prototypes, and we even saw Windows Mobile hacked into compatibility with a capacitive touchscreen. What else did we learn?

Continue reading MWC day three: return of the Jedi

Filed under: Cellphones

MWC day three: return of the Jedi originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like offline Gmail on the iPhone wasn’t the only trick Google’s Vic Gondotra has up his sleeve during his talk at MWC — he also gave a quick demo of Google Maps running as a web app on the Palm Pre. Of course, what’s interesting there is that the Pre’s HTML-based SDK means that web apps can act like first class citizens on the device — which is probably why Vic called the Pre “arguably one of my favorite devices.” Hopefully that means we’re going to see a lot more Pre devs really blur the line between local and cloud-based applications, but for now we’ll just settle for the short demo video after the break.

Continue reading Google demos HTML5-based Maps on the Palm Pre

Filed under: Cellphones

Google demos HTML5-based Maps on the Palm Pre originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you were thinking offline Gmail on your desktop was the greatest thing since sliced bread, prepare yourselves people. If an MWC keynote from Google’s VP of engineering, Vic Gundotra, is any indication, the same functionality might be coming soon to an iPhone / Android phone near you. Amongst other things, the souped up web app boasts an overhauled interface, supports labels, and of course, offline access. Despite our own hunch that Google’s just using black magic and voodoo to make this happen, Gundotra claims that it’s all made possible through HTML5 standards — AppCache being the biggie. This development certainly opens the doors to more offline-enabled web apps in the future — Docs, anyone?. Of course, we know Apple has a thing about people messing with its own apps, so it’s probably going to take some time / knee-breaking to get them to come around, but for some reason, we don’t think it’ll take as long with Android. There’s a demo video available after the break, and please, try to contain yourselves.

Continue reading Google demos offline Gmail for iPhone, Android at MWC

Filed under: Cellphones

Google demos offline Gmail for iPhone, Android at MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While Acer unveiled its plan to launch a pair of Android phones this year via the slightly ancient pen-and-paper method, Samsung used an even trustier method: spoken word. According to Reuters, the company’s head of product strategy Won-Pyo Hong affirmed that Sammy would sell “more than three” Android phones by the end of this year, and furthermore, it would “definitely” unwrap a phone using the LiMo Foundation’s Linux-based software before 2010 dawns. Hong wouldn’t disclose whether those Google-powered handsets would hit America, Europe or elsewhere first, but he did remark that both the US and Europe would be covered by the year’s end. We’d love to say we’re totally unaffected by such a tease, but c’mon, who has that kind of patience?

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung: at least three Android phones and a LiMo handset in 2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re not quite sure if you’re seeing what’s happening here, but Apple and RIM are working themselves right into the time-out corner. We already heard earlier today that Palm would be joining Adobe’s Open Screen Project — which, by the way, guarantees Flash 10 support on the Pre — and now we’re told that Nokia is following suit. What it all boils down to is this: Google, Microsoft, Palm, and Nokia are all expected to release platforms or handsets in the coming year or two which will support Flash 10, all while Apple’s iPhone attempts to limp by with… YouTube support. Granted, we have heard that the suits at Cupertino are in talks to make it happen, but we’ve yet to hear as much at MWC. Also of note, it seems that a similar deal including RIM is also pretty far off, so BlackBerry users should probably order their daily dose of patience as well.

[Via Macworld]

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia also joins Adobe initiative, Flash 10 for (almost) all originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was about this time last year when we heard that LG was aiming to push out Android-powered handsets by 2009, and sure enough, it looks like it’ll happen by this summer. According to T3, the company’s altogether bubbly KS360 will be relaunched with Google’s operating system, though the actual specifications (outside of the OS, obviously) will remain the same. Marketing Manager Jeremy Newing also confirmed at Mobile World Congress that LG would be releasing two other Android phones this year, though he wouldn’t divulge any model names or favorite colors for us to guess.

[Thanks, Kat]

Filed under: Cellphones

LG’s KS360 to be company’s first Android phone? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve been looking to make a little bank off that awesome flatulence soundboard you put together for the G1, take heart: Google’s ready for you. As expected, it’s been announced that developers can now submit end-user pricing for applications in the US version of the Android Market, with Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, and Spain coming later in the quarter. It’s no big surprise that Google Checkout is the only form of payment accepted, which publishers can sign up for right from the dev site. As for you Yanks, look for the first paid apps to be available for download in the middle of next week.

Update: We’ve just gotten official word from T-Mobile that the G1’s RC33 build — which has just been rolled out to owners — contains paid app support. Thumbs-up for spending money!

