Portable Electronics Ltd // Technology you can carry.

As many as five new Android phones could be announced next week during CTIA, but the one I am looking forward to the most is the HTC Supersonic. This device is significant because it is rumored to be the first 4G handset for Sprint’s new WiMax network.

We already tested Sprint’s 4G network using the Overdrive and found download speeds of 3-6 Mbps. At the upper end, these speeds are 10x faster than the average 3G connection (600 Kbps vs 6 Mbps). Sprint is going to cover 120 million people by the end of this year, so many of you will be able to benefit from the faster network.

To check out the current and upcoming 4G coverage areas, please visit www.sprint.com/4g

One of the most exciting aspects about a 4G Android handset is going to be the new 4G apps that spring up to take advantage of the faster speeds. The most obvious apps to benefit will be video streaming services (ESPN via Sprint TV anyone?), but I’m curious to see what new ideas come to the forefront.

What types of 4G apps would you like to see created? Live broadcasting of video (Qik, Ustream)? Complete phone backups and restorations? Voice chat during online games? Video calling using VOIP (Fring)? Online file storage for all your media?

If you can dream it then someone can build it, so share your ideas for 4G apps.

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Here’s an update on the Samsung tablet we just talked about yesterday. New rumors have surfaced suggesting that it will actually run on the Android platform and not on Windows. As for its hardware, it’s now being reported that it will sport an ARM-based processor as opposed to an Intel Atom chipset, and will feature call functionality via a headset over some sort of VoIP implementation via 3G with 4G connectivity also being a possibility.

Granted that this new rumor is more attuned with modern mobile tablet devices as compared to its initially reported specs, there’s still no degree of certainty that this is actually true. Anyway, we’re pretty sure there will still be a handful or more so rumors that’ll surface before everything’s all said and done with this Samsung tablet, but let’s hear it from you guys first. What do you want this upcoming Samsung tablet to feature?

[via bgr]

In my (never ending) quest to inundate my life with all things Android I run across some of the most bizarre and sometimes awesome things. Fortunately, my family tolerates my craving for more (usually, until I brought my Nexus One to bed with me... ya that was some great advice). I did find something recently that I had to fight my kids over though, and even standing at 6'4" tall and 240 lbs, I almost lost it to them.

Say hello to my new desk companion:

It's Not A Doll!!

I love this little dude. Handcrafted by a lovely young lady named Nicole Aaron at A Plus Amigurumi, he's just too adorable. Yes, a 33 year old grown man just said "adorable." You can find Nicole Aaron and her awesome creations, including the stuffed Android (it's NOT a doll!) at her Etsy Store. Price is only $15 and $4.95 to cover shipping anywhere in the United States. If you live outside of the States, Nicole Aaron will ship it to you for only $7.

Since she makes every single one of these by hand, it does take a while to get to you (mine arrived three weeks after I placed the order). But, it's well worth the wait to be the envy of your other Android-loving friends. Even if you are a 33 year old man that still plays with dolls collects memorabilia.

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While geo-location applications have become increasingly popular, there are those that still feel uncomfortable broadcasting their every movement to everyone around them.  Sometimes, you just don't want everyone to know exactly where you are. The new Google Buzz widget allows you to Buzz with the option of generalizing or hiding your location as well as making your Buzz private all from the Buzz screen. In fact, the screen you access from the widget has all the same options as the Buzz screen on the mobile web site giving you all the functionality with one touch convenience. When I wanted to buzz from home but didn't want to broadcast where my apartment was to the world I had the following options:

1. Use the city as the location (this was automatically designated as my location when I opened the screen)
2. Select my apartment complex (no thank you)
3. Select a nearby location (seemed silly)
4. Hide my location altogether.
5. Make my Buzz private so that only my friends can see.

I opted to make my Buzz private, disappointing all the fine people of Albany who were dying to hear my critique of an American Idol performance. But I am happy to know that I could potentially alert people to bad roads (I've actually used Buzz to check on road conditions and it was very effective) or petition people in the area to look out for my neighbors lost Yorkshire terrier without giving away my home location to everyone. Might We Suggest...

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Just a few hours ago, Google launched their Google App Marketplace with over 50 vendors ready to serve up a host of applications that integrate directly with Google services. A bold move for sure, but one that may have a larger impact on Android than at first glance.

Obviously the App Marketplace targets the small to medium sized business model. These are the same businesses that often times will have people wearing multiple hats in the workplace. Your outside sales manager may also be heading up your marketing team. Your IT guy? Perhaps he's the janitor. These types of people are usually issued company handsets and are kept within the working environment regardless of where they are. For so long, RIM's Blackberry has dominated this market (and larger business as well), but is Google setting Android up to change that? By introducing the Apps Marketplace, Google has thrown the doors wide open for Android to successfully compete in this arena.

