Each of these PhoneSats is set to remain in orbit around our planet Earth for a period of up to two weeks. All three of the units have had transmissions received by multiple ground stations thus far, this ringing up as great news for those running the mission from Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.

“It’s always great to see a space technology mission make it to orbit — the high frontier is the ultimate testing ground for new and innovative space technologies of the future. Smartphones offer a wealth of potential capabilities for flying small, low-cost, powerful satellites for atmospheric or Earth science, communications, or other space-born applications. They also may open space to a whole new generation of commercial, academic and citizen-space users.” – NASA associate administrator for space technology in Washington, Michael Gazarik

Each of the structures that make up a PhoneSat includes a standard cubical structure approximately 4-inches square, an HTC Nexus One smartphone, and s set of sensors. Each setup also includes a lithium-ion battery that’s significantly larger than that of the original HTC Nexus One as well as a radio with significantly more power than the original smartphone provided so that messages can be sent from high distances above the Earth.

The video above shows an early test launch of an HTC Nexus One launched with a balloon back in 2012 – you’re seeing this video from the perspective of the phone, mind you.

The original HTC Nexus One provides many of the features needed to create the NASA PhoneSat “off the shelf” unit. Each PhoneSat employs a series of miniature sensors, relatively high-resolution cameras, GPS receivers, and more – and whatever else the mission requires that the HTC Nexus One doesn’t provide.

Each of the units launched in this mission cost NASA engineers between $3,500 and $7,000 USD – significantly less expensive compared to essentially any other type of satellite. These costs are relatively low due to NASA engineers’ use of mass-produced commercial hardware such as – you guessed it – the HTC Nexus One.

We’ll continue watching for this set of three Android-toting amigos as they make their trip through our atmosphere and back towards the planet over the next few days and – hopefully – weeks as well.

[via Cellular News]

This program has been announced to be taking off in 2013 by HTC this week, with the program having been initially revealed not long after the HTC Nexus One was first sent to the market in January of 2010. One of the most recent tests done with the Nexus One was a rocket launch back in July of 2010 when the smartphone was connected to a rocket. This launch worked with a Intimidator-5 on a CTI N4100 load and shows a whole lot of spinning action.

The mission that the Nexus One will be going on in 2013 has been made possible by a massive amount of tests over the years including thermal-vacuum chambers, extreme vibration tests, and again, high-altitude balloon flights. Using the Nexus One, a device that’s now tried, tested, and proven to be robust enough to function all the way up into space, NASA can make rather tiny (no more than 10 inches on each side) satellites that can probe the universe – or at least our own atmosphere for starters.

In an announcement of the timeframe by HTC, their own Global Community Manager Darren Krape mentions that it’s amazing how much NASA will be able to do with the Nexus One even though it’s now several years old. With the HTC devices out on the market today – like the HTC One X+, so much more will be rocking forth in the future as well – here’s to NASA and HTC’s continued partnership in space!

This release would have Google controlling the apps that run on the operating system they’ll release next to a greater degree, so says the tipster speaking with the WSJ as well. This soft of strategy would take what Google has done so far in working with HTC for the HTC Nexus One back at the start, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus more recently, and manufacturers such as Motorola (with the XOOM tablet) along the way to bring each new version of their software to the public in a vanilla iteration.

This tip may well be playing off the fact that Google is still in the process of taking control of Motorola and might have them working with both Samsung (who has been tipped already for the release that will come more than likely during Google I/O) as well as Motorola for this next release. One option here is that Google will work with Samsung for a tablet version of their Jellybean software and Motorola for a smartphone, but we will just have to wait and see!

Stick with us here on SlashGear for the full 4/11 on the situation as we inch nearer and nearer to Google I/O next month – we’ll be there live!

With AllJoyn, most of the work is done by developers before you, the user, ever gets it in your hands – this is part of what makes AllJoyn so excellent – you barely even need to know it’s there! The next thing that makes AllJoyn so enticing is its ability to connect devices together without a middle-man – you’ll see several different examples of ways this is happening in the videos below. Then there’s the support developers get from Qualcomm when developing with AllJoyn – there’s nothing like having an ultra-pro group of technical specialists there to help you when you’re working with a new technology, especially when you’re a developer on the rise.

Namco’s Pacman Kart

First peek at a presentation of Pacman Kart from Namco working on a pair of Sony Ericsson Xperia Play smartphones. Here you’ll hear how when both devices are connected to one another directly with AllJoyn – pay special attention to the end of the video where we speak on how these devices could be connected with their Wi-fi radios or their built-in bluetooth, AllJoyn not needing you to choose between them – it just works!

Phunware on a tablet connected to smart TV

Next take a look at a set of apps created by Phunware to work on a Qualcomm-powered tablet (an HTC Jetstream for those of you wondering) communicating with a Qualcomm-powered smart tv (powered by an S3 chip). You’ll find that the connection between the tablet and the television is in-sync because AllJoyn is communicating between the two devices with the radios built-in to either. The first example has an interactive trivia game controlled by the tablet. The next example has video playing on the television while related links and images appear on the tablet. The final example has a karaoke game that uses the tablet as a microphone, able then to play the song back with the voice you recorded the song in on the television immediately after you sang it.

JamJoyn music

JamJoyn is shown next, this an application custom-made for AllJoyn in which music is able to be controlled by several different devices all working with the same stereo. The devices used here are the HTC Thunderbolt and the HTC Nexus One (both running Snapdragon processors, of course) working with a Jawbone JAMBOX, each of them able to control the music by switching tracks, adding to a single playlist, and more. In this use case you’ll find the list of songs sitting below a control panel on both devices – the JAMBOX is connected to the Thunderbolt with an audio output cord, but both devices can control the jams.

Whiteboard

AllJoyn shows its power again with an app by the name of Whiteboard in which regardless of how many devices you’ve got open with the same canvas, anyone can draw and the canvas will be modified accordingly. Imagine the use of such a tool in an educational setting – especially in an art class! You could have a set of tablets all showing off the same piece of artwork with each one able to modify the rest – brilliant!

Fight Game: Heroes

We also got the chance to play the brand new mobile game Fight Game Heroes connected with AllJoyn on Qualcomm MSM8960 developer platform tablets. It was your humble narrator versus Cory Gunther and, believe it or not, I get knocked out in no time flat. Have a peek and see how versatile this system is on a couple of tablets made for developers only!

We’ll certainly continue to keep you updated on Qualcomm’s work with AllJoyn and will continue to bring you use-case scenarios as they appear on the mass market. Exciting stuff coming from a group that brings you not just the processor, but a network of finely tuned hardware in every device they work with. Developers get your thinking caps out!

“The operating system is thought through with the needs of the next three years in mind; it’s a wholesale revamp of the way people interact with the phone” Barra said of ICS, something that will come as cold comfort to Nexus One owners whose device was only announced in January 2010. Many will still be within their original two-year contract, forced to watch later Nexus adopters – who picked up the Nexus S after it was launched at the end of December.

