The Latest Android Phone News 8/23/2010

Larry Magid: Sprint’s Epic 4G Android Phone Raises the Bar

Sprint’s Epic 4G from Samsung stands out from the competition as one of the best Android phones on the market.

Publish Date: 08/22/2010 22:18

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-magid/sprints-epic-4g-android-p_b_690617.html

Samsung Epic 4G Android Phone (Sprint) | US Post Today.

US Post Today. – Samsung Epic 4G Android Phone (Sprint)

Publish Date: 08/22/2010 7:29

http://www.usposttoday.com/samsung-epic-4g-android-phone-sprint/

Motorola Updates Upgrade Timeline, The Wait Continues | The …

Published: August 23, 2010 Posted in: Android News. Motorola – one of the better manufacturers when it comes to transparency in their upgrade plans – has once again updated their chart to reflect the latest ETA on upgrades for several of their phone. … One device that had everyone worried was the Motorola Milestone – with Motorola being more hum on this than their state-side offerings, but it too will see Android 2.2 as its American counterpart Droid. [via Motorola ] …

Publish Date: 08/23/2010 9:11

http://www.theandroidphone.com/android-news/motorola-updates-upgrade-timeline-the-wait-continues/

Supercomputing on an Android Phone

It seems like an outlandish claim, but the brainiacs at MIT and the Texas Advanced Computing Center insist that they’ve created an Android app that is genuinely capable of doing supercomputing on a phone. Here’s how they did it:

Publish Date: 08/19/2010 15:40

http://gizmodo.com/5616794/supercomputing-on-an-android-smartphone

5 Cool Android Apps For Fun With Android Phone | ShaswatPatel.com

You like your Android smartphone and you like having fun. Putting those two together in your spare time is important for keeping your sanity. Here are five of the most fun Android apps that will keep you in smiles.

Publish Date: 08/23/2010 9:34

http://www.shaswatpatel.com/5-cool-android-apps-for-fun-with-android-phone/

Motorola Droid 2 Gets OTA Update

If you own a Motorola Droid 2, you may already have been prompted to install an OTA update, but do you know what was actually fixed? The minor update,

Publish Date: 08/23/2010 8:42

http://www.androidphonegeek.com/2010/08/motorola-droid-2-gets-ota-update

Droid 2.1 OTA Rolling Out Over “Next Few Weeks”

A small sample of Motorola Droid owners have gotten the Official Android 2.1 OTA with the rest either choosing to manually install Android 2.1 the backdoor way or wait patiently for the real deal. If you’re in the latter group, you may want to try out the manual upgrade if you don’t feel like waiting a few weeks as the Motorola support forums indicate that’s how long it COULD take to reach your device: We are pleased to announce the much anticipated DROID 2.1 upgrade has begun rolling out. The roll out will happen in phases and will be delivered to your DROID over the course of the next few weeks. While some LOVE the new features and others GRIPE about the lack of additional homescreens and uselessness of Live Wallpapers, I think one item absolutely makes this update amazing – text-to-speech in more places: As many of you know, 2.1 will bring several enhancements to your DROID. These include pinch to zoom for web browsing, speech to text functionality, a new and improved photo gallery and dynamic live wallpapers. For the pure purpose of reading text messages out loud while I drive and have them converted to text for quick, accurate and safe messaging – I’m elated to get this update. The 2.1 update has been a big topic the last few months and, although it didn’t go off without a hitch, Motorola is certainly making efforts to improve their customer experience and support, and  you can’t forget that Verizon had a hand in this as well: We sincerely apologize for what we know has been a frustrating experience for you regarding communications on the status of the upgrade. We want to reassure all of our fans that we are dedicated to providing you with the best possible service and we have been listening to each and every one of your comments. To that end, we excited to announce we will be launching a Support tab on our Facebook page in the next two weeks as well as dedicating more resources to answer your inquiries. We hope it will become a valuable asset where we can not only directly address your technical questions but also provide a place for you to share ideas with one another, report problems and give us general feedback. Now that you know it might take a few weeks… will you try out the manual 2.1 upgrade ?