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Google now accepting paid apps in Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Software vulnerabilities are no stranger to modern, highly-connected smartphones and feature phones alike, and fortunately, the big guys have been pretty good about staying on the ball and patching the serious stuff in a reasonable amount of time. The latest problem discovered in the Android browser’s multimedia subsystem really sucks, though — it’s so bad, some security dudes are advising customers to “avoid” using the it altogether until it gets fixed — and the most frustrating part about it is that it actually is fixed in the Android code trunk, it’s just that no one’s bothered to roll out an update to G1 users yet. In the meantime, the dude who discovered the problem is advising users to only visit trusted sites and avoid WiFi, so yeah, just don’t browse or anything, okay?

[Via ReadWriteWeb]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Security experts hating on Android browser until patch is released originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So we’ve been watching this sketchily-sourced piece from VentureBeat’s MG Siegler that claims Google was specifically asked to avoid implementing multitouch by Apple over patent concerns bounce its way around the web today, and while we didn’t want to contribute to the echo chamber effect without being able to lend any authority to the story, it’s starting to get stupid: John Gruber is chiming in that he’d additionally heard that Apple warned Google against including a 3.5mm headphone jack on the G1 after Cupertino was shown a prototype, which is ridiculous. Fine, we’re somewhat willing to accept the complete lack of multitouch on the G1 is a result of Apple’s influence, especially considering the huffy language Apple’s been using lately over its intellectual property, but the absence of a straight 3.5mm headphone jack can’t be chalked up to any patent issues, since Gruber’s source is probably pointing to an Apple patent that covers controlling music via a headphone jack, which in no way prevented HTC from slapping a regular 3.5mm jack on there — and hell, HTC makes breakout boxes for ExtUSB that expose both a jack and control capability anyway. Furthermore, it’s not even remotely clear why Google would be cruising around Infinite Loop with the G1 way ahead of release; as Gruber himself points out, Schmidt recuses himself from board meetings involving iPhone conversations, and we’d expect the courtesy to go both ways.

iTunes, iPod, music, your ears… we get it, Apple owns everything with a melody nowadays, but c’mon, now: at the time the G1 was designed — many moons ago — attitude toward the importance of 3.5mm jacks on phones was significantly different than it is today, and we can understand why HTC and Google could’ve reasonably thought that ExtUSB was good enough. Today, that attitude wouldn’t fly — indeed, HTC’s own Touch HD does a real jack, and going forward, we’d expect most Android hardware to have them, too. Talented engineers can usually design their way around patent issues, and we’re certain Google and HTC have both the legal and technical muscle to deal with Apple — so can we please all stop playing lawyer and get back to mocking up the Dream G2?

[Via Daring Fireball]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

FUD alert: Apple allegedly scared Google out of using multitouch, 3.5mm jacks, batteries, displays, love originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/Android_Market_getting_paid_apps_this_week’; According to a passing mention in the Wall Street Journal, the Android Market could start accepting for-pay apps as early as this week. We’ve been expecting such a development to hit this quarter, and it makes sense with that RC33 update in the bag. Unfortunately, this WSJ quote — pulled a piece on Microsoft’s mobile strategy — is all we’ve got to go on at the moment. Either way, paid apps are obviously an inevitability, and that financial incentive could be a major boost to the Android ecosystem… or the harbinger or farting apps.

[Via Talk Android]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Android Market getting paid apps this week? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The New York Times is reporting Google will announce a free web service tomorrow called PowerMeter that’ll let users track energy consumption in their homes or business, provided there’s a means to upload the data. That part of the equation’s gonna be up to other companies to create compatible devices, and while no manufacturing partners have been named, we’d suspect strange bedfellow GE will probably jump aboard pretty quickly. The service is expected to roll out in the next few months. Ready to give the boys in Menlo Park even more access to your life?

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

NYT: Google’s PowerMeter to let users track electricity usage originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, we pretty much figured that the V-Book (which is actually not a book at all) would be the final nail in the coffin of what was once known as “literature,” but it looks like both Google and Amazon have other plans. Not only have there been rumblings of a new Kindle, but Amazon has announced that it’ll soon be making the popular e-reader’s some 230,000 titles available for your cellphone. The company hasn’t said when the titles will be available or exactly what phones would be supported — but we’re guessing that we’ll be seeing handsets with nice, big screens like the G1 and the iPhone on the list. If that weren’t enough, Google’s Book Search holdings — about 1.5 million public domain works — will soon be available for cellphone-based e-readers like Stanza. This is good news for people who need access to data on the go — and really good news for anyone who would like to curl up next to the fire with a nice glass of wine and their Curve 8900.

[Image courtesy of Spacesick, Via Unwired View]

Filed under: Cellphones

Google and Amazon debut cellphone e-books, eye strain originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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