Willcom shows off an Android prototype

Android might have launched last month in a cloud of vapor, but since then we've seen a couple of concrete developments from Google's mobile phone project. The latest comes courtesy of Japan's Willcom, which recently demonstrated what appears to be an early prototype of an Android reference board running on a FreeScale CPU. The unit was shown taking a call while running Google Maps to show off the operating system's multitasking abilities, but other than that, nothing earth-shattering was revealed. Check the read link for a few more pics.

Update: Link fixed, sorry about that.

[Via Digital World Tokyo]

[Andrew @ Dec 11th 2007 12:20PM]

Good god, that phone's huge! It'll never fit in your pocket!

[daaper @ Dec 11th 2007 12:40PM]

Looks like cargo pants are going to have to make a comeback...

[Andrew @ Dec 11th 2007 12:49PM]

It's a great opportunity! I've already connected a factory in China to make 27,000,000 Android-ready pants for me! 12 different colors! I'm taking orders at giantcargoandroidreadypants.com

[daaper @ Dec 11th 2007 1:01PM]

Are you sure that'll be enough?

Also, your link isn't working. It took me to some crazy, german sheisse movie. You should look into that...or not. Probably better that you don't look directly into that.

Congratulations on all your success, you smell terrific!

[Andrew @ Dec 11th 2007 1:04PM]

Thanks - I'm just hopping on the plane to China now to oversee production, I'll deal with the website problems when I get back

[Rob @ Dec 11th 2007 1:05PM]

Wait,.. cargo pants went out of style?!

Why doesn't anyone tell me these things.

[bob sakamano @ Dec 11th 2007 1:15PM]

are they going to keep the circuit board exposed?!?! how do you hold it??

[Andrew @ Dec 11th 2007 1:21PM]

Don't worry - we're building a pcb anti-static protector into the cargo pants

[mike @ Dec 11th 2007 4:18PM]

Your site appears to be down. Please let me know when I will be able to place my order for three pairs of android ready pants.

[riggs @ Dec 11th 2007 4:25PM]

the dead horse wants you to stop beating him please.

[Dae @ Dec 11th 2007 10:16PM]

giantcargoandroidreadypants.com was so yesterday just like myspace.com.

giantcargoandroidreadyshortswithbrassbuttons.com is so today like facebook.


but then i haven't checked my email in the last ten minutes so things could change.

[Bigsby @ Dec 11th 2007 12:28PM]

Please input URL from the top page of translation and click the translation button.
*It is necessary to enable cookies on one's browser in order to translate,

翻訳トップページからURLを入力して翻訳ボタンをクリックしてください。
※翻訳するためにはブラウザのCookie受け入れを有効にする必要があります。

Link doesn't work, silly.

[neodorian @ Dec 11th 2007 1:08PM]

I ended up going to the source where they give alternate links.

http://k-tai.impress.co.jp/cda/article/news_toppage/37548.html

Now my question is this:

I own a just-about-2-year-old Treo 650. It's showing its age and I can already get the re-up discounts for a new phone. I'm wondering if I should just keep the Treo until one of these phones comes out or upgrade to one of the HTC PocketPCs to hold me over until a decent Android phone has time to come out and be reviewed. I'm leaning toward the PPC just because it will be a while until these come out and anyone knows if they are any good. I'm rarely an early adopter so it might make sense to let bugs get worked out over the course of a year and then get one when they have been tested.

[Ayle @ Dec 11th 2007 12:35PM]

I hope it is as customiseble as the desktop linux distributions, I want my phone interface to look like the computers in startrek...

[Ellianth @ Dec 11th 2007 2:42PM]

LCARS would be fun if done properly, but then someone would sue someone else.

[Andir3.0 @ Dec 11th 2007 6:43PM]

Just call it SRACL and invert the screen :P

[Carbonize @ Dec 11th 2007 12:45PM]

I don't own an iPhone but that UI looks to me the same as the iPhone Answer/reject UI but then I suppose there's only so much you can do.

[blef @ Dec 11th 2007 12:53PM]

The iPhone UI looks to me the same as the Treo 600 Answer/Ignore UI but then I suppose there's only so much you can do.

[directive0 @ Dec 11th 2007 1:08PM]

Blef,

He means the style and layout. Not the button labels. Here, take a look.

Treo:
http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/images/treo-700p/Treo-700p-IgnoreWithText.jpg

iPhone:
http://watchingapple.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/second-call.jpg

The round rectangle glassy reflective buttons are very similar to what is being shown on the prototype up there.

[xkevin @ Apr 3rd 2008 9:51AM]

The screen is all rectangular too, just like the iPhone. What a ripoff...

[neodorian @ Dec 11th 2007 1:56PM]

I heard it even makes phone calls...pssshh.

[Carbonize @ Dec 11th 2007 2:20PM]

Did I at any point say I thought they were ripping off the iPhone? I commented on the similarity in design and put it down to the fact there are only so many ways you can show two buttons on a phone.

[Homeboy @ Dec 11th 2007 1:43PM]

What's up with the big mother board and all the components, are they trying to run Crysis or what?

[paloooz @ Dec 11th 2007 1:55PM]

Nope, just Doom.

[MARSHAK @ Dec 11th 2007 3:52PM]

@ palooz, or everyone for that matter

the doom joke is good only when executed as above. "does it play doom?" is stupid, this is tactful. good work sir, a + for you.

[coyotej @ Dec 11th 2007 5:34PM]

Sigh, so many comments in this thread (which don't seem sarcastic) talk about the size of this prototype. . . but this is a reference board, i.e. development platform (lots of ports/interfaces and things interesting to the embedded developer), and doesn't even remotely reflect the size of the final device. It's strictly for testing the platform.

[w @ Dec 11th 2007 2:01PM]

and there's a w-sim on it.

[w @ Dec 11th 2007 2:19PM]

lulz

[Edward @ Dec 11th 2007 2:51PM]

Hooray for PowerPC in a mobile device!

[Jake @ Dec 11th 2007 2:56PM]

It's no Lt. Commander Data!

[St. Stephen @ Dec 11th 2007 3:14PM]

and you're no comedian, can't win 'em all

[riggs @ Dec 11th 2007 4:27PM]

ouch, youre no saint at all!

[ish @ Dec 11th 2007 10:24PM]

If it can somehow change the way we communicate with one another, it would awesome.
ei. video confrence for the price of a regular call. sign me up

[adrian_tan @ Dec 12th 2007 3:27AM]

We lost out on the iPhone business, now finally its about time to move beyond Motorola.

[tamoghno @ Dec 12th 2007 5:41AM]

looks like "the gadget of the year , 1987"

a gadget that can make phone calls wirelessly ... currently in prototype though

[Philippe.Coture @ Dec 12th 2007 11:42AM]

I welcome Android, it shall be interesting seeing new demo's on the os.

[lassi @ Dec 12th 2007 6:09PM]

..how about being open(like they keep telling) and porting the android to neo1973(the openmoko device) hw? nothing stopping it.

or to greenphone.

[TareX @ Dec 15th 2007 6:03AM]

Google knows that the best things in life are for free. It's what made "Google" a success. Now, Android is coming. And it will be everything Microsoft and Apple are not. It's now up to the device manufacturers whether or not it will get the appreciation it deserves.