The mobile OS is said to align closely with Chinese apps such as the Twitter-like microblogging platform Sina Weibo, and is scheduled to launch before the end of this year. Certain smartphones running the OS are reportedly being tested now, with some prototypes already sent to the Chinese government.

HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang is said to be in talks with Chinese government officials, which plays well into a wider government policy encouraging the development of a local software ecosystem, as China’s technology ministry seeks to reduce its dependence on Western companies — in particular Google, as the Android operating system has dominated China’s mobile market.

The WSJ report says it isn’t clear whether the mobile OS will be entirely proprietary or built on top of Android — as just like Acer, HTC is part of Google’s Open Handset Alliance, and that means it needs to abide by certain rules laid down by Google.

The ambitious reported move by HTC comes as it has been struggling financially. CEO Peter Chou said in the company’s recent second-quarter earnings call that HTC is expecting Q3 revenue to decline as much as 29.3 percent from the amount of revenue it posted in Q2.

The company has also noted that in China, competition at the mid-tier sector of the smartphone market intensified despite improved sales of its high-end models, which could be adding a sense of urgency for HTC to diversify its product range — and the development of a mobile OS is clearly an attempt to boost its overall strategy.

A storefront in one of the busiest shopping districts in downtown Portland, Ore., is painted black, with “Droid Does” in large letters over the doors.

Orchestrated by carrier Verizon Wireless, aggressive promotions such as this one for Motorola’s (MOT) Droid smartphone, plus a blitz of direct mail, newspaper, and TV ads, and two-for-one deals on Android-powered handsets, lifted first-quarter sales of smartphones based on Google’s (GOOG) Android operating system above sales of Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone for the first time, market researcher NPD Group reported on May 10.

Android-powered phones accounted for 28 percent of all smartphones sold in the U.S., exceeding Apple’s 21 percent share during the quarter, NPD said. Research in Motion’s (RIMM) BlackBerry models led the category with a 36 percent share.

Leapfrogging Apple is an important milestone—and not just for Android, an open-source software developed by a consortium of companies led by Google. NPD’s report also shows how quickly Verizon Wireless has become a central player in the fast-growing market for the pocket computers known as smartphones. In the first quarter, Verizon customers bought 30 percent of all smartphones sold in the U.S., nearly equaling the 32 percent share of AT&T (T), which has an exclusive contract to sell the iPhone, according to the report. AT&T also sells an Android handset from Motorola and plans to carry an upcoming Android smartphone from Dell (DELL).

Verizon no longer seen as desperate

Until recently, Verizon was an also-ran in the smartphone market. It carried the BlackBerry, but didn’t have a breakthrough consumer-oriented smartphone to compete with the iPhone. Analysts were calling for Verizon to strike a deal with Apple to distribute the iPhone. Last December, Verizon said it had effected network upgrades that would enable its network to handle extra traffic should Apple decide to expand the number of carriers authorized to sell iPhones.

Last November’s launch of the Android-powered Droid improved Verizon’s fortunes in the smartphone market. The Droid, with its sleek design and ability to run many downloadable apps—and backed by a highly visible marketing campaign—is helping Verizon catch up. In the past several months, Verizon Wireless has proven that if it does get the iPhone, “it won’t be out of some pressing need,” says Tavis McCourt, an analyst at Morgan Keegan & Co. (RF), who has an “outperform” rating on Apple shares.

Rising shipments of Android phones could also spur developers to create additional apps for the platform. “Market share is a contributing factor to which operating system developers want to support,” says Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis at NPD. On Apr. 15, the Android Market app store carried 38,000 applications such as games, calendars, and e-books. Apple’s App Store has more than 200,000 apps, the company says.

Android taking share from most

The smartphone market is experiencing a flurry of activity. Apple is expected to introduce a new version of the iPhone this summer. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) on Apr. 28 announced it would buy Palm (PALM) for $1.2 billion. And Microsoft (MSFT) is expected to release a new smartphone operating system called Windows Phone 7 in the second half of the year. NPD analyst Rubin says consumers aren’t likely to hold off on buying iPhones in anticipation of the new model. “We don’t tend to see a lot of purchase delay,” he says.

