Posts Tagged ‘android’

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o2 offering Samsung i7500 Android handset from August

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

Wow, two Android scoops in one day!

After playing with, and being impressed by, the HTC Hero earlier today I decided to head to the shops after work on the off chance of finding out some news about the ‘missing in action’ Samsung i7500.

Today is the first Friday of the month you see - it’s when the new mobile catalogues hit the high street and when most stores find out what new handsets they’ll be getting to sell.

Like a lot of Android fans I’ve been waiting to see when the i7500 would hit the UK, so I was pretty excited to find this on page 6 of O2’s July catalogue. Talking to the guys in the store they confirmed they’re expecting it to be on sale in August.

So O2 will soon have the Android i7500, the iPhone, and if rumours are to be believed, the Palm Pre on offer. Quite an impressive device line up.

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I’d like to see a Wakoopa for my mobile handset

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

I didn’t bother signing up for Wakoopa when I heard about it a while ago. I thought it was a cool concept — track the desktop applications you’re using (along with ‘web applications’) and then publish the data to let you track what your friends are using.

Now and again I’ve found myself on some obscure blog post from 2005 only to discover a genius application for uploading screenshots or something like that.

Indeed I think that’s how I came across ImageWell (uploads screenshots via FTP) and Mailplane (run Gmail / Apps as a proper application) and more.

I didn’t sign-up initially because, well… so much of my desktop usage is browser based. Looking at the applications I have open at the moment, it doesn’t really make for shocking or surprising reading:

* Safari
* Firefox
* Microsoft Word
* Skype
* Mailplane
* Spotify
* ImageWell
* MarsEdit
* Terminal
* Adium
* TweetDeck

Hardly earth shattering, eh? But then… you never know. So I signed up this afternoon and I’ve added two chaps already, Geetarchurchy and Ricky Chotai. Aside from the basic ‘what’s he using that for’ thoughts, it’s really quite interesting. I can see how this will/would really help with discovery of new applications.

Which brings me to the subject of this post. I’d really like to see something like this for mobile handsets. I’m sure the Wakoopa creators are considering something like this. Of course it wouldn’t work very well on an iPhone in real time (no background apps on an iPhone… yet) but it would work reasonably well on Android and Symbian.

Nokia’s already doing this with the upcoming Ovi Store (just WHEN is it actually, actually launching?). Peer-to-peer recommendations. I should, theoretically, be able to see what my Ovi friends are buying/using/consuming via the Ovi Store. I’m looking forward to seeing how people react to that feature, I think it’ll be a winner.

I certainly find the iPhone application discovery process a little bit haphazard at the moment — indeed, it’s positively lonely when you’re sat looking at the App Store on your iPhone. I tend to hear more about applications when I’m not actively browsing, when I’m out-and-about or when I’m working. That’s fine, but it’s not necessarily when I’m most receptive to looking at new things.

I can imagine opening up the App Store on my Nokia with the intent of finding out what my friends have checked out recently.

I’m hoping that once all the kinks are worked out, the Ovi Store will reinvigorate the desire to install new apps… We shall see.

Originally published on Ewan.net and automatically republished here on Mobile Industry Review. View the original post.

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Posted in Applications, Feature, Hot, Mobile, People, ewan, iPhone, nokia | Comments

Motorola’s got some Android handsets due Q4 2009

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

I’m rather pleased to hear that Motorola has got some Android handsets coming — although not, according to the Financial Times, until Q4 this year.

‘Bout time.

The actual quote:

Motorola will use Google’s Android operating system for many of its new handsets although they will not go on sale until the fourth quarter of this year.

‘Many of it’s new handsets’? Good news.

It’s an illuminating and rather direct interview. Check out this quote:

Mr Brown told the Financial Times that Motorola “didn’t see the trends coming in smartphone and 3G with the kind of foresight and customer attention that it should have”.

He goes on to describe Motorola’s failure to anticipate the growing importance of mobile software rather than handset design.

