Rumors - Android Community

Tagged: Rumors

Android netbooks from ODM Compal in development

By Chris Davies
on 6 Apr, 2009

Taiwanese ODM Compal Communications are preparing to develop Android-based netbooks, according to the latest reports in the Commercial Times. Compal, who were tipped to take over manufacturing of the Acer Aspire One, and are believed to be the ODM for the Dell range of Inspiron Mini netbooks, are supposedly in negotiations with several notebook vendors regarding the project. Details on the netbooks themselves are slim, with neither DigiTimes nor the Chinese-language paper suggesting what specifications Compal have in mind. One possibility is that the ODM will use the somewhat traditional Intel Atom platform; Android has already been shown to run successfully on the Atom N270-based ASUS Eee PC. Another possibility is that Compal could turn to ARM's chipset range, selecting either a more basic processor or something HD-capable such as Qualcomm's Snapdragon. Android-based Snapdragon devices are expected to launch this year, complete with 1080p support and high-speed WWAN connectivity.

Adobe Flash technology hitting Android soon?

By Chris Davies
on 25 Mar, 2009

After Andy Rubin demonstrated Flash working on the T-Mobile G1 last November, the assumption has been that the technology would arrive on Android sooner rather than later. Five months on, and there's still no sign from Adobe; however, embedded devices company Bsquare are claiming to be working with "a global, tier-one carrier" to bring Flash technology to the Android platform. Bsquare has apparently already ported the Flash Player to over 100 embedded devices. However this time around the company is porting "Flash technology" not the player itself, to Android. It's unclear exactly what this means for end-user functionality, and Bsquare are keeping quiet on the details. Right now there are more questions than answers, and with no timescale, software details or even a hint of which carrier the company is working with (though the obvious guess would be T-Mobile) it's hard to get excited. Bsquare are an authorized distributor of the Adobe Flash Player and SDK, though, so we'd rate this a couple of notches above vaporware at least.

Acer A1 might be here for September

By Alison Spong
on 23 Mar, 2009

The Philippine Business Mirror newspaper are today reporting that Acer are planning to launch their first Android powered handset. The release of the model due in September of this year.

Android Market to get paid apps this week?

By Chris Davies
on 11 Feb, 2009

Paid applications will be arriving on the Android Market sometime this week, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The news - which would tie in with Google's own public timescale of Q1 2009 - is likely to encourage developers to code new apps or port existing ones over to the Android platform; up until now, downloads have been free of charge. While the paper does not quote its sources, only "people familiar with the matter", T-Mobile has been pushing out the latest RC-33 to US G1 owners which includes new tools for the Android Market. The company is believed to be aiming to have the update completed by February 15th, which might suggest that they'll flick the switch on paid apps straight after. Google's exact Market terms for developers wishing to charge for their applications are unclear. We're also not sure about what charges developers may face; back in October, Google's Andy Ruben laid out the bandwidth fees for free apps, but there's still no official word on any upcoming changes. [via Gizmodo; thanks Derek!]

