Fonte: http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/news/show/92706/google-mobile-now-available-for-windows-mobile.html

"One of the most common questions we are asked on this blog is "When will this be available for my phone?". Well for all you Windows Mobile fans the answer is "now" for the Google Mobile App. Try it out by downloading it from http://m.google.com/search on your mobile phone."

If you're a googleholic and want more Google on your device, go ahead and download it now. The video looks pretty sweet, I think I'll probably wander over and give it a shot. What about you?

Fonte: http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/news/show/92741/microsoft-understanding-phone-design-decisions.html

"In January, I had an opportunity to hear a presentation by Eric Lin, the Online Community Manager at HTC. Many of the Windows Mobile smartphones on the market today are made by HTC, even if they don't have the HTC name on them, so when it comes to smartphones, HTC is a market leader. The presentation covered several different topics, but the one I found most interesting was the question of how specific hardware design decisions impact the usability of the phone. When you pick up a Windows Mobile smartphone, the shape, size, weight, and feel of it give you an impression about the product - but did you know what kinds of decisions went into the final product you're holding? The answer may surprise you."

Read Jason's column on tethering? Well, here's another one. It discusses the design decisions that go into the phones you're carrying today - from the size of the screen to the feel of the keyboard and the sound it makes. Who knows? You may learn a thing or two that will help you choose the right phone the next time you're in the market for one.

Fonte: http://forums.thoughtsmedia.com/f85/ballmer-no-microsoft-phone-no-windows-mobile-7-until-2010-a-92733.html

"Ballmer re-affirmed his oft-repeated statement that Microsoft will not be making a Microsoft Phone, saying it was committed to the licensing model... Regarding the operating system itself, Steve Ballmer mentioned the unveiling of Windows Mobile 6.5 last week, and also clearly stated Windows Mobile 7 will be coming next year.  He noted that he felt the continuing expansion of the smartphone segment into the whole phone segment should help Windows Mobile to continue growing despite the downturn in the economy, and that Windows Mobile is particularly well suited for low cost smartphones with many different from factors."

I personally felt one of the best things Microsoft could have done was to release their own handset. I completely understand that doing so would have been nothing sort of a disaster as it would have strained their relationships with Windows Mobile OEMs, but not doing so in my opinion cements Microsoft's position firmly into a slow and painful death in the mobile world. Windows Mobile 6.5, which was announced last week, is not expected to start shipping on new devices until Q4 of 2009. I wouldn't expect updates for existing handsets to start popping up until maybe Q1 or Q2 of 2010 - almost a year after the platform upgrade was announced. On top of this we won't start to see Windows Mobile 7 phones on the market until around the latter half of 2010, meaning that upgrades for Windows Mobile 7 will start to trickle out 3-6 months after this much anticipated milestone release.

The process of moving to a new version of Windows Mobile takes incredibly too long and in this world of constantly updating gadgets. Microsoft's slow-and-steady take on the platform is no longer as intriguing as it was not only a few years ago as there are now way to many cooks in the Microsoft kitchen. Microsoft creating a self branded device would have drastically cut down on this. A handful of devices are a lot easier to upgrade than an army of devices. One has to wonder, when Windows Mobile 6.5 or even Windows Mobile 7 finally does make it into the mainstream, how far behind will the operating system be compared to competitors that are

Fonte: http://www.dailytech.com/EU+to+Require+Microsoft+to+Offer+Competitors+Browsers+With+WIndows/article14392.htm

The market share war for browsers, word processing suites, and other products wasn't much of a war when it came to Windows in the mid to late 90s.  Microsoft was producing full-featured products which it increasingly tied to its own operating system.  At the same time, it blocked or slowed the development of would-be competitors by withholding information on the OS.

This strategy, either brilliant or anticompetitive, depending on your viewpoint, landed Microsoft in hot water in 1999 when U.S. Federal Courts ruled that Microsoft was a monopoly which had used its powers to crush threats to the monopoly.  In the decade since, Microsoft has been forced to make a number of reforms.  While it has mostly avoided additional charges in the U.S., it has continued to run into trouble with the European Union, which has picked up where the U.S. left off.

The EU has already fined Microsoft over $2.4B USD for not making its interfaces open enough and refusing to comply with its rulings.  As a result Microsoft has been forced to pay these massive fines and offer new services to competitors to make their products more compatible with Windows.
Now, following a fresh round of accusations which included criticism of Microsoft's bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows, the EU, according to reports, has reached a new decision which may set a new worldwide precedent.

