Filed under: Cellphones

Sure, our front page got stacked with news on the launch of the world’s first Android phone — the G1 — but if you missed any of the action (and there was quite a bit), we’ve put together this helpful roundup. Below you’ll find an easy-to-use guide to all the goings-on about the T-Mobile device, complete with galleries and videos that will delight and enthrall any healthy viewer. Keep an eye on this post as we’ll be updating with a few other bits and pieces today that you’ll most definitely want a look at.

Update: We’ve added a link to our initial impressions, a more detailed look at the device and software.

The liveblog:

Live from T-Mobile’s Android event in New York City

Hands-on coverage:

T-Mobile G1 first hands-on (updated)
Video: Android walkthrough on T-Mobile G1

Product announcement:

The T-Mobile G1

In-depth / details:

T-Mobile’s CTO on G1 unlocking and tethering — plus a few details you might have missed
T-Mobile soft capping 3G data at 1GB per month
Confirmed: T-Mobile G1 has no 3.5mm headphone jack
T-Mobile G1 site goes live for real, first ad appears
T-Mobile G1 has push Gmail with Google Talk presence
T-Mobile G1 impressions: what we love, what we don’t

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

While there was a flurry (actually, a full on snowstorm) of news today about the G1, there’s a few bits of info you might not have heard, largely because no one is reporting them. We had a chance to speak with T-Mobile CTO Cole Brodman after the event today, and he had some illuminating — and frankly refreshing — takes on some of our more pressing questions. When asked about what T-Mobile’s reaction would be to users creating tethering or unlocking apps for the phone, he was surprisingly even-keeled, noting that while the company didn’t encourage the practice, they wouldn’t lock down the OS or update the software to break those applications. Our impression was that as long as their use was relegated to a small percentage of owners, T-Mobile likely wouldn’t take action, though he did voice concerns over tethering apps and their effect on the network, with a clearly guarded eye to letting users have free reign. More interestingly, buyers would be able to have access to a “contract free” G1 (with a price point of $399), and could unlock the device with T-Mobile’s blessing after 90 days. Brodman also said that the company’s policy of unlocking phones for customers in good standing wouldn’t change for this phone.

Continue reading T-Mobile’s CTO on G1 unlocking and tethering — plus a few details you might have missed

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Announcements, Cellphones

If you’re feeling those butterflies-in-the-stomach over next Tuesday’s Android and T-Mobile announcement, hold tight. We’re going to be there live, blogging away like you know we do and hopefully handling (or at least seriously photographing) the first official Android phones. We wanted to give you a heads up so you’ll know where to be, so join us at 10:30AM EDT for all the good news!

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

Sure, we’ve seen some blurry videos and a few stolen glimpses when Andy Rubin demonstrated this beast, but now we’ve gotten our hands on a slew of pictures showing off a very real T-Mobile-branded Dream in all its Android-running glory. Not only does this confirm the design spied in those FCC docs as well as show off that nearly-done version of Android, but it seems to confirm the fact that this will be headed to T-Mobile, and sooner rather than later judging from the looks of the above device. Needless to say, our inner-geeks are completely geeking out right now. Hit the gallery below for a handful of other views of the phone.

[Thanks, Michael]

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

It’s an interesting day for the folks at Google. Not only do we see the supposed GPhone (AKA, the HTC Dream) get trotted out to the FCC, and hear new rumors about the device’s release date, but now there’s a brand-spanking-new release of the Android SDK available. The version? 0.9 — a number which puts this dangerously close to a number that most would consider non-beta. Meanwhile, the new version of the mobile OS has been significantly changed, adding a new widgetified (big old clock: present!) and flickable homescreen, a handy (and speedy) tab to pull up your apps, plus a media player, camera, and handful of other noticeable design tweaks. Don’t believe us? Check out the video after the break showing it all in action.

Update: We’ve included a gallery of screenshots as well. Check out the sync contacts option. Sweet! Also, you may note that it asks you to “open keyboard to compose message” in the SMS screen — almost like it’s made for a device with a slide-out keyboard.

Continue reading Video: Android SDK v0.9 hits the internet looking almost ready for primetime

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

Phew. Not the closest call we’ve seen, but close enough to get us sweating ever-so-slightly. We had a strange feeling some wires were crossed when a report surfaced stating that the “Gphone” wouldn’t be shipping until 2009, but for whatever it’s worth, Google has now addressed the issue and affirmed that it is “still on track to announce Android-powered phones this year.” The spokesperson continued by proclaiming that “some of [its] partners were publicly stating that they plan to ship Android phones in the fourth quarter,” which leads us to say: crisis averted, carry on.

[Via CNET]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

As is the custom in these matters, Dell has flatly denied the existence of any product to announce at MWC, and went further on to state that the company doesn’t even plan on attending the show. Rumors of a “Gphone” were probably greatly exaggerated to begin with, and now at least the venue has been firmly shot down. That said, there was no explicit denial of an Android-related product (there never is), so the optimistic ones out there can go on hoping for a Dell phone to solve all their problems. Hey, if Garmin can do it, what’s stopping them?

