Eclair
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LG Ally review
You know, not every smartphone has to be putting down maxed-out hardware. That's a lesson that Nokia is certainly taking to heart, concentrating many of its latest efforts on lower-end Symbian devices that it hopes will capture entire new swaths of users that'd otherwise be buying dumbphones with half the functionality (and far less than half of the revenue potential). In the world of Android, though, recent devices like the EVO 4G, Droid, Droid Incredible, and Nexus One have admittedly caused us to grow accustomed to the idea that we should all be using blazingly fast processors and huge WVGA displays. In reality, of course, Android is an extraordinarily scalable platform; there's a whole world of hardware (and around $200 of on-contract pricing) below today's latest round of "superphones." At $100 on a two-year deal, the LG Ally sort of typifies what we'd expect out of a midrange Android device right now -- a gap-filler that can capture users seeking a Droid experience on a Kin Two budget. So does it hold up in the day-to-day grind, or are you going to be begging for a Droid by day two? Let's find out. %Gallery-93115%
Android 2.1 upgrade for Sprint's HTC Hero leaks out
Okay, so the Moment's Android 2.1 upgrade is official -- great. But what about the Sense-powered Hero? There's no firsthand word just yet other than the promise of a Q2 release, but there is a firsthand ROM (seemingly) floating around that gives us hope we'll hear something from Hesse and crew any day now. Oh, yeah, and there is the cool part about being able to just grab the binary now and get your upgrade on without waiting, if you're as brave and impatient as we tend to be around here. Let us know how it goes, folks. [Thanks, Divyam]
Motorola Motoroi getting Android 2.1, bound for UK?
There's no word yet on when the Motorola Motoroi will make it to T-Mobile (in the industry we call that "the T-Motoroiola rumor") but there has definitely been a good deal of chatter concerning this handset. The latest has Pocket-lint confirming a UK release with Moto itself. Offering similarities to Taipei's HSPA-lovin' XT701, users in Ol' Blighty (and the rest of the UK) can look forward to an 8-megapixel camera (with a Xenon flash), support for 720p video, mini HDMI, and an unspecified processor boost. In addition, Android 2.1 is likely to be part of the deal. We have neither a timeline nor a price, and the veracity of this rumor is yet to be established (although it does seem like a no-brainer), but if this all goes down as Pocket-lint says it will you can color us Yanks mighty jealous.
Google dishes out giant Froyo parfait (video)
Google takes Android product codenames literally -- that's why you'll find a giant Eclair, Donut and Cupcake chilling on the GooglePlex lawn. This week, they were joined by the object tastefully pictured above. Frozen yogurt, anyone? You might not care to eat this one, as it's probably made of foam, but Engadget will likely bring you a spoonful next week when we attend Google I/O. Video after the break. Update: And just like that the video has been set to private. Not like video of a stationary object really adds much value anyway. Nevertheless, it already arrived at the GooglePlex where it's currently hanging out -- under wraps -- with its foam siblings.
Samsung i5801 makes a cameo, script reads 'entry-level Android 2.1 device'
INT. APARTMENT - DAYTIME An unseemly Samsung touchscreen device opens the scene, being held by one HOWARD CHUI. Its size is comparable to the Galaxy Spica but something doesn't feel as momentous here. Background is calm, likely the top of a table. He improvises from the script. HOWARD (improvising) What we're looking at is the Samsung i5801, an entry-level Android 2.1 phone sporting a slightly customized UI. The device sports a 240 x 400 (possibly 240 x 480) screen and a 3 megapixel camera. Storage is around 300MB built-in but supports MicroSDHC. Connectivity-wise, there's Wi-Fi, GPS, and possibly Bluetooth 3.0. Pretty run of the mill, no word on price or release, but it's almost certain to target a much more cash-conscious section of the market. CUT TO: AFTER THE BREAK
Verizon's HTC Droid Eris getting Android 2.1 any time now (yep, it's here!)
