Jerry Hildenbrand's blog

Everyone's pretty certain that the Droid 2 Global will be launching on Nov. 11, but we love confirmation.  These shots from Verizon internal systems are music to our ears ... err, eyes.  Above you see both colors with a big "coming soon" label attached, and after the break we have shots of both colors with that Nov 11 date in tow.  1.2 GHz? Check.  Two colors? Check.  Do want? Check.  Hit the break to see the other shots.  Thanks, you-know-who!

As our friends across the pond settle in for the night, Samsung UK has announced that the Froyo update for the Galaxy S has started to be pushed to devices.  As you can see above, they hope to have everyone in the UK with a Galaxy S running Froyo by the end of the month.

What exactly does this mean to those of us in North America?  It means that things are pretty much on schedule (Froyo was to be pushed in the UK in September), so keep Kies up to date and be on the lookout.  [@samsungukmobile]

Using the new Facebook single sign-on feature, Sibblingz, in partnership with Crowdstar, has announced that it is bringing the popular Facebook game It Girl to Android.   For those unfamiliar, It Girl looks like an MMO game designed with the young lady in mind.  I predict it will be wildly popular, much like it is (Sibblingz reports over 4.5 million active monthly users) on the Facebook website.

Whether or not an RPG that takes place at the mall is your style, seeing this type of gaming on Android is great.  Push notifications, single sign-on, and cross platform with iOS sounds like a real recipe for success, and Sibblingz looks to be one of the pioneers here.  All of us here wish them the best, and we're already on the lookout for future titles.  Full press release is after the break. 

Motorola has sent out the test version of the 2.1 update for the Backflip to a limited group of people.  If you're not one of them, no worries -- the download is out there for the taking -- or at least until it's taken down. Here's what to do:

• Charge your phone fully.  This could take up to 40 minutes according to AT&T, but our tipster says about 15 minutes.
• Grab the file right here.
• Copy it to the root of your SD card (not inside another folder), and make sure it stays named "Blur_Version.3.0.1390.MB300.ATT.en.US.zip."  Sometimes Windows likes to add to the file type extension, so double check.
• Tap the menu key > Settings > About Phone > System Updates and look for the update. Your Backflip should find it, install it, and reboot.

When you restart (this process may take a while!) you should be running Android 2.1.  Our friend also says that you may experience apps force closing, this can be fixed by uninstalling, then reinstalling.  Good Luck!  Thanks anonymous friends!

Update: Actually, it looks like Moto's ready to go with this update as soon as testing's over. You can find the entire Backflip Eclair update page here, and the release notes here. (pdf)

Got a T-Mobile G2 and don;t feel like waiting for the OTA?  Don't blame ya one bit, neither do I.  Good news is that T-Mobile or HTC doesn't have some sneakiness at play to prevent us from manually updating the G2, just like any other Android phone, and here's how to do it:

1. Download the update from Google's servers here.  Make sure it's named update.zip.  Not update.zip.zip, or anything else but update.zip  Check Google to see how to view file extensions for your computer operating system if necessary.
2. Plug your G2 into your computer, and copy the update.zip to your SD card, making sure you don't put it inside a folder.  Drop it right on the top level (root) of the card.  Have a look here if you need further instruction about transferring files.
3. Shut off your G2, and power back on while holding volume down.  When you see the white screen, choose recovery and hit the power button.  When you see the picture of the G2 with the red triangle, hold volume up and power to see your menu.
4. From the menu, choose Apply sdcard:update.zip, and let it do it's thing.
5. Enjoy your OTA, without waiting for the carrier.

As always, this is the same as applying the OTA.  We're just not waiting for T-Mobile to send it to us -- instead we went and got it ourselves.  (If you've hacked into your G2 a bit, check out the instructions at MoDaCo for a safe upgrade.) Now all that's left is to hit the G2 forums and discuss what's new, and what's bugged in the OTA!

The Android Developers Cookbook is a great tool to walk you through beginning Android development, and the publishers have sent us five copies to give away to our readers (That's you!).  The authors, James Steele and Nelson To, have experience in programming, are accomplished Android developers, and make the book easy to understand.  Anyone from an absolute beginner to the seasoned veteran can take something useful away after reading, and I'm going through the process from start to finish myself, so look for a review and discussion in the development forums as I work through the chapters. 

We mentioned five copies to give away?  Head into this forum thread, let us know you're interested, and we'll pick five winners at random. 

LG didn't just send us an Optimus One because they think we're awesome.  They want us to show it off, especially its not-so-entry-level specs and speed. (Maybe they think we're awesome as well.)  LG calls the Optimus line "transitional smartphones," meaning that they're perfect for those transitioning from a feature or messaging phone to a modern smartphone.  I think they have surpassed that.  The Optimus One is a solid phone -- in build quality, hardware, and as you'll see after the break, benchmarks.

Of course, your phone may get higher benchmarks.  And if it's top-shelf, it should, as it's probably twice the price, and made for the first-adopter types like us, who need unicorn tears and shiny.  The Optimus One is not the Droid X, or the T-Mobile G2, but as LG points out it's the Volkswagen Beetle of the Android world.

I'm still in the process of playing evaluating the Optimus One, but if what I've experienced so far is typical, I'm ready to recommend it to any first-time smartphone buyer, and hope its US counterparts are comparable.  Benchmarking video after the break.

Hey, look at that. There's another mention of the as-yet-unannounced Droid 2 Global, in a print ad that graces the last page of the December edition of Men's Fitness magazine (for those of you wondering, Phil and I both subscribe).  Also note the insane image of World of Warcraft on the screen, possibly teasing us of gaming goodness of Christmas yet to come. 

If you're listening, Santa, I know what I want.  I'm pretty sure it will fit just fine, too.  Thanks, Austin!

PC World reports that Coverity (a company that sells software to find code bugs and anomalies  in commercially released software) has found 359 software "defects," 88 of which are critical in the Linux kernel version that runs on the HTC Incredible.  I say they probably didn't find them all.  The Linux kernel -- like all software -- has bugs, some more harmless that others.  What we all need to think about is what Coverity isn't saying -- these bugs can be found and fixed because the Linux kernel is open-source, and comparable bugs can be found in any software, including the software running on whatever smartphone is in our hands at the moment.  Like everything else, tacking the word "Android" onto something makes it news.

Kernel bugs are bad, but they certainly don't equal any type of real world exploit, and unless you hand your phone over to someone with a development computer and a USB cable, you're probably safe.  [PCWorld via Android Central Forums]

Lookout, one of the premiere smartphone security suites, has released Lookout Premium -- offering Privacy Advisor, remote lock, and remote wipe on top of their award winning free services.  Current customers need do nothing to keep the service they have now, and the free version of Lookout will remain available for those who choose to use it over the premium package.  The premium service costs $2.99 USD per month, or $29.99 annually, and a 30-day trial is available.

We spoke with John Hering, CEO of Lookout and got the information everyone is wanting to hear, as well as some time with the new premium service.  We have the rundown, the official press release, download links and all you need to make a decision after the break. Thanks Max, Erika, and John from Lookout for taking the time to answer our questions!