Oh Dell Streak how you tease us with your massive 5″ screen and speedy innards. So far, you’ve remained a sort of forbidden fruit, flaunting your awesomeness but never quite telling us about your real self, or when we can hold you. But never more. Dell has come forward to dish the dirty details on your secrets — August 13th for $299 w/ 2-year AT&T contract or $499 w/o contract.
Yes. You are a pricey date, but a date none the less. I won’t complain as I whisk you away in my clammy mitts, anxious about the hours of fun time we’ll have together. Can’t wait ’til you get here. See you soon…
If you want to play in the big touchscreen smartphone arena these days, one crucial feature must be included — multi-touch. Even if you think it’s not that big of a deal, just look back at web archives from countless blogs over the last few months concerning the Moto DROID in particular. One of the biggest gripes was the lack of multi-touch. Clearly it’s a deciding factor.
So why then has Sony constructed a device that is 9/10 of the way there and simply gorgeous to look at with a beautifully and intuitively crafted UI such as the Xperia X10 left off such a crucial feature?
According to Sony themselves:
“It is correct that the X10 will not support multi-touch. However with the X10’s signature applications, the X10 offers an excellent user experience
The lack of multi-touch isn’t just a software issue (as it ships with Android 1.6 which lacks multi-touch API’s) but is even a hardware issue at this point. No software update can fix that.
It’s a shame really. Short of a lag here or there and no subsidized love in the US, the Xperia X10 was quite the looker. Unfortunately it now appears it will forever remain one of those “neighbor next door” kind of phones — always there tempting you yet always just out of your grasp. Except this time, the reason for the inability to finish the job is actually by choice.
The Sony Xperia X10 is one big collection of hotness save for the abysmal fact that it’s going to ship with Android 1.6. Thankfully Sony has outlined plans to bring it up to snuff with 2.1. But that’s not the point of this article. Noooo sir (and mam). The real deal is the Sony Xperia X10 Mini Pro that made it’s debut last night at Sony’s MWC event. Essentially it’s just a shrunken X10 with a slide out keyboard. I don’t know about you, but the only thing stopping me from calling the X10 Mini Pro better than the full X10 version is the smaller screen and slower processor.
Sony Ericsson’s custom “Timescape” interface (same as on the Xperia X10)
5mp camera w/ AF and geo-tagging
Android 1.6 (updates to 2.0+ already confirmed)
Again, besides the slower processor and downright minuscule scree, the X10 Mini Pro is quite the little powerhouse. So much so I’d say that after it’s Android 2.0/2.1 upgrade that it would be one of the top Android handsets on the market.
Regarding the keyboard — after spending a good year away from physical keyboards on my iPhone and then returning to the physical world via the DROID, I can honestly say I missed the honest to goodness touch and feel action. The screen however is a different story. 2.5″ is simply too small to be of any real use anymore. The low resolution should help some, but overall I don’t think anyone who’s already had a taste of DROID-like resolution (or even lower-rez G1 quality) is going to be happy with the X10 Mini Pro.
Now if only they could take the sliding keyboard and slap that onto an “X10 Mini Pro”, well then, I’d snap one of those up in a heartbeat. Feeling stuck in the same mental game of tug-of-war?
How well do you trust BGR’s ninjas? Most of the time, his ever persistent and omnipresent clan gleans the most secretive and interesting information in ways I’m not sure are human. But enough razzle dazzle. According to a BGR source, the Motorola CLIQ will be getting the Android 2.1 update in March. As in no more than two months. At the pace we’ve been seeing Android handset leaks the last couple of days, we could very well be seeing Android 2.2 or beyond being pumped out while CLIQ users are just getting cozy with 2.1. For CLIQ users however, anything is better than nothing as they’re still chugging along with 1.6 **sorry, it’s even worse — 1.5.
You may recall that it’s only been roughly 24 hours since Motorola broke the news that the DROID would be receiving a gimped version of 2.1, with absolutely no mention of the BLUR powered handset. But that was yesterday and is now old news. Tonight is the night for CLIQ users to gloat. So go ahead, speculate, have some fun, and be sure to drop a line or two below. We’re big talkers…
Ever been kicked between the legs, fallen on the top bar on a bike, or gotten hit with a stray kick ball right in the sweet spot during gym class? Yeah, we all have. It feels like your world is going to end. Along those same lines, I’m pretty sure that Canadian Android fans running on Rogers Wireless and toting an LG GW620 are feeling pretty much like what I just described.
Any upgrade to “old” hardware is always a blessing. Manufactures and developers alike don’t have any legal restraint to do such things. But it makes consumers happier. And most devs/manufactures know that happier customers are more shop happy customers. Unfortunately, those on the aforementioned network living in the previously noted country and obsessed with the latest in mobile OS platforms will have to deal with “only” Android 1.6.
The bigger kick in the pants is the unfortunate fact that this update won’t be coming until spring and solely in the form of a desktop only download, available from Rogers or LG’s website. Major bummer for sure.
I’ve already stated several times how those who supposedly “support” Android and the entire Android ecosystem are killing the platform by releasing “new” updates such as the LG GW620 Android 1.6 Spring 2010 update. Android 1.6 was released mid-2009 and is old in early 2010. With LG and Rogers not releasing the Android 1.6 update until spring, they are guaranteeing that LG GW620 users have outdated and functionally deficient software.
