Fresh off the news that Acer is joining the Open Handset Alliance and releasing an Android phone in Q4 2009, we have reports that an Acer Android-powered Netbook will be coming earlier than that: in Q3 2009. Details are predictably sparse but a real live Android netbook should garner some interest, especially if it releases as early as July.

Though we're still unsure about how Android will translate to the netbook scene, we're more than excited to find out. Hopefully we'll get more details soon!

[via wsj]

No one really has any clue what the London HTC Press Event on June 24th will be about. Our friends over at WMExperts are pulling for a Windows Mobile device but here at Android Central, we would love to see the HTC Hero pop up live and in living color. Our Windows Mobile brothers and sisters do have history on their side, the Touch Diamond was released at a similar event a year ago. But don't give up hope yet! Nothing has been confirmed.

Cross your fingers and hope to see the HTC Hero!

We know we weren't the only ones drooling over the HTC Hero Rosie on the T-Mobile G1. If you saw the video tour, it was just mind-blowing, gorgeous, and to die for. Luckily, haykuro over at XDA developers has just made it available for download and though we don't think we're going to port this to our personal T-Mobile G1 yet, we suspect a few of you will.

Obviously, if you don't know what you're doing...stop right there and just enjoy your Cupcake. This process is a bit more difficult than just load and pop. For full instructions, check out the thread here.

Maybe if we can find some free time over the weekend, we'll give it a go...

[via engadget]

The Canadian Countdown for Android just hit zero and that means the HTC Dream and HTC Magic is now available for purchase to our friendly neighbors to the north. Oddly, when we hit the Rogers website, the 'Revolution' page isn't clickable--we couldn't find any more information on pricing, length-of-contract, etc.

But we do have some leaked information on Canadian HTC Dream and Magic pricing courtesy of Best Buy: $149.99 with a new 3-year contract, $45/month voice and data plan. The full retail price of the phones is rumored to be $599.99 without a contract. A picture detailing the purported prices of the HTC Magic and HTC Dream is after the jump.

We don't know if Best Buy and Rogers will have the same pricing, but we'll update the post if they do end up differing.

thanks for the tip John and Gilbert P!

All signs have been pointing to Acer joining the Android Phone brigade and it's finally official: Acer has announced that they're joining the Open Handset Alliance and bringing an Android Phone to the market by late 2009.

The Open Handset Alliance and its members work towards the develop Android and stay committed to openness. Currently there are over 40 members in the Open Handset Alliance and the number hopes to grow even larger in the future.

With so many Android phone announcements, that 18-20 Android Phones in 2009 prediction is looking more and more likely.

full press release after the jump

If you're interested in Android Netbooks, we may have the first one to get you excited. What you'll see in the embedded video after the jump is an Asus Eee PC 'smartbook' prototype that runs Android on a 1GHz Snapdragon chipset by Qualcomm (as opposed to the typical Intel Atom chip).

What's so cool about this is not just the Android part, it's that this prototype is fanless. The Snapdragon chipset consumes so little power that there's no need for a fan to cool down the computer! Can you imagine the battery life? The thinness?

Check out the video below if you're interested in this cool Asus Eee PC prototype!

[engadget]

We can't tell you how haykuro does it but the man is amazing. He continues to feed us video after video detailing the future of Android. In this particular video we get to see more of the sleekness that is the HTC Hero's ROM. It's really a joy to watch. We don't know if we'll ever see this on a consumer Android handset but if there's a way to easily get this onto our devices, we'll definitely sign up.

The video is definitely worth a watch, if only to brighten up your Monday morning.

[via androidguys]

We've been suggesting that there's a difference between Google and Android for quite some time now. And it actually turns out that we were right (kind of)! Specifically, there are three different types of Android phones that can offer three entirely different experiences. So though some Android phones may look exactly alike, they could very well be the same device running three different versions of Android. 

Here's the specifics (NYT):

• The Obligation Free Option: device manufacturers can download a free version of Android, load it onto their devices and provide access to as many or as few apps as they want. But the manufacturers cannot preload popular Google applications, like Gmail or Google calendar.
• The Small Strings Option: Same as Option 1, except that manufacturers sign a distribution agreement to include Google applications on the phone. Of the 18 to 20 phones coming out this year, Mr. Rubin said, 12 to 14 subscribe to this option.
• The Bigger Strips Option (or the No Censorship Version): This option is the "Google Experience" Option. You can determine the phones in these categories by the Google logo (like the T-Mobile G1). Google Applications are included, Android Market access cannot be blocked. Of the phones coming out this year, five or six belong to this category, Mr. Rubin said.

We've heard a lot of reports about the OpenMoko FreeRunner making its way to Android before, in fact we've already seen it running Android. What's new now is that Koolu, a Canadian company, is less than two weeks away from shipping the device to buyers with a 'full consumer' edition being ready by the summer.

It's definitely been quiet since we first heard about OpenMoko and Android but hey, it was always the logical conclusion, right? But with so many Android devices coming out already, we think it might be a little too late for the FreeRunner to do any damage. There will just be more compelling offerings than an EDGE only device made by a (relatively) unknown company.

Anyone excited?

[via cnet]

Unfortunately, the purported promotional video showcasing the HTC Hero has been pulled from Youtube. What we can gather is that the famed 'Rosie' GUI is the main attraction--widgets, new clocks, control bars and more all pop up more than a couple times. Also, it looks like the HTC Hero will be available in 7 different colors: black, white, teal, yellow, pink, mustard, and red. We guess HTC is hoping that the multiple color options will hide the fact that the HTC Hero is a poorly designed device.

It's interesting to know so much about a device that has yet to be officially announced. Reports have pointed to Orange UK being an exclusive carrier but honestly, we don't know other release details. As familiar and excited as we are for the HTC Hero, we highly doubt that we'll pick the Hero over forthcoming Android Phones. How about you guys?

[via androidcommunity]