Already got your pre-order in for the T-Mobile G2? Then you should count yourself lucky, as the carrier has updated its website for the phone with the short and sweet notice that “due to overwhelming demand, we’re no longer accepting pre-orders for the T-Mobile G2.” It does note, however, that you’ll still be able to buy the phone online starting tomorrow (though there’s no guarantee when it’ll ship) or, of course, at your local T-Mobile store. Then again, you could also try your luck at a few stores today, considering that official October 6th launch date isn’t exactly set in stone.
BlackBerry OS? Dead! iOS? Dead! Symbian? Never stood a chance. Android’s exponential growth has today been illustrated by Nielsen‘s statisticians who present us with the above chart of recent US smartphone purchases. It shows that over the six months leading up to August 2010, 32 percent of American new phone buyers had grabbed themselves a device with Google’s OS on board, which is comfortably ahead of RIM at 26 percent and Apple at 25 percent. These results corroborate NPD’s figures on the matter — which peg Android at 33 percent of new US purchases — and reiterate the idea that Android is headed to a place whose name starts with D and ends with omination. One more chart showing total market share can be found after the break (hint: BlackBerry still reigns supreme overall).
Skype released its long-awaited app for Android. It’s free and available for download now at Skype’s website or the Android Marketplace for devices running Android OS 2.1 and above. But US users will have to wait for Skype calls over 3G.
Outside the US, the new Skype app for Android works over both Wi-Fi and 3G, features free Skype-to-Skype calls and group IMs, and paid US or international calls to any mobile or landline number using Skype credits or a subscription plan.
Skype for Android works using the same Skype account as your desktop and autoloads your contact list. You can also search for and add new contacts within the application. For users on networks in the US, 3G calling is disabled, as was initially the case with Skype for iPhone. (Verizon’s separate mobile Skype application allows for 3G calls only on certain phones on its network, including some Android phones). Video calling, which is supported on Skype’s desktop apps, is not available for mobile.
The only way to receive calls on Skype for Android is to purchase a SkypeIn online telephone number. Skype offers phone numbers in 25 countries; users can answer calls from any mobile or landline number in Skype. These numbers cost $18 for 3 months or $60 for a year. Users who buy a monthly subscription for calling time to non-Skype phones get a 50% discount, which could be attractive to those who prefer to use Skype as a primary telephony solution.
Skype instant messages can be sent and received in the new Android app. One workaround for users with free Skype accounts could be to receive a Skype IM from another Skype user, then phone that user back. It’s difficult to imagine how this could work if both users were phoning and messaging using Skype for Android, though.
Unfortunately, some users have already had difficulty getting that far with the new app. Currently, Skype for Android doesn’t work on Samsung’s Galaxy S, although Skype has promised a fix in the near future. The service isn’t available in China or Japan. The app also doesn’t work on Android phones with screen resolutions below 480×320 pixels, including the HTC Wildfire.
According to Skype, the app has been tested only on HTC and Motorola phones running Android 2.1 and above.
Some Android users on Verizon have already been able to access to a mobile Skype application through Verizon’s media store. However, Verizon’s Skype app worked only over the 3G network, and calls to mobile and landline phones in the US counted towards a user’s wireless minutes. In the new Android app, all Skype calls to non-Skype numbers use Skype credit.
Skype has an application for iPhone with similar functionality over Wi-Fi and 3G; Blackberry users are currently limited to Verizon’s mobile Skype application.
By now you would’ve come across at least a handful of inspiring augmented reality apps (with a few exceptions, perhaps), and if you fancy having a go at coding one yourself, Qualcomm may be able to assist. Today, the giant chip maker is pushing out a beta release of its Android AR SDK, which has produced interesting demos like the digital photo frame concept showcased in London last month, as well as the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots game pictured above. In fact, Mattel’s so confident with the latter app that it’s planning on commercializing it, so who knows — you could be the next Peter Molyneux of the AR scene, or at least a winner of up to $125,000 from Qualcomm’s AR Developer Challenge. More details in the press release after the break.
We didn’t think competition in the cheapo calls market was quite so intense, but here we are, with Fring and Skype gunning for each other with near-simultaneous launches. After Skype finally released its long-awaited Android app, Fring is countering with an Android rollout of its own FringOut service — an additional option to the chat and video calling client which lets you call phone numbers for as little as one American cent per minute. You’ll recall this addition started its life on Symbian initially, has now landed on Android, and will soon be making the transition to the iPhone. To experience it for yourself, update your Fring app to the latest version and enjoy the benefits of a competitive marketplace.
Finally, at long last, after so much waiting, Skype has made its debut as a full-fledged Android app. There are no Verizon-related limitations anymore, but Android Police reports that calling through the app is only available via WiFi, you can’t use your mobile’s data connection — not yet, anyway. Another note they make is that Skype is using quite a few processing cycles to do its job, so much so that it introduced crackling on a call carried out with the EVO. You’ll need to have Android 2.1 installed to run this thing, but if you do, why aren’t you downloading it already? Let us know how your own ‘droid fares in the comments below.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
P.S. — Skype’s press release and video after the break have confirmed that 3G Skype calls will be available to all outside the US. Wow. Also, Skype’s acknowledged there are some incompatibilities with Samsung Galaxy S phones and is working to iron those out.
Sharp’s 5.5-inch and 10.8-inch Galapagos are something to covet. Sharp’s got the Android-powered e-reading tablets heavily on display here at CEATEC, meaning of course we jumped at the chance to try it ourselves. The interface is a bit sluggish, as is pinch-to-zoom on the browser. That said, pages (like our darling Engadget) displayed in full and were crisp, as were the supplied magazine examples (Newsweek, GQ — all in Japanese, naturally). Flash 10 is supported, although we didn’t get a chance to try it. The missing trackball on the 10.8-inch model wasn’t much of a concern, as it was all but redundant on the 5.5-incher. Looks promising now, but with its US launch not expected until sometime in 2011, no telling what the competition might look like by then. More pictures in the gallery below!
Both KDDI and Sharp had a billion IS03s on display at CEATEC in Japan today (okay, not literally a billion, but quite a few), so naturally, we swung by to see what all the commotion was about. We’ll be honest — the phone didn’t feel particularly high-end, coated top to bottom in cheap-feeling plastic and weighing a little less than you’d expect a phone of these specs to weigh. Furthermore, it was pretty sluggish and Sharp’s UI skin atop Android 2.1 felt very “version 1.0,” so we think we might want to wait for these guys to hone their game a bit before jumping in. That said, the vaunted 960 x 640 ASV display definitely seems up to the task, delivering bright, crisp images in the face of the notoriously harsh trade show lighting — and the always-on LCD strip below the main display is a neat trick for glancing at the date and time without going to the hassle of powering on your phone. You might be worried that stacking it below the already-large primary display would make the handset too long, but we really didn’t feel like that was the case. Follow the break for video!
Not much of a surprise here, but Virgin Mobile has just officially announced that it’s now offering the Samsung Intercept — the carrier’s first Android handset. Running a reasonable $249 prepaid — and exclusive to Target for the next few weeks — the phone boasts a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, a sliding QWERTY keypad, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and all the basic Android amenities you’d expect (it’s shipping with Android 2.1). Of course, that $249 is quite a bit higher than the $99 it demands on-contract on Sprint, but Virgin promises you’ll save 25 percent or more in the long-run if you pair the phone with one of its prepaid plans, which run between $25 and $60 per month. Hit up the gallery below for a couple of bigger images, and head on past the break for the full press release.
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