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Android Hardware Thread - 2009 Edition

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~Devil Trigger~ said:
fuck

Verizon, cmon!!!

"Verizon come on?"

Verizon has 2 Android phones already, and the Nexus One is arriving in 2-3 months. Verizon is doing fine. Yes, I'd like more HTC phones, especially with Snapdragon. But we're doing OK.
 
LG's second Android phone. GT450.
1088f86.jpg

feqrfk.jpg


GSMArena said:
The LG GT540 rounded design seems kinda inspired by Sony Ericsson's W595 but fortunately LG's newborn looks way better (especially its textured ivory-like back). As seen on the images above there will be various color versions of the GT540 available. The phone front is taken by the 320 x 480 pixel resistive touchscreen while on the back there is a 3-megapixel autofocus camera.

The smartphone packs native support for DivX and WMV video files and will have a Motion UI player (don't really know what that is) and a standard 3.5mm audio jack. The microSD card slot is ready to accommodate cards with up to 32GB of capacity.

More pictures and video at the link.
http://www.gsmarena.com/lgs_second_android_based_smartphone_the_gt540_rolls_out-news-1368.php

Also, more Robyn pictures. Kinda thick.

fms3vc.jpg

rmsdpz.jpg

jt312a.jpg
 
Fatalah said:
"Verizon come on?"

Verizon has 2 Android phones already, and the Nexus One is arriving in 2-3 months. Verizon is doing fine. Yes, I'd like more HTC phones, especially with Snapdragon. But we're doing OK.
i like phones with keyboards :(
 
Mw182006 said:
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but after reading Sprint's CES coverage it doesn't seem like they've got any new phones coming in the immediate future. I guess it's time to go check out the Moment and hope that the 2.1 update comes sooner than later.

A couple concerns after reading more user reviews on it, maybe some of you guys can chime in on these if you've got one:

- Complaints about lack of LED notifications after texts, missed calls, etc.
- Complaints about GPS issues and phone reporting your location incorrectly
- Complaints about face dialing once you've answered a call (accidentally muting, speakerphone, etc)
- Battery life even after changing some of the more battery intensive settings

Is the 2.0/1 update supposed to improve battery life across the board or is it just with certain phones?

The 2.0 update (i dont think its 2.1 but that could just be because it was confirmed a few weeks ago) is supposed to hit sprint in the spring.

I got a moment a few days ago and Im enjoying it quite a bit so far, have not accidentally dialed anyone yet, but I can comment on the battery life. Normal use It lasts me until the night time, thats 2-3 calls, lots of text messaging/Im and the occasional gaf/email check. Ive seen a lot of the GPS issues complaint as well but dont use GPS enough to really have a lot to say, Ive read that its an issue with wifi.

Pro's so far with the moment.
-Really fast, handles web pages really well. Unfortunately I do not have anything to compare it to other than the Instinct s30 and the first gen Iphone my buddy has.
-Screen is gorgeous, crisp and bright. Love it.
-camera is a lot better than I thought it would be, especially in daylight. Noisy in darkness. The flash is REALLY, really bright, a little too bright (blinding even lol). This is a quick shot I took while in a moving car
- Lots of wonderful apps and themes to really get that look thats missing from stock sprint
- Youtube videos in high quality = awesome

Cons
-Battery Life with pretty heavy use has lasted me about 8 hours or so. Enough that I notice I should charge it. Seems to last forever at 15% but i hear thats due to the battery software and cycling the charges or something.
- Base theme is really boring, pick up OpenHome to get the slides from 3 to 7 screens.
- 2 days ago airplane mode would trigger itself, i think it was due to an addon since it hasnt happened since yet. It went into airplane mode and I would have to turn it off and restart the phone
-Doesnt bother me but the phone is heavy, heavier than a pre and the hero. I like the weight though personally.
-search button on the keyboard is AWESOME, love being able to search google, youtube etc without having to fatfinger the nav bar.

Addons I would recommend
Handcent - mimics the iphones messaging setup. Really nice free too
OpenHome - I think its 4 bucks, it allows you to install themes/icons/fonts to your phone a ton of free themes, some are paid but LOTS of free ones. Lot of HTC themes, windows7, macosx etc. A couple of Iphone ones too if that is something that interests you.

Hope that helps, im pretty new to smartphones.
 
Boy Genius is reporting that a Motorola phone has passed FCC testing, and it packs T-Mobile's 3G. It looks like the rumors that T-Mo would be getting the Sholes tablet (keyboardless Droid with 8mp camera and HDMI output) and/or Sholes with keyboard (the Droid) were true.

