Google’s Android operating system has proven itself a growing force to be reckoned with as adoption rates among manufactures and consumers continue growing at considerable rates. I feel that Android 2.1 has finally reached a point where it is ready for the mass market. I’ve also had the opportunity to use a Nexus One with the next release 2.2, AKA Froyo, for the past month or so, and have found it even more ready for the mass market and perhaps even the enterprise.
We've been pestering HTC for a new Android smartphone with a physical keyboard for months now, and it looks like they've quietly acquiesced. njuskalo.hr managed to grab a few live shots of what's believed to be the HTC Vision, pretty much the HTC Desire blessed with a slide-out QWERTY 'board.
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HTC has publicly released the source code for the Android 2.1 firmware build of their Hero smartphone, opening the door to a new batch of hacks and modifications. Available through the HTC Developer site, the firmware is also accompanied by the kernel for the HTC EVO 4G.
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Updates for the HTC Desire, Legend and Wildfire aren't far off, as HTC has confirmed that they're planning an Android 2.2 Froyo roll-out - complete with HTC Sense, of course - sometime from Q3 2010. According to the company's UK team, the three handsets are among "several of our 2010 models" that will get the updated version of the Android OS, which their engineers are currently hard at work on.
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The HTC Wildfire is the company’s second attempt at a budget Android device, its predecessor being the underspecified and relatively unloved Tattoo. Packing the same Sense UI as more expensive siblings like the Legend and Desire, together with a 5-megapixel camera and a multitouch-capable display, does the Wildfire manage to be both affordable and feature-rich? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Sprint has confirmed that an update for the HTC EVO 4G is in the works, that will update the WiMAX-capable smartphone to Android 2.2 Froyo as rumored earlier in the week. The new firmware will bring Flash support to the EVO 4G's browser along with Bluetooth voice dialling and improved Exchange ActiveSync support, as we've seen on other Android 2.2 devices. Meanwhile, judging by Sprint's phrasing, the EVO 4G won't be the only 2.2 device the carrier has planned.
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The Samsung Galaxy S isn’t the only Android 2.1 smartphone to arrive here today; we’ve just taken delivery of the HTC Wildfire, the company’s new entry-level smartphone and quite the mini-Desire and promptly shot an unboxing video and shared some hands-on first impressions over at Android Community. Packing a compact 3.2-inch QVGA capacitive touchscreen, 3G/UMTS, HTC Sense and a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, the Wildfire walks the tightrope between budget and functionality, and it seems to do a whole lot better than the Tattoo it replaces.
Video unboxing after the cut
HTC's new Aria smartphone has been made official on AT&T, with the compact touchscreen Android handset expected to make its sales debut on June 20th. The HTC Aria has a 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen - like the HTC Legend - together with an optical joystick and HTC's Sense UI, and runs Android 2.1.
There's also Bluetooth, WiFi and 3G/HSPA, together with a 5-megapixel camera on the back. If you're thinking that the Aria's physical design looks familiar, you're not wrong: HTC have used a similar style to the HTC HD mini, down to the soft-touch rubber back plate and the exposed screws holding the whole smartphone together. Of course the big difference is that the Aria runs Android rather than the HD mini's Windows Mobile 6.5.3.
Video demo after the cut
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HTC have opened their corporate purse and bought Abaxia, a French firm that specialises in creating customised software for operators and cellphone device manufacturers. The terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed, but the two companies have worked together previously; Abaxia currently offer several homescreen UI packages, which integrate carrier logos, identity and services into device OSes, pull mobile search into the homescreen, and - with their "Open Platform" - can push data, such as adverts, social networking information or live web content, to idle screens.
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HTC Taiwan have announced that, starting today, the Android 2.1 update for the GSM HTC Hero will be going out via OTA distribution. Affecting only Taiwanese handsets at present, the news nonetheless suggests that HTC are ramping up for a more general release of the long-awaited software.
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Long anticipated, hugely specified and just plain huge: there’s a lot to like about the HTC EVO 4G. The first WiMAX phone in the US brings with it the promise of DSL-like mobile data access along with the flexibility of Google’s Android OS, complete with HTC’s now-legendary hardware quality and flexible Sense UI. On the flip side it’s nowhere near cheap and WiMAX coverage is marginal. Is this new superphone faster than a speeding bullet, or is that just how quickly it drains its battery? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Google weren't shy about confirming Android 2.2 Froyo's star features at Google IO yesterday, but definitive timescales about when Android-addicts (other than developers) could actually get their hands on the OS were in short supply. That's beginning to slowly change, with the official Google IO Twitter account announcing that the Nexus One would get Froyo in the "next few weeks". As for other manufacturers, so far only HTC have stepped up with their plan.
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