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Google and dozens of Android purveyors slapped with trademark lawsuit
Hold on to your positronic caps, readers. It seems our little green robo-friend may be in for a little bit of legal trouble. Erich Specht has sued Google and seemingly every company that has ever thought about using its mobile OS (like T-Mobile, Vodafone, Intel, Motorola, Samsung, and lots more) for infringing use of the name "Android." He's the owner of the trademark for Android Data Corporation, granted way back in October of 2002. Google came around and filed a trademark application for Android five years later and, wait for it, had that trademark application denied due to confusion with Mr. Specht's. In other words, it looks like Google and its Open Handset Alliance cronies are on the defensive and, seemingly, not on particularly firm ground. Specht wants damages and a name-change for Google's OS, and as of now we wouldn't be surprised if he got at least one of his wishes.
Skytone's Alpha 680 tablet, Android interface gets underwhelming hands-on treatment
We're still not sold on the $250 price tag for Skytone's Android-powered Alpha 680, and these video hands-on of the tablet / netbook from netbooknews.de don't help. While the apps shown off run smoothly -- browser, Maps, Skype, Office, etc. -- they also serve as painful reminders that multitasking's just not gonna work when each app takes up the full screen and can only be opened one at a time. Not that we necessarily expected to do nine things at once with an ARM-based processor, but something tells us we'd be reaching for the Jaunty Jackalope before too long. See for yourself in the two-part video series after the break.
HTC Magic up for pre-order from Vodafone: due out May 5th, free with monthly plan
While the jury's still out on its US name or release date, the HTC Magic is gearing up for its European debut by way of Vodafone. The pre-order page is now live with an irresistible price of zilch, provided you agree to a monthly plan of £30 or more. The company says it plans to ship out the Cupcake-powered phone by May 5th. [Via Phandroid; thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
GiiNii's Movit Mini Android tablet coming in October, Movit Maxx in January
We were pretty stoked by GiiNii's Movit Mini when we got some hands-on time with it at CES this year, and while the 4.3-inch, Android-powered tablet was originally due out in the middle of this year, the company's now targeting an October 1st ship date for the Mini and January 1st, 2010 for the 7-inch Max. Specs look to be the same as before, although given the new date we'd say Cupcake is now all but guaranteed. Mum's still the official word on pricing, but last we heard the Mini was expected to cost "less than the iPod touch" -- here's hoping the company manages to keep that goal.
WSJ: Android being considered for HP netbook, Dell MID and smartphone
Sure, we've already seen Android pop up on the HP 2133 Mini-Note thanks to some intrepid DIYers, but now comes word from The Wall Street Journal that HP's got programmers looking into using the Google OS officially for an upcoming netbook. VP of the PC division Satjiv Chahil's quoted as saying they're in the process of assessing its capabilities, so don't get your hopes up anytime soon. Also mentioned is Asus, which we already knew about from back in February. Interestingly, the report states that Dell's been tweaking the software for use in multiple devices due out this year, including a MID and one of those long-rumored smartphones -- that is, assuming they make one that can tickle the carrier's fancy.Update: HP confirms that it is testing Android but "has made no decision yet whether to offer Android in products."[Via Unwired View]
Huawei's enigmatic Android phone bound for T-Mobile in Q3?
Take this with some skepticism, but according to tmonews.com a "trusted source" has revealed an Android-based Huawei phone is currently being tested and heading to T-Mobile in Q3, a timeframe we heard about at MWC. Specs reportedly include a 5 megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, WiFi, and Cupcake, naturally. No word on UMA, but the site claims that a certain Mr. Blurrycam is dropping off photos and more dtails in next few weeks, so we'll keep our eyes on that.
HTC has at least two more Android phones up its sleeves this year
While we've seen just about all there is to see regarding HTC's Magic (including the innards that make the magic happen), the company's latest foray into the world of Google's OS will unsurprisingly be far from all it its last. HTC's CEO Peter Chou was recently asked whether rumors of five Googlephones from the company in 2009 were true. He played coy, but only slightly, saying to expect "at least" three on top of all the other Windows Mobile handsets we've seen bandied about for release this year. Subtract the pearly white handset above and that leaves two more surprises in store for us before 2010, meaning its going to be a busy year for HTC -- and for our favorite little green mascot.