The EU will require Microsoft to package third party browser software with Windows.  Furthermore, it will require Microsoft to provide further support efforts to make third party browsers' interface with Windows components like Windows Explorer as efficient as Internet Explorer's.  The ruling is set to apply to both desktop Windows OS's and to Windows Mobile for cell phones.

Jonathan Todd, spokesperson for EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes states, "If the Commission's preliminary conclusions as outlined in the recent statement of objections were confirmed, the Commission would intend to impose remedies that enabled users and manufacturers to make an unbiased choice between Internet Explorer and competing third party web browsers.  (Microsoft will have to allow users) to choose which competing web browser(s) instead of, or in addition to, Internet Explorer they want to install and which one they want to have as default."

EU officials propose a ballot screen when first using the OS which will tailor it to a specific browser of the user's choice.  Another possibility, it says, is for Microsoft to negotiate with its OEMs who manufacture computers or phones with Windows and have them select the third party browsing software.  Among the browsers considered as candidates are Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, and Opera.

The move comes at seemingly strange timing, when Firefox has finally established a solid foothold against Internet Explorer, which happens to be at a decade low of around 60 to 65 percent.  However, the decision represents long standing complaints from an EU.  It also marks a change in policy from previous rulings on Microsoft's Windows Media Player.  With Windows Media Player, the EU required Microsoft offer a version of Windows without it.  Of course, almost everyone picked the version with it, though.  States one anonymous EU official, "That remedy was rubbish."

Microsoft has until March to draft a formal response to the EU's latest charges.  A final decision from the EU is not expected until then, but there appears to be a consensus that offering competitive software appears to be the best idea.  Microsoft reacted to the news with little emotion, stating, "We are committed to conducting our business in full compliance with European law. We are studying the statement of objections."

Some speculate that the EU could bring similar regulations against Apple, which practices similar bundling of its Safari browser.  However, Apple computers continue to be a bit player in market share, so such a move seems unlikely, as the primary argument here is based on Microsoft's dominant OS position.

Fonte: http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/02/23/much-fabled-kogan-agora-android-phone-prototype-gets-hands-ond/ - by Greg Kumparak

Back in December, the Kogan Agora was revealed and caused all kinds of excitement amongst mobile geeks. Not only was it going to be dirt cheap (around $250 bucks, unsubsidized), and not only was it being pushed out by what was about as close as you can get to a mom-and-pop electronics manufacturer, but it looked like they were going to beat just about everyone besides HTC to getting an Android product on the shelf. Then it got canned.

Cries of vaporware rang through the halls, many believing it never truly existed. It did exist, however, and the proof is now out there; in an experience I would assume was akin to petting a unicorn whilst having a skype chat with bigfoot, Gizmodo Australia got to poke and prod at a real life working prototype - and they liked it!

Ruslan Kogan’s still staying keeping mum on why the Agora won’t see the light of day, but reaffirms that Kogan’s not done with Android yet. To quote Giz:

The final release model will almost certainly ditch the qwerty keypad for a 3.8-inch, iPhone like touchscreen which will take advantage of the cupcake update’s onscreen keypad.

Ugh - that’s too bad. The Agora’s physical QWERTY keyboard was one of the primary reasons we wanted it.

Fonte: http://googlediscovery.com/2009/02/23/revelado-o-primeiro-motorola-android-phone/

Vazaram imagens de um novo modelo de celular da Motorola que pode estar diretamente ligado ao desenvolvimento do primeiro Android Phone da empresa. Embora as configurações não estejam disponíveis, é possível notar que aparelho possui uma câmera de 5 megapixel Kodak, grande tela touchscreen, saída para TV e flash xenon.

A Motorola anunciou no último mês de dezembro que não trabalhará mais com o sistema operacional Symbian e utilizará, a longo prazo, as plataformas abertas Android e Windows Mobile. A fabricante espera recuperar a posição da empresa no mercado de telefonia celular, além de reduzir US$800 milhões em custo

Fonte: http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/20/skimming-the-android-pay-apps-lookin-good-guys/ - by Devin Coldewey

There are more pay apps that have appeared in the last few hours for G1 owners than I think anyone expected. From updated versions of free apps to $10 news readers, there’s enough to keep you occupied for quite a while, especially considering the extremely limited preview you get in the Market. I’m hoping they’ll roll out a screenshot feature or an easy way to link to a website, but until we get our review blitz up and running, we’re all going to be flying a bit blind. Fortunately some developers have realized this and are letting us know a little more about their apps the traditional way. One such is WhitePages, whose caller ID app looks great:

It’s true what they say in their blog entry about Android: it’s very interesting for making low-level improvements like this one. The added functionality of background apps like WhitePages, MyBuzzDroid, and ShakeAwake are excellent but not necessary — the perfect position for a cheap or free app. I’m looking forward to testing out about a billion apps, and we’ll be sure to get reviews up as soon as possible.

