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I guess you mean for the Nexus One?

Apparently they ran into problems, and have been fixing them. This was supposed to be done by January, but it got delayed, and rumours are that it should be out soon: http://phandroid.com/2011/02/16/nexus-one-getting-gingerbread-within-a-few-days

I'm also worried about this, as I just got a Nexus S exactly because I wanted to get updates on time, and the way they treat Nexus One now is a good indicator of how well they'll treat the Nexus S in ~1 year (at least, I hope :-)

http://phandroid.com/2011/02/09/gartner-android-goes-from-dead-last-to-second-biggest-os-in-the-world/

Gartner says lots of androids shipping.

No announcement, but Phandroid claim to have a trusted source that confirmed that "Google's going to create a less-capable fork of Honeycomb to work well with low-end tablet devices and mobile handsets" http://phandroid.com/2011/01/03/rumor-honeycomb-to-require-dual-core-processor-hi-def-resolution/

I don't see what made you jump to this conclusion.

Maybe it's my flu, but your ignorance is slightly irritating. Anyhow, here is your opportunity to educate yourself. And educate yourself some more
More details and a good analysis of Apple's strategy against Android.

No need to thank me, but if you do, you're welcome. Always pleased to reduce ignorance.

You've never used a keyboard like SlideIT have you? Swype (basically the same thing as SlideIT) currently has the record for fastest text message input. Software keyboard are not only faster, the devices lacking hardware keyboards can be smaller and lighter too. And less expensive. http://phandroid.com/2010/08/24/text-message-speed-record-broken-thanks-to-swype-on-the-samsung-galaxy-s/

How is it that Slashdot doesn't know that Gingerbread is 2.3? This is old news... http://phandroid.com/2010/10/22/gingerbread-to-be-android-2-3/

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the obvious, most retail stores barely carry anything for OSX even when they carry Apple Pc's and laptops.

Buying through an Apple App store implies quality and some assurance that an app is trustworthy and that there is some kind of customer service if things don't work out, you might even be able to get a refund. That has appeal to customers.

The reality might be different but it does sound like a win for the customer. It might even lead to lower prices. Has to beat going to PC World and finding little to no software for the hardware they sold you.

Obviously if it did become a walled garden with no choice but the App store, it would be a negative for some developers and users.

Would an Apple App store extend to cover other operating systems? Interesting thought would Windows users prefer to buy software through Apple or Microsoft?
Windows users already use iTunes.

Could there be licensed Apps for Ubuntu for example where currently patents and licensing issues mean some functionality cannot be released for free?

Maybe Google are more likely to bring the android market place to a wider audience rather than Apple

perhaps http://phandroid.com/2009/05/27/what-if-ubuntu-could-run-android-applications-it-can/

The above link is quite interesting for android developers and Ubuntu users and has potential for Android Apps on any platform maybe.

Interesting times ahead which ever tools people choose to use. Actually that is one thing which bugs me about this thread (many threads) dissolving into a mac v windows battle. It is common sense use the best* tool for the job in hand and the platform it runs on is largely immaterial.

*best is whatever suits your requirements that lets you achieve your objectives.

Don't be so sure. IIRC, verizon is using the sim-less variant of LTE. So if the MEID isn't in the database the phone isn't getting on the network without committing a felony! The mere existence of a CDMA iphone doesn't mean that it will be easy to get on Verizon.

Weird.... http://phandroid.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/lte-4g-verizon-sim-cards.jpg

http://phandroid.com/2010/08/30/the-droid-x-runs-a-custom-rom-see-for-yourself/
http://phandroid.com/2010/08/30/first-droid-x-custom-rom-released-with-installation-instructions/

I'm sorry, what?

http://phandroid.com/2010/08/30/the-droid-x-runs-a-custom-rom-see-for-yourself/
http://phandroid.com/2010/08/30/first-droid-x-custom-rom-released-with-installation-instructions/

I'm sorry, what?

Some issues - resolution. Android can cope with different resolution but a lot of apps aren't written that way.

Most apps, if developers follow the proper guidelines, should be resolution-agnostic. But realistically there still would be many cases where that's an issue. I remember reading Samsung was reaching out to developers to fix some of those cases.

Also the Google Market isn't officially available to devices that don't run telephony.

