Android is more than just a cell phone.

Blog after blog, forum after forum and breaking news after breaking news I've come to realize that Android TRULY is a phenomenon. To an average guy or gal it's another cell phone OS (operating system) or not even that, they may even think it's another Smartphone which it really isn't.

Android can just about be on any cell phone manufacturer that’s part of the Open Handset Alliance (i.e. Acer, Asus, Garmin, HTC, Huwaei, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Toshiba) which means, it can also be on any wireless telecom company in the world and not tied or be exclusive to only one.

Android can be a netbook, if you feel lugging around your laptop to the couch is quite strenuous or bringing it to a nearby coffee shop for some good coffee and web surfing is to much. You can have something similar but be half the size and cost of a conventional laptop! Seriously, who really brings their laptop to a coffee shop and actually get some work done? Let's be honest, we take our laptop to do some good old web surfing or go on social networking sites to read up the status of our friends or read about some fresh gossip.

Android can also be a remote control or a central home control unit, which can control your home's lighting, heating and air, take inventory of your fridge and do some grocery shopping for you since it has access to the internet. It can let you know when the last time you vacuumed, its really up to you.

Android can also be in the next television set you purchase. Folks in Japan are now looking or heavily betting on Google CE with Android extensions, under the digital TV extension, for instance, the group is developing a set of APIs that will allow Android-based systems to receive digital TV broadcasts, display EPG and a BML (Broadcast Markup Language) browser and program recording.

Has anyone else wondered how they came up with the name Android? Well, a couple of weeks back I told my beautiful wife that it all make sense now. It's because Android, with all the other projects that they are a part of, is much more than just a cell phone it's BIGGER.

Jojie-

HTC Hero earns FCC approval with CDMA, Sprint launch rumors more solid than ever

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 20th 2009 at 11:03AM

We know of precisely two types of radios going into Heros (or would that be Heroes?) so far: the 900 / 2100MHz 3G for global use that everyone's using so far, and an 850 / 1900 version for North America that the FCC's had the pleasure of using. Well, you know how FCC labs work -- they get to play with all the toys before anyone else does -- and now they're checking out another version of HTC's latest and greatest Android device with CDMA / EV-DO. This lends near-infinite credibility to the buzz that Sprint's signed up to launch the phone this fall, presumably around the same time it drops the InstinctQ from Samsung, at which point it'll have both the QWERTY and full-touch Android angles covered. Options are good, are they not?

Via http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2009/08/20/htc-hero-earns-fcc-approval-with-cdma-sprint-launch-rumors-more/

T-Mobile Pulse Passes FCC!

A few days ago the Wi-Fi Alliance let us in on a little secret known as the T-Mobile Pulse. Although no information besides the phone’s existence was provided by the Wi-Fi certifcation process, Gizmodo Brazil came through with some pictures and specs of the phone. Now the FCC is doing their part as the T-Mobile Pulse just passed through the FCC!

The Short-Term confidentiality request (PDF) filed by Huawei asks that external photos, internal photos, test setup photos and the users manual be kept secret for 90 days. That means the T-Mobile Pulse will likely launch before the end of 2009! Unfortunately the company mentions they may request an additional 45 days of confidentiality so don’t get your hopes up just yet. But with the existence of the Users Guide the Magic 8-Ball says the outlook is good.

The picture comes from the phone’s FCC label placement (PDF) product is listed with the name “HSPA/UMTS/GPRS/GSM/EDGE Mobile Phone with Bluetooth” and the model name is “T-Mobile Pulse/Pulse/U822o”. If you’re a big enough dork, you can look through the 24 page EMC Test Report (PDF).
More great news for Android Fans… keep it coming!

via [http://phandroid.com/2009/08/18/t-mobile-pulse-passes-fcc/]

Android MID identified as the MID-560, looks pretty

Android MID identified as the MID-560, looks pretty

Can’t wait for your iPad? Get you one of these. This is the MID-560, the odd device we saw yesterday that seemed to be a cross between an iPod Touch and the G1. The company who makes it is called SMiT and it has an 800×480 pixel display.The device has an ARM11 chip with a Samsung 6410 mobile system-on-chop. It plays back video and audio and can hold Trans-Flash memory cards. It also has a GPS sensor.

via [http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/08/18/android-mid-identified-as-the-mid-560-looks-pretty/]

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How I almost switched from Android to the iPhone

I was quite close in purchasing and going over to the dark side with the Apple iPhone, after being the BIGGEST proponent of Android. I even called the end of the iPhone FAD in a couple of years.

Prior to our weekend trip to Tahoe, I read up on my tweets and saw a particular entry from androidandme. It read “No More updates for the T-Mobile G1” after reading the blog, I felt devastated and betrayed by the 2 companies (Google and T-Mobile) which I thought was going to give people options other than a dictatorship helmed by Steve Jobs. I went on the Androidandme website and started asking a ton of questions on where he got this rumor from. I also went on the T-Mobile Forums and was going to ask T-Mobile if this was true. However, a similar question was already posted. Out of spite, I went on the thread and gave my 2 cents and posted this comment:

“I too am very upset when I read that. When Google, T-Mobile and HTC launched the G1 dubbed the iPhone killer, I sure thought we had a good thing going. But now, not even a year later we will NOT be supported or receive further updates for the G1 due to lack of space is utterly absurd!

T-Mobile, Google and HTC hear us out. As early adopters and pioneers of the FIRST open handset alliance phone (T-Mobile G1), where was the due diligence on your part in keeping your FIRST product as fresh and competitive as it was just a year ago? I would NOT have purchased or backed a phone such as this, if I’ve known that just a year or two, we will not be supported or receive future updates! Did you not plan ahead for such things? T-Mobile when you approved the phone that HTC presented, did it not occur to you how it will hold up in a couple years time? Especially with such an important aspect as the internal memory of the phone!"

Remember this T-Mobile, Google and HTC, if it wasn’t for the pioneers who first flocked to pre-order or ran to your T-Mobile launch in San Francisco to show support for the Android movement, you wouldn’t even have had such a following as you have today.

Any how, after numerous comments on the T-mobile forum and androidandme we received an entry from Dominic, an administrator of the forums and said:

“Great news G1 owners! I just received the following official statement from T-Mobile corporate:
“We plan to continue working with Google to introduce future software updates to the T-Mobile G1. Reports to the contrary are inaccurate.”There you have it. Please continue to enjoy your T-Mobile G1”

After reading that entry it made me realize how T-Mobile cares about their customers by acknowledging our concerns immediately, which re-instates my full commitment to T-Mobile and the Android platform. Moral of the story, if you complain or show dissatisfaction and the company really cares about their customers, they will act swiftly to satisfy them. I believe this is how it should be because if we don’t complain or show concern, they will think there is nothing wrong with their product and research and development will cease. To keep them on there toes and keep them constantly thinking, in turn makes a better product for the consumer. Unlike other telecommunication companies out there (AT&T and Apple).

-Jojie