Gadzooki

Google Android 2.2 Froyo: What’s New?

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So over at the recently-concluded Google I/O conference, Google unveiled Android 2.2, or Froyo, to the world. Now with people eagerly waiting for iPhone OS 4.0, Android 2.2 amazingly showed that Google can beat Apple, and if Google manages to get the products they announced out (oh my lord I want me some Google TV), there is a huge possibility that Apple may play catch-up soon.

Okay, so Android 2.2, called Froyo, is out. What makes it stand out? What features are going to make people dump their iPhones and go for Android handsets? Here are the top new features of Google’s smartphone operating system, taken from ZDNet:

– Improved security with the addition of numeric pin or alpha-numeric password options to unlock device. Exchange administrators can enforce password policy across devices.
– Remote wipe: Exchange administrators can remotely reset the device to factory defaults to secure data in case device is lost or stolen.
– Exchange Calendars are now supported in the Calendar application.
– Auto-discovery: you just need to know your user-name and password to easily set up and sync an Exchange account (available for Exchange 2007 and higher).
– Global Address Lists look-up is now available in the Email application, enabling users to auto-complete recipient names from the directory.
– Portable WiFi hotspot: Certain devices like the Nexus One can be turned into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that can be shared with up to 8 devices.

Honestly, this has made me all the more excited to get an Android phone once my current phone – a Nokia E63 – dies on me. What do you think?

Firefox Mobile released… for Maemo

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For those waiting to bring Mozilla’s rendering goodness with them on the go because they feel that heavy contenders for mobile browsers like Opera Mobile and Safari for the iPhone isn’t just cutting it, well, luck is on your side. The much-awaited Firefox Mobile 1.0 is finally out, but for those unlucky to not have a Nokia N900 will have to wait a bit because this new contender in the mobile browser war is available only for Maemo.

From Download Squad:

Like the desktop version of Firefox, version 1.0 of Firefox for Mobile looks to set itself apart from other mobile browsers with the inclusion of browser add-ons.

Mozilla’s Weave Sync add-on is already available for Firefox for Mobile, and in the blog post announcing the new browser’s release Mozilla point out some third-party add-ons that they anticipate will be useful in a mobile context, including AdBlock Plus, URL Fixer, TwitterBar, language translators, and geo guides.

I love the fact that Mozilla is also going to let us bring add-ons anywhere, but we all know that add-ons are the leading causes of crashes for Firefox. They give us additional functionality and make Firefox better than any other browser out there, but it perceptibly slows down the browser 30-40% on some pages. I sure hope they manage to pull off something that’ll let let us choose mobile-ready add-ons that won’t impact the mobile experience that much in terms of speed and reliability.

What do you guys think? Do you think a vanilla browser is good enough already or should we push for the full Firefox experience for mobile?

Nokia N900 Dual-Boots Maemo and Android

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I’m sure most of you were waiting for this, right? Since Nokia’s previous Maemo Internet Tablet offerings were also capable of running Google Android, it was only a matter of time before somebody thought of installing Android on Nokia’s intrepid new smartphone. And imagine: installing two open platforms on one excellent phone? It’s a geek’s wet dream come true.

From Slashgear:

Brandon Roberts is the man responsible for the dual-booting marvel, and while he’s describing it more as a proof of concept right now than a workable solution, from what little is shown in the video he’s come a decent way. The keyboard seems to work, and the display is running at the N900’s WVGA resolution; a boot menu allows you to choose between Maemo and Android.

Right now there are no instructions as to how exactly he did it, but we’ve a feeling this could be a popular hack assuming all the N900’s core hardware could be encouraged to work with Android. The combination of Maemo for experimentation and Android for everyday use could potentially transform the N900.

Okay, it kind of sucks that there are no instructions on how to install Android on the Nokia N900, but I guess the hack’s not yet refined. I can’t wait to see this in the future though.

The Google Nexus One is here!