As for Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmert’s recent comments that Android demanded a computer science degree in order to get to grips with, Barra was not impressed. “Android, especially this new version 4.0, is an incredibly intuitive platform – the best one we’ve ever built” he insisted. “There are power user features, but there is no need for an instruction manual or a computer science degree.”

We spent hands-on time with Ice Cream Sandwich back at the Galaxy Nexus launch earlier this week. The smartphone will hit shelves in November, with open-source code availability tipped for the same time. More details on Android 4.0 in our full hands-on.

Ice Cream Sandwich hands-on:

First, our own inside source who only goes by the name “Sam” and says he knows “the real business” has told us that what’s called “Nexus Prime” will be “polished with an antimicrobial surface that obliterates germs” in addition to the supposed fact that “the entire phone will be made of different grades of yet-undiscovered metals, all of them new to science.” In the past, we’ve dismissed such things, but with the specs we’ve got coming out of our ears today, you never know!

In addition to what was listed this morning, there’s an alternate set of specs that have been sent in to GSM Arena. These specs come from “a tipster from inside Google”. GSM says that they are “we’re buying what this guy’s selling”, so we simply must report: this device, codenamed Nexus Prime, will have Samsung’s own 1.5GHz dual-core processor – perhaps an upclocked Exynos like the Galaxy S II has? Next, this device will have, inside that same chip, a powerful dual-core GPU from Imagination – the same GPU as in the iPad 2 (PowerVR SGX543MP2). On the back of the device there’s a “8-megapixel, full 1080p HD video-shooting camera”, and the battery is a 2050 mAh. Oh, and a dual-mode GSM/CDMA radio inside, and 4.65-inch, 1280×720 pixels screen.

Sounds like rainbow magic!

This next one does too, though appears at least a little more conservative. First, Kellex of Droid Life tells us that their source, a supposed tester of the soon-to-be-revealed device, told them essentially the same specs as we saw this morning in the first post mentioned in THIS post. After that, there are three new bits: Notification Light, Camera, and Ice Cream Sandwich Updates.

Apparently instead of there being the standard four Android menu buttons below the display on this device, there will be a single multi-color notification light. Right in the center and near the chin of the device, there will you be getting all your rainbow updates. For the camera, once again we’re seeing a 5-megapixel camera, but like what Apple described for their iPhone 4S, this 5-megapixel camera won’t be ordinary, this one will, for example, take almost instant photos instead of the standard wait, wait, wait, click you’re used to.

Finally, Ice Cream Sandwich updates, Android upgrades here with this device are being pushed daily. This doesn’t mean that the device, once you’ve got it in your hands, will be updated daily, just that the Google team is still working furiously to get the system on this hero device to tip-top condition while testers continue to work out every last bug. That’s what we like to hear!

SO we’ll see you next Tuesday, when we’ll be in California LIVE for the big Samsung Mobile Unpacked / Google event where all of this goodness is set to be unveiled. Can you barely even contain yourself?

Oh my GOD the excitement!

Bonus! Here’s a new rendering of what the device might look like, courtesy of Nexus Primer, an unnamed Tumblr account with a real good eye for Photoshopping:

The file of which we speak appears on Samsung webpage nexusprime.xml and lets us know, through this user agent profile (UAProf), that the device, also code-named GT-I9250, will have a rather surprisingly small 480 x 800 pixel WVGA resolution display. One thing we can count on is the ability of manufacturers (especially one so sneaky and aware of publishers wandering eyes as Samsung) to falsify pre-release information such as this just to throw investigators off the trail. Another factoid to think about today is the fact that the Ice Cream Sandwich Android operating system this device is supposedly set to be carrying has been confirmed today to be coming out inside October/November of 2011, per Eric Schmidt speaking at the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco this week:

“We have a new operating system, internally known as Ice Cream Sandwich for some reason, which is being released in October/November, which everyone’s really excited about.” – Schmidt

You can see the rest of that keynote conversation here:

Another factoid to note is that the MMS Max Image Resolution, a number that is more often than not also the main camera’s stated resolution, is here written as 1200 x 1600. Will the Nexus Prime be limited in its camera size, or is Samsung just fooling wish us?

Also I’d like to take a moment to point out the source of the image below, so proliferated by publisher across the internet due to its awesomeness. This image is created by a mister ~nviii~Surberus, and you can find the rest of his artwork in his online portfolio.

[via TechRadar]

The OTA update will supposedly be hitting the Nexus S “in the next few weeks” and then arriving on other Android 2.3+ devices “in the future”; it will also bring bug-fixes for the original Nexus One. There are more details on Gtalk video calls in the help center.

Meanwhile, Google is promising another surprise for Nexus users, though right now it’s not saying exactly what that might be. No word on if there’s a manual way to trigger the Android 2.3.4 update, but we’re guessing one will be winkled out very soon.

Unfortunately, WiFi, phone, Bluetooth, audio and 3D graphics acceleration are all among the things not yet working, so this isn’t the ROM to choose if you actually want a functional smartphone. We’ll see the first official release at Android 3.0 Honeycomb on Thursday, when the Motorola XOOM is released.

[via Android Community]

The good news is that the official Gingerbread update will be coming for your device. The bad news is the only ETA we have is “in the coming weeks.” Yeah, that sucks. It’s sort of like your parents telling you as a kid that you could have that new game systems “one of these days.”

The tip on the update came from the Nexus Twitter account and read, “The Gingerbread OTA for Nexus One will happen in the coming weeks. Just hang tight!”

Via Android community

SlashHOLIDAY
If you’ve never witnessed the majesty that is the Star Wars Holiday Special, you’re in for a treat. This absolutely magical moment in Star Wars history has an urban legend attached to it that remembers George Lucas as saying “If I had the time and a hammer, I would smash every copy…” Why do we bring this 1978 one-time television event up now? Because TV Guide recently voted it Worst Television Holiday Moment of All Time – and I personally take any excuse available to mention a sociopolitical media extravaganza as wild as this of course, AND this gives me (and us!) the opportunity to present it again to you here now. Hooray!

