Android

In just a few months the Google Android operating system has come a long way. We've seen a steady flow of new handsets and new updates, the Android Market has grown, and the OS took center stage at CES 2010.

Since last September, I've welcomed these developments. I like Android and the ideas of openness and customer choice that it represents. So, as the OS matures and enriches the cell phone world, I'm hardly going to object. I will continue to point out flaws in individual Android handsets--that's what I'm paid to do and it … Read more

Remember that hot, location-based app, Sherpa, that was launched with the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G back in the summer? Well, now Sprint and Verizon Wireless users can get in on the fun with a location app that's available for all Google Android carriers.

Geodelic gives users the ability to swipe various locations on their handset to find anything from mom-and-pop pizza parlors to high-class hotels. The app features a feature called "passive personalization," which adapts to the user's tastes. The more it is used, the better the app "knows" the user.

The company shows no … Read more

Google has released the software development kit for Android 2.1, the version of its mobile operating system that powers the Nexus One smartphone.

When the Nexus One was launched a week ago, developers complained that they had not been given the SDK, making it impossible for them to test their applications for compatibility with the new OS version. The handset is the first to use Android 2.1.

Google introduced the software development kit on Monday, describing the new OS version as a "minor platform release."

Read more of "Google releases Android 2.1 SDK after complaints&… Read more

There were a number of hot trends at this years CES, such as 3D televisions, Internet-connected cars, tablets, e-book readers, and Netbooks. Unfortunately, I don't cover any of that technology.

I cover portable media players, and for the most part, CES offered slim pickings. Last year, we had Sony's X-Series Walkman unveiling, a hands-on with the long-awaited Samsung P3, and a grab bag of PMP announcements from Iriver. This year, Sony was mum on the Walkman, Samsung's MP3 players seemed desperately gimmicky, and Iriver's lone PMP announcement came with scant details.

Truth be told, I was hardly surprised by what I saw. It was what I didn't see that made me feel uneasy. Going into CES, my preshow predictions promised Android-powered PMPs and all kinds of interesting fusions between iPod accessories and custom-built apps. Well, I was wrong.

Sure, there were dozens of Android-powered touch-screen devices out there, but in the looming shadow of Apple's… Read more

Apple dominates the smartphone market today, allegedly because of its 100,000-plus applications. Does that mean it will be completely indomitable when it has 200,000? God-like at 300,000? And Microsoft-esque at 400,000?

Of course not.

As former Googler and current Apache Software Foundation developer Greg Stein points out, an app store's dominance has little to do with sheer volume of applications and everything to do with their relevance to you:

The [Google] Android Market is definitely behind--it is missing some nice applications. But not many! All the apps that I used to have on my iPhone … Read more

Update, 10:37 a.m., PST: We are currently monitoring our Nexus One review unit for any 3G connectivity issues. Check our full review for any updates.

If you bought a Nexus One, there's a chance you may be experiencing issues with connecting to T-Mobile's 3G network, but the good news is that you're not alone. The bad news is, well, you're not getting 3G.

Over the weekend, T-Mobile acknowledged the problem on its user forum, stating "Google and T-Mobile are investigating this issue and hope to have more information for you soon." To … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Before CES, one of our predictions as to what would be a big story on the show floor was the emergence of smartbooks, or mini-notebooks as they're sometimes called. The term was coined by Qualcomm in referring to tiny laptop-like devices using processors that are derived from smartphone-level CPUs, but are in many cases even more powerful. The two most common CPUs seem to be the Snapdragon from Qualcomm and the Tegra/Tegra 2 from Nvidia, both using ARM-based processors.

Consider the concept, ideally, as a device somewhere between a smartphone and a Netbook--hence "smartbook." Unfortunately, … Read more

Once an Apple engineer, Andy Rubin went on to co-found mobile computing outfits Danger and Android. He sold the former to Microsoft and the latter to Google, where he is now vice president of engineering. He's also the guy quarterbacking development of Google's Android mobile operating system and the Nexus One--the smartphone with which Google hopes to fundamentally change the way people buy cell phones.

In conversation with All Things Digital's Walt Mossberg Friday, Rubin talked about the mobile space, Google's plan for an enterprise version of the Nexus One, and its vision for the … Read more

There's a bit of confusion around the Web over whether the version of the Nexus Oneheaded for Europe may include a feature not found in its U.S. counterpart. The German Web site Heise Online is reporting (via Google translate) that its Nexus One review unit has pinch zooming capability in the Web browser.

Although Heise does concede that the handset could change before it's released, the report of two-finger support raises an interesting question: Why would Google or HTC enable the feature for handsets sold outside of the United States? What would possess them to integrate … Read more