Is it possible that google is soon to emerge at another segment by coming up with a Google Netbook?

It’s all in the words of Google’s CEO Erick Schmidt “What’s particularly interesting about netbooks is the price point. Eventually, it will make sense for operators and so forth to subsidize the use of netbooks so they can make services revenue and advertising revenue on the consumption. That’s another new model that’s coming.”

What are we expecting here?

[Via Eee PC Blog]

 

 

If the G1 and Android  has the hardware and software to support a multi-touch, Why wouldn’t they include it?

Well, according to sources, Google has been asked not to sport this feature by, who besides their not lasting friend, Apple. “Apple, which of course makes the signature multi-touch mobile device, the iPhone, apparently asked Google not to implement it, and Google agreed” an Android team member said.

Read more : Apple asked Google not to use multi-touch in Android, and Google complied

 
Starting February 24 you will stop complaining every time you need your phone’s GPS support with your way back home. TeleNav is officially launching its GPS navigation for the Android-powered device, bringing real-time turn-by-turn, full color 3D graphics, speech recognition, one-click rerouting, and traffic alerts, as well as weather updates, gas prices, and restaurant reviews. The service will launch with a 30-day free trial, after which it’ll run you $9.99 a month.G1 users can go TeleNav’s Web site  to to sign up for a 30-day free trial of the service

A large amount HTC G1 users have been hit with a corrupt application called MemoryUP. The program makes claims that it will clean up your memory and improve the processing speed on your device. However, when users started the app a variety of problems started occurring.

Some users complained of all of their contacts being deleted, others were instantly spammed along with the addresses on their contact lists. Others experienced complete memory loss as well as SD cards being cleared away as well.

T-Mobile has not yet commented on the app as they are not affiliated with it, but this doesn’t satisfy the estimated 10,000 to 50,000 users who fell victim to this bunk application.

So beware and tell your friends to avoid this application. You should also be aware the the Java in the phone and the actual construction of the Android OS does not require any assistance in cleaning up memory in the device. This will be done automatically.

It leaves us to question the possible advantages of open source software mixing with commercial devices. Are you rethinking your mobile choices considering the possibility of these dangerapps out there?

HTC G1 and Android fans have been getting a bit of hot and cold recently with the possible release date of the Android software build, CODENAME: Cupcake.

While people are anxiously awaiting the release of this update to fix some of the more apparent bugs in the Android system and also add some key features which have been missing from the original release T-Mobile has been putting up roadblocks for the official release of the update.

T-Mobile is being quite vague about any type of release date giving the old “We will update you as T-Mobile G1 software updates are made available” the information on the Cupcake website is slightly conflicting with that lack of commitment.

Whatever the case the Android users among us are anxiously awaiting some kind of update. And are you wondering why? Well lets look at just a small sample of the bug fixes and new features there will be straight from the Cupcake website:

MMS

• Save attachments from MMS
• Faster conversation list scrolling

Email

• Significant bug fixes

Settings

• New menu option to list running processes in Settings->ManageApplications.

Music

• Music playback fades in after suspending for phone call.
• New media search intent allows for 3rd party apps to launch or respond to media searches based on artist, album, or title.

Browser

• Updated WebKit browser core, synced with Nov 2008 WebKit version.
• Copy / paste is enabled in the browser.
• Find is enabled in the browser. To find text, choose it from the menu and type the text to find.

VoiceDialer

• VoiceDialer supports ‘open app’ command

Camera/Gallery

•  Video recorder mode
•  Share intent for videos

The video recording and voice dialer updates particularly excite us here at TimTechs. What do you think? Will this make you reconsider the G1 or other future Android devices?

It was recently announced that Google is launching a new exclusively smartphone AdWords feature for businesses wishing to advertise products and services with Google. This service is geared towards mainly the G1 which features the Google and Android OS and also the Apple iPhone 3G. Google ads on the iPhone? Talk about ubiquity!

Although this is geared towards those phones mentioned above this service is going to function on any smartphone that is using a full fledged HTML browser. This is going to be useful for advertisers getting a grip on that new internet crowd who have become cyber-aware recently through their smartphone purchases.

Although to the user this isn’t going to mean much more than a few extra ads on your browser, for us on the consumer end we are hoping that this will ultimately lead to lower costs of phones and services as there will be much more ad revenue coming just from people using their phone.

How do you guys feel about it? Do you want less ads, or do you think this may lead to better and cheaper service in the long run? Shout out how you feel!

New break downs have arisen regarding the manufacturer’s costs of the HTC G1, the first handset to come out sporting the new Google Android OS. Of course who are we going to compare it to? Our (now) old friend the Apple iPhone 3G.

The iPhone 3G 8GB made quite a splash with the announcement of the retail price and also the manufacturer’s costs which were estimated to be around the $173 USD mark. Some were a bit confused because after all calculations it appears that Apple was possibly losing money on each unit sold. However, the recent news that the iPhone is now outselling a former mobile power house, the Motorola RAZR series, has quieted some of the critics in regards to the Apple marketing strategy.

However, there is a new smartphone in town and it is lowering it’s cost too. In comparisons to the approximate iPhone price tag of $173, the G1 is ringing up around $143.89 according to the iSuppli market research firm. The main difference between the two being the on board memory which Apple reportedly pays $23 for per unit. The HTC G1 is of course forgoing that internal memory and is investing more money in the device’s baseband chip. The combination of the ARM11 microprocessor and the ARM& core gives the G1 a strong base for multimedia and modem functions which should come in handy for running the slick new Android.