[Via Electronista]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple-BFF and mobile-telecom-extroidinaire AT&T is in talks with Google about joining the Open Handset Alliance. In an interview today, Ralph de la Vega — chief executive officer of the company’s wireless unit — said that the provider is, “Analyzing the situation,” concerning the use of Google’s Android operating system for some of its handsets. Although Mr. de la Vega hasn’t personally met with the search-engine giant, the fact that AT&T is even considering joining the Alliance could have a palpable impact on the industry’s perception of the forthcoming mobile OS contender. As you’ll recall, T-Mobile and Sprint have already jumped on the OHA bandwagon (though to what extent no one knows), and adding the de facto US leader to the mix might really get this stew boiling over. [Warning: read link requires subscription]

[Via Information Week]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones, Features

Thanks to the helpful Android OS emulator included with the SDK, we’ve been able to take a magical journey through Google’s new mobile phone platform. We’ll just tell you now… the ride was a bit familiar — but hey, that’s what the open source community is there for. Take a look at the gallery and feel the OHA vibes.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/software/Google_android_now_available’; Just like the good folks promised, the early look software development kit for Google’s soon-to-be huge phone OS has hit the streets… er, internet. From what we can tell, the OS is as comfortable on larger, VGA devices as it is on more traditional smartphone layouts. Oh yeah… and it plays Quake. Here’s what we know the software will support out of the box:

• Touchscreen
• 3G
• Webkit-based browser
• Threaded text messaging
• MPEG-4, h.264, MP3, and AAC file formats
• Accelerated 3D graphics

Below you can see an alternate fullscreen version of the phone (a hardware reference model, not a device you can expect to buy anytime soon) up and running its browser app. If you really want to get serious, pedal your steam-engine over to the Open Handset Alliance site where you can download the SDK for a variety of platforms. Otherwise, check out the gallery and view some videos after the break to see and hear more info than you can shake a stick at on the new platform.

Continue reading Google’s Android OS early look SDK now available

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones, CES

You can’t help but love Steve Ballmer. Besides being the ultra-rich, ultra-faithful CEO of Microsoft, you can always count on him to deliver some choice words — especially if the competition is in the news. His latest efforts come in the wake of Google’s Android announcement, a project which clearly stands to compete with Redmond’s ubiquitous Windows Mobile platform. When asked what he thought of the forthcoming phone OS at a news conference in Tokyo, Ballmer noted that, “Their efforts are just some words on paper right now.” Okay, let’s be perfectly honest: that statement is true — but don’t you think that when a monolithic company like Google aligns itself with other giants such as Intel, T-Mobile, Samsung, and LG (amongst others), Microsoft might take it a little more seriously? Ballmer went on to say that, “They have a press release, we have many, many millions of customers, great software, many hardware devices and they’re welcome in our world.” Thanks for allowing Google into “your world” Steve, we’re sure your subjects will appreciate it.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

C’mon, you knew this was coming. Not a moment after Google does its big reveal on the Android OS and forthcoming multi-manufacturer GPhone, the rumor mill has already starting churning with wild imaginings and fantastic leaps of logic. A not-so gigantic jump comes as speculation that HTC’s Omni — which we first heard about nearly a year ago — is actually the phone that has been referred to as the “Dream,” Google’s OS demo unit. We have to admit, there are some similarities between the two, not the least of which are the 3-inch by 5-inch size, rectangular touchscreen, full QWERTY that swivels out (which according to this earlier rendering, goes in more than one direction), and a beveled edge that “nestles in the palm.” We remind you, of course, that this is just the first in a long line of rumors trying to pinpoint the “real” GPhone — HTC or otherwise — so don’t get too excited just yet.

Update: As a commenter points out, the “earlier rendering” is actually the precursor to the Omni, the HTC Universal, though its screen mechanism bears a resemblance to the one described in the original Forbes article.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Carefully orchestrated announcements for broad, sweeping initiatives like the one staged by Google today don’t always do a great job of diving straight into the meat and telling it like it is, so we thought we’d boil down the Android and Open Handset Alliance sitch as best we could into a tight, easy to digest series of bullets. If this list is still wider than your attention span, though, just know this: you can pick up your Google-powered phone in the latter half of 2008.

