October 29th, 2009

Android 2.0 (Eclair) FAQ

Posted by Ed Burnette @ 8:54 pm

Categories: Android, General, Google, Programming

Tags: Google Inc., High Tech Computer Corp., Phone, FAQ, Emulator, Android 2.0 Software Development Kit, Q., Q. Does Google, Telecom & Utilities, Ed Burnette

This is the last of a series of articles on Android 2.0 (”Eclair”). In part 1, we examined the user-oriented features of the new release, and in part 2 we discussed several features intended for developers. For this final part we’ll switch gears and answer some frequently asked questions about Eclair from both users and developers. Just for fun I’ve tossed in a few questions about the Motorola DROID as well.

By the way, if you have any questions that I didn’t cover, just ask them in the talkback area.

Q. When can I get Android 2.0?

The Android 2.0 Software Development Kit is available now. This includes an emulator that lets you run a virtual Android device on your desktop computer.

The first phone with Android 2.0 installed is the Motorola DROID, which will be carried by Verizon in the US starting November 6th. The second one will probably be Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X3/Infinity/Rachael . A release date for that model hasn’t been announced but it’s widely expected to be out before the end of the year as well.

Q. Will the Acer A1 Liquid phone with Snapdragon have 2.0?

Liquid is set to be released with Android 1.6.

Q. Can I upgrade my ___ (fill in the blank) phone to 2.0?

The only one we know for sure that will be upgraded is the HTC Hero.

It has been rumored that the first Android phone, the HTC G1/Dream, doesn’t have enough memory to run 2.0. However, I don’t think that will necessarily be the case. If you remember, they said the same thing about version 1.6. Like 1.6, 2.0 is a little too big to fit into the G1’s memory. But with a few optimizations, 1.6 was slimmed down enough to fit, so the current speculation is that 2.0 can be made to fit also. …

Continue reading: Android 2.0 FAQ >

October 28th, 2009

Motorola DROID on Verizon: Is this the iPhone killer you're looking for?

Posted by Ed Burnette @ 11:12 am

Categories: Android, General, Google

Tags: Apple iPhone, Phone, Verizon Communications Inc., Motorola Inc., Droid, Keyboards, Telecom & Utilities, Hardware, Peripherals, Ed Burnette

Motorola and Verizon officially announced the DROID this morning, surprising many with an earlier than expected release date (November 6) and a lower than expected price ($199 after rebate). Droid is the first phone running version 2.0 of the Linux-based Android operating system (which itself was just announced yesterday).

Droid boasts a glorious 3.7″ FWVGA (480×854) capacitive multi-touch display, which works out to 260 dots per inch and a true 16:9 HD aspect ratio. By contrast, the Apple iPhone is only 3.5″ HVGA (320×640), at 160 dots per inch and a 1.5:1 aspect ratio. Bottom line: on the Droid you’ll get crisper graphics, smoother letters, high definition movies without letterboxing, and web pages with less scrolling.

In addition to an on-screen keyboard it also features a super-thin QWERTY slide-out keyboard. Yet somehow Motorola managed to squeeze all that in a package that is almost exactly the same size as the iPhone. It’s a little heavier, though:

In a departure from other Android phones, the Droid has no physical keys on the front. Instead, it has a touch sensitive area below the screen that accesses the back, menu, home, and search functions. If you’ve ever tried to apply a screen protector to a phone with lots of buttons on it, or you’ve gotten dirt and grit in the tiny cracks around the buttons, you’ll appreciate this “slab” approach.

Other features:

• Webkit HTML5 based browser with geolocation and video support; Flash 10 on the way next year
• Exchange, Gmail, IMAP, POP, Macmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL mail support
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR Stereo, 3.5mm Headset jack, microUSB 2.0 with charger
• Advanced video record/playback at D1 resolution (720×480) with up to 24fps capture and 30fps playback, MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
• 5.0 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash and image stabilization (digital I presume)
• 16GB microSD card included, 32GB supported
• aGPS and sGPS, turn-by-turn directions
• TI OMAP 3430 Cortex A8 ARM CPU with GPU for faster graphics

It looks like Motorola and Verizon have a hit on their hands with the Droid.

Related articles:

• What’s new in Android 2.0? Part 1: User features
• What’s new in Android 2.0? Part 2: Developer features
• Motorola Droid gets official on Verizon; arrives Nov. 6 for $199
• First pics of Motorola Droid with Android 2.0 build
• Verizon vs. AT&T: Droids for the win
• Motorola hopes new Android phone will Cliq with users
• Mobile megahertz madness heats up
• Google gives away 4,000 phones, promotes Android and HTML 5

October 28th, 2009

What's new in Android 2.0? Part 2: Developer features

Posted by Ed Burnette @ 12:17 am

Categories: Android, General, Google, Programming, Web Browsers

Tags: Device, API, SDK, Android 2.0, Android 1.6, KeyEvent, Ed Burnette

After months of speculation, Android 2.0 (”Eclair”) was officially released this week by Google. To be more precise, the Software Development Kit (SDK) for Android 2.0 was released, so that developers can get a head start on 2.0 development before the new devices with 2.0 hit the market. It’s not much of a head start, though, because the new devices may will be on sale as early as next week, or by the end of November at the latest.

