google phone – nexus one, zomg and android 2.1 news and review
What is google phone, the detail specification of the google phone, the network support, is it support wifi? Is google phone are smart phone? How about the google phone history?
We will cover it all in this post almost everything about google phone.
CALIFORNIA – The rumor that stated that Google was preparing a Google phone seems not only a myth, it is likely Google phone is really going to be released.
Google phone is reportedly were tested by senior officials at Google, and almost certainly will use the operating system of their own which is Google Android. Google Phone is certainly different from the previous G1, which is the result of cooperation with the HTC.
The article below is taken from http://www.connectmidmichigan.com/news/story.aspx?id=389310 which is written by By Jeff Rauschert
I was eager to try the Android operating system and was doubly excited to do so when Verizon offered me the new Motorola Droid.
As the owner of an Apple iPhone, I soon realized that the Droid will be a serious competitor in the smart phone world. Verizon has been hyping the Droid for a few weeks and must be doing something right as they’ve already sold more than a million units.
Now, don’t mistake the Droid for an iPhone or a BlackBerry. It’s a completely different type of phone that runs a new, unique operating system.
History
First, a little background for those of you new to Android: The Android operating system runs on the Linux kernel and was developed by Android Inc. and later purchased by Google. Sprint, T-Mobile, LG, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Google and others are members of a group called the Open Handset Alliance, which has 50 members who develop open standards for mobile devices. Android is the No. 1 software for the alliance.
AT&T and Verizon are not members of the alliance. However, Verizon has released the Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris.
Android has been around quite a while, making a giant splash in Sept. 2008 with the T-Mobile G1 and the HTC Dream. There will be at least 18 phones using Android worldwide by the end of the year.
Google’s influence
When I think of Android, I think of Google. In fact, the only caveat to owning the Droid or any Android phone is you must have a Gmail account. If you don’t have a Gmail account, my only advice is catch up with the times and crawl out from under the rock from which you live.
The phone’s interface is really as easy as entering your Google username and password. Google apps are so great and so flexible that every Android phone can have its own sense of identity and the Droid is no exception.
The keyboard is disappointing. I used the touchscreen keyboard 90 percent of the time and was happy with how it responded. Rich Larobardiere of Verizon Wireless said the keyboard has been more popular with women and I believe him. However, for those of you who like a tactile keyboard, the Droid gives you that option.
First look
My first impression of the Droid is that it is fast. It’s fast for web browsing and search. The turn-by-turn GPS is second to none, the clarity of the sound is top-notch and the interface is very responsive.
The Droid’s screen resolution is slightly better than the iPhone. The iPhone’s resolution is 480 x 320 on a 3.5-inch diagonal screen, while the Droid’s is 480 x 854 on the 3.7-inch screen.
Camera, video and music
The Droid has a really nice 5 megapixel camera with a flash that works great from three to 12 feet and in low light. Video quality was also strong, although there are no editing tools available on the phone. At the time of this review, I couldn’t find an app for editing, either.
The Droid captures video at 720 x 480 and 24 frames per second, while the iPhone records at 640 x 480 and 30 frames per second.
Music on the Droid is still a bit of a mystery. I’m waiting for Verizon to pull a rabbit out of their hat and unleash an iTunes-comparable service to compete with the iPhone. Until then, the Droid is a great phone, but not a great music phone.
In the meantime, you can listen to music by copying files to the Droid’s SD card. The music application supports the following formats: MP3, M4A (iTunes application AAC, DRM-free only), AMR, WMA (8), MIDI, WAV, OGG Vorbis. Do this by connecting the Droid to your PC via the USB cable. The computer will ask if you’d like to mount the Droid (a la a hard drive). This didn’t work well on the Mac. However, I have heard of a few solutions (this is another) but didn’t get the chance to try them.
Apps
There are more than 10,000 apps for the Droid and that number is growing exponentially. While the iPhone has 100,000 apps, even I know that many are duplicate apps and others are pretty much worthless, time wasting programs. So, don’t let the number fool you.