I think it’s best I stop now as I could go on this rant for hours. Your turn.
Boy how I love a freshly leaked spec sheet for lusted after gadgets. Today’s gadget-o-love spec sheet pays homage to the Sony Xperia X10. While the hardware itself and overall skin of the UI are simply gorgeous, the Android 1.6 underpinnings aren’t exactly the first choice for most. Android 2.0 or even 2.1 would be much more deserving for such a gorgeous device. But I digress. Personal inhibitions aside, a spec sheet showing off everything that resides under the X10′s hood sheds light on some rather interesting notions. First, many though that the X10 would head to AT&T being such a high-end GSM device — as AT&T usually gets such devices first with T-Mo bringing up the rear at a later date. But take a closer look at that frequency support. That’s right! 1700MHz support baby meaning. So there’s going to be two X10 versions floating around…
Mind you, just because the X10 has support for 1700 MHz frequencies doesn’t exactly mean T-Mo is a sure thing. It could be for some other country. I like to remain hopeful however. At the very least, you could sell a child or two to pick up an unlocked X10 and take comfort in knowing you won’t be limited to archaic EDGE speeds. Mmmmm, 3G goodness via T-Mobile and the Sony Xperia X10. Who needs a drool cup…?
Android 2.1 is one of the most anticipated Android updates yet. For HTC Hero users even more so as they’re currently stuck at the now old as dirt 1.5/Cupcake edition making 2.1 all the more sweeter. The video above shows an HTC Hero Euro-model packing Android 2.1 w/ Sense UI. It looks hot and performs well. There’s only a few areas where some lag is noticeable. Though at this point in the game, lag shouldn’t be non-existent. But I’ll take what I can get for now. Watch the vid and leave your thoughts in the box inside. Just in case: There’s a heavy amount of techno music. I don’t mind it and actually find it catchy. Others will find it causes them to vomit organs. To each his own…
One of the greatest things about modern, mobile operating systems is the ability to download updates OTA (Over the air). While the iPhone requires you to tether up (hey, 200+ meg downloads on a mobile device via cellular network is gag inducing) and RIM + carriers haven’t really taken advantage of said feature in their current crop of Berries, that leaves WebOS and Android as the lone OTA updaters. Alas, it appears those rockin’ the open dev OS on Sprint will have to tether up a bit longer as commentary between Android and Me and Sprint’s David Owen. David goes on to say:
Likely to be a wired update (due to size) but you will be able to do online at sprint.com.
This statement was in regards to any Android 1.6 or 2.0 updates coming to the Sprint Hero. Sadly, his statement alone doesn’t give us any real sure footing as to a 1.6 or 2.0 update for Sprint. Though we can all assume that it will happen at some point or another. They can’t stay at 1.5 and expect people to be kosher with that. But we’ve seen stranger things…
Let’s get with the times guys and finally embrace this whole wireless update thing ok?
Well that was fast. Just a mere day or two ago we wrote about Android developer units getting builds of 1.6 (Donut) and that if all went well a public release would follow soon after. I didn’t realize they meant that soon after. Early adopters (that means you G1 owners), or more importantly, “select G1′s” will get the 1.6 update pushed to them sometime today with the newer, more touchy feely brother (MyTouch) having to wait another 24hrs. or so. The staggered rollout will give TMO some control if any bugs pop up. Bricking the entire U.S. Android community isn’t exactly something to boast about. All of this surprise info is coming from TMO News whom I might add is fairly spot on with their information. Though even this seems too good to be true — and we all know the saying that goes along with that feeling now don’t we? Still, it would be pretty sweet if TMO was in fact on the up and up with 1.6. If so, keep up the speed and will to succeed TMO. It’s mighty nice.
Anyone care to confirm/deny this supposed rollout?
**Update: T-Mobile U.S.A. has confirmed the update is ongoing:
The rollout of Android 1.6 (Donut) to T-Mobile’s G1 and myTouch 3G customers is now underway, and provides new features and software enhancements. The update also includes an important fix for isolated instances of system reboots after dialing 911. We have worked with Google and HTC on a solution, and the rollout of Android 1.6 is being accelerated to ensure the system reboot fix is rapidly delivered to our customers.
The over-the-air update will be delivered to all G1 and myTouch customers in the coming days. Given the system reboot fix, we strongly encourage all users to install Android 1.6 when prompted to do so.
Regarding new and enhanced features, Android 1.6 includes:
* An improved Android Market experience that makes it easier to discover great applications.
* An integrated camera, camcorder, and gallery interface.
* Updated Voice Search, with faster response and deeper integration with native applications, including the ability to dial contacts.
* Updated search experience that make it easier to search various sources, such as browser bookmarks & history, contacts, and the web, directly from the home screen.
Additional details on Android 1.6 can be found at http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-1.6-highlights.html
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Oh Dell Streak how you tease us with your massive 5″ screen and speedy innards. So far, you’ve remained a sort of forbidden fruit, flaunting your awesomeness but never quite telling us about your real self, or when we can hold you. But never more. Dell has come forward to dish the dirty details on your secrets — August 13th for $299 w/ 2-year AT&T contract or $499 w/o contract.
