R2-D2 Droid 2 dock pictures revealed

Verizon's R2-D2 version of the Motorola Droid 2 will be released September 30th, news w broke a few weeks back. 

Pictures have now begun to creep up showing off some of the R2-D2-specific accessories. The phone dock, pictured above, is one such item. It's style and color fits in with what the phone will look like and it even has a couple Star Wars references on the device in case you forgot where the phone got its inspiration. 

How many of you will be springing for the R2-D2 version coming to Verizon at the end of the month? [Engadget]

Posted originally at Android Central

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Best Buy guide shows off Samsung Gem

We first http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-gem-shows-its-face-verizon-brandingwww.androidcentral.com/samsung-gem-shows-its-face-verizon-branding, and it has now shown up in the Best Buy buyer's guide. 

The Gem is going to be another offering from Samsung on Verizon, but aimed at the low-end spectrum. Most likely the crowd that is transitioning from feature phones to smart-phones but doesn't want to spring for expensive devices just yet. 

Here are the specs for the Gem:

• Android 2.1 (Eclair)
• TouchWiz 3.0
• Swype
• 3.2 MP camera
• 16 GB Micro-SD expansion

The Gem is being overshadowed by Samsung and Verizon's big release of the Fascinate on Sept. 9. They are aimed at different crowds though, and it just means that Android will continue to grow, which is a good thing. [Engadget]

Posted originally at Android Central

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Toshiba announces Folio 100 tablet — 10.1 inches of Android 2.2

Toshiba officially announced its Folio 100 tablet today -- a 10.1-inch device running Android 2.2 (Froyo).

It's a very intriguing device and the specs sounds great:

• 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen
• 1024 x 600
• Android 2.2 (Froyo)
• NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor
• 16 GB internal storage (32 GB available SD expansion)
• Adobe Flash 10.1
• 1.3 MP front-facing camera
• Mini-HDMI 
• USB 2.0
• Bluetooth 2.1
• WLAN (802.11)
• Mobile broadband (available Q1 2011)

For those who have been unhappy that the Galaxy Tab appears to be 3G-only, the Folio 100 will be Wi-Fi first, with 3G coming in 2011. 

Some pre-installed software on the device: Opera Mobile, Toshiba Media Player, Fring, Evernote and Docs to Go.

Price is about $540 for the Wifi-only version. For a more detailed outline of the device, check the source for the full press release. Toshiba's first Android tablet looks great on paper, coming with USB and HDMI connectors and a Wifi-only version. [Toshiba - pdf warning]

Posted originally at Android Central

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Google responds to Steve Jobs’ comments on activation numbers

Apple held an event yesterday that introduced new iPods and the new Apple TV. [See complete coverage at TiPb.] CEO Steve Jobs was, of course, on stage and didn't hesitate to take some shots at Google and Android. 

Eric Schmidt stated last month that 200,000 Android devices were being activated everyday. That's a staggering number and shows how fast the mobile OS has grown in the past year. Jobs wasn't so certain that the numbers were accurate.

Quote from Jobs yesterday:

"We think some of our friends are counting upgrades in their numbers"

Obviously directed at Android, Google responded quickly, confirming the stat and clarifying what numbers they tally:

"The Android activation numbers do not include upgrades and are, in fact, only a portion of the Android devices in the market since we only include devices that have Google services."

Jobs took a couple other shots at Google at the event; perhaps he should get his facts straight before he attacks the competition. It's good to hear a clarification from Google, though, as no one was really sure what exactly counted as far as activations. [Fortune]

Turned off the comments because you guys just can't help yourselves, can you ...

Posted originally at Android Central

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Vodafone to carry the Samsung Galaxy Tab in October

The Samsung Galaxy Tab (check out our hands-on video!), which was officially announced today, will be coming to Vodafone. It will go on sale in October in the majority of Vodafone's European markets with the hopes that more partner networks will carry the device by year's end. 

A quote from DJ Lee, Senior Vice President and Head of Sales and Marketing Team of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics:

“I am very excited to introduce Samsung GALAXY Tab with Vodafone. Thanks to Vodafone’s strong promotion and co-marketing with us, Samsung GALAXY Tab can be an outstanding smart media device to lead a new media revolution. With GALAXY Tab, users enjoy full web browsing with flash 10.1 support, reading eBooks, newspapers, or magazines, and watching HD videos on the large enough 7-inch display while on the move. Furthermore, it is still compact enough to carry everywhere.”

