So if Windows Phone 7 fails at everything else, it at least has some serious gaming potential.

Microsoft showed off “The Harvest”, a fully 3D touch-controlled dungeon game, running on the Asus Windows Phone 7 Prototype. Check out the screen shots (and remember, this was running on a phone):

Besides the nice graphics and the fact that this shows how a game studio already proficient in XNA developing, same as the XBox (like Luma Arcade, the developers of the above game), could create a full game for a new platform like Windows Phone, but it also shows a taste of the achievement notifications in the last picture above.

Anyone like?

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Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, Dish Network and Google are busy running tests for how to do just that.

The tests apparently add Google’s Android OS to your TVs box-set. This allows you to use a keyboard to search for what you want to watch on TV. It would then show you your regular Dish Network programming that met the search criteria along side an internet search of sites like Google’s YouTube.

This could be big news for both Google and Dish Network. The Dish Network would get great searching ability (which it currently lacks), like the ability to search for “food show” and get all the food shows playing at the moment up on the TV. Google would also benefit by extending their already massive reach from the internet to your other main screen in your house, the TV. Google would also have their YouTube and Adsense ads display during the search results and during your shows so it brings them more potential revenue from advertising (their key product offering).

The other major benefit of this would be that Android apps would now also work on your TV…

Anyone excited by this? Anyone else scared?

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So with T-Mobile launching it’s HSPA+ network in select markets this month, Verizon figured it would test it’s new data technology, LTE, in a market and post some numbers.

Verizon’s LTE technology is supposed to reach peak speeds of 40-50 Mbps (compared to HSPA+’s 21Mbps). Verizon engineers are also reporting average download speeds of between 5-12Mbps (compared to T-Mobile engineers 5-6Mbps) in actual tests.

The thing to understand here though is that LTE is a 4G technology, and as such requires new hardware to be put in it’s phones to utilize any of the speed, just like WiMaxx. So even though they are testing it in one market, there still aren’t any devices that support it coming anytime soon so it is a ways off.

On the other hand, HSPA+ requires new technology in the handset to get the FULL speed increase, but unlike LTE it is based on 3G technology instead of 4G and so all current 3G handsets will benefit from the speed increase as well (just not as much as an HSPA+ enabled handset would).

So while LTE is definitely the faster technology (and I’m sure Verizon’s engineers will optimize it more and more and the average download speed will increase from this report), T-Mobile’s approach is a nice way to get some benefits sooner than later.

Of course, once Verizon gets their LTE up and running with handsets that support it, T-Mobile data speeds will be left behind. But again, we have to give it to T-Mobile for going from an EDGE only network to HSPA+ in a very short time frame. And since HSPA+ is still a 3G technology, it is very possible that they could be using it as a stepping stone to a newer technology like LTE as well; giving people faster internet now while they work on LTE, or some other 4G technology.

Hopefully T-Mobile can keep up their break neck pace of upgrading their network and possibly be working on 4G when Verizon is launching theirs. That would be tough, but so was getting from EDGE to HSPA+ as quickly as they did.

Now if T-Mobile could only increase their coverage…

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So it seems a correspondent from CNET ambushed Charlie Kindel from Microsoft and got him to tell him a bit about Windows Phone 7 and it’s development structure (and even show off his phone a bit).

Take a look at the video:

Some interesting points are the fact that X and A will be used to develop the games (same as for Xbox 360 games) and that Silverlight will be the main development tool for all other apps etc (Microsoft’s version of Flash).

The way these guys keep showing off these phones, you would think Phone 7 is coming out sooner than September…

On the Official Nokia Blog, they are showing off a game on the N900. This game doesn’t have amazing graphics, in-depth storyline, or fancy multiplayer gameplay. But it does do something a little unique on a phone; it allows the user to use the front facing camera to detect their face motion to control the character on-screen.

The game is called Burger Face and the objective of the game is to grab falling hamburgers and dodge falling knives. The unique controls though allow you to control your on screen avatar by moving your head left or right.

Kinda cool consider it would seem the major consoles are moving toward this technology as well (Google Project Natal for the Xbox 360). The only issue is how ridiculous you look shaking your head around at the airport, screaming, “Eat the burger!”

