Word on the street is that Google just busted out a live demo of the oft-rumored
HTC Dream doing its
Android-flavored thing at the company's I/O conference in San Francisco. Reports tell us that the device is a roughly 3-inch by 5-inch touchscreen phone with a slider keyboard. Not a lot is known right now, though apparently the device packs an accelerometer which allows you to tilt the unit to scroll across Google Maps or Street View. A video is on the way, so stay tuned for more information (and images) as we get them.
Update: Video after the break!
Read - Android demoed at Google IO
Read - Screenshots: Google's Android comes to life
posted May 28th 2008 1:40PM
More videos and pictures at androidcommunity
http://androidcommunity.com/first-live-images-of-fullscreen-android-demo-20080528/
This isn't the Dream, just an Android prototype. FYI. Keep the Dream alive though.
1) I'm a bit worried... where exactly is the part in the video/article/screenshots that shows the sliding qwerty?????
2) LIVE conference photos are here: http://androidcommunity.com/first-live-images-of-fullscreen-android-demo-20080528/
3) This is not "the Dream", per se. This is obviously a prototype (see the numbers under the screen), so change the title of this article!
4) I withdraw the UI objections. I love it. It is very customizable and I love the "create shortcut" capability and how they move it around the screen.
5) X1 is no longer on the table.
The standing in place and turning around and the Street View follows along is beyond awesome!!!
It's a neat trick but will it really come in handy?
What are the 2 times you're going to use that.
1) When you're already there? If you're already there just put your frickin' phone away and take a look around yourself!
2) When you're somewhere else? I'm sorry, but aside from doing it once for the "wow" factor, I'm not going to stand in the middle of my living room and spin around in circles.
Not dissing your comment. It is pretty neat, but useless for most people.
I know real estate agent will flip for it - they just send the URL to someone, and using Street map on the Gphone, the potential home buyer can "see" the neighborhood. That's the first thing that came to mind.
Would make for good second-life kinda game too, wouldn't it?
Personally I get lost all the time, and it would be great to "pre-visualize" my destination, be able to "look around" before I arrive somewhere.
I am sure there are other cool uses, especially since its all URL based. O imagine the Advertising potential is off the chart.
I'd still rather browse my future neighborhood or pre-visualize my destination (which I do all the time with street view) by pushing around the screen than making myself dizzy.
You have a point on the "real life" game, I'll give you that.
Yeah... imagine the looks you'll get spinning around on a street corner looking at your phone....
That is pretty damn sweet.
I was at the session and the presenter indeed said that there was a compass built into the phone when he showed the street view demo.
sweet - competition, and lower prices *drools*
I'm a die-hard Apple fan but I'd have to say that is totally awesome! Apple is gonna have some catching up to do! I still love my iPhone though ;P
Does ANYONE have even an inkling of when this "prototype device" is going to become available? Android on a non-touch screen is okay, but on a 3G 3" x 5" touch screen - we're talking serious iPhone competitor.
Sounds like everyone's agreed it's gonna be an HTC, but have they said anything about the hardware?
Was going to get my sister a 3G iPhone and take one for myself...but now, now I'm asking "should I wait"? Q3? Q4? 2009?
The hardware is just rumors at this point but I have heard over and over that the HTC device will be out in Q4. I feel they will probably make some kind of official announcement prior to the new iPhone release in order to compel people to wait for it.
After watching the videos I have to say I like this a lot. I'm not familiar with iPhone's interface, but what I hate about normal cellphones is how everything runs off menus, not windows. You often have to backtrack just to get where you want.
This interface reminds me more of a computer--you have a desktop with shortcuts you can customize. And the status bar always being there is a great plus. I wonder if you can "minimize" what you're working on to access what you were just doing?
All in all, this looks like a great idea.
I'd still rather browse my future neighborhood or pre-visualize my destination (which I do all the time with street view) by pushing around the screen than making myself dizzy.
You have a point on the "real life" game, I'll give you that.
OPEN THE KEYBOARD YOU TEASE!!!
That looks very nice.
T-Mobile US: hurry up and release the Android based smartphone.
Yup! If this comes out before, or even shortly after, the E71, I'll probably get this instead.
* linux based, not Symbian
* hopefully it has a side-slide QWERTY keyboard ... or bluetooth HID to be controlled by my N810 ... or can run VNC server so I can control it via VNC
Seems like good things might be happening in the near future :-)
I just saw the Android Web-browser in action....
Forget safari...
Forget Opera Mobile 9.5 .....
Forget everything you've seen....
They double tap and zoom-out with some sort of "magnifying glass" effect that VERY FLUIDLY follows the touch, then zooms into the automatically resized text once released. OH MY GOD.
