Watch out because here comes the Droid

Verizon users, today is your lucky day. Verizon , Google and Motorola have officially announced that one of the sickest phones of the year is coming to you– and very soon. Yup, the Droid is officially coming to Verizon, and brings some new Android 2.0 awesomeness that should make more companies than Apple a little nervous.

Ok, so in terms of specs, nothing we really haven’t covered in our previous Droid post– Verizon 3G, WiFi, 3.7 inch high res screen (we’re talking better than the iPhone’s screen here), 16 GB in the box (on a memory card), 5 megapixel camera with auto focus, flash and DVD quality video camera, Verizon Visual Voicemail, slide out full QWERTY keyboard with a design near the size of an iPhone, and Google’s Android 2.0… ok well that last part is a still a little new, and  where things got really interesting and plain awesome today.

This is the first of many devices to bring out Google’s next version of Android, Android 2.o. Android 2.0 brings along all the Android stuff we mentioned before– nicer looking interface, Facebook sync with contact app on the phone, built in apps like YouTube, GMail, Android Market, Amazon Mp3 store, and a better web browser.

Plus, there’s Google Maps, which got A LOT of news today, as now Google is also throwing in built in GPS guidance. We’re talking Garmin or TomTom quality GPS for FREE on your Android phone. Called Google Maps Navigation, this stuff is crazy. It brings all the latest Google Maps, Street Views, and live traffic, all constantly being updated to the latest info. This is something we’re really hoping Google brings to other Google Maps apps on other devices like Windows Mobile, webOS, BlackBerry and the iPhone.  (For right now, it probably is scaring the garbage out of competitors like Garmin and TomTom, or at least it looks like based on all the news of their respective stock prices dropping like a rock today, and can you blame them for not being scared of Google? Think bout it: $100 for the iPhone TomTom app versus a free Google app that does the same things on a bigger screen, for the perfect price of free). Motorola is also making docks for the Droid– one for using it in the car– like you would a regular GPS, and a multimedia station for syncing with your PC, showing off movies, pix and playing music, and also being an alarm clock with weather info from the GPS.

Anyways, check out this shot of the new navigation feature in action, looks pretty sweet no?

Google Maps Navigation– yeah, it’s that sick.

Now the big details: price and release. Well, you won’t have to wait long for this guy– the Droid comes out next week on November 6th, and the price is not that bad either, $199.99 with a new 2 year contract (with a $29.99 a month email and web plan) and $100 mail in rebate.

I don’t know bout you, but in my opinion this phone really looks to be Verizon’s true answer to the iPhone (we know it wasn’t the first Storm based on last year’s problems), and a device that if I were on Verizon, I’d definitely look into as it looks to be a great “do it all” phone.  What you think? You like what Motorola and Verizon got cooking here in the Droid, or you looking for something different in your next phone? The world wants to know, so let your voice be heard in the comments.

You can see full details on the Droid at Verizon’s preview site here.

The Samsung Moment for Sprint

In a couple of days, Sprint will be releasing it’s first-ever Google Android-powered phone: the awesome HTC Hero. Now if you were interested in getting an Android powered Sprint phone, but were more into something with a real full QWERTY keyboard, like with the T-Mobile G1 or Motorola Cliq, listen up– Sprint is prepping something for you too.

Meet the Samsung Moment (also known to some as the InstinctQ)– a pretty solid looking phone, that also is nicely spec’d. Let’s take a look at what we got here shall we?

• 3.2 inch AMOLED touchscreen with slide out full QWERTY keyboard and trackpad– Think of this as kinda like the G1 or Cliq in terms of design, just with a better screen than both (the screen, just for comparision’s sake, is like that on AT&T’s Samsung Impression– which is awesome). There also is a trackpad, like on the new BlackBerry 8520, which should help with navigating the device.
• 800 MHZ processor– This thing should run REALLY fast (the iPhone 3GS  by comparison clocks in at 600 MHZ, and the Cliq and G1 are both around 528 MHZ–  so your getting A LOT more power here)!
• Sprint 3G
• WiFi and GPS
  
• Google Android OS with Google– The “with Google” part means that unfortunately don’t expect a TouchWiz or any other type of customization like MOTOBLUR on the Cliq or HTC Sense on the Hero. You only get the standalone Android here. That’s not all bad though, as you still get the….
• Android Market and other Google apps like Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, etc.– You’ll get access to the thousands of apps already in the Android Market, and Sprint even has their own Android versions of Sprint TV, Sprint Navigation, and NFL and NASCAR apps already pre-installed onto the device.
• 3.2 Megapixel camera with Flash, video camera and auto-focus
• Support for Sprint Any Mobile, Anytime– This is Sprint’s new calling feature added to the Everything plan, and for $69.99 a month you get the usual unlimited data and text, but now the ability to call anyone in the country– no matter if their on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, whatever– without the need to worry about minutes. It’s now also got unlimited calling!

