• android,  blackberry,  blackberry os,  google,  rim,  treo,  verizon

    Returning to BlackBerry Nation

    Today I was issued a company phone. I had the choice of selecting either a Motorola Droid or a BlackBerry Storm2. I chose the Storm2.

    I had the chance to work with both phones late last year as I worked with a team of people to select the phone, or in this case, the phones, that would replace our aging fleet of Treo 755p smartphones for mobile email and calendaring access. At the end of the day, our team decided to support both BlackBerry OS and Google Android because we use Notify Technology’s NotifyLink middleware server. NotifyLink is a robust platform that quickly allows small and mid-size businesses to connect just about any current smartphone with just about any standards based email and calendaring platform.

    You can read my BlackBerry Storm2 and Motorola Droid reviews here on Smartphone Fanatics.
  • android,  google,  motorola,  verizon

    Moto Droid 2.1 Update: Is it Out?

    “Is it or isn’t it available yet?”, that seems to be the question that Verizon Moto Droid customers are asking.

    According to a post earlier this week on BoyGeniusReport.com, the update is available as an over the air update. If you go to the Verizon Wireless Motorola Droid support page, you see a message that the update is “coming soon.”

    On the Droid unit we have in the office, the update wasn’t showing as being available. My advice: check back often if you are a software update junkie.

  • android,  google,  sprint

    Sprint Announces the HTC Evo 4G

    Sprint and HTC Corporation today announced summer availability of the world’s first 3G/4G Android handset, HTC EVO 4G exclusively from Sprint. HTC EVO 4G delivers a multimedia experience at 4G speeds that is second to none, making it possible to download music, pictures, files, or videos in seconds – not minutes – and watch streaming video on the go with one of the largest pinch-to-zoom displays, at 4.3 inches, in the wireless industry.

    Sprint 4G offers a faster wireless experience than any other U.S. national wireless carrier, and Sprint is the only national carrier offering wireless 4G service today in 27 markets. Sprint 4G delivers download speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G1,giving HTC EVO 4G the fastest data speeds of any U.S. wireless device available today.

    “Sprint continues to lead the 4G revolution as we introduce HTC EVO 4G to give our customers an experience that is unlike anything available in wireless to date,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “Not only is this feature-rich device incredible on our Sprint 3G network, but Sprint 4G speeds will take mobile multimedia, including live video streaming, gaming and picture downloads, to a whole new level.”

    “HTC and Sprint have a strong history of working together to bring consumers technologies and advancements that make their lives easier,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. “We believe that the HTC EVO 4G represents the best of Sprint and the best of HTC working together to bring an unmatched device to the U.S. This combination of HTC and Sprint innovation will allow people to do even more while on the go, faster than ever on the Sprint 4G network.”

    HTC Evo 4G Specifications

    Productivity

    • 3G/4G capability
    • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ QSD8650 (1GHz) processor
    • 4.3” capacitive display with pinch-to-zoom and tactile feedback
    • World-class HTML browser
    • Android 2.1
    • Google mobile services: Google Search, Google Maps, Google Talk, Gmail, YouTube, and syncs with Google Calendar
    • Sprint Navigation, with turn-by-turn driving directions and 3D maps
    • Updated HTC Sense, which includes Friend Stream to integrate Facebook, Twitter and more
    • Visual voicemail
    • 4G data speeds (WiMAX) – peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps
    • 3G data speeds (EVDO Rev A.) – peak download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps

    Entertainment

    • 8MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash and 1.3MP front-facing camera
    • High-quality video streaming and downloads at 3G and 4G data speeds
    • Capture and share HD-quality video (720p) from your phone
    • Output pictures, slides and videos in HD quality (720p) via HDMI cable (sold separately)
    • Live video sharing with Qik
    • Built-in kickstand for hands-free viewing
    • Media player with 3.5mm stereo headset jack
    • FM radio and Amazon MP3 store
    • Sprint applications including Sprint TV and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile
    • Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP Stereo and EDR
    • Built-in WiFi: 802.11 b/g
    • Digital compass, G-Sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, GPS
    • Expandable memory: 8GB microSD card included; supports up to 32GB

    Hardware Specifications

    • Dimensions: 4.8″ x 2.6″ x .5″ (LxWxT)
    • Weight: 6 ounces
    • Main display: 4.3” WVGA (800×480) 65K colors
    • Standard removable 1500mAh Lithium (Li-on) battery
    • Memory: 1GB ROM, 512MB RAM

    Pricing and Availability

    Customers will be able to purchase HTC EVO 4G through all Sprint channels and through national retail partners, RadioShack, Best Buy and Walmart, this summer. Pricing will be announced at a later date. Pre-registration begins today at www.sprint.com/evo.