Google Docs has been around for awhile, and while some businesses have successfully made the switch from Microsoft Office, the critical element of a mobile integration has been missing. With the launch of Apps Marketplace, Google has showed that they are serious about being involved within the B2B market. Suddenly, the switch to Android handsets for business seems much more logical than any other mobile OS. A handful of new apps for business that tightly merge Android into the business world and meeting the needs of this new demographic at a reasonable cost may be the kind of combination that has more decision makers taking an interest.

In what ways can Android benefit from this? Simple... exposure. I believe that more people don't have Android devices because they don't know about them. Apple doesn't sell (read: market) iPhone OS, they sell the iPhone hardware and experience. RIM doesn't sell the Blackberry OS, they sell the business integration. What does Android sell? None of it. With five different flavors of Android on the market across dozens of devices, how can it be sold? Again, the answer is simple... Google Apps Marketplace offering integration with a mobile OS for businesses.

Next, toss in Chromium OS and Google will have an entire suite of solutions (with literally thousands of partners) to customize a solution for any business.

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Want to watch live streaming games of the 2010 NCAA Final Four from the palm of your hand? You could if your phone supported Flash 10.1, but Adobe is not releasing it till after the tourney is over. Adobe feels your pain so platform evangelist Ryan Stewart uploaded a video to show you what you are missing. It actually looks pretty cool. Hopefully Adobe will have Flash 10.1 out in time for next year’s tourney.

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Do you have the ability to work calmly and maintain good judgment in high-stress environments? Google is looking to hire a Communications Manager to police develop close, productive relationships with bloggers (like me).

There have definitely been some communication issues in the past between Google and the Android community. Mark Murphy actually suggested last year that Google hire an Ombudsdroid and it looks like they were listening.

If you think you are man droid enough for the job, head over to CrunchBoard and apply.

Responsibilities of the position include:

• Represent Google as a company spokesperson for a wide variety of media and blogger inquiries.
• Develop close, productive relationships with journalists, bloggers, product reviewers and our key partners in the mobile industry. Proactively reach out to media to promote Android and explain our approach.
• Collaborate with Google engineering, product, and marketing teams to create compelling communications strategies that illustrate the functionality and key benefits of Android’s open platform and product innovations.
• Develop written materials, including story pitches, messaging guidelines, press releases, Q&As, presentations and speeches.
• Train and provide advice to company officials for press conferences, media interviews and trade presentations.

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Canada just gained access to paid applications in the Android Market this week and Distimo has already published a list of the most popular downloads. Even though Canadians can now purchase apps, their developers are unable to sell them. Distimo expects Google will announce support for selling paid apps from Canada soon (in addition to other countries).

Only 11 countries have access to paid Android applications vs the Apple App Store which covers 77. Which countries would you like to see Google add next?

The most popular paid applications and games in Canada.

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A Berlin-based software company is preparing an Intel Atom N450-based e-reader that runs Linux with Android extensions. Billed as the & tablet PC for publishing houses,& Neofonie GmbH's & WePad& tablet sports an 11.6-inch touchscreen, 16GB of flash storage, a SD card, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, and a webcam, says Neofonie....(author unknown)

Can you hear the groans from Sprint customers? According to a Sprint employee at XDA-Developers CDMA Hero forum, Sprint has sent employees a memo outlining how to keep customers’ spirits up regarding the new update. This information has been taken as a refutation of recent rumors that the Hero and Moment would be updated on March 26th. Some key quotes can be found here:

Let your customers know we are actively working on having the Android 2.1 platform available to our Hero and Moment customers over the coming weeks. Look for more information coming in April about Android 2.1 platform for Hero and Moment.Internal Sprint Memo

The memo concludes by reminding Sprint employees that their customers use superior Android handsets and that About.com readers nominated the HTC Hero as their favorite smartphone in their 2010 Reader Choice Awards.

So, “over the coming weeks” and “information coming in April” aren’t exactly the words that Sprint customers want to hear, but some information is better than none, right? Granted, this is just a rumor from a Sprint employee, so take it with a grain of salt, a shaker, or none.

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NComputing shipped a SoC (system-on-chip) designed for thin clients that will provide multimedia-enabled remote access to Windows and Linux desktops, and optionally run Android 2.1 locally. The $20 Numo SoC is based on a dual-core ARM-based CPU, and is designed to work with the company's VSpace virtualization software....(author unknown)

At next month's Beijing Auto Show, the world will get its first look at the Roewe 350. Dubbed the first Android equipped automobile, the car comes with Android 2.1 embedded into the GPS/DVDS unit. Apparently, the auto, which just went into production this week, will provide real-time traffic reports and allow for web access. As for the actual connection, it's not known whether this will be via integrated 3G or third party wireless cards.

