With Samsung we see another major phone manufacturer entering the market of Android phones. The phone is gonna be released at O2 Germany in June ‘09.
Not too long ago we wrote about T-Mobile USA G2 shots that were found on the web. Now the German news channel N-TV reports on their website that the HTC Magic will be released tomorrow (April 24th, 2009). The phone will cost just €1 in combination with a 2-year contract where you pay €25 - €120 per month depending on which terms and services you subscribe to.
Website: T-Mobile Germany
I just found this article on a German news site. It says, a new Android powered Notebook just appeared on a Chinese website. It looks like this:
The technical data of this notebook reads as followed:
| Model Name | Alpha 680 |
| Operating System | google android |
| Display | 7“ TFT LCD true color |
| LCD resolution | 800 x 480( WVGA) |
| Internet Connection (Optional) | ADSL, WiFi,（ GPRS, CDMA,EDGE,WCDMA） |
| Memory | 128MB DDR2 (up to 256MB Optional) |
| Solid-State Disk | 1 GB Nand Flash Memory (up to 4GB Optional) |
| CPU | ARM11 533 MHz 32bit |
| LAN / Connection | 10/100 MB Ethernet ; RJ-45 |
| Wireless | Built-in WiFi |
| Media | Support MPEG1/2/4,H.263,H.264,WMV9 |
| USB Output | USB 2.0 x 2 |
| Media Storage | SD/MMC card slot ( support SDHC) |
| Input Device | 80 Key standard keyboard; Capacitive TouchPad |
As it is supposed to be used by kids, the artwork can also look a bit more funny:
Website: Skytone Alpha 680
More Chinese companies with Android products:
Update 2009-04-28: Golem.de and Internetnews.com report this device will cost $250. Pretty cheap!
Just some days ago we wrote about the Dream G2 Phone “Made in China” that looks like Android but isn’t one.
On that same show I took a flyer with their product showcase and it listed not just the fake Android phone. Bluelans actually plans to publish a real Android powered mobile phone in July 2009. At least that’s what they told me. I am not sure if they can hold their roadmap and release but it would be great to have another Android on the market! When I saw the fake one I first thought: “Why don’t they just take the free Android OS and put it on a phone rather than using a crappy Chinese OS and lots of programmers to wirte a fake Android User Interface?
Anyway, here is the data of the upcoming N12 SciPhone from Bluelans; if it will ever be released:
Here you can download the original scanned Flyer which I took from the fair: N12 SciPhone with real Android OS Flyer.
A Chinese company called “Shenzhen Bluelans Communication Co., Ltd.” showed a mobile phone on their HK Electronics Fair booth called “Dream G2″:
I was checking this out and the user interface actually looks like Android, it works like Android and even the programs look like Android. However, it is NOT Android. I also took a flyer and here is the data sheet:
While the phone has GPRS/EDGE, WiFi a camera, email access, audio/video support, instant messangers, an FM radio as well as support Java applications; the interesting point in there is “Google Android style user interface”.
Price: HK$1,000 (US$130)
Website: www.mysciphone.com
Google has just released the early-look for Android 1.5. So I suppose there will be a software OS update available for the current Android devices soon.
Below is listed the original quote on what is going to be changed in the next version of Android.
The Android 1.5 platform introduces many new features for users and developers. The list below provides an overview of the changes.
User interface refinements
- System-wide: Refinement of all core UI elements, Animated window transitions (off by default), Accelerometer-based application rotations
- UI polish for: In-call experience, Contacts, Call log, and Favorites, SMS & MMS, Browser, Gmail, Calendar, Email, Camera & Gallery, Application management
Performance improvements
- Faster Camera start-up and image capture
- Much faster acquisition of GPS location (powered by SUPL AGPS)
- Smoother page scrolling in Browser
- Speedier GMail conversation list scrolling
New features
- On-screen soft keyboard: Works in both portrait and landscape orientation, Support for user installation of 3rd party keyboards, User dictionary for custom words
- Home screen
- Widgets: Bundled home screen widgets include: analog clock, calendar, music player, picture frame, and search
- Live folders
- Camera & Gallery: Video recording, Video playback (MPEG-4 & 3GP formats)
- Bluetooth: Stereo Bluetooth support (A2DP and AVCRP profiles), Auto-pairing, Improved handsfree experience
- Browser: Updated with latest Webkit browser & Squirrelfish Javascript engines, Copy ‘n paste in browser, Search within a page, User-selectable text-encoding, UI changes include: Unified Go and Search box, Tabbed bookmarks/history/most-visited screen
- Contacts: Shows user picture for Favorites, Specific date/time stamp for events in call log, One-touch access to a contact card from call log event
- System: New Linux kernel (version 2.6.27), SD card filesystem auto-checking and repair, SIM Application Toolkit 1.0
- Google applications: View Google Talk friends’ status in Contacts, SMS, MMS, GMail, and Email applications, Batch actions such as archive, delete, and label on Gmail messages, Upload videos to Youtube, Upload photos on Picasa
New APIs and developer tools
- UI framework: Framework for easier background/UI thread interaction, New SlidingDrawer widget, Horizontal ScrollView widget
- Home Screen framework: APIs for creating secure home screen widgets, APIs for populating live folders with custom content
- Media framework: Raw audio recording and playback APIs, Interactive MIDI playback engine, Video recording APIs for developers (3GP format), Video and photo sharing Intents, Media search Intent
- Input Method framework: Text prediction engine, Ability to provide downloadable IMEs to users
- Speech recognition framework: Support for using speech recognition libraries via Intent
- Misc API additions: LocationManager - Applications can get location change updates via Intent, WebView - Touch start/end/move/cancel DOM event support, SensorManager - redesigned sensor APIs, GLSurfaceView - convenience framework for creating OpenGL applications, Broadcast Intent for app update install succeeded - for smoother app upgrade experience
- Developer tools: Support for multiple versions of Android in a single SDK installation, Improved JUnit support in ADT, Easier application performance profiling
The API changes look promising and I will take a look in this more deeply. Perhaps I can put a nice Android 1.5 coding example together soon. I am still missing something like a nice and convenient facility in the Android SDK to automatically build, sign and deploy an Android application for the use on a device. I know, we could script this with ANT or other tools, but it would be nice to have this built into the SDK by default. Also a developer certificate generator, nice and fancy. It would make everything much more easy for developers to write and easily deploy an Android app for end-users. Perhaps an Android Market integration to upload/update an application in there directly through a button in the SDK would make sense as well?
