Android Atlas

SlingPlayer Mobile has hit the Android market.

Sling Media's $29.99 app, released Tuesday, lets Android users with Slingbox devices control their home TVs and DVRs to watch live or recorded content on their smartphones.

Users must have a Slingbox Solo, Pro, or Pro-HD device and can connect through a 3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi network.

The new Android version of SlingPlayer Mobile joins the company's other SlingPlayer apps for the iPhone, Palm OS, Symbian, and BlackBerry.

SlingPlayer Mobile offers faster start-up and response times than its other mobile versions, according to Sling Media, and sports a new interface … Read more

After seeing the recent report showing the various versions of Android on today's handsets, I began to wonder just which phones are holding the platform back. Are we simply waiting on Motorola to catchup or are there other devices responsible for the "legacy" pie chart looking this way?

As of today, every Sprint and Verizon handset comes with Android 2.1, while other carriers play catch up. AT&T's current handset, the Backflip, should see Android 2.1 at some point in the third quarter of the year, though its two recently announced phones, the Aria and Captivate, will run Android 2.1 when they arrive.

But what about T-Mobile? Though the carrier was the first to carry Android smartphones in the United States, its handsets are looking outdated and underpowered. In fact, T-Mobile is responsible for all but one Android handset not running 2.0 or higher. We've already told you about the expected updates to the Cliq and Cliq XT, but the Moto phones aren't T-Mobile's only Android phones.

Two T-Mobile models, the original G1 and Samsung Behold II are dying a slow death as neither phone will see an update beyond Android 1.6 Donut. I can't say I am surprised by the G1, as it felt like a beta phone from the day it was released. Unfortunately, the device was not built to handle the rapid growth of the platform. Indeed, today's Android handsets not only have more-advanced hardware, but they simply look more appealing on the shelf.

The Behold II, however, is another story. The G1 got 1.6, but Samsung's phone is still sitting on last summer's 1.5 version of the platform even though it went on sale in November 2009, a full year after the G1's debut. Even worse, Samsung issued a statement a few weeks ago saying that the Behold II was "not upgradable beyond Android 1.6." With this being one of Samsung's first Android phones, I think it fell victim to the same problem that plagued HTC and the G1. These are exactly the types of issues that should slow over time as Android continues to grow. … Read more

With all the Samsung Galaxy news this week it's no surprise that Galaxy models are beginning to sneak through the Federal Communications Commission's certification process. In the last few days we've spotted the Galaxy 3, the Galaxy Beam, and what should be an upcoming Galaxy model for T-Mobile.

Because the FCC has to certify every phone sold in the United States, not to mention test its SAR rating, the agency's online database offers a lot of sneak peeks to those who dig. And to save you the trouble, Crave has combed through the database for you. … Read more

Starting July 11, Best Buy stores around the country will offer a white variant of the HTC Evo 4G. Engadget got an anonymous tip about the promotion earlier today, and we have on good authority that it's a go.

Best Buy will be the exclusive provider of the handset until August 8, at which point Sprint locations will begin selling it as well. September will see other retailers, like Radio Shack, picking up the white model. Customers anxious to get their hands on one can preorder the phone from Best Buy for $199.99 after a two-year service agreement. … Read more

If you've got an Android-powered T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Slide, voice company Vlingo wants to do you a favor--by giving you its $9.99 app for free.

Speak the words and Vlingo's voice launcher for Android will open apps on your phone, update your Twitter and Facebook status, dial contacts, and send e-mails and texts as you dictate them. You can also tell it to search the Web and Google Maps. Its SafeReader feature can relay incoming e-mails and texts so drivers can keep their eyes on the wheel.

So, what prompted Vlingo's sudden generosity, and why is … Read more

Motorola recently updated its owner's forum to let customers know when to expect Android 2.1 for their handsets. Aside from the Droid rollout back in March, not much has changed here in the United States since that last time we checked the forum.

That list, however, has grown considerably longer with the addition of new Moto models. As the Backflip, Dext, and Quench hit carriers across the globe, Motorola is beginning to evaluate when an upgrade would be feasible.

I spent a few minutes talking with the MotoDev team at Google I/O and pressed them on the … Read more

After months of breakneck development, Google's Android team has succeeded in getting a slim majority of its users into the Android 2.0 world.

Google released usage statistics Thursday showing that 50.4 percent of all Android devices that accessed the Android Market in the past two weeks were running Android 2.0 or higher. Android 2.0 was released last October along with the Motorola Droid, which has become one of the best-selling Android devices yet released.

The numbers don't necessarily reflect the number of Android 2.0 devices out in the wild, instead focusing on just … Read more

This post was updated on Thursday, June 17, at 12:39 p.m., PT.

Well, this certainly takes some of the mystery out of the June 23 event, but now we know that Verizon's next Droid model will be the Droid X. The carrier posted a teaser site for the handset on Thursday morning with some little nuggets of information. When you rollover the center image on Verizon's site, you'll see that the Droid X will have HDMI output, a 4.3-inch display, and a "720P screen." A 720p resolution screen? As CNET reader Adam … Read more

We weren't really expecting to hear anything until June 29, but we now have our first confirmed Galaxy S phone sighting and it's been identified as the Samsung Captivate.

AT&T revealed on Thursday that it will offer the Captivate in the coming months, but it didn't provide a specific date or pricing. This announcement follows Samsung's worldwide launch of the Galaxy S i9000 and shows that the company isn't limiting the Galaxy S to just one type of design.

As you can see from the photo, the Captivate has more of a hard-edged … Read more