Fonte: http://googlediscovery.com/2009/02/24/aplicativo-i-am-richer-chega-ao-google-android/

O controverso aplicativo "I Am Richer" acaba de desembarcar no mundo do Android.

Semelhante a versão para iPhone, a aplicação apresenta as mesmas características embora seu valor seja reduzido ao limite imposto pelo Google, apenas $200 doláres. Apesar do alto valor, o aplicativo não oferece qualquer vantagem aos consumidores, apenas a frescura de mostrar as outras pessoas que você tem dinheiro aos montes sobrando na carteira.

Notícias Relacionadas

• Aplicativo de apresentação do Google Apps chega até o final do ano »
• Google demonstra Gmail Offline para Android e iPhone »
• Gmail chega a 5GB de armazenamento »
• Guitar Hero está chegando ao Android »

Fonte: http://digitaldrops.com.br/drops/2009/01/exeda-um-smartphone-com-duplo-boot-que-roda-android-e-windows-mobile.html

O Exeda da Compulab é um smartphone com duplo boot que pode rodar o Android ou o Windows Mobile 6.1. O único problema é o seu design quadrado, que é sofrível.

Este celular 3G tem uma tela touchscreen de 3.5” e vem equipado com um processador Marvell PXA270 de 520MHz e 128MB de RAM. Ele também tem conectividade Wi-Fi 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0 com EDR, duas portas USB, teclado QWERTY, microfone e caixas de som, câmera de 2 megapixels com flash, slot para cartões microSD e GPS integrado com antena.

Ele mede 126 x 96 x 16 mm. O preço ainda não foi informado pela Compulab. Saiba mais aqui.

Via Techzine e Ubergizmo.

Clique abaixo para ver uma imagem do Exeda rodando Windows Mobile.

http://info.abril.com.br/aberto/infonews/022009/21022009-1.shl

Donos de iPhone compram programas na App Store sem necessidade, diz pesquisa

SÃO PAULO - É dono de um iPhone? Você pode gastar demais na App Store. E o pior: à toa.

Pesquisadores da Pinch Media estudaram 30 milhões de downloads feitos na loja de aplicativos da Apple e descobriram dois dados interessantes. O mais curioso: somente 30% das pessoas realmente usam o aplicativo comprado para equipar o iPhone.

De acordo com o estudo, depois de 20 dias, somente 5% dos donos de iPhone continuam usando os aplicativos pelos quais gastaram alguns centavos ou dólares ou baixaram gratuitamente.

Durante a pesquisa, a Pinch Media descobriu que apenas 10% das aplicações (das 15 mil disponibilizadas na App Store) realmente cativam os donos do iPhone. Por coincidência, esses programas, geralmente, mantêm uma média boa de audiência de download na loja virtual e figuram sempre entre os mais baixados. São eles aplicações de entretenimento, games, listas de filmes e algum tipo de software com alguma espécie de integração com a rede social Facebook.

Apesar da pesquisa apontar que os usuários consideram a maioria das aplicações inútil e as abandonam rapidamente, isso não tem sido suficiente para desprestigiar a App Store - que já contabilizou mais de 500 milhões de downloads desde seu lançamento, na metade de 2008. E o prestigio continuará.

Segundo os pesquisadores, mesmo que caia a ficha dos donos do Iphone e eles passem a usar critérios para comprar os aplicativos, eles continuarão baixando e desistindo deles em seguida. A explicação é simples: a maioria aplicativos ofertados da App Store não tem versão de testes. Além disso, os donos de iPhone são curiosos. Então, a única alternativa é comprar e, em seguida, se arrepender.

Fonte: http://info.abril.com.br/aberto/infonews/022009/19022009-17.shl

BARCELONA - Copiar algumas das estratégias que a Apple adota para seu iPhone pode não ser a forma correta de derrotar a intrusa chegada do setor de computação na área móvel.

Mas é exatamente o que muitos dos maiores fabricantes mundiais de celulares estão tentando fazer com novos telefones e serviços que imitam recursos essenciais do iPhone.