You can check the full press release here, and you can expect in Sprint stores November 1st for the same price of the Hero– $179.99  with a 2 year contract and $100 mail in rebate– which requires a Sprint Everything plan. Hit the more link for a quick YouTube of the phone in action, and click here to sign up for Sprint to keep you up to date (though don’t worry, we got you covered right here).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_9FYa6MdCg]

The Motorola Cliq

We all know of T-Mobile’s love of all things Android (I mean, they were the first to launch a device with the software– and currently sell the only 2 phones in the US with it, the G1 and myTouch 3G), so it’s not much of a big surprise when this past week they teamed up with Motorola to launch Motorola’s first Android phone– the Motorola Cliq. Think of this as a G1 and myTouch 3G mix, just one that looks and promises to be much better. What are we talking about here? Well, there’s only one way to find out.

The Operating System: MOTOBLUR

Ok, so first let’s start with one of the really cool new general Android add-ons to this phone: the introduction of MOTOBLUR. What is MOTOBLUR you ask? Let’s just say it’s like HTC’s Sense just on steroids and mixed with a little bit of Palm’s webOS just for fun. Just like Sense (which is coming to the US next month with Sprint’s HTC Hero) gives Android a custom UI that’s much better than the standard one found on the G1 and myTouch 3G. Some MOTOBLUR’s great features include:

• Contacts– This is not your RAZR’s phone book– this, like Palm’s Synergy on the Pre and Pixi, syncs your contacts that are on your phone AND those that are on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter etc. And like in Synergy, when your friend changes their profile pic or updates a status, it will be automatically updated in your phone.
• Messaging– This is a feature I really like– all your texts, emails, IM’s and even updates from MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are all in one in one inbox. If your not into that whole convergence thing, don’t worry– you can also choose to view each message separately in their own respective inboxes.  You also have built in MySpace, Twitter and Facebook apps on the homescreen– so you can update your status and reply to message without even needing to open up different apps.

The Messaging App on the Motorola Cliq

• Built in Tracking– Forgot where exactly you left your phone? Too lazy to go retrace all the recent places you’ve been to find it? No worries, MOTOBLUR has a feature called My MOTOBLUR where you just log onto the service and the phone’s GPS will automatically track it down for you. Pretty sweet– and unlike the iPhone’s MobileMe service which has a similar feature, this doesn’t look like it’s gonna cost anything. Oh, and if you ever lose your phone– you don’t need to worry about having all your info in the wrong hands– it also has a remote wipe feature (again, like MobileMe) that you delete everything on the phone right from your computer.
• Homescreen– It not only has those social networking apps we mentioned above, but also other little widgets that give you things like the latest weather– right on the homescreen.

Overall, just like HTC took Android to a whole new level when they came out with Sense– I think Motorola may have something here that could definitely give it a run for it’s money as best Android customization.

You can see MOTOBLUR in action (they even got videos!) and see all the features on Motorola’s site.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s go to the big boy– the new Motorola Cliq.

The Phone: Motorola Cliq

As you can see from some of the pix above, this is looking to be one of THE Android phones of the year. I mean, it’s just so loaded! Check it:

• Nice, relatively thin design with 3.1 inch touchscreen full slide out QWERTY keyboard – This is no RAZR, but hey, for what this phone’s got (like that full slide out QWERTY keyboard) it ain’t too bad. Don’t worry it will still fit very comfortably in your pocket, as its not huge– think of it as about the size of the T-Mobile G1 (which wasn’t too bad itself thinness wise). Oh, and this phone is much better looking than the G1 in my opinion (no chin!). It also comes in “Winter White” or “Midnight Titanium” (basically a white or black finish around the screen).
• T-Mobile 3G
• Wi-Fi
• Android with MOTOBLUR– Covered above (and don’t forget that under all the MOTOBLUR goodness is Google’s Android OS with all it’s great features like awesome Gmail, Google Maps, a real web browser and of course the Android Market which is loaded with apps).
• 5 Megapixel Camera with video recording– Yeah, this is WAY better than the G1, and you can also upload these photos right to your social networking sites.
• myFaves support
  
• Mp3 player with microSD card slot– Comes with 2 GB card in the box, but you can add up to 32 GB if you so chose.
• GPS– With Geo Tagging for photos.

