Things have gotten so crazy in the word of Android over the last month or two that it can be difficult at times to simply keep up with a single day's news. And while Aaron, Adriana, Noah, and now Sydney have got you covered on the PhoneDog front, we thought a weekly summary of current Android events was in order.
Somehow, taking a look back at the rumors, leaks, launches, and reviews of the week has a way of putting things into perspective. And since a bunch of you want the skinny, net results rather than a post on every whisper, I give you the link-heavy, image-light, piece I'll write late Thursday night: What up, Droid?
Here we go.
GooglePhone: About to blow up?
GooglePhone
While still unresolved, the long-standing rumors and rebuttals of Google's intention to get into the cell phone hardware game have recently grown to a deafening roar thanks to a couple of posts from TechCruch, which have been covered by myself and Adriana. Writing about the device as a sure thing (and as something that renders the entire history of the Universe prologue) has put all tech bloggers on alert. Let's hope TC's source is a strong as they think it is.
Samsung Behold II
The T-Mobile follow-up to the original Behold may not have seen enough change since it's previous incarnation. This Android device feels TouchWizzy through and through and reactions to "The Cube" have been almost unanimously negative. Sammy did bring a nice drop-down notification bar enhancement to Android, and the media management is kinda cool. I'd just like to see those flipping Polaroids in a widget or something.
Adriana was at the launch last week, and she posted her first impressions as well as a demo of the interface.
I unboxed the phone and completed round one of a Q&A/request video series.
Motorola's Motus - or is it Backflip?
What is widely viewed as the Cliq's little brother should be launching in the first few months of next year, but don't expect any major changes in the guts. Cliq and Backflip share the same father. The name - Backflip - apprently comes from the device's hardware keyboard, which is attached to the screen panel facing opposite of the direction we're used to. When the phone is closed, the keyboard is situated on the back of the phone. Confused? Check out a picture, and imagine you're looking at the front and back covers of a book.
X10
Sony Ericsson's X10 - the first device to run the Nexus UI (previously known as Rachael) - has been on everyone's minds this week. Unfortunately, not always for its strengths. SE held a luncheon in NYC where a number of hands-on videos were produced. Despite disclaimers about the beta state of the hardware and software, it seems that everyone walked away with a bad impression. Maybe beta luncheons aren't such a good idea for devices with such incredible buzz behind them. Especially when your company is trimming the fat and causing what some see as a loss of confidence in the brand.
I'm still super-excited for this Snapdragon phone, and am awaiting any X10-related info in Sony Style news. Check out samples from the X10's camera here.
DRAGOOOOOON!!!
This bad boy may as well be called the HTC Super Hype Ultra. The rumors/leaks just don't stop. And while this phone was being rumored to launch in mid-December, the GooglePhone gabbers say it's been bumped to the new year.
Droid
Noah wrapped up his three part iPhone vs. Droid dogfight this week, and that's what all of this industry buzz surrounding Droid is founded upon, right? Check it out. And as if you haven't seen enough Droid... here's one in pieces. Is that enough? No? O.K., check out this video to warm up for the weekend. Yeah, it's older than this past week, but still funny.
Updates
A couple of software updates were made available this week: the new HTC Sync and a Sprint Hero OTA full of fixes. Check out the changes here.
Those are the bigger stories from the past week, folks. But here are a few crumbs for those who are still hungry:
Bargains
Hero and Moment holiday special
Odds and Ends
Sciphone N21 video is the greatest of ALL TIME!
Dell Streak headed for AT&T with Eclair?
Install Android on WinMo
Say what? Saygus.
The remote control car cannibalises the power-window motors to control the brakes and gas, and a small motorbike engine to turn the steering column. These are controlled via a LabView program, remotely signalled by a wireless device - like the iPhone. In true (if unconventional) Apple fashion the app is a slick, attractive interface - simple sliders and buttons, or even the accelerometer to measure tilt, hiding the heavy hackery it controls.
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