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That was pretty fast, don’t you think? Just a few short weeks ago, there came out rumors that Google has been giving its employees a mysterious phone that they were supposed to test out over the holidays. Then we see Google employees praising the phone to high heavens over on their Twitter accounts. Heck, after Google’s initial announcement, I was expecting the Nexus One to be released around March to June.

So imagine my surprise to see that the Nexus One is already out, but there’s a review already on TechCrunch! Michael Arrington himself gives his two cents on the Nexus One.

Basically, the phone is everything people loved about Android, and then some. The Voice Keyboard has been retooled so that every single text field in the device is now voice-activated. It has a great camera, a (as of yet vaporware) cloud backup service, and loads of eye candy:

Google has added a lot of nice graphical touches, including 3D scrolling of apps, and a new way of viewing photos using the CoolIris technology. Photos dip into the plane as it there is depth. Tipping the phone trips the accelerometer and the photos dip in the same way.

Unfortunately, the Nexus One’s microphone seems to be placed in an awkward position. If you cradle the phone between your head and shoulder when you’re not using your hands, your voice gets muted. This means you have to bring your headsets all the time. Battery life seems to have taken a hit with all the eye candy Nexus One packed into it too.
But still, the Nexus One looks like a pretty solid phone.

Will it pose a serious threat on the iPhone? What do you guys think?

Google Goggles: First Peek

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If you need any more proof that Google Android is definitely going to step up to take the iPhone down, Google is coming out with Google Goggles. Okay, that product name kind of reminds me of a website that used to infect unsuspecting users with loads of malware, but trust me, Google Goggles is different. Way different.

Google Goggles basically is mobile search taken to a different level. Instead of using words, use your Android phone’s camera to take a picture, and Google Goggles will process and attempt to recognize the image, and will return relevant search results.

Okay, since Google Goggles is still in its infancy, we’re going to definitely run into a coupe of caveats when using it. Books, business cards, artwork, places, logos and landmarks are going to work brilliantly, but take a picture of food and other things, we’re going to end up with gibberish results, if any.

Actually, the first glimpse of Google Goggles is actually a video showing animated caricatures of Google engineers presenting a cartoon demo of Google Goggles. So it was vaporware and all, and we weren’t expecting Google Goggles to go live for a while.

I was pretty surprised to see a live demo of the experimental software on a yet-to-be-released phone. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, the other Android phone other than Nexus One that I want to get my hands on in the future, has got Google Goggles installed on it. Here’s a video demo of the much-awaited android app, and this time it’s not a cartoon:

I’m pretty impressed with Google Goggles. Tell me what you think!

The Google Nexus One Phone: specifications revealed

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It looks like Google’s not going to let news about their Nexus One die, because specs of the much-awaited Google Phone have come out. I’m guessing this is meant to stem the steady stream of questions about the phone’s guts. I mean, how the heck are we all supposed to know if the Nexus One is going to be good if we don’t know a single thing about its hardware specs?

The good news is that the guys from Engadget have been able to get their hands on a Nexus One, and darn it’s good. The highlights of the Nexus One specs are as follows: 1GHz Qualcomm QSD (Snapdragon) 8250 processor, 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED touch screen (currently non-multi-touch), quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz) GSM/EDGE and tri-band (900, 1700, 2100MHz) HSDPA support, a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth v2.1+EDR, 512MB RAM, 512MB ROM, an included 4GB microSD card with support up to 32GB, 5MP camera with mechanical autofocus and LED flash, Android v2.1, and a very svelte 0.45-inch thick body.

It’s also possible that it’s going to work on T-Mobile 3g and not (the much-ranted about) AT&T 3G. That’s good.

One more thing: it’s going to be available come January 5. Yes, that soon! But it’s going to be available only for limited “invite-only” retail sales. That means you have to look far and wide into the bowels of eBay (heh) to get your hands on a Nexus One if you’re not invited.

There isn’t any word on pricing yet, but it looks like the Nexus One is indeed coming much sooner than we thought.