    You can read the full version of today’s announcement on the Sprint website.

  • apple,  google,  iphone,  motorola

    NTY: A Battle for the Future Is Getting Personal

    The New York Times has a new article online that does a good job of detailing the battle between Apple and Google that has gone from a simple rivalry to what could become an all out war between the two tech titans.

    “In the last six months, Apple and Google have jousted over acquisitions, patents, directors, advisers and iPhone applications. Mr. Jobs and Mr. Schmidt have taken shots at each other’s companies in the media and in private exchanges with employees.”

    You can read the full article at The New York Times website

  • google

    Moving Day

    A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was going to have to change the way I use Blogger to manage SmartphoneFanatics.com. (Details)

    Today is the day that I am going to attempt to make the move. If the site becomes unavailable, rest assured that we’ll be back as quickly as possible.

    Update
    The server maintenance is now complete! To access SmartphoneFanatics.com in the future, point your browsers to:

    blog.smartphonefanatics.com.

    If you continue to use www.smartphonefanatics.com, you will be redirected to the new page after 30 seconds.

    -Alan

  • android,  eris,  google,  sprint,  verizon

    Android 2.1 Update Coming to All US Android Phones

    Taylor Wimber, the skipper over at Android And Me, has posted and article stating that Google is working with carriers to release the Android Eclair 2.1 update to all of today’s existing Android powered smartphones.

    “After talking with several inside sources familiar with the matter, I would like to report that every Android phone currently released in the United States will be receiving an upgrade to Android 2.1.”

    Now for the bad news. Mr. Wimber writes:

    “Now let me cut to the bad news. Select Android phones will require a wipe when they are upgraded to Android 2.1. I actually only know of phones that will require a wipe, so it could include all of them (minus the Droid which is already on Android 2.0.1).”

    Mr. Wimber goes on to state that he believes that the update will be rolled out to Android customers in late Q2, 2010. (Translation = Could be as late as the end of June or July)

    Ok, so is a hard reset really that bad? I’m guessing that if your an Android gear head that you would rather have the official update on your phone and a reset won’t be the end of the world.

    I’m playing with a work issued Verizon HTC Droid Eris running Android 1.6 (Donut) and would like to have the newer OS so that I don’t have to worry about compatibility issues with new application software over the next 24 months.

    So how about it, Android fans? Are you ready for some “Google Goodness?”

    [Via AndroidAndMe.com…]

  • google

    Upcoming Server Maintenance

    I have recently been informed of some impending changes to how I post to this blog and how it will be hosted. Google will soon discontinue support for FTP blog publishing, requiring me to migrate this site to a new server.

    In a recent email, Google’s Blogger team wrote:

    “Last May, we discussed a number of challenges facing Blogger users who relied on FTP to publish their blogs. FTP remains a significant drain on our ability to improve Blogger: only .5% of active blogs are published via FTP — yet the percentage of our engineering resources devoted to supporting FTP vastly exceeds that. On top of this, critical infrastructure that our FTP support relies on at Google will soon become unavailable, which would require that we completely rewrite the code that handles our FTP processing.

    For that reason, we are announcing today that we will no longer support FTP publishing in Blogger after March 26, 2010. We realize that this will not necessarily be welcome news for some users, and we are committed to making the transition as seamless as possible.”

    This transfer should be seamless to you, our readers, however, I wanted to give you notice of the transfer in the event that something goes wrong and service is temporarily disrupted. The change should happen sometime during the next few weeks and I will let you all know when the migration has been completed successfully.

    -Alan

  • android,  google,  motorola,  verizon

    Motorola Devour Coming to Verizon Wireless

    Verizon Wireless has announced that their next phone based on Google’s Android OS, the Devour, will be arriving in March.

