SEVENCLICK
Mobile Technology Evangelists

I’m the fortunate owner of a HTC Magic, the last ANDROID powered phone launched by the Asian phone manufacturer. I have waited one week to write down my first impressions of the device. The reason: I felt in love with this gadget in the last Mobile World Congress, so I think that my opinion would be more precise after some time using it.

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Vodafone has just announced the official prices for the new HTC Magic, brought exclusively by them in most Europe. From 19 € to 339 €, with 12 € data + music 3G plan…

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Android 1.5, based on the Cupcake branch from the Android Open Source project, has been released as an early look version. Although 1.5 is still not supported on Android devices, developers can download the 1.5 SDK and start testing the new features, as well as send feedback to Google in order to improve the 1.5 final version.

Cupcake is full of new features, and though there are no big surprises, the feeling is that most things have been improved. I´d stress the ability to install downloadable IMEs in order to get customized soft-keyboards (we already knew the importance of IMEs for Android roadmap). Here´s a summary of 1.5:

• User interface improvements (refinements of UI core elements, window animations…)
• Home screen Widgets
• Updated linux kernel and SD filesystem checks
• Google Apps integration (uploads to YouTube, Picassa)
• Faster GPS signal acquisition as well as faster camera start-up
• Speech recognition
• New APIs and developers tools (improved JUnit support, easier profiling…)

Via Android Developers Blog

Last week  HTC Spain prepared a meeting to present its new devices for the upcoming months. SevenClick was part of the audience, composed by some of the most important people in Spanish blogosphere, with people from Xataka, PixelyDixel, etc…

Let’s take a look at the novelties.

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China maybe is not the best point of reference of handsets, owing to we can find in its market, mobile device brands that sound too much familiar, like Nokla or HiPhone. But this time, China offers a handset with an original feature, a smartphone that runs Windows Mobile or Android. The client chooses. TechFaith Wireless and Qigi Future Technology announced it with the name of QiGi i6.

Unfortunately, instead of offering a dual-boot approach, the i6 comes in separate models: i6-Goal (Android) and i6-Win (WM 6.1). The two models differ only with respect to their operating system ROMS. On the other hand, both models share the following features:

• 2.8” LCD touchscreen display with 320×240 resolution.
• Marxvel PXA310 processor clocked at 624MHZ .
• Bluetooth connectivity.
• 2 megapixel camera.
• Wi-Fi support.
• microSD memory card slot.
• GPS navitation.
• Dimensions: 109 x 58 x 14.9 mm.
• No 3G connectivity

Pricing and availability  for both devices have not been released. However, the i6-Goal (the first Android-powered mobile phone in China) will be “shipping soon,” according to Qigi.

Vía PocketNow, LinuxDevices

We all know the Android family could grow and multiply profusely, and we have unveiled before some of the upcoming devices from ASUS or even OpenMoko, but now the still little family is really happy and proud to arrive to the country where present technology is future for the rest: Japan.

NTT Docomo, largest Japan´s carrier, announced the launch of an Android based device next 2009, and what´s more, they said its 20 % cheaper than current devices!.

The device follows G1´s path, including a physical keyboard as a plus for the touch-panel screen, and it will most probably include the new Android updates scheduled for 2009 Q1, which includes SIM ToolKit support and an Input Method Framework, allowing new on-screen virtual keyboards with dictionaries and suggestion engines. If you want to know all the details for the Android roadmap, don´t miss this post.

Android´s entering on a market so advanced and different as Japanese by the hand of Docomo are undoubtedly great news for the family.

Several companies have shown interested in the development of Android-based handsets: HTC, OpenMoko, AsusTek, etc. HTC won the Android race with the launching of their G1 last October and now, it seems to be, that the Taiwan-based OpenMoko is going to get the second place.

Eventually the company confirmed that the GTA02 (the mentioned OpenMoko’s next phone) is the company’s Neo Free Runner (Linux-based) with a different operating system (Google’s Android).  Some specifications of this phone here:

• Memory: 128 MB SDRAM total, 256MB NAND Flash, microSD slot.
• Display: Touch Screen (2.8” VGA (480×64) ).
• Size and Weight: 120.7 x 62  x 18.5 mm. 133 grams.
• Hardware Highlights: Wi-Fi (802.1 b/g), AGPS, GPRS (2.5G not EDGE), Bluetooth 2.0 and 3axis Motion Sensors.
• Software Highlithts: Google’s Android-based.
• Input: Touch screen, two “hard” buttons and a stylus.
• Output: 2.5mm audio jack. GPS external connector.
• Speed: 400Mhz ARM processor. 2D/3D graphics acceleration.

Although rumors say that the release of GTA02 could be this month with a lower price than G1, and OpenMoko is said to have already launched the device, the truth is that there isn’t neither a price nor a release date yet.

Vía xatakamovil, androidcommunity

Since a few days, you can unlock the first mobile phone with Android.

Android was already launched exclusively for T-Mobile, but if you unlock it, you can use with any SIM card.

An algorithm associated with the phone’s IMEI number releases completely the terminal. The price of this unlock-code is $ 23.99.

Reports from G1 owners that have used the unlock-codes say that after inserting the new SIM they were unable to log into Gmail, not have access to the Android Market and have problem with browser.

At the moment I think we will have to wait until all these problems are resolved.

Via Gizmovil

Last week Martin Cooper, considered the father of the first mobile phone (btw, did you know he pick up the idea from Star Trek?) and the first person to make a call on one (April 3, 1973), criticized aspects of the current wireless industry, from closed carrier networks or inefficent cellular antenna systems to the design of top-selling smart phones like the iPhone (he had to hand his off to his grandson after some weeks using it… “You try to build a universal device that does all things for all people, and guess what? It doesn’t do anything very well.” ).

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Since Google announced Android mobile phone platform, lot of companies are developing mobile devices using Android OS.

HTC was the first with his T-Mobile G1, but have already joined to the list Motorola, Samsung, LG and possibly in a short period of time Nokia.

Now Asus also works on an Android phone to be released in the first half of 2009. The model will be the Asus P552W Glide touch-screen, which is already available for Windows Mobile.

Furthermore according to rumors, the first users will have this new Asus, will be Taiwaneses.

In my opinion, even if the device haven’t got QWERTY keyboard I like more than the T-Mobile G1.

Via Gizmologia