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I'm going to refer, once again, to the HTC '09 line-up that was leaked back in January. If you jump down to the bottom of that post, you'll find a hard-QWERTY slider called Memphis that looks pretty slick, if a bit blurry. The first photo below gives a marginally better view. The second photo, however, is high-rez and provides all kinds of other information.

Memphis is now the Lancaster, and it's headed for AT&T. QVGA display, 1350 mAh battery, 3MP cam... see the rest for yourself. The new image came from Engadget Mobile, who cautiously calls August 3rd as the date of availability. Oh yeah, it's another Android device! Thanks to PhxBlue for the heads up.

It's a developer's version right now, but the Trimble Nomad with Android is available at two price points: $1274 and $2249. That's a hefty chunk of change, but as owners of a Panasonic Toughbook will tell you, that's a reasonable price for the comfort of knowing that your data and equipment are secure in a harsh environment.

The tough phone has been done before, but this Android device allows for some software customizations that could be a forman's dream come true.


Via Electronista

There are some interesting things happening in Android gaming, and more specifically, in G1 Gaming. Take for instance the new Zeboo console designed as an affordable alternative to emerging markets. Turns out that the units are hacked G1s!

And check out the first video below (found via Android Central) that demonstrates the alpha GP2X game emulator for Android. It can load games originally designed to run on MAME, SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Gear and other consoles. Wow.




I had a decent experience running NesEmu on my G1, But Nesoid is definitely better. It is $1.99 in the Android Market. Thanks to @androidrights for pointing this one out to me. I made a quick video to demonstrate:

Of course as soon as we post the mother of all Palm Pre news round-ups, another item comes in from Precentral.net (not that I'm complaining). If you're the sort of person who likes geeking out over leaked corporate documents, then this might be right up your alley.




Supposedly this PDF, which intended for internal use, was mistakenly sent to a Precentral forum member called monkeydog:

"I called the Sprint reseller affiliated with my employer and got on their list for the Palm Pre. The rep sent me a Pre Launch Guide intended for Sprint internal use only. I was going to post it here, but it's 1MB which is too large for forum rules. Here are a few notable points:

• SERO plans will not work on the Pre
• The Pre is an exchange-only phone -- no parts or repair available
• Documents To Go will be available in ROM for read-only... ability to update comes later
• You must have a Palm profile to use the phone
• The GPS requires Google Mobile
• You can remotely wipe your Pre using a Palm Profile page"

The file is actually 23 pages long, so if you want to head over to Precentral's forums, register and then download the whole thing, you can click here.

If you don't feel like it, here are some nuggets from the PDF: Looks like there will be Exchange support, Cisco Unified Messaging and quite some Wi-fi security (including EAP-TLS, PEAP v1/v2, EAP-TTLS, EAP-FAST, and LEAP), plus info on which plans will work. (Sorry, SERO subscribers. Maybe the Sprint Employee Referral Offer sounded like a good idea at the time, but you'll have to upgrade to the Everything Data or Everything Plus plans if you want the Pre.) Also spotted is full push support, which can handle several Exchange accounts, and a feature for searching Global Addresses on the server.

Precentral also urges soon-to-be Pre users to fill out the all-important Palm Profile (otherwise suffer an inoperable handset), accept Google Mobile's TOS to ensure GPS functionality, wear clean underwear and always look both ways before crossing the street. (Okay, I made up the last two, but jeez, I've already got a mom. Thanks, though.)

The details are interesting, sure, but I'm mostly intrigued by the language. Apparently Sprint is expecting the Pre to "smoke" the competition, which is pretty straightforward. But the line at the bottom of the following page reads, "We Can't Afford to Sell the Pre to the Wrong Customers." Now, what do you think that means?



[via Precentral]

Who isn't interested in what the next iPhone will offer? The standard by which every other phone is measured is about to get a makeover, and while nobody really knows for sure of the extent of the changes, plenty of people are offering up suggestions. There are so many conflicting and continually updated posts on the topic that one could easily carve a full-time hobby out keeping track of them all.

Thankfully, WIRED has listed the most commonly agreed upon possibilities and rated their probability of materializing in reality. Processing power, storage, the metal strip, the glowing logo, the screen... All of it's covered and sourced. Great list.

When you own one of the two biggest battery hogs in the wireless industry - the BlackBerry Bold and the iPhone - battery life is of utmost concern.  And the truth of the matter is your phone needs to be charged and holstered at given intervals, so why not accomplish both at the same time?  Case-Mate's Fuel holster aims to accomplish just that, giving an extra 7-9 hours of battery life, and offering a toggle on/off switch so you can control when you want to give your phone the added juice.  And better yet, charging the holster at night will also charge the phone, so there's no need to individually charge the holster and phone. 

At $79.99, it's pricey, but could be worth it for those who need continuous connectivity.  If you own one, sound off with your opinions below!

Source: Case-Mate

For those of you in The Great White North that are looking for an Android device but don't like the idea of a three-year commitment (yes, it takes a three-year contract to get the phone for $199.99), the cost of entry has been increased. Boy Genius reports that the G1, or Dream, is set to drop on June 2nd for $649.99 outright. Ouch. Supplies will be but a trickle at the start, but more can be expected on June 12th.

This post, also by Boy Genius, says that the prices for Magic are identical - making the hardware keyboard and form the factors of decision. That post also says the terms are "Not bad for the first Android handsets to land north of the border." I think I'm gonna have to disagree with BGR there. Seems a bit steep to me, at least for the G1.

Lastly (I think) Engadget has announced that the Canadian Dream and Magic will *not* be "with Google" phones - and that means Exchange support. So for those looking for and Android device to use in the office, maybe the tag won't be too off-putting.