The Gadgetress ~ TV, mobile and Internet: Covering technology's monthly bill

Archive for the 'Android' Tag

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »

Wal-Mart selling Google phone at a discount

October 28th, 2008, 12:47 pm by

Spotted on CNET: Dow Jones news service is reporting that Wal-Mart will sell the first phone with Google’s Android mobile operating system, for less than T-Mobile.

The T-Mobile G1, which went on sale last week, will cost $148.88 at Wal-Mart instead of the $179 that T-Mobile is charging. The massive retailer will start selling the phone on Wednesday.

Buyers will still have to sign up for a 2-year-contract with T-Mobile. The cheapest monthly plan for the G1 is $55, which is $29.99 for voice service and $25 for unlimited web and 400 text messages.

Related stories:

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • | 4 Comments »

Review: 7 days with the Google phone

October 21st, 2008, 2:20 am by

I enjoy looking for the potential of a product and try to not get swayed by the hype of something new. The T-Mobile G1, also known as the Google phone, has a lot of potential.

The phone goes on sale at 8 a.m. Wednesday at T-Mobile stores across the country. The company expects people to line up. T-Mobile, in fact, let current customers pre-order the phone and got so many requests, it tripled its order of the HTC-made cell phone. So, yes, this is a hotly anticipated phone that many T-Mobile subscribers have been wanting (disclosure: I’m a T-Mobile customer).

Getting the chance to play with the G1 for the past week is an opportunity that few consumers get. (You could probably try it out for 14 days yourself since most cell phones offer 14 days to return a phone if you don’t like it.) I’ve been writing about the pros and cons about the device for the past week (the first three days, the GPS didn’t work) but let me sum that up with this post.

What I loved 

Hands down, the top feature is the integration with Google. While it’s scary for anyone to rely on one company so much, Google makes it too easy to do. I use Gmail, Google Calendar, iGoogle and Google News, although not exclusively. By entering my user name and password, the phone synched up my e-mail, calendar and contacts. Now, because I don’t rely on Google 100 percent, I still would have to sync all my phone contacts with the G1, plus any photos, music and other files I want on the phone. But this is definitely the ease I’ve been looking for. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • | 10 Comments »

Review: Fun with the Google Android Market

October 20th, 2008, 11:07 am by

Apple iPhone users were pretty clear about what they liked best about the new phone: The Apps Store, which topped 10 million downloads in the first weekend.

Google’s Android Market could become the same kind of must-visit store too, only right now, it’s really just evolving. I counted up 30 applications available on the new T-Mobile G1, a.k.a. the Google phone, which I’ve had the opportunity to play with for a week. 

I’ve downloaded most and tried them out. Some are great fun, others don’t work. What I really want to know is what happened to the 1,788 apps that developers around the globe submitted to Google for its million-dollar app contest? (They’re coming, I’m told.)

So, here are my 10-second reviews of several apps:

Comparison shopping: Three apps are available that let users scan in an item’s barcode and search for prices online.  Eventually, they all worked. I had the most difficulty with the plain-named ’Barcode Scanner,’ which didn’t scan items at first. My favorite was “ShopSavvy’ (pictured above) because not only did it offer me 16 online retailers with cheaper prices for the “Crash: Mind over Mutant” video game, it offered links to reviews, a wish list and an alerter service if the price fell below a certain figure. Compared Everywhere was also good, giving me five other online offers plus two local store offers for the same game.

Cooking Capsules: I love to eat more than cook, but when I have spare time, I also like to watch other people cook. “Cooking Capsules” offers that, plus the recipe and a shopping list. I also like that the videos have some personality, like one chef winking at the viewer. However, the illustrated images of ingredients aren’t useful to the video. I’d prefer to see the real thing. Right now, there are only six recipes available and they are obscure dishes so Cooking Capsules is not too useful just yet. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

Google phone? Yep, we got one

October 15th, 2008, 10:47 pm by

The Google phone doesn’t come out until next week. But I didn’t have to wait that long. The ‘T-Mobile G1‘ arrived in my mail box over the weekend and I have been playing with it ever since. This is the first phone with Google’s mobile operating software called Android.

It’s already received lots of ooh and ahhs from gadget lovers in the newsroom, including from several iPhone users. 

But three days of play (in between working on other projects) really isn’t enough for me to give a thorough review of the G1. In fact, as you read this, I’m still playing with the phone and plan to keep you updated on my discoveries for the next several days — at least until the phone actually goes on sale at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

I have taken a ton of photos, so click HERE for the slideshow. And I will offer daily briefings on the G1.

