Nate Kimmey
Contributing since May, 2010
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According to the Samsung UK Twitter account, the Froyo update for all Galaxy S phones in the UK is on the way, and is set for release on every carrier by the end of September. They’ve given themselves a full two months of wiggle room, so this seems like a date you can put some faith into.
Just in case you thought the Samsung Galaxy S would stop its myriad of launches around the world – the Super AMOLED phone has just become available at Three UK under three different pricing plans.
Samsung is certainly on a roll with their Android devices – their Galaxy S and all of its variants have launched successfully all over the world, with more launches still to come. But that hasn’t stopped them from planning their next Android device, one that may attempt to sway Blackberry users to Android.
E-Reading On Android Just Got Better – Nook For Android Now Available
E-reading on Andriod has just got better, with Nook for Andriod now avalible
Barnes & Noble has already shown great interest in the Android platform by choosing it to run on their own e-reader, and this relationship continues to grow. B&N has just released Nook For Android, a full-featured app that includes access to their e-book store.
The Samsung Galaxy S has already invaded Canada by launching on Bell, but Samsung wasn’t content with just one carrier. Rogers Wireless has been confirmed to be receiving its own version of the Galaxy S, set for release some time this September.
If you happen to be an HTC Hero owner on Cellular South, today is your lucky day – an update to Android 2.1 is now available for you to download. Unfortunately, it’s not the easy an over-the-air update - you’ll have to download it yourself and wipe all your data (factory reset) – but, in my opinion, it still beats running Cupcake. The update includes the following features:
Although no one expected the LG Ally to be the next phone to receive a push to Android 2.2, the announcement of an Ally update really got our hopes up. Still, it’s better than nothing. So, what changes does this update bring Ally users? Check them out below, straight from Verizon’s support page:
Adobe has given us a nice taste of what Air is capable of. Using the upcoming version 2.5, Adobe developer Mark Doherty created a demo of video calling on Android on two Nexus Ones, which he cleverly called “FlashTime” (a not-so-subtle jab at Apple’s FaceTime.)
Motorola's Rugged i1 Brings Push-To-Talk And Resistance To Mother Nature To Android, Available On Sprint July 25th
If you’re the kind of person who isn’t exactly careful with their phone, or needs it to be usable in extreme conditions, you’re in luck. Sprint has just announced it will begin shipping the Motorola i1, the first push-to-talk Android phone, from their online store and telesales starting July 25, and from all other channels on August 8.
The news of the Android Market reaching the milestone of 100,000 apps may have been great news for Android – but perhaps it came a bit too soon.
International Samsung Galaxy S Root Method Working On Vibrant/Captivate (T-Mobile/AT&T)
Nobody was happy to learn that the HTC Aria would be locked down in the same way as its predecessor, the Backflip, and be unable to install non-Market apps. Fortunately, HTC has given Aria owners a sort of “fix” through an update in their desktop client.
Google’s push for developer support knows no bounds. While they have previously used free phones to encourage developers to work with Android, they are now using an entirely different tactic – making everyone a developer.
Similar to devices being offered up by competing carriers – Sprint’s Intercept, AT&T’s Backflip and Aria, T-Mobile’s entire line-up – Verizon plans to introduce a cheaper, low-end alternative to pricier Android models. Engadget reports that the the Motorola WX445 runs Android 2.1 with some type of MOTOBLUR overlay (possibly the same version used on the Droid X), and sports a screen measuring somewhere between 2.5 and 3 inches.
HTC may be pushing the limits on the size of smartphones with the EVO4G, but don’t expect that trend to translate tablets any time soon. While the iPad is undoubtedly the dominant tablet on the market right now, a number of Android-powered tablets are under development, and some are bound to hit the market sooner or later. Unfortunately, HTC is not one of the companies working on such a device, instead preferring to play wait-and-see with the competition:
It seems T-Mobile simply can’t wait to get its new high-end Android offering on the market. Citing “multiple sources”, TmoNews is reporting that the Samsung Vibrant (T-Mobile’s version of the Samsung Galaxy S) is due to launch July 15, one week earlier than was previously reported. It seems pretty clear that T-Mobile is trying to take away the thunder of another Android superphone launching on July 15 – but T-Mobile will need to build up a lot of hype to take down the newest member of Verizon’s Droid army.
Update schedules are rarely a final thing, and users can get quite angry when they don’t receive updates according to schedule. However, HTC may have finally given themselves a schedule that they can adhere to: all of their recently released phones will be updated to Android 2.2 “before Christmas.” They had previously announced that ‘several’ models would receive the update in Q3 2010, so it’s unclear if this announcement means that timetable has shifted.