Seven demo videos of what looks to be Android Firmware 1.0 after the cut

The reference device was working in a worst-case scenario: primarily, it could not lock onto a 3G signal, and so all the browsing you see is being done at EDGE speeds.  It was also a relatively generic Qualcomm prototype design, with non Android-specific buttons.  That led to a few usability problems, which could be blamed on the hardware design rather than the Android OS.  Finally, although the prototype we were using had a touchscreen, the driver was temperamental and as such we had to use the D-pad to navigate most of the time.

Despite being relatively small, the screen is VGA resolution and Android looks fantastic.  Menus load quickly, and everything seems consistent across apps.  We weren’t allowed to properly load up the IM client, which will out-of-the-box support GTalk, AIM, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! IM accounts, and the browser (which Google have already confirmed is based on the same underlying technology as their recently-announced Chrome desktop browser) did not have the Flash plugin needed to play YouTube videos. 

However, we think you’ll agree that these are evidence that Android is almost ready for prime-time.  None of the Qualcomm people we spoke to knew any information on absolute release dates, but based on our hands-on experience, we certainly don’t doubt that the most recent September 23rd prediction could easily come true.

More information at Android Community.

Live Demo of Android Browser pt.1

Live Demo of Android Browser pt.2

Live First-Look of Android IM Client

Working Version of Quake on Android

Android Phone calling iPhone

YouTube interface on Android Phone (no Flash)

Android Firmware 1.0 (?) Full Settings Menus

News of the Helio Ocean 2 leaked earlier on this year, together with photos of the device in action.  Keeping the dual-sliding form-factor of the original Ocean, it’s suspected to have a 3-megapixel camera with 30fps video recording, together with a touch-sensitive navigation pad.

While the Virgin execs we spoke with could not discuss any of the device details, they did confirm that the Ocean 2 is a work-in-progress and that it will be hitting the market sometime in 2009.  In fact, all of the devices and services Helio had on their drawing board – and the language used in the meeting suggested that it was more than just the Ocean 2 – are earmarked for release under the new brand umbrella.

Helio subscribers should not notice any significant change to their service; in fact the only two differences will be an increase in included minutes on the $80 talk plan (from 1,500 to unlimited) and the introduction of some of Virgin Mobile’s social networking apps and tools to the Helio download store.  On the flip-side, Virgin Mobile customers will begin to see Helio apps and services crossing over to their devices; this will include tools like Buddy Beacon.  The company is also considering making the Sugar Mama service – where users can earn extra minutes in return for watching adverts, filling in surveys or giving brand feedback – available to Helio users.

While you’d expect them to spin it as such, it all seems positive news for subscribers to both carriers.  Virgin Mobile USA users get more advanced functionality and 3G access, while Helio users have the backup not only of SK Telecom – who remain in the picture as a Virgin shareholder – but the promise of new service development.

Update: Virgin Mobile Helio Ocean 2 is in the SlashGear house!

Each handset can geo-tag photos via A-GPS, while the N85 is also capable of capturing DVD quality video at 30fps.  The slider also has ten pre-loaded N-Gage titles, and special gaming keys that light up when the handset is held horizontally. 

The N85 has a 2.6-inch OLED display, comes with an 8GB microSD card, and has both Bluetooth A2DP and a buit-in FM transmitter.  Meanwhile the N79 comes with a 4GB card and access to navigation and more than 15-million Points of Interest courtesy of a three-month licence to Nokia Maps. 

In our hands-on, both handsets felt sturdy and had the usual responsive Nokia keypad.  The N85 seems a reasonable mobile gaming device, though the screen is perhaps a little small for it to look to replace a PSP or DS; as an occasional distraction, however, it works fine.  The white N79 was a surprising color success, with the high-quality plastics giving a more expensive feel than the press photos might have suggested; five different exchangeable covers are available, in red, blue, brown, white and green.

Both handsets will ship in October 2008, priced at around €350 ($488) for the N79 and €450 ($627) for the N85.