In the third quarter of 2009, Android phones claimed only 3 percent of the U.S. smartphone market. In the first quarter, Android phones have taken market share away from Apple, RIM, Microsoft, and Palm, according to NPD. RIM’s unit share of U.S. smartphone sales slipped a bit from 37 percent in the fourth quarter, when the Droid and several other Android phones went on sale, to 36 percent in the first quarter, according to NPD. Microsoft Windows’ share dropped from 13 percent in the fourth quarter, to 10 percent in the first quarter.

Verizon’s Android line up includes Motorola Droid and Devour phones, plus the new Droid Incredible from HTC. “There’s no question Apple’s done a great job with the iPhone,” Verizon Chief Financial Officer John Killian said during the company’s first-quarter call with investors on Apr. 22. “But look at our results.”

Resource:
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2010/tc20100510_027179.htm

HTC Droid Incredible

The good: The HTC Droid Incredible is blazingly fast, thanks to Verizon’s 3G network. HTC Sense enhances the features of Android 2.1, and the smartphone features an 8-megapixel camera and 8GB of internal memory. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and 3G are all onboard.

The bad: You can’t use voice and data at the same time. The multimedia experience is adequate but still behind the competition.

The bottom line: With its polished design and user interface and blazing-fast speeds, the HTC Droid Incredible takes pole position as Verizon’s top smartphone and is now the Android device to beat.

Motorola Droid

The good: The Motorola Droid boasts a gorgeous display and the benefits of Android 2.0, including a faster Web browser, Google Maps Navigation app, and better messaging and contact management. It also offers excellent call quality, long talk time and improved speed over previous Android devices.

The bad: The QWERTY keyboard feels flat and the dial pad control is restricted to the home screen. Music and video capabilities still trail behind the competition. The Droid does not support Bluetooth voice dialing.

The bottom line: The Motorola Droid is the most powerful and fastest Google Android device to date. It embraces the openness of the Android platform and offers customers a smartphone that rivals other touch-screen devices on the market.

HTC Nexus One by Google (unlocked)

The good: The Nexus One has a gorgeous display, a lightning-fast processor and a loaded feature set. The enhanced voice capabilities worked flawlessly, and the phone delivers solid performance.

The bad: Like other Android phones, the Nexus One forces you to store apps on the internal memory. The media player remains average, and it’s missing some wanted features like hands-free Bluetooth dialing. Currently, Outlook Calendar syncing is not available.

The bottom line: It doesn’t have all the features we’d like, but the Nexus One greatly enhances the Google Android family with a fast processor, good call quality and improved voice control features. What’s more, we love that all versions of the phone will be unlocked.

Resource:
http://www.mercurynews.com/business-headlines/ci_14985823

The hacker has written a piece of driver code for Zephyr2. It basically brings multi-touch feature on the iPhone. Apparently, Apple also uses this driver on their iDevices, which mainly includes iPhone, iPod Touch and newly launched iPad.

Android OS is now almost ready to run on iPhone 3G, but there are some major issues that need to be solved before moving ahead in the process. If Android OS runs appropriately on iPhone 3G, it’s quite possible to run it on iPad tablet. However, it will require much time and development to get full featured Android OS for iPad models.

For time being, watch the following status update video of Android on iPhone 3G.

Resource:
http://www.tech-exclusive.com/2010/05/02/multi-touch-support-for-android-on-iphone-3g/

10. T-Mobile G2 Touch

The G1 was the first of all the Google Android handsets, and with its slide-out keyboard and bricklike design, it was hard to see that the phone would ever challenge Apple. This second generation model is a lot better, having ditched the keyboard for a straightforward touch screen. There’s a five megapixel camera and eight hours of talk time – but beware: as this is simply a rebadged HTC Hero, buying one on T-Mobile limits your options.