[Via Gawker.TV]

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
Swype Beta for Android Gets A New Update
CyanogenMod 6.1 Now Available For Update
White iPhone 4 to be Launched in Spring 2011?
Windows Phone 7 Gets Cut and Paste

Android Community
Nexus S Review and Rundown by TechCrunch
Nexus One Owners: Have You Received Gingerbread Yet? [Update: Not for a Few Weeks]
Android 2.3 SDK Officially Released
Samsung W899 is twin Super AMOLED touchscreen clamshell
Google eBookstore launches with new eBook Reader for Android
ZDNet outlines the top Android phones
Big day for Android today says Notion Ink, NFC suspected
NOOKcolor Android 2.2 Froyo hack revealed [Video]
DK28 Froyo Test Build for Epic 4G
Sweet FRG83D Update for DROID A855 from Verizon
Android 2.3 Gingerbread Features and List of What’s New [BIG LIST]
MetroPCS will launch LTE Android Device in early 2011
PlayStation Buttons Found in 2.3 SDK [PLAY STA SHON]
Fring Updated, Bringing in ‘Dynamic Video Quality’
Samsung Creates 1GB and 2GB RAM for mobile phones and tablets
Motorola DROID X Gets Updated, version 2.3.340 brings in Madden ’11
Android 2.3 User Guide Available Now
HTC Desire 2.29.405.2 Update Available Now
Sony Ericsson Planning on Releasing Froyo for the X10?
Nexus S $529 unlocked confirms Best Buy

SlashGear
Nexus One Gingerbread OTA Update Due in a Few Weeks
BenQ DV S11 Camcorder Breaks Cover, Features Pico Projector Built-In
A Cartoonish Way to Prevent Cruelty
Google Nexus S official [FEATURED]
Acer Aspire 5745DG [REVIEW]
Sprint Network Vision will combine 3G/4G base-stations, boost voice/data/PTT
Verizon may pay Apple to lock out T-Mobile/Sprint iPhone tips analyst
Tony Hawk rides 630hp V8-powered skateboard
AT&T worst US carrier claims Consumer Reports
Low-bandwidth Skype custom app created for UN Refugee aid workers [Video]
FedEx expects to ship 16 million packages on December 13
Rear view cameras to become standard on just about all Ford cars
Verizon announces the first cities to get LTE service
Chinese netbook rips off Dell duo and Sony Vaio P
December 13 may be launch day for Mac App Store
World’s largest floating Christmas tree on display in Rio de Janeiro
New Facebook profile: Switching is super-simple
Cyber Monday was big, rest of week softened
OnLive and Vizio planning Netflix rival services tip insiders
$25 iPhone 4 at Radio Shack after discount & trade-in deals
AOL considers Yahoo! deal after potentially ditching dial-up
T-Mobile Galaxy Tab unlimited messaging restored after websales glitch
Apple credit card secrecy driving magazine publishers away
“Apple City” campus plans tip Norman Foster as designer
Facebook Profile Changes Rolled Out Today
Parrot AR.Drone [REVIEW]
Which is better: Short or long video games? [COLUMN]
http://www.slashgear.com/comparing-nexus-s-to-nexus-one-and-galaxy-s-and-choosing-between-them-06117930/ [FEATURED]
Thanko Presents AnyChair, Wonder Office Chair
APEN A2 Lets You Use Regular Paper to Record Written Word, Drawings [NEATO]
Custom iPhone 4 Features Diamonds and T-Rex Tooth, Costs $62,700 [MEANWHILE, IN GHANA...]
eJOUX Concept Design Shows Electronic Jewelry is the Way of the Future
Sony PSP2 Dead on Arrival, Says Analyst
HP’s webOS 2.0 On-Screen Keyboard Gets Shown Off in Video
Apple’s 42 Patent Litigation Actions Against Motorola and HTC, and Vice Versa

To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

Nexus S

This is the newest Android-based phone on the market and the first to run Android 2.3 Gingerbread. This is the fastest version of Android currently on the market, and this phone is announced to be carried exclusively on T-Mobile and you can only buy it from Best Buy (at least at first.) This phone runs Android 2.3 and is developed with input from the Android crew, thusly it of course runs Android UI. Radio connectivity is Quad-band GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 Tri-band HSPA: 900, 2100, 1700 HSPA type: HSDPA (7.2Mbps) HSUPA (5.76Mbps), battery is Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) (1500 mAH) with a possible 6 hours of talk time and 428 hours of stand-by. There’s no removable storage, 512MB of RAM, and 16384MB of internal storage. Connect with 802.11 b/g/n Wifi, Bluetooth 2.1, and GPS tracking. This phone is 63.0mm x 123.9mm x 10.88mm (w x h x d) and weights in at 129.0 grams. It has a 4 inch screen with WVGA 800 x 480 resolution. Inside you’ll find a 1GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) processor, around the edges you’ll see USB 2.0 and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and this device has an accelerometer. Nexus S has a 5.0 megapixel camera and Flash Video and additional features are thus: Contour Display, Near Field Communications (NFC), Three-axis gyroscope, Anti-fingerprint display coating, and Internet Calling support (VoIP/SIP).

Have a look at all the Nexus S news we’ve reported [here]

Nexus One

This is the predecessor to Nexus S. Inside you’ll find a very similar situation with the exception of, of course, Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Nexus One is carried by several operators: T-Mobile (United States), Vodafone (United Kingdom, Italy, Spain), KT (Korea), and Videotron (Canada), and is sold by Vodafone (United Kingdom, Spain, Italy), Korea Telecom (Korea), and Videotron (Canada.) Nexus One has the same situation going on as far as development, having been overseen by official Android developers on its way to the shop. It runs Android 2.2 Froyo and again has an Android UI. Connectivity is through 3 UMTS bands (either 900/AWS/2100 MHz or 850/1900/2100 MHz) HSDPA 7.2 Mbps HSUPA 2 Mbps GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz). Battery is a Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) (1400 mAH) which will give you 10 hours of talk time or approximately 290 hours of standby. Nexus One DOES have removable storage in a microSD card (4GB included, max 32GB), includes 512MB RAM and 512MB internal storage. Wifi is 802.11 b/g (AND n, as of Froyo, thank you AndyH_STi!), Bluetooth is 2.0, and Nexus One does have GPS. The device is 59.8mm x 119.0mm x 11.5mm (w x h x d) and weighs in at 130 grams. It’s screen is a slightly smaller 3.7 inches (the smallest of these first three phones compared) and is WVGA (800 x 480 resolution.) Inside you’ll find a 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD 8250 Snapdragon CPU, USB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, and an accelerometer. Camera is 5.0 megapixels, Flash Video included, and additional features include a second microphone for dynamic noise suppression.

Check out our Nexus One hands-on mini-review [here]

Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy S)

Samsung Vibrant is its own beast, being carried and sold by only T-Mobile (United States) and Bell (Canada – note, this version is actually the Galaxy S international, whose stats will end up being slightly different. Thanks xZeDgEx!) Inside you’ll find Android 2.1 with a TouchWiz UI, connectivity being GSM : 850/900/1800/1900 3G : 1700/1900/2100/. The battery on the Vibrant is a Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) (1500 mAH), putting it right in between the first two phones on this list for talk time (7 hours) and right on top for standby (510 hours.) You are able to insert a microSD card for removable storage, and Vibrant is exactly the same for RAM (512MB) and up high compared to Nexus One, right up near Nexus S with 16000MB. Wifi is the same as the Nexus S 802.11 b/g/n, and Bluetooth is the most advanced of the three with 3.0. Size of the Vibrant is 64.5mm x 122.5mm x 9.99mm (w x h x d), it weighs the least at 118 grams, and the screen is the same size as Nexus S at 4 inches and WVGA (800 x 480 resolution.) Vibrant has a 1 GHz CPU, USB 2.0 (all three phones have 2.0,) and a 3.5mm headphone jack, along with an accelerometer like the others as well. The only difference on the camera (5.0 megapixels) is the video, which isn’t the same Flash Video the others have. Other features include Swype and Video Messaging.