Other features are relatively standard – a 2-megapixel camera with video recording and speaker-independent voice recognition is about the height of things – but the Highnote is really all about music.  Stereo A2DP Bluetooth support is present, for use with wireless headphones, and memory is expandable via microSD card up to 16GB.

Hands-on, the Highnote is pleasant if not especially outstanding.  Sound quality from the built-in speakers is certainly not going to replace your hifi, or even a reasonable pair of standalone powered speakers, but are enough to enjoy a few tracks without resorting to headphones.  The show floor was too loud to properly test the speaker-independent voice recognition, but build quality feels fair.

The Samsung Highnote will be available on October 19th, in red or blue, priced at $99.99 with a new two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

The inMotion MAX also has a digital FM radio, high-contrast LCD capable of showing RDS data, and touch-sensitive buttons.  It’s rechargeable battery is apparently good for 3.5hrs; we’ll be reviewing the speaker dock over the next few weeks, and letting you know exactly how well it performs.

As for the inMotion Moondance GLOW, the size is a little smaller than the MAX but it adds a multicolor LED lighting system.  Twin 3-inch speakers provide the sound – whether from an iPod, another PMP or the integrated FM radio – and while the system isn’t quite as powerful as the MAX it still holds its own for the bedroom use Altec Lansing intend.  Two remotes are supplied, a standard and a “wireless snooze” control; Altec Lansing assured us that even if you launch the wireless snooze across the room in a fit of sleep-deprived hatred, it’ll still work.

Finally, what Altec Lansing are calling “the industry’s first 2.2 desktop speaker system”, the Expressionist BASS.  Unlike traditional 2.1 systems, which use twin speakers for treble and mid frequencies and a separate subwoofer unit, the Expressionist BASS integrates two smaller 4-inch subwoofers into each desktop speaker.  The result is a more compact, less wire-tangled setup, with sound quality that in our demonstration sounded just as good as an independent sub.

The Altec Lansing inMotion MAX (iMT702) and Moondance GLOW (iM402) systems will be available in October 2008, priced at $199.95 and $179.95 respectively. The Expressionist BASS system will have a MRSP of $129.95, again launching in October.

Extremely lightweight and with reasonable quality plastics, the Flip 8220 has two clear screens – the outer 128 x 160 LCD and the 240 x 320 LCD – and uses RIM’s new OS which scales well onto a display that’s smaller than that of the Bold.  The SureType keyboard is actually the same size as other Pearl handsets, since the Flip 8220 matches the candybar-format range with a 1.97-inch width.

We have to say we were surprised by the Flip; it’s obviously a new direction for RIM, and while our initial impressions might have been only fair, actually playing with the handset has gone some way to changing that.  If the promised 14 days standby/4 hours talktime battery life lives up in real-world use, this could be the Pearl to go for.

RIM are yet to announce specific release dates or pricing for the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, but it will be available in the Fall.  T-Mobile will be the first US carrier to offer the device.

Check out hands-on feedback on the Touch Pro and S740 after the cut

The Touch Pro, also fresh to Sprint, has the same super-speedy EvDO Rev.A data connection, together with a keyboard that is one of the better hardware QWERTY’s on the market today. In fact, having more time with the smartphone than we did with our initial hands-on, we take back the few criticisms we initially made – the Touch Pro is solid, this latest iteration of TouchFLO 3D does the best job yet of masking Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro, and there’s little lag or stalling in use.

As for the S740, this was perhaps HTC’s surprise device – surprising in that, while you might assume a Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard smartphone would pale a little compared to its touchscreen brethren, the S740 is actually a very nice handset. The design and feel is reminiscent of a B&O device, being sturdy and feeling high-quality; the keyboard slide is firm and precise, with no evidence of looseness in the mechanism, and the front panel buttons are tactile and responsive. Unfortunately HTC still don’t believe the market in the US is looking for a device like the S740, and so they have no plans to distribute it outside of Europe.

We’ll be taking a closer look at Sprint’s new handsets over the next few days, so keep reading SlashGear for the full reviews.

(Left: Eric Lin, Middle: Keith Nowak (formerly with Nokia, now with HTC Americas) and me.

