Upcoming Motorola Android phones specs leaked?

Motorola Morrison Specs?

Expected on T-Mobile's network, the Motorola Morrison is rumored for an October 21 release. We haven't yet heard of a price for Morrison, but in comparison to myTouch 3G, T-Mobile's latest Android offering (in stores now), the Morrison packs in a better camera (5 megapixels) and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.

The guys over at Android and Me claim to have the full specifications of the Morrison from one of their trusted tipsters as following:

• CPU: Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 MHz
• Memory: 256MB RAM
• Flash Rom: 512 MB
• Memory Card Type: microSDHC, Class 6, 32 GB supported (max)
• Display: 320×480 (HVGA)
• Accelerometer: 3-axis, Four-way screen rotation
• Magnetometer; Proximity Sensor; Ambient Light Sensor
• Voice Bands: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, W-CDMA 900/(1700 or 1900)/2100
• Wireless: 802.11 b/g, WEP, WPA, 802.11i (WPA2)
• Bluetooth Version: 2.0 + EDR
• Bluetooth Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, GAP, HFP 1.5, HSP, SDAP, SPP
• USB: USB 2.0 High Speed, Micro USB connector
• Headset Jack: 3.5mm, Stereo out, Mic
• Camera Resolution: 5 megapixels
• Image Capture Resolution (max): 2560×1920
• Camera Features: Autofocus, White Balance, Geotagging, Color Effects
• Camera Digital Zoom (max): 5.4x
• Video Recording Resolution: 320×240 (QVGA)
• Video Recording Frame Rate: 25 fps
• Location Services: Standalone GPS w/ internal antenna, Assisted GPS, E-Compass
  

Motorola Sholes Specs?

The Motorola Sholes is said to come on Verizon's network and is deemed as the flagship Google Android device this year. The Sholes will also be Verizon's first Google Android phone. One of Sholes' main strengths will be its 3.7-inch screen, which would be larger than the iPhone's or HTC's Android offerings.

The Motorola Sholes is rumored to ship with Eclair (probably Android 2.0), featuring many user interface enhancements and a focus on gaming and multimedia. The expected retail price for the Motorola Sholes (with a Verizon contract) is $199 and speculation puts a launch date for the device sometime in November.

Again, the Android and Me guys leaked some specifications of the Motorola Sholes, as following:

• CPU: OMAP3430 - 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 + PowerVR SGX 530 GPU + 430MHz C64x+ DSP + ISP (Image Signal Processor)
• Dimensions: 60.00 x 115.80 x 13.70 mm
• Weight: 169 g
• Battery: Li-ion 1400 mAh.
• Standby 450 hours, talk time 420 minutes
• 3.7-inch touch-sensitive display with a resolution of 854×480 pixels, 16 million color depth. Physical screen size is 45.72 mm by 81.34 mm.
• 512MB/256MB ROM/RAM
• microSD / microSDHC expansion slot
• Camera: 5.0 megapixel with autofocus and video recorder
• Connectivity: USB2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Wi-Fi
• Supported audio formats: AMR-NB/WB, MP3, PCM / WAV, AAC, AAC +, eAAC +, WMA
• Supported video formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264, WMV
• GPS navigation

Amazon releases App for Android

Android took a giant leap into the mainstream this week with the release of an Amazon.com app for mobile phones running on the Google Android OS. With it, now Android phone users can comparison shop on Amazon while on the go.

The Amazon App for Android utilizes the Amazon Remembers technology, which essentially lets users search for things they want to purchase by taking pictures of them. Snap an item you’re looking to buy and Amazon will search its store and the inventory of some 9,000 other online merchants to find it or something like it. Or if you have a specific make and model in mind, use the phone’s camera to scan its barcode, and Amazon will search for it that way. And if you do find what you’re looking for, the app uses the same secure online purchase system as Amazon’s web site.

Archos Internet Media Tablet with Android?

If you don’t know what Archos is, then you’ll be happy to find out that it’s a France-based manufacturer which is very well known all around the world for developing innovative portable media players. The company has just announced that it decided to join the family of those who are trying to design and develop devices based on the Android mobile operating system.


