Banking on Android

Motorola Inc., whose phone business has lost more than $4 billion since 2007, is devoting most of its investment in smart-phone software to Google Inc.'s Android, aiming for a larger share of the market for Web-surfing devices.

'We're doing an entire business based around this platform," Christy Wyatt, Motorola's vice president in charge of software platforms, said in an interview yesterday. 'If you talk about the mid- to high-tier portfolio, the only platform-level investment we're making at this point is in Android."

The company, which hasn't released a bestseller since its Razr handset five years ago, said it will unveil the Android devices on Sept. 10 and expects to have two phones ready for the holiday season. Its Android line may account for half of handset revenue next year, predicts Matt Thornton, an analyst at Avian Securities LLC in Boston.

Motorola is one of at least five companies expected to introduce Android-powered units in the next 12 months to tap consumer demand for smart phones. Sales of the Web- and e-mail-equipped devices climbed 27 percent worldwide in the second quarter as mobile-handset sales overall dropped 6.1 percent, according to Stamford, Connecticut-based Gartner Inc.

'Android will be the dominant platform for these guys over time," said Thornton, who has a 'neutral" rating on the stock. 'They're thinking about Android in not just the traditional sense of smart phones but at all price points."

'Not Five Guys and a Web site'

Thornton predicts Android handsets will climb from zero to 30 percent of devices Motorola sells in 2010, accounting for 51 percent of revenue. How quickly Android grows beyond that depends on its popularity with customers and the success of future versions of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile operating system, used in some Motorola phones, he said.

Motorola, based in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, is interested in the 7.0 version of Windows Mobile expected next year, Wyatt said. 'We never want to close off an option."

Motorola, which also makes walkie-talkies and TV set-top boxes, spent $1.6 billion on research and development in the first half of this year and generated one-third of revenue from mobile-phone sales. The company's commitment to Android means it probably spent disproportionately on the phone unit, said Thornton.

Wyatt declined to say how many employees are working on Android devices or how much the company is spending to do so.

'It's not five guys and a Web site," Wyatt said. 'The team is probably as significant an investment if not more so than the likes that I've had when I've been at Apple or Palm."

Challenging IPhone, BlackBerry

Motorola is developing smart phones that run on Google's open- source program to help it take on Apple Inc.'s iPhone, Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry and Palm Inc.'s Pre, and to reverse a 37 percent sales drop in the past two years. Google started Android in 2007 as part of an industry effort to devise free software for phones open to programmers who want to create games or other features for it.

Android should add more applications as new handset makers come on board including Motorola, said Andy Rubin, vice-president of mobile platforms at Mountain View, California-based Google.

'That gives a bigger market opportunity for third-party developers to build their applications," Rubin said in an interview last week.

He said Android doesn't have to match the number of applications available for the iPhone. Android's marketplace has more than 8,000 applications for download, up from 6,300 about three months ago.

Palm offers 41 applications to users of the Pre, RIM offers more than 2,000 for the BlackBerry. More than 65,000 are available for the iPhone. Spokespeople for both companies declined to comment. Natalie Kerris, a spokeswoman for Apple, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The market for smart phones is still new, said Rubin.

'Market-share wise, we all have a long ways to go," he said.

Still, Motorola's bet on Android technology may give it an edge over RIM and Palm, which vet developers, as it challenges Apple for users, said Charlie Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Co. in New York.

'The name of the game is going to be applications going forward in terms of which smart phones sell best, and the two contenders are the iPhone and Android," Wolf said

Archos' Android-based A5S and A5H Internet Tablets outed by FCC

HTC Click - more images arise

HTC Click video

Several intriguing Android-based handsets have rolled out recently, such as the HTC Hero and Samsung Galaxy, but the market demand for a more affordable Android device that would appeal to the broad public has been growing steadily. There's a good chance that the HTC Click, featured below, will be just that.

The handset has already caused some tongues to wag, but we hadn´t seen it action before the video appeared. Thanks to its creators, the Tihn Te website, we know more about the much anticipated device.

The HTC Click will feature smaller display than the Magic. The overall design is pretty appealing, although I think the owner himself is responsible for the fine dragon pattern details visible on the back panel.

The video reveals the software version is 1.50.999.0 and that the Click will come equipped with a 3.5mm jack. Unfortunately, it won´t be running Sense UI, but the standard Android interface that we know well from the Magic and G1.

The Magic that the Click is compared to in the video footage is running the HTC´s personalized interface.

Google Listen: a podcast app for Android

There are several apps for following podcast content available on Google's Android Market, but most of them are not free.

It´s a good thing that the company that developed the operating system has decided to come up with their own, free version - Listen.



The program allows users to search, sign up for and download podcasts directly onto their Android devices and store the content on both the built-in device memory or expansion card.

As a whole, Listen looks quite appealing and Google´s webpage dedicated to the app suggests we might see video podcast support in the next versions.

Different renderings of T-Mobile Pulse (Huawei U8220) surface

Regardless of what it ends up LOOKING like, the potential specs are more widely agreed upon although much like the design/date/price, still just a rumor:

* 3.5 inch touchscreen
* 320 x 480 pixels resolution
* HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
* Wi-Fi
* GPS
* Microsoft Exchange support
* Bluetooth 2.0
* 3.2MP camera
* MicroSD slot

Samsung's second Android phone leaks out

A tipster with phandroid has come across some snapshots of the Samsung InstinctQ, which is very likely to be a Sprint 2009 Android smartphone release. October 11 and “early November” have both been given as rumored release dates, but no solid information has come down the pipe yet.

The “Q” in InstinctQ likely stands for “qwerty”, in reference to this device's sliding full QWERTY keyboard. This new offering from Samsung looks great, although we have no information about its hardware and specs. The Hero is expected to hit Sprint around the same time, so I'd say we have good odds of the two phones being roughly equal in terms of power. From the in-action screenshots, we can see that the InstinctQ is a Google Experience phone...and that's about it.




This would be the first phone in the Instinct line with a hard keyboard and only the 2nd overall Android Phone with a hardware keyboard:

No hard info on price or release date has hit yet, but if the October 11 launch rumors prove true, we should see more news about this bad boy leak by mid-September.

Software Update Fixes the HTC Hero's Only Real Problem

Well, this changes things. Right after it came out, Matt from Gizmodo called the HTC Hero "tragically flawed."

Why? Because the otherwise fantastic Sense UI was realllly slooooow.
HTC, presumably run by competent, rational human beings, has fixed this. The new update, illustrated above, shows the now beautifully fluid UI experience.

Well done HTC!

Glass Platform: Android Desktop Phone For Business

We’ve seen the consumer targeted Android Hub concept and although it hasn’t yet come to fruition, we’re sure it will. Take that same “next generation deskphone” idea to the business world and you have what Cloud Telecomputers is calling their Android-based Glass platform.

The prototype model has an 8″ touchscreen, tap to dial, Email via Outlook integration, Bluetooth, Voice dialing, Voice notes, HD Speakerphone and runs on Android.

“Glass makes the desk phone relevant again. It thoughtfully integrates business applications with IP telephony to bring the office phone into the 21st century. It’s a technological leap forward in terms of applications and usability, helping professionals to be more productive and informed in their everyday communications.”



With Android, this new age business deskphone can rise to a completely different plateau. Because of its open nature, third parties can write applications for the Glass Platform designed specifically for different types of business settings.