For starters, we were live at CTIA Wireless 2008 this past week. While at the show we saw a growing trend of devices adding WiMAX support, specifically for Sprint’s upcoming network some of those devices include a new Samsung Q1, a new version of the Everex CloudBook called CloudBook MAX, and Nokia’s new N810 with WiMAX built in. Pwnage, the iPhone hacking tool, was released by the iPhone development team.

Vincent got some hands on time with ATT’s latest marketing tool, Microsoft’s Surface technology which can now be used to check, compare, and view the features, functions, and specs of various devices. Microsoft officially announced the upcoming release of version 6.1 of its mobile OS as well as an upgrade to Internet Explorer Mobile to 6.1 with new features mainly pertaining to accessibility and ease of use, there were a few feature upgrades though including H.264, Flash, and Zoom/Pan support for the mobile browser.

Sprint released their new Instinct mobile phone which actually has a really good shot at offering up some competition to the iPhone, and if nothing else it’s a damn good phone on its own and will make a fine addition to Sprint’s lineup. We found out that Palm had sold over a million Centro’s, Plantronics dropped their latest fashionable headset, and ATT dropped their new mobile navigation service.

We summed up the ever mounting evidence of an impending 3G iPhone release, to that we now have to add that 20+ Apple stores are sold out of iPhones with what seems like no intention to restock, that will likely, hopefully, be a growing trend across the country as they prepare to release a new model, hopefully with 3G. We also found out that the Asus Eee, with Windows XP, is coming to Best Buy soon, also from Asus we found some rumored pictures of the upcoming Eee Desktop PC. We got the HTC Shift in for review with its CDMA/EV-DO chipset, ready for one of your two favorite carriers using those technologies.

On the gaming side of things, we got a partial list of tracks for the upcoming Guitar Hero Aerosmith game, there was some FCC paperwork regarding a potentially new PS3 model, and we found out the new Guitar Hero: On Tour, a version of the game for the Nintendo DS Lite, will also work with the original DS. Guitar Hero Mobile is coming BlackBerries, also we found out Qualcomm’s Android platform along with the Android OS can play Quake, and some Hotels are even starting to offer Guitar Hero as a form of entertainment available within the hotel. Colorware started coloring your Guitar Hero controllers, Sony axed the SIXAXIS in favor of the new DUAL-SHOCK 3, and Comcast employees with a lowered set of morals can and will end your Xbox Live hacking session.

Well that pretty much wraps us up for what happened this last week. Stay tuned for this upcoming week as there are several exciting bits of news to come, I already know of a few, but you’ll have to wait until at least tomorrow to find out what they are.

For those of you that don’t know, H.264 plus Flash equals YouTube video playback. You can also get full screen on that YouTube video instead of squinting at it as it occupies a miniscule corner of your already small screen.

For some, really strange, reason they were showing off the YouTube capabilities using a video of some waterskiing squirrel. They were also showing off the new zoom features of the browser that allows you to view full sized web pages.

[via PhoneMag]

With this table you’ll be able to set devices on the table and get a list of features, and much more information. You’ll also be able to put two of these devices next to each other on the table and get a side by side feature comparison of the two.

They will also make it so you can use the table to explore coverage maps, monthly plans, and service agreements, it’s really quite amazing. They also plan on adding the ability to set your device on the table and then drag and drop ring tones, graphics, video, and other DLC right onto your phone while it’s on the table. The first stores to be blessed with this fairly amazing technology will be in NYC, ATL, San Antonia, and San Francisco with the program expanding beyond that based on customer and employee feedback.

[via PhoneMag]

It has a single-chip WiMAX setup provided by GCT Semiconductor. Basically this will be the ultimate notebook for road warriors offering up maximum connectivity, minimal weight, and a compact form factor.

With this notebook you’ll get up to 4 hours of battery life, 2GB of DDR RAM, an 80GB HDD, S-Video out, Audio in and out ports and all that packed into a package that weighs less than 1kg and measures in at 240x175x27 millimeters. It should be shipping within a year, no more exact availability info was available and there was no price released at this time, but it sounds like these relatively cheap notebooks are wedging their way into the market as the things that higher end notebooks actually have to compete with, I mean who would have ever thought the Czars would be competing with the Serfs for power?

