I think it's safe to say that Android is the best thing to happen to smartphones since the iPhone (though, I'll admit, I may be a wee bit biased). Without a doubt, the massive success of the operating system is due in large part to its openness; the ability for devices to share fundamental code, while still allowing for an amazing amount of customization, has provided something for consumers, carriers, and manufacturers that Apple would never match.
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The majority of TV shows I watch are produced by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), primarily because the BBC iPlayer web app makes it incredibly easy to watch shows free and on-demand. The icing on the cake is the announcement today that a free iPlayer app will be launching on Android and iOS devices in the UK by the end of the week.
The app will deliver live content to any Android or iOS device, as well as radio broadcasts.
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Well at least you're honest about it, Motorola. The company just updated its Software Upgrades page, and the news isn't good for owners of the CLIQ XT, i1, Flipout, or Charm. We already knew that the first of those four phones will eternally be stuck on Android 1.5, but what may come as a bit of a surprise is that the i1 is now in a similar situation (i.e. forever doomed to Cupcake), while neither the Flipout nor the Charm will ever see an OS version more recent than Eclair.
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There's been exciting news floating around the blogosphere today of a "working" beta of CyanogenMod 7 for the Galaxy Tab being released. Just one caveat - it isn't really CyanogenMod 7.
Before I go onward with this rant, I want to make it crystal clear that I have nothing personally against the developer who ported CyanogenMod 7 to the Galaxy Tab, people like him (or her, of course) are part of the reason I love Android.
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We have some somewhat good news for Fascinate owners: a new, official, very final-looking Froyo build DL30 for the Samsung Fascinate has been leaked, and it's been released completely unmolested (short of pre-rooting it). Even the bloatware has been left intact.
Obviously, the silver lining here is that we can see that Samsung and Verizon are making progress, and this could be a sign that the update is closer to being ready to roll out.
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An eager reader forwarded an internal Best Buy memo to Engadget which indicates, in no uncertain terms, that the Motorola XOOM tablet is set to launch at Best Buy on February 17th.
A leak from Verizon has confirmed that the unsubsidized price of the XOOM will be $799. However, Best Buy may be retailing the device for an altogether different price.
The XOOM is an important device for both Motorola and Google because it will be the first tablet to run Android 3.0 Honeycomb, an iteration of the Android OS that supports the tablet form factor.
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A few days ago it was revealed that Verizon would be finally updating the LG Ally to Android 2.2 Froyo. Now, less than a week later, users are reporting that the OTA update for Froyo has been pushed by Verizon.
While it is laudable that Verizon is updating the mid-range LG Ally (unlike certain other manufacturers), Froyo is already an out-dated version of Android thanks to Gingerbread. Nevertheless, this latest update ought to bring some nice improvements to the device, while increasing the number of users running Froyo by just a little bit.
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As disappointing as it may be to see the Nexus One - Google's first officially anointed developer phone - still getting Froyo-based updates, that's exactly what just happened. According to several Android Central forums members, a 558kb update to Android 2.2.2 (or build number FRG83G) is currently rolling out over the air to the N1, bringing "important bug fixes" with it.
In related news, the Samsung-built Nexus S - Google's second developer phone - also received an update today, though this one is Gingerbread-based.
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It appears that T-Mobile is staying true to its word when it comes the Android 2.2 update for the Samsung Vibrant - the much-anticipated software upgrade is now slowly but surely rolling out.
There's a catch, though: it's only available through Samsung's Kies Mini software (which runs exclusively on Windows - sorry, OS X users). We aren't yet sure if/when an OTA update will accompany this Kies Mini version, but here's what we do know: the update's build number is UVKA6, and it contains T-Mobile TV and WiFi calling in addition to all the usual Froyo goodies.
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In the past few weeks, we've seen multiple accusations portraying Samsung as the bad guy in the Galaxy S Froyo upgrade drama in the U.S. First, there were many delays, followed by the update finally rolling out pretty much everywhere outside the U.S. Then, all anonymous and unconfirmed, an accusation that T-Mo's new Vibrant 4G was the reason for the, possibly indefinite, delay and a report that Samsung charges U.S. carriers for Android updates, later denied by Samsung.
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