We'd been hearing rumors lately that HTC's Droid Eris -- a phone that has never quite made it out from under the Droid's shadow -- is in the midst of being discontinued by Verizon, but the imminent launch of an Android 2.1 update might just buy it a new lease on life. In fact, the update makes this phone just about the first Hero variant anywhere in the world to be graced with an upgrade to Google's latest and greatest stuff, beating Sprint's version thanks to a string of delays that have pushed it out to some unidentified period in the second quarter. We've yet to see any reports of folks actually receiving the update notification on their devices, but Verizon's official support Twitter account is tweeting about the upgrade -- which should fix numerous bugs on top of the hotly-anticipated Eclair boost -- so we'd expect it to start hitting the wild shortly. Keep us on top of your experiences in comments, won't you? [Thanks, Richard] Update: Verizon has now posted the PDF changelog for your perusal while you wait. Thanks, Michael V.! Update 2: It has begun... but this OTA update is being brewed in small batches, it seems, as we're getting reports from Droid Eris owners that have received their Eclair update each and every day.
Motorola Flipout spotted: an Android 2.1 / Motoblur device with a twist
Remember "Square Motorola Android slider?" Ah, those were the days. The little twister's returned, this time with much greater clarity and a new name. Meet Flipout. According to Gizmodo Brazil, we're looking at Android 2.1 with a dash of Motoblur thrown into the mix, a 2.8-inch display, full QWERTY keyboard, 700MHz processor, 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM, GPS, and a 3.1 megapixel camera. The HSPA phone is expected in the states this June in at least three different colors -- black, green, and pink. Backflip, Flipout... one can only hope Motorola keeps the trend alive with a Soundgarden-themed solar phone, the Outshined.
Meizu M9 getting Android 2.1, possible August release?
Well, what do you know -- perhaps there is an M9 in your future (or someone's future) after all! After hearing the one and only Jack Wong detail the thing earlier this year, Beareyes.com is reporting that the device -- with the same 3.6-inch display, 1 GHz (Samsung S5PC110) CPU, HDMI 1.3 out and more -- may be out as early as this August. We think this is certainly do-able, although anything can happen -- as the drawn-out gestation of a certain Meizu M8 made painfully clear. The new news? Rather than KIRFin' up an Apple-esque interface, it looks like Android 2.1 might just be on tap. Sweet, eh? Look for it August 18, for around $350 depending on options... but don't be surprised if you're still looking long past the target date.
Milestone gets Android 2.1 update in UK, available to download now
The saga of the Milestone's firmware update to Android 2.1 is finally over for one more territory. The United Kingdom is today awaking to the news that Motorola has made the freshest Eclair available to its loyal British users, with the download already awaiting those eager to be surfing along the cutting edge of Android innovation. What else do you need to know, it's the finest software Google has to offer for your phone and it's downloadable at the source link -- get going!
Sony Ericsson X10 family to get Android 2.1 in 'Q4 2010'
The Xperia X10, one of the big mindshare-grabbing devices of the smartphone world, made us wait a cool six months between its November announcement and wide retail availability in April. One of the secret hopes while all that waiting was going on was that perhaps SE would surprise us and upgrade the dusty old Android 1.6 base installation to a fresh and creamy Eclair (2.1) or even a frosty Froyo (2.2) treat shortly after launch. Time to lay those dreams to rest, dear friends, as Sony Ericsson has come with an official schedule for upgrading the firmware on the Xperia X10 and its X10 mini and X10 mini pro siblings, which places the Android 2.1 delivery in the fourth quarter of 2010 -- and knowing the company that probably means closer to Christmas than Halloween. All we can say is you'd better really like that UX platform a great deal, because it'll be the only thing you'll be seeing for quite a while on Sony Ericsson's Googlephones.
Cyanogen 5.0.7 experimentally brings Eclair to G1, myTouch 3G -- caveats apply
After a brief delay, looks like CyanogenMod 5 is now out for the HTC Dream, Magic and Sapphire, also known as the T-Mobile G1 and myTouch 3G. The release is labeled as experimental, so take care not to flash it onto your work phone, and G1 owners should back up their data as they'll need to install a little something called the DangerSPL (which has phone bricking potential) and perform a full wipe. If you're the kind of individual who doesn't shy away from software explicitly labeled "danger," get cracking on that rooted Eclair at the source link. Update: Can't get through? That's because the sheer willpower of Android early adopters is crushing websites hosting the CM5 ROM like so many stale pretzels. Cyanogen is retweeting alternative options if you simply can't wait for things to quiet down.