Check out How to earn money with your application through the Android Market
TmoNews just reported: “HTC Magic Passes FCC for T-mobile USA!”.
This looks very similar to the HTC Magic that was presented by HTC and Vodafone. So I guess the specifications are the same and there is just a T-Mobile branding instead of a Vodafone branding on the phone. Though Vodafone already announced the HTC Magic - I haven’t seen it in stores yet. If you have seen it, please leave us a comment or even a picture taken with your G1 
I know I have to get up and write some more about the actual Android software development - that’s where this blog has its name from - by the way. I will definitely do some more on this front soon. Stay tuned folks!
Android Phone from Huawei
About a week ago Huawei announced an Android powered phone at the Mobile World Congress ‘09. Huawei is not really known outside of China except as a mobile infrastructure provider. Though many people outside the People’s Republic do not know that brand, everyone in China knows it. Being the biggest mobile phone market (more that 400 mio. mobile subscribers) speaks for itself. The phone itself looks like a direct iPhone copy but with a good OS
Android on ASUS Eee PC
Besides the Chinese dudes I just read from other (free) Chinese dudes in Taiwan over at ASUS. They are working on a custom version of Android to run it on their Eee PCs which come with Windows XP right now. Google’s Carolyn Penner said that Android hasn’t been designed for phone exclusively. It is rather been intended to run on any kind of mobile device - this would include the Eee PC as well. Especially on such extreme mobile device it is quite important to use as less resources as possible. Microsoft’s Windows - no matter if it is XP, Vista or even WM Mobile - was never really fast.
HTC Magic w/o SIM Lock
I just found: HTC confirmed that the Vodafone / HTC Magic will not come with a SIM Lock like the T-Mobile G1. This is good news!
Besides the missing keyboard the specifications are about the same like the G1 has.
HTC Magic Specifications
| Processor | Qualcomm® MSM7201a™, 528 MHz |
| Operating System | Android |
| Memory | ROM: 512 MB RAM: 192 MB |
| Dimensions | 113 x 55 x 13.65 mm ( 4.45 x 2.17 x 0.54 inches) |
| Weight | 118.5 grams ( 4.18 ounces) with battery |
| Display | 3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 320×480 HVGA resolution |
| Network | HSDPA/WCDMA:
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
(Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.) |
| Device Control | Trackball with Enter button |
| GPS | Internal GPS antenna |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one) |
| Camera | 3.2 megapixel color camera with auto focus |
| Audio supported formats | AAC, AAC+, AMR-NB, MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC-LC, MIDI, OGG |
| Video supported formats | MP4, 3GP |
| Battery | Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery Capacity: 1340 mAh Talk time:
Standby time:
(The above are subject to network and phone usage.) |
| Expansion Slot | microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible) |
| AC Adapter | Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 47/63 Hz DC output: 5V and 1A |
| Special Features | G-sensor Digital Compass |
Website: HTC Magic - powered by Android
There was just an article called “Android Market update: support for priced applications” published on the Android blog. The problem is that only developers from the US and UK are able to upload priced applications to the Android Market. While it is possible to create an Android Market from all over the world, selling applications for Android requires a Google Checkout account.
Google Checkout is widely known by now as an alternative to several existing online payment gateways. While the idea of Google Checkout is really great and I am looking forward to use; I have to say that I am very disappointed by Google with their Google Checkout strategy. Since Google Checkout has been started they were not able (or just did not want to) allow sellers from all over the world to use their system. A company that has “international” written in bold capitalized letters on their flags, should actually be a bit more international. Anyway, Google is still my favorite search / maps / image engine
Following the announcement of Eric Chu in the blog post, saying:
We will also enable developers in Germany, Austria, Netherlands, France, and Spain to offer priced applications later this quarter. By the end of Q1 2009, we will announce support for developers in additional countries.
… tells us some interesting fact about Google Checkout: Google Checkout will be opened to sellers (merchants) from the five mentioned countries and more other countries in this quarter. I am just hoping that my country will be in there sooner than later! I am sorry to be that direct: but I do not see any reason why this is not possible now. We are living in an international world, Google is an international company, the Internet has even international as a part of its name. There are not just developers in the - so called - rich countries who would like to share their products with others. Seems we have to keep publishing free software for a free world! 
Android Market: http://market.android.com/publish/Home
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