[ See Motorola DROID on Verizon: Is this the iPhone killer you're looking for? for the first Android 2.0 phone. ]

This is the second of a series of 3 articles covering what’s new in this new release. Part 1 covered user features and availability, this part will cover developer features, and part 3 will try to answer any other questions you might have about the new platform. You should read part 1 first, if you haven’t already.

Should I stay or should I go now?

In the announcement of version 2.0 on the Android Developer’s blog, Xavier Ducrohet wrote:

Over the next few months, we expect to see more and more Android devices being released. These devices will be running Android 1.5, 1.6, or 2.0. We are also planning a minor version update of Android 2.0 towards the end of the year, and that will be the last update for 2009.

That’s right, folks - by the end of this year there will be 4 different versions of Android running in the field. It’s going to be a challenge for developers to keep on top of this. One thing seems clear - all Android devices will not automatically be upgraded to the latest version:

• Android 1.5 provides the base functionality common to all versions of Android.
• Android 1.6 adds support for screen sizes smaller and larger than HVGA 480×320.
• Android 2.0 adds support for multi-touch and virtual keys, among other things.
• Android 2.1 will probably be a minor bug-fix version.

With rare exceptions, 1.5/1.6 apps will run fine on 2.0 phones. Most apps will not need the new features that 2.0 brings, so they can continue to use the 1.5 SDK and get the greatest possible reach. Other apps can test to see if they’re running on 2.0 and only use new features if they are available. A few apps, however, will want to require 2.0 and rely on its features even if it means they can only be run on a few new devices (for now, anyhow).

Continue reading: What’s new in Android 2.0 for developers >

October 27th, 2009

What's new in Android 2.0? Part 1: User features

Posted by Ed Burnette @ 12:02 pm

Categories: Android, General, Google

Tags: Device, Multi-touch, User Feature, Android 2.0, Ed Burnette

Google has taken the wraps off the next major version of Android: Android 2.0 (also known as “Eclair”). This is the first of a series of 3 articles covering what the new release has to offer. In part 1, I’ll cover user features and availability. Part 2 covers developer features, and part 3 will try to answer any other questions you might have about the new platform.

[ See also: Motorola DROID on Verizon: Is this the iPhone killer you're looking for? ]

New user features
This video from Google shows off a few of the new features:

Eclair features include:

• The most important new feature in Android 2.0 is support for multi-touch devices. Up to 3 fingers can be tracked on the screen at a time. Among other things, this allows for faster typing on the virtual keyboard and multi-touch gestures for zooming and scrolling.
• Android 2.0 has a single, secure interface for managing multiple online accounts. You can enter your credentials once (for example your email address and password) so that applications don’t have to prompt you for those individually.
• The email and contact apps support multiple accounts, including Microsoft Exchange Server. (Note: Exchange support is optional and some carriers might not offer it, but the Motorola Droid will have it).
• Support for soft keys. Some new Android devices will not have hardware buttons for HOME, MENU, BACK, and so forth. Instead, they’ll either have touch-sensitive areas on the front of the device, or dedicated widgets or soft key areas on the main display.
• An updated browser with a refreshed user interface, web page thumbnails, and better support for HTML5 (including the <video> tag).
• An enhanced camera app with features like digital zoom, flash, color effects, and more.
• Searchable SMS and MMS messages.

Availability

The Android 2.0 Software Developer’s Kit (SDK) is available today so that developers can verify their programs will work with the new operating system. The first retail device running 2.0 will be the Motorola Droid. It’s expected to be announced tomorrow at a Verizon event and is scheduled to come out sometime in November. The second device with 2.0 will probably be Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X3/Infinity/Rachael (it’s traditional for every Android phone to have at least 3 names). A release date for that model hasn’t been announced but it’s widely expected to be out before the end of the year as well.

October 20th, 2009

Meet Nook: Barnes and Noble's sexy new book reader

Posted by Ed Burnette @ 12:51 pm

Categories: Android, General

Tags: Barnes & Noble Inc., Engineering, E-books, Personal Technology, Ed Burnette

Barnes and Noble announced a new eBook reader today called Nook, and it’s already earned a place in our hearts (as well as our wish list). On the outside: a curvy industrial design that would make Apple engineers proud. On the inside: an ARM processor powered by the Android operating system. It’s available now for pre-order with shipments expected to start as early as next week in late November.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Nook is that it has two screens. The top screen is for reading, and like a regular book it’s high-contrast black and white (eInk). The bottom one is for navigation, typing, and other interactivity. It’s a standard back-lit LCD touch-sensitive display. Overall, the Nook is about the size and weight of a paperback book.