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Droid 2.1 OTA Rolling Out Over “Next Few Weeks”

Motorola dropping BLUR to accelerate Android update process

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Motorola is taking a bold move to speed up its update times – it’s ditching MOTOBLUR in favor of HTC Sense. Motorola has entered into a limited licensing deal with HTC that enables them to use the code of Sense, which is easier to update, but will have to use its own graphics. According to people

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Motorola dropping BLUR to accelerate Android update process

Motorola Scrapping MOTOBLUR in Favor of HTC Sense UI

It looks like Google isn’t the only one looking to address Android fragmentation. Word on the street is that Motorola has scrapped future MOTOBLUR plans in favor of (wait for it) HTC‘s Sense UI. Now we understand why there’s been a rather long delay in getting handsets like the T-Mobile Cliq updated to Android 2.1.  According to sources familiar with the matter, the handset maker had been mulling this over right around the time the Espresso screens leaked.  They (Motorola) realized it would be in their best interest to adopt their (HTC) build rather than compete head to head.  As part of the deal, HTC has agreed to integrate some of the MOTOBLUR widgets into Sense UI with added customization.  Further, the remote wipe and backup features will be included in future builds of Sense. Looking back, we can’t say we’re surprised. Remember seeing Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha at the release of the Nexus One?  Apparently that’s when official talks started between the two. It started out as a light joke right before Chou took the stage.  Afterward, the two shared a few drinks and got the ball rolling. Thanks for the heads up ArlosPiflo! You tell us! Is this a good move or a bad one?  Does a Devour or Backflip sound any better to you if it had Sense on it? Might We Suggest… Pre-Order Your Motorola Devour at Best Buy Today! Those of you who are interested in picking up the Motorola Devour will be able to head to your local Best Buy and preorder one later this month.  Starting today, Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores …

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Motorola Scrapping MOTOBLUR in Favor of HTC Sense UI

India Reaches 2.1 MILESTONE

Americans weren’t the only lucky Droid owners getting 2.1 today – Motorola just announced that they’ll bring the Milestone to India as the first Android device to get 2.1 in the country. There are a LOT of people in India that will be excited to get the Motorola Milestone when it launches. Although no timeframe was provided, we know it will cost 32,900 Rupees ($736) without any contracts or subsidies. What say you, Indians? Excited? Here is the full press release : Motorola MILESTONE ™ brings power of Android™ 2.1 to India One of the World’s thinnest, QWERTY sliders with 9.39cm pinch & zoom display NEW DELHI, India – 29 March 2010 –– Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a global leader in mobile telecommunications’ Indian subsidiary, Motorola India Private Limited, today introduced MILESTONE™, set to become the first Android 2.1-powered phone for India. MILESTONE is without compromise, setting new standards for how fast, smart and multi-tasking a modern smartphone should be with a rich mobile web experience, superior messaging and top-of-the-line multi-media features. Powered by Android 2.1, it offers the ability to use multiple applications at once and one of the world’s thinnest QWERTY sliders (13.7mm or 1.37cm). The MILESTONE also boasts a hi-resolution, pinch and zoom display. A suite of Google™ mobile applications including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and YouTube™ are also integrated onto the device. Plus users have access to thousands of apps and widgets from Android Market™. MILESTONE comes preloaded with lifetime free access to fully voice-guided street-level navigable maps of 401 cities6 in India. This offers voice-guided navigation and routing in the cities and across major national and state highways. With this the Indian consumer can drive to 400,000 towns and villages6 and explore over ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­one million6 points of interest like budget/premium hotels, petrol pumps, eating joints, ATMs, hospitals as well as tourist and religious spots. All the consumer needs to do is to launch ‘India’ maps from the MOTONAV application to enjoy an unparalleled navigation experience. The GPS navigation service is free with no activation or data charges, independent of mobile networks and can be used even without inserting the SIM card, as the maps are fully loaded on the MILESTONE1 & 6. “MILESTONE is a smart phone without compromise, delivering a wiser, richer web and messaging experience. This is possible through the combination of Motorola’s expertise in design and a truly differentiated Android experience,” said Faisal Siddiqui, Country Head, Mobile Devices, Motorola India. “The MILESTONE is targeted at the well informed, ‘socially’ connected individual. This consumer is an accomplished, driven and engaged professional looking for an outstanding web experience as well as a high tier messaging device. So, we invite you all to come and experience the MILESTONE!” “As an Android 2.1 device, MILESTONE does what other smartphones don’t. It was designed to enhance consumer experiences – and its full screen web browsing experience, ability to juggle between multiple apps, and suite of Google applications deliver. We have been delighted with the anticipation and demand for MILESTONE across the world and are pleased to announce its arrival in India today.” Key MILESTONE features include: * 9.39cm (3.7 inch) widescreen display with 854 pixel width and more than 400,000 total pixels * High-speed, cortex A8 processor * Pinch and zoom, double tap zoom * 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, AutoFocus, and image stabilization. * Motorola Media Link and Motorola Phone Portal to manage and share media content across desktop, phone and the Web5 * Stereo Bluetooth® / BT 2.1, USB 2.0 High Speed * 3.5mm (0.35cm) headset jack * CrystalTalk™ Plus for superior talk quality * 8GB memory card Additional functionality and apps include: * Full suite of the Google applications: Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, and Google Talk™, * Unified Google, Microsoft Office and Facebook™ Contacts * Navigation: GPS, MOTONAV turn-by-turn navigation with India maps1 & 6 * Email Support: IMAP, POP3, Gmail and Exchange * IM Support: Google Talk * Calendar: Exchange, syncs with Google Calendar™ Availability MILESTONE will be available in India at select retails outlets in select cities at a MRP of Rs 32,990. To be one of the first in India to experience MILESTONE, please visit www.motorola.com/in. For additional information, please call 3902 6686 or email info.in@motorola.com