Check out more news from us on the Samsung Vibrant [here], then while we’re at it, why don’t we continue with a couple more Galaxy S phones? Yes lets do such a thing.

Samsung Epic 4G (Galaxy S)

This is a rather different phone from the rest, featuring not only a physical landscape QWERTY keyboard, but a front-facing camera as well. This phone is carried by and sold by Sprint in the US. Inside you’ll find Android 2.1 and a TouchWiz UI, connectivity is CDMA 800/1900 MHz EVDO Rev. A WiMAX 2.5 to 2.7 GHz, 802.16e, and the Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) (1500 mAH) battery will give you 6 hours talk time and 780 hours standby. There’s removable storage with a microSD card (16GB included, max 32GB), 512MB RAM, and 1000MB internal storage. Wifi is 802.11 b/g/n, there’s Bluetooth 3.0, and GPS. The size of this phone is 64.6mm x 124.8mm x 14.2mm (w x h x d), it weighs 155 grams, and the screen is 4 inches (notice a trend?) and WVGA (800 x 480 resolution). Also inside is a 1GHz CPU, USB 2.0, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Accelerometer, 5.0 megapixel camera, and Flash Video. Additional features include SWYPE text entry, Tactile QWERTY keyboard (I’d mention it again, but how many times is too many?), arrow keys, dedicated number keys, camera button, and TalkBack screen reader.

Check out our full review of the Samsung Epic 4G [here]

Samsung Captivate

This phone is sold and distributed through AT&T (United States) and Rogers (Canada.) Inside is Android 2.1 and TouchWiz UI, connectivity is provided by GSM : 850/900/1800/1900, 3G : 850/1900/2100. Captivate’s Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) (1500 mAH) battery provides 10 hours of talk time or 710 hours on standby, and it’s got a microSD card slot for removable storage. Also inside is 512MB RAM as well as 16000MB of internal storage. Wifi is 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth is 3.0, and GPS is inside. This handset is 64.0mm x 123.0mm x 9.9mm (w x h x d), 130 grams, and has a 4 inch screen with WVGA (800 x 480 resolution.) The CPU on this device is 1GHz, USB is 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, and it’s got an accelerometer. It’s got a 5.0 megapixel camera and no Flash Video. Additionally, it features SWYPE.

See our hands-on post of Samsung Captivate [here]

Samsung Fascinate

This handset is sold and distributed through Verizon in the USA and Telus in Canada (thanks xZeDgEx!) It features Android 2.1 and TouchWiz, connectivity on CDMA 800/1900 and EV-DO, Rev A 3G. The battery is a Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) (1500 mAH) with around 10 hours of talk time and 730 hours of standby. Removable microSD, microSDHC, and inside is 2GB of internal storage, 384 MB RAM, and 2048 MB internal storage. Wifi is 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, and GPS is inside. This handset is 64 x 125 x 10 mm (w x h x d), weighs 118 g, and has a 4 inch screen with WVGA (800 x 480 resolution). Also inside you’ll find a 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor, USB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, FM radio, and Accelerometer. 5 megapixels camera (with smile detection!), and no Flash Video.

Check out our full review of the Samsung Fascinate [here]

Samsung Galaxy S

You didn’t think we’d make a guide without the original, right? This phone has massive distribution, being sold on 26 carriers in over 10 countries. If you can’t find this phone at your local mall, you’re not looking hard enough. Samsung Galaxy S features Android 2.1 and a TouchWiz UI and connectivity is through EDGE (850/ 900/ 1800/ 1900) HSDPA 7.2Mbps HSUPA 5.76Mbps (900/ 1900/ 2100) CDMA (for Korea). The battery, a Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) (1500 mAH), gives you a massive talk time of 13 hours with a max standby time of 750 hours. Removable storage is microSD card (32GB included, max 32GB), there’s 512MB of RAM, and it ties for second on internal storage at 16000MB. Wifi is 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth is 3.0, and GPS is inside for all your mapping needs. Galaxy S is 64.2mm x 122.4mm x 9.99mm (w x h x d) in size, 119 grams, and has a 4 inch screen with WVGA (800 x 480 resolution). Inside also you’ll find that lovely 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird S5PC110, USB 2.0, a 3.5mm headphone jack, FM radio (this is the first phone on this list to have this), and an accelerometer. There’s a 5.0 megapixel camera, no Flash Video, and additional features are thus: Social Hub, TouchWiz 3.0, Swype, DNLA (connectivity with Samsung TV & Laptop), and ThinkFree Office.

Check out our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S [here]

So which one comes out on top? You’ve got some deciding to do. Stick with your Galaxy S? Or move to a phone that Google helped produce? Work with a phone that’s got software additions you might not like, or work with the closest thing to a base clean Android system you’re going to get? But wait, do you want a physical keyboard? Behold the epic choice between Androids! Do you pick one of these Android titans, or pick a different robot, one not even close to this heavy list? You’ve GOT TO CHOOSE!

While an official date may have been better, it’s understandable that Google wouldn’t have an exact date to go on quite yet. Of course, if the update is anything like the official roll out to Android 2.2 earlier in the year, it’s perfectly possible to see some lucky individuals out there get the update long before anyone else, or even before Google officially rolls anything out. If that does happen, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that the update finds its way onto the Internet.

So, if you’ve got yourself a Nexus One, it looks like you’ll have to be a little bit more patient for the update to land on your phone. Of course, “a few weeks” could mean that you’ll have a nice present waiting to be downloaded onto your phone by the time Christmas kicks off, so that’s something to look forward to.

[via Android Community]

SlashPIRACY
I’ll just leave this here and you tell me what you think about it. This is a quote from a spokesperson from the BPI (essentially England’s music industry, similar to USA’s RIAA) responding to Google’s recent tweaks to its search service like removing words associated with piracy from appearing on autocomplete: “It is encouraging that Google is beginning to respond to our calls to act more responsibly with regard to illegal content, … However, this package of measures, while welcome, still ignores the heart of the problem – that Google search overwhelmingly directs consumers looking for music and other digital entertainment to illegal sites” – these words basically repeated by Richard Mollet of the Publishers Association: “We hope that the measures announced today take effect quickly and that Google could then consider going further, so that illegal sites don’t appear in general free search results.”

