It looks like our nifty, new little OS is getting another one-up over our favorite Apple device in the coming months. Adobe has now all but announced that one of their flagship services, Flash, will be coming to an Android browser near you (let’s hope it’s very near you!). Specifically, Adobe announced forthcoming support for many devices using ARM’s hardware.

This is an interesting development, in that Android will now gain another feature that the iPh@#& doesn’t currently have. It seems that with benefits such as a more open development platform, copy and paste, and now Adobe Flash support, Google is focusing on features that users have been pleading for for close to a year. With the large proliferation of handsets attempting to mimic the iPh@#&, Google is moving away from the “copy and paste Apple’s ideas” strategy, to giving users what they want and listening to the community as much as possible.

This presents an interesting dynamic with the handsets of the future. Obviously, the Android and Mobile OS X platforms are two of the most promising mobile OSes in the market today. But the two companies who develop them have two very differing philosophies as to openness and development. We will continue to report on how Android develops and competes on a business and market scale. In the meantime, let’s hear some fanboyage on AndroidForums.com!

We also found a sample video of Flash 10 on Android in action! Check it out:

[via Adobe]

You know that cool multi-touch feature that iPhone folks brag about? We’ll admit… it IS pretty cool. Did you know that G1 is capable of multi-touch, too? You probably didn’t and for good reason.

The Android OS has multi-touch capabilities written into it but they are commented out. For non-developers this means the code is there, exists and works but is wrapped with other code telling the OS not to run or comprehend that code. We’re not sure who initially figured this out but a guy going by RyeBrye tried to prove it.

And he was successful.

According to RyeBrye he was able to activate said code, recompile the kernel and the Android OS was capable of tracking the position and activity of 2 fingers on the touchscreen at the same time! Multi-touch it is! So the question is… if Multi-Touch exists, why has it been disabled on the G1?

The most obvious possibility here is that Apple’s patents on Multi-Touch technology prevented Google, HTC and T-Mobile from “going live” with Multi-Touch on the G1. But that’s just a guess- nobody knows the true story behind it all.

A google staffer unofficially pointed out two things that the untrained eye might not have been able to:

• HTC has specified that the G1 will have a single-touch screen. (This is significant, because their spec is for single touch for the G1, this means that they could in the future source touchscreens that are not multi-touch capable - so just because a certain run of G1s might have a multitouch capable screen, they have the liberty to swap out parts [and they may already have G1s out in the field that don't have a multi-touch capable screen])
• The other issue is with how the driver reports the width of the touch. It appears that the “w” element is the same on both of the fingers (altough this might just be a quirk in the driver code that was commented out - since it does seem to be based on pressure and putting fingers on opposite corners and pressing lightly still shows a 1 for “w” - but placing 2 fingers close together and pressing hard will show a 15 for “w” - so I’m not entirely convinced of this)

Now that all of this has become rather public, hopefully we’ll get some official information as to the who-what-when-where-why of the G1 multi-touch amputation. What do YOU think?

[Via RyeBrye]

HTC has announced the world’s first ever 4G mobile device. HTC has successfully incorporated the features of WiMAX in to the MAX 4G, a device which is said to be a Touch HD look alike. This makes Windows Mobile 6.1 the first mobile OS to be running on the 4G.  What does that mean for us? The data speeds would be pretty fast. Yeah, about 70Mbps. And guess what it is slated for a late November release in Russia on their Yota network…

The new WiMAX technology is said to be introducing something better in the Wi-Fi/Radio/Network standard, which enables two users with WiMAX enabled devices to communicate at these enhanced data rates, provided they are relatively nearer to each other.