The Droid has all the common apps that you download through the Android Market – Google Voice, Documents to Go, ESPN, Amazon MP3, Visual Voice (yes, you have to pay $2.99, but it’s well worth it), Pandora and many others.
I did have a small issue with the Droid’s Facebook app. First, it looks a lot like that of Sprint’s Palm Pre and the news feed page looks just like that of the iPhone.
Like the iPhone, the Droid shows links in posts and status updates. But clicking on a Web link in a friend’s post took me directly to their profile. Huh? I then tried to click on the post again with no luck. So, it appears you can’t launch them from the Droid app. I’m sure this will be fixed with future updates. After all, my iPhone Facebook app is updated often.
Secondly, the Droid Facebook launch screen is missing the Inbox. I’m guessing that will be fixed in the near future, too.
Finally, you can run multiple apps — I believe up to five at one time. Drop me a note if I’m wrong. However, the more apps you run, the more it will eat into your battery.
Other tidbits
- Storage: Removable 16 GB SD card expandable to 32 GB.
- Points of pressure on the screen. It’s really close to being iPhone-esque. I can’t wait for Droid II
- Mini USB connection
- Syncs with Google Docs very nicely
- On/off switch is a little difficult to master for those of us with big fingers.
- Battery life drains quickly when you leave the sync on. The saving grace is that you can remove the battery, unlike the iPhone.
- The light sensor is in an odd spot. When holding the phone with my right hand, it sometimes was hidden by my hand and therefore made the screen darker.
- It has wi-fi.
read more on http://www.connectmidmichigan.com/news/story.aspx?id=389310
What about ZOMG?
As reported by washington post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/12/AR2009121200230.html
ZOMG The Google Phone Is “Like An iPhone On Beautifying Steroids”
We told you the Google phone was confirmed. And now some Googler’s seem to be confirming it, too.
We noticed a Twitter message from Google Program Manager Leslie Hawthorn, who writes “Stuck in mass of traffic leaving work post last all hands of 2009. ZOMG we had fireworks and we all got the new Google phone. It’s beautiful.”
Another guy, Jason Howell, says he had his hands on the device, which he says is made by HTC and is running Android 2.1: “The new Google Phone runs on HTC hardware. I saw it w/Android 2.1. Homescreen has new visual enhancements like animated desktop wallpaper.”
“Supposedly, Google employees were given tons of these phones today. unlocked,” he adds.
And one last one: “A friend from Google showed me the new Android 2.1 phone from HTC coming out in Jan. A sexy beast. Like an iPhone on beautifying steroids.”
It looks to us like Google may have handed out a lot of the new Google Phone devices today to employees, and naturally they’re showing it to friends.
While here is the news about HTC Droid Eris Might Receive Android 2.1 Update in Early 2010
http://androidcommunity.com/htc-droid-eris-might-receive-android-2-1-update-in-early-2010-20091207/
Lets face it, as soon as we learn about the leaked Hero 2.1 Eclair ROM, we knew it was just a matter of time before we could get our hands on the official release. According to InformationWeek, the update to Android 2.0, or 2.1 for at least one version of the Hero, is coming.
According to Verizon Wireless, the HTC Droid Eris will be receiving a significant system update at some point in the fist quarter of 2010. This update will boost the version of Android on the HTC Eris, to at least 2.0. But there are even better news; that the update might possibly be Android 2.1.
We know that Android just had some minor updates to the SDK, and now there’s word of Android 2.0 or 2.1 coming to the Eris, so hold on tight, 2010 is just around the corner.
Verizon spokesperson Brenda Raney told InformationWeek, “The Droid Eris currently using Android 1.5, can and will be upgraded to newer a Android operating system software in first quarter 2010.
The enhancement will allow customers to continue to enjoy the powerful HTC Sense experience while also gaining the additional benefits of Google Maps Navigation.” Raney also said that, based on the timing, the Droid Eris will be updated to either Android 2.0 or 2.1.
