Samsung Galaxy S now official

Think of an Android phone with a 4 inch super AMOLED screen, a 1 gHZ processor, native GPS with 3d maps and you get the Samsung Galaxy S. Now, doesn't this phone makes the Nexus One looks like history :)

One more thing: This phone will be available worldwide.

Via Engadget - http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/23/samsung-announces-galaxy-s-android-smartphone/

HTC disagrees with Apple's action

HTC issued a press release outlining its disagreement with Apple's lawsuit over alleged patents infringement reminding us along the way that they have been in the business since 1997. HTC built and released the first Windows PDA back in 1998 and the first Android Smartphone ten years later. It comes as no surprise that HTC has amassed an impressive amount of awards. Not sure that will help fight back Apple though.
"HTC disagrees with Apple's actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible," said Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation. "From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone. In 1999 we started designing the XDA[i] and T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition[ii], our first touch-screen smartphones, and they both shipped in 2002 with more than 50 additional HTC smartphone models shipping since then."
Read the complete press release @ http://www.htc.com/us/press/htc-disagrees-with-apples-actions/10

Google announces Gesture Search for Android 1.6.

This is great news for device owners running Android version 1.6. Initially, Gesture Search hasard released for the 2.1. The application is available free from Android Market. With it, you'll be able to Search your device by simply writing on your screen. Gesture Search enables you to search for contacts, bookmarks and installed applications.

Android market now serving 30,000 apps.

Mobilecrunch reports that Android Market now hosts approximately 30,000 free and paid applications. Far from Apple's reportedly 140,000 apps.
According to Google, Android Market had 16,000 apps in December 2009. Meaning that Market got a 14,000 app surge in 3 months. How long will it take before Market catches up with the App Store.

Read more at www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/03/16/google-android-market-now-serving-30000-apps/

Sent from my HTC Touch Pro 2.
http://pocketpcmauritius.blogspot.com/
http://sanddroid.blogspot.com/

My daughter's vision of mobility's evolution.

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Twitter is over capacity.

Yeah Twitter cannot support New tweets for the time being. Bummer!

Engadget reviews the HTC Legend.

What I like with this device is its aluminum body and according to the review "HTC convinced us of its unibody toughness by banging it against the wall". Would you do that with your phone?

Read the review @ www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/htc-legend-review/

No way to restart the Nexus.

Simple applications are most useful and the Nexus misses an important one: A way to reboot the device. While this is not built-in in Windows phone either, but there are multiple apps available on Marketplace.

I did find three applications on Android Market. Unfortunately, they have all been designed for rooted devices.

Microsoft publishes first Android app to Market.

Tag is the first application that Microsoft has made for Android phones. As of this writing, Microsoft Tag was already available for download on Market. Tag is already available on Windows Phones, Symbian, iPhone and Blackberry.
What is Tag? Basically, Tag turns your Android phone into a barcode reader using the built-in camera. The barcodes can then link people to websites where they get discounts or simple information.
If you have a need for Microsoft Tag, search the Market for "Microsoft Tag".

Search your phone with Gestures.

Google announced the release of a nice application called Gesture Search that is already available on Market.Designed for devices running Android 2.0 or above, Gesture lets you search your device for a contact, a bookmark or music by just drawing an alphabet on the screen. Upon installation, a shortcut is added to the homescreen for quick access.
According to the blog post on GoogleMobile, Gesture is available for the U.S. only. However, Itried my luck and searched the Market andfoundGesture Search available for me to download. If you get to try it, you will find in Gesture a quick and effcient way to search your device.
http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/

Amazing that I can switch language si easily.

I am bilingual; speaking french and english. It's awesome how easily I can switch between the two on the Nexus. That cannot be done on any Windows Phone. This is very useful since I use french mostly when sending text messages.

Posted using my Nexus® One.

Day 2: The dual microphone is awesome.

