android

HTC unveiled its Hero at an event two days back, and the highlight of the launch, without a doubt, was not so much the physical features of the smartphone but its custom Android interface.

According to Pocket-lint, CEO Peter Chou confirmed that the new HTC Sense user interface "will be available on some other existing devices." This will give added capabilities such as an expanded Home screen with unique HTC widgets and tighter integration with social-networking tools like Twitter and Facebook. There's no word on which devices exactly will get this, but it's likely to be … Read more

A native application development kit has been released for Android developers, offering a way to create certain kinds of high-performing applications for handsets running the Google platform.

Android applications run through the Dalvik virtual machine, which emulates a Java virtual machine. On Thursday, the Android Native Development Kit (NDK) was released, allowing coders to create parts of their Android 1.5 applications outside Dalvik, using native-code languages such as C and C++.

This approach would not ordinarily produce a massive performance boost, but it does allow developers to reuse existing C and C++ code for Android applications.

Android engineer David … Read more

Have you ever wished you that could print files directly from your Android phone? A new application called PrinterShare uses a client on your handset and a print server on your PC to do just that. Once installed, you can print documents, contacts, and photos on your home printer from any place with cellular service or Wi-Fi. The service is free to use and available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. What's more, the mobile client is available for both the Android and the iPhone.

Set up the desktop PrinterShare software Before you can register an account with PrinterShare, you … Read more

It wouldn't be a week in cell phone land if the Dialed In crew didn't have a lot to talk about. And since it's been two weeks since our last show, you can bet that this episode is chock full of cell phone news and reviews.

Leading off is the CNET review of the iPhone 3GS. We're still getting through the lab tests, but we've combed through the new features in depth. Meanwhile, Bonnie enthralls us with a long list of major smartphone news including Flash Player 10 beta and T-Mobile's second Google Android … Read more

Marking a departure from the world of iPhone, HTC's new Android-based Hero phone will also come with the ability to handle Flash elements that adorn many Web sites and power YouTube video.

Adobe Systems announced on Wednesday that its Flash Player will be built into the HTC phone, an important step in the company's efforts to spread Flash to mobile phones. The phone, one of several from HTC to use Google's open-source operating system, is scheduled to ship in Europe starting in July and in Asia and North America later in the year.

However, the initial version … Read more

Android and iPhone developers looking for an extra source of revenue will soon have an advertising option, sponsored by Google.

Google's AdSense program--in which it sells and distributes ads to third-party publishers--is coming to mobile devices as a beta program, the company announced Wednesday. A small group of developers have been testing this program but now anyone can apply, said Susan Wojcicki, vice president of product management, in a blog post.

Mobile apps are one of the hottest topics in software development these days, as Apple's App Store continues to grow and other developers roll out their … Read more

Dr. Kiki from This Week in Science joins us to talk tech and science, and we realize that we will all soon wear solar-powered Gundam suits and travel the Earth. That is until they become self-aware and eject us and kill us all. We also take NASA to task and tell you when to get a new Windows PC.

HTC Hero running Android and Sense UI http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/24/htc-hero-details-begin-leaking-from-htcs-own-website/

China not backing off despite filter code post … Read more

The thought of losing your Android phone can be quite frightening, but a free app from the Android Market can give you some comfort. If your lose your handset, Contact Owner will display your contact information on its lock screen.

Setting up Contact Owner is easy and only needs to be performed once. Simply launch the application, select a contact, and choose which information to display. You can pull the information directly from your stored contacts list or type it in manually.

Once the message is saved, it will show automatically each time your phone's lock screen is engaged. … Read more

At a press event in London on Wednesday, HTC unveiled its latest Google Android device, the HTC Hero, featuring a new user interface called HTC Sense.

The HTC Hero will be available in Europe starting in July and in Asia later this summer, while a "distinct" North American version will ship later in 2009. However, pricing was not announced at this time.

Like the T-Mobile G1 and Google Ion/HTC Magic, the HTC Hero has the signature curve at the bottom, but it's a bit more svelte at 4.4 inches tall by 2.2 inches wide … Read more