Video of the game in action below:

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Apparently, RIM is working on a much needed new browser for their Blackberries. This make sense after plenty of surveys and analytical data saying that users around the world prefer the iPhone and Android’s browsers over the Blackberry one.

The new browser is said to be based off of Webkit (just like the iPhone’s Safari browser) and will be capable of handling AJAX, CSS, and HTML5 (no flash announced yet).

RIM also claims that their new browser will be much more network efficient, which seems like a wink at AT&T with all their network congestion being caused by the iPhone.

It’s a step in the right direction, but is it way too late? RIM says this browser will be ready by the end of 2010. With how much catch up they already have to play, new Android phones and firmwares coming out left and right, and an iPhone announcement happening before their new browser launches, will it be enough?

There is a rumor that Google will be launching a business app store next week sometime. This app store seems to be focused on Google Apps’ customers. Third party developers will be able to make their own desktop, or web-based apps and sell them (or give them away) through the Google app store.

There is a little confusion in the blogosphere as to what this means for the Android Market. While the initial report says nothing of the Android market, people seem to be posting that this is a new Android Business Market. No one is sure if Google will be pushing Android Business apps along side this new Business App Store, but even if they are not we could see some new business apps heading to the Android market from this because of developers of the Google Apps might be drawn to Android while they are working (kind of like when people used to make Windows programs and then make a Windows Mobile equivalent). But I guess we’ll see next week.

Anyone have any other information on this Business App Store and its relation to Android? Enlighten us all in the comments.

At the TechEd Middle East show, Microsoft’s Eric Rudder, shows a simple Indiana Jones games running on all three devices. Not only can all three devices play the same game (that all share 90% of the same code), but you can start playing on one and then pause and finish playing on another platform.

Not the most amazing game, but it is a great proof of concept. The ability for the three different devices to play the same game with 90% of it’s code being the same and being able to have the platforms share information seamlessly (needed for the pausing and replaying on another platform) is definitely a great step in the right direction. It’ll be interesting to see some multiplayer or more complex games demoed…

Any hardcore Xbox Live users slightly intrigued by the concept?

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So T-Mobile’s HSPA+ rollout has begun. Well, it will, March 14th according to sources at TMoNews. The new HSPA+ network supports theoretical speeds of up to 21Mbps and is somewhat backwards compatible with older 3G devices (in other words your HSDPA T-Mobile G1 will not be getting the super high speeds HSPA+ offers BUT it will see a speed increase nonetheless).

The only device to support the full HSPA+ network will be launching the same day and happens to be a data stick; the webConnect Rocket. But that won’t stop people in the new select markets from running out to their nearest T-Mobile tower and see if they get any speed increase on their current phones, now will it?

The markets to get the HSPA+ upgrade on March 14th will be:

Miami
Dallas
Los Angeles
Philladelphia
Chicago

So if you are in any of these areas, leave a comment after March 14th and let us know what results your speed tests get (for Android users, goto the Market and download the SpeedTest.net SpeedTest and run it).

I happen to be in the Miami market (or close enough to it), to you know I’ll be running around with a Nexus One to see what happens

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According to Engadget, they have gotten word that the Microsoft Pink phones; the Turtle and the Pure, are headed to Verizon and should become available around April 20th.

These phones have always been viewed as the replacements for the Sidekick line up that has previously always been on T-Mobile USA. Microsoft bought Danger (the makers of the Sidekick software) a while back and we haven’t heard of much from Danger since (besides the good ol’ Sidekick Data Outage, yikes).

Since these are considered replacements for the Sidekick lineup, it seems odd that they are headed to Verizon, but we have heard rumors that there are GSM and CDMA varieties of these devices so who knows.
One thing that the Pink phones will have in common with the Sidekick line up is that they will be marketed to tweens, teenagers, and young adults.

Check out the pics:

UPDATE: Engadget got word that those GSM versions are headed to Vodafone, so sorry T-Mobile.