That's an artificial limitation imposed by Google on their partners, not a technical one. Anyone can buy an Android phone, put it in the "airplane mode" or otherwise turn off the radios, turn on wifi, enjoy.

By the way: http://phandroid.com/2010/09/02/toshiba-folio-100-goes-official-399-euros-in-q4/

Looks like that's what we're looking for. Then again, is WXGA really too much to as for? :(

Two words and a number: Toshiba Folio 100

http://phandroid.com/2010/09/02/toshiba-folio-100-goes-official-399-euros-in-q4/

More or less the same specs for half the price, and a decent sized screen (399)... Now that I could get on board with.

But what about the sold-out Droid X?

A kid tricked Apple into letting a tethering application through. So yeah, of course this could end up on the Apple app store.

The thing this story misrepresents is that voicemail passwords were not "hacked". Everything else this application purloined is also available to every other application with the same capabilities, because there are legitimate reasons for some applications to use them.

All of these problems would go away if people had more knowledge and control over the data that goes in and out of their devices. For some reason, we built our computer infrastructure on a model of secret promiscuity, on the ideology of "it's good to share everything!" and "hide everything complicated from the user, and make decisions for them!"

According to this [http://phandroid.com/2010/07/29/another-app-stealing-data/].

"Your voicemail's password is also not transmitted unless you included the password in your phone's voicemail number field."

T-Mobiles Android phones are not bad,, they have been leap-frogged with by higher end hardware, but all their phones are decent.. and they have a dual core phone in the hopper that looks to be interesting.. http://phandroid.com/2010/06/25/dual-core-4-3-inch-htc-vision-headed-for-t-mo-this-year/ probably looking at around holiday season though..

You might want to wait for the droid 2 or whatever they will call it. It is coming out very soon and has a much nicer keyboard.

http://phandroid.com/2010/06/10/its-a-droid-day-droid-2-pics-and-video-surface/

what is worse, there are so many diverse entries that I don't think there ever will be a viable competing ecosystem.

With Google and hardware manufacturers working together to avoid fragmentation, I think android with be able to compete. Not only that you'll have stuff like this, this, this...etc. you will also have the rest of the marketplace in which Google encourages people to develop the way they want to.

How about this Android tablet? Or this soon to be released Android tablet? Or many android prototype tablets to peek at.

Apple doesn't have a monopoly in the smartphone market. Symbian phones account for 3 times the market share Apple has, and Blackberry phones account for 1.25 times the market share.

You're right, I gave similar figures to the responder above you in my response to him. Apple's iPhone is growing in marketshare though, in May the market share of the iPhone increased from 30.3% to 32.8%, and Androids increased theirs from 5.3% to 6.2%. I've made mistakes in this thread but this is a big one I didn't make: Android Stealing Symbian & WinMo Market Share, but that's from last year, ie old. Looking for recent data I found 2 articles of interest, April 2010 Mobile Metrics Report and Apple iPad Catching Up On Android In OS Market. And the iPad uses the same OS as the iPhone does. However it's not a phone.

Falcon

Yeah, all told, worldwide, there were more iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads sold than Android phones. However, when you compare oranges and oranges.... Apple skews the numbers by including the non-phone variants in with the phones. Here's the real deal And yes, I forgot to qualify: in the United States. Worldwide, iPhone is still selling better, but that's probably got something to do with being in the market longer. Give it another year and see what the picture looks like, especially with all the cheap tablets coming out. Who needs a Kindle or Nook when you can get an Android tablet for less than $200?

Sorry, but Verizon Wireless may not be much help: "Kiss Your Unlimited Data Goodbye: Verizon Wants Tiered Plans with 4G".

Or maybe they realize that something like the Evo 4G is an iPhone/iPad killer.

If you want to kill the iPhone, it's no longer enough to just come out with better hardware. You have to come out with better hardware, an App Store with 100,000+ apps and a dizzying array of third-party peripherals, cases, etc all of which feature a neat little logo that states "made for iPhone." The iPhone/iPod Touch is no longer just a device--it's an entire supporting ecosystem that Apple has been cultivating for years now.

So unless Google et al can develop their own such ecosystems, nothing is going to take the iPhone down for a long time. Android has made strides on the app-store front, but I don't see a bazillion different cases/peripherals/et al with a common "made for Android" logo. Until that kind of stuff shows up, Android will never "kill" the iPhone.