That all look good? Yeah, we think so too. But that might not even be the best part– Engadget uncovered a slip on T-Mobile’s site which listed the phone’s upcoming price as… FREE on 2 year contract. Since then T-Mobile has pulled the possible price from their site, but not before Engadget grabbed a pic. Anyways, all this for the unbeatable price of FREE? If so, then T-Mobile will looks to have a really big hit on it’s hands.

You can learn more at T-Mobile’s coming soon page here.

No final word on price and release– rumors saying October is when it will all go down– and we’ll of course keep you updated on that. But what you think– if your on T-Mobile would you get this? Even if your not on T-Mobile, if this is free as rumored, would you be willing to switch and go pick it up? Sound off in the comments.

Sprint’s new Hero

So the Instinct HD isn’t your type, but you still want an all touchscreen phone from Sprint? Then listen up: today Sprint announced that they will be soon launching one of the hottest phones of the year– the HTC Hero with a Google Android operating system . We guessed when the Hero was first announced that Sprint would wind up as one of it’s destinations, and we guessed right. All the info is right after the more link.

Ok, so first off you’ll notice the difference in design between Sprint’s Hero and HTC’s GSM one that they announced a few months back. This is great because this Hero looks so much better in my opinion than the first Hero mainly because THE CHIN IS GONE! HTC has had a pattern for putting little “chins” on all there Android phones to date (see the G1, myTouch 3G and first Hero as proof), and well, this phone just in looks alone, looks to be up there with the Palm Pre, BlackBerry Storm, and Apple iPhone.

Now on to specs, and like with looks, this really seems to be on the same level as the iPhone, Pre and Storm. This is pretty much identical to the first GSM Hero, which we find to be great (thank goodness it wasn’t watered down like what happens when some other phones come to the US).

A recap:

• Sprint 3G
• WiFi
• GPS with HTC Footprints– snap a picture of a selected GPS location, a favorite restaurant or whatever, and then you can add notes and an audio clip
• 3.2 inch touchscreen with multi-touch (pinch to zoom on pix and web sites) with a special fingerprint resistant coating (great to help keep the screen smudge free)
• an awesome 5 megapixel camera with video
• 2 GB microSD memory card in the box (upgradable to 32 GB)
• Visual Voicemail
• Android Market– Google’s app store for Android, with some special Sprint-only apps like Sprint TV, NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile

Now here is some of the best parts: 1. This will come with HTC’s AWESOME Sense UI for Android (instead of the basic Android look found on the G1 and myTouch 3G), as you can see in the pic above. 2. This will come in for a very good price of $179.99 with a 2 year contract and $50 instant rebate and $100 mail in rebate when it comes to Best Buy and Sprint stores on October 11th.

Excited? Yeah, I thought so. You can pre-register for info on the device here. But wow, with the Instinct HD, Pre and now the Hero– the decision for a new Sprint phone just got a lot tougher (don’t worry, if you got any questions, just post them in the comments and we’d be happy to try and make the decision easier for you).

Full Press Release from Sprint here.

HTC’s All-New Hero

So on June 24th, HTC held a press event in London, England and New York to introduce a new phone– the HTC Hero. There was lots of speculation of it being Android related and as a matter of fact, it was a huge announcement about Android. HTC’s latest adventure into the Android game hardware wise (following the G1 and the new myTouch3G– which we wrote about here) is the  Hero. Software wise though, is a different story, and  HTC showed off their brand new user interface for Android called Sense. Hit the break for more pics and a breakdown of the new software and hardware.

Software

HTC’s All-New Sense UI

Ok, so let’s start with the new Sense UI– it’s basically a prettier interface for Android (similar to HTC’s Touch Flo 3D for Windows Mobile phones). Not that the default Android UI was bad, it just lacked the polish and beauty that Sense is able to bring to the table. It is also very similar to Palm’s WebOS, as Sense is able to sync with all your social networking sites, making all the information about a contact available at your fingertips from the social networking sites he/she is using. Yes, all info about each contact’s latest activity on services like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and even YouTube is neatly organized to make it easier to keep in touch with everyone on your contact list. Also, HTC is touting this phone as being capable of supporting Flash right out of the box. What does that mean exactly? Well it pretty much means that you can watch videos embedded into websites, like YouTube or as they demoed, a trailer on Yahoo! Movies. Many, many websites nowadays use Flash to embed videos (Hulu and ESPN.com are other examples of  sites that use Flash) and as of now, the only way to see them is by using a proper web browser that supports Flash, which not many phone before could really do well. Now that the Android platform is capable of supporting it, you won’t run into that little issue anymore (iPhone users for example, still can’t view Flash sites, one of the biggest complaints people still have with the device that is said to view “the real web”).