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According to a tweet from Quim Gil at Nokia, the MeeGo repository will be up and running near the end of this month. Here’s the whole tweet(s):

Nokia and Intel have set the target to open the MeeGo repository by the end of this month. I guess this is something that finally will signify the real “Day One” of MeeGo project, a genuine merger of moblin and maemo. What is scheduled to be available then is the first and very raw baseline to a source and binary repository to build MeeGo trunk on Intel ATOM boards and Nokia N900.

What does it mean? Well, for one it is a first step to MeeGo being a reality and could be signified as the beginning of MeeGo. The repository will have the basic binary files, source code, etc that can be used by developers and the like to take a look at what MeeGo will become.

The other interesting thing about the tweet is that he singles out the N900, saying that the files in the repository will contain the files necessary to build the MeeGo trunk on the N900. That could mean that the N900 could see some MeeGo love very soon after (and will most likely be the first device to use MeeGo via a conversion using the source code etc).

I’m a fan of Maemo to be honest and am very interested to see what features they keep and remove and what the whole UI will end up looking like in MeeGo. Guess I won’t have to wait too long to find out…

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So if you haven’t heard of the lawsuit Apple has started against HTC (and by proxy Google’s Android OS), here’s a nice summary of the patents Apple has stated HTC is infringing on.

Now, if you were curious as to why Apple started these lawsuits all of a sudden, I have a feeling it might be because Steve Jobs had a copy of the iPhone and Android’s marketshare report from Quantcast.

Now as you can see by this graph, the iPhone is well ahead of it’s closest competition, Android, in marketshare (as determined by web consumption). But what this graph doesn’t show (but the next two do) is that Android is catching up, and fast.

So what do the last two graphs mean? Glad you asked. Well, the first graph shows how quickly Android has passed all the other major competitors in relatively little time (and how much it still has to gain to catch up with the iPhone) and the second one shows how much market share Android has gained over the last month, quarter, and year.

Android has almost doubled it’s market share in the last year and just over the last quarter has shot up significantly. And all this while the iPhone’s marketshare has been slowly dropping.

Now it’s not too say Apple is losing users, in fact, both OS’s seem to be gaining users. The issue for Apple is that Android is just gaining them ALOT faster right now. If the current trends continue (and with more and more Android devices coming out, they just may well), Android looks poised to catch up to Apple and battle it out very soon.

So think it’s a coincidence that Apple sues HTC, the largest Android manufacturer in the world, after data like this comes out?

Either way this seems to be the beginning of a major OS battle between a few giants in the industry.

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The guys over at BGR seem to have gotten their hands on some pricing info from an insider at T-Mobile. Take a look

So a breakdown:

HTC HD2 – $199 on a 2 year contract and $449 without a contract
Motorola CLIQ XT – $129 on a 2 year contract and $329 without a contract

Anyone getting either device?

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So just in case you haven’t noticed, in the Android world, there are a lot of phones running very different versions of the Android OS. Phones like the CLIQ and Hero running version 1.5, the Magic and G1 running 1.6, the Droid running 2.0.1, the Nexus running 2.1, etc.

Google is getting concerned that there are developers out there using the older OS’s and developing apps on them that end up not being compatible with newer versions like 2.0 and up. So what are they going to do about it you ask? How about a phone giveaway?

Sounds good to Google who has begun their “Device Seeding Program” in a few countries around the world. The concept of the Device Seeding Program is to get all the developers up to speed by giving them 2.0 or higher devices that they can develop on.

In order to qualify you must have an app already in the Market and it must be rated three stars or better or at least have 5000 downloads or more.

So what device do developers get? Well that depends slightly on where you are located. Developers in the US will receive either a Verizon Droid or a Nexus One (at random) while all other developers (only Canada, the EU, Hong Kong, Lichtenstein, Norway Switzerland, Singapore, or Taiwan will receive devices) will be receiving a Nexus One.

It’s good to see Google realizing the issues their rapid development is creating and try to nip it in the butt before it gets worse (and just in time for the Game Developers Conference, too).

Think this will spur development for Android so it can catch up with the iPhone or what?

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So still think there is only money to be made for developers of apps for the iPhone? Well, developer, Edward Kim, would have to say otherwise.