Brilliant. The video is there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arXolJrLVEg&eurl=http://androidcommunity.com/first-live-images-of-fullscreen-android-demo-20080528/
Also, the UI is fantastic. You can smoothly swipe between 3 screens, 2 of which you can fill with your own shortcuts, and the 3rd has a menu with further downward scrolling... what genius thought of that?
THIS IS MY PHONE.
yeah, I kept wanting to see what kind of keyboard/keypad it has. :-/
Hm. That was supposed to be a reply to KO'M
Engadget should put the amazing 3:40 min UI video instead of that short StreetView video.
Also, as much as I want a keyboard.... with this amazing UI, I really don't care anymore. I just need this phone in my hands.
I've noticed that some posts appear to be permanently tagged "breaking". Could this not lead to long term problems?
OK. I am officially on board with Android. I have been somewhat disinterested so far but now I'm starting to see some of the true potential of this platform. Yay for Google! Yay for us!
I haven't bought a new cell phone in over 5 years. Decided I'll get one later this year. The new iphone looks cool as does the Garmin nuiphone (sp?), and sony x1, but after reading about Android and seeing these videos, I'm getting the HTC with Android no question. So many cool things you can do with it. Have a look. Simply awesome stuff!!
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/5/android_winners_are_in_goog_
http://www.hometheaternetwork.com/autoHTN.php
http://www.bcrumbz.com/
Since none of the axis were changing i find it hard to believe the accelerometer is used in street view. It is the actual built-in compass being used.
I hope, for Engadget's sake, that they were referring to something else than what we saw in the video. The guy clearly said it was the compass they were using, and it worked just like the compass on a GPS device--just aligns itself to your alignment. I see no indication that there actually is an accelerometer--or any reason why it would need one.
Accelerometer:
Reading Engasdget's description, I think this is not the accelerometer. They say that you 'tilt' to scroll... so tip the phone acorss an axis and the map will change. That is what they say. That makes sense.
What is shown here is different. This a view controlled by the compas. As they state in the video.
I'm pretty sure Google and Apple will add that to the Maps app on the iPhone.
I love my iPhone, but I'm _really_ looking forward to what Android has to bring. The more things I see come out of the dev challenge, and now this, the more I like it.
Hey guys, I just made an Android wallpaper for your computers... check it out:
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/4897/androidwallpaperscreensfo1.jpg
Awesome man! I'm going to use it as my desktop picture!
I cant wait .. you can make this phone do anything thing you want.. i just hope the DREAM does not have a key board i think an on screen habitap keyboard is much more functional and they can use the extra space for other things, another feature i would like to see is a smaller camera facing you or a pivot cam to all for video messaging without flipping to phone plus you can actually see yourself..
all in all i cannot wait .. no more having to fight with WM6 -
i am going to return my centro right now.
like right now. bye.
Ok, how long before it uses the built-in camera and does an overlay so that you get an augmented reality where it can have arrows overlayed and point you in the right direction, have ads pop up "pizza $5 off over here" like microsoft fake demoed in the last CES conference.
Toyotaboy, two guys have already created a real Android app called Enkin to do augmented reality navigation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V6MNp_tWG0
http://www.enkin.net
How cool is that? Imagine this on Android running as a video overlay on your eyeglasses....
"I turn on the compass and now you can see a digital representation of what's in front of your face!" ...
I wonder what other "innovations" they guys will come up with...
Looks like a take off of iphone only it doesn't work very well.He had to flick twice and it isn't multi-touch (probably as apple have patented it so tightly)
All these imitations of iphone end up looking desperate attempts.
Competition is good but so far nothing comes close to iphone.
With version 2.0 on the way apples dominance will emerge.
I like Google a great innovative company but this looks "me too" and comes off second rate.
can you say "prototype"
the (vowel)Phone was not e exactly original. apple just waited in the cut a long time before it released a very slick product.
seems like the same is happening with 'droid.
when apple bites it's called "innovation".
Shoe, welcome to the other foot. (yes, i said this elsewhere and liked it so much I bought here to you loverly people...not original! hah!)
please: talk on you (vowel)Phone,
surf on your (vowel)Phone,
chat on yout (vowel)Phone,
but, please, do not self-pleasure with your (vowel)Phone.
At least not in public.
Wow, just looking at the device and OS makes me really want to trade in my iPhone for this device.
I wanna learn more about this phone as well as keep up-to-date with the latest Android news.
ooh ooh ooh i want that! thank god for the stock market, which raised money for my kick-a**-phone fund. now i just have to decide to get this, Touch Pro, or iPhone v2. Gawsh...i hope its unlocked. im hating t-mobile and my dad says att is no better.
Is there a clean / hack way of installing Android on a Nokia phone?
I'm definitely waiting for this.