Hasta La Gadget!

Updated 8 p.m. EDT: Google has released the source code for Android 2.0, according to Android developer Cyanogen.

In TV ads, Verizon is trying to sell its new Google-powered phone by highlighting everything the “Droid Does” that the iPhone doesn’t. But the Droid will be able to do much more than Verizon is telling you. For example: free tethering, iPhone-like multitouch and CPU overclocking.

Similar to the jailbreak community hacking the iPhone, there’s a group of Android developers determined to grant any Google-powered phone free access to every feature imaginable. And they’re able to accomplish this task more legitimately than underground iPhone hackers, since Android’s source code is completely open to developers.

That gives developers an end-run around carriers, like Verizon, that might have their own ideas — like charging a $15 to $30 monthly fee for tethering.

The source code for Android 2.0, aka Eclair, hasn’t been released by Google yet, so a custom build for the Droid isn’t yet available. But customized versions of the OS already exist for previous Android phones, and given the open source nature of Google Android, it’s inevitable a modified firmware bundle will arrive in the near future.

Ever since the birth of the Android platform, developers have been working on a process called “rooting,” which gains administrative rights to a device. That allows developers (and users) to have complete control and to utilize all the features found in the Android platform. Now independent developers bundle features such as tethering, overclocking and multitouch into custom OS builds that are available free for download. Firmware mods makes it easy for a regular Android user to have it all.

What exactly does that mean for Droid customers, or owners of any Android phone for that matter? You’ll be able to install modified firmware onto your smartphone and gain access to everything Android is capable of — without paying extra fees on top of your cellphone bill — so long as the hardware can technically support it. For example, you won’t have to pay $30 for Verizon’s official tethering plan so long as you install a free mod that includes the feature.

Earlier Android phones — the T-Mobile G1 and MyTouch 3G — have already been hacked to support Google Maps Navigation, which is supposed to be a Droid-exclusive feature. Thanks to the folks at the XDA Developer forums, all that G1 or MyTouch owners have to do is reinstall an updated version of Google Maps and change configuration settings.

Some manufacturers and carriers are already embracing the direction of open customization with all the available and upcoming Android devices that are hitting the market. For example, T-Mobile’s official development forum allows developers and consumers to discuss step-by-step directions on rooting an Android device. T-Mobile customers who have gone this route enjoy the perks of data tethering, for example, without an additional cost.

You can assume that Verizon, a company which just doubled its early termination fee, won’t look as kindly on the idea of customers rooting their devices and tethering for free.

Of course, changing the way a device operates from a manufacturer’s specifications always comes with a risk, and an Android phone is no exception. There are warnings about “bricking” your phone, which renders a device unbootable, and this commonly happens after installing a custom build of Android. Although it is considered a rare occurrence, a quick Google search brings up many results of Android users asking for help or wondering if their phone is, in fact, bricked.

And don’t think a carrier or manufacturer will offer any assistance with issues caused after modding their device, a clear violation of most Terms of Use. When someone discovers a way to root the Droid, Verizon doesn’t have to take the T-Mobile route of turning a blind eye to these changes. It could retaliate by terminating contracts and voiding warranties.

With all that said, just when can we expect a mod for the Droid, for those willing to take on the risks? Google has not announced when it would release Android 2.0’s source code, but Android engineer Jean-Baptiste Queru has said it’ll happen eventually.

“There are a number of things that need to happen before any Open-Source release can happen, and those haven’t all happened for Eclair yet,” Queru wrote on the official Google Groups page. “For all I know all of those things will eventually happen. The overall process for any such release routinely takes a few weeks depending of course on the size of the release, and Eclair is a big release.”

See Also:

• Why I’m Not Getting a Droid Today
• Verizon to Offer Tethering for Motorola Droid
• Google Muscles Android Developer, Offers Olive Branch

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

It may be half a decade old, but don’t lie — you still whip your Treo 650 out from time to time, toss on some jean shorts and pretend that the size of your stub is synonymous with the big times. If we just rung your bell, you owe it to yourself to have a peek at the video past the break. There are no step-by-step instructions to accompany it (they’re out there, trust us), but man, you can just see the life seeping back into it as the code scrolls down and Android grows seconds closer to booting. It’s glorious, really.

[Thanks, Andrew]

Continue reading Palm Treo 650 boots into Android, lives a fulfilling life (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Palm Treo 650 boots into Android, lives a fulfilling life (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The CrunchPad may be dead, but with devices like this on the docket forgive us if we’re not shedding any tears. The mystery tablet from earlier this week is the Vega from Innovative Converged Devices, or ICD. Available in 7-, 11-, and 15-inch sizes it’s a simple but beautifully svelte design, and with that Tegra processor should have plenty of muscle. The resistive nature of those screens may be a bit of a bummer for some, but naturally it’ll do everything Android does — though without a GPS sensor we’re guessing Google Navigation is out. The only questions left left now are when, how much, and who will be pumping the bits to its cellular antennae? Those are answers we hope to bring you from Vegas in two months’ time.

[Via Android France]

Filed under: Storage

ICD confirms Vega tablet, includes Android 2.0, Tegra processor, our hearts originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While it’s busy trying to rebuild market share on the backs of Android-powered devices in North America and Europe, Motorola’s already got a bustling business in China, so it makes sense that they’d want to contribute some Google juice over there as well. That dovetails nicely with China Mobile’s Android-based Open Mobile System — which runs those so-called OPhones — and Motorola has yet to bring an OPhone to market, so that’s where this little beast appears poised to come into play. The MT710 is said to feature an 854 x 480 display clocking in at 3.7 inches and 3G support (using China Mobile’s up-and-coming TD-SCDMA network), but beyond that, little is known; rumor has it that Motorola will intro a total of seven Android models in China over the next year, though, and this is clearly one of them. Shave three or four millimeters off the Droid’s girth with this puppy, and count us in.

[Via PMP Today]

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola’s MT710 OPhone for China makes us dream of Droids without keyboards originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you were thinking of tearing apart your own Droid, let us direct you first to this quote straight from the folks at phoneWreck: “no easy task.” It seems that even finding some of the screws involved in holding the mess together was a problem, but at the end of the day, good old-fashioned human ingenuity prevailed over… well, other human ingenuity, and the phone fell asunder into the 16 pieces you see here. As you might imagine, there’s a bit of industrial magic involved in fitting a full QWERTY slide into a package this tight — but just as Moto was up to the challenge of putting it together, some dude with a little time on his hands was up to the challenge of asploding it. Needless to say, we won’t be doing this to ours.

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola Droid torn down despite desperate cries of ‘no disassemble’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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