Android

It's the end of an era. T-Mobile announced this evening that it will discontinue its Danger data service to all Sidekick models starting May 31, 2011.

At that time, you will no longer be able to access data stored on Danger's cloud-based service, including contacts and photos. Internet and e-mail service will also be cut off. If you wish, you can still use the Sidekick for calls and text messaging.

T-Mobile will begin sending out letters to current Sidekick owners tomorrow to alert them to the change and provide information about transferring data and transitioning to a new … Read more

Welcome to the 411, my column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have similar queries, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

Question: I'm a Verizon customer, and very soon my upgrade is up. I've had a Motorola Q, and now a BlackBerry Tour, and quite frankly, I love having a QWERTY keyboard without all the slide-out stuff. However, I'm also totally a techie, and while the Motorola Droid Pro seemed like my dream phone at the time, that came out quite a while ago in "cell phone years," and from what I read it was just "OK." I'm thinking I might have to switch to a more touch-screen-based phone, since they get all the best capabilities, but I really don't want to if there is something else on the horizon.

Is there something that I should just wait on that would be more for me, or am I just likely stuck with either the Droid Pro, or a more touch-screen phone like the iPhone (which I will definitely wait for its future versions since Verizon is switching over to 4G, and the current Verizon iPhone is already in a way dated) or one of the many droids?--Jonathan, via e-mail

I wouldn't want to force you to switch to a touch-screen phone if you're not quite ready, but you're right that the touch screen is where it's at if you want a high-end smartphone.… Read more

The iPad is so far ahead in the tablet race, you could be forgiven for thinking the game is over. But it's not. Just as Android phones eventually caught up to--and, in some metrics, overtook--the iPhone, so, too, could Android whip the iPad. Here are five ways it could do that, according to a survey of developers conducted by Appcelerator and IDC.

Losing a cell phone is never an ideal scenario, but Sprint is now offering smartphone customers an additional protective measure if their handsets go astray. Starting today, Android and BlackBerry users who sign up for the carrier's Total Equipment Protection plan not only can get a new phone, but also they'll be able to wipe their missing handsets.

The service, which will be included in the plan's $7-per-month charge, offers a number of features. Subscribers can back up and erase contacts on the lost device, remotely lock a smartphone, and track a device via GPS while seeing … Read more

China Unicom, one of China's three largest wireless operators, plans to introduce its own mobile operating system to compete head-to-head with Apple's iPhone and Google's Android OS in China.

The Wall Street Journal reported today that the wireless operator, which is building a third-generation wireless network that competes with China Mobile and China Telecom, is developing a new mobile OS brand known as "WoPhone."

The new operating system is based on Linux, and it's geared toward mobile handsets and tablets. Companies that plan to build devices using the new OS include China's ZTE, … Read more

HTC has confirmed that at least four of its existing Android smartphones will see Gingerbread in the second quarter of this year. A company representative informed SlashGear that update would arrive on the Desire, the Desire HD (the global version of the Evo 4G), the Desire Z (the global version of the T-Mobile G2), and the forthcoming Incredible S.

Looking at HTC's track record for releases, I might also look for Gingerbread to come to Sprint's Evo 4G, Verizon's Droid Incredible, and a few others. What's more, I anticipate that the Wildfire S and Desire S will get Android 2.3 as well, considering they, too, were announced at Mobile World Congress earlier this month.

As mentioned, the T-Mobile G2 and myTouch 4G are U.S. versions of the Desire Z and Desire HD, so expect those handsets to get the update as well. Depending on how far apart the Android updates get, these phones should be powerful enough to handle another release or two.… Read more

The Motorola Droid Pro is a fair approximation of a BlackBerry handset, minus the inferior keyboard and the fact that it doesn't come close to matching Research In Motion's security measures. Add the Divide for Android app, launching today in private beta, and suddenly the handset has a chance of fulfilling business professionals' Android dreams.

The awkwardly named Enterproid start-up has created an app (and platform) called Divide. It adds a secure, corporate-friendly business profile to the Android phone, akin in concept if not in technical specifics to a partition on your computer's hard drive.

With it, … Read more

It seems that in-app purchase problems are starting to affect Google too. Reports surfaced Thursday that the company removed an app over a violation of "payment rules."

Earlier this week, Google notified one of its developers that the developers' free app, Visual VoiceMail, was being pulled from the Android Market. The reason given was that the app violated a section of Google's developer agreement that covers pricing and payments, according to a report on GigaOM.

While Google hasn't been clear about the exact violation, Jonathan Hollander of PhoneFusion, makers of Visual VoiceMail, believes the problem is … Read more

On today's show, we visit the horror that is the We Dare game for Wii (really!? REALLY!?), celebrate the expected disappearance of content spam from Google search results, and geek out on the details of Thunderbolt. Plus, bigger ads on HuffPo that might not be a bad thing, the Xoom rooted in two hours flat, and Computer Love! --Molly