9. LG InTouch Max GW620

The GW620 is very nearly a fantastic Android phone. But there are too many niggles for it to be perfect. On a petty note; what’s the point of a camera timer if the phone’s sides are curved so you can’t stand the phone up on its own? Sony Ericcson is much better at camera phone design. And when it comes to interface design, HTC are much better. Again, it’s got a five megapixel camera and eight hours of talktime. So there’s not much to complain about, but consumers can do better than this for the money.

8. Motorola Milestone

When it was launched in America, as the Droid, the Milestone sold almost as many units in its first two and half months as the iPhone. It did not – quite – live up to the expectations, but this is an impressive phone. It’s got a slide out keyboard, which for once feels genuinely useful without being clunky. And it has also got Motorola’s navigation built-in. Add in the car holder, and this is a pretty compelling handset, and probably one of your best options if you want an inexpensive Android phone with a keyboard.

7. Samsung Galaxy Portal

As a budget handset, the Galaxy Portal is impressive – a three-megapixel camera is a small fly in the ointment, but it produces adequate images. It offers all the usual video-recording, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities and claims up to about seven hours of talk time. The build quality simply isn’t as high as some of HTC’s premium products, but considering that it’s available from free on some very inexpensive tariffs, the Galaxy Portal is impressive.

6. HTC Hero

The Hero was, when it was first launched, heralded as the first breakthrough handset for Android. Forgive this device the ridiculous chin that makes any man carrying it in a suit’s breast pocket appear to be either packing a holster or wearing a truss. This is a slick handset with a decent interface. It’s only unfortunate because it has not yet been upgraded to the version of Android that will allow it to run satnav-style navigation in Google Maps.

5. Xperia X10

Sony Ericsson’s flagship Android handset is a fine phone – with an eight megapixel camera and a 10 hours battery life, the Sony Ericsson interface adds a level of depth to the Google experience that rivals HTC’s Sense skin.

4. HTC Legend

Perhaps the most stylish Android handset on the market at the moment, the HTC Legend is made from a single piece of aluminium. Similar in shape to the HTC Hero, it uses the same kind of manufacturing process used by Apple to make its unibody Mac computers. The Legend has a 3.2in AMOLED screen, which produces pin-sharp images and bright, crisp colours, and combines a touch-screen interface with an optical trackpad for easier menu navigation.

3. Xperia X10 Mini Pro

The startling thing about the X10 Mini Pro is simply how mini it is – this is a phone that is almost too small to be a convincing handset. But with a slide out keyboard, it’s usable even for those with fairly podgy fingers. There’s a five-megapixel camera, a built-in radio – and room for plenty more space in even the smallest handbag.

2. Nexus One

The first phone designed by Google (in association with HTC) was, on its release, a superb handset – its only weakness is that it has now been overtaken by others. It is, however, still a satisfying thing to hold, well-weighted and very small. It’s also one of a few phones that is, in conjunction with, for instance the Amazon MP3 Store, an acceptable replacement for an iPhone. It’s got a perfectly adequate five megapixel camera, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi of course, and it’s fast enough to run a decent number of apps or Google’s navigation at a usable speed.

1. HTC Desire

The HTC Desire is the best Google phone yet made, and one of the first handsets that is not only better on paper than an iPhone but also as good to use. A range of widgets that fix on the devices various homescreens make multitasking really easy, and Google’s mapping software is superb because of the phone’s impressive hardware, too. The only downside is that the battery life has yet to catch up with the processor’s capacity to run software.

Resource:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/7639362/The-10-best-Google-Android-phones.html

That’s hardly a surprise, even if the ongoing controversy about Apple’s beta iPhone OS 4.0 developer agreement suggests some discontent among those creating iPhone apps.

What is a surprise is that Android did not place second in the development platform race.

Of the 217 mobile application developers surveyed by Ovum:

81% said they were developing for iPhone or planning to do so.