First of all, we’re not talking about a common smartphone, but about an Internet Media Tablet (also known as IMT) that comes with mobile phone capabilities, indeed. The reason for something like this to happen is that the device is a mixture between the “Google’s Android telephony stack and the Archos’ multimedia framework”. Then, you should know that the IMT is equipped with the OMAP 3 platform, which is created by Texas Instruments Incorporated.


If you’re curious about the features of this Archos Internet Media Tablet, here’s what you can find on board: a 3.5 inch touchscreen display, support for Adobe Flash and Flash Video, full screen, unlimited access to TV, movies, photos, music, games, 3.5G 7.2 Mb/s HSUPA, High-class TV recording and High Definition (HD) playback and up to 500GB or memory. Measuring only 10 millimeters in thickness, the Archos IMT is equipped with a powerful battery that provides up to 7 hours of video playback.

“Archos was proud to announce the introduction of its ARCHOS 5 HSDPA IMT last year with SFR. We are continuing to advance our efforts in the IMT space with the introduction of this new product”, said Henri Crohas, CEO and ARCHOS founder. In addition, he said that “support for an Android-based device represents a historical opportunity for ARCHOS to combine all the best of our IMTs with a phone in a single device delivering high quality video and a full web experience in true mobility”.

Archos and Texas Instruments say that the Android mobile operating system based device will become available starting the third quarter of 2009.

iRiver Plans Android iPod Touch Rival, E-Book Reader, Web Tablet

Some exciting details of iRiver's possible upcoming product range have leaked online due to an Australian-based product dealer.

Current.com.au reports that the local product manager outlined details of an Android-based device, possibly called the K2, that would go head-to-head with Apple's iPod Touch. The K2 would have a 3.5 inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi, a built in Web browser, accelerometer, Bluetooth, and maybe even a digital TV tuner.

The report says that the "project is not yet 100 per cent signed off", and decisions on storage capacities and screen type still have to be made.

The product manager went on to tease that iRiver is also working on an e-book reader and Crunchpad-style Web tablet, but provided no further details. With the Financial Times reporting that an Apple Tablet could launch in September, these holidays could be lots of fun for gadget fans.

Android to aim at businesses

Google Inc plans to include support for business users in its Android operating system as soon as this year, pitting it against BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, a senior executive said.

Andy Rubin, Google's top Android executive, said on Friday that as well as expanding consumer features like social networking and gaming, future Android versions would support businesses who give phones to employees working on the road.

"Today, we don't support many enterprise applications but in the future, I think enterprise will be a good focus for us," Rubin, vice president of engineering at Google, told Reuters. He added that he expected to this to happen this year.

By year-end, phone makers will have launched 15 to 20 Android phone models, Rubin said. But he declined to say when manufacturers would release models with the new business software.

Any technology company could have a tough job entering the mobile enterprise market as Rim's BlackBerry is the favorite for many information technology managers, who have to support applications such as mobile email.

But Rubin said Google can compete by incorporating Android with existing Google apps like email, documents and calendars.

For example, corporations could cut costs on hardware for data storage if they give workers Android phones that support business applications connected to Google's data centers.

"You can, from an enterprise perspective, dramatically control your costs," Rubin said. "You don't have to build out infrastructure any more. Google's already doing it,"

Part of the strategy would be giving IT managers control over the phones their employees use.

"It's how do you put the control in the hands of the IT manager and give him the tools to deploy all his enterprise applications on the phone, and how does he manage the phone for security?" Rubin said.



CONSUMER FEATURES

Earlier this month Google announced the development of its Chrome operating system, which overlaps with Android in netbook computers, raising questions about the future of Android. But Rubin is already developing three new versions of Android.

Google will release two versions of Android this year: Android 1.6 code-named Donut and Android 2.0 code-named Eclair. The third version is code-named Flan.

Rubin said there will be a fourth version.

He declined to discuss specific functions in Donut or Eclair except to say that they would take advantage of the most powerful processors on the market for features like 3D gaming.

Citing the Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm Inc as an example, Rubin said it would give Android phones the same processing speed as the desktop computers of four years ago.