[via PhoneMag]

On top of the new updated Q1 Samsung is also pimping out a new E100 PC card which also offers up XOHM connectivity to devices you may already own. Both are truly impressive and are being showsn off at CTIA this week.

The Q1 you can expect sometime this fall and will probably remain close to the $1000-$1100 price tag of current models. The card on the other hand will be available in June for an undisclosed amount, the card will presumable be available from Sprint.

[via PhoneMag]

Along with WiMax you get the standard fare of GPS, WiFi, a 4.13-inch touch-screen, slide out QWERTY keyboard, Webcam, and 2GB of integrated storage space. Other than the WiMax upgrade, the only other upgrade is the latest version of the OS, OS2008.

The new OS will be available to N800 and older N810 owners for free when its released. The new OS features Chinese character rendering in the browser, a new email client, support for RSS feeds, and a new Seamless Software Update service. Both the new OS and the new Nokia N810 WiMax Edition will be available this summer, obviously the new model will only be of use to you if you live where they have WiMax coverage, but provide wherever you are does, you should be good to go.

[via PhoneMag]

The phone itself has a widescreen display that is touch-sensitive and offers up haptic feedback. The phone also has Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP so you don’t have to use wires with your headphones while watching TV on the device.

Did I mention the phone looks pimp as hell? Check out the pic of it next to the iPhone, pimp as hell, also the phone has a 2MP camera with video capabilities and a microSD card slot that will support up to 8GB of card storage.

[via PhoneMag]

The phone has EV-DO Rev. A, GPS, and a Sprint/Samsung customized UI for near iPhone-like ease of use. There are other iPhone similarities including the Sprint Music Store, Navigation, TV, Visual Voicemail and a full HTML web browser, all of which, save for the a la carte music downloads, included in Sprint’s new Simply Everything $100 a month plan.

The home screen is customizable, kind of like the iPhone, it also has Bluetooth, with audible caller ID, expandable memory up to 8GB, a 2MP camera/camcorder, voice activated functions galore, threaded text messages, Mobile Sync, and the ability to operate as a modem. The dimensions of the device are a slim 2.17×4.57x.49 inches with a weight of 4.4 ounces, it also has a Li-Ion battery that provides up to 5.75 hours of continuous talk time. More pics after the jump!

Sprint’s going to be spending around $100 million on parading this little guy around, and with good reason too. This has all of the features, save for the integrated flash storage and OS X OS, that the iPhone has, and then some, that’s to say that it truly bests the iPhone and might actually be a serious competitor to the ATT exclusive device. The only part where I could see the Instinct being outdone by the iPhone is in the battery life department, but 5.75 hours of doing one of the most battery intensive functions a mobile device can do is still pretty respectable. More to come as we get it.

[via Sprint]

Mio is smart enough to see into the not so distant future where large POI libraries and basic navigation isn’t going to cut it any more. Instead companies’ PND devices are going to be judges on the types of real-time info they can offer up, convenience at its best.

Thusly they are making a preemptive move in that direction. They have prototypes of these devices at CTIA this week, but the final product will be up for sale later this year, so keep your eyes open.

[via Mio]

Personally I am just wondering if you’ll have access to all 5 frets or if they are sticking with the three frets that previous mobile versions have offered up. When you first download the game you’ll get 15 tracks including “Cherub Rock”, “Miss Murder”, “Monsters”, “Suck My Kiss”, and “Trippin On A Hole”.

Then each month they will offer up 3 more tracks that you can download and play. After a year there will be over 50 tracks available for download and up to 150 unique levels spread across 3 difficulties to play through. The game should be available on all 4 major mobile carriers by sometime this month.

[via GuitarHeroMobile]

This way you don’t have to worry about buying this device and then having to spend another $100 on tips that you are likely to lose, they are all already built in. There is also space enough to hold your spare change, money, wallet, keys, etc. alongside your iPod, cell phone and Bluetooth headset as they charge.