Google sets up Android support team in Taiwan
There's not exactly a lot of details on this one just yet, but Google has now confirmed that it's establishing an Android team in Taiwan that will be charged with supporting various hardware makers developing Android-based products. Somewhat interestingly, DigiTimes initially reported that the team would also be providing support for companies making Android-based netbooks, but Google has since denied that report, saying instead that they would simply be supporting phones. Of course, that doesn't mean they won't ever support Android-based netbooks but, for now at least, that's the official line.[Via CNET News]
Android Market allows returns, but not sexy stuff
Not content to let Apple be the only one having fun banning racy apps that might scar the fragile minds of its users, Google is apparently looking to get in on the action with its Android Market. The company has confirmed that no graphic sexual content will be allowed, nor anything that encourages violence or hate speech. That's bad news for those who like bad apps, but the good news is that if you find something you've downloaded to be just a little too mainstream for your edgy tastes you'll have 24 hours to return it. Keep your download and unlimited reinstalls will be at your disposal, but Google maintains the right to forcefully remove an app from your device whenever it feels like it -- pledging to do its best to get you a refund. Finally, there will be no upgrades provided through the Android Market, meaning you'll rather unfortunately need to get them through some other, less secure means.[Via IntoMobile]
More screens of Android Cupcake, and a chance to taste it yourself
Eagerly awaiting your opportunity to try out Cupcake on your G1 or other Android-powered device? Sadly we still don't know exactly when you'll get your chance, but we can at least give you an opportunity to check it out emu-style. Nullwire has the links, files, and instructions you'll need to get the current revision Android emulator up and running on your home computer, plus the freshly-frosted binaries you'll want to get a taste of some Cupcake action. We verified everything does work, so hit the read link if you want to take a bite yourself, or, if you're just looking for a guilt-free glimpse, take a look in the gallery. It has freshly baked screens of the new notepad app, the global time globe, and of course the delectable virtual keyboard. %Gallery-43253%
Android shows up on X200, caught on video
It seems like Google's Android has a bad case of wanderlust, spreading its wings and making appearances on all sorts of devices after Mobile-facts showed it could be done. The little green guy quickly headed over to HP's Mini-Note 2133, and now we've got footage of it in the wild, installed on a Lenovo X200. The machine goes from a cold boot to UI in a solid 25 seconds, and while we still don't think the resulting interface is exactly keyboard and mouse friendly, we're excited to see what the future holds for our favorite synthetic life form/operating system.[Thanks, Jayanth]
Move over, Eee: Android now running on HP Mini-Note 2133
Not content with letting the freelancers at Venture Beat hog the spotlight, some HP-loving Canadians decided to take their 2133 Mini-Note and add a dash of Google's Android OS -- the best thing to happen to netbooks since SSD. There isn't really much in terms of details right now, but if you're the kind of person who gets totally stoked by watching someone go through a preference pane and empty photo album -- without using a mouse, mind you -- we've got just the video for you after the break. Let's hope this Android-netbook lovefest doesn't stop anytime soon.[Via Netbooknews.de]
Android installed and running on an Eee PC in a matter of hours
While Windows may be more popular than Linux when it comes to netbooks for a variety of reasons, price certainly isn't one of them. We don't know whether it's peoples' fear of the unknown or just the awful UI facades typically used to hide the open-source alternative, but a lot of people are hoping that Android could sweep in and offer a third choice -- someday. Not content to wait, a couple of freelancers at VentureBeat (who also run a startup called Mobile-facts) spent a few hours tweaking Google's (Linux-based) OS to run on ASUS hardware and, thanks to the availability of open-source drivers for all the wee thing's wee devices, were up and running in no time. Mind you, the giant buttons and simplistic UI seem more suited to a G1 than an S10, but it surely wouldn't take long to fix that. So, the only question now is when will a manufacturer step up and announce Android out of the box? There's a little electronics show coming up soon, so maybe we'll hear more there. [Via Engadget German]
HTC's Android-driven Dream revealed in glorious spy photos
Sure, we've seen some blurry videos and a few stolen glimpses when Andy Rubin demonstrated this beast, but now we've gotten our hands on a slew of pictures showing off a very real T-Mobile-branded Dream in all its Android-running glory. Not only does this confirm the design spied in those FCC docs as well as show off that nearly-done version of Android, but it seems to confirm the fact that this will be headed to T-Mobile, and sooner rather than later judging from the looks of the above device. Needless to say, our inner-geeks are completely geeking out right now. Hit the gallery below for a handful of other views of the phone. [Warning: read link is a forum, requires registration, and is in Chinese][Thanks, Michael]