"They're really closing the gap and you're really starting to carry around a small computer in your pocket," he said. "You can start really thinking about serious gaming like you would on a Nintendo DS or a PSP handheld."

Rubin also said social networking services would be a key consumer focus for Android. Most advanced phones already support for social networks like Facebook and microblogging service Twitter, but Rubin said he is aiming for integrating social services deep into the operating system.

Some of the innovations rival Palm Inc's high-profile Pre phone includes the way it keeps texts and instant messages with a given contact in one place as well as its integration of Facebook contacts in the address book.

Rubin described this as "a step in the right direction." In comparison, Android options will include having Facebook contacts' photos and status updates appear on your phone when they call, potentially changing how a conversation starts.

Phone communications should pivot around the people you know, Rubin said, instead of separate folders and files with different things such as addresses and photos of those people.

"I want it just to be part of the system. I want it to be a stream of data that any (app) can tap into if it makes sense," he said. "I want to make that data available to anything, including third party developers."

This would only happen with the user's consent, Google spokeswoman Katie Watson, said, adding that Rubin was referring to future developments.

"This is stuff that's never been done before," he said.

The Motorola Sholes Android phone

The Motorola Sholes was recently spotted and is rumored to be equipped with the following specifications:

• 3.7″ touchscreen display at 480 x 854 resolution,
  
• 512MB internal memory,
  
• 256MB RAM,
  
• microSDHC memory card slot,
  
• 5-megapixel camera with autofocus,
  
• GPS navigation,
  
• USB,
  
• Bluetooth 2.0
  
• Wi-Fi connectivity,
  
• Multimedia playback support,
  
• CDMA and EVDO Rev A supported .

Estimated start of sale - October 2009 with an 8GB Micro SD card.

Android-based Creative Zii Egg gets official

I knew Creative was up to something when that Zii Egg FCC application flew past earlier this month, but had no idea it would be this awesome, or this confusing.

Turns out the Zii Egg is a multitouch-wielding, HD video-playing, dual-camera-having (front and back) rival to the iPhone and iPod Touch, running on Google's Android OS (see all the official specs over at Zii.net).

You can grab a 32GB model now for $400, but don't expect it to be fully baked. Creative is announcing this as a "developer edition" in the hopes that the Android community will pick up the platform and run with it. Physically this looks like it has come straight out of the same factory as the iPhone.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that we may never actually see the Zii Egg released to consumers as an official Creative product. The company is looking to sell rebranded Zii Eggs directly to other manufacturers as an OEM product.

For a company that's been trickling out half-hearted products all year, it seems odd that Creative would make something with such unprecedented appeal, only to lob it to open-source developers and slap someone else's name on it.

Then again, maybe it's smart enough to know it has made a product that's potential is beyond Creative's capabilities to execute. If this thing ultimately becomes a phone (all the ingredients are there) Creative is likely just being cautious about entering the mobile phone market as a newcomer.

Android 2.0 Donut Preview Highlights Multi-touch Support and Other Enhancements

At the Google I/O conference in May, the company previewed the new Android 2.0, Google’s mobile operating system. Major highlights include the new Android search, text-to-speech compatibility and gesture support.



However, this preview has now been made available to developers through Google’s code depository. While still in testing phases and very unstable, developers can take the release for a test drive or even take key 2.0 elements and place them into the stable Android 1.5 build.



Some of the main features in Android 2.0 are:

Android Search: The search engine will allow you to search both your phone and the web through the same browser.



Text-To-Speech: If you have a Google Voice account, you can pretty soon link it to your Android phone as well.



Multi-touch Support: Like Apple’s smart phones, the Android system now allows for users to perform actions by touching the screen in multiple places at the same time, for instance, to reduce the size of an image. This functionality was left out of Android 1.0 since Google was worried about legal issues with Apple, who has pioneered this feature.

Gesture Support: Instead of having to search through the entire contact list to get to the “S” names on your phone, all you will now need to do is write the letter “S” on the screen.



With all these new features still only available in a developer’s release, it might be a smart idea for regular users to wait till the Android 2.0 is released in a slightly more stable form before installing it on their phone.

How to Root your T-Mobile G1

.. from phonehacking.blogspot.com