The Nook lets you use two different wireless networks for free: AT&T 3G Wireless (like Kindle’s WhisperNet), and WiFi. You can browse books, magazines, and newspapers using either network. When you’re inside a B&N store, you get free WiFi plus exclusive content, special discounts, and more. Soon you’ll be able to read entire eBooks for free at your local store.

Another innovation in the Nook is the ability to lend books to your friends for up to 14 days. They don’t even have to have a Nook, just the free B&N eReader software installed on a PC, Mac, or mobile phone.

After the break we’ll get into the technical specifications and other details…

Continue Reading >

October 16th, 2009

First pics of Motorola Droid with Android 2.0 build (maybe)

Posted by Ed Burnette @ 1:00 pm

Categories: Android, Commercial, Community, Eclipse, General, Google, Programming

Tags: Multi-touch, Motorola Inc., BGR, Ed Burnette

The Boy Genius report has just posted a series of screenshots showing Android 2.0 running on what appears to be the upcoming Motorola Droid phone (also known as Sholes). The source is credible and the pictures look real, though it’s unclear how close it all is to being finished. Pricing and availability was not announced.

Small visual changes can be seen in several of the shots when compared to the stock Android 1.6 image. For example, some of the home screen icons are different, and the browser has a redesigned address line with space for the site’s “favicon”. The key lock screen looks quite different too. But it’s hard to tell whether these are due to Verizon customizations or changes in Android 2.0. The phone dialer looks different, but it also looks different on the Acer Liquid A1 phone which appears to be running 1.6. The only thing that screams “2.0″ is the Firmware version shown on one of the screen shots. You can see another view of it here. If it had said “1.6″ there I would believe it, chalking up the minor changes in the screen shots to vendor mods.

Read the rest of this entry »

October 6th, 2009

Verizon vs. AT&T: Droids for the win

Posted by Ed Burnette @ 8:31 am

Categories: Android, General, Google

Tags: Apple iPhone, Verizon Communications Inc., AT&T Corp., Apple Inc., Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Ed Burnette

Verizon unleashed a one-two punch against AT&T and Apple starting with an ad campaign last night and ending this morning with an announcement and news conference revealing that Verizon will ship a number of Android-based phones this year to compete with the iPhone.

It started last night as viewers of the popular show “House” were treated to a new TV ad campaign that openly mocks the iPhone and AT&T. “If you want to know why some people have spotty 3G coverage,” says the voice-over, “there’s a Map for that”. This is a play on words of the Apple iPhone slogan “There’s an app for that”, backed up by a map showing 5x better coverage than AT&T (which was mentioned by name).

Then Google and Verizon announced an agreement whereby the two companies will co-develop a number of Android-powered devices. Apparently they’ve already been working at it for some time because the first devices are supposed to hit the market in a few weeks. The devices will likely be running Android 1.6.

In a move sure to please developers, Verizon promises that phones will be fully open, meaning they will include the Android Market and run programs that Apple rejected on their platform such as Google Voice. Unlike Apple, Google shares 30% of Market revenue with the carrier, which makes their platform more lucrative for companies like Verizon.

When you take this together with other recent announcements, AT&T is the lone hold-out on the Android express. They continue to bet everything on the iPhone, while everyone else is picking Android. The lines are drawn, and the battle is about to start in earnest. The winners are the consumers who benefit from the competition, and the developers who can tap into this vast new customer base.

October 5th, 2009

What's new in Android 1.6 (Donut)? Part 2: Developer features

Posted by Ed Burnette @ 6:50 am

Categories: Android, General, Google, Programming

Tags: OpenGL, Developer, Phone, Permission, API, Android 1.6, Telecom & Utilities, Advertising & Promotion, Marketing, Ed Burnette

Over the next several weeks, Android 1.6 will be rolling out to customers via an over-the-air update. In addition to a number of user-facing features such as a new Android Market and a faster camera application, the Donut branch has a few goodies for developers as well. This article explores how to get 1.6 right now, and the developer-facing features inside.

[ See also: What's new in Android 1.6? Part 1: User features ]

Continue reading: Getting 1.6 early >

September 18th, 2009

What's new in Android 1.6 (Donut)? Part 1: User features

Posted by Ed Burnette @ 6:45 am

Categories: Android, General, Google

Tags: Battery, Camcorder, Engineering, Ed Burnette

Google released the much-anticipated 1.6 version of Android to developers this week. Based on the Donut branch of the Android open source project, 1.6 is a minor update to the Android platform that could have a major impact to the bottom line of commercial Android developers. In this article I’ll cover the user features of this tasty new treat. A future article will cover the developer-facing features.