No Mobile World Congress, o maior evento anual do setor de comunicação sem fio, em Barcelona, a Apple está em toda parte e em lugar algum. A empresa não participa desse tipo de evento e prefere lançar produtos em ocasiões que ela mesma promove.

O setor de celulares produzirá mais de um bilhão de aparelhos este ano, mas está sofrendo uma crise de confiança causada por uma mudança radical nos modelos de negócios, cujos efeitos foram amplificados pela desaceleração na economia mundial.

"Imaginação custa caro em um ano como este", diz Richard Windsor, analista de tecnologia da Nomura Securities, em Londres, que toma parte na conferência.

Os gigantes do setor de celulares --Nokia, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Sony Ericsson e HTC-- decidiram ser humildes e copiar uma empresa cujos aparelhos respondem por apenas um por cento do total mundial de vendas de celulares.

Um ano atrás, os fabricantes de celulares e suas equipes de design, que costumam trabalhar rapidamente, apresentaram os primeiros aparelhos copiados do iPhone. Este ano, estão indo além e tentando duplicar o software de interface com o usuário do produto da Apple.

Um executivo de uma grande operadora europeia de telecomunicações se queixa, em particular, de que "todo mundo está tentando correr atrás do iPhone e levando ao mercado coisas que não estão prontas para lançamento".

Fonte: http://info.abril.com.br/professional/tendencias/tudo-e-colaboracao.shtml – by Sandra Carvalho , do Grupo INFO

No século 16, o poeta John Donne dizia que nenhum homem é uma ilha. No século 21, qualquer um pode dizer: o celular também não. Estamos todos obcecados com o iPhone, da Apple, e o G1, o primeiro celular com Android, o sistema operacional do Google para a internet móvel. Bem, eu pelo menos estou, e carrego os dois, na bolsa, para todo lado que vou.

Mas quem vai realmente moldar o celular do futuro não será a Apple nem o Google. É a turma que desenvolve os aplicativos para celular num esquema de colaboração. São programas que tornam um sistema mais útil, ou mais divertido, ou mais desejado, ou necessário, ou mais interessante, ou o que quer que seja. Não um sistema. E uma empresa sozinha, por mais que caia de amores por sua tecnologia proprietária, não consegue fazer, isolada, o que realizam milhares e milhares de programadores espalhados pelo mundo, dentro ou fora das empresas.

O sucesso do iPhone se deve a sua interface revolucionária — ninguém duvida disso. Mas alguém duvida que ele precisa de grandes aplicativos para avançar para o próximo nível? Antes mesmo de a Apple oferecer seu SDK — Software Development Kit — já havia gente programando para o iPhone. E hoje a Apple Store é o barato que é não por aplicativos da própria Apple, mas por contribuições anônimas ou conhecidas de pessoas ou empresas que antes não tinham nada a ver com a marca. IBM, Salesforce e Oracle são apenas alguns dos nomes que surgem em meio a uma multidão.

No caso do G1, a força dos aplicativos de terceiros é ainda mais óbvia, porque o Google estimula a colaboração com regras muito mais soltas — e inclusive já delegou para usuários em geral a avaliação dos programas. No Android Market, a sua versão de Apple Store, os aplicativos são qualificados de acordo com as estrelas dadas pelos próprios usuários. O G1 já nasceu embalado pelos entusiastas do software livre — e contar o número de aplicativos ofertados pode virar um hobby. No dia 23 de dezembro, eles eram quase 500.

O vigor dos programadores já foi demonstrado no fenômeno Palm, no passado. Ninguém sabe mais disso do que a Nokia, a maior fabricante de celulares do mundo, e a que mais tem a perder neste momento de ruptura. Não por acaso virou sua estratégia do avesso para criar a fundação Symbian, a fim de padronizar o sistema e depois abri-lo como open source — expressão mágica para atrair voluntários por toda parte. Com seu poder de fogo e os milhões de fãs que tem, programadores incluídos, as chances da Nokia de montar uma rede de colaboração poderosa em torno de si são consideráveis. Vai ser uma disputa formidável entre Apple, Google e Nokia. Com a palavra final, o pessoal dos aplicativos.