Cyanogen ports Android 2.1 to G1 and MyTouch 3G (update)
Droid, Milestone, Eris, Moment, Spica, even the Hero, all have had their Eclair, one way or another. G1 and myTouch 3G? Not so much. But don't worry, Android early adopters, because Cyanogen's got your back. Most all the bells, whistles and hardware-accelerated graphics of Android 2.1 are coming to the HTC Dream, Magic and Sapphire in CyanogenMod 5.0.7, and you can see a video of a T-Mobile G1 running the new build after the break. Twitter buzz indicates the ROM will be out any minute now is nearly ready; the dev himself tweeted that it's good to go and just needs G1-friendly bite size packaging. Update: Don't stay up all night waiting -- Cyanogen says he's got "two more bugs to kill" and is "hoping for a test1 public beta tomorrow night." [Thanks, Philosophics]
Vodafone launches its first, underwhelming Android handset (video)
If we know you at all (and we think we know you pretty well) you'll probably be amused and titillated to learn that Vodafone has announced that its first Vodafone-branded Android phone will be available this May. The Vodafone 845 -- which we first saw in an FCC filing a couple weeks ago -- certainly is, in the UK idiom, a "budget blower." Featuring Android 2.1, a 2.8-inch (240 x 320) touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel camera, 128MB RAM, and 512MB storage, there is nothing too terribly wild here, but you know what? Sometimes a company just needs to hit a comfortable, middle-of-the-road benchmark. The kids at the UK mobile website Fone Home have a handsome gallery for you to check out, so do hit that via to get rolling... but not before you peep the video after the break. Update: OK, maybe the title of this post was a little misleading. We meant to say that this is the first Vodafone-branded Android handset -- as you're probably well aware, this carrier is certainly no stranger to the beloved open source OS. %Gallery-91980%
Velocity Micro's Cruz Tablet has Android 2.1 with full Flash support
Some alleged spy shots of a brand-new Android tablet materialized in our inbox this afternoon, and after sending a few e-mails and making a quick phone call, we can confirm they're 100 percent legit: boutique PC retailer Velocity Micro's getting in the tablet game something fierce, with a whole new lineup of touchscreen devices it's dubbed "Cruz." Designed to compete with both e-readers and tablets, Cruz will appear in both 4 x 3 and 16 x 9 configurations over the coming months, with the high-end devices sporting 7-inch capacitive multitouch screens, 800MHz processors and Android 2.1 (complete with Flash 10.1) right out of the box. Best of all, Velocity Micro tells us they'll be relatively affordable -- all will arrive under the $300 line. A company rep couldn't tell us whether Android Market would be included or when exactly the tablets are due, but he hazarded a guess of "late summer." Hit up our gallery to see the first prototype. [Thanks, Kendall]%Gallery-91468%
Dell Aero details confirmed with new leak: 624MHz processor, handwriting support, DRM
Compared to the other crazy handsets Dell leaked today, the Aero is definitely the runt of the litter. But with a leaked Q2 AT&T release date, the Aero will be first on our doorstep. What other juicy morsels have we gathered? On the hardware side, it's sadly a slow 624MHz Marvell processor that drives that 3.5-inch capacitive multitouch screen, but hey, like the Chinese model, it's planned to ship with a capacitive stylus for handwriting recognition. More interesting is software. Like Motorola's CLIQ, Aero comes with QuickOffice right out of the box, and supports Microsoft ActiveSync and Exchange to ostensibly keep in touch with your business. For the social crowd, there's on-device photo editing and "aggregated notifications" for the bevy of social networks Dell's agreed to support. While you probably knew the device would have a WebKit browser with Flash Lite, leaks reveal it will have a robust media player as well -- robust enough to have some sort of music streaming and download ability (PlayReady, anyone?) protected by Windows Media DRM. Though it's probably still Android 1.5 onboard, docs show Dell plans a "refresh" to Android 2.1 sometime between Q3 and Q4, but it's hard to say whether the Aero will get an OTA update, or whether only new Aeros will ship with Eclair. That said, given the relative insignificance of this handset compared to its new big brothers, we're more than willing to wait and find out.%Gallery-91354%
