Docs to Go coming for Android

The open platform that is Android has many hopeful that we'll see cool and useful applications released for the platform.  Brighthand has discovered that Dataviz has indicated that Documents to Go will soon be released for the Android.  This is big news as Docs to Go is the suite that makes working with Microsoft Office documents possible.  The details are light but they have a screenshot of the spreadsheet app running on Android:

Dataviz' Exchange Server sync solution RoadSync will be available for Android too.

Open Handset Alliance welcomes 14 new members

The brains behind the Google Android platform have announced the addition of 14 new members.  The Open Handset Alliance states these new members will "either deploy compatible Android devices, contribute significant code to the Android Open Source Project, or support the ecosystem through products and services that will accelerate the availability of Android-based devices."  This is pretty big news when you take a look at the new members joining the alliance:

• AKM Semiconductor Inc.
• ARM
• ASUSTek Computer Inc.
• Atheros Communications
• Borqs, Ericsson
• Garmin International Inc.
• Huawei Technologies
• Omron Software Co. Ltd
• Softbank Mobile Corporation
• Sony Ericsson
• Teleca AB
• Toshiba Corporation
• Vodafone

These new members plus the existing membership represent most of the carriers and hardware players in the field so this is getting quite exciting.  Of particular interest to me is the addition of Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and ASUS to the alliance.  Sony Ericsson just recently dropped the UIQ platform they have been using and now this would indicate they are going to focus on Android.  ASUS and Toshiba have long been PDA and phone makers and it would appear they are firing that sector of their businesses back up again.  It's a good time to be a geek.

(press release)

Hanging out with the T-Mobile G1, iPhone 3G and the Blackberry Storm

I take this mobile tech stuff seriously.  I review a lot of gadgets and smartphones certainly play a big role in that coverage.  I have voice and data plans on Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile which I pay far too much for but I need them to be able to play with all the phones I get in my hands.  Right now in front of me I have what are undoubtedly the hottest smartphones available on all three of those networks.  Sitting on the table is the iPhone 3G, the T-Mobile G1 and the Blackberry Storm.  You have to agree those are the hottest smartphones in the US right now and I'm in the unusual position to compare the three for your edification.  OK, mainly it's because I like to play with them.

How do they compare?  That's not really a fair question because at the basest level they are totally different phones that should appeal to different users.  What I find the most interesting about this comparison is that all three phones are smartphones that are aimed at the consumer.  This is a big change from the not so distant past when smartphones were almost exclusively the domain of the enterprise worker.  The phones such as these three have straddled the fence and shown the consumer that the benefits of good smartphones are not restricted to the enterprise.

T-Mobile G1 does Opera Mini and Visual Voicemail

Matt Miller called our attention to two new programs in the T-Mobile Android Market for the G1.  Opera Mini 4.2 Beta is a solid browser on any device and I've been playing with it on the G1.  It's too early to call it good or bad, it's just different than the Android browser.  It's lightning fast however you look at it.  Also up for grabs in the Market is the Visual Voicemail program from Fusion.  This is a no-frills voicemail program for the G1 that lets you see your voicemail like messages, like the iPhone and the Blackberry Storm.  It requires a free account at Fusion and for all your voice mail calls to be forwarded to their service.  It's great to see activity in the Android Market, here's hoping we see constant additions to the offering.

Android phone opens garage door when owner (and phone) come home

And this my friends, is the sweetness that comes with a more open platform: cool hackery! I wouldn't have the programming chops to pull this off, but Brad Fitzpatrick has his G1 handset automatically open the garage door at his house whenever he comes home. Since his phone knows all about his home WiFi network, the device recognizes when Brad gets home and shoots an HTTP request to a webserver that controls his garage door. Brad can either start his application manually on the ride home or simply have the Android handset sniff around for his home network every few seconds.

The source code is available so if you have a G1 and webserver that controls your garage door, you're in business! I've been looking into home automation for a bit now and I'd love to have some type of "proximity detector" on my phone for things like this. You know... something that starts the coffee when I come downstairs in the morning. Maybe have the stereo start up to my favorite tunes when I sit in my comfy chair. Something to put the seat down when I leave the...uh... well, you know... everyday kind of things. ;)

(via Hackszine)

T-Mobile G1 update has arrived

I have been largely silent about my first impressions of the T-Mobile G1 Android phone and that is by design.  I decided to wait until I received the firmware/ software update that T-Mobile indicated was forthcoming to see if it addressed any issues I was having so far.  I finally received the update a little while ago and I intend to see what difference (if any) it makes in the operation of the G1 before I share my thoughts.  I can already tell that the G1 is faster with the update so that's good.

G1 as a USB tethered 3G modem: Rube Goldberg edition

Well, the first Android handset is out and it only took a few short weeks for a tethering solution to appear. I've returned my review unit, so I'm unable to test the instructions that appear over on the TMoNews forums. You'll need to download and install a third-party application first and follow that with the Android SDK on your computer. A little configuration to set up your host device as a proxy server and you should be in business.

Sounds like a complicated solution to me, but then again 3G for no additional charge just might be worth it. As the developer says: this is highly experimental, so if you go this route, you're on your own. But share the results if you give it a try, 'k?

(via Android Guys)

eBook reader preparing for Android Marketplace but you can get it now

You won't find FBReaderJ in the Android Marketplace just yet, but after another fix or two, it should be submitted. The reader software has long been available for computers running Windows or Linux and also runs on several Linux-based phones. I've used FBReader on a Nokia Internet Tablet and it's a solid application; my issue has always been one of of content as most of my eBook library is constrained by some DRM format. FBReader doesn't work with any of those titles, but does support a large number of non-DRM content types: HTML, FB2, TXT, RTF, and ePUB to name a few. The Android version currently supports OEB, ePUB and FB2 for starters, with other formats to follow.

TeleRead says the FBReaderJ version for Android can be directly downloaded and installed to your Android handset if you're feeling adventurous. The app is written in Java and the developers expect to build a version for J2ME devices, so there's a ton of phones that could support it in the future.

Eee PC maker prepping Android Gee Phone

Looks like Asus is hopping aboard the Android train with a handset planned for the first half of 2009 in Taiwan. No word yet on if they'll be offering two dozen different models, but expectations are that they'll be building and offering Android phones for overseas clients. Expect an Asustek branded unit to hit first and then we'll see the clone wars begin under other brands.

Although Asus wasn't what I'd call a big player in the Windows Mobile space, they do have a few handsets on that platform. It's going to be interesting to watch traditional WinMo handset makers and see how many take a multi-platform approach like HTC and Asus are doing.

Android getting software keyboard in 2009

Oh how I wish it was the new year already. I'd already have my Christmas wish-list fulfilled, might win another jackpot at CES and Android handets would have a software keyboard. One of my biggest gripes with the current and only Android handset, the T-Mobile G1 is that you can't enter text without sliding the screen up and turning the device into landscape mode. As I said before, it gets really old really fast.

That challenge should be a goner in the first quarter of 2009 if the Android roadmap holds true. I figured a third party developer would create one sooner than that, but with this news, there's not much point to that effort, now is there? Many folks are overjoyed with the hardware keyboard and rightfully so, but having the option of using the touchscreen to its fullest text entry potential should have been there on day one IMO.

Thanks for the heads up, Brad!