Fonte: http://info.abril.com.br/professional/mobilidade/tem-iphone-nos-negocios.shtml – by Max Alberto Gonzales, de INFO Online

Divertido e elegante, o iPhone foi recebido, inicialmente, como um dispositivo de uso essencialmente pessoal. Mas não demorou para que o mundo corporativo descobrisse o potencial do smartphone para os negócios. Na App Store, a loja online de programas da Apple, já há cerca de 300 aplicativos classificados como de negócios. Grandes produtores de software, como Oracle, Citrix e IBM vêm investindo no desenvolvimento de aplicativos para essa plataforma, que ganha aceitação crescente em empresas de todos os tamanhos.

A Citrix, por exemplo, trabalha no chamado projeto Braeburn (o nome é de uma variedade de maçãs). Seu objetivo é desenvolver uma versão do Citrix Receiver para o iPhone. Previsto para ser lançado até junho, o programa permitirá que o usuário use o iPhone para controlar seu micro com Windows a distância. Ele vai poder rolar as janelas com os dedos, acionar o zoom com movimentos de pinça e usar o teclado virtual como acontece nos programas do smartphone. Assim, será possível usar, a distância, qualquer aplicativo de negócios que esteja instalado no PC.

Apesar de o produto ainda não estar finalizado, ele vem despertando enorme interesse entre os clientes da empresa. “O blog sobre os aplicativos que desenvolvemos para o iPhone é, de longe, o mais visto em nosso site”, diz Chris Flack, vice-presidente de desenvolvimento de soluções da Citrix.

No caso dos aplicativos que podem ser acessados via web, não é preciso fazer grandes modificações para que possam ser acionados por meio do navegador Safari, presente no iPhone. A divisão Lotus, da IBM, por exemplo, transformou sua suíte de produtividade Lotus Notes no iNotes, para o iPhone. Além disso, atualizou seu servidor de correio Lotus Domino com interfaces para o smartphone da Apple e para outros dispositivos móveis, como o BlackBerry, da RIM. “Nossa estratégia é fazer nosso serviço de colaboração disponível numa variedade grande de aparelhos”, diz Ricardo Rossi, gerente da divisão Lotus da IBM Brasil. “E foi muito simples. Foi só adaptar o sistema para o Safari”, afirma ele. O iNotes foi liberado para os usuários em agosto.

Na telinha do iPhone, o iNotes se abre com rapidez. O usuário pode saber quais contatos estão online, consultar calendários, documentos e bases de dados. Isso se traduz em produtividade para o usuário, que pode acessar as informações em qualquer lugar onde haja uma conexão Wi-Fi ou 3G. A única ressalva é que a telinha compacta do smartphone exige alguma prática ao visualizar grandes quantidades de informação. É preciso usar o zoom e observar os dados em partes.

Mais do que ações
A Oracle também desenvolveu soluções que permitem o acesso a seus aplicativos em sistemas operacionais móveis como Symbian, BlackBerry e iPhone. “É preciso oferecer mais do que consulta a ações”, diz Lenley Hensarling, vice-presidente do grupo Enterprise One da Oracle, sediado em Redwood Shores, na Califórnia. O interesse partiu dos próprios clientes, afirma ele.
|quebra|
Uma das primeiras aplicações para iPhone lançadas pela empresa foi o Oracle Approval for Sales Manager, que aprova operações de compra e venda. “O executivo pode usar o iPhone para consultar as informações e aprovar uma transação antes de voltar ao escritório”, diz Hensarling. A prioridade da Oracle é transportar os aplicativos de tomada de decisão para o iPhone, como uma versão do Oracle Business Indicators, que acessa até 5 mil métricas.

Prova de conceito
Na SAP, os aplicativos para iPhone estão em fase de prova de conceito. Alguns clientes da empresa já estão fazendo testes com eles. A empresa prevê lançar no segundo trimestre deste ano, as primeiras versões de seus produtos para o smartphone. “Com 3G é mais fácil trabalhar com aplicativos online”, diz Javier Flores, diretor de desenvolvimento de negócios da SAP América Latina. Para ele, se os processos de negócios estão documentados e já fazem parte de um aplicativo, é só uma questão de fazer o código para o ambiente móvel.