First impressions

It’s thicker than an iPhone, but hey, you get a QWERTY keyboard. I don’t mind the heft too much. Check out this photo showing the relative thickness of the G1 vs. the Apple iPhone. Still, one person noted that it sticks out in his pants pocket, unlike his iPhone. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • news • • • • • • | 13 Comments »

Google phone’s global launch starts at 7:30 a.m.

September 23rd, 2008, 7:36 am by

** Read the update HERE **

I’m listening live to the T-Mobile webcast and will report all details here. Stay tuned.

Listen yourself HERE.

Posted in: Cell phones • news • • • • • • | Comments Off

Update: Google Android phone out next week?

September 16th, 2008, 2:01 pm by

Update 1:51 p.m.: It’s official. I just got my invite to T-Mobile’s press conference. More details below in bold..

CrunchGear is reporting that the upcoming Google phone could be announced NEXT WEEK and available to consumers Oct. 20!

T-Mobile is having a press conference in New York on Sept. 23 and sent out this very clear message (image from CrunchGear):

**UPDATE 1:51 p.m.** I received the same invite as above. I can’t make it out to New York next Tuesday, but there will be a webcast, which I’ll write about live at, gulp, 7:30 a.m.!

Other details from this message:

  • The event will include presentations from T-Mobile, Google and other company executives.
  • There will be several street closings.
  • The event will be held at Guastavino’s building.
  • Review units of the phone won’t be available until later this fall.

More insight:


 

 

Posted in: news • • • • • • | 1 Comment »

Google phone apps are looking good

August 29th, 2008, 10:17 am by

Google’s contest to reward developers who are building software for the upcoming Google phone have been winnowed down to 10 finalists (from 1,788 applications submitted earlier this year). Winners get $275,000 each.

There’s a shopping comparison app, several location-based apps, plus one to edit photos, another to share music and another that offers a challenging workout. Check out the finalists at Google’s Android Developer Gallery.

This continues to add to the ongoing excitement of the up-and-coming Google phone, which is rumored to launch this fall first from T-Mobile. Yesterday, as mentioned in my post, “Psst: T-Mobile’s 3G half the price of AT&T’s iPhone plan,” Google announced Android would get its own store, just like the Apple Apps store.

Related:

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • • • • | Comments Off

Psst: T-Mobile’s 3G one-third less than AT&T’s iPhone plan

August 28th, 2008, 1:00 pm by

T-Mobile’s first HSDPA phone, the Sony Ericcson TM506**Correction, 8/29/2008: AT&T’s unlimited 3G service is $30, not $40, hence the corrected headline. **

For all the T-Mobile subscribers out there who are this close to canceling their service because the company’s Internet is subpar, T-Mobile continues to quietly launch the faster 3G Internet service in various markets. The speedy cellular Internet should be in more than 20 markets by the end of the year, including Orange County, according to speculators at The Unofficial T-Mobile Blog.

So far, T-Mobile’s media guy tells me, its 3G service has launched in seven markets: New York City, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Minneapolis and San Antonio. But few markets had an official announcement. Why has the company been so shy about it? Perhaps it’s because they are the last of the major cell-phone carriers to offer 3G service.

Dave Henderson, with T-Mobile, remains tightlipped about the launch even though there is  new excitement over the company because it may be the first with a Google phone (Android developers announced today that Android applications will get its own store!). But what he could tell me is this:

“We haven’t announced 3G pricing as of yet. For now, data pricing remains the same as it has been,” he said.

That means in the cities with 3G, users are paying a minimum of $19.99 a month for data — the cheapest plan available for smartphones. Data plans go up to $89.99/month for Internet and enterprise e-mail service on the Blackberry.

Comparably, 3G iPhone users are paying AT&T $40 $30 a month for the unlimited data plans.

Of course, the only way to access those speeds — above 1 mbps — is to have a 3G phone.

And T-Mobile has several, Henderson said. These are the Nokia 6263, Samsung t639, Samsung t819 and the Nokia 3555. All are pictured below.

The company also just announced the Sony Ericsson TM506, which is T-Mobile’s first HSDPA-capable handset and pictured at the top right of this post. This phone should see an average data rate of 600 kbps and peak at 1 mbps, he added.

The Sony phone will be available in early September for $100. Features include a 2.0-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, TeleNav maps and, of course, Web access.

T-Mobile’s 3G Nokia 3555 T-Mobile 3G Nokia 6263 phone T-Mobile 3G Samsung t639 T-Mobile’s Samsung t819.jpg

Related:

Posted in: Cell phones • news • • • • • | 2 Comments »

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »
SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline