android 1.5

Take wide-angle photos with Wondershare Panorama

Panoramic photos have been the "it" feature for smartphones recently. However, if you're one of the many people whose smartphone doesn't come with a panorama app, try Wondershare Panorama for Android. It cobbles together panoramas accurately and lets you share your creations right from the app.

The app works just as you've come to expect panoramic photos to work. You hit the photo trigger and turn the phone slowly to capture the long-framed photo. Wondershare Panorama for Android also has a few Instagram-esque filters you can use, but you have to take the photo with … Read more

Hide your private SMS texts with My Sms Interceptor

Text messaging is way more subtle than a phone call, but who you text can still get you in trouble. My Sms Interceptor creates a password-protected area for all the contacts you shouldn't be texting. It isn't the easiest to set up, but it will definitely hide things from snoops or prying eyes.

The app appears in your menu, which is unfortunate if you're trying to hide it. The name isn't too revealing, but a less descriptive icon would be nice. Once you're inside the app, you have to navigate through a few annoying ad … Read more

Rogers Wireless adds Samsung Galaxy Spica to roster

The Galaxy Spica has officially joined a handful of other Google Android handsets on Rogers Wireless. For as low as 79 Canadian dollars ($77) and a three-year commitment, customers can grab the latest Android-powered smartphone from Samsung. Featuring an 800MHz processor, a 3.2-inch 320x480-pixel AMOLED display, a 3.2 megapixel camera, GPS, and Wi-Fi, the Galaxy Spica fits in nicely with other midrange smartphones.

Keeping in line with other Samsung smartphones, the Spica, aka the i5700, offers DivX support for video playback. On the downside, the Spica is light on internal memory, leaving users up to 82MB for loading … Read more

Google's Idol-like Android challenge

To encourage gifted developers to give iPhone programming a rest, most mobile platforms have built app stores that lure with the promise of a cash-positive distribution. But not Google. It baits with cash.

Sure, Google installs and sells Android applications through its on-board Market, but a mobile platform with such a slim slice of the pie needs an infusion of fresh and original apps if it's to stay in the bake sale. Google's answer: the second Android Developer Challenge, or ADC2, as it's nicknamed.

This time, submissions will vie for popularity and 'wow factor' on the Android … Read more

Google's Rubin: Android 'a revolution'

Among all the companies fighting to grab a piece of the brightest star in computing--the smartphone--Google seems the least interested in taking the spoils.

Android, Google's mobile operating system, doesn't generate revenue for the company, and likely never will--at least in the direct sense. But Andy Rubin, Google's director of mobile platforms, thinks Google and the world will benefit from any device created with the intent of getting more people onto the Internet, and isn't shy about explaining why the open-source approach chosen for Android holds the most promise of reaching that goal.

Android made its debut in 2007, … Read more

Cupcake party: Android 1.5 update coming to T-Mobile G1 owners next week

Finally, the moment all T-Mobile G1 owners have been waiting for! T-Mobile announced on Wednesday that it will start rolling out the official Android 1.5 (aka "Cupcake") update to G1 users starting at the end of next week. The update will be delivered over the air in random batches over the next several weeks, and T-Mobile expects to reach all G1 customers by the end of May.

Android 1.5 will bring a number of user interface improvements, better performance, as well as new features, such as an onscreen full QWERTY keyboard, video recording and playback, and … Read more

Hands-on with the HTC Magic and Android 1.5

After months of drought, we're finally seeing the Google Android news trickle in--the debut of the Samsung I7500, the upcoming Android 1.5 (aka Cupcake) release, and the launch of the HTC Magic. Unfortunately, for us here in the States, all the action has been overseas, but we can only hope that we're not far behind in getting in on the Android love.

To tide you over, we thought we'd point you to a photo gallery posted by our friends over at ZDNet UK who got a hands-on look at the Vodafone HTC Magic. The hardware is … Read more

Google tweaks Android UI in version 1.5

Google is planning some noticeable user interface changes to Android 1.5, which is expected to be released at the end of April.

The company posted a few screenshots of sample changes made to the UI that could potentially break existing applications. Buttons and check-boxes have been tweaked with a simpler, streamlined look that would seem to make it easier to sort through various fields but could present problems for application developers who wrote their apps with the older button fields in mind.

Of course, that's why companies release things in beta, and the tweaks should be relatively easy … Read more