A promo video of the HTC Hero has been spotted on the web. The closing frames of the video are most interesting, as they show a whole seven different color variations of the Android phone: pale green, white, black, red, yellow, turquoise and pink, all of which look really sweet. According to the source, the phone is running the new “Rosie” GUI and what we can see in the video are some nice features, such as multiple home screens, widgets, accelerometer and Google Maps.

After that funky video, we are now even more impatient for the Hero to come out. Check it out below!

source: AndroidCommunity

We know we have said this before, but this time it is different, or is it? Engadget Mobile is getting word from U.S. G1 owners that T-Mobile is right now sending out the Android 1.5 OS upgrade OTA. The infamous Cupcake update includes items like a virtual keyboard, support for video capture and playback, better email and messaging capabilities and the use of third party widgets. Because it is being sent out by the carrier over the air, those who are the lazy, sit-back type will have a much easier time getting your handset to digest the sugar, flour and icing. And once you’ve completed upgrading your G1 to the Android 1.5 OS, you can start building up an appetite for Donuts, the 2.0 version of the Android OS. If you did receive a link to upgrade your G1, let us know so that we can move away from the starchy foods.

source: EngadgetMobile

phoneArena has published a preview of the first Samsung Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy I7500. The handset looks really nice, although a bit similar to the HTC Magic. However, the beautiful AMOLED display and the 5-megapixel camera seem to be really good additions to the otherwise identical Android phone. Unfortunately, at least in the prototype unit, Samsung didn’t change anything in the OS and it is just another Cupcake we all know. Check out the preview here!

Lots of good stuff has been announced at Goggle IO, not the least of which is the Android Developer Challenge 2 (ADC2).  Submissions from developers will begin in August and be accepted through the end of the month, the winner will be announced at the end of the Fall, and User Voting will be part of the judging process!  Yes, that means that users like YOU can help determine the fate of the Android developers competing in ADC2.

Developers can choose from 10 categories for their application submission:

1)    Education/Reference
2)    Games: Casual/Puzzle
3)    Games: Arcade/Action
4)    Social Networking
5)    Lifestyle
6)    Productivity/Tools
7)    Media
8)    Entertainment
9)    Travel
10)    Misc

All applications must work on Android 1.5 Cupcake.  First place in each category wins a cool $100,000, and the overall winner gets $150,000.  Yep, that means the overall winner gets a grand total of $250,000, not to mention bragging rights.  Check out the full details here (http://code.google.com/android/adc/), and good luck!

via: Phandroid

There has been lots of Android news lately, particularly news of new Android-based phones that are on the way.  General Mobile’s DSTL1 Android phone, first uncovered a few months ago at MWC, is rumored to launch next month in both the U.S. and Turkey.  It’s a dual-SIM phone on EDGE only, which is a bit of a disappointment, and will sport Android 1.5, Wi-Fi, and cost approximately $550 to $750.  Does a dual-SIM Android phone appeal to you, even if it’s EDGE only?

source: EngadgetMobile

Developers from Canonical unveiled a nifty surprise at the Ubuntu Developer Summit in Barcelona on Tuesday – the beginnings of Android applications feeling right at home on the Ubuntu Linux distribution.  Although Android uses the Linux kernel, it isn’t so much a Linux platform as it is built on Google’s custom Java runtime, currently making it more suitable for mobile phones and tablets.  Read the full story

It seems like everyone wants a piece of a good thing, and given Android’s continuing rise in popularity, Panasonic is another company that is vying to throw their hat in the ring.  Keisuke Ishii, board member and director of the Mobile Terminal Business Unit at Panasonic Mobile Communications, said: “The global market for smartphones based on open source platforms including Android will reach 100 million units in three years.  We are discussing specific measures to succeed in such a large market.”

Although no specific date or plan was mentioned, Mr. Ishii indicated that Panasonic plans on entering the overseas mobile phone markets, with Android-based handset development in mind, by fiscal year 2010.  Competition breeds innovation, so welcome to the party, Panasonic, and we will keep an eye on you!

According to our sister site, phoneArena.com, Sony Ericcson’s Asia-Pacific marketing vice president Peter Ang said that the company has plans of their own for an Android-powered handset.  They plan on releasing an Android 2.0 phone in the future, but given there’s no firm date for Android 2.0, we can’t give you a firm date for Sony Ericcson’s phone, either. Take this last bit with a grain of salt in that there is no “official” announcement, but mere rumor and conjecture.

source: Tech-on, phoneArena via ePrice (translated)

If November 2nd is too long to wait for the previously-mentioned Motorola Heron, maybe you would like to try an HTC Lancaster on for size.  The Lancaster’s pricing is unknown, but it’s estimated to be available on AT&T this August 3rd and should be a welcomed Android-powered device to the network.

If the leaked image is accurate, the Lancaster is one sleek and sexy phone bearing no resemblance to the G1.  It is expected to have a QWERTY slider keyboard, 2.8” QVGA display (we guess this is a mistake), 1350 mAh battery, quad-band EDGE and 850/1900MHz HSPA, AGPS, a 3MP camera, aGPS, microSD expansion slot, and Bluetooth 2.0.  How many of you will be in an AT&T store on August 3rd for this Android-powered beauty?

source: EngadgetMobile

The Motorola Iron Man, a portrait-sliding QWERTY smartphone shrouded in mystery, rumor and speculation, may be coming to AT&T on November 2 as the Android-powered Heron.  Currently, AT&T customers have to use an unlocked T-Mobile G1 for their Android fetish, so it would be fantastic to get some Android OS devices headed to AT&T with full features.

The Heron has the following listed specs:  2.8 inch touch screen, 3MP camera with flash, aGPS and 3G.  Keep in mind that specs may change as the Iron Man morphs into the Android-powered Heron.  November 2 feels like an eternity to wait, but we at AndroidArena will do our level best to keep you updated on all news Android!

source: Engadget

In the same post  from our folks at phoneArena.com about the Galaxy, there’s more info about Android-powered Samsungs. The Samsung S8000, a.k.a Cubic, will be called the Jet… like the Jumbo Jet Also, it will be just a regular phone with TouchWiz interface and NOT an Android-based one. Well, this info makes the Samsung Galaxy the manifacturer’s first Android phone.