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India Reaches 2.1 MILESTONE

Android 2.1 update coming to Verizon’s Motorola DROID; No, really

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I want to say that this is a true statement and not coming from the rumor mill. It appears that Engadget received and internal Verizon email stating that Android 2.1 (ESE81) will be coming to the DROID today: Starting 03/30/2010, Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce a new software update for the DROID by Motorola. Users

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Android 2.1 update coming to Verizon’s Motorola DROID; No, really

Firefox For Android Compiled, Demoed On Milestone – You Can Too!

AndroidForums member MartinSchirr has compiled the highly sought after “Firefox for Android” (AKA Fennec) for Android and got it up and running on his Motorola Milestone . He didn’t just accomplish the feat and brag – he gave it two video demoes (one featuring Phandroid) and put together a website on how you can accomplish the same thing yourself ! It’s in German, so get that Google Translate button ready and try your best to interpret! What a guy. If you give this a try, be sure it jump in on the Android Forums discussion to share your experience! [Via AndroidForums.com ]

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Firefox For Android Compiled, Demoed On Milestone – You Can Too!

How To Install 3rd Party Apps On The Motorola Backflip

The Motorola Backflip has its lovers and has its haters – but lets put this particularly unique piece of hardware aside. A good portion of the phone’s criticism has come because of AT&T’s insistence on locking down Android . Not only do they bloat up you phone with ATTware, prevent you from removing/deleteing said bloat, but they also don’t allow you to install .APK files from anywhere besides Android Market. FOOEY! If you’re the type of person who wants no part of that nonsense, there IS a way to finagle your way around those limitations. Over at XDA they’ve got a complete guide to setting up ADB (developer’s tool) on your computer, connecting your backflip via USB, and moving/installing non-market android applications directly to your Backflip. The beauty of this is it can be done without rooting your device, something that scares away a good portion of the masses, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t proceed with caution. You should – and this is me going on the record stating that. So yeah, proceed with caution and enjoy your APKs from here, from there, from everywhere!

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How To Install 3rd Party Apps On The Motorola Backflip

2.1 Arrives on Select Droids Today, Full Rollout Starts This Week

According to Engadget, the long awaited Android 2.1 rollout has commenced for Droid owners.  Start earlier today, 1,000 started receiving the notification that an update is available for their phone.  By the time many of you head to bed, another 9,000 will see this message as well.  After skipping Wednesday, the rollout will hit full steam and find its way to 200,000 users a day until everyone is blanketed.  We just received a picture (Thanks Kellex!) of a Droid showing 2.1 which appears to be pretty legit. Starting 03/30/2010, Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce a new software update for the DROID by Motorola. Users will be able to upgrade their software to version AP: ESE81/BP: C_01.3E.03P to receive new improvements and enhancements. – excerpt from email Might We Suggest… Developers Waste Little Time Porting Android 2.1 to Droid In a move that comes as little surprise, some crafty developers have managed to extract Android 2.1 from a Nexus One handset to port it to the Motorola Droid. Does it work? Yes and no. According to…

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2.1 Arrives on Select Droids Today, Full Rollout Starts This Week

Droid 2.1 OTA Update Has Begun!

Our tipster was really a tipster and not an April Fools Day prankster – the Droid 2.1 update has begun rolling out, albeit to a select few! While all the gadget sites have begun reporting the leaked internal Verizon employee E-Mail outlining the update, one member at AndroidForums has already received it : He included his nick and everything, not to mention the pic was snapped with a co-workers Droid Eris – DOUBLE WIN! I guess that’s karma for you. Have you gotten the update? Awaiting the update? Cursing the lack of an update appearing on your Droid this very second? Head over to our Motorola Droid Forum and vocalize all that energy!

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Droid 2.1 OTA Update Has Begun!

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