The big Android news this weekend is piecing together whether or not Google employees were given handsets which will end up being “The Google Phone” that’s often been rumored. We posted an article earlier today about the subject and it seems Google has something official to say about the matter.
T-Mobile USA has officially announced their 4th Android handset as the Samsung Behold II. A touch-only device, the Behold II is both Android-based and TouchWiz interface. Starting November 18th, the phone goes on sale online and at T-Mobile stores nationwide, the phone will drop at $229 beginning Nov. 18, 2009. We previously reported the phone for $199 so we feel compelled to clear that up.
Google announced the next evolution of their Google Maps for mobile today and it’s a game-changer. It’s called Google Maps Navigation it’s an internet-connected GPS navigation system with voice guidance. And it comes standard with Android 2.0. Sounds fancy huh? It is. The key is in the internet connection. Oh and being free never hurts.
The Official Google Blog has posted seven key reasons as to why their Maps Navigation is better than other GPS alternatives. We’ve taken the liberty of pulling out and paraphrasing the stuff you’ll enjoy the most.
Verizon Wireless officially announced today that the Motorola Droid will be launching on November 6th with a $200 price tag. We have to admit, the cost does come as a surprise considering the specs. It’s considerably beefier than anything else we’ve seen so far from T-Mobile or Sprint but in the same ballpark in terms of cost.ÂÂ
An “exclusive” article over on TheStreet claims that Google is actually in the hardware business after all. Yep – according to them, Google has plans to develop their own handset and release it to the masses.
My Background
Being that this is my first piece for AndroidGuy.com, I want to give you, the readers, some insight into my background so that you may interpret this review accordingly. I’m 23 years old and I’m currently in my second year of law school. I love all kinds of gadgets, and I am, like everyone, biased. I use Apple computers, I think plasma televisions are unquestionably superior to LCDs, I prefer Canon cameras, and I recently have decided that I loathe BlackBerry phones. Oh, and I think that Jay Cutler has been blessed with a golden arm of the Gods. That being said, I am more than willing to admit when a product is, in fact, a good product.
Yay for headlines like that. Today was Google’s Q3 earnings conference call and one of the hot topics was the growth in their mobile division. As well all know, Android is the key ingredient to the recipe of success.  We’ll spare you the entire call and transcript and give you the stuff that has us most excited.
“Android adoption is about to explode. You have all the necessary conditions.” – Eric Schmidt
Sprint has officially announced their second Android-handset, the Samsung Moment. Previously codenamed the InstinctQ, the Moment boasts an 800MHz processor in addition to some other healthy specifications.
Hot on the heels of last week’s leak comes the official announcement of LG’s first Android handset. Called the LG-GW620, it’s a slide out QWERTY with a 3″ touch screen. The press release tells us little about the handset other than it is part of a larger strategy from LG. From the sounds of it, they plan to use Android to appeal to younger users and keep pumping out plenty of WinMo devices for the adult crowd.
Will the introduction of new Android devices fragment the Android Market? I suppose it’s possible, but not probable.
As companies like INQ hint at their own take on the experience and Cole Brodman acknowledges the shortcomings of the Android Market if there is fragmentation, it’s likely to be in how it appears on handsets.
So far, one the physical differences between Android handsets is screen and pixel size. With the HTC Tattoo gearing up for release, will developers have to also worry about how their apps work on both capacitive and resistive touch screens? What about other form factors?
The T-Mobile G1 and the Motorola Cliq sport full QWERTY’s and we already know apps play well with track balls, soft keyboards, and touch screens. However, way back in 2007, Android was shown on a device that resembled a 1st generation BlackBerry Curve and other low-to-mid level phones. Now we could be looking at fragmentation – Writing apps to take advantage of specific hardware.
Just how specific are we talking? Will Android Market have device specific apps? For instance, if I went into Market and look for NitroDesk could it be identified by “NitroDesk – Cliq” and/or “NitroDesk – Tattoo”. Nah…that’s way too much confusion for the casual smart phone buyer.
So will new devices fragment Android Market? App differentiation maybe, but fragmentation no.