Among the other top smartphone platforms, the figures were:

74% for RIM’s BlackBerry OS.

66% for Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS (formerly Windows Mobile).

64% for Android.

56% for Symbian.

However, expect Android to become more popular among developers.

Android, after all, is the newest of the top five platforms and various research firms like Gartner expect the number of Android devices shipped will surpass the number of iPhones shipped in the next two to three years.

But more significantly, Android’s openness should make development easier, once developers become acquainted with the system.

One particularly intriguing feature that Android developers have yet to fully exploit is called Intent.

Android’s developer documentation defines it thus: “An Intent provides a facility for performing late runtime binding between the code in different applications. Its most significant use is in the launching of activities, where it can be thought of as the glue between activities. It is basically a passive data structure holding an abstract description of an action to be performed.”

What that means is that applications can call functions that exist in different applications on the user’s Android device.

Steve Brown, CEO of Snaptic, likens the technology to Web mashups, in which different Web services can be easily combined.

Snaptic makes a note taking application, 3banana for Android and the iPhone, that syncs with the Web. Android developers, using Intent, have the option to include a call to Snaptic’s note taking code in 3banana so it can be used in their own application.

Android Intent means that developers don’t have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, in every program. If they want to implement bar code reading, for example, all they need to do is call another app that has exposed its bar reading functionality through Intent.

“It’s like a little eco-system of developers working together,” said Brown in a phone interview. “That’s what’s different. What it allows is for developers to be specialists and do something really well rather than each doing everything themselves.”

It’s hard to imagine a similar technology on the iPhone, given Apple’s tight code controls.

But it might come to pass nevertheless. “If people are doing better stuff faster because of the openness of Android, the iPhone is going to have to respond to that,” said Brown.

All that remains is for Android developers to prove that openness really is better.

Resource:
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/04/advantage_andro.html

Dell has unveiled the western version of its Android phone – the Dell Aero.

The new Aero is apparently the lightest Android device in the world – which is hardly a headline grabber, but at least it’s something.

It’s running Android 1.5, but with a hope of a 2.1 upgrade in the near future, and it’s also packing a 5MP camera.

When’s it coming?

The Dell Aero has been seen in numerous spy shots in the past, as well as being released in China as the Mini 3i – it was also present at CES this year, but with no information on when it would be coming to other territories.

The main selling point the Dell Aero has is its overlay to the Android OS – we’ve not seen a great deal on what this will look like, but companies like HTC and Sony Ericsson have already been hard at working bringing similar things to the OS for much longer.

It’s always nice to have another player in the market, but sadly we don’t have a definite UK release date for the Dell Aero, but we hear it is coming in the near future.

Resource:
http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/dell-finally-comes-clean-with-aero-android-phone-679185

LAS VEGAS—Samsung unveiled a Google Android smartphone, the Galaxy S, at the CTIA Wireless conference on March 23. In keeping with the trend of multimedia-capable smartphones, Samsung also revealed that it had partnered with companies such as Skiff and Paramount Pictures to bring content such as ebooks and movies to the Galaxy S at an unannounced later date, possibly when the device itself rolls out in summer 2010.

During a presentation at the Las Vegas Convention Center, images of the Galaxy S flashed on a massive screen as Samsung executives discussed the capabilities of the slim touch-screen device, which has a form factor reminiscent of the Apple iPhone or HTC Droid Eris. Social networking for consumers was emphasized, including Samsung’s Social Hub, which integrates the user’s various social networks into a single interface.

The Galaxy S has Super AMOLED technology, which the company says makes its 4-inch screen 20 percent brighter, with 80 percent less sunlight reflection and 20 percent more battery life. The smartphone runs Android 2.1 and is powered by a 1GHz processor.

During the presentation, a partnership was announced with Skiff, a company dedicated to optimizing e-reader content for smartphones. A project developed by Hearst, which also unveiled a Skiff Reader device at January’s Consumer Electronics Show, Skiff’s lineup of e-periodicals apparently includes Hearst publications such as Esquire along with outside properties such as The New York Times.