From the Nexus One to the HD2, T-Mobile is killing it lately.
 
Jube3 said:
Hope that helps, im pretty new to smartphones.

Definitely, thanks! I've NEVER owned one myself and I'm ready to take the plunge. Now I just need to go play with the Moment and Hero myself to get a feel for the two. Right now I'm heavily favoring the Moment due to the processor and the keyboard. Sprint initially announced those two would be receiving the 2.0 update, but then backtracked and said it would be 2.1 instead. They also said first half of 2010, so hopefully we won't be waiting THAT long.

A few last questions for you -- do you notice any lag with the hard keyboard and text showing up on screen? Also there's no LED notifications (wtf?), but does the display itself light up for a second or vibrate or anything when you get a text or do you have to actually have to check the phone manually each time? Have you dialed down any of the stock settings (ex. display brightness) to try to improve the battery life? Thanks mang!
 
Vyse The Legend said:
Boy Genius is reporting that a Motorola phone has passed FCC testing, and it packs T-Mobile's 3G. It looks like the rumors that T-Mo would be getting the Sholes tablet (keyboardless Droid with 8mp camera and HDMI output) and/or Sholes with keyboard (the Droid) were true.

From the Nexus One to the HD2, T-Mobile is killing it lately.

Holy shit! That's nice! Very nice if true. I like how that "tablet" looks.
 
The large retailers are listing X10 for 6195 SEK now so the price must be finalized.
Which translates into $870 in a direct conversion.

I hope HTC announces HD2 with Android before X10 is released :p
 
A few last questions for you -- do you notice any lag with the hard keyboard and text showing up on screen?
A large majority of the time its smooth sailing, Ive gotten really used to the keyboard even with its small space bar so I can type really fast and its something I notice every now and then but not something I would call a problem. Ive noticed lag when using google search sometimes, cant remember seeing it in SMS or emailing. The lag when it pops up, which in my experience is really rare, feels like input delay in a fighting game if that helps give you an idea. So you can keep typing and it will show up.

Also there's no LED notifications (wtf?), but does the display itself light up for a second or vibrate or anything when you get a text or do you have to actually have to check the phone manually each time?
Nah you dont have to check it manually, you get a ringtone and it vibrates when something happens (twitter, email, aim, text sms, phone call) Theres a program called lock 2.0 that is really slick looking and has an iphone slide to unlock. That might have an led light up not sure only used the free version. Its 2-3 bucks i believe.

Checking your status on emails,twitter etc in android is really easy, theres a taskbar at the top with what was updated that you drag down and it shows you

Have you dialed down any of the stock settings (ex. display brightness) to try to improve the battery life? Thanks mang!
No the screen is to awesome for me to be able to force myself to do that haha. At 15% it does dim the screen to preserve battery though which I believe you can toggle off.

Im running 5 panels on my phone with an HTC style theme (no flip clock because its THCs :( )I took a picture of it for you, I only show 3 panels (other 2 are contacts and a family photos) and when i took a screen cap of it the top gray bar that shows notifications is hidden. Lots of theme options too this one is an example theres simpler/cleaner ones as well if thats your taste.
htcskin.png
 
nubbe said:
The large retailers are listing X10 for 6195 SEK now so the price must be finalized.
Which translates into $870 in a direct conversion.

I hope HTC announces HD2 with Android before X10 is released :p

That's with Swedish VAT at 25% I assume?
 
Not Android...but Linux...but dear lord. Looks at those specs.

http://www.gsmarena.com/atompowered_lg_gw990_rocks_the_smartphone_world_-news-1369.php

gsmarena_003.jpg


The LG GW990 is built around a 4.8" display with a resolution of 1020 x 480 and packs an 45nm Atom-core Pineview CPU of unknown clock speed. The high network data transfer rates are assured by 7.2Mbps HSDPA and 5.76Mbps HSUPA.

We had our doubts if it's a phone at all, but LG officially called it "a smartphone" so we think, that should be clear now.

LG GW990 also offers a 5 megapixel camera, HD video and GPS. The operating system for this new powerhouse is a skinned version of the Linux-based Moblin OS, which looks virtually identical to the LG proprietary S-class UI.
 
Eric_S said:
That's with Swedish VAT at 25% I assume?
Yes, but I do not think it will retail over $600 since the competition in the Android space is high and will be crowded in a few months.
 