[Via BBC]

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
Google Planning on Their Own online eBook Store
PSP Phone Spotted in Greece [caught on video]

Android Community
Pocket God hits Android, has issues
Speck launches new cases for Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S
Spotify for Android update suits tablets, speeds performance
Verizon’s 4G LTE Network Initial Impressions
Business Insider Ranks Google TV and Nexus One Among Top 15 Biggest Tech Flops of 2010
Google Doodles Now Available on Mobile Devices
Android Flash Player Updated 10.1.105.7
Galaxy S Android 2.2 Delay Addressed by T-Mobile – Maybe Due Next Week?
NOOKcolor Receives Full Teardown
Android 2.3 Gingerbread User Interface Demonstration [in Cantonese] [GINGERBREAD YAY]

SlashGear
Malcolm Fontier outs iMojito hybrid iPhone case and wallet
Verizon 4G LTE contract-free options confirmed
NASA find new lifeform: arsenic microbe widens likelihood of extraterrestrial life [BIGGEST NEWS EVER, EVER]
OnLive PlayPack $9.99 flat-rate gaming plan debuts as MicroConsoles ship
iPad bests Galaxy Tab in perceived value; neither live up to RRP
RIM adds The Astonishing Tribe to its team
Apple TV HD movie streaming delays frustrating owners
Samsung develops highest density LPDDR2 DRAM in industry for mobile devices
HTC watching tablet market and will focus on Android rather than Windows Phone 7 for now
ThinkGeek ships uber geeky Electronic Music Synthesizer shirt
XIM3 gadget breaks cover to let you bring other controller types to your Xbox 360
PeeWee launches new PeeWee Power 2.0 laptop for kids
Sanus outs new basic TV stands and no-drill TV mount
Amazon yank WikiLeaks hosting amid first-amendment furore [FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU]
Motorola wireless STB streamer due at CES 2011 to take on Slingbox [Updated]
Apple 3D patent details glasses-free display
UK to lead in 4G LTE roll-out, regulator Ofcom predicts
Advent Vega tablet back on sale [Update: all gone!]
Apple fiber-optic MagSafe cable patent tips potential Light Peak support
Fifty Percent of Xbox LIVE Users Are Gold Subscribers, So Says Microsoft
Wii Speak Phased Out by Nintendo …Maybe
New Right-Click Menu item for YouTube Allows Instant Time Link
NASA: The Definition of Life Has Just Expanded [A WHOLE NEW WORLD]
Concept Design Shows Smartphone Floating in Mid-Air to Charge Battery
Sony Aims for Life-Size 3D Holographics by 2022
Just admit it: We all want bigger HDTVs [COLUMN]
Logitech Revue Promoted by Kevin Bacon’s Biggest Fan
Apple Patent Application Suggests Pop-Up Radial Menus Could be Included in iOS 5
Angry Birds Seasons Expansion Now Available in Apple App Store [WEEE]
Advent Vega unboxing & hands-on [Video] [FEATURED]
4G Motorola devices in early 2011; tablets imminent & Verizon iPhone tipped for Q1

To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

Back when the Nexus One was announced, the Android smartphone market was lagging. Manufacturers needed a push to take the next step in hardware, and the 1GHz Nexus One, with its high-res AMOLED display and handsome chassis gave them that motivation. It’s a model that has continued to shape the segment in the almost twelve months since; Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon is still pretty much a standard, and the 3.7-inch WVGA screen has become the mainstream.

As Schmidt said, the Nexus One was “so successful” there was no real need to motivate the hardware race again. Already the Verizon DROID 2 Global has picked up the next 1.2GHz processor, neatly maintaining the silicon race, and dualcore mobile CPUs are likely to show up in force in Android handsets come 2011. Instead, the bugbear in Android today is fragmentation.

Contrary to the well-structured iOS ecosystem, Android has been plagued with issues caused by different versions of the OS rolling out from different manufacturers. The accelerated pace of the platform is partly to blame in itself, as Google pushes out each improved iteration in response to developer-submitted code, its own market share aspirations and in the name of keeping Android competitive with iPhone, webOS and other platforms. For consumers, though, it can be a frustrating mixture of hardware and software, where updates are handled not by Google but by an uneasy combination of OEMs and carriers. The fall-out over the rumors of the Nexus S itself are a good example: many would-be buyers dismissed the handset out of hand, when it was revealed that Samsung was the most likely manufacturer. The company has earned a patchy reputation for poorly supporting its Android devices with subsequent updates, though to be fair it’s by no means alone in that. The delays in Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA range getting even Android 2.1 are evidence of that.

In contrast, Apple rules iOS updates with an iron grip – not difficult, you might say, when there’s only one person manufacturing the phones – but Microsoft too has taken sole responsibility for their new smartphone platform. Windows Phone 7 updates will be pushed out by Microsoft themselves, despite various OEMs having stakes in putting out devices, as part of the company’s drive to better control the overall ownership experience.

How does a centralized software management system sit with Android? At face value, not well; part of the company’s ethos with Android has been its flexibility, with manufacturers free to either buy into the full Android experience – and get the coveted “with Google” branding and exclusive apps and Android Market access – or pick and choose their own custom installation instead. “The word ‘control’ is not such a strong word at Google” Schmidt said, going on to suggest that within three to five years we’ll consume most of our information online “on devices that are live not static.”

Google’s frustration, then, may be that while manufacturers have caught on to the hardware race – realising that a fast CPU and gobfuls of storage make for useful selling points – they’re not moving fast enough to keep pace with Google’s long-term data strategy. The sluggish release of ROM updates has made those “live” devices “static”, and when you’re fighting for as much access to user data as possible, that’s simply not good enough.

Will the “with Google” branding evolve alongside the Samsung Nexus S and become more stringent in its criteria? A commitment, perhaps, to leaving iterative updates in Google’s hands, or buying into a more holistic ecosystem that progressively reduces the slice of the pie that’s still languishing on earlier versions. With Froyo in the wild for some time now, the search giant can’t be pleased that OEMs are still using Android 2.1 for devices only now hitting the market; that was never the idea for their fast-moving mobile strategy.

So what comes after the Nexus Two – should we expect the Nexus Three on the cards in another twelve months time? Or, as the persistently simmering rumors suggest, might a Google Nexus Tab be more realistic? As the Nexus S has shown us, Google isn’t afraid to wade back into the hardware market when they’ve a point to prove or an example to set, even if – as with their failed plans to bypass carriers and solely sell devices direct – they’ve had their knuckles wrapped before.

Also supposedly, Google’s Chrome notebook is expected to be made by Inventec and will be shipping 60,000 to 70,000 units in their initial shipment. After this Chrome notebook is announced, the source that spoke with Digitimes reports that Acer and Hewlett-Packard will follow up with products in December. Both follow-up products will be manufactured by Quanta Computer.

[Via CrunchGear]

“It looks like Google is experimenting with the future of its mobile model in the UK. It tried releasing through a single carrier, now it is trying a single retailer.  It could be a solution to the problems it experienced when it tried to sell the Nexus One exclusively through its website. People like to be able to go to a store – this solves that” anonymous source

The Nexus Two would apparently run Android 3.0 Gingerbread, according to the rumors, though the OEM responsible for the hardware has not been identified.  Rumors that Samsung would be Google’s partner on this occasion, rather than HTC, have apparently been debunked.

The news conflicts with comments made by Google CEO Eric Schmidt back in July, when asked whether the search giant was planning a second-gen Nexus handset.  ”The idea a year and a half ago was to do the Nexus One to try to move the phone platform hardware business forward” Schmidt said at the time, “It clearly did. It was so successful, we didn’t have to do a second one.”