Edward Kim developed a pretty basic app that helps users find their car. It uses the GPS to pinpoint the location, can then tell you things like when your meter is running out and needs some coins, the distance to your car, the direction, etc. The app has been selling in the Android Market for about 5 months and is now bringing in some serious cash; $13,000/month now, according to Ed.

There is a free and a paid version of Ed’s app. The free version seems to have been downloaded about 70,000 times while the paid version has been downloaded about a tenth of that so far and increasing more each month. The paid version was selling for about $1.99 when he started but is now selling for $3.99. This seemed to work out for Ed as he doubled the cost of the app, while keep more than half the amount of downloads (in turn increasing profit).

So Android devs thinking about jumping on the App bandwagon, $150k/year a good enough reason?

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…and it weeps profusely.

So Microsoft, in an interview with APC Magazine, says that the HTC HD2 does not have the criteria to be a Windows Phone 7 Series device. When questioned as to what that means, Natasha Kwan (General Manager for Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business in the Asia-Pacific region) replied, “It doesn’t have the three buttons.”

The three buttons she is referring to are the Home, Back, and Search keys that are now mandatory on all Windows Phone 7 devices. The thing is, though, that the phone has Call, Home, Start, Back and End buttons, so couldn’t we just use the Start as a Search button? But there you have it, no upgrade for the HD2, well, not from Microsoft anyway…

There are two reasons I wouldn’t be too concerned here. One is that by the time Windows Phone 7 comes out, their will be much more desirable phones than the HD2 that will come with Windows Phone 7 on them. Not too mention anyone that bought an HD2 with a contract when it comes out will be ready for an early upgrade by the time Windows Phone 7 comes out and can upgrade to a newer phone.

The other reason I wouldn’t be too concerned is that as we have seen time and time again, Windows Mobile versions (6.1, 6.5, etc.) tend to make their way to phones that they “cannot work on” thanks to some developers with some time on their hands over at XDA.

So anyone getting the HD2? This effect your decision at all?

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As is inevitable in the Android world, software can be moved and HTC’s Sense UI is no exception. First it was ported to the Nexus One and now some developers are in the process of porting it over to the Motorola Droid.

They say it is a work in progress (so sorry no download link… yet), and their major hurdle is getting the thing to make and receive calls before they will release a beta version to the public (will be in our downloads section once it is, don’t worry).

But in the meantime, Droid user can take a look at the video they posted and drool a little.

We’ll let you know when it’s available. Anyone ready to root their Droid for Sense?

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So anyone remember Adobe saying that Flash 10.1 for Android was on it’s way? Well, they forgot to mention one tiny detail.

According to an Adobe employee on Adobe’s official forums, Flash 10.1 will require your Android phone to have an ARMv7 processor (aka a Snapdragon or OMAP3). So that means that the only phones that will get Flash 10.1 on Android at the moment are the Nexus One, Motorola Droid/Sholes/Milestone,  Acer Liquid, and the Sony Xperia X10.

Now granted the majority of Android users at the moment in the world are using the Verizon Droid (according to AdMob) so I’m sure this covers a large percentage of users, but what about the fact that we’ve seen Flash on custom ROMs for pretty much every other phone (G1, MyTouch, Magic, Hero, etc.)? So we know it’s possible, so why not release it?

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So on the Engadget show they had Microsoft’s Aaron Woodman and well, Aaron decided to whip out a toy for them to take a peek at; the new LG Windows Phone 7 Series prototype.

No details really at all to go along with the sneak peek, but you can definitely get a feel for the size of the unit in the video they posted. Other than that, it also lends a bit more credibility to the rumors that LG will be the first to release a Windows 7 Series phone in September of this year.

Check out the quick video:

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The Telegraph newspaper in the UK and Neowin have each released separate reports about the Nexus One, one referring to Vodafone and one to Verizon.

According to the Telegraph, sources say that the Nexus One will be available on Vodafone in the UK in April (happens to also be the same time the HTC Desire is expected to be released there as well).

Then at the same time, sources over at Neowin, say “Verizon will release Google’s Nexus One Android device on March 23 according to sources familiar with the matter.” This also coincides well with the FCC documentation that approved the CDMA version of the Nexus One earlier this week.

Verizon users, 24 days or so and counting? Anyone excited?

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So according to some sources at AndroidandMe, all US Android devices will be getting an upgrade to Android 2.1 this year. This is in contrast to what was previously thought about how older phones couldn’t handle Android 2.1 (which we’ve seen to not be true already because of custom Android 2.1 ROMs being loaded onto G1s etc.).

There is something about this though that I find odd. Android 2.1 can’t just be loaded on all of these devices as it is. The carriers have to add their own proprietary apps into the OS, manufacturers have to load their custom user interfaces on top of the OS (like Sense UI and Blur UI), etc. So I find it very unlikely that all of these manufacturers, carriers, and Google are planning to release all of these things together at the same time…

So while Android 2.1 might be on its way to US Android phones, I have a feeling that depending on your phone, it could be at very different times during the year.

Whose ready for 2.1 already?

So the HTC Desire is sexy, I agree, and we know it’s most likely going to AT&T, but what about the CDMA version we heard rumored a while ago? Well, it’s called the HTC Incredible and judging by the video posted on YouTube, it’s definitely going to Verizon and looks to be a pretty final build (also looks like they are in a Verizon store to me, but eh who knows)

Coming soon, possibly?

Here are the specs:

1Ghz Snapdragon
256Mbs of RAM
3.7″ AMOLED Screen
Android 2.1 w/ Sense UI
WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth

And here’s the shaky vid:

So with the Nexus One (hacked with Sense UI running smoothly) on T-Mobile, the HTC Desire coming to AT&T supposedly, and the HTC Incredible coming to Verizon, we have three almost identical devices coming out (or are out in the Nexus One’s case) on 3 different carriers (and the HTC Supersonic with a slightly bigger screen and possibly WiMax for Sprint). So we actually get to choose what carrier we want based on their performance in our area, instead of being forced to choose a carrier because we want a specific phone? Wow, what a concept…

So Windows Phone 7’s release date was set by Microsoft for beginning of 2011, but as it turns out, LG apparently didn’t get that memo.

LG has announced that they plan to release the first Windows Phone 7 phone as early as September. This coincides with a rumor that came out before Windows Phone 7 was officially announced that LG would release a Windows Phone 7 phone in September. So the fact that we are hearing this rumor twice, lends a bit more credibility to the idea (a bit, this is still a rumor and dates always change).

Anyone excited that the launch is coming 3-4 months earlier? I’m curious to see what Windows Phone 7 can do, so I’m excited

Nokia has announced the top three finalists of their PUSH N900 in the USA competition. The competition is the USA version of the worldwide competition called PUSH N900, and has the same concept (but only for USA competitors).

The idea behind it is to take an N900 and “push” it to become something else. Whether through hacks, mods, or whatever. The global competition brought us some interesting concepts like the N900 Speak and Spell (a Speak and Spell with the N900 controlling it instead of it’s original parts), the Rolodex (a program that synced the N900 to a old fashion Rolodex that when the Rolodex was spun to show a contact the N900 would also “scroll” to that contact on the screen), plus many others. The winner of the USA competition will receive $10,000 and will get to see their creation come to life.

The USA finalists are presenting the following mods:

Niko - A robot with the N900 at its heart. He can be commanded via Twitter, display information about the surrounding area, and even share photos using the N900’s camera.

Pit Crew - Will take the N900 and put it at the center of a slot car, then try to have it compete against humans.

Bike Dashboard – Gives your bicycle the dashboard of a car. Displays speedometer, odometer, and can track your route with the GPS. (Oh and even has a car horn button).

Regardless of the winner, it is nice to see what people can come up with with a capable root enabled device, wouldn’t you agree?

So according to a connect for BGR, the new HTC Desire is reportedly going to make it’s way to the States by way of AT&T. Also, the HTC Desire will keep it’s name AND Sense UI which is kinda a big deal.

The connect says it should be landing on AT&T sometime in May or June.

Another interesting note is that the connect also says that the Nexus One will have an AT&T 3G version coming out around the same time as well. This is interesting because of how similar the two devices are (minus a few details, the biggest being Sense UI). So if you had a choice between the exact same phone with Sense or without, which would you choose?
But then again, with Sense UI already working well on the Nexus One, guess there is even less difference between the two devices.

The connect also let slip that the HTC Legend will be coming to Sprint as the HTC Hero2. No idea on timeframe on this one.

Good Android phones cometh, people.

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So if you aren’t familiar, the T-Mobile Pulse was a phone T-Mobile UK launched not too long ago as a mid-range Android device for their subscribers. It had a 3.5 inch screen, 3.15MP camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, HSDPA 7.2, and Android 1.5.

Well Huawei and T-Mobile UK decided that those specs could be bumped down even more to try to get an Android device in everyone’s hand.

T-Mobile UK Pulse Mini Specs:

2.8 Inch Screen (instead of 3.5)
3.15MP Camera
Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS
HSPDA 3.2 (instead of 7.2)
Android 2.1 (instead of 1.5)

So you gain Android 2.1 and lose screen size and a decrease in 3G speed. But the major benefit for Android lovers over in Europe is, you guessed it, the price.
The phone will only cost £99.99 on a NO Contract plan (roughly $155). Not too bad considering you can just barely get an Android device for that here in the US WITH a contract, no?

I’m willing to bet we see plenty more of these budget Android devices from a few different manufacturers soon, as there is a largely untapped lower-end smartphone market. An Android for everyone?

Anyone willing to get a lower end Android phone if it was free on a contract or under $150 without a contract? Know anyone else who would? Maybe your mom?

EDIT: Sorry, one of those days. Huawei, not HTC, makes this phone.

Always wish you could fly around the world on your Nexus One? Me too. Well we can finally do just that. Google Earth for Android is now available for download for any 2.1 Android device (AKA Nexus One or a Android 2.1 Custom ROM on other phone).

Just head to the Market for the download! Enjoy!

UPDATE: Some readers have reported that it doesn’t work on 2.1 ROMs on other phones, anyone else try it and have it work?

UPDATE 02.24.10: Thanks to Jeff from Droidsector, here is the Google Earth for all 2.0.1 Devices (aka the Droid).

So the Devour, AKA the Calgary, is only a few days away from being launched by Verizon here in the US. So just in time for release, Rick Osterloh of Motorola, has decided to release a seven minute long demonstration of the phone to tide you BLUR lovers on Verizon till then. Take a look:

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It was inevitable, that someone would port the Sense UI enabled HTC Desire ROM over to it’s sibling, the Nexus One. One thing not predicted, was how quickly it was done.

Thanks to Paul at Modaco, the Desire ROM is available for download and can be installed on any rooted Nexus One.

A word of warning though, this is a very Alpha build (no not even Beta yet), so it is a bit glitchy. But if you want to try it out do the following (if you haven’t already done so):

I. Root the Nexus One
II. Flash a Recovery and Load the Custom ROM
(In the second procedure, just make sure to use the Modaco Sense UI ROM from our Downloads section instead of another one).

Enjoy, leave your feedback! How do you like it? Think there is a point to buying a Desire now?

Thanks Modaco!
Thanks Breakthecycle2!

So it turns out AT&T isn’t shunning Android after all. They have just officially announced that they will be carrying the new Motorola Backflip for $100 after mail-in rebate for new customers. The Backflip is a Blur based Android device (similar to the CLIQ), with a unique opening design; the screen is on the back side, hence back flip.

Strange, right? But not a bad concept I guess, it’s a struggle to be different in form factor nowadays so kudos to them for trying, at least.

The phone’s specs are as follows:

528mhz Processor
256Mbs of RAM
5.0MP Camera with Flash
Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS
3.1″ capacitive touchscreen
QWERTY Keyboard
Android 1.6 (upgradeable to 2.1 according to Motorola’s site)

So not the most feature rich device, but a nice first Android phone for AT&T’s portfolio.

But that’s not the only announcement regarding Android AT&T made, they also said that they will be getting 4 more Android devices in the first half of 2010. These devices will be coming from 3 manufacturers; Dell (pretty sure you can bet it’ll be the Dell Mini 5/Streak), HTC, and Motorola. They didn’t report on how many from each, but I’d guess 1 Dell, 2 HTC’s and 1 Motorola judging by the companies’ recent output of Android devices. But rejoice AT&T users, Android cometh.