froyo

Huawei introducing Ideos X5 Android phone

LAS VEGAS--Huawei will be pushing further into U.S. markets this week at CES. The mobile phone maker is expected to introduce the Android-powered Huawei Ideos X5 tomorrow, the first official day of the yearly ginormous electronics show.

The Ideos X5 runs Android 2.2 (Froyo), with solid midrange specs. It has a 3.8-inch touch-screen display (800x480 pixels) and an 800MHz Qualcomm processor, Engadget reports. We're also looking at a 5-megapixel camera that captures 720p HD video and a VGA front-facing camera. Higher-end Android smartphones are routinely showing 1.3-megapixel shooters on the front.

CNET Australia gave its … Read more

Android Atlas Weekly 28: The first dual core Android phone (podcast)

The first dual core Android phone, a whole new Android Market. All that and more on this week's edition of Android Atlas Weekly for Thursday, December 16th, 2010. Join Justin Eckhouse along side guest host, Senior Associate Editor Jessica Dolcourt!

News Stories

LG’s Optimus 2X is first dual-core smartphone http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-20025831-251.html

Rumor: Honeycomb will be released as Android 2.4 in February at MWC http://androidandme.com/2010/12/news/rumor-honeycomb-will-be-released-as-android-2-4-in-february-at-mwc/

Official Froyo … Read more

OoVoo Mobile takes on Qik, Fring for Android video chat

Fring, Apple FaceTime, and the Evo's Qik app for Android may have shone a light on mobile video chatting, but OoVoo is making good on an almost year-old promise by rolling out a new free app today that one-ups them all. Two things set the cross-platform service apart. First, in addition to two-way video chatting like Fring and Qik, it lets six callers video chat on a single line. Second, since Oovoo Mobile extends OoVoo's Skype competitor on Windows to the mobile phone, it doesn't restrict calls to mobile users, as does Fring.

Oovoo Mobile has most … Read more

Nook Color getting Android 2.2 next month?

Engadget posted a story today about the Nook Color titled, "Nook Color getting Android 2.2 and Market in January, current hacks could make it blow up." The title is certainly catchy (whenever you write about mobile products blowing up, the traffic tends to go through the roof), but we were a little concerned with some info in the post.

After talking about the potential hazards of hacking the Nook Color to run Android 2.2 and linking to PC World and nookdevs articles, the writer went on to say, "Thankfully, there is a much easier way … Read more

Gmail's Priority Inbox improved for Android

Google's Priority Inbox for Gmail has evidently been successful enough on the desktop that it's now moved to the Android smartphone. The new Gmail for Android 2.3.2 (compatible with Android 2.2 (Froyo) and 2.3 (Gingerbread) better supports the "Priority Inbox" e-mail filtering tool by showing off tagged e-mails in a view dedicated to the feature.

If you don't currently use it, you can activate and try Priority Inbox in the Gmail.com Settings from your desktop or mobile browser.

This version of the Gmail app provides some management options, including marking … Read more

If your phone runs Froyo, it should run Gingerbread

Since its debut earlier this week, Gingerbread has become a hot topic among current Android owners. Everyone wants to know whether they can get Android 2.3 and, if so, when they can expect it.

So far, HTC is the only handset manufacturer to indicate the latest release is coming to a handful of their products. LG, however, put a scare into their users yesterday when it stated via Facebook, that its Optimus line of phones would not see Gingerbread.

Though the new Optimus handsets run Android 2.2 "Froyo," the Optimus line allegedly won't see the … Read more

Samsung U.K. begins deploying Android 2.2 to Galaxy S

Samsung Mobile's U.K. Twitter account confirmed late last week that Android 2.2 is rolling out to the i-9000 Galaxy S handset. According to the tweet, the long-awaited Froyo update will hit "everyone" by the end of November.

Assuming that "everyone" includes only U.K. residents, we have to ask when other countries and carriers will see a similar update to their respective phones. The Galaxy S is available in more than 100 countries including the United States where it has been uniquely branded by the top carriers.

If leaked ROMs are any indication, … Read more

The hardware guts of your Android phone

When Microsoft prepped cell phone manufacturers about Windows Phone 7, they were crystal clear in defining the minimum hardware specifications each phone would have to support the mobile software--a touch screen, 1GHz processor, and 5-megapixel camera, for instance. Android's rapid development, on the other hand, makes minimum hardware specs murkier. They're documented but less understood than the distinctions between the software versions themselves.

As a result, we've combed through page upon thrilling page of compatibility documents to bring you the minimum hardware requirements of your Android phone and breaking down what that means.

Before we begin, note that Google has not posted documentation for Android 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, or 2.0.1; the company cites technical reasons. Also note that we omit comparing Apple's iPhone, BlackBerry smartphones, and Palm phones because they're closed manufacturing systems.

Android 1.6, 2.1, 2.2 (* not required for v. 1.6) Windows Phone 7 QVGA (240x320 pixels) touch screen Capacitive WVGA resolution (800x480 pixels) touch-screen display (eventually opening up to HVGA) (480x320 pixels)) Virtual keyboard support Virtual keyboard support n/a 1GHz processor Must have a USB connection that connects to a standard USB-A port No manufacturer skins like HTC Sense or Samsung TouchWhiz 92MB RAM; 150MB user storage 256MB RAM; 8GB flash storage 2-megapixel camera 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, hardware shutter button Home, Menu, and Back functions available at all times Start, Search, Back hardware buttons Wireless high-speed data standard capable of supporting 200Kbps; like EDGE, EV-DO, HSPA, 802.11g (Android 1.6 requires Wi-Fi) DirectX GPU support Accelerometer* Accelerometer Compass* Compass GPS receiver* GPS receiver Bluetooth transceiver* Bluetooth transceiver n/a Ambient light sensor n/a Proximity sensor n/a FM radio

'Must' versus 'should' While this list reflects the minimum requirements that Google imposes on manufacturers, it isn't the full story. The Android team makes many hearty recommendations in legalese that "may" or "should" be used when building Android-compatible phones. For instance, a Micro-USB port isn't mandatory, but it is encouraged, as are hardware buttons and a dedicated search key. The base storage requirements also appear low, but Google recommends 128MB RAM and at least 1GB of on-device user storage for things like the address book and photos.… Read more

Eclair holds slim margin over Froyo in latest Android report

Android phones running OS 2.1 or 2.2 now represent more than three quarters of all handsets on the market, says Google's latest platform version report. Though handsets with OS 1.5 or 1.6 haven't disappeared yet, yesterday's report has led some to suggest that fragmentation is winding down.

Released monthly, the report breaks down the various versions of Android to help developers decide how they want to code their applications. And, of course, it's a great way to gauge platform fragmentation.

Android 2.1 "Eclair" still leads the pack at 40.… Read more

Get the HTC Droid Incredible for free

The HTC Droid Incredible may not be the Rolls Royce of Android-powered smartphones, but it's definitely one of the Cadillacs. CNET awarded it four stars and an Editors' Choice--and that was back when it was selling for $199.99.

Starting today, Wirefly has the Droid Incredible for free when you sign up for a two-year Verizon contract. The offer is good for both new and existing Verizon customers, and even for add-a-lines and family plans (meaning you could get up to five Incredibles for free).

Shipping is free, though you will see a $35 activation fee (per phone) … Read more