We didn't recognize the name 'Roewe' so we took to Wikipedia. Apparently, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) purchased British car maker Rover MG back in 2004 and since produced cars in China using both names.

Source: The Next Web

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Stuart Dredge compiled Mobile Entertainment’s Guide to Android; packed with Google Android Growth, Statistics and Projections.

Key Stats Include:

• About 60,000 Android phones sold daily, about 22M a year
• Motorola DROID slightly out selling iPhone sales in 2-1/2 months time (1.05M versus 1M). Nexus One barely over a tenth of the aforementioned (135K).
• Google Android facing fragmentation woes with several versions in the market
• Android Market tipped over 30,000 Android Apps (3rd party AndroLib.com reports more than 36,000)
• About 60% of Android Apps are free compared to iPhone’s 25%
• The average paid Android app prices at $3.27
• U.S. make up 65% of Android devices
• More iPhone consumers tend to buy apps than Android consumers (50% versus 21%)
• On mPlayIt’s Android Arcade, more consumers look for apps than games (17% games, 83% apps); whereas on their iPhone Arcade look more for games than apps (64% games, 36% apps).
• Rock star Android developers shine like PolarBit with over 1 million downloads and Edward Kim bringing in $13k a month from app sales
• Android Market will hit 75K Android Apps while Apple exceeds 300K.

Full PowerPoint Presentation:

Via Mobile Entertainment’s Guide to Android

Earlier today, we posted that the Android 2.1 update for the Motorola Droid had been delayed by Verizon. This information came from Verizon employees who leaked details posted on the company’s internal web site.

The message read, “The 3/18 OTA software update will not happen as planned. A new date will be communicated as soon as possible.” The unofficial “official” information stated the release was TBD and it would be communicated at a later date. Case closed, right?

Upset customers sounded off all day on Facebook and Twitter before Verizon sent a response to Phone Scoop who relayed the message.

“The Android 2.1 upgrade for the Droid by Motorola was deployed to a small number of Verizon Wireless test users as scheduled. It is expected the broader phased rollout to all Droid by Motorola users will take place, but not just yet. No date scheduled yet.”Thomas PicaVerizon Spokesperson

Verizon also disputed the delay via their Twitter account. The tweet read, “No delay– starting with select test group first to avoid problems on upcoming rollout. More to come, stay tuned.”

So even though we have seen an internal document which states the update will not happen as planned, Verizon is sticking to their guns and claiming everything is ok. I’ve done my best trying to confirm that someone actually received the update, but none have been identified so far.

Motorola has a recent history of delaying updates over and over, so it comes as no surprise that they might have run into more issues.

A more likely explanation for the delay could be related to the anonymous tip we received yesterday about Bitfone, the company that manages the actual distribution of the update. Our source claimed they were struggling with “capacity issues” and might not meet the 3/18 commitment date.

After today’s incidents and the confusion I witnessed, I’m starting to believe the source could be correct. They just chimed in as I was writing this post and claim Bitfone is working as quickly as possible to resolve the issue.

“Apparently we will probably be waiting even longer for the 2.1 update for Droid. According to my source, the need to “ramp up” the distribution application and the network infrastructure that hosts it won’t just happen overnight. Bitfone has allegedly just contracted with a third-party solution consultant to assist with the redesign of the infrastructure  My contact did mention that they are moving on this as quickly as possible, but the reality is that it going to take some time. Not sure what Motorola is planning on doing on the PR front…”Anonymous tipster

Believable? What do you guys think? I guess you could blame us for hyping the update, but Motorola is the one who keeps constantly telling their customers the update is coming “this week” and “tomorrow” then fails to deliver.

I guess the waiting game continues. If you happen to come across the actual update be sure to let us know.

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AppBrain.com, website to find apps from the Android Market and sync downloads to your phone, launched a spam filter for many of the crap apps found in the Market. When asked how the idea came about, Uwe Maurer of AppBrain quotes:

“We decided to do something about this. We filter spam applications out of the listings on AppBrain. We were able to remove nearly 10,000 apps (which were created by just 359 developers), which boosts the fraction of highly rated apps in the remaining 20K by more than 50%.”

Next time you’re browsing AppBrain you can see the filter in action. For example, searching “Tennis” yields all app results however the apps filtered as spam are grey out; still accessible, but a clear indicator to not waste your time with.

