There have been quite some talks about Motorola working on a device to come running on the Android platform. Well it appears that the Moto Droid is just a week away from the launch and will be available on November 6. The price tag on this will be $199 and will come with a two year contract. Apart from that users will need to pay $39 for the voice plan and $29 for the email plan. It will be interesting to see what exactly is the device like and is it really worth all the effort they are putting. To be honest the device looks too much like old HTC models, just my thoughts.
Topics: Android
After all the wait, Google has finally brought its Android to developers with the release of version 1.6, termed Donut. Wonder what if Google is trying to portray its Android platform as a bakery. Anyways, the latest version offers CDMA support, meaning it embraces more handsets with tweaks for resolutions, taking it up to 800X480. The entire thing looks a bit better, with a much improves layout and the inclusion of a quick search that lets you look out for what you are looking for on the Web, history or contacts. It also includes the a much better battery check and system usage method, which provides you insight on what app uses the maximum CPU and RAM. This adds up with the much improved Android Market, over all the entire makeover makes Android better and more user friendly.
1
What makes Google‘s Android OS a better challenger to the iPhone is the Open approach it has and added with the number of devices running the OS are set to appear in the market. The App Store has close to 70,000 apps and little was known about the apps in Android Market before AndroLib actually broke the numbers out. At present Android Market has 10,072 apps with more than 60% of the applications coming without a cost. Sounds great for a starter, I bet the Open strategy might just make Android a winner in the smartphone industry as more manufacturers utilize the OS and developers charge up to bring the best apps. Android might just do better in the long run.
0
After all the wait Spotify has at last come to the iPhone and Android devices, though presently it’s for subscribers alone. The bad news is that it is yet to launch in the US, where I guess it will do a lot, given that it has already rocketed in European Markets. The app would enable users to play the entire Spotify list offline and I bet those in the US are more than just eager to have the app coming to the region, given the fact that a lot of investment has gone from labels in the country. The app can be downloaded: App Store and Android Market.
1
3
Here comes the Pulse from T-Mobile as the first Pay as you go Android based device. The device will be in the markets from October and will come with a price tag of £180. The device itself looks pretty sleek with a 3.5 inch HVGA touchsreen display. That would make it the biggest handset (but not as bulky as G1) with a 3.2 MP camera. The phone would add to the ever growing list of Android based phones which includes those coming from HTC, Dell, Acer, etc.
0
Music Streaming service Spotify is making in roads to the Android platform with Droidify. The app is an unofficial one as it has been developed by its die hard fans and lets you search, create playlists and listen to the countless songs it has for the users. The app would have definitely done good but under agreement, Spotify has asked the app to be taken down. Well, you can’t really do anything given the agencies who are always ready to fire a lawsuit on anything that is close to illegal music distribution. To the contrary, I still think the app needs to be there for the Android based devices and it can really fare well.
1
Google is all set to spread its Android OS far and wide, making sure it’s not something limited to running smartphones only. Presently, MIPS Technologies is said to be working on DTVs, home media players and set-top boxes that run on the Android platform. We might expect these Android based devices to make way by next year. We have already seen how Google is advancing its products by first making mentions of the Chrome OS which is said to be fit for the web and its Android platform, which initiated as a mobile device OS, crawling pretty quickly to run other devices as well. I guess it’s only a matter of time before Google actually makes itself the dominant player when it comes to being the platform by choice on the Web, on mobile and now even home entertainment. Let’s just wait and see.
1
Someone steps up to make a decent library for the Apps on the Android Platform and brings us AndroLib. Why so much of an emphasis on this? The major reason is the Android Market isn’t really worth spending time on to find a worthy app or learn which one is popular among the masses it just doesn’t have the community feel which is so essential. AndroLib is way better as it puts apps into categories, lets you perform search for your favorite app and learn almost everything about it, from overview to feedback and information from the developer community. Plus it’s available in more than 7 languages.
2
There is a new Android based device set to make its way in the market and its coming from Dell as reports state. That device is however not a mobile handset and will be slightly bigger than the iPhone. And the reason why Dell is going for Android is obviously that its powerful and free. Although there has been no official word on the device from Dell, people state that the device will be available by the second half of this year. Dell has been working upon the device and had appointed exec Ain McKendrick to be in charge of its mobile Internet devices. Lets see what exactly is the device like and how it does in the market.
2