Personally I’d love to have one of these as I’m constantly charging 2 mobile phones, a Bluetooth headset, and my iPod, and occasionally a pair of Bluetooth Headphones, and currently I use whatever fitted hat I wore that day to throw it all in, so this would definitely be a more organized method of temporary storage and charging. If you want one they will cost you $129.95 and are available from BlueLounge, FrontGate, and BlueLounge retailers this spring.

[via BlueLounge]

On top of all that the text on screen is made to be really easy to read and the speaker can amplify the audio beyond what most other cell phones can for those that have deafened a bit over the years. There is a large display with prominent buttons, and the one touch emergency response button.

The emergency response button can be set up to call and/or text message up to 5 different people, one of them would hopefully be 911. This phone, should it pique your interest for a loved one, should be available late this summer, but they are taking pre-orders now.

[via Clarity Products]

The only exceptional functionality of the ROKR speakers are their fold out slim candy bar design and the fact that they are actually powered, by 4 AAA batteries, instead of just passively powered by whatever device is cranking tunes to them. The speakers also come with an extension cable so that the speakers don’t interfere with any FM radio signals that whatever you hook up to them might be trying to receive, and they last about 12 hours on those 4 AAA batteries, which is kind of impressive.

The speaker will be available sometime this spring for an as yet unknown price, I wouldn’t expect the speakers to be much over $60 if that.

[via Motorola]

Windows Mobile 6.1 itself includes a lot of much needed features as well including making the most needed info easily available at a glance, quicker set up for a phone, and some features developed specifically for phones with small screens. They are also unleashing some new enterprise based IT-level software for Windows Mobile 6.1 including System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 or you can use Exchange Server 2007 SP1 with the new software for the ultimate experience for IT pros.

From the home page you should be able to glance, see, and respond to missed calls, text messages, upcoming calendar events and notifications. There will also be the ability to play music from the home page on your Windows Mobile 6.1 phone; there will even be the option to share photos on the home screen. Performing tasks such as setting up email, pairing a Bluetooth headset, or connecting to a WiFi network should become a lot easier with the new Getting Started Center.

They’ve added in threaded text messaging, the ability to flag, select and delete, and otherwise manipulate multiple messages at a time instead of having to do it all on a single message basis. They’ve also added in the ability to zoom in on both texts and pictures and on web pages so you can view an entire web page all at once or zoom in on a certain section so you can read it. Sadly the new IE won’t be available until Q3 this year and there was mention of Windows Mobile 6.1 not being available until the end of the second quarter this year.

[via Microsoft]

Featuring Plantronics’ AudioIQ technology for clear calls, their VFrame structure, and an overall design more reminiscent of a piece of jewelry than that of a Bluetooth headset, this thing looks amazing. Even better yet, the little case that comes with it, isn’t just a case.

The case also charges the headset while its in your pocket, briefcase, or bag. There are three color choices that open up the headset to both men and women, there is Onyx Black, Alchemy Gold, and Cerise Pink, each with glass beads and a fire-blasted enamel-like finish.

The headset will give you 5 hours of talk time, and I’m sure that standby time is probably around 200 hours or something like that, meanwhile the case provides a long enough charge for another 5 hours of talk time, so with the combo you should be set for a full days worth of talking. They are calling it a “tech-cessory” due to its high technical functionality, extremely clear call quality, yet fashionable appearance, it will be available sometime this month fro $149.99.

[via Plantronics]

That means you can leave the card inside and use it as a regular flash drive which its properly sized for, or you can yank the card out of your mobile phone and use this thing as a card reader to empty up the pictures and videos you just watched or change out your music playlist. There are two models, one for Europe, the middle east, Asia, and Africa, that would be the 990, then one for North America, the 992.

Both units are also backwards compatible with EDGE and GPRS networks, which should make traveling a breeze. All the drivers and applicable applications are stored on the device’s internal memory and they both also come with monitor clips and USB extension cables, no word on price, but they’ll be available the 3rd quarter of this year.

[via NovatelWireless]

Video after the jump