• At its core, Android forms the basis for Google’s operating system and supporting software for phones. In Google’s own words, it’s a software stack.
• Two separate but related entities form the basis for today’s announcement: the Linux-based Android mobile platform (a result of Google’s 2005 acquisition of a start-up of the same name) and the Open Handset Alliance, a 33-strong group of device manufacturers, component manufacturers, software companies, and carriers that have committed to working with Android.
• There is no cut and dried “Gphone” and Google doesn’t intend (or at least it hasn’t indicated an intent) to enter the hardware business. Instead, it’ll leave that to established players like HTC, LG, and Samsung — and theoretically, anyone else that wants to have a go at it since the Android platform and its code base is wide open.
• Unlike the platform itself, there’s no guarantee that devices based on the Android platform will be open to third party developers. Google says that’ll be left to manufacturers and carriers to be decide, although it doubts they’ll choose to lock them down (hmm, has Google ever worked with a carrier before?)
• Nokia, Apple (on whose board Google CEO Eric Schmidt sits), Palm, and Microsoft are notably absent from the alliance. Palm has come out today to announce that it intends to continue to integrate Google services into its future products.
• Carriers currently in the alliance include China Mobile, KDDI, NTT DoCoMo, Sprint Nextel, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, and T-Mobile. T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel are the two national US carriers that are signed up; AT&T and Verizon are not.
• The first Android-powered devices are expected in the second half of 2008. Rumor has it that Google has been using an HTC-sourced device, the “Dream,” to demonstrate Android to potential partners. HTC may launch a version of the Dream as one of its first handsets to use the platform.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

Look, we know how you feel — rumor mongering over the Google Phone (or OS) and its supposed appearance (in a multitude of forms, with an avalanche of partners) has reached the tipping point where it goes from exciting to annoying. That said, when the Wall Street Journal (amongst others) mentions a date or a place, you tend to pay attention. The stock-market rag is now reporting that the infamous GPhone will be making its official appearance on Monday. On the flip side, some say the story is that Google-partner Android will deliver news of an SDK for a new mobile OS — a “complete software stack” based on Linux. Of course, we’re not going to be placing any bets on said activity (nor should you), because with the way things have been playing out thus far, it seems pretty unwise to make wagers — unless they’re on the fact that no one really knows right now. So, if by Monday night you’re sobbing uncontrollably because the obviously-life-changing device / software never made a showing, don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Read — Ring-Ring…Google to Announce Phone Plans Monday
Read — Google to unveil ‘Android’ phone software

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

There just wouldn’t be balance in the world if a select few didn’t come out and starkly disagree with the obvious, right? Somehow, a number of analysts have managed to overlook the smorgasbord of hints, clues and signs that Google is indeed working up some form of software (or hardware) for the mobile realm, and moreover, they’re speaking out to denounce the possibility. Specifically, Ken Dulaney, an analyst at Gartner, made himself a target by stating that “building an OS is the dumbest thing [Google] could do,” and he even led us to believe that he’s a developer in a parallel universe by announcing that “cellular telephone code is probably the hardest code to write per line of code for anything.” Still, we’re beyond the point of wanting Google to come out of the woodwork and say something, but considering the numerous reports claiming that the search giant is indeed in talks with select carriers, it’s hard impossible to believe that there’s nothing going on behind the scenes.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

The Gphone rumors have been heating up lately, and things seems like they’re about to come to a boil. The Wall Street Journal, not generally known for wild rumor-mongering, is reporting that Google is in “advanced talks” with Verizon and Sprint and has made “significant progress” with T-Mobile, with an announcement of some kind due within two weeks. The news sent Google stock past $700 today, although it’s still not clear if Google is simply developing its own software or going all out and doing an entire handset. Either way, it looks like Google’s getting ready to make a move sometime soon, and with the amount of chatter we’re hearing, it’ll to be a big one.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

Another day, another Gphone rumor. This go ’round, a UBS analyst is reportedly confirming that HTC “will ship about 50,000 cellphones running on a mobile operating system made by the Mountain View, California-based search giant by the end of this year.” If you’ll recall, this definitely isn’t the first time we’ve heard these two names mentioned in the same sentence, but interestingly enough, analyst Benjamin Schachter actually suggested that the first batch wouldn’t “be for sale” — rather, they’d be used exclusively by developers “to understand how the software works.” These reports also help substantiate the belief that Google will likely be focusing on software, and furthermore, Mr. Schachter insinuated that he wouldn’t be too awfully shocked if another handset maker (such as LG, imagine that) also jumped in to provide hardware. Whatever the case, we’ll be waiting in tense anticipation for a developer-led unboxing — if this hubbub proves legitimate, of course.

[Thanks, Jeff]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

It is a device it isn’t a device, that’s the debate brewing ever since the mythical “Google Switch” first graced our pages back in January. Just a few weeks ago, Taiwan’s Digitimes cited sources claiming that Google “will definitely launch its own branded handset.” Yesterday however, the International Herald Tribune stated that Google is “not creating a gadget to rival the iPhone, but rather creating software that will be an alternative to Windows Mobile from Microsoft.” Of course, that’s pretty much in line with what our own sources have been saying all along. According to the piece, Google’s open-source challenge to Microsoft will be on display sometime this year with phones, the cost of which could be at least partially off-set by advertising, available in 2008. Fine, just bring it already and release the hoards of gPhone fanboys quietly incubating within our readers (and editors).

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!