A SAP já lançou uma versão de seu CRM para o BlackBerry no fim de 2007. O executivo faz um telefonema para um novo cliente, e o CRM oferece um menu para cadastrar e documentar o contato comercial. O BlackBerry é sincronizado com o CRM da empresa em tempo real. “As empresas dão BlackBerry aos funcionários. O aparelho da RIM é mais presente no ambiente corporativo”, diz Flores. O iPhone ficou para depois.
|quebra|

Uma pesquisa feita por Chris Flack, em seu blog no site na Citrix, aponta que 36% dos CIOs se guiam pelos critérios de demandas de negócios, retorno do investimento e conformidade com as normas legais. Já critérios como a produtividade e o desejo dos usuários são privilegiados por apenas 21% dos CIOs. Isso explica, por exemplo, a decisão da CA de não criar, por enquanto, versões de seus aplicativos para o iPhone. Embora o aparelho esteja no topo da lista de desejos dos usuários, ele não está tão bem posicionado em outros critérios de avaliação.

Fonte: http://www.techguru.com.br/Post.aspx?Cod=4274

Que a Motorola está querendo aproveitar o hype em torno do Android não é novidade. Desde o ano passado, a companhia anunciou que iria investir no desenvolvimento de aparelhos baseados no SO do Google ? e muitos analistas vêem o movimento como uma das únicas maneiras de a fabricante voltar a brilhar no mercado de celulares.

A novidade mesmo é que a empresa pretende lançar o aparelho no Brasil e nos Estados Unidos “em datas muito próximas”. E, segundo a fabricante, seu primeiro “google phone” deve chegar em terras brasileiras no segundo semestre de 2009. Obviamente, nenhum outro detalhe do dispositivo foi revelado.

Agora é esperar para ver. Será que a Motorola vai voltar a impressionar??

Fonte: http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/review-softkeyboard-for-the-g1-2009024/ – by Chris Gampat

Softkeyboard for the T-Mobile G1 is the best on-screen keyboard app I’ve tried so far. In comparison to PawPawKeyboard, this app is closer to what some G1 users have been asking for. Granted though, that the app is not perfect and I do have some problems with it. While we wait for the rumored Cupcake update from T-Mobile this is a suitable alternative for most tasks where users would like an on-screen keyboard.

In terms of functionality, Softkeyboard works lots better than PawPaw. Whether I hit the keys with my thumb or index finger, I’m still usually spot-on with the key that I want to hit. The keyboard doesn’t try to mimic the G1’s, instead if a user wants to enter a number or symbol they can press a button to do so and the keyboard switches to display everything the user may need.

After the user is finished typing in their message, they can simply press the Enter button. At this point, the app closes down and returns you to the previous app you were in. Here the user can long-press the text area and paste the the text that they typed into Softkeyboard. One of the best parts about this app is that it stays in your notifications bar in case you want to use it instead of your keyboard.

It’s got some problems though. For one, it doesn’t work with text messages or Google Search on Android’s desktop. Additionally, when browsing the web I was able to just type in the link with the keyboard. Using Softkeyboard, I need to select the search option from the menu first and then paste my text in. Otherwise, the app works with almost every other app or widget that requires text entering and pasting.

Something that I really like about Softkeyboard is the landscape keyboard layout. The keys become much bigger and it is extremely pleasing to type this way without having to use the G1’s actual keyboard.

Something which will come in handy for some people: the app also has support for multiple languages.

Here is a usage scenario where the app came in handy. The other night, my G1 received a notification that a thread my friends and I have going on Facebook was updated. Tired and without my glasses, I was able to use Softkeyboard very easily to reply back. Granted, it would have been much faster still to use the G1’s actual keyboard. However, this is proof that using the on-screen keyboard can be used effectively with little to no concentration.

In the future, I’d hope that an app like Softkeyboard will refine itself even more to work with texting, Google search, and other functions. Something else I’d like to see would be predictive text or perhaps even a spell checker of some sort. Additionally, I’d even like to be able to cycle through different messages that I may have typed out earlier for more frequent usage.

Softkeyboard gets my vote over PawPawKeyboard. Most users will really appreciate it.

Fonte: http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/g2-officially-htc-magic-and-coming-to-vodaphone-20090217/ – by Joel Evans

We reported yesterday that a successor to the G1 (the G2) was coming to Vodaphone and today HTC officially unveiled the Magic.

According to HTC, the HTC Magic will feature Android, a 3.2-inch HVGA screen, HDSPA, GPS, 3.2 megapixel camera, and more. The most striking difference between the Magic and the G1, though, is that there’s no keyboard, making the Magic the first Android-powered touch-only device. Thankfully it will be running cupcake, which includes an on-screen keyboard.

Pricing and availability depend on the local Vodaphone markets, with the UK getting the Magic in April.

