If your sick of all the hoopla about the first Android gPhone and you want in on Android now you can , with a Nokia N810 and a few downloads you can immerse yourself in Google’s open-source OS.
1. First download android.img.bz2 here or here
2. Install the the android-installer.deb from here or here
3. Reboot!
Now to enjoy your new OS just start Android from the extra’s menu and wait 60 seconds and voila you are Google-toting internet-tablet-waving god of thunder.
Once villagers wise to the fact that you are in fact a tech head and not the often claimed god of thunder and you wish to rid yourself of all remaining evidence simply uninstall by removing the deb and deleting the android.img sitting on MMC card to get back to your original jobs-fearing ways.
For Nokia N810 find your flash here for N800 find it here Once installed simply reboot. Now wasn’t that fun.
We all know the fact that cell phone applications are the hot cakes these days, and we also know that Google’s android success will be based on these developed applications. Mr Andy Rubi, the Senior Director of Google Android Mobile Platforms did not confirm how exactly application distribution exactly work, but he said the download ranking system would involve something similar to Youtube’s star rating system, and would also have other requirements such as number of downloads and number of uninstalls to determine the application’s ranking.
With the Android surely nearing developer applications are only getting better including SCAN which uses barcodes to connect shoppers with pricing and metadata for the object of their affections.
Using an onboard camera the program uses barcode recognition to connect to over a dozen stores and gives customers everything from directions to nearby purchasing locations to reviews, track-listings, song samples and even searches local libraries to confirm whether they have copies.
Finally we get a video demo of the much anticipated Google Android OS and the interface is as good as expected but the question remains is it running on the HTC Dream?
The ease of use of the OS recalls that associated with the iPhone Mac OS fluid, responsive and a pleasure to touch but with the advantage of being an open-source platform. The phone used in the demo runs on the Qualcomm MSM7201A platform and packs 528MHz CPU, 3G HSDPA 3.6Mbps, 128MB of RAM and 256MB of flash memory.
If this is the anticipated HTC we are all hoping it is we are in for a treat with a capacitive touchscreen display by Synaptics and a display that offers high resolution finger input and multi-touch capabilities.
Check out the OS and possibly the HTC Dream in action.
Here’s a video of the device/os interacting with Google Maps Street View in compass mode.
A closer look at Google Maps.
And when you know where you are going why not tuck into the pill-muching adventures of PacMan?
Yes we are still awaiting the first Android phone but when it launches at least you can stay hip with TuneWiki giving you access to the latest tunes and lyrics.
The community based media player is shown here operating on the Android emulator. Enjoy.
Though we are still without an Android handset release the announcement of Quickoffice support for the OS will have a marked effect on enterprise penetration.
The familiar software used in Palm, S60 and UIQ devices allows Office document viewing and editing and allows users to access documents stored on home PCs through the internet.
Usually the domain of enterprise focused handsets such as Blackberry, HTC and O2 Windows Mobile devices, this release of Quickoffice opens up the prospect of greater access to documents for the average consumer.
While there’s no word on a release date as yet, and with the Linux-based Android yet to be released, you will have to wait patiently to enjoy the active executive lifestyle this partnership promises.
With the moral panic surrounding Grand Theft Auto and Bully one has to wonder what the media will make of a real world first person shooter game on Android phones.
Using GPS technology the game is designed to create a virtual World of Warcraft in the real world where you can locate enemies in the games virtual world, oh wait, my head hurts.
The scavenger hunt/paintball like game may sound confusing but check out the video demonstration below and imagine what the future holds for Android phone gaming.
While we are still awaiting the first Android phone we already have the Opera Mini browser launched in readiness for the HTC Dream’s release.
With no handset to operate the browser on you may be asking what madness is this? But tech heads keen to get a feel for Opera Mini’s Android edition can test the system using the Android Emulator and just squint real hard.
The excitement is definitely growing given Google’s track record and many are counting on May 6th and the rumored launch of the HTC Dream to get an idea of wehther all the hype is warranted and whether Google can deliver on Mobile OS as it delivered on email.
If you want to try it out you’ll need to download and install the latest version of the Android SDK, obtain the Opera Mini for Android package, start the emulator tool and transfer and install the Opera package to the emulator. Opera Mini should appear in the applications folder.
According to sources At&t and Google are in talk to join alliance on google andriod. So far only T-Mobile USA and Sprint are on google’s board. This agreement wont limit carriers to use only Google’s Apps, Carriers will be able to equip handsets with their own applications as well.