The specs include:

• Processor: Qualcomm ESM7206A 528 MHz
• Platform: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• Memory: ROM: 256MB / RAM: 288MB / Flash: 8 GB
• Dimensions: 113.5mm X 63.1mm X 13.9mm
• Weight: 151 grams (with battery)
• Display: 3.8-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 480 x 800 WVGA resolution
• Network: Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:900/1800/1900 MHz, Yota Mobile WiMAX 2.5-2.7 GHz
• Device Control: TouchFL 3D
• GPS: Inbuilt GPS
• Connections: VoIP
• Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g ,Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, HTC ExtUSB
• Main camera: High-resolution with autofocus
• Second: VGA-camera
• Additional: Motion G-sensor (automatically rotating picture), Proximity sensor (saving energy while talking due to the switching the display off), FM-radio
• Audio: Ring tone formats: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, 40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format 0 and 1 (SMF)/SP MIDI
• Battery: Li-Pol, 1500 mAh
• Talk time: GSM: up to 420 minutes, VoIP: up to 230 minutes
• Standby time: GSM: up to 350 hours, VoIP: up to 50 hours

WiMAX, though not entirely a 4G technology, but is sure a step towards 4G. What picques my interest is that HTC of late is getting tagged with many firsts to its oeuvre. G1, MAX 4G and what next?

Read more @ AndroidGuys

Japan’s top wireless provider, NTT DoCoMo Inc. is working with partner KTF Co (South Korea) to develop a smartphone using Google’s Android software.  According to  the Nikkei business daily, it’s slated to happen next year.

NTT DoCoMo is a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance and owns 10% of KTF.  In an effort to cut costs, the two companies have been, and will be, jointly putting out handsets.

DoCoMo hopes to and Android phone at about 20 percent lower than current smartphones.  Android is one way to save money as it’s completely free to use and work with.

Read more @ AndroidGuys

It’s been a matter of hours since we reported that founding Open Handset Alliance member NTT DoCoMo is working on an Android handset with KT Freetel (KTF).  We were expecting a device in 2009 for less 20% less than current, run-of-the-mill smartphones.  The truth is, we can probably expect this to happen.  The only difference now is that KTF is saying that they’re not involved in it.

Android is free and will save OEM’s lots of money.  That’s not rumor.  What is rumor though, is everything else.  Until drawings, videos, and pictures start leaking, we can’t substantiate things from companies simply based on words alone.

Unwired View is now reporting that KTF and NTT DoCoMo “never held discussions on the joint development of a smartphone model.”  Okay.  Back to your day.

Read more @ AndroidGuys

In last few months we have heard news of a ton of foreign companies, mostly in China, that have started working on their own Android-powered handsets. Most of these companies are extremely small and have virtually no credibility. The latest news comes out of Japan.

NTT DoCoMo along with South Korea’s …
Read more @ Android Community

It seems just as soon as the news breaks regarding NTT DoCoMo and South Korea’s KT Fretel’s partnership for an Android-powered handset, it is quickly shot down by none other than KT Fretel. They have come forth and denied any involvement with NTT DoCoMo in development of an Android.

According to …
Read more @ Android Community

The AndAppStore.com client will show you the latest and hottest apps available for your Android device.
Read more @ AndAppStore.com New Listings

InstaMapper is a free real-time GPS tracking service. Track your phone online on a moving Google map, share your location with others, export tracks in KML format, and much more.
Read more @ AndAppStore.com New Listings

( Free )

A Tetris clone for the Android platform

Read more @ AppVee Android Apps - Daily Android app video reviews!

Our friends over at phoneandroid.fr sent us what looks to be the first images of Android running in French.  It appears that they took the code and made the translations themselves. Bloggers with coding skill too.  Bonus!

The code provides contains out of standard already some translations of application… but not all far from there.  All the applications have their file of description and are with format UTF-8. It is not apparently possible to compile the whole of Android in only one language: (It is thus necessary today to have fun to create files for the French language and to crush the files by defect in English language.  - Translated via Babelfish

Great job guys!  Keep it up.

VOXOFON INTERNATIONAL CALLING NOW AVAILABLE ON ANDROID PHONES

Initial Customers Praise Service as Easy to Use

HOUSTON, TX, NOVEMBER 10, 2008 - VOXOFON’s transparent, budget-friendly service for roaming and international calls on mobile phones using the new Android^TM platform* is now available from Android Market, the official distribution channel for applications on Android phones.

Customers who downloaded the beta version onto their T-Mobile G1^TM phone have praised the application’s transparency and ease of use.  Users can place calls as usual using the phone’s Dialer or Contacts.  When an international call is detected, the VOXOFON window pops up, listing options and rates.  VOXOFON needs no WiFi zone; it works wherever there is mobile phone coverage.

