There was a slight cause for alarm when it was revealed that a $4.99 per month charge would be required in using Qik’s video chat service. Thankfully things were cleared up surrounding it so that expected owners of the HTC EVO 4G are going to be able to still put on a big smile on their faces when they get their handsets in a few days. Qik co-founder Bhaskar Roy went on the record to say that “the core features of 2-way video chat and live video sharing from phone to phones, web, desktop will be free. What we’ll be rolling out are optional premium features that users can subscribe to.” So that pretty much sums up what that $4.99 monthly charge will be about, but it’s still not made known as to what exactly will these optional premium features present to users. We won’t have to wait long before its made known to the public as an official announcement is pinned down for the HTC EVO 4G’s June 4th launch. So once you do get your hands on a snazzy HTC EVO 4G on day one, you can experience Qik’s video chat feature right out of the box without any expense – aside from your monthly plan with Sprint of course.
source: AndroidGuys

Future HTC EVO 4G owners can already look forward to a host of things on day one of launch after hackers have been furious in getting Android 2.2 Froyo onto the handset – which adds to its laundry list of attractive features. We’ve already seen how the powerhouse handset already got rooted way before its release, but the instructions of doing so was being withheld in fear of a patch being created for the handset before launch. However, now the fruits of their labor is being rewarded now that Froyo looks to have been hacked onto the HTC EVO 4G – which can be attributed to Google in a way after giving attendees of Google I/O HTC EVO 4G handsets. The proof can be seen in the video which presents to us the expedited treatment it received in getting it up to par with Froyo. Now the only question that remains is a time frame of when an official Android 2.2 Froyo update is expected for the handset.
source: xda-developers via Android Central

Just barely making it in time for its May arrival, Android’s Sirius XM Radio app swings its way onto the platform bringing along its streaming services to the fledgling Android platform. There is plenty of value for current subscribers as it’ll allow users to listen to some premium content, but those venturing to download the app will find a 7 day trial if you’re not a current subscriber. Rather than finding the app through the Android Market, users will have to navigate to Sirius’s website on their desktops so that an email containing the download link will be sent to you or you can simply do the same on the Android browser where you can click the “download the App” link on the page. Once you’ve got the application loaded on your handset, current subscribers will only need to add on the $2.99 a month internet radio feature to get the most out of the app. Thankfully it looks like the app will run on any Android 1.5 and above builds so that a whole medley of handsets will be able to take part in Sirius XM Radio.
source: Sirius via Android and Me

Skype’s roll out to other platforms and handsets may have been impeded since they announced their partnership with Verizon Wireless, but with all the chatter surrounding video chat, it looks like they’re going forward in becoming a force in that sector. Although Skype for Android is limited to Verizon’s smartphones, the company is intent on rolling out a version for all Android handsets later in the year which will undoubtedly come along with the highly sought out video chat feature. Their PR statement said, “Skype envisions a world where video plays a larger role in the way we communicate. It’s on computers, televisions, and it will eventually be coming to mobile devices too. We’re betting big on video, and we intend to set the bar on mobile video calling, and it’s something we’re going to do this year. We will be bringing a direct to consumer app to the Android marketplace later this year. This application will be available for all consumers globally to download regardless of carriers.” Fring surely set things in motion a couple of days ago when they announced this feature to be standard on their Android app. Others are following, but it looks like there are some out there that are looking to attach a premium to this new venture. Aside from Android, it would be nice if Skype also begins to roll this out to additional platforms.
via Phonescoop

You’ve got to hand it to Android’s hacking community because they tend to make the impossible possible for the many owners who were told that older devices like the HTC Magic, Dream, myTouch 3G, and G1 were not going to be a part of Android 2.2 Froyo. The fire is now burning brightly and strong now that the hacking community is starting up an unofficial port of Android 2.2 to those older HTC handsets. Things are going so smoothly that the Dream/Magic Froyo ROM could be make available publicly in the near future, but in its current 63 percent form, curious owners can go ahead and event test it right now. So far things like the calling functions, 3G connectivity, and LEDs are working properly, but there is still some work to be completed seeing that the camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Flash for the web browser are still not active. Naturally there are going to be plenty of owners out there that will be exuberant knowing they can still take part in the Froyo love.
source: GSMArena

If anyone is interested in knowing how the Motorola Droid Shadow stacks up against the competition when it comes to sheer raw processing power, one will only need to check out the screen shot to quickly see where it ranks on a benchmark test. There was a Howard Forum member who attempted to benchmark his own Android handset via the Quadrant app which pops it up on a bar graph that’s compared to a listing of other top bench-marked handsets out there. From what you can see, devices such as a pre-Android 2.2 Neuxs One, Samsung Galaxy S, and Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 are some of handset that are listed. Found just below an Android 2.2 Nexus One and ahead of the Samsung Galaxy S, the Motorola Shadow MB810 can be justified as one amazingly quick handset – but unfortunately this has yet to be officially confirmed. However, if Motorola’s own Sanjay Jha’s remarks about being “excited” for upcoming handsets is any indication, we can expect this handset to be up there in terms of raw power.
via AndroidGuys

HP’s recent acquisition of Palm has taken its toll as yet another Palm webOS veteran that aided the company in building up webOS from the ground up has announced his departure. Senior director of human interface and user experience at Palm, Matias Duarte, has left Palm and is currently joining one of webOS’s competitors for newer ventures. The man known to some in the industry as the webOS guru, Duarte signed on to become the user experience director for Google’s Android platform. This follows after Palm’s senior vice president of software and services, Michael Abbott, also announced his departure from the company in favor for a role as vice president of engineering for Twitter. Surely it’s a blow for Palm and its webOS platform now that things are looking to be more stable, but there’s no denying the kind of talent that Duarte will bring to the table for Android. Eventually we’ll witness some of the fruits of his hard labor with the green Android platform that keeps on looking better with each incarnation.
source: All Things Digital

Just about every Android user will melt knowing that two-way video calling can be accomplished thanks to the Fring app for Android. There is a new version of the popular instant messaging client app available for download that will enable you to perform video calling through your Android powered handset. However, it should be noted that this sought out feature will require you to be running a handset with a “fast CPU” for it to work properly. Aside from working on speedy connections found with Wi-Fi, the feature will also run through connections that include 3G, GPRS, EDGE, and WiMAX – so you’ll be able to do video calling from just about anywhere. If you haven’t done it yet, we’d suggest downloading the update and experiencing this neat feature for