You have to wonder what sort of people were running Motorola during this time. Everybody else saw the trends coming.

Anyway. I think Motorola could do some really good work if they can focus. I await news with interest…

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Posted in Devices | Comments

MIR Show - Rafe Blandford: WHERE is Android?

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

Rafe Blandford is the terrifically knowledgeable founder of All About Symbian. We spotted him at MobileFocus as we were taking a tour around the companies there (more video of that coming soon). We accosted Rafe in what we hope was a semi pleasurable manner and demanded he give us a brain-dump. He has such a super perspective on the marketplace. Watch for his initial analysis of Nokia, Microsoft/Windows Mobile… and WHERE is Android?


MIR Show - Rafe Blandford speaks from Mobile Industry Review on Vimeo.

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Posted in mirshow, mobile world congress | Comments

Rumour: Vodafone’s going Android with HTC

Monday, February 9th, 2009

So says the rumour/rumour confirmed mill:

AndrewGrill: RT @feebeyer: Rumor confirmed: Vodafone will launch own Android Phone with HTC at it’s press conference at #MWC on February 17th. Handelsblatt, page 17

Could very well be a rather exciting MWC…

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Show me some Android, LG!

Thursday, February 5th, 2009

Just imagine the LG Renoir running Android.

You know, proper email, proper instant messaging, extensible application layer, shit-shit-shit-HOT 8 megapixel camera, super music capabilities…

I’m hopeful, I really am, that at some point this year — EARLY this year — somebody from LG will formally announce a few handsets running Android.

There’s just something so depressing about holding a Renoir.

It’ll only do exactly what the boys in Korea specifically designed it to do. YES you can have a calendar. YES you can play music (in a specific order). YES you can take pictures with it’s smart image software.

But NO you can’t add a really neat Twitter application designed last week. NO you can’t add ShoZu to send your photos to the web quickly. NO you can’t check the tube times or programme your Sky+ feed to record your favourite shows right from your handset.

It’s so depressing.

But you never know.

Samsung are up for it. That’s what ‘the market’ says. They’re heading Android. At least with a toe-in-the-water handset or two. Motorola might surprise the planet by going heavily Android.

And even Nokia is rumoured to be working on the next generation E90 running Android.

* Ok that last sentence is made-up.

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Last.fm available on Android

Monday, January 26th, 2009

Last.fm have released a mobile client for Android allowing users to stream their music choices. However it’s meant to show the deficiency of the G1 as a music player.

Last.fm is owned by CBS.

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Truphone launched on the Android

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

truphone-or-gsm

That popular VoIP application for mobiles, Truphone Anywhere has just arrived on the HTC Google OS driven device the G1.

This Truphone release is now available in such far flung countries as the UK and the US of A, with Austria and Germany being on the cards next. The last one ties in nicely with the unveiling this week of the only Android *cough* handset to be releases in Germany for March. Coincidently it’s the exact same time the Truphone Anywhere application will be available, in that very countries language. Hurrah!

If you weren’t already aware and shame on you for not, Truphone offers far more than just VoIP. Instant messaging is an integral part of the software, with the likes of MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk and Twitter all taking pride of place within. With Skype access only being just around the corner too, although we’re not sure it’ll be here in time for CeBIT where it’s being rolled out.

On both Google Talk and Skye, it’s possible to speak to people for just the price of a local call. Although if they’re local, why not just pop around instead - food for thought there.

It’s now downloadable from Google’s OS app store, the Android Market - which still sounds far too close for our liking to a place in a Philip K. Dick novel.

With this announcement, Truphone for the G1 has now joined the illustrious ranks of being supported on devices such as the iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry and Nokia handsets. All that’s missing now from their line up is a version for Widows Mobile devices and stretching further afield, PC and the Mac.

Who knows, we might have just pre-empted the next few unveilings of Truphone. But for the time being, let’s just say Anywhere for Android is now in good company.

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Posted in Mobile | Comments

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