Android Community Week in Review – Week 44 2008

By Staff Editor
on 2 Nov, 2008

Sprint has commented on their future with Android this week. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, told the media that Android is not (yet) good enough for the Sprint name. This certainly comes as a surprise to us as Sprint is one of the founding companies of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA). Android Community shared an unlocking video with their members and decided to hold a contest with 3 unlock codes as prizes in celebration of the event. Rumors that Wal-Mart would soon carry the G1 in their stores spread like wildfire this week. Despite Wal-Mart claiming that they were only rumors, the story turned out to be true. In no time at all people spotted the G1 in Wal-Mart store displays. Motorola's Co-CEO Sajay Jha stated on a Q3 earnings conference call that there will be no Android-powered handset released by them until the Christmas season. On October 30th residents of the United Kingdom were finally able to get their hands on the T-Mobile G1. The UK, however, got a few changes that the US did not receive; the G1 in the UK comes in either Black or White while the US only got the Black and Bronze version of the G1. Other differences in the UK release is the price, you can get the device overseas for free but you must commit to a 2 year agreement, also the G1 comes with a 2GB MicroSD card as opposed to the 1Gb that we received in the US. A week ago Google sent out the RC28 update only to quickly recall it because of security flaws. A few days later Google sent out a new update (RC29) with an added security patch that supposedly fixes the browser security issues that were present. It appears that more and more of our users receive this update every day but the bulk of them have yet to receive it. The update process is very easy, all you must do is accept the update and let the phone do its thing. For those who are too impatient to wait, there is a way to update your G1 with a MicroSD card. However, this may cause you to lose your data and is not recommended. TechOn was brave enough to dissect the G1 the other day and reported that the roll ball is the same as the one in RIM's Blackberry handsets. Aside from that, the inside of the G1 is white. We had no idea that the G1 is painted. Android Market received several new applications this week, including the very first emulator to run on Android, Androidboy. This emulator comes with 10 games pre-loaded for your enjoyment. In other firsts for the Android Market we saw the first of what will be many Twitter applications. Twidroid is a simple Twitter client that allows you to post "twits" and photos to Twitter.com. China is getting so desperate to get their hands on the G1 that they are illegally importing them and paying unreasonably high prices to get the devices. Learning guitar comes to Android with the addition of Splashplay. This application brings learning how to play instruments to the mobile phone. In the future, Splashplay will include light panel releases for the keyboard/piano, drums, violin and many other instruments. PocketFinder is a popular way to track your family or pets location using GPS. This can be especially useful for parents who often worry too much. China Mobile has reportedly started working with Lenovo on what will be their first Android-Powered handset that will be released between February and March of 2009. A revolutionary application called WhitePages released this week bringing real caller ID to Android. No more wondering who is calling when you do not have the number saved to your contacts. JOYity brings social multiplayer online mobile gaming to the real world. Users can play in one of 3 games that require you to interact with other players in real life.

Wal-Mart selling the T-Mobile G1 for cheaper?

By Staff Editor
on 27 Oct, 2008

Somewhat believable rumors about Wal-Mart are flying around again, this one is about the arrival of the G1 at a cheaper price. The top ten Wal-Mart locations in each market will be getting the T-Mobile G1 on the 24th of November just in time for Christmas.

It comes as no surprise because big box stores such as Costco are already selling the G1 in many of their stores. Wireless sales in these stores have proven to be a good market for these companies. It is no doubt that Wal-Mart, who boasts low prices, will offer some sort of discount on the device, luring customers to their stores rather than the T-mobile retail locations. Rumors say that the price will be $148.88 with activation and a two-year contract. For many the $31 dollar discount is not worth waiting a month to get this phone. Those who are interested in the G1 are more likely to want it sooner rather than later. The price will help with Christmas shopping this year for those effected by our economy. With so many T-Mobile stores outside of the 3G area, T-Mobile is wise to be allowing the overflow of G1 handsets to be sold in other stores as well bringing the market to those who would have otherwise missed. Photo courtesy of Android Community member heyitsnan. [Via EngadgetMobile]

Android Community Week in Review – Week 43 2008

By Staff Editor
on 26 Oct, 2008

Just before the launch of the T-Mobile G1 this week, Google decided to pull almost all of the applications in the Android Market. It turns out that they were pre-production applications that were only there for demo purposes only. It was not long before applications returned to the Android Market in completed form. Myspace was the first social networking based application to hit the Android Market. With no sign of a Facebook app reports began to surface exposing the bad blood between Facebook and Google.

One San Francisco store was given the OK to sell the T-Mobile G1 a few hours early. The line grew rather long as people from all over the area lined up for a chance to get the G1 early. Many T-Mobile customers found a pleasant surprise on their doorsteps Monday morning as most of the pre-orders arrived 2 days early. Google finally released the source code for their Android operating system, however it appears it will only be for those who are running OSX or Linux. Kyocera also announced they are working on an Android-powered handset. No details about the device have been released at this time. T-Mobile's exclusive Hotspot Connect application was released into the Android Market this week allowing T-Mobile customers to connect to any T-Mobile Hotspot for free. The long awaited day came with the official launch of the T-Mobile G1, the first handset to run Google's Android platform. TmoNews reported that there was to be an over the air update (OTA) for the G1 on the 23rd, but after no update was made available, reports changed the release date to November 2nd. One concept of the Android interface surfaced in the Show Room for the Swedish software technology and design company Tat. Seen in the concept was a layout at the bottom that somewhat resembled that of the iPhone dock. Google announced that they will start allowing paid applications to enter the Android Market in early 2009. Another picture surfaced this week bringing hope to G1 owners who would like an on-screen keyboard, the picture showed an on-screen keyboard that very closely resembles that of Apple's iPhone. Instructions surfaced helping people activate their G1 at home without having an account, although to achieve this an activated T-Mobile SIM card is required. Hop-on is the latest company to announce that they are developing a phone to run the Android platform. Hop-on plans to unveil their Android in January at CES 2009. Stories are coming from all over the place stating that T-Mobile employees in non-3G areas know little or nothing about the G1 because they will not be selling the device. Two developers of award winning Android applications TuneWiki and Shopsavvy, held an AndroidDevCamp in Dallas on the 25th to help developers get started with Android. HTC CEO Peter Chou, told Mercury News that G1 sales for 2008 would be more than 600,000 units rather than the 1.5 million reported to be sold already in pre-orders. Security researchers have already found a security flaw in the G1 that can potentially allow attackers to record keystrokes made within the devise's browser application. Google is aware of this problem and states that it is not as bad as it appears and that they are already working on it. Our Golla G1 Case Giveaway came to an end this week, we would like to take the time again to thank our sponsor Smartphone Experts for making the giveaway posible. I am going to pick up a Golla case myself, the cases were actually really nice and fit very well. I would also like to say thank you to all of our members for making this week another record breaking week for us here at Android Community!