Paramount and Samsung are also apparently preparing movie-related content for the Galaxy S and other phones in the upcoming S Series.

Samsung’s global share of the mobile device market was 20.1 percent in 2009, up from 16.7 percent in 2008. In 2009, it shipped more than 200 million devices.

“Touchphone models were the key to Samsung’s high-end growth in 2009, but we expect the vendor to switch some of its focus to Bada/Android smartphones and the Samsung Apps initiative in 2010,” Neil Mawston, a Strategy Analytics analyst, wrote in a Jan. 29 report. That report placed Samsun behind worldwide market leader Nokia, but ahead of LG and other handset makers.

Samsung’s mobile-device lineup also includes its upcoming E60 e-reader, which will access Barnes & Noble’s ebook store and utilize the bookseller’s ebook lending feature. The 5-inch Samsung device will use either a PC connection or built-in WiFi for book downloading, as opposed to the 3G connection utilized by other popular e-readers such as Amazon.com’s Kindle or Barnes & Noble’s Nook. The E60 will sell for $299.

Resource:
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Samsung-Reveals-Google-Android-Phone-The-Galaxy-S-380874/

When the 3.0 version of the iPhone operating system came out, it added background notification, but through a server-based push mechanism that only gives developers a few capabilities for sending notifications to phones. It’s not true background processing like you have on a computer or on other smartphones. An advantage to the Apple scheme, though, is that a rogue background app can’t keep the phone powered-up constantly, draining battery life, or opening security holes. Power can be a big problem with poorly written background apps on Android in particular, where apps that keep the GPS system powered up can reduce battery life on a phone to unacceptable levels.

But these three products at Demo show that it’s time for Apple to get off the stick and figure out the background problems like power management and security. Developers will continue to build cool apps on other platforms, and pull users to them, until it does.

Phone Halo is a service that keeps you from losing your keys or money clip by monitoring when its Bluetooth fobs go out of range. The only way it can work is for a background process on the phone to be monitoring the Bluetooth system. It works on the Blackberry and Android OS, but not on the iPhone.

Ambit Control is a monitoring system for smartphones (or spyware, if you wish) that parents install on their kids’ devices. It tells you what the kids are doing on the phone: who they’re calling and texting, what apps they’re installing and running, and so on. Again, it’s an Android app. You can’t do anything like this on an iPhone.

Motoriety is an automotive-monitoring product that collects data from a Bluetooth sensor in the car as well as usage and location data from the phone itself to keep you driving safely and keep you up-to-date on your car’s health. It could, theoretically, work fine as a foreground process, but the concept falls apart if you can’t use your phone for anything else (like making phone calls) when the app is running. So it needs a background process. It’s being released first for Windows phones. Android will follow. iPhone is off the map until it gets background capabilities.

I’m convinced that if the iPhone let developers create apps that run in the background, the above apps would be on that platform first instead of competitive platforms, which have fewer app-buying users (except possibly Motoriety, which is partly funded by Microsoft). And there would be more developers making more interesting and useful apps that work for us all the time, even when they’re not in our faces.

Resource:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-20001008-250.html

However, to keep up with the latest trends, the Orkut team has now released a Orkut app for Android devices. The new app adds some nice features, which tie in nicely into the Android OS.

For example, you can add your friends as live folders to your Android home screen and you will be able to browse the friends list even when you do not have access to data networks. In addition to that, users can also upload photos to Orkut albums and receive scrap notifications from their friends.

You will of course be able to send scraps to friends and others, add your friends to your contact list, or send them an email too.

The Orkut app is currently available in the Android Market, just go to the market and search for “orkut” and follow the instructions to install the app to your device. More information is available at the Official Orkut and Google Mobile blog.

Resource:
http://techie-buzz.com/mobile-news/orkut-app-released-for-android.html