There's been absolutely no doubt that Android's usage share has skyrocketed in the last year, and here's another example. Gartner released figures today that show a 3.4 percentage point climb over 2008. That said, it's the 2009-2010 numbers that we're really going to want to look at, as the first Android device (the HTC Dream or T-Mobile G1) wasn't even available until late October of...
We're not even a full week removed from Mobile World Congress, and already the rumors are starting to fly regarding U.S. availability of the HTC Legend and Desire, which were unveiled there. Said rumors come from the Boy Genius Report, and are as follows: AT&T will release the HTC Desire -- basically the Nexus One with the new Sense UI -- with some minor cosmetic changes. A May...
Slacker Radio today released Version 2.0.40, bringing with it the much-anticipated station caching. In other words, it's all the same Slacker Radio you've always enjoyed for free, no-Internet connectivity needed.What you will need, however, is a subscription to Slacker Radio Plus, and that's a paid subscription. But we've got you covered. In conjunction with Slacker, we're giving away...
When HTC used Mobile World Congress to announce a pair of new Android phones, it also took the opportunity to unveil the all-new Sense user interface. The new Sense is rolling out first to the European Legend and Desire, and CEO Peter Chou said the Hero line of devices -- which should include the Sprint Hero and Droid Eris -- will see updates. A leaked HTC Desire ROM is up and running...
The rumors are true. Flash 10.1 is in the ROM that was ported from the HTC Desire to the Nexus One. And it works ... OK, it's not great. But remember that this is an unofficial ROM, and things are likely to change by the time we get Flash (and the new version of Sense) on U.S. phones. A full run-down of the new version of HTC's Sense is coming. In the meantime, here's a quick video look...
When HTC announced the Desire last week at Mobile World Congress, it basically was billed as the Nexus One, with Sense (and a track pad to boot). But those of us with Nexus Ones knew it would only be a matter of time before we'd get to play, and that day is here.Paul from MoDaCo has been a key player in the Android ROM community, and he's got a version of the Desire's ROM up and...
Here we go, folks. The first round of a new day in the life of HTC's Sense user interface. In Part 1 of our review, we take a look at setting up your phone for the first time, including the new "Friend Stream" service, which integrates some of your favorite social networks. Do note that the ROM we're looking at was taken from the HTC Desire and is running on the Nexus One. This is far...
We continue to wait for the Android 2.1 update to come to the Samsung Moment, but there is still a maintenance fix rolling out. If you gone to a Sprint Store to do it, you can now install it yourself. Here's what's being fixed: Network Assist GPS to allow indoor location fix. Updates to several third-party apps, including Visual Voicemail, NFL, NASCAR and Sprint TV. Change...
![Video hands-on with the Garmin-Asus nuvifone A50 [AC @MWC]](https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/w250h188crop/public/youtube/ZFQWAEb_mA4.jpg?itok=Xzr_6iu0)
Garmin-Asus was showing off the nuvifone A50 at Mobile World Congress, and we took it out for a spin. It's a 3.5-inch (320x480) device running Android 1.6 but is completely skinned. It's being billed as the "No-excuses navigation smartphone," and it certainly is. Nav is first and foremost, and it it was easy to follow in our demo. Despite being a GPS unit on steroids, it has all the...
Stick a fork in us, folks. We're done at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. We still have a little more coverage coming, and likely a big wrap-up podcast, but here's Phil, Kevin and Dieter going over the final two days of the event. Be forewarned: The first 20 minutes or so are dominated by BlackBerry, but it's good stuff. See you guys back in the States. Download it directly...
![Samsung Super AMOLED touchscreens for smartphones [AC @ MWC]](https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/w250h188crop/public/youtube/byksSYvz5bo.jpg?itok=AYzyFgU4)
Samsung didn't bring much in the way of Android at Mobile World Congress, but it did bring a new screen technology that hopefully will make it into your pocket in the near future. It's called Super AMOLED (we'll point you to ye olde Wikipedia for the regular ol' AMOLED). And it's one of those things that you kind of have to see in person to believe. Our quick glance here in Barcelona...
![Hands-on with SPB Mobile Shell 5.0 for Android phones [AC @ MWC]](https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/w250h188crop/public/youtube/uB9BhMfYb6E.jpg?itok=26bZxRRl)
Those of you who came to Android from Windows Mobile likely are familiar with SPB Mobile Shell. And the boys and girls from St. Petersburg are back with Version 5.0, which will be released on Android in the coming months. This isn't a ROM-integrated like HTC's Sense UI, and that has advantages. Because it's not as deeply rooted in the Android ROM, SPB can push out an update whenever it...
Had a nice sit-down this morning at Mobile World Congress with Dataviz, maker of Road Sync and Docs to Go. (For the uninitiated, think all the power of Microsoft Office, for a fraction of the price.) The story of the day was document sync, both local and in the cloud.Version 2.0 for Android currently is free for the trial, and temporarily reduced to $9.99 for the premium version. But we...
![Adobe Flash 10.1 and AIR on the Motorola Droid [AC @ MWC]](https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/w250h188crop/public/youtube/wVkwGAdnYTQ.jpg?itok=C5SOHmvu)
Yeah, yeah. another teaser showing Adobe Flash on Android. We get it. We're as tired as seeing them as you are and are ready to see Flash 10.1 roll out. And the folks at Adobe assure us it's coming. They're just not saying when. The good news is that that that we've gotten our hands on it, we're a little less fearful than we might have been earlier. We're not totally on board, and we...
Spent some quality time today with the folks from HP, who gave us some face time with their new Android-based netbook, the Compaq Airlife 100. As you'll hear, it has an advertised 12-hour battery life and basically brings the complete Android experience to an instant-on form factor complete with the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 16GB solid-state drive. It's full Android, so it's...
Here's a quick look at Opera Mobile on Android. And it looks, well, like you'd expect Opera Mobile to on Android. It's nice and fast, thanks to the major compression going on, and it'll make a nice addition to Android's browser arsenal. Problem is, you can't get it. We've mentioned before that Opera Mobile's only available to manufacturers and carriers: Basically it has to be cooked...
The HTC Desire received its official blessing today, addressing two things that had been gnawing at us regarding the current king of the hill, the Nexus One: What would it have been like if it had HTC's Sense UI? And is there a more elegant solution than a trackball?The Desire answers both of those things -- and then some -- with the introduction of an all-new version of Sense running...
With HTC's announcement of the Legend and Desire comes a new and improved version of its Sense user interface.The biggest change is the addition of "Friendstream," HTC's new answer to social networking, aggregating your Flicker, Twitter and Facebook friends in an elegant and easy-to-use widget. The Peep Twitter client is on board, and you can upload video directly to YouTube, par...
The Motorola Motoroi's been intriguing ever since it first leaked out of the depths of wherever such leaks come from. But in getting your hands (and watching the hands of a lovely Motorola representative) on the device, you really get a sense that despite a few obvious cues taken from the Motorola Droid, the Motoroi really isn't a keyboardless Droid. For one, it lacks the hard lines of...
Here it is, folks. The Motorola Motoroi, aka the XT720, aka the first Android 2.0 device released for the Korean market. At first blush you get the feel that it's a kindler, gentler Droid without a keyboard. But get the XT720 in your hand and you find that they don't have the same feeling in the slightest. No sharp angles, and the bump on the side is hardly noticeable. The XT720 sports...