android

T-Mobile's G1 Android to get new features

T-Mobile will push out a major firmware update to users of the G1 Android handset in April, the mobile operator has said.

The update will introduce features such as virtual keyboards and stereo Bluetooth support, as well as an upgrade of the underlying Linux kernel. A number of bugs in the Android operating system will also be fixed. The browser enhancements include upgrades to the latest version of the Webkit core and the addition of cut-and-paste. The browser is also getting support for the new Squirrelfish Javascript engine.

The contents of the update come from Cupcake, a read-only mirror of … Read more

Google establishes Android team in Taiwan

This story has been corrected. See details below.

Google has set up a team to provide technical support for its Android mobile-phone operating system to hardware makers in Taiwan, Google confirmed Wednesday.

The group will provide support for phones, said Chien Lee-feng, president of Google Taiwan, in a Digitimes article. Google confirmed the phone support but denied the report's statement that Google also is offering support for the small, low-cost laptops called Netbooks.

"Android is a free, open-source mobile platform. This means that anyone can take the Android platform and add code or download it to create a … Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: Why there's gold in that garbage

CNET News' Martin LaMonica reports on a new generation of trash-to-energy technologies that advocates say are cleaner than incinerators. Listen now: Download today's podcast

Tech job postings fall 40 percent in March

Microsoft expands its hardware line

Microsoft plugs security holes

Cleaner trash-to-energy tech hits the ground

Google releases 1.1 Android update for developers

Google has issued an update for the unlocked version of the Android phone, which is specifically made for developers.

The company on Monday said owners of the Android Developer Phone 1 (ADP1) will now be able to get the 1.1 version of the Android software. Google already issued the 1.1 update for retail devices a few weeks ago. The update contains several bug fixes for issues that involve the alarm clock, device sleep, POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3) e-mail, and e-mail notification. The update also adds new features such as the ability to save MMS (multimedia messaging … Read more

Android sales to outstrip iPhone by '12?

The iPhone's lead over smartphone upstart Android may be short-lived, according to an industry watcher's predictions.

Android smartphone sales will outstrip iPhone sales by 2012, market researcher Informa Telecoms & Media has predicted in a new report.

Last month, Telefonica Europe said that sales of the iPhone topped 1 million in the U.K. Although T-Mobile UK--the exclusive carrier of the first Android device, the G1--wouldn't say exactly how many of the devices had been sold, it did say the handset now accounts for 20 percent of its contract sales.

Web behemoth Google released the first beta … Read more

TSMC deal offers glimpse of Intel future

Intel is making a bid to become a force in smartphones. This will test its ability to compete in arguably the most important chip market outside of PCs.

The deal struck this week with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. will put the Intel architecture into the same factories that churn out chips for companies like Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, which use an alternative architecture called ARM--the choice for many small devices, cell phones, and most smartphones, including the Apple iPhone, BlackBerry Storm, and Google-based Android phones.

ARM has always been a thorn in Intel's side. So much so that Intel … Read more

Android to take Linux mainstream?

For an OS to wrestle market share from Microsoft's Windows, it will need two things: the OS-maker's support and low licensing fees, an analyst said.

This rings true even on the Netbook front, a relatively new PC segment, and even for Microsoft.

Recently, the Android OS backed by Google was unofficially ported to an Asus Eee PC Netbook, and according to online reports, the Taiwanese manufacturer has set up a team to develop a Netbook running on the Linux-based OS.

Calvin Huang, an analyst at Daiwa Securities, told ZDNet Asia in an interview, Android is poised to "… Read more

New products, services for mobile devices at Demo

PALM DESERT, Calif.--Last September, at DemoFall, I wrote that the most obvious trend in evidence at the technology showcase confab was the prevalence of iPhone apps. It seemed that at least a couple of dozen of the 72 companies at that show were putting at least part of their product offering on Apple's hit device.

Here at Demo 09, I figured that that ratio would jump, or at least stay about the same. But everything is smaller this time around--just 39 companies are presenting, for example, and there are hundreds fewer attendees--and as far as I can tell, … Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: Sony chief takes on more responsibility

Today's headlines from CNET News: Sir Howard Stringer adds to his titles of chairman and CEO; NTT DoCoMo says there's a problem with BlackBerrys it's selling in Japan; Android developers stage mini-revolt; Obama's budget includes money for criticized cybersecurity projects; and more.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Sony's Stringer consolidates power

BlackBerry Bold sales suspended in Japan

Bleak week for memory chipmakers

Obama's budget blueprint enhances cybersecurity

Paid Android apps blocked on developer phones

Do tech hopefuls still need Demo?

Eager hordes flock to Google's Twitter account