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news-gallery/30646/dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced/
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/30700/dell-mini-5-internet-tablet

dell-mini-5-internet-tablet-12.jpg

YouTube!

dell-mini-5-internet-tablet-11.jpg

Android 1.6!

dell-mini-5-internet-tablet-9.jpg

Google Maps!

dell-mini-5-internet-tablet-10.jpg

Sweet keyboard!

dell-mini-5-internet-tablet-5.jpg

So happy together!

dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced-3.jpg

Also in red! Look how thin!

dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced-6.jpg


dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced-15.jpg

The back! Look how shiny it is!

Specs were leaked about this a while ago. It has a 5" WVGA capacitive screen, AT&T 3G, Wi-Fi, dual-LED flash 5 megapixel camera, and 1300 mAh battery.

And now it looks to have the Android Market! Capacitive screen, 3G, Android Market... It's the tablet of my dreams!
 
Andrex said:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news-gallery/30646/dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced/
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/30700/dell-mini-5-internet-tablet

dell-mini-5-internet-tablet-12.jpg

YouTube!
Also in red! Look how thin!

dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced-6.jpg


dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced-15.jpg

The back! Look how shiny it is!

Specs were leaked about this a while ago. It has a 5" WVGA capacitive screen, AT&T 3G, Wi-Fi, dual-LED flash 5 megapixel camera, and 1300 mAh battery.

And now it looks to have the Android Market! Capacitive screen, 3G, Android Market... It's the tablet of my dreams!

That is very pretty. Kudos to Dell. Android is bursting out the seams!
 
Andrex said:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news-gallery/30646/dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced/
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/30700/dell-mini-5-internet-tablet

dell-mini-5-internet-tablet-12.jpg

YouTube!

And now it looks to have the Android Market! Capacitive screen, 3G, Android Market... It's the tablet of my dreams!

Would I sound crazy if I said I want a phone like that?

To make me sound less crazy: I'm used to wearing a blackberry on my belt for work purposes and I would be fine wearing this on my belt. Rather than putting it in my pocket.
 
Iknos said:
Would I sound crazy if I said I want a phone like that?

To make me sound less crazy: I'm used to wearing a blackberry on my belt for work purposes and I would be fine wearing this on my belt. Rather than putting it in my pocket.

It's able to take a SIM card...

http://gizmodo.com/5443837/first-hands+on-dell-mini-5-android-slate

And yes that looks incredible, I don't think I could use it as a phone, but in place of a netbook.
 
Iknos said:
Would I sound crazy if I said I want a phone like that?

To make me sound less crazy: I'm used to wearing a blackberry on my belt for work purposes and I would be fine wearing this on my belt. Rather than putting it in my pocket.
I like the look of that as well. I thought these "tablets" were the size of netbooks or notebooks? That's why I never paid any attention to them. I will definitely be taking a closer look now.
 
womp said:
Do you have a link to that background? Danke. :)

Ya Search the market for Htc Hero, its from better Android and it has the green house icon. The clock is from Beautiful Widgets.

Edit: found this link if you just want the wallpaper.
 
Andrex said:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news-gallery/30646/dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced/
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/30700/dell-mini-5-internet-tablet

dell-mini-5-internet-tablet-12.jpg

YouTube!

dell-mini-5-internet-tablet-11.jpg

Android 1.6!

dell-mini-5-internet-tablet-9.jpg

Google Maps!

dell-mini-5-internet-tablet-10.jpg

Sweet keyboard!

dell-mini-5-internet-tablet-5.jpg

So happy together!

dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced-3.jpg

Also in red! Look how thin!

dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced-6.jpg


dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced-15.jpg

The back! Look how shiny it is!

Specs were leaked about this a while ago. It has a 5" WVGA capacitive screen, AT&T 3G, Wi-Fi, dual-LED flash 5 megapixel camera, and 1300 mAh battery.

And now it looks to have the Android Market! Capacitive screen, 3G, Android Market... It's the tablet of my dreams!


It looks awesome, its too bad it isnt phone.
 
duderon said:
It's able to take a SIM card...

http://gizmodo.com/5443837/first-hands+on-dell-mini-5-android-slate

And yes that looks incredible, I don't think I could use it as a phone, but in place of a netbook.

Thanks for the link! Edit- Yes!! In the video there is an Android Market shortcut on the right-most homescreen!

It can use a SIM card? Awesome! Not that I'd use it, but options are always great. :D

DieH@rd said:
It looks awesome, its too bad it isnt phone.