[via Android Community]

The Nexus One port seems to be the most advanced right now, though the UI doesn’t take advantage of the hardware acceleration on offer and so is a little slower than you’re likely used to from Android.  There are also a few errors, while although the touchscreen is working it does require rotating.

There’s more information on the various installations – and their current limitations – at xda-developers.

Last month the company insisted to Android Community that they would continue using Samsung’s AMOLED screens alongside Sony’s SLCD alternatives, though there’s no mention of AMOLED in this newest press release.  Instead, the company suggests that SLCD offers “a comparable visual experience to HTC’s current 3.7 inch displays with some additional benefits including battery performance.”

In fact, they say SLCD battery usage is five times less than regular LCD; considering one of the major selling points of AMOLED is its power frugality, that could be a big draw.  HTC tells us that they’re “committed” to both display technologies, and that we can “expect to see both types of displays in current and future HTC devices”, but we’ll have to wait until the first SLCD handsets arrive in order to find out just how comparable the technologies really are.

“HTC believes that both technologies offer exceptional user experiences, and we will employ both types of displays concurrently within our current product lineup.” HTC statement

Press Release:

HTC INTRODUCES SLCD DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY TO ITS PORTFOLIO

New Displays to be integrated into HTC Desire and Nexus One

Taoyuan, TAIWAN – July 26, 2010 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today introduced Super LCD display (SLCD) technology into a variety of HTC phones including the HTC Desire and global Nexus One later this summer. The SLCD display offers an exceptional natural balanced colour, clear contrast, broad viewing angles and improved power efficiency.

“HTC is experiencing high-demand for many of our phones, specifically our phones with 3.7 inch displays. The new SLCD display technology enables us to ramp up our production capabilities quickly to meet the high-demand,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “The SLCD displays provide consumers with a comparable visual experience to HTC’s current 3.7 inch displays with some additional benefits including battery performance.”

SLCD is the latest generation of LCD technology that offers improved performance from earlier LCD panels including approximately five times better power management. SLCDs also offer an enhanced viewing experience with wider viewing angles that are enabled by Sony’s new VSPEC III™ technology.

About HTC

HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

But that doesn’t mean you’re completely without options. You just need to be near the wireless carrier KT in South Korea, or Vodafone in Europe to get your hands on one. Oh, and there’s still some chance that Google will ship them out to registered developers, so that’s another route. But, alas, you won’t be ordering it from the short-lived Google Store. Hopefully you got one when you had the chance.

[via Google]

That includes a Froyo update for the Vodafone Google Nexus One as early as next week, with the carrier-branded device finally getting what unlocked users have been enjoying for a few weeks now.  Handy, since Google has announced that they’ll soon not be offering the unlocked version themselves, leaving it up to carrier partners to supply the phone.

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S is tipped to get Android 2.2 in September 2010, in France at least.  That’s particularly good news, as we found the Galaxy S’ processor to have plenty of promise when we reviewed the smartphone and expect Froyo to only make things better.  Remember, if you want to keep up to speed on Android, check out Android Community our sibling site; they’re pretty darn obsessed over there.

Meanwhile Nexus One handsets sold via carriers outside of the US – such as in the UK and Korea – will continue to be available.  Google’s Eric Schmidt has already confirmed that there isn’t a Nexus Two in the pipeline, believing that the first model did its job in driving advanced hardware adoption among Android smartphone manufacturers.

Unfortunately, those manufacturers also seem particularly inclined to augment the native Android experience with their own customizations, and the end result is devices that go long periods before being updated to the latest version of the Google OS.  Ironically, we can see a time when Google may have to consider another own-brand device, only to promote standardized software rather than improved hardware.

[via Android Community]

Video demo after the cut

Rather than wiping out the basic Android OS – which would rather limit your phone’s abilities to be, well, a phone – the Ubuntu install runs alongside the original platform.  The terminal runs in the background, while the Ubuntu X11 UI shows up in the Android VNC app.

Basically, once you’ve installed you can then run just about any Ubuntu code you like, as long as it can deal with the Nexus One’s 1GHz processor.  Your handset will need to be rooted beforehand, and NexusOneHacks says they also have it running on an HTV EVO 4G so even if you don’t have the official Google phone you may still be in luck.

[via Android Community]

Video demo of Peer-to-Peer gaming and more after the cut

Qualcomm demonstrated three devices – a Nexus One running Android, an N900 running Maemo 5 and a Dell notebook running Windows – all taking part in a local game, with automatically created peer-to-peer connections made over Bluetooth and WiFi.  As the video below shows, the game could search for local players, send out invites by itself and then manage whatever wireless technology the devices could support.  Play happens in real-time with minimal lag.  CEO Paul Jacobs also sees the peer-to-peer system as being used in multimedia applications, such as automatically showing photos or video on any nearby screen.

As for Unity, they’re working with Qualcomm to add the company’s Natural Feature image recognition system into their gaming development engine.  Natural Feature uses a shots from a device’s camera to calculate an individual signature based on target points on a person, object or glyph; those signatures are then used to track movement in real space, with the device superimposing digital content on top.

Mattel brought back its 40-year-old Rock’em and Sock’em flighting robots to Uplinq, taking advantage of the new AR technology.  The toymaker a printed battle-ring image and a pair of smartphones, with the robots themselves represented on-screen. Mattel developed the title entirely in the Android version of the AR add-on toolkit; however Unity CEO David Helgason says his company’s development engine not only works with multiple platforms – not just Android – but makes AR integration even easier.

Developers interested in taking part in Qualcomm’s AR challenge will be able to download the public beta of the Augmented Reality SDK later this Fall.  The SDK will be free, and will support Android 2.1 and higher.

According to Google, Nexus One owners should keep an eye on their notification bar for an update icon; the new firmware is being rolled out over the course of this week, and the search giant expects most handsets to be updated by Friday.  If you’re impatient you can download the same FRF85 package direct from Google here.  For instructions on how to install, follow this guide.

[via Android Community]

You can currently download the FRF72 beta from http://android.clients.google.com/packages/passion/signed-passion-FRF72-from-FRF50.bc033f9e.zip; of course Google could well take that down at any moment, though there are mirrors linked here.  If you’re looking for instructions on how to manually install Froyo, check out the extensive guide over at Android Community.

[via Android Police]

The Best of R3 Media

Nexus One, with Froyo, Launches in Korea: While the rest of the world waits for an official release date for Android 2.2, affectionately called Froyo, it seems like those in Korea, with wireless coverage from KT Wireless, may not have to wait any longer. Because it looks like Google is set to launch the Nexus One with Froyo right from the start. Which hopefully means that the release is right around the corner for the other Nexus One owners out there. We can keep our fingers crossed, at least. [via Android Community]

Nintendo 3DS Not Arriving in the UK Until 2011: You’ve got to hand it to senior executives at companies, they can just say whatever they want, whenever they want. Even if it’s bad news. For example, thanks to a senior exec from Nintendo, it looks like the 3DS, the new 3D mobile gaming platform from Nintendo, won’t be making it to the United Kingdom by the end of 2010. Apparently, it’ll make an appearance in those parts some time in the beginning of 2011. So, 3D fans out there, start counting down the calendar! [via SlashGear]

iPhone 4 Launching with 512MB of RAM: Truth be told, Apple’s never very open about the internals of their hardware. At least, not when it comes to their mobile phones. Sure, they’ll tell you how many gigabytes you’ve got, or the screen resolution, but if you want to know the RAM, you’ll have to wait until someone starts tearing them apart. Not this time, though. There’s confirmation out there that the new iPhone from Apple is going to have 512MB of RAM, which means double that of the iPad and iPhone 3GS. [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge ‘Net

Windows Embedded Handheld is Windows Mobile 6.5: While Microsoft focuses on Windows Phone 7, there’s still that lingering feeling that Windows Mobile isn’t completely dead. And, sure enough, it looks like Microsoft feels the same way. So much so in fact, that they’re launching Windows Embedded Handheld, which is built from Windows Mobile 6.5 technologies. They’re doing this, in hopes that they can speak to enterprise customers, so that when they launch a new enterprise-based Windows Phone 7 later in the year, or maybe even in 2011, they’ll be able to make the transition more comfortably. In the mean time though, Motorola’s launching a Windows Embedded Handheld device later this year (odd, we know), but it doesn’t quite yet have a price. [via Laptop Mag]

Camper for iPhone 4 Already on Premises: Well, this may be the most ridiculous thing we’ve heard all day. Despite the fact that the iPhone 4 won’t be out for another 7 days (by the time of this writing), there’s already someone out there, ready and willing to get their hands on that Retina Display. Unfortunately, there’s no word on where this is, but we’re hoping it’s not somewhere too populated. Sitting out there for that length of time probably means a lot of people will poke and prod him, and we wouldn’t want that. [via Engadget]

HP Slate: Windows 7 or Not? This is getting frustrating. When the HP Slate was debuted, it had Windows 7 on it. Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, had his fun on a stage showing it off, saying that it was the slate of all slates (or tablets). Well, considering HP just bought Palm, the house that built webOS, there’s some questions regarding the launch of the Slate, and what it means for its Operating System. On Thursday, speaking at the Untethered conference, Personal Systems Group CTO Phil McKinny said that using an existing OS on a new design, such as a tablet, means failure usually. In the same breath, he began talking up the goodness that is webOS. As for Windows 7? When asked directly about the future of it on the Slate, McKinny said that he couldn’t elaborate on the subject until after the acquisition by HP was completed. Very, very curious, to say the least. [via Ubergizmo]

Confusing matters, not every Android owner has been able to reproduce the fault.  Some have found that by holding two separate SMS conversations and switching between them (as replies arrive) mid-typing can prompt a switch, but the issue seems to be affecting devices with no observable pattern.  Currently the only workaround is to delete conversation threads when you’re done reading them, though that’s not likely to meet with particular enthusiasm from Android owners.

[via Android Community - Thanks Jeff!]

On the list for some tweaking are improvements in fps and audio quality, though you can see a demo video of what’s possible below (make sure to choose 720p from the quality menu, so as to see the full effect).  Full instructions and download links are here; let us know how you get on!

[via Android Community]

The person behind the whole thing? Sven Killig. Who, for the record, probably has one of the most unique, if not down-right coolest set ups we’ve ever seen for a computer desk. And while he had his fun rooting the Nexus One, he felt like his device should be doing more. So, obviously, he went ahead and cooked up his own line of code that would make the handset work as that aforementioned USB host. And now he can do crazy things with his phone, like connect a Bluetooth keyboard, or even a webcam.

Or, if you’re a fan of putting things on USB sticks, he was also able to watch some movies loaded from the accessory. He was also able to connect a monitor thanks to a DisplayLink USB-to-DVI adapter. The best part of all this? He’s got the whole thing demonstrated for you on video, but not only that, you can hit up the downloadable binaries from his website. And while he tried all of this on Android 2.2, which means its the only version of Android it’s been successfully tested on (at the moment), Sven believes that it will work on Android 2.1, too.

[via Sven Killig]

Video demo after the cut

We tried the app over both a WiFi connection and over a 3G connection, but it would only play nicely with WiFi; when we attempted to log in via the cellular network, SlingPlayer couldn’t get online (though other apps would).  [Update: We've spoken with Sling Media about the 3G connection issues we've been seeing, and they think it could be to do with the O2 network in the UK that our Nexus One is using; apparently they've seen similar issues with O2 iPhones.  They're looking into the issue and we'll revisit this when they have a solution; needless to say, they intend Sling over 3G to work on Android, and it's performing just as it should over US 3G networks.]

Image quality wasn’t as good as with local media but was still very watchable, and latency between on-screen button tapping and the PVR – in this case a DISH Network box – felt low.  Considering the Slingbox itself is in the US and we were testing the beta Android client from the UK, that’s impressive.

Since the app is still pre-release we unsurprisingly stumbled across a couple of issues.  Occasionally the stream would crash and then, when we restarted the app, it would throw up an error message saying that the Slingbox was already in use by another user.  Force-quiting SlingPlayer and re-opening it generally did the trick, but we observed the error even after hitting “Disconnect” in the app’s menu.  We also wished there was a persistent OK button on each screen, as sometimes a dialog on the set-top box would pop up and we’d have to change the set of controls we were dealing with so as to dismiss it.

Still, we’re guessing these will be ironed out in time for the full release.  No word from Sling on when exactly that will be – beyond the initial “Summer 2010″ they first mentioned – but from what we’ve seen we’re impressed so far.

SlingPlayer Mobile for Android demo:

According to Ry Guy, a Google Employee, the release of Froyo floating around the Internet, and installed on quite a few Nexus Ones out there, isn’t the official release. Plain and simple. Nexus One owners out there, whether they’ve upgraded or not, will still receive an Over the Air (OTA) update notification when Google does finally push out the update. Of course, that’s only if the official release is newer than the build that Google is releasing at the time. So, it’s perfectly plausible that you, with your manually updated Nexus One, will have the “final build” even before Google updates the rest of them.

Google is “striving hard to OTA the build to you ASAP,” according to Ry Guy. We should also mention that, as long as you upgraded your N1 from Google, and the update was from the Mountain View-based company, then you’ll be good to go when the official update comes rolling around. We’re still expecting it within the next couple of weeks, and some time in the “near future” for Motorola DROID owners out there. Of course, if you haven’t put Froyo on your Nexus One yet, and you’re curious about it, then read “Froyo is Delicious.” It’s worth it.

[via XDA Developers Forum; Thanks, Paul!]

1. Tethering and WiFi Hotspot. This is probably the single biggest feature of the new release. Integrated into Froyo is the capability to share your phone’s data connection either tethered to your PC over USB or as a WiFi hotspot, similar to a MiFi. In practice it works well and I had no problem connecting several devices including an iPad (irony noted). The only question will be as Froyo gets rolled out to carrier handsets, will they keep this feature on and intact? If they do, will there be an extra charge for it? For example, the iPhone has had tethering via USB and Bluetooth as a feature of the OS for nearly a year and you still can’t use it in the US.