Update: the second article is available now. Read: What’s new in Android 1.6? Part 2: Developer features

User features

Most of the changes in 1.6 are behind the scenes, but users will be able to notice a few updates:

• The biggest change is the introduction of a new and more powerful Android Market. This will make it much easier to discover and try great apps and games. Like the iPhone App store, the Market will break down categories of applications into Top paid, Top free, and newly released offerings. And at long last, you’ll be able to see screenshots of programs before you download them.
• The “g” icon is gone from the search box on the home screen. While it might not seem like much, this is a hint that you can now do much more than Google web searches using this widget. In 1.6, search now works across multiple sources such as the titles of all your applications, names in your contacts folder, browser bookmarks, and so forth. Over time, the system learns which search results you find relevant and will bubble those up to the top as you type in the first few letters of a query.
• The gallery, camera, and camcorder user interface has gotten a major facelift. Taking pictures is also much faster, up to 39% faster to take the first picture and 28% faster to take the second and subsequent ones.
• Ever wonder why your battery doesn’t last as long as it used to? Now you can find out by consulting a new battery usage screen. It will show which applications and services are consuming the most power, so you can decide to change the settings on those programs, stop them, or uninstall them as needed.
• You can now connect to your work network using one of several supported types of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
• New WiFi security options are supported including WPA-EAP and IEEE 802.1x.

New phones that use 1.6 (such as the HTC Tatoo) should hit store shelves later this year, and updates to existing phones are expected to be slowly phased in by carriers over the next few months.

Analysis

The new Android 1.6 Market could be a game changer for users and developers alike. In 1.5, paid applications were hidden from users behind an obscure menu option. But in 1.6 they will be brought to the forefront. By exposing users to high-quality paid applications, the Market should see a surge in revenue which will encourage developers to produce even more and better content. For months the Android Market has lagged the iPhone app store, but 1.6 could put it on a path to change that.

September 10th, 2009

Motorola hopes new Android phone will Cliq with users

Posted by Ed Burnette @ 11:37 am

Categories: Android, General

Tags: Phone, Motorola Inc., MotoBlur, RSS, Telecom & Utilities, Internet, Ed Burnette

Motorola took the wraps off the first of a line of new Android-based phones today at GigaOM’s Mobilize ‘09 event. Called the Motorola Cliq, the phone will be carried in the US by T-Mobile in time for the holiday season. In early 2010 it will roll out to European customers under the name Dext. Previously the phone was known under the code name “Morrison” and the model number MB300.

Contrary to persistent rumors, the Cliq will be based on Android 1.5 (Cupcake), the same operating system that powers the Hero, MyTouch3G, and every other Android phone on the market at this time. Of course, future Android patches and updates will be available via over-the-air updates.

Features:

• 320×480 pixel, 3.1 inch HVGA capacitive screen (187 dpi)
• Qualcomm MSM 7200A processor @ 528 MHz
• 5.0 Megapixel auto-focus camera
• QWERTY keyboard (side slider)
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Dual-mic noise cancellation
• Proximity sensor and accelerometer
• WCDMA 900/1700/2100, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (Category 7/8), EDGE, GPRS Class 12, AGPS
• MicroSD card slot (up to 32GB)
• Microsoft Exchange support
• Bundled apps: QuickOffice, Accuweather, Amazon Music, imeem, Shazam, LastFM
• 5.6 oz (163 grams)
• 2.28 x 4.49 x 0.62 inches (114 x 58 x 15.6mm)
• 1420mAh lithium polymer battery (6 hours continuous use/13.5 days standby)
• MicroUSB 2.0 connector (also used for charging)

Motorola is putting their own stamp on the Android experience with a new integrated service called “MotoBlur”. MotoBlur syncs personal and work email and contacts and supports social networks like MySpace, FaceBook, and Twitter, plus Microsoft Exchange. The service is paired with a personalized home screen that runs on the phone featuring status and messaging widgets, RSS feeds, and other features. Motorola plans a whole line of MotoBlur-enabled phones based on Android over the next 18-20 months. A Flash-based simulator of MotoBlur is available on the Motorola web site if you’d like to try it out.

Related articles:

• Live blog: Motorola unveils Blur, Cliq, and Dext (CNet)
• Live Motorola Android keynote coverage (gdgt)
• Motorola introduces CLIQ with MOTOBLUR (Moto PR)
• T-Mobile USA unveils the Motorola CLIQ with MOTOBLUR (Moto PR)