The noise cancellation feature on the Nexus One is great. The phone has two microphones; one is at the bottom of the phone and the other on the back. How this works?
The microphone on the back cancels out inbound noise so you hear only the callers' voice. The callers also get a good quality call experience. I experienced that yesterday when I got stuck on M1 and calling my brother he did not hear the heavy traffic noise around me, nor did I hear anything on his side but his voice. This is a feature that should be made standard on all phones.
The Nexus One phone experience is not so different from other phones I've used, except for the loudspeaker. It's just not loud enough and you have to hold the phone somehow close to hear the caller. This same feature on the Touch Pro2 is excellent.

Change the trackball color on the Nexus One.

It is a fancy hack and one that some might find useful. As far as I'm concerned, it does not matter which color the trackball uses to diferentiate the notification type. If you do, then go to www.droiddog.com/android-blog/2010/02/n1-multi-colored-trackball-and-custom-live-wallpapers/ For instructions on applying this hack.

Google sells additional battery for Nexus One on web store.

As great as the Nexus one can be, the accompanying battery 1400mAH battery fails miserably to deliver. In response to the numerous complaints, Google is offering an additional battery a $25 on their web store.
Technical specifications:
·      Removable 1400 mAH battery
·       Charges at 480mA when installed in Nexus One phone connected to USB, at 980mA when installed in phone connected to charger
·       Talk time: Up to 10 hours on 2G, Up to 7 hours on 3G
·       Standby time: Up to 290 hours on 2G, Up to 250 hours on 3G
·       Internet use: Up to 5 hours on 3G, Up to 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi
·       Video playback: Up to 7 hours
·       Audio playback: Up to 20 hours
Unfortunately, there is no charger provided. Which raises the question: How do I charge this additional battery when the other dies on me on the road?
Learn more: https://www.google.com/phone/choose?locale=en_US&s7e=

Day one with the Nexus One: Mixed feelings.

A day has gone by since I got my Nexus One and I must admit that it has been a day with some disappointments. The Nexus One is a great device in terms of looks and performance, but there are some issues that are unacceptable on a device dubbed the “Super phone” by Google. I do not plan to write a lengthy review of the N1, instead I will write about how the device behaves as my main phone compared to my HTC Touch Pro2. Bear in mind that I had this phone for a day only; more mini-reviews will follow. Let’s get started.

Immediately after unboxing the phone and powering it up I went straight into the Settings to manually download the update that brings pinch to zoom functionality to the device. The downloading and installation of the update was fast.

Secondly I went to setup my Gmail and that, of course, requires that I use the on-screen keyboard. Those who have been following me know that I’m a great fan of hard keyboards. Until recently, I’ve been using the soft keyboard more often on my Touch Pro2. The keyboard was developed by HTC and has completely changed my perception since. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about the N1 keyboard. It is awful; as simple as that. I have not been able to type a sentence without having to go backwards to correct mistakes. It is extremely difficult to use as it seems that the buttons are somehow misplaced. I find myself having to tap slightly at the top right of each buttons every time. So forget about fast typing. Again, the Nexus One keyboard is a pain.

The battery – It went down to 25% after a half day use. I won’t write much about this yet until I get all the settings right and download a decent power manager from Android Market. It’s currently 10:00am here and the phone is resting on my desk. Power has dropped to 50%. It was charged whole night and did not exert too much pressure on it this morning. Just downloaded my Gmails, visited some web sites; about half an hour use.

The built-in camera is good compared to 3.2MP of the TP2. However, I had an issue trying to send a picture as an attachment. Actually the Gallery gives me the option to share pictures I take with the phone. So I pick Gmail from the list of available options and doing that brings up the new mail window with the picture attached; enter the recipient’s name (my name; my work and personal address) and hit Send. The email reached the intended mailboxes without the picture. Thinking that I missed something, I started the whole operation again without success. Gmail does not want to send my attachments. Why is that? Ongoing investigation…

On the other hand, the device is very responsive; downloading applications from Market was very fast. What to say about the phone itself? It’s super thin, light, solid and beautiful. The screen is gorgeous.

That’s it for now.