Dialed In

The new Google phone makes an appearance on Twitter.

(Credit: Cory O'Brien via Twitter)

Updated at 5 p.m. PST with additional details and at 10 a.m. PST December 13 with photo of the phone.

A blog post from a Google executive on Saturday morning dropped hints that the company would release a Google Android phone of its own.

In the post, Mario Queiroz, a Google vice president of product management, said the company had developed a "mobile lab" device that "combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android." According to Queiroz, Google has distributed the device to Google employees worldwide so that they could test the new technology and help improve it.

Quieroz's announcement came only a few hours after reported sightings of the device. CNET TV Associate Producer Jason Howell, who had a very brief hands-on with the gadget Friday night and first relayed the news on Twitter, confirms that the "mobile lab" device is an HTC phone running the Android 2.1 operating system.

"I knew it was an HTC device," Howell said. "It looked like the Touch, but was a lot thinner...it was a slick-looking thing and very nice." He also spotted a trackball and four standard Android menu controls, and he said the display was "supersharp" and rivaled that on the Motorola Droid.

Howell didn't get a chance to dig into the handset's specs or detail the changes from the 2.1 update, but he noticed animated wallpapers, slight visual enhancements to the user interface, and a camera on the rear face that resembles the HTC Touch Pro 2. Curiously, Howell said he didn't see any Google logo on the handset. TechCrunch published additional, though unconfirmed, details, including a Snapdragon processor, an OLED touch screen, and a voice-to-text feature, while TheUnlockr posted leaked photos.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the handset will be called the Nexus One. Although HTC made the hardware, the software and user interface is all Google, from the applications to the "look and feel of each screen."

The Journal also said Google will begin selling the device early next year, directly to consumers, thus bypassing the traditional carrier channel. As an unlocked GSM device, the Nexus One could be used with T-Mobile or AT&T, though it's unclear which carrier's 3G bands the handset will support. During his brief tour, Howell wasn't able to test the performance, but he said that the Nexus One he handled was running on an AT&T SIM card.

Reports that Google would release its own Android phone first appeared earlier this year. The move is significant, as it could pit Google against the carriers that it so far has used to distribute existing Android phones. Also, without a carrier contract and subsequent service rebates the Nexus One could cost a few hundred dollars. For those reasons, I was a little skeptical when I first heard the rumor, so count me wrong on this one.

Acer S100

(Credit: FCC)

The highlight at the Federal Communications Commission is the Google Android-powered Acer S100 that appears to be destined for AT&T. 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. Here are a selection of filings from the past week on new and upcoming cell phones. Click through to read the full report.

Acer S100
Kyocera S2300
LG LN240
LG VX5600
Motorola
Motorola
Nokia (RM-482)
Pantech P2000
Pantech UM815
Samsung GT-B5722C
Samsung GT-E1086L
Samsung GT-S3650W
Samsung GT-S5150
Samsung SGH-A867
Samsung SGH-T939
ZTE X990

It's been a slow week but we still have quite a bit of cell phone news for you. We hear that Nokia will be slowing down smartphone production, that Android updates are imminent, and that the FCC is asking Verizon some tough questions about ETF. We also chat about our latest reviews and answer your questions.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

News
Nokia to reduce smartphone offering by half in 2010
HTC Droid Eris to get Android update in 2010
Android 2.0.1 for Droid users
FCC questions Verizon over ETF hike
Sprint to phase out Qchat
Check your wireless coverage on CNET

Reviews
Casio G'zOne Rock
Sony Ericsson Aino
RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 (Verizon Wireless)
Top 10 most popular cell phones of 2009

Upcoming reviews
Nokia N900
HP iPaq Glisten
LG Shine II
Powermat

Motorola Droid

(Credit: CNET)

Verizon just informed us that Google released an SDK for Android 2.0.1 Thursday, which means those who have a Motorola Droid can expect a free over-the-air upgrade to their phone in the "coming weeks."

Some updates include an improvement to the camera's auto-focus and the phone's voice reception. There's still no news on the exact dates the new firmware will be rolled out, but we look forward to it all the same.