Just a note for T-Mobile G1 and future myTouch 3G owners: HTC won’t be officially giving this out as an update to your phones because those phones have “with Google” branding (just check the back of the phone for that logo), and Google won’t let them do it. We are pretty confident though you’ll be able to find it online somewhere, but everything you do with it is on your own with no help from either HTC or Google.

The Hero

Hardware

Yes, like I said at the beginning, there was also a new phone announced: the HTC Hero. And I’m going to come straight out and say it: I’m in love with this phone. It pretty much has the same specs as the myTouch3G including 3G, GPS, and Wi-Fi. It also has a 5 megapixel camera, not too shabby for on the go cell phone pics.  It also has a solid 3.2 inch, multitouch screen and all the multitouch goodness like pinch to zoom in web pages and pix.  Also, the white Hero will have a special “Teflon” coating to provide an extra layer of defense against dirt and other nasty substances (always a plus). All in all, like I said earlier, this phone is pretty amazing. The design is beautiful and if I had to choose between this and the new iPhone 3GS, it’d be the Hero easy.

Carrier Availability

There are many, many rumors floating around that Sprint is currently testing the Hero within it’s network and that they will begin to sell it in late 2009. Just remember, these are rumors, pure speculation, take them with a grain of salt. Also, it wouldn’t be too surprising to to see a version of the Hero show up on either T-Mobile or AT&T. Nothing is even close to being confirmed but seeing as there is a GSM version and T-Mobile has picked up every Android phone manufactured by HTC, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see it land in T-Mobile stores in late 2009. Just keep your eyes peeled here for the latest news.

So what about you, the readers? Would you pick this up over the Palm Pre? The iPhone 3GS? What about the new myTouch 3G? Let us know in the comments!

T-Mobile myTouch 3G (shown in white, Merlot (red) and black).

Earlier this week T-Mobile finally let out of the bag something we wrote about a while ago (think January!)– confirming the next version of the first Google Android phone– the G1– with the announcement of the myTouch 3G (some of you may know of this as the G2 or HTC Magic. HTC, who also made the G1, also make this phone). This is actually a much cooler phone that what it looked like in its apparently early stages when we first wrote about it. So buckle up T-Mobile users, and hit the more link, because a lot of awesomeness is about to come your way.

Ok, so let’s break this all down.

I’m not 100% sure what exactly is doing it for me, but this design that you can see in the pic at the top of the post looks much better to me (maybe it’s the colors or better looking buttons). It just looks like a much better phone. Now feature wise here’s what we got:

• 3.2 inch touchscreen– Nice size with a pretty solid resolution of 480×320 (in English– a good screen that should be good for not just viewing movies and pix, but everything else you’d possibly do like texting, web browsing etc.)
• Android 1.5– The latest and greatest of Google’s young mobile OS. 1.5, which is also available to G1 owners as an update, has features like on screen keyboard (kinda needed for an all touchscreen phone don’t you think?), as well as some other developer minded improvements. It also has all the Android version 1 features like the Android Market for apps, etc.
• T-Mobile 3G– At this point it’s kinda a given but we feel we should list it anyways.
• WiFi and GPS
• T-Mobile myFaves support
  
• 3.2 megapixel camera with video recording– You also have the ability to directly upload Google’s YouTube and Picasa straight from the phone. It also comes with a 4 GB microSD card slot inside so you can shoot video and pix (and load it up with other things like music) right out of the box.

The myTouch 3G will be available sometime this summer– sadly no exact release date yet beyond a saying of “early Auguast release”– for $199.99 on a 2 year contract adn will be available in the 3 colors you see above– black, white or”merlot” (red). If you already are a T-Mobile customer, and are interested in pre-ordering the phone, you can do so starting July 8th.

For all the info on the myTouch 3G, check out T-Mobile’s site here.

What you think– this, G1, Sidekick LX 2009, BlackBerry Curve 8900, Touch Pro2, or are you holding out for something bigger and better (rumors are floating around saying their are a few more Android devices coming to T-Mobile this year, beyond the myTouch 3G, and there are also   rumors of a 3G BlackBerry Curve also coming sometime in the future)?

Me? Between this and the G1 I would be leaning toward the G1 just because it has the full physicall slide out keyboard as well as the touchscreen one. Between the other phones? I would strongly consider this or the G1 (pretty much the same phone just one is with a physical keyboard and one is without if you really think about it– it all personal preference), the Touch Pro2 or the Curve 8900 as all are solid phones that should get the job of your usual texting, IMing, social network updating (and also calling for those that use it) done extremely well with plenty of room for other cool things like apps. But this post is about you T-Mobile users– which one of these phones you gonna go for?