android

Report: T-Mobile ready for Google phone launch

The ethereal Google Phone could arrive as early as January 5 on T-Mobile's network, according to a report.

That's according to TmoNews, a blog that obsessively tracks the movements of T-Mobile. It says it has obtained an internal training document that mentions the Google Phone, thought to be the Nexus One phone distributed to Google employees earlier this month.

In the document, T-Mobile informs its employees that "the Google Android phone will be sold solely by Google via the Web," backing up other reports that Google is about to make a radical departure from its previous … Read more

Android, iPhone users not so different after all

Data from a new report shows that the iPhone may finally have a true competitor with Android phone users' profile appearing very much alike that of iPhone users'.

According to eMarketer.com, the marketing intelligence firm comScore found that 37 percent of U.S. mobile users had heard of Android in November 2009, up from 22 percent in August, and "likely due to the Verizon Droid ad campaign." More interestingly, "17 percent of mobile users in the market for a new smartphone in the next three months planned to buy an Android phone compared with 20 percent who would pick up an iPhone."

The report also shows that usage patterns for Android and iPhone owners were very similar in terms of media consumption, Web browser, and application usage, but e-mail usage on Android devices oddly tracked behind that of other platforms. This is likely because of the immaturity of the e-mail application that ships with Android and not a change in use patterns.

This news obviously keeps the iPhone in the dominant position, but shows that other smartphones finally present a real challenge. It's notable because BlackBerry and iPhone users have always seemed worlds apart, whereas Android users seem to be using their devices at parity with the iPhone crowd.

The fact that the Droid runs on Verizon instead of AT&T no doubt helps with data usage, though only time will tell if Verizon can handle the traffic or if T-mobile can handle the pressure of a huge influx of new Google Nexus One phones running Android. … Read more

App store downloads shine on Christmas

Apple found a nice Christmas gift under its tree this year.

App Store downloads for the iPod Touch were 1,000 percent higher on Friday, Christmas Day, than the average of the three previous Fridays in December, according to a report released Monday by research firm Flurry.

Downloads for the newest generation, the iPod Touch 3G, soared more than 900 percent on Christmas, noted Flurry's "2009 Holiday Report: Christmas Growth." But the 1,000 percent leap in iPod Touch downloads overall may have been triggered by a flood of iTunes gift cards, believes Flurry.

The rising popularity … Read more

Nexus One could be Android's catalyst

With all of the recent leaks and hands-on experiences littering the internet lately, I think it's safe to say that the Google Android Nexus One is all but a foregone conclusion. So rather than spending more time debating whether it will ever hit the market or how it will be sold, I'd like to talk about what it could do for Android when it does arrive. Will it be a game changer? Will it take out a certain phone from Cupertino?

By now it should be fairly obvious that no singular handset will be an iPhone killer. Taken … Read more

Open source became big business in 2009

Open source has long been an important development methodology. The biggest surprise of 2009, however, was just how quickly it took center stage as a business strategy in the larger software economy.

The reason? Google.

It's not as if open source as a business strategy is anything new. After all, the industry has been chattering about the business benefits of open source for nearly 10 years.

But not on Google scale. And not with the cachet and brand of Google blessing the idea. Despite the impressive sales and profits that Red Hat and other traditional open-source companies consistently deliver, … Read more

Android eHow app: Get and share advice on anything

So Christmas, as awesome as it has always been, is now over, and you're wondering what to do next. Well, I don't have an answer to that. However, if you already know what to do but just wonder how to best do it and you happen to own an Android-based phone, then I have something for you.

It's an app that can be used for basically anything, called eHow from Demand Media, the owner of the popular eHow Web site.

The app basically puts all the functions of the Web site and more in your palm. I … Read more

New Android phone? Start with these free apps

If you're staring down at your shiny new Android phone wondering which apps to try first, hit up our list before you download anything else. Great applications proliferate on Google's Android platform, and our Android Starter Kit is merely a sampling of the best free software plucked from the Android Market.

Our top picks mostly represent practical stuff, like a task manager, (way cooler) browser alternative, and phone tools. It isn't exhaustive by any means. In fact, we welcome you to chime in with your own essentials in the comments of this post. However, our roll call … Read more

Beyond file managing basics

Lost track of something on your phone? The free Astro File Manager presents a folder view of your phone, including program folders for third-party apps and the contents of your root system folder. A swipeable toolbar along the top helps you navigate through the directory, and contains buttons to start a search, edit an entry, bookmark a folder, and so on. In addition, Astro File Manager also kills tasks, sends files as attachments, and creates and stores backups of your apps. Astro's file manager also packs some powers to zip up files in addition to reading ZIP and TGZ … Read more

Gmote for Android

When is your Android phone more than a phone? When you turn it into a combination keyboard and mouse to control your computer. After installing a free Gmote server app for Windows, Mac, or Linux, Gmote creates an ad-hoc Wi-Fi connection with your computer--unfortunately, if you don't use Wi-Fi, you're stuck. The on-screen controls can stream music from your computer, launch movies from afar, navigate the Web, and control a presentation. It's not as powerful or sophisticated as some apps we've seen for iPhone, but it does the trick, and without charging a dime. Unless you … Read more