Samsung and LG releasing Androids as soon as Q3 2009

By Staff Editor
on 29 Sep, 2008

As more and more rumors float around about future Android-powered handsets, we all get a little more excited in anticipation for the next big device. Samsung and LG are now working on bringing Android powered-handsets to market. There is still no definite date as to when we will be seeing them but we do know that contrary to what was said earlier, it wont be till the second half of 2009 "at the earliest".

With Lg producing Android-powered devices that puts Verizon in a really good place to have one of their own. Lg being a major manufacturer for them would make it a lot easier for them to agree on terms for the first Android-powered handset on there network. Sources say that the delay is because of "negative responses" from mobile operators as well advertising sponsors being skeptical about Google's profit model for phones. While neither Samsung or LG have said anything about releasing an Android-powered handset it looks very likely with both being members of the Open Handset Alliance. I would love to see phones comparable to the Samsung Omnia or the LG Dare coming to market running the Android Os. At this point only time will tell. Picture provided by forum member missxoash. [Via Unwiredview]

China working on TD-SCDMA 3G Android Phone?

By Staff Editor
on 29 Sep, 2008

We have heard very little thus far on Android coming to other countries. The largest operator of mobile communication services in china, China Mobile Communications (China Mobile), may introduce the first Android to China. They plan to include outsourced production by Taiwan-based High Tech Computer (HTC) who made the T-Mobile G1.

China Mobile is the only mobile operator in China to join the Open Handset Alliance (OHA). China Mobile and Google, Marvell, China-based software developer Borqs International formed a technology alliance in September 2007 to promote a Linux-based open mobile system (OMS), integrating mobile applications specifically for the China market, the sources indicated. China Mobile had originally planned to have an Android-powered handset by the end of 2008, with Borqs developing OMS applications. The development of OMS applications has been behind schedule forcing China Mobile to postpone releasing a handset until the second quarter of 2009. Alternatively China Mobile may ask HTC to offer an Android handset by the end of 2008 before creating OMS handsets, these Android devices possibly will support China's TD-SCDMA 3G. HTC plans to set up subsidiary in China to promote cooperation with China Mobile. [Via Digitimes]

Motorola expands Android team; Nokia and Verizon eyeing platform?

By Staff Editor
on 29 Sep, 2008

Several cell phone manufacturers are gearing up to start releasing Android powered handsets in coming months. Although there is not much being said about what companies are doing, Motorola has reportedly been trying to recruit members to its small Android team. Motorola was one of the first original partners of the Open Handset Alliance and has decided to expand their 50 member Android team to 350.

Many are thrilled to hear about such a large player in the cell phone industry making such a huge commitment to developing Android on there handsets. The same source has reported Nokia and Verizon at a recent Android developer conference put on by Google last week for developers who had not yet seen the G1 to help prepare them for its launch. Recently Nokia recently acquired the rest of Symbian it didn’t already own, hinting that they intend to go in another direction. Chances are Nokia has an Android team sniffing around if for nothing more than to gain competitive intelligence. It will be hard for Nokia to compete with the several Android powered handsets set to hit the market this coming year. Android remains a good option for cell phone companies because it is an open-source OS, manufacturers don’t have to pay a licensing fee to the company that controls the Orating System. [Via Android Community]