TBH that's almost a plus for me. I am hurting for a phone, but I can't really take a contract right now, let alone voice + data + text.

If the Mini 5 is $300-400 I could write it off as buying a new computer. Then I could get some kinda of 3G plan (or does AT&T offer pay-as-you-go data plans? Would love that instead.)

There's also the possibility AT&T will subsidize the hell out of it and make it like $100. Just paying for a monthly data plan isn't so bad, even for two years.
 
That Motorila backflip looked really good, and I'm dying to try out an At&t
Android device but that seemed so laggy in the demo. Noticeable lag when he turned the phone in it's side, pressed a button, etc. In 2010, that's just unnaceptable. I hope they get that taken care of before launch.
 
VanMardigan said:
That Motorila backflip looked really good, and I'm dying to try out an At&t
Android device but that seemed so laggy in the demo. Noticeable lag when he turned the phone in it's side, pressed a button, etc. In 2010, that's just unnaceptable. I hope they get that taken care of before launch.

The rumored specs of the Backflip suggest that it's using the same chipset as the CLIQ, meaning it's old and slow. I wouldn't expect things to change by launch.
 
duderon said:
It's able to take a SIM card...

http://gizmodo.com/5443837/first-hands+on-dell-mini-5-android-slate

And yes that looks incredible, I don't think I could use it as a phone, but in place of a netbook.

If it can use a SIM card I feel tempted to pick one up anyways just to try it out.

Some screen size comparisons:

-Dell tablet: 5 inch
-WinMo powered HTC HD2: 4.3 inch
-Android powered HTC Bravo: 3.7 inch AMOLED

Like bigger screens because the onscreen keyboard would be more practical to me. Doesn't seem like HTC is going back to a physical keyboard so I'm looking at a phone with a nice big screen.

If the Dell had a nice belt pouch for it I'd seriously consider it. Otherwise I can't keep it any pocket and it isn't practical. I can see myself getting this anyways for the home.

The ultimate would be an Android powered HD2 with an AMOLED screen. I get the size and the practicality along with it. There hasn't been word on this so I'm going to keep focused on the the Bravo.

Obviously there's always something "bigger and better" coming out and I'd be waiting forever if I wanted the ultimate phone. I have to settle with something and that will be the Bravo when it hits Canada.
 
Andrex said:
Backflip looks cool. Wonder what carrier it'll be on... oh wait:

http://www.att.com/android

:D Android US carrier saturation imminent.

I hadn't read the thread in a while, but I was just on the AT&T site and noticed this as well.

Can't wait as I'm out of contract and they are putting a brand new AT&T cell tower like right next to my house.
 
Surprised this hasn't been posted yet:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60809H20100109

Google Inc executive Andy Rubin said on Friday that the next version of the Nexus One phone, which was made by HTC Corp, will be for enterprise users and might have a physical keyboard.

Rubin, the brains behind Google's Android operating system, made the comment during an interview with Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg at an event hosted by the newspaper.

I wonder how far along this is...I played around with a Droid a bit today, and I can definitely see wanting the extra boost of Snapdragon (which I assume this will have).
 
Jube3 said:
screenshot

I went out and grabbed the Moment on Friday...so far so good (aside from trying to condition the battery), but it's taking some getting used to and makes me feel like a noob all over again. Are those wifi/gps/bt icons you have on your main screen actual widgets or is that part of open home?
 
Anyone here have opinions on Droid Eris, i'm due for a new phone next week, and was lookin at this one, but have seen conflicting impressions. Some say its sluggish, some say it isn't, some say battery life sucks, some say doesn't.
 
mysticstylez said:
Anyone here have opinions on Droid Eris, i'm due for a new phone next week, and was lookin at this one, but have seen conflicting impressions. Some say its sluggish, some say it isn't, some say battery life sucks, some say doesn't.
I have the Sprint Hero (essentially same phone) and anyone who says these don't seem a bit sluggish at times is lying. I love the phone, a lot, but it's using a dated CPU like most other Android phones (excluding the Droid, Moment and Nexus One).

What phone are you coming from?
 
Husker86 said:
I have the Sprint Hero (essentially same phone) and anyone who says these don't seem a bit sluggish at times is lying. I love the phone, a lot, but it's using a dated CPU like most other Android phones (excluding the Droid, Moment and Nexus One).

What phone are you coming from?

That's a problem with any touchscreen phone I've used. The OS ambitions outweigh the actual CPU and hardware.
 