2. Enterprise Exchange support. This has been a huge shortcoming of the platform to date. Finally native Android can sync Exchange calendars in addition to email and contacts. There’s also support for PIN requirements and features such as remote wipe. Overall security still isn’t quite up to snuff (for example, content on microSD cards can’t be encrypted) but Google has probably crossed or is getting very close to good enough for business use of Android.

3. Speed. The Javascript engine for Froyo comes directly from Chrome and it’s fast. Overall the whole OS seems much snappier than Android 2.1. Things in general happen much faster with better performance.

4. Enhanced Tweaks. There are some nice little tweaks that just make Android less of a hassle to use every day. For example, there’s finally a view in contacts that lets me sort by last name and not first. There’s also a little button at the top of the Gmail app that makes it easier to switch between accounts (alas, there’s no unified inbox view yet).

5. Flash support. I wrote about it last week and it’s here and it works. Froyo supports Flash. As I prefer to work in applications where possible and not use a web browser, this was less of an issue for me but it was still nice to browse, hit a Flash site and not see an error.

There are also a few things that still need work.

1. Apps break. I had more than a few apps that just didn’t work, including Google’s Finance app (which won’t let me sign in). I figure that developers will get this stuff fixed pretty quickly but it’s always the price to pay for being the first to upgrade to a new OS.

2. There’s still no Android game I’ve seen worth playing. The largest category of apps on my iPhone are games. The ability to now have apps live on an SD will hopefully help this situation somewhat but, at the moment, Android is not a gaming platform IMHO.

3. Sync. Still no easy way yet to get music from my iTunes library to my Android. Google did show some impressive streaming tech that will allow this but it’s not available yet and it’s not clear when it’s coming. There’s also still no way to sync with desktop clients such as Outlook or iCal. Android is more than ever a cloud based system and that either works for you or it doesn’t.

Overall, I’ve been pretty impressed by this release. Google continues to refine the Android experience, making it more usable and more useful. If you have a Nexus One or other 2010 stock Android device, it’s a no-brainer upgrade. If you’re using an older device or have a device with heavy vendor customization, it’s likely to take some time for this release to get to you and I’d probably wait to see how well older devices handle the updated platform. Google’s rate and pace of OS updates has been impressive and there’s no sign it’s slowing down. Next stop, Gingerbread, but we’ll have at least a few months before we get to sample Google’s next dessert.

In fact, there are three guides on offer, depending on whether your Nexus One is unmolested or has been loaded with a custom ROM.  The easiest way is from stock firmware; however if you’ve installed a bootloader during a custom ROM it’s also pretty straightforward.  Trickiest is taking a rooted device, unrooting it, loading the ROM and then rooting again.

All three are detailed here and there’s plenty of support if you have questions or are concerned you might brick your handset.

xda-developers have done their usual wizardry and released a generic Froyo download which can be installed as long as you have a basic unrooted, stock Nexus One ERE27 (you can check that by going to Settings and choosing “About Phone”). The update process is apparently straightforward, and it’ll even leave your existing settings, wallpapers, apps and other customizations in place; still, as with any significant software change we’d recommend doing a backup before you start.

Curious as to what Android 2.2 gets you? The headline features are a mean boost of speed, Flash 10.1 support and WiFi tethering; check out our round-up from Google IO last week for all the details.

“If your phone was launched this year, we will most likely offer an upgrade for it to the Froyo version. This includes popular models like the Desire and Droid Incredible as well as hotly anticipated phones like the Evo 4G, MyTouch slide and upcoming models. We will announce a full list of phones and dates once we are closer to launching the upgrades. We are working closely with Google and our other partners to ensure we have the earliest access to everything we need to provide a complete and solid Sense experience on Froyo. We expect to release all updates in the second half of this year but can’t be more specific yet.” HTC

That’s the official word from HTC as told to Android Central, with the takeaway message being that if you haven’t got a 2010 model year Android handset from the company then you perhaps shouldn’t hold your breath.  What that means for the popular HTC Hero – still awaiting its Android 2.1 update in Europe – is unclear.

HTC are apparently prioritising the Droid Incredible and Desire, according to Pocket Lint, though owners shouldn’t get their hopes up for an imminent release.  Android 2.2 with HTC Sense won’t be ready until the second half of 2010, unfortunately.

[via Android Community]

The CDMA variations of the Nexus One have all but fallen off the map. Perhaps, in fact, entirely off the map. With Verizon opting out of the deal because of their recent launch of the HTC Incredible, and then Sprint deciding to say no to the Nexus One as well in light of the EVO 4G‘s release not even a month away, the only two version of the Nexus One available in the United States were of the GSM variation. So, not much to go on. And now, Andy Rubin of Google has officially announced that, starting now, the Nexus One will start being sold in retail stores around the world. And that means it’s going to not be sold in the Google Phone Store.

To add to it, Google is saying that the Phone Store will now just be a “window to showcase a variety of Android phones available globally.” So, in just four months Google’s Phone Store has become nothing more than a window shopping tool. Though, this does mean the Nexus One will start being sold in retail stores, so that may be good news to some people out there.

[via Google's Official Blog]

The phone itself is priced from free on new, monthly agreements of £35 ($51) or more, and marks the first occasion that the Nexus One has been officially available in the UK without buyers needing to import it from the US.  It goes up against the HTC Desire, similar in specifications and price; for more, check out our head-to-head comparison.

[via Twitter]

After the Incredible launched on Verizon’s network, there were a lot of people saying that there didn’t seem to be much of a reason for the Nexus One to make an appearance. And, sure enough, Verizon realized much the same thing and scrapped the launch. Now Sprint has apparently done the same thing. Why? Because of the HTC EVO 4G, of course. A far more impressive device in just about every shape and form, apparently the higher-ups at Sprint don’t really see a reason to go through the Google Store for the Nexus One.

So, if you were one of the people out there that got excited about the potential of the Nexus One on the Now Network, consider your excitement dashed on the relentless rocks. But, the EVO 4G is still coming out this Summer, so maybe it’s time you start considering the upgrade. Though, we imagine you’ve already done that. You want that WiMAX, 4.3-inch goodness, right?

[via Engadget]

A message on the official Google Nexus One blog, meanwhile, reiterates that message, flagging up the new Vodafone UK preorder launch and suggesting that the Droid Incredible makes for a marvellous alternative to those wedded to Verizon.  The Incredible, incidentally, is currently up for preorder, with deliveries expected to begin from April 29th.

It’s unclear whether this means there will be no official CDMA Nexus One, or whether Google are merely filling in the time before the handset becomes availability with a quick boost to another device that runs their OS.  Personally, if you insist on sticking to Verizon then we’d point you to the Droid Incredible over the Nexus One, if only for the higher-resolution camera.

[via Gadgetell]