Dell Streak to bump up to Android 2.1 in September, hopefully shipping sometime before that
So, plenty of Dell goodies to choose from right now, but if you're a die hard Dell-making-mobiles follower, you've probably been pining for the Streak (previously known as the Mini 5) for much longer than is strictly healthy. What news for you? Well, the mini tablet is apparently supposed to be getting Android 2.1 in September. Unfortunately, there's no update on that vague "summer" launch window we have for the actual device, so who knows how much time you'll actually get to suffer without 2.1 holding you and telling you everything's alright. Oh, and were you concerned for some reason that you wouldn't be able to kit this thing out with accessories galore? We're pretty sure the collection you'll find in the gallery will alleviate all fears. You could do worse than a $55 spare battery, and the standard accessories are even pretty legit. %Gallery-91370%
HTC Hero won't see upgrade to Android 2.1 until June, at least in Europe
Plenty of UK Hero owners were disappointed this morning upon hearing the news that free Google Maps Navigation had spread beyond the borders of the USA but required Android 1.6 as the minimum OS version. Stuck in their Android 1.5 world, they must have hoped that HTC would just hurry up and open the gates to Eclair heaven, but hurrying up is, regrettably, the opposite of what's happening. Tech Radar heard from a Google rep that the Hero's move to Android 2.1 won't be happening until June, and followed it up with HTC directly. The official response was that a free update for European Hero variants will indeed be provided "starting in June." At least this cloud of disappointment will only hang over Europe, as other territories -- like Taiwan -- might still get the update reasonably soon. [Thanks, Paul]
Eclair shocker! Android 2.1 leaked for Samsung Moment
Feeling impatient? Can't wait until Moment gets its Android 2.1 upgrade? The kids at SDX-Developers feel you, with one forum member providing a simple, straightforward download link to a 7z archive containing not one but two leaked builds: ECLAIR.DC23 and ECLAIR.DD03. According to the hub-bub, the latter seems to be giving people the most luck, although some are reporting a "faulty" Marketplace. That said, both builds do seem to work with voice and data. And yes, it will wipe your phone completely -- but if you're looking to get into this sort of action you're probably a risk-taker and a heart-breaker anyways. Good luck, and if you brick your phone don't blame us. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
LG LU2300 Android handset gets photos, 'April or May' release date?
Actual, honest-to-goodness photos of what is presumably the Korea-only LG LU2300 handset popped up on a site in the SK recently, and like a family pet that plays professional sports (guess who watched Air Bud last night?) it's certainly captured the imagination of the Android-lovin' world at large. The thing is said to sport a 3.5-inch (800 x 480) AMOLED capacitive touch screen, Android 2.1, landscape mode slide keyboard, support for DivX files, a 5 megapixel (720p video) camera with geo-tagging, WiFi, GPS, DMB tuner and -- last but not least -- a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. The stats are consistent with what we've heard before, and now we have a possible release date: April or May. What we don't have, however, is any reason to believe rumors that this is going to be released in the states as the C710 Aloha. Although we might be skeptical, we understand the inherent wish-fulfillment: this is one sexy phone, and we'd certainly like to see it become available here. See another photo for yourself after the break.
Droid mercifully gets a manual 2.1 update option
As is pleasantly often the case with Android devices, it turns out there's already a quick, easy, nearly painless way to circumvent the phased rollout of Android 2.1 to Verizon's Droids out in the field. Anyone who's already been through this will feel right at home with the process: grab the binary straight from Google (so you know it's legit, which is always nice), rename the file, transfer it to your microSD card, and reboot to the recovery mode screen. The rest is pretty self-evident, and when all is said and done, you'll have a Droid equipped with the very latest and greatest that Google has to offer. Let us know how it goes, y'hear?