Raydeen said:
That's a problem with any touchscreen phone I've used. The OS ambitions outweigh the actual CPU and hardware.
I'm not saying it's a deal breaker, but there are phones that make the experience very smooth (iPhone); I'd never go back to the current iteration of the iPhone, but there is no denying that it's interface is silky smooth.

But look at the Nexus One videos, you can tell the experience overall is much snappier...occasional significant sluggishness does not have to be a given tradeoff.
 
Husker86 said:
I have the Sprint Hero (essentially same phone) and anyone who says these don't seem a bit sluggish at times is lying. I love the phone, a lot, but it's using a dated CPU like most other Android phones (excluding the Droid, Moment and Nexus One).

What phone are you coming from?

Just install this rom, it's really fast compared to the htc one. Just be sure to backup all your stuff.
 
Mad Max said:
Just install this rom, it's really fast compared to the htc one. Just be sure to backup all your stuff.

That's what I'm using :)

I don't mean to imply that the phone is always sluggish, maybe I'm just being overly picky because I don't want to tell someone that the Eris is going to be super smooth all the time.
 
Yeah, I saw this on Engadget yesterday and heard them talking about it on the mobile podcast. This might be my next Android phone when it comes over to the US, still rockin the G1.
Andrex said:
Looks great but no Market no sale. :)
Wha? Didn't read or hear that in the podcast, where'd you hear that?
 
El Papa said:
Yeah, I saw this on Engadget yesterday and heard them talking about it on the mobile podcast. This might be my next Android phone when it comes over to the US, still rockin the G1.

Wha? Didn't read or hear that in the podcast, where'd you hear that?

inbrics-m1-11-hands.jpg


No Google apps to be found, there's usually at least one on the main screen. Though if it does get 2.0 by the time it comes out then it may also get them. Be hopeful.
 
Totakeke said:
Also, more Robyn pictures. Kinda thick.

If I knew anything, I would probably say that pictures don't really do it credit, that you have to see it up close to appreciate it, and that it almost certainly isn't for the majority of people in this thread but is really kind of sexy in its own way.
 
Andrex said:
inbrics-m1-11-hands.jpg


No Google apps to be found, there's usually at least one on the main screen. Though if it does get 2.0 by the time it comes out then it may also get them. Be hopeful.
Don't really think that counts as evidence... how did Spare Parts get on there?
 
iapetus said:
If I knew anything, I would probably say that pictures don't really do it credit, that you have to see it up close to appreciate it, and that it almost certainly isn't for the majority of people in this thread but is really kind of sexy in its own way.

Yeah, North America mobile phone market is quite different from the rest of the world. They've only really started getting into feature-rich phones since the iPhone and that's their standard of comparison unlike other regions where a lot of different form factors and features have thrived before iPhone came out. Quite a number of people still like what they've been using and thus a lot of mobiles still come out that cater to their tastes. I like the X10 mini because it's Android in a different form factor, but we'll have to see how much features of Android it can reasonably retain with that small screen size.


That said, the Lenovo LePhone looks great and I like the concept, though it's OPhone based (Android reskin for China).

LAS VEGAS--Lenovo has announced a new smartphone today called LePhone specifically for the Chinese WCDMA market. It has a really nice 3.7-inch 480x800-pixel resolution display and a completely touch-based interface for navigation--no buttons here. It also boasts a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 3.5mm headset jack, 3G data, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, plus a 3.0-megapixel camera and camcorder.

15x2wxj.jpg

v4q92c.jpg

2ntac7m.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCvQkr0_B00

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10428159-269.html
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/11/lenovo-lephone-seen-again-os-cues-taken-from-skylight/
 
Totakeke said:
I like the X10 mini because it's Android in a different form factor, but we'll have to see how much features of Android it can reasonably retain with that small screen size.

Recent apps should be being built to support small screen sizes. In practice that isn't necessarily the case, but a lot of stuff works on smaller screen sizes, including most/all of the Google apps. You can see this by firing up the emulator from the SDK with an AVD with a smaller screen size (one of the QVGA options).
 
Andrex said:
No Google apps to be found, there's usually at least one on the main screen. Though if it does get 2.0 by the time it comes out then it may also get them. Be hopeful.
Ah, well, they said they're trying to get it picked up by a US carrier, so I'm guessing once / if that happens, Google apps will be on there. They're probably using the latest (at that time) AOSP deployment.
 
Just putting this out there for people in the UK, play.com still has Xperia X10 unlocked for £500 on pre order.

Doesn't seem like there was any CES coverage of the X10 eh?
 
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