Current G1 phone owners can download the VOXOFON application on the device by clicking on the “Market” icon for a list of Android applications.  In addition, VOXOFON’s website, www.voxofon.com, has a special section with a short video showing how to use the service.

Alexey Goloshubin, president and CEO of VOXOFON, sees his application as encouraging international callers to use their mobile phones.

“At present, most people who own mobile phones still make international calls via landlines, calling cards or computer VoIP services,” Goloshubin said.  “With inexpensive and easy-to-use options such as VOXOFON’s Android application, we expect an increasing number of people to use their mobile phones for calls abroad.  It’s much more convenient.”

VOXOFON offers the widest range of options for low-cost international calling.  Beginning at 1.3 cents per minute, with no additional fees, VOXOFON customers can make calls using their computer, their land line, their cell phone or a smart phone, such as the G1 or an iPhone, for which the company also offers a special application. For calls from a PC, there is no need to download any special software, and VOXOFON works on both Windows and Linux systems with Java runtime installed.  For calling card users, VOXOFON customers can use their accounts as virtual calling cards.

All VOXOFON services are available under a single account, providing customers with the flexibility to use the service they find most convenient.

VOXOFON LLC is based in Houston, Texas.  For more information or a free test call, go to www.voxofon.com.

###

*Android is a trademark of Google Inc.  Use of this trademark is subject to Google Permissions. http://www.google.com/permissions/index.html.

Yesterday, our inbox was treated to another handful of fan art pictures from one of our readers.  His G2 mockups were a big hit on a few other Android and mobile sites.  We even noticed some incoming traffic from places purporting to show the G2 as if it were already a done deal.

The work is impressive and we’d love to try Android out on a device like this.  The rendering is sleek and feels very much like something HTC would do.

Thanks again Tarex!

At some point in the 4th quarter of 2008, G1 and other Android users will be able to see their voicemail as opposed to only hearing it.  One of the coolest features to come packaged with the iPhone is the ability to pick the order in which you listen to your messages.  Like many other users, I’d love to be able to do this with my G1.  Thanks to PhoneFusion, that will be happening in the next few weeks!

Our Fusion Voicemail Plus application is tremendously popular with our existing customers who wanted iPhone-type functionality on their favorite devices.  With the launch of T-Mobile’s G1, the first Android-powered smartphone, people have been looking for an innovative visual voicemail app that runs on this breakthrough device. We believe Fusion Voicemail Plus fills this gap, giving the Android community a better way to stay connected when it matters most. We expect this application will quickly become one of the favorites on Android Market.” - Louis Libin, CEO, PhoneFusion

Hitting the marking this year means that the feature will be free.  Hopefully it’s not some stripped down, trial version, expiring after 30 days or so.  I’m also hoping that it does not end up looking too much like the image below.  The color scheme and design hearken back to the days of Treo 600’s if you ask me.  Either way, I’m excited to get this feature added to my handset.

Founding member of the Open Handset Alliance, NVIDIA, plans to have their Tegra chip on the market between April and June of 2009. The mobile processor game is going to heat up a little bit more next year as they are going to face competition from fellow OHA partner Intel.

Speaking last week on the earnings call, the company’s president said the Tegra chips are coming along well and that 600 series will be running at 700MHz while the Tegra 650s clock in at 800MHz. By comparison, the G1 runs at 528MHz.  This is incredibly fast stuff we’re talking about here.

We’ve talked briefly about Tegra here before, and think it could be a vital part of Android’s future.   The “system-on-a-chip”  has an ARM processor core, a GeForce graphics core, and other goodies like a high-definition video decoder!

The beauty of something like this, and Android, is that neither is confined to phones.  We could see GPS units, MIDs, gaming devices, and media players running one or both!