50% bigger screen than Apple's next-gen iPhone that was leaked, (4.3"), and yet it's still a smartphone, Small enough to fit comfortably in one hand, unlike the iPad.

HDMI out, runs flash, works as a hotspot for up to 8 other devices, Yes, it even does pinch-to-zoom. And at 4.3", it's got 50% more surface area than the current iPhone (and the leaked iPhone's screen is even smaller).

A tablet's too big to just shove in your pocket or purse. The iPhone's screen is too small to really share. This is "just right". It's a tablet-killer. So maybe HP sees that the tablet market, after more than a decade of trying to take flight, is going to nosedive, and will come out with something Palm-ish in a 4.3" format?

I keep hearing all these crappy things about Flash (performance, security, etc.) without any data to back it up. Why exactly does programming Flash suck, and could somebody show me some hard facts on Flash's 'buggyness', and there security issues VS Html / Javascript. The only thing that I've seen comparing html vs flash on smart phones resulted in flash way outperforming html 5 ( http://phandroid.com/2010/04/01/speed-test-flash-vs-html5-on-the-nexus-one/ )

For developers that get their software into bricks and mortar stores, guess what percentage they lose? Well on a average $30-$50 product, they'll net about $1-$2. In other words, they are losing >95% of the retail price of the software. You didn't know that did you.

I'm well aware of the retail margins - and no, the publisher doesn't get $1 - $2 on a $50. A buck doesn't even cover the cost of packaging and production. Look in the trades - $10 to $20 is the norm on a $40-$50 retail product. Why do you think the retailers are screaming about thin margins - they're the ones who only get a 5% to 10% markup.

Nintendo actually published their figures. Look around for them. ISTR that Microsoft also did for their XBox titles.

Still, this doesn't address the real issue - control. As long as people have to funnel through the App store, you have a chance. However, the iPhone is under serious attack, and the leaked next-gen phone doesn't hold up all that well against the competition - especially against the latest droid from HTC. Android phones might outsell iPhones this year - they already surpass iPhones in terms of web surfing activity.

And the leaked iPhone falls short when set beside the Evo 4g. I'm not a google fan, but this phone just looks NICE!

It seems like the official yet-to-be-released Android version 1.6 for the Galaxy has been leaked [1]. I haven't tried it myself yet, but the forum posts seem to be very promising!

[1] http://phandroid.com/2010/02/23/samsung-galaxy-gets-official-android-1-6-update-unofficially/

"I'd rather have something in a similar form factor, but with Win7,"

Well part of the form factor is using a lighter weight OS, permitting snappy performance on less powerful hardware and thus you save on cooling, battery power/size etc. Or they end up horridly underpowered for windows.

Win7 Tablets exist and they are largely a failure. Read this Cnet review on the new Archos 9.
http://reviews.cnet.com/tablet-pcs/archos-9-pc-tablet/4505-3126_7-33800951.html

N900 doesn't excite me in the least. Linux and more open is nice, but I think the user experience is far behind. I don't need to program every device I own.

I think the biggest competitors will be Android tablets like this MSI:
http://phandroid.com/2010/01/29/msi-android-tablet-harmony/

It seems like a contest between marketing check-boxes(MSI) and user experience(iPad). I would try the MSI Android panel if I could find one before buying the iPad, but I don't think the user experience will come close and in the end that is what will win iPad sales.

i have swallowed the google pill for sure, but that demo just makes me sad. for goodness sake, there are already companies with *real* android tablets and many of them were demoed at CES. why did google feel the need to put together shoddy youtube video showing a fake tablet running a mocked up OS?

why don't they just spend a few more dollars to make people aware of the awesome android tablets that are already announced? for example, the vega tablet,
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/11/vega-tablet-beats-apple-and-crunchpad/

and the MSI tablet,
http://phandroid.com/2010/01/29/msi-android-tablet-harmony/

To some extent it already happened, not all phones have an upgrade path:
http://phandroid.com/2009/12/17/android-developers-introduce-device-dashboard/

http://phandroid.com/2009/12/14/2-new-nexus-one-pictures/

Is there any bit more official or trusted source that is actually confirming that google is bringing out its own phone?

Eldar Murtazin which I would consider a moderately trustworthy source regarding mobiles says that he has talked about it with a google employee and it's a fake.

