Search Results for: droid

If you remember back to the weekend, we wrote about the Google Nexus One getting Android 2.2 over the air. Towards the end of the day it appeared that not many users were getting it. Also it seemed like those who got it were all using review models.

Later on that day a public download was spotted that allowed users to grab and install it manually. We now hear that the build released late last week wasn’t a final build.

The information comes from a Google [GOOG] employee called Ry Guy who said the new version spotted over the weekend isn’t the official release. For those who have already upgraded to the latest build over the weekend, you’ll still get another OTA update when the final version is ready. [Read more…]

Motorola will soon launch the Motorola DROID Shadow. Just a few days ago, a DROID Shadow was spotted in a corporate Verizon [VZ] gym over in Washington. The phone was remotely locked, but just before that a text message said that the device was “unreleased”.

The new handset is believed to be the second Motorola DROID handset that will head exclusively to Verizon when launched. On the back an 8 megapixel sensor is used that can capture HD video at 720p.

The DROID Shadow has a 4.3 inch screen and when launched is expected to come standard with Android 2.2 FroYo. Launch dates are expected to be sometime in June or July. [Read more…]

First off, apologies for all the Google [GOOG] Android news today. With the Google I/O event and the announcement of Android 2.2, there’s plenty of stuff happening at the moment in terms of the new OS update.

TechCrunch has reported that Google is now pushing out Android 2.2 updates to Nexus One owners. MG Siegler said that late last night while putting his Nexus One on charge that there was a notification on his screen telling him a new update was available. After installing it took the phone up to Android 2.2 with all the new features, increased speed, flash browsing and a lot more.

The Nexus One update appears to have launched a couple of weeks early as Google had said just a few days ago to look out for it in the next few weeks.
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Slashgear reached out to to Motorola recently asking about Android 2.2 updates to their Android OS based smartphones. They managed to get a reply from Motorola who basically said that Android 2.2 would be coming to the Motorola DROID as well as other devices.

‘We’re excited to see Google’s news of the next version of the Android operating system and look forward to integrating it on our Android-based devices as it’s made available to the open source community.

While I can’t comment on specifics, we do expect DROID by Motorola users will receive Android 2.2 as a software upgrade in the near future.

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Google [GOOG] Devs at Google I/O held this week have confirmed that Android 2.2 FroYo running on the G1 is technically possible.

Many of the older device owners and early adopters will be glad to hear this one I’ve talked to a bunch of Google folks in charge of developing Android at the Google I/O, and they told me that technically it would be possible to put Froyo on any device on the market now, including the G1.

To get it working would require that some of the extra Google apps are removed and then installed afterwards on a separate partition. This partitioning is required due to the G1 being older and having a smaller internal storage capacity than the newer phones. [Read more…]

Just a few weeks ago we wrote about how someone had managed to get Google Android ported over to the Apple iPhone 2G where the OS was installed in a dual-boot mode.

Porting Google [GOOG] Android on to the iPhone 3G happened after that and now we hear that the Android download is ready for install on any jailbroke iPhone 3G.

Most features and functions work on the Android for iPhone build although it’s recommended that you do not use it for day to day use due to power management features not being full implemented. With these features not configured the iPhone battery can be drained within an hour. [Read more…]

HTC has said that some, but not all phones, will get Android 2.2 that Google [GOOG] announced yesterday.

The update will come to “most phones launched in 2010” by HTC. However, we also hear that Android 2.2 won’t hit smartphones until the second half of this year. This is primarily because of Sense UI and other tweaks that HTC make on their phones.

What we have heard is that the Nexus One will more than likely be the first as it doesn’t run the Sense UI and won’t require any modification to run as such. [Read more…]

Google [GOOG] officially announced Android 2.2 aka Froyo earlier today. The Android 2.2 SDK is now ready for download over at the Android developer site where you can grab the necessary install files and select the latest version to use on your desktop.

Android 2.2 is a minor platform release including user features, developer features, API changes, and bug fixes. For information on developer features and API changes, see the Framework API section.

For developers, the Android 2.2 platform is available as a downloadable component for the Android SDK. The downloadable platform includes a fully compliant Android library and system image, as well as a set of emulator skins, sample applications, and more. The downloadable platform includes no external libraries.

To get started developing or testing against the Android 2.2 platform, use the Android SDK and AVD Manager tool to download the platform into your SDK. For more information, see Adding SDK Components. If you are new to Android, download the SDK Starter Package first.

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After a month of rumours and leaks we finally have the details on the latest Android build from Google [GOOG]. Google Android 2.2 is the new version also known as Froyo.

New features include a new JIT compiler that is capable of a 2 to 5x speed boost. A demonstration of a game running, seen above (Lemmings?), was run where Android 2.2 managed to get around 40 frames per second on average with the number never dropping below 30fps. Also a number of new features have been included for those using the device on an enterprise level. Changes to Exchange have been included that improve the experience for those wanting to use Exchange Server on their device. This includes speed performance, auto-discovery and GAL lookup which is handy for those who attach to enterprise servers with huge address lists.

A new backup app has been included that lets you move data from an old to a new device more easily. Google translation services can now be used on the device that let you talk in English to the phone and the phone gives you the selected language back as text on the screen.

Wi-Fi tethering has also been made official with Google performing a demonstration by getting an Apple iPad (wi-fi) version on the internet by tethering the two devices together. [Read more…]

The screenshot seen here and below is believed to be of a Motorola Cliq running Android 2.1. The device is the MB200 and runs on the T-Mobile network as can be expected.

What this means is that an impending update could be heading to the Motorola Cliq soon bringing Android 2.1 and all the goodies that this brings to the smartphone.

On the downside, the screenshot could be easily faked by someone entertaining themselves with Photoshop. [Read more…]

Google [GOOG] has announced a launch date for the next major version of Google Android. The new version will be Android 3.0 that has been codenamed Gingerbread.

This news comes while we are all anticipating the launch of Google Android 2.2 that is set to a big upgrade bringing lots of new features to Android based smartphones.

The information about Gingerbread AKA Android 3.0, comes from a web page mentioned yesterday at Google I/O where the following was found… [Read more…]

Sprint has finally allowed Android 2.1 to land on the HTC Hero.

By installing Android 2.1 from Google [GOOG] you’ll get an enhanced Sense User Interface along with enhanced corporate email support and a number of bug fixes.

To install the update you first need to check the version of your device. I’m not 100% sure why this matters other than perhaps needing to do an inbetween update rather than a full install. Either way, you then need to make sure you read the following and backup all data as this install wipes your Hero completely clean.

Important Note: Installing the 2.27.651.5 update will delete all the data and information on your phone. You will lose contacts that have not been synced to an email account, text messages that have not been forwarded, saved voicemail messages older than 5 days, voicemails older than 20 days that have not been listened to, and call history. The calendar and email settings will also revert back to factory defaults. Pictures, music, videos and files are stored on your microSD memory card, which should be removed before updating your phone.

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