Veveo Launches Free WikiTap Application for the Apple iPhone and Google Android

WikiTap is the first mobile application that lets the community micro-contribute multimedia content to the Wikipedia knowledgebase on the go

Andover, MA., November 13, 2008 - Veveo^TM, a driving force behind the video-anywhere revolution and the vtap ^TM web video service, today announced the launch of its WikiTap application, now available for both the iPhone and T-Mobile G1 (Google Android). WikiTap lets iPhone and G1 users quickly and easily search Wikipedia to get the most relevant results from the first keystroke. The WikiTap application also allows users to actively enhance and expand multimedia content relevant to an entry by uploading photos and videos.  It is the first Wikipedia application developed for the iPhone and Android that allows people to not only read articles, but micro-contribute multimedia on the go, searchable by other members of WikiTap community.

“WikiTap gives iPhone and Android users a unique way to discover, enjoy, share and contribute to the already amazing amount of knowledge that exists in Wikipedia, all from the convenience of a mobile device,” said Murali Aravamudan , CEO of Veveo. “Built on vtap technology, which delivers over 250 million media search queries per month, the iPhone and Android community now have the ability to easily search through millions of Wikipedia documents, and micro-contribute by uploading videos on any topic, from anywhere, making it an even more powerful knowledgebase for other users.”

WikiTap lets iPhone and Android users make immediate contributions to Wikipedia content, wherever they are. WikiTap also enhances the Wikipedia experience by mashing in relevant videos from vtap’s video search index.  A Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down feature allows users to rate content relevance, tuning results for the community. Micro-contributions are then automatically shared with the community.

Veveo also plans to introduce new community-oriented mechanisms and partnerships with similar knowledge communities, to foster an active new community of mobile users who can incrementally enrich, refine, and annotate multimedia content on the go.

The WikiTap iPhone application is now available for free download in Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch.  Additional WikiTap iPhone features will be added in the coming weeks. To download the free application, visit: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=291701649&mt=8

The WikiTap Android application is available in the Android Market and can be accessed directly from T-Mobile G1 phone.

For more information, visit http://vtap.com/WikiTap/

About vtap

vtap, is a unique mobile web video search service that allows consumers to quickly and easily search, view and save relevant web videos from any source on the Internet on any imaginable topic, tailored to their individual preferences on their preferred device(s).

About Veveo

Headquartered in Andover, Mass., Veveo’s mission is to become a driving force in creating a consumer mobile video habit. The company’s flagship product, vtap, makes discovering, viewing and sharing mobile videos easy through its proprietary incremental search technology and by delivering a personalized feed of content directly to any screen, anytime.  The service is free to consumers and features more than 230 million videos from more than 50,000 sites across the Web. Across three screens, mobile, TV, and web, Veveo’s technology serves several million users, and responds to more than 250 million media search queries per month.

Veveo is actively working with mobile operators, mobile device makers, consumer electronics device makers, MSOs and IPTV operators. For more information about vtap, please visit www.vtap.com or for mobile vtap visit m.vtap.com.

# # #

Veveo and vtap are trademarks of Veveo, Inc. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Veveo, Inc. 2008. All rights reserved.

When the G1 was released in the UK, CNN ran an article that told users a little bit about the device.  In that article, one Ernest Doku from Omio was quoted as saying ” the G1’s design lacks the inherent ‘cool’ factor that made the iPhone 3G such a mass market success for Apple.”  Fair enough.  That’s what a lot of people were saying.  Somehow, his comments caught the ears of T-Mobile.

Doku was able to score an interview with Robin O’Kelly, Head of Corporate Affairs for T-Mobile.  In the chat, he asks how T-Mobile came to be partnered up in the Open Handset Alliance as well as what might happen when other Android handsets become available.  There’s a few other questions that might be of interest to you guys, so check it out.

Thanks Ernest!

Google has done it again! They’ve launched a voice based search for the iPhone and the free app is rumoured to be available on the App store, at least some time soon.  Maybe today.   The engineers at Google have added the voice recognition technology to their search algorithm, which only needs you to just whisper your key word in to the iPhone and, lo and behold, you have your search results. On a fast wireless network you can have them in a jiffy!