For more specs on the G2 and additional details, check out Engadget

Joel’s Opinion

This is definitely a cool looking device. Not only does the Magic go touch-only, but it’s also juiced with a bunch of radios. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s going to do 3G in the U.S, though, but that’s pretty normal for HTC who likes to pump out a bunch of models for specific countries, and then drop a specific version for the U.S. at a later date.

The big question is whether or not people will embrace the Google OS in a touch-only mode. Since cupcake is not yet available on the G1, no one has had a chance to put it through its paces and see how the on-screen keyboard compares to its hardware-based brother.

As for pricing and availability, at least it’s coming out around April, so it can still take advantage of the hype surrounding its launch at MWC.

Fonte: http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/guitar-hero-coming-to-android-phones-20090219/ – by Blake Ellison

Image courtesy Gizmodo

Given the presence of the Guitar Hero brand on everything from the Xbox 360 to Java-equipped phones to fast food, it’s little surprise that the series is making its way to the Android Market and will be playable on the T-Mobile G1 in the near future.

“Gamers will use the G1’s sensitive touch-screen to play along with 15 rock classics,” reads a press

release reported by UK newspaper The Guardian.  The song list includes Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water,” Guns’n'Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle,” and Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.”  One more song will be made available each month.

Gameplay closely resembles the Java version of the game already on lesser mobile phones, with the guitar fretboard reduced to three buttons.  The Android version will be the first Guitar Hero mobile version to use the touchscreen, however, resulting in a game not unlike the iPhone game Tap Tap Revenge.

Guitar Hero World Tour Mobile does not have a concrete release date but is expected soon.

Read more at The Guardian, via Kotaku

Fonte: http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/battle-imeem-mobile-vs-lastfm-for-android-20090126/ – by Chris Gampat

Readers here may know that I’m a music app lover. And, like many of you, I demand certain features out of my music apps. I used to be a LastFM user but I moved on to Slacker and then Pandora. As a T-Mobile G1 user, I’m dying for a Slacker or Pandora port to Android. The official LastFM client came out for Android the other day and as President of an internet radio station at my university and a fanboy of net radio in general, I thought I’d give it a go against Imeem Mobile, which has been out on the market for much longer.

LastFM takes all the features from the website and crams into the little screen on the G1. Users can save stations, find the top 100, view their library of music, find items recommended by LastFM, start new stations, and the many profile tweaks and settings that the website allows you. It keeps you notified of what you are listening to via the notification tab in Android. Fans of LastFM may be pleased with all this and the fact that the app can run in the background while your doing other things, like checking your email.

Just like the site, it allows you to approve and disapprove certain songs on that station. The selection of music isn’t at the level of Pandora or Slacker but it should be good enough for most users.

LastFM for Android is great–when it works. In truth, it is the most unreliable music client I’ve dealt with so far and it reminded me of the dial-up days when I’d sit there in front of my computer waiting for RealPlayer to buffer a Korn song. This happened even when I turned on 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and any other settings to try to boost its reliability.

As I write this article, I’ve finally gotten the app to work, and on a 2G network. Note though that this is the first time since the day I downloaded it that it’s been able to work for me. The app description says that it is in a beta mode, so once the company irons out all the kinks it should be quite a contender as they will develop a large audience by the time Pandora and Slacker release their Android Apps.

In contrast, Imeem mobile is extremely reliable. The app worked and buffered efficiently enough on a 2G network to keep me entertained while I did other things on my phone. The fact that it does so without requiring 3G well means that my battery will last longer.

Imeem saves your favorite stations so that you can always go back to them. That means that if you’ve fine-tuned your station to just the way you want it, you’ll always be able to go back and listen to your favorite tunes without it being a bother. That means that Nickelback will stay off of my Three Days Grace station.

However, Imeem doesn’t have the selection of LastFM and it only seems to go for the biggest artists at the moment, but the selection is growing. Two days ago, they didn’t have Radiohead and now they do. They still don’t have Atmosphere though. I was actually surprised that they had NoFx and Bad Religion but not Rancid or Mastadon.

Regarding Imeem, I’d say was never much of a fan of their website, but the app pleases my tastes.

Both apps have very similar features and basically do the same things. Their main difference at this point is their reliability for the Android platform. All in all, keep in mind that users that start off with a service and fine-tune it usually stay with that service and don’t want to move because they’ve become familiar with the settings. That being said, if and when Pandora and Slacker come onto the scene it would be nice if users can port their LastFM or iMeem settings over to the new app providing that the apps don’t already sync with your account.

It should also be noted that both apps have crashed my G1 before. However, LastFM did this more often.