    Verizon Wireless and Motorola, Inc. have announced the availability of Motorola DEVOUR in March. Motorola DEVOUR will be the first Verizon Wireless phone to feature MOTOBLUR, Motorola’s unique Android-powered content delivery service created to make wireless phones more personal and customizable.

    MOTOBLUR is the first solution to sync contacts from work and personal e-mail services, including Gmail, with posts, messages, photos and more from popular sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. With MOTOBLUR, content is automatically delivered to the home screen and fed into easy-to-manage streams.

    Motorola Devour’s Key Features

    • Touch-sensitive navigation pad
    • 3.1” capacitive touch screen
    • Pre-loaded Google apps: Gmail, Google Talk, YouTube, Google Search and Google Maps with Navigation.
    • Android Market application store
    • MOTOBLUR Happenings Widget – automatically receive push status updates updates from popular social networking sites.
    • MOTOBLUR Universal Inbox – gathers texts, social network messages and e-mails into one home screen widget.
    • Back-Up and Security – Contacts, log-in information, home screen customizations, e-mail and social network messages are backed up automatically on the secure MOTOBLUR portal. The portal also allows customers to use the phone’s fully integrated aGPS to help locate the phone if misplaced. Remote wipe easily clears information from a lost device.
    • 8 GB microSD™ card pre-installed
    • Supported Bluetooth profiles include: A2DP, HID, HSP, HFP, AVRCP and GAP

    Verizon Service Plans

    To get the most from Motorola DEVOUR, customers will need to subscribe to a Nationwide Talk or Nationwide Talk & Text plan and a Data Package for smartphones. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access, and Nationwide Talk & Text plans begin at $59.99 monthly access. A Data Package for smartphones is $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.

    Analysis

    What I really like about the Devour is the new keyboard layout. For the Devour, Motorola chose to make the keys bigger and spaced them out more on the keyboard. In my opinion, this gives the user a better typing experience than what is available on the Motorola Droid or on screen virtual keyboards.

    The downside is that the Devour is clearly intended to be a consumer device. I’m sure businesses will deploy plenty of the new Android-powered phone, however, without Google’s adding more robust support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support, organizations looking to deploy Devour will continue to need third-party tools such as NitroDesk Touchdown.

    For more details, visit the Verizon Wireless website.

  • android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    Android 2.x Coming to Verizon HTC Eris


    Now that I have a Verizon HTC Droid Eris attached to my hip, riding shotgun to my Palm Pre, I’m looking for information on when I might be able to get my hands on the latest release of Google Android.

    According to SolSie.com, Verizon has come out and stated that they will provide an Android 2.-something upgrade for the Eris before the end of Q1, 2010. Go Big Red!
    “Verizon spokesperson Brenda Raney said, “The Droid Eris currently using Android 1.5, can and will be upgraded to newer a Android operating system software in first quarter 2010. The enhancement will allow customers to continue to enjoy the powerful HTC Sense experience while also gaining the additional benefits of Google Maps Navigation.”
    [Via SolSie.com…]
  • android,  eris,  google

    HTC Droid Eris

    Last week I came back to my office to find a present waiting for my on my desk: an HTC Droid Eris smartphone!

    Since this phone is being issued to me as a corporate asset, I’m required to use the phone for business purposes only. That means that the phone can only be used for business phone calls and email only. (If I need to make personal calls or send personal email, I’ll have my Palm Pre for that.)

    So here are some pictures of the Eris being unboxed. The first thing that I noticed when I took the Eris out of the box was how thin and light it felt; something that I will appreciate since I will be required to carry two phones most of the time. The Google Android OS is on par with Apple’s iPhone OS and Palm’s webOS. The Verizon edition of the Eris ships with Android 1.5 installed. If some of the rumors on the Internet are to be believed, HTC and Verizon are working on an Android 2.0 update, however, the ticking point is the porting of HTC’s custom Sense UI to the Android 2.0 platform.

    Unlike the Motorola Droid that I recently reviewed, the HTC Eris lacks a physical keyboard. I’ll have to get used to that, but it is the price you have to pay to get a thin device.

    I’ll have some more thoughts and impressions on the HTC Droid Eris as time goes on.