Users of the free application, which Apple is expected to make available as soon as Friday through its iTunes store, can place the phone to their ear and ask virtually any question,like “Where’s the nearest Starbucks?” or “How tall is Mount Everest?” The sound is converted to a digital file and sent to Google’s servers, which try to determine the words spoken andpass them along to the Google search engine. - John Markoff, NYTimes

The app comes in to play when one has to search for any landmark or directions. This isn’t the first voice based offering from Google and not for a pint the first in the world. Microsoft and Yahoo already have their own voice based services for mobiles. According to John Markoff, the Googles’ version is far from perfect and at times returns queries that tend to be gibberish.

What’s interesting is that Google has launched the voice based search for the iPhone rather than the G1. Google could well keep the new technology for itself that could shoot up the sales of the G1 exponentially. But Google has decided to go with the iPhone first. Google executives admitted that this could result in more ad revenues especially from the local businesses for the location-based services.

The first speech offering from Google was in March, the GOOG-411 which enables users to evoke their business contacts. The iPhone service was partly inspired on the experience with GOOG-411.

So, Google has added one more cap to the iPhone which is already brimming with all its virtues that make it the world’s best selling smart phone.

Each week we see a good handful of new apps hit the Android Market. The issue is, which ones are worth the time to download. The rating system is so subjective with people simply giving away stars to apps that work and banishing an app to a low ranking based on it crashing even once for them. That’s why AndroidApps.com and AndroidGuys.com have teamed up to bring you The Apps of the Week!

Each week we’re going to discuss a few apps that caught our attention and offer them up to you for your opinion. There will be three categories that we cover:

Best All Around App

There will always be at least one app a week that we just stop and say “Wow, that’s pretty cool.” This is where you’ll find that app.

Best Game

While a game may be by definition an app, we’re sticking with the fact that they’re separate and we’re going to show you which games are the best for your Android phone.

Needs Improvement

Some apps just fall a little too short. That doesn’t mean they’re bad apps. In fact, many of them will grow to be some of the greatest apps the platform will see. We actually hope that the developers take our suggestions and get the app to a point where we can call it the Best All Around App. That’s our goal at least.

So without further ado, let’s get down to business!

Best All Around App

Review of Noise Alert by AndroidApps.com

This weeks best all around app was easy to pick once we had a chance to see it. That app would be Noise Alert. What this app does is simple yet very creative. You’re able to use your phone as a noise detection device, configure a certain audio threshold, and set your phone to call a specified number when it reaches that threshold. That number can be anything you program, so the possibilities that this app has to offer are almost endless.

Best Game

Review of Brain Genius Deluxe by AndroidApps.com

The games for the Android platform haven’t been amazing, but we have to say that Brain Genius Deluxe is going to have to take the belt on this one. This game offers close to 30 mini games for you to play with 24 of them being in your daily rotation. This is a brain testing app similar in style to the Brain Age games we’ve seen on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii. If you enjoy those style of game, you’ll definitely love this one.

Needs Improvement

Review of Shout by AndroidApps.com

Our pick for this category is Shout. This app has the potential to be the first big social networking app for the Android platform. The developers already realize that it’s missing simple functionality like being able to permanently enter in your username so you don’t need to do it each time. It also lacks a direct messaging functionality and more default rooms. The potential is there and we’ve seen this app on the iPhone already. The question is, will something bigger come along before the developers can solidify their spot?

Bryan Barletta is the App Guy over at AndroidApps.com and AppVee.com where he reviews Android and iPhone apps in both video and written formats. With daily app reviews for both platforms, AppVee is the largest video review network for mobile devices.

Yet another cool Android hack has surfaced this weekend.  Thanks to a tipster of ours, we were directed to brad’d life, where Brad talks about how he was able to get Android to work as his garage door opener.

Using an Android Activity with an Android Service that he wrote his garage door opener does a WiFi scan every few moments to check for his house.  It’s brilliant, it’s simple, and it’s just the beginning of some really neat Android things to come!

I just threw on some shoes and hopped on my motorcycle to do a test lap around the neighborhood. When I got to the corner, I pulled up the activity and press “Start” (aka “Going home now”). A lady on the corner saw me playing with my phone on my motorcycle and said, “The reception’s not so good up here.” I thanked her, not wanting to explain what I was actually doing.

The best part of this whole thing is that Brad has released the source code today!  Have Android running your whole house by the end of next year!