[via]

The Google Nexus One: it’s coming

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It all started as rumors spreading in Twitter. Apparently Google employees were given a phone to test (or “dogfeed,” as the practice is known). The employees started tweeting about how amazing it was and how it can cure cancer, solve world hunger, etc. Okay, I’m just kidding. But we all know how great the new phone is and how Android 2.1 is amazing on it.

Soon, pictures of the new phone started to leak and spread like wildfire. The “Google Phone” is running on HTC hardware and it seems to be an HTC Passion, but without the branding.

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Google at first was claiming that the phone was just a mobile lab for their developers to use over the holidays:

We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe. This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it.

Soon it was revealed that the Google Phone is actually called the Nexus One, and it will be sold unlocked. Amazing.

Again, I don’t think I want to use the term iPhone killer. Please, it’s been overdone. But believe me when I say that only Google would have the same brand equity as Apple which would demand the same amount of loyalty. Plus the fact that the Nexus One is unlocked and can be used with any carrier is going to win them a lot of users fed up with AT&T.

Let us wait and see what will happen.

Meanwhile, here’s a video of Nexus One booting up at a less-than-impressive 20 seconds. If Google hopes to beat the iPhone, the Nexus One has got to do better than that.

Nokia N-Series Phones Will Probably Switch From Symbian to Maemo

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I have a love-hate relationship with the Symbian OS. On one hand, it’s a mature mobile operating system with a huge selection of applications. On the other hand, it’s been pretty restrictive, especially now that you have to sign your applications before you can even install them. Also, it’s pretty old, the UI is horrible, and application programmers everywhere are complaining about how hard it is to make apps for Symbian.

Which is why we’re all keeping an eye on the N900. The N900, if you haven’t heard, is the first phone running Nokia’s Linux-based Maemo. Nokia already released a few internet tablets running Maemo before, but this is the first time we’ve seen Maemo being set up to do mobile phone functions. Also, Maemo has that sexy UI that Nokia’s other OS is sorely missing.

Nokia has held “meetups” throughout the world to celebrate the launch of its new N900, and during one such meetup in London, Nokia dropped a bomb: Nokia’s marketing team has unofficially revealed that they are planning to drop Symbian from N-Series phones by 2012!

This makes sense, really. Have you guys seen how Maemo is able to handle multimedia? The reason I’ve stayed away from the N-Series is the amazingly bad sluggishness these phones acquire after a few weeks of usage. I haven’t used (much less seen) an N900 yet so I can pass judgment on Maemo, but I’m pretty sure it’ll perform way better than Symbian on the multimedia front. It was mad for that purpose, anyway.

If you really, really, really like Symbian and really don’t want to let it go, worry not. Lower-tier phones will still retain Symbian. I don’t see Symbian going away completely in the near future.

Now what do you think of this? Is this a knee-jerk reaction to Google Android or is it something Nokia has been planning for a long time already? Tell me all about it!

[via]

HTC Click runs Android Donut

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So there’s this unannounced smartphone from HTC, called the HTC Click. Apparently it will run Android OS Donut, and it will be the first in HTC’s line of cheap Android smartphones.

It’ll be $300, and currently you’ll get a 3.5mm headset jack, MicroSD card support, a photo camera and a 1,100 mAh battery.

So I just bought an E63, and now I’m looking longingly at the pictures of the Click. This is bad.

More hi-res pics here.

The HTC Leo is pretty

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So a few images of HTC’s upcoming Leo device have surfaced. And ooooh boy, this is a pretty device.

And seeing that it’s powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Windows Mobile 6.5, and will feature a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen, quad-band GSM, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, GPS, Wi-Fi, 5MP camera with dual LED flash, microSD card slot, Bluetooth, 3.5m audio jack, proximity and ambient light sensors, this will work as good as it looks.

Sadly the launch is in October and we have to wait a couple of months more before we get to play around with the device.