Google [GOOG] is working on it’s next version of Android which has been codenamed Gingerbread. We are not sure what version number it will have, ie Android 2.3 or Android 3.0, but what we do hear is that Google will be stopping manufacturers from layering their own UI’s over the top. Layered UI’s include HTC Sense UI, MotoBlur and other similar custom UI’s that get created.

Instead, Google’s main focus for Android Gingerbread is to get a UI to the same level as iOS 4. It isn’t clear if Google will actually put a stop to custom UI’s or if they hope to achieve a good enough UI that manufacturers don’t see the need to do their own. [Read more…]

Google [GOOG] has released details of which Android versions are the most popular. This month we see that Android 2.1 has increased in popularity with that version of the OS accounting for 50% of installs on smartphones. Last month Android 2.1 accounted for 37.2%.

Android 1.5 has dropped the most this month from 34.1% down to 24.6%. This is not to say that people have necessarily upgraded, but that Android 2.1 is pretty much standard on new device installs which helps it take more market share as time moves on. [Read more…]

The Samsung Galaxy Apollo was first spotted a few days ago over on the Samsung website. No details about the phone were available at the time and no specifications either.

The Samsung site has now been updated with the details showing us what’s inside the device and what it will run. From what we see, it will have a 3.2 inch touchscreen, a three megapixel camera with autofocus and four times digital zoom.

The software will be provided by Google [GOOG] and it will run Android. No specific version is mentioned but it is expected it will be at least 2.1 with an update to Android 2.2 following at a later date. [Read more…]

Angry Birds for the iPhone and iPad launched just 5 months ago and within that time the company behind it, Rovio, has managed to sell four million downloads of the paid version. Angry Birds sells for 99c per time.

Along with 4 million downloads being done on the paid version, the free Lite version of Angry Birds has shifted another six million copies.

The game launched in December 2009 and only took off in February when Apple [AAPL] noticed the game and featured it. At that point it hit many top 10 charts around the world and just grew and grew at that point. [Read more…]

We heard reports last night that AT&T [T] had cancelled a few orders. There was nothing we could find at that time to show what had happened. This morning we came across this information on ModMyi where a user has put the text of a cancellation of a users iPhone 4 pre-order.

Dear xxxxxxxxxx

Thank you for choosing AT&T.

Unfortunately, we were either unable to verify the information you provided or you have exceeded the number of lines of service that we allow customers to purchase online. As a result, your order has been canceled.

If you would like to purchase additional lines of service, please visit one of our AT&T retail locations and present your identification to our representatives. They will be happy to help you purchase new wireless devices, accessories, and service.

Go to att.com/storelocator to find a store near you.

We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to serving you.

Thank you.

AT&T

[Read more…]

Swype has announced that the Swype keyboard is available to download as a beta version from the companies site. The Swype beta download will be available for a few days only it seems and as it’s beta, there are a few limits on what you can do with the keyboard.

We tested the Swype keyboard on a T-Mobile G1 a few months back when the keyboard was previously available as a beta and from what we saw, it worked very well and was actually quite impressive how accurate it was. [Read more…]

It took just a single day for Apple [AAPL] to deplete it’s stock of iPhone 4 in the US. This morning the new shipping date for new pre-orders was July 2. In just half a day that second batch has also been depleted and the date for new pre-orders is now July 12.

Apple are selling a lot of iPhone 4’s this week and from what we saw earlier, 600,000 of them were pre-ordered yesterday alone.

If you want to get your hands on an iPhone 4 on launch day we recommend you call by your local Apple store in the US, or one of the other participating stores which includes Walmart, Radio Shack and Best Buy. [Read more…]

Apple [AAPL] has published a formal apology on the Apple website for the issues many people experienced yesterday. The company say that more than 600,000 were sold on the first day which is their biggest product launch to date.

Yesterday Apple and its carrier partners took pre-orders for more than 600,000 of Apple’s new iPhone 4. It was the largest number of pre-orders Apple has ever taken in a single day and was far higher than we anticipated, resulting in many order and approval system malfunctions. Many customers were turned away or abandoned the process in frustration. We apologize to everyone who encountered difficulties, and hope that they will try again or visit an Apple or carrier store once the iPhone 4 is in stock.

[Read more…]

O2 is following tradition of this past week and leaking just a little bit more information out about the iPhone 4 and has revealed details of how to pick up a micro SIM ready for the iPhone 4 UK launch. Unfortunately the details are for new and existing customers and not those who already purchased an iPhone 4 direct from Apple (unlocked).

If you are an existing customer and order an iPhone 4 from O2 (store pickup on June 24 only) you’ll get a new micro SIM with the phone. Write down the 19 digit number written on the card when you get it.

When installed in your iPhone 4 you need to switch the iPhone 4 on which then asks you to sync with iTunes. When you do that you’ll need your SSN number (the 19 digit number you wrote down) and once entered your new micro SIM will be active and old SIM will die… problem here is that there is up to a 24 hour delay before you can use the microSIM although we suspect it will be less. [Read more…]

For those of you wanting to switch out your iPad microSIM in to your iPhone 4 when it arrives next week, Apple [AAPL] has confirmed that doing this will not actually work.

In the FAQ section on the iPhone 4 page the question and answer are provided as follows…

Q: Are iPhone 4 and iPad micro-SIM cards interchangeable?

A: No. Your iPad micro-SIM card will not work with your iPhone.

While it says the microSIMs from an iPad are incompatible, we believe that this is not so much a compatibility issue on a technical side, but rather the limited functions of the microSIM from an iPad which has no voice enabled on it. When calling the phone number of an iPad you just get an error saying unable to connect. [Read more…]

Apple [AAPL] in both the UK and US had issues yesterday with the iPhone 4 pre-orders overwhelming the servers.

AT&T [T] is also suffering too with the company suspending pre-orders. It appears that the only way to order an iPhone 4 in the US at the moment is through Apple on their online store although new pre-orders are now being shipped ready for delivery on July 2.

It isn’t clear when AT&T will bring pre-orders back up online, but yesterday we heard that some stores in the US were using paper to record new iPhone orders and we guess that the company has a huge backlog to get through. [Read more…]

T-Mobile in the USA has announced that it is expanding it’s mobile broadband networking to bring 4G speeds (with HSPA+) to more than 25 metropolitan areas by the end of June.

The upgrade will allow those with compatible mobile phones to browse the internet quicker on their network. Full details below… [Read more…]