Hasta La Gadget!

Engadget apparently hit upon the motherload of AT&T powerpoints: Slides detailing the Palm Eos, a new HP iPaq and probably most thrilling, HTC Lancaster (aka the Android phone we’ve been waiting for).

I’ve always wondered what Android would be like on a Touch Pro, that’s basically Lancaster. There is the dreary little note that “Initial Lab Entry dates were based on Google Mobile Services (GMS) UI, AT&T standard UI has been requested, which puts schedule in question” meaning AT&T could muck it up with their own UI, and take longer putting out the phone in the process. Its target date is Aug. 3, and it’ll be AT&T-exclusive for six months it looks like. Update: Oops, didn’t notice at first the screen resolution is a bit too squee for our tastes (240×320). Bummer.

The Palm Eos slide basically just confirms everything from before: emaciated WebOS phone with 4GB storage and AT&T all over it.

Update: Oh look, a whole bunch of BlackBerrys are now confirmed for AT&T too—Onyx, Gemini, Magnum and a 3G Pearl.

AT&T’s fall lineup is looking pretty unassailable at this point: With iPhone 3, a WebOS phone, and a solid Android piece, all of their bases are covered, with the exception of a touchscreen BlackBerry, but um, who really wants one of those now? Good thing AT&T’s network blows, since the other carriers have their work cut out for them. [Engadget]

Remember how we found out that there’s a difference between the Google-branded Android firmware and its HTC-modified equivalent, and the latter isn’t allowed to feature the silkscreened Google logo? The HTC version is way cooler on account of its Exchange ActiveSync support and the much-improved camera app; the only downside is that you can’t flaunt that logo on the case, which — let’s be honest — is totally meaningless to an end user (unless you’re some raving Google fanboy / fangirl, and in that case, no amount of awesome customization is going to sway you). Anyhow, it’s up to individual carriers to decide which versions of the devices they wish to launch, and Rogers customers will be excited to know that they’re getting the logo-free HTC builds. That makes Canadian Dreams and Magics a whole hell of a lot more useful to business users than the G1s down in the States, and going forward, this is an issue T-Mobile probably wants to think about — as long as the base Android code doesn’t license ActiveSync, anyway.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Rogers’ HTC Dream and Magic aren’t “Google phones,” have Exchange support originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 May 2009 23:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson’s vice president of marketing, Asia Pacific Peter Ang, announced that his company is working on multiple handsets running Android 2.0. Beyond that, details about the phones are scare. Ang did reveal a little information about the upcoming release of Google’s open mobile OS, saying, “The Android 2.0 will have more multimedia support that the previous Android OS.”

He added that contrary to rumors that the company is cutting down on the number of OSes it works with, Sony Ericsson will keep producing phones running the Symbian and Windows Mobile operating systems.

That delay wasn’t too painful, we suppose. After slipping the US release of the Cupcake-rich Android 1.5 by just a handful of days, T-Mobile USA is starting to push it out to G1 users in the field. The company estimates everyone will have it by early June, so if you haven’t gotten the notification yet, hang tight, shake your fist at the sky, and scream a few choice obscenities for us. One more screencap is after the break, and it’s a real treat for the anti-Apple crowd.

[Thanks, Raymond and Jamie]

Update: We’re aware that the screen shot here shows a UK build — we’re currently awaiting official comment from T-Mobile USA on how the rollout is progressing over here. Stay tuned!

Update 2: So far, it seems like the only folks getting updates are those who’d previously installed a UK build on their US-spec G1, which means the good people playing by the rules and avoiding any firmware tomfoolery are still update-less. We’re still waiting on official comment from T-Mobile, but it’s not looking good.

Update 3: Indeed, the push hasn’t started. T-Mobile tells us that “nothing has changed… plans are still to roll it out this week” — so if you’re crazy anxious to get this installed, your best bet is probably still to install the ADP or UK build.

Continue reading T-Mobile USA starts pushing Android 1.5 to G1 owners (update: not yet)

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

T-Mobile USA starts pushing Android 1.5 to G1 owners (update: not yet) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 May 2009 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We never really pegged the HTC-sourced T-Mobile G1 as a hardcore gaming handheld, but obviously it handles the stresses of Ghosts ‘N Goblins and Samurai Showdown admirably. Have a peek at a “pre-alpha” demonstration video just past the break, and feel free to let your hopes and expectations reach new heights.

Continue reading Video: GP2X emulation goes down on T-Mobile G1

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming

Video: GP2X emulation goes down on T-Mobile G1 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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