Recently many tech blogs regurgitated Google’s Android Market tipping over 30,000 Android apps while AndroLib.com reports at over 37,000 currently. Whichever number you go by, using AppBrain could rid you of 10k useless apps which helps consumers discover the best Android apps.

Via AppBrain

According to tech blog DailyTech, Verizon's is ready to ratchet up their Android game with the launch HTC Incredible just days from now.  With CTIA next week, it's being speculated that the nation's largest carrier is poised to drop both this and the Nexus One on their customers in a virtual back-to-back release.  Speaking to a member of the DailyTech team, a member of Verizon confirmed that the provider will be offering the phone just two weeks from now.

As a quick primer, these are the specs we've assembled thus far:

• 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
• 3.7 inch AMOLED WVGA 800x480
• 512MB ROM | 1GB RAM
• 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and autofocus
• Android 2.1 | Sense UI
• Optical track pad
• 1300 mAh battery
• 8GB MicroSDHC card
• FM Tuner
• Dimensions: 117.5 mm (L) x 58.5 mm (w) x 11.9 mm (T)

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This week has seen two interesting stories about Android and trademarks: Google being denied it’s trademark application on the name Nexus One, and Samsung trademarking the term Android, in reference to hardware, and only in South Korea.

Google Can’t Trademark “Nexus One” Name

First up: the Nexus One. In the immortal words of Douglas Adams, don’t panic. Google has been denied its application to trademark the term Nexus One by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, but what does this mean for Google? Well, MobileCrunch speculates that Google will probably pay what is essentially a settlement and make a deal with Integra Communications, current holder of the trademark on the term “Nexus,” a convergence of voice and data communications. MobileCrunch also points out that it is not the job of the USPTO to determine product or brand superiority, but merely to determine if a trademark application could be confused with an existing trademarked name.

True, it’s just speculation that Google and Integra will make a back-room deal or agree to be cozy neighbors, but odds are that something as small as a denied trademark application could keep Google from branding their flagship superphone as “Nexus One.”

Samsung Trademarks “Android” in Korea

Second, we have Samsung trademarking the term Android in Korea. According to Engadget, South Korea has two separate trademark systems—one for software and another for hardware. Thus Samsung has been able to cut off access to marketing Android-based phones in Korea by their operating system name. Imagine going to your favorite T-Mobile or Sprint store and seeing the “HTC Hero” or “Motorola CLIQ XT” but no mention of Android, and probably no little Andy to greet you.

While we weren’t panicking about Google’s trademark problems, this issue merits a bit more of a response. True, it doesn’t affect most AAM readers, but then again companies like LG and Samsung have a strong presence in South Korea, so this may have an impact on their sales and marketing within their proverbial back yards.

It goes further than that, too. This could be viewed as proof that the United States patent and trademark system isn’t the only struggling with trademarks and  patents granted for nebulous and non-specific terms and products. The precedent set here, and in several recent patent cases in the U.S., is that if you can put up a brick wall around your products and services, you won’t have to deal with competition.

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This latest rumored comes straight from an inside Verizon and HTC source. Tumors have it, this phone will be in stock in two weeks, this is awesome news for all you Verizon customers. This is another 2.1 Android device that is also worthy of the title, “Superphone”, that was given to the Nexus One.

Other than the back of the device this phone, which is awful, this isn’t a bad looking device. Once you factor in the 8MP camera, 3.7? AMOLED and FM Radio, this is a great buy for anyone who wants an Android in their life. Verizon has the most powerful Android lineup with this, the Nexus and the Droid all under the same roof.

[via slashphone]

A new member of our community by the name of Onyoursix, has uncovered an inventory listing that shows a phone identified as the HTC A9292 with WiMax capabilities. This device can be none other than the upcoming HTC Supersonic.

This phone hopefully will debut at this year’s CTIA. This inventory sheet is used by indirect dealers when a product is ready for distribution. Early rumors have this phone being announced next week. See this article for more information and rumored specs of the Supersonic.

After we saw AT&T cripple their first Android phone (Motorola Backflip) some readers questioned if the carrier was trying to sabotage Google’s mobile operating system. AT&T is still planning on launching at least five Android phones this year so I doubt they want Android to fail, but they are definitely not on the same page as Google. We saw evidence of their differences this week when Google went ahead and launched their Nexus One for AT&T 3G without the carrier’s support.

Back to the Backflip. I was watching TV last night and I saw my first Backflip commercial on ESPN (I think). It was the typical Verizon-slam kind of ad which mocks using voice and data at the same time. There was no mention of Android, but at least AT&T is advertising the phone.

Check out the ads and let us know what you think.

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