Kent kicks off the podcast this week by reminding our dear listeners that Verizon iPhone rumors are just rumors. Until Steve Jobs says differently, he's not ready to believe a thing. New New Yorker Bonnie is taking the week off, but Nicole signs on to give her take on Android fragmentation, a costly new LG phone and the quality a Rock for Verizon.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Rumor of the week
Verizon iPhone rumors are just rumors

News
Moto Cliq gets software update
AT&T Voicemail to text
Google Maps Navigation arrives for Android 1.6
Differentiation leads to fragmented, confused Android
Developers want a better Android Market
Project with the powerful LG Expo
Casio G'zOne Rock
Kyocera spills three new handsets
Nokia slides out two new sliders
Motorola's iDEN i410
On Call: All about the Droid

Reviews
Prizefight: Samsung Behold II vs. HTC Droid Eris
Pantech Impact
Samsung Omnia II
Sanyo SCP-6760 Incognito

Upcoming reviews
Sony Ericsson Aino
Casio G'zOne Rock
LG Shine II
Nokia N900

Motorola Cliq

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

T-Mobile and Motorola have begun pushing a software update to the Moto Cliq. Google Android release 1.1.31 will offer the following changes. Motorola offers more information about the update on its support page.

• Longer battery life
• New battery management Feature
• Better Bluetooth
• Touch-screen accuracy
• TTY option
• Better business connections
• Improved caller connectivity
• Quick Office 2
• Accelerometer enhancements

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

It's been a long time since I've devoted an On Call to reader questions, but e-mails about the Motorola Droid have poured in following the device's debut last month. Some have offered nothing but effusive praise for the handset, while others have raised concerns. I've included a sampling of e-mails from the latter camp below. And be sure to catch my follow-up to a previous Android post at the end of the question-and-answer session.

Q: I think you described switching to Google Android quite well. I like the Droid, but I'm thinking of waiting for a GSM version. Will there be a GSM version and do you think that Verizon Wireless will carry it?
- Tandon55

A: A GSM version of the Droid already exists. The Milestone, as it's called, is almost identical to the Droid except that it has pinch-and-zoom multitouch. We're not sure why it has the extra feature--believe us when we say we're not happy about the disparity--and neither Verizon Wireless, Google, nor Motorola is offering an answer. The Milestone will land first in Europe and Germany, but it won't come to Verizon Wireless. Verizon uses CDMA, which is an incompatible technology to GSM, and Verizon already carries its own version of the phone. ... Read more

With four Android phones in its stable, T-Mobile remains the Google Android leader. Its latest model is the Samsung Behold II, which offers a brilliant display and one of the best media players we've seen on an Android phone so far.

But just a week earlier, and the same day it introduced its Motorola Droid, Verizon Wireless unveiled the HTC Droid Eris. Also a touch-screen phone without a physical keyboard, the Droid Eris offers all the features you'd expect from an Android phone, while adding full multitouch and deeper levels of customization with the HTC Sense interface.

The two devices are similar, but they're distinct in their own way. So how will they fare in the CNET Prizefight ring? Read our Samsung Behold II vs. HTC Droid Eris Prizefight find out.

Motorola Droid

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Shortly after we posted our Motorola Droid review, we received quite a few e-mails from CNET readers who were concerned about the phone's inability to support hands-free voice commands and dialing. Indeed, the readers were correct and Motorola's support forums continue to buzz with user complaints regarding the issue.

As part of our original Droid review we did not test whether the handset supported hands-free voice dialing. We apologize for that, but we've now updated the review to reflect our findings.

Below is the passage from the review:

Unfortunately, the Droid does not support Bluetooth voice dialing or commands. In order to use the Voice Dialer feature, you first must select the icon from the main menu (you can move on a shortcut to the home screen). After speaking your command, you then must confirm it via a prompt on the touch screen. Though we found the voice dialing feature to be quite accurate--it successfully picked up a command when we were a few feet away--it is not an ideal scenario for people who need to completely hands-free. We hope this omission is corrected in a future software update.

In the future, we will report on hands-free voice dialing in our smartphone reviews. As more state and local areas pass laws mandating hands-free driving, such capability will only grow more important.