So who wins this battle? Imeem just barely because of reliability. If LastFM were more reliable, stable, and power efficient it would’ve easily taken the prize. However, I want music to constantly stream and don’t want to have to wait for large buffers. There is evidence that it will change though, when another music app comes out I’ll pit it against these two.

Fonte: http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/hands-on-opera-mini-42-for-android-20090131/ – by Chris Gampat

Opera Mini 4.2 for Android came out yesterday promising new changes like improved video playing, double tapping to zoom in and out, improved trackball speed and downloading pages for viewing in offline mode. In truth, Opera is a very nice browser for Android but there are tweaks that need to be done and minor issues that I have with it.

Browsing in Opera is easy to do once you get the hang of it over the Google browser. For example, if you’d like to type in Geek.com in the address bar, you need to press Menu and then select the option to do so. In contrast, the Android browser lets you just type in whatever you wanted. Unlike Google, Opera displays the name of the website on top.

Navigation is done by either using the trackball or by touching the screen to move around. Double-tapping the screen lets users zoom in and out as they so please. However, the trackball is not very smooth and actually can be frustrating to use. I would’ve liked if Opera allowed me to adjust the sensitivity of the trackball movement the way users can adjust the DPI on their mouse.

Viewing YouTube videos is decent enough on T-Mobile’s 3G network although I would’ve liked it to have been better. Opera views YouTube videos by using the YouTube app that comes standard on the G1. Playback is smooth and though the video quality is muddy, we can’t expect stellar results at this point in technology.

Videos can also be viewed in portrait mode as pictured above. No increase or decrease in quality of the video was seen. The videos look smaller though: in terms of height and width. In order to view videos that are “favorited” on your YouTube account, users must go through what I consider to be Opera’s worst feature–text entering/editing.

In the Android browser, if a user wanted to enter text into a specific field, they could go ahead and do so just the way they do on their computer. If the user wants to enter text into a field in Opera, the user is brought to a small text editor where after entering the text, the user has to press Menu and then click OK to enter the text into the field. It’s an extra step and doesn’t help speed along the process.

As far as deletion of cookies goes, Opera bring users to a screen that asks for a confirmation of the cookie deletion, but then doesn’t even give the user a yes or no option. Since I know the G1 keyboard well, I knew that for a confirmation I had to press the button below delete. This may not immediately come to all users, though.

A feature that I really liked that I don’t see in the Android browser is the search for word function. This will help facilitate a quick search even more. Also, saving a page for offline use is a little sluggish as the website needs to be downloaded and saved to either the user’s SD card or another location the user chooses to select.

Overall, Opera has demonstrated that it can create an eye pleasing browser for the Android OS. Do I like it more than the Android Browser? No, but I do think that it has some advantages over it. Maybe in the next release it will totally kick the Android browser’s butt.

The current release of Opera 4.2 for Android can be downloaded in the App Market.

Fonte: http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/first-look-androids-cupcake-20090218/ – by Joel Evans

With the official announcement of the HTC Magic / G2 coming to Vodaphone, the internet is abuzz with talk of the on-screen keyboard and what cupcake will have in store for users of the Android OS.

Last night we had a geek outing with our favorite hacker, Brian Jepson, who you may remember from our feature on Hacking the XO laptop. This time around Brian got a hold of a development G1 and hacked around with cupcake. Included in the video is a demonstration of the on-screen keyboard, prettier transitions, some fun in the Linux shell, and more. We also have some photos (the video was a little blurry) of the skateboarding androids–which come up as you hack–and the obligatory Snake game on the Android OS.

As for how the cupcake OS performed, during the filming Brian received a call on it and it didn’t crash–so that’s a good sign! However, it did crash when he tried to use the new video camera application and some other features.

You can see in the video that we were using the on-screen keyboard a lot. It’s definitely a bit buggy right now but even if it wasn’t, it will be a challenge to use it one-handed. I found it very difficult to type quickly and accurately. For this reason I think that unless HTC puts in some of its usual software magic on the Magic, it’s going to have a hard time being accepted since it’s a touch-only device.

Otherwise, users of the G1 will be very happy to have an alternative to having to use the hardware keyboard and finally being able to navigate the G1, to a certain degree, with one hand.

Androids on skateboards

Snake for Android

If you want to try your luck at hacking your own G1, check out Brian’s post over at the MAKE blog. Right now you might need a developer G1, but I’m sure that Brian or someone else is figuring out a way around that requirement as you read this.