Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Stefan over at IntoMobile has a very interesting post on what is ahead for phones/carriers as new phones begin casting nets into the net and begin to pull in more and more content from the net.  His view seems to be at odds with what I see: this is an amazing time to be alive and into tech.

His view
Stefan sees the manufactures of devices calling the shots, picking platforms, picking the spec and building the phone to it.  The problem here is the manufacturers are usually not the ones figuring out how to charge for it all.  Carriers have trained consumers to expect it for free - a very hard habit to break.  Their “unlimited” plans, Stefan would contend, are short-sighted and will make it tough to add on features that otherwise customers would want to pay for.

In the new world services are built for virality and terms like monetization are on the bottom of the todo list. This new way of thinking is not being fully embraced by the old rulers in their respective kingdoms, but more importantly it is causing the people to become accustomed to everything being free or supplemented by advertising. 

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While we’re sure that Google’s Android platform will be loaded on a bunch of new devices some time in the near future, we still haven’t heard of any manufacturer or handset maker announce when they will release something officially. Except today. VP and General Manager of T-Mobile’s Broadband and New Business Division Joe Sims has just confirmed that T-Mobile USA will be offering at least one mobile device running Google’s soon-to-be released in full Android platform, and that there will be more than one Android powered device, probably for the sake of variety, of course. Joe also confessed that he was impressed after seeing what Android is capable of doing, and mentions that “(The move to an open platform) will be innovation across the board, not just one device.”

Does this mean that Android is going to eventually take over WinMo in powering T-Mobile’s devices? We’ll never know for sure; at least not for now. All I know is if they can try and release early, they should. By the time they come out with their Android-powered gizmo on the year’s end, Apple’s 3G iPhone (if it already exists by then) would have already killed the competition—as if they aren’t already doing it now.

Read [CNN Money] Via [IntoMobile]

Love your Nokia N810 tablet but just wish it would run something more… well, Google-like? Possibly the Android OS? Well, you’re in luck! The folks over at eLinux.org have a Wiki-page on using the Android OS on the Nokia N810. Reports say that it is fully working including the keyboard, Wi-Fi and GPS as well. It is a bit technical, so those who are already familiar with the project should be fine, but those without much knowledge may want to hit up a few forums for more help or possibly search for a step-by-step guide. For those who aren’t brave enough to install it, you still have some pretty Android pics to look at and a nice internet tablet to boot.

Read [eLinux.org] Via [Engadget]

Dream of all dreams, HTC has announced their first Android-based handset will be called the Dream. The phone obviously, will run Google’s much-awaited Android software and is expected to feature a large touchscreen display with navigational controls below and full QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard is expected to either slide or swivel out. Unfortunately an image of the Dream has not been leaked, but sources say that it measures in at around 3 x 5-inches.

And just as you would expect, there has not been any word coming from HTC.

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Dear mobile developers,
I know you are really excited about the iPhone SDK.  It is a lot of fun and the idea of bringing home 70% of your labor is appealing.  But don’t forget about Android.  Please.  Android is going to be huge, huge I tell you.  We’ll be doing so many fun things with Android phones you won’t believe it.  Advanced functions like cut&paste or MMS.  It is going to be huge.  Please think about us, cause we think about you, like every day.  Sometimes we’ll pick up flowers and ask it if you love us.  Sometimes the answer is no.

love,
Rich Miner,
Google group manager for mobile platforms

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It was already known that Dell really wanted to enter the phone arena because many giant companies have already begun to create their own phones. Companies such as Apple, Hewlett Packard and Asus, have already successfully entered the phone arena and if Dell looks to make their own mark in the phone industry they will hopefully try to do it with Alienware and Google’s Android. 

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Though Google’s open source mobile platform Android is poised to take mobile technology to greater heights, it will also trigger the influx of new viruses and other threats to our cellphones.

In fact, security software firm F-Secure believes that its “risks are greater than with the current platform kings such as Symbian.” Even Apple’s decision to open its door to outside developers also carries potential risks.

Even though thousands of people complain about security issues on mobile phones, only a trivial portion of the users were infected. According to a research of another software security firm McAfee, only 1 in 7 users worldwide are exposed to serious mobile viruses today.

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Google may be having setbacks with its upcoming Android mobile operating system, but Reuters is reporting chip-maker ARM plans to demo the OS at Mobile World Congress on Monday.  The story sites “a source close to the company”, but both Google and ARM have yet to comment on the claims.  Will we see the first Gphone?  Who knows.  Hey - they could even run the new OS on a computer and we’d still be happy to see it.  Do you think Android sounds ready for the public-eye with its recent delays?  I sure don’t.

Google is making apparently some big changes to it’s SDK in response to developers reactions and comments to the first version.  Back to code they go making fixes and feature enhancements so when it finally gets to us, we are going to love it.  At least, that is what Google hopes.  In light of the undertaking, they are pushing back the date on their developer challenge so folks are not staying up all night to meet the tight deadline.

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After months of Gphone anxiety, Google announces their Gphone is really a bunch of phones running a common software that is open sourced and shared by big names in the industry like Motorola, HTC, Samsung and many others.

Android™ will deliver a complete set of software for mobile devices: an operating system, middleware and key mobile applications. On November 12, we will release an early look at the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) to allow developers to build rich mobile applications.

Read [Open Handset Alliance]