From the parts evaluation the Apple iPhone takes the cake. The multi-touch capability and also amazing capacitive touchscreen are two major features that the G1 is lacking. In terms of raw power the iPhone appears to come out on top. The extra $30 seems to make the difference giving the iPhone that edge.

However this may not be a major roadblock for the G1 as most of its appeal is banking on the flexibility and promise of the Google Android OS. This is the reason why we here got so excited and why internet buzz was at an all time maximum. Although the new OS has yet to prove itself we believe that the possibility of the Android OS will attract more smartphone developers and open up the system to limitless possibilities.

The first handset sporting the new Google Android OS, the HTC G1, has finally hit the market. The internet is lighting up with early reviews and we here at TimTechs are looking to put in our 2 cents.

From first impression the phone seems to come with HTC’s classic quality and high tech precision that we love. The design is love and hate for most people. It’s a bit thicker than some of its main competitors such as the iPhone 3G, but for us that is by no means a deal breaker and the highly usable QWERTY keyboard is definitely worth it.

But let’s look a little closer:

Hardware Advantages

• Excellent qwerty keyboard
• Love or hate design (we love it)
• Durable design
• Dedicated camera button for quick switching
• Great color on the LCD touchscreen
• Comfortable in the hand easy to use

Hardware Disadvantages

• The qwerty keyboard is required for texts which means you need to flip it out for any message
• Average 3G connections (could be due to T-Mobile)
• Good but only average sound quality
• No 3.5 mm head phone jack

Now that’s all well and good about the way the phone feels and operates in our hands, but who are we kidding here? We’re looking for the dirt on Android and what we’re going to be able to do with it.

Here are our some of our first impressions:

Software Advantages

• Quick and easy integration with your Google Accounts (this was so easy)
• Beautiful easy to navigate interface
• Great notification system, much superior to Windows or iPhone
• Easy to customize homescreen
• Amazing integration with Gmail
• Portrait and landscape modes with the accelerometer are very useful

Software Disadvantages

• Long and scroll presses can get confused by the system
• Google Contacts is not widely used
• No flash support for the browser yet

So that’s a quick look at something which is most likely going to take the mobile market by storm. From a general point of view the G1 isn’t going to make any major changes in terms of hardware. It definitely have some kinks to work out, especially with GPS and connection issues, but the fans out there (us included) don’t really have any interest in that. We were drooling over the Android OS and it has not failed to satisfy. The possibilities for it to grow into a staple mobile phone OS are guaranteed. We can’t wait to see what will be coming up in the next year.

 

Google’s Android operating system is continuing to make waves and the inevitable comparisons to the mobile market’s other mobile juggernaut, the Apple iPhone 3G, are coming up in spades.

Now, although in many ways the first Android handset, the HTC G1, hardware wise doesn’t hold much of a candle to the iPhone, people’s interest in the model don’t have a lot to do with whether you can zoom into your pictures with a thumb and fore finger (although that is still pretty damn cool). People are drooling over the G1 because of the software development potential. Google is playing their hand like a smart company should and opening Android to developers around the world. Smart developers. Developers who aren’t going to be restrained by Apple’s fancy legal team and who will be able to explore new possibilities of what you can do on a handset. This is going to mean customizability. You will design your phone to your needs without any kind of restraint and the creativity of the geek world at large will be at your access.

But we do have to remain in reality. Let’s look at some of the things that the iPhone 3G is offering us that the HTC G1 is not. Probably the biggest feature is memory. The HTC G1 is not carrying much in regards to internal memory and the iPhone has demonstrated that people are willing to use their phones as complete media players. And to do this you need a good chunk of gigabyte. Also because of this migration of consumers using their phones as a complete multimedia system the G1 will have to do some catch up in terms of getting a video player available for the OS. Fortunately, because of Android’s way of working it is almost certain that there are some developers out there working on a friendly media player to rival the iTune dominance.

On the other hand if we consider the G1’s keyboard (some might feel it’s bulky), the integrated compass and it’s multi tasking abilities, it has a lot going for it over the iPhone. In some ways this comparison is all moot because the Android system is going to be the deal killer for a lot of people and once this OS starts to make its way into other hand sets it’s going to be a tough fight for the iPhone. Everyone is already comparing every new smartphone to the iPhone and when the Android train gets running at full speed it isn’t going to be a fair fight.

So where will your loyalties lie? Google integration or Apple branding?

With the buzz in full effect for HTC’s G1 - the first mobile officially sporting the Google Android OS - other developers are starting to catch up and get on board. The latest demos that are flooding the internet of the Android OS has pricked peoples ears and handset manufacturers are listening.

Motorola is the latest company who seem to have committed to putting serious development into incorporating the Android OS into their phones. It has been rumored that they’re currently looking to build up a 350 person team dedicated to developing the Android OS for Motorola phones. This will definitely be a boost to Motorola’s rep and should give them another step ahead in the market.

No other brands have yet seriously committed to Android, although representative were seen hobnobbing with the industry at the at the Android development conference and the blogosphere is reporting that they may be next. If Nokia were to to seriously take on the Android system they would become even more of a power house. Can you imagine your N96 sporting that hot and speedy Android? Sweet!