So many news and comments that seem to think this is real that I can't really form an opinion myself. If google does do this, it is a bit of a slap on the face for it's Android allies. Google is suddenly a competitor with a clear advantage.

And that nobody prevents applications appearing in the market because they may impact on the profitability of the device manufacturer?

That "nobody" is apparently the telephone carrier - if you want tethering or VoIP over wireless instead of 3G or... well anything the carrier dislikes.

http://phandroid.com/2009/04/02/tethering-apps-are-back-not-with-t-mobile/

See it in operation.. http://phandroid.com/2009/10/28/google-navigation-in-car-video-preview/

The Samsung Moment looks promising. It's coming to Sprint on Nov. 1 and has an 800 MHz processor.

Some hints of actual numbers:

http://phandroid.com/2009/08/23/first-month-in-europe-samsung-sells-100000-galaxies/

http://htcpedia.com/news/htc-sells-one-million-andoid-phones.html

The HTC Galaxy is a WinMo device.

But one Million phones by no means a failure. Also, that was T-Mobile announcing that it had sold 1 million G1's (source: Wikipedia) in the US in April this year so we are not including the HTC Dreams sold in Europe, Australia and Singapore or the HTC Magic and Hero. Most definitely not a failure by any stretch of the imagination.

Verizon Android Phones Are Officially Coming.

There exists a pretty strong misunderstanding that Verizon "locks down" their phones. They did, yes. But in the past year, they've stopped disabling GPS on their phones (including the Omnia, Storm and Tour), said that all future Blackberries will have Wifi, and launched their Open Development Initiative to get data devices (among other things) on their network.

Oh, and their next generation network (which is launching 2+ years before AT&T's) is LTE, based off the GSM standard.

But I don't blame you, they've definitely had restrictive tendencies in the past.

I hope I dont get flamed for saying this, but... as a user of an unlocked Google G1. The iPhone does not win. If I am going to type an email, I pop out the keyboard. Sure I can use the virtual keyboard on the new 1.5 cupcake firmware, but it is so inefficient. Can you pull up a shell in the iPhone? Is the iPhone based on one of the most stable operating systems in the world (Linux)? Did Apple talk about releasing the CPU specs so that the components could be modded to improve usability see http://phandroid.com/2009/05/08/g1-specs-leak-could-mean-developer-hacking-heaven/ ? Does apple have multiple phones available see: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/google-expect-18-android-phones-by-years-end/ ? Sure, multiple manufactures are going to put android on their phones, but does Apple let people do is? Does Apple...? Does Apple...? Well, now you know I am an Android fanboy :) But seriously, The iPhone does not stack up against the Android platform. How does Apple expect programmers to take advantage of all the hardware if the operating system on the phone is not based off something that is opensource?

Fart Machine
Tip Calculator
Flashlight

Looks like Android and iPhone are about even these days with their killer apps...

Fart Machine
Tip Calculator
Flashlight

Looks like Android and iPhone are about even these days with their killer apps...

Sprint has Android phones on the way. http://phandroid.com/2009/02/20/sprint-android-coming-ceo-reassures/

Can I buy an unlocked iPhone for a reasonable price, yet?

Yes.

How about deals with networks other than AT&T?

Yes. AT&T is the only question mark. I'm currently using my Android phone on AT&T.

Can I install custom software yet?

Have been able to since day one. It's never been an issue; unlike the issues surrounding the iPhone.

Maybe I'll make it run in the background, so I can have something play music while users do something else... Nope, not allowed.

That's only an issue for iPhones. Creating background services on Android is trivial. Of course, constantly running stuff in the background is going to destroy your battery life.

Yes, it's prettier.

That's a matter of opinion. I actually like my android phone.

There is no question of that -- there will be killer apps written for Android, even for Windows Mobile, which cannot be ported to the iPhone because of Apple's restrictions.

This is already true. Some very cool applications which are available free are impossible on the iPhone.

With some half dozen or more Android phones looming just over the horizon from various carriers and even Garmin, a new comer to phones (first link I found) bringing an Android phone to market, options will be aplenty. Already whole lines of phones are being developed specifically to target the Android platform.

To add insult to injury, the G1 already has superior hardware but sadly, is held back waiting for an Android software update. This of course places Android owners in a superior position whereby an iPhone owner's only recourse is to purchase a whole new phone to obtain hardware parity.