No word yet on pricing, but add Vodafone to the official Galaxy Tab partner list. [Vodafone via Coolsmartphone]

Posted originally at Android Central

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Yahoo brings fantasy football to Android

Football season is here, and that means fantasy football  is everywhere at the moment. If you don't have time to watch all the games, you can stay up-to-date with your league and players on Android with Yahoo! Fantasy Football '10. Yahoo is one of the leaders of the fantasy sports world, so it's great to see a dedicated app make its way to the Market. 

With the app, users can check league and player stats, make roster changes and more. If you're a fantasy football fan and use Yahoo, don't miss this free app in the Market; it will make your life a lot easier! [Thanks Small_law!]

Posted originally at Android Central

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LG Loop now available on Rogers

Rogers has begun selling the LG Loop. You may remember it as the LG Optimus, which we've had our hands on at CES in January, and again at Google IO in May. Not really that much to be said, other than it's another notch in the ol' Android belt. Here are the specs and prices:

• 3.0-inch screen
• 3MP camera
• 120 MB internal storage (2 GB SD card, expandable to 32 GB)
• Android 1.6 (Donut)
• $29.99 with a 3-year contract
• $199 with a 2-year contract
• $249 with a 1-year contract (or monthly)

The Loop is obviously on the low-end of the Android family, but it does show an important trend that points to Android gaining even more traction in market-share.

It's great that Android has solid high-end phones to compete with other platforms; its growth has been exponential, which has been a great thing to see. This trend is likely to continue as it is installed in more low to middle end phones that customers transitioning from feature phones are likely to start with before jumping for the expensive devices. As they familiarize themselves with the Android platform, these phones, like the Loop, will ease them into it rather than diving into the complex stuff out of the gate. This will increase their chances of choosing better Android phones in the future because they're already used to the platform. 

All in all, not a great phone to add to the army, but a signal of a trend that Android is going to proliferate throughout all phones, not just the top dogs. [Marketnews via Rogers]

Posted originally at Android Central

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Oracle’s lawsuit preventing Google from participating in JavaOne

A couple weeks ago, we reported that Oracle was suing Google over patents dealing with Java used in Android. 

While the magnitude of this suit is big and there are large implications resting on the decision, I don't think anybody expected it to have negative effects this quickly. However, Google has announced today that they will not participate in JavaOne this year, which is an annual conference held to discuss Java.

Here is a quote from Joshua Bloch from Google's Open Source Program Office:

"Like many of you, every year we look forward to the workshops, conferences and events related to open source software. In our view, these are among the best ways we can engage the community, by sharing our experiences and learning from yours. So we’re sad to announce that we won't be able to present at JavaOne this year. We wish that we could, but Oracle’s recent lawsuit against Google and open source has made it impossible for us to freely share our thoughts about the future of Java and open source generally. This is a painful realization for us, as we've participated in every JavaOne since 2004, and I personally have spoken at all but the first in 1996."

Oracle's lawsuit seems to have already had a negative impact on the open-source community. [Google Code Blog via @TimBray]

Posted originally at Android Central

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Dell Streak on O2 to receive 2.1 on September 1st?

 The Dell Streak on the mobile network O2 in the UK reportedly will receive Android 2.1 (Eclair) on Wednesday, Sept. 1. This will bring new features to the device currently running Android 1.6, including:

• 720p video recording
• Live wallpapers
• Multitouch
• Multiple Exchange email support

No word yet on when AT&T owners can expect an update, but its good that Dell's updating the device to recent OS' instead of allowing it to linger on Android 1.6. [The Really Mobile Project via intomobile]

Posted originally at Android Central

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HTC Evo 4G back in stock at Sprint

The HTC Evo 4G is back in stock at Sprint (finally), so order yours while supplies last. The phone had been on backorder for a while now. 

The first 4G phone in the U.S. has been a huge success, and Sprint and HTC hope to see its popularity grow as more of the devices creep back into stock. If you've been waiting for the Evo 4G to get back in stock, hurry up, as Sprint has said it's only a limited quantity for a short time. (What else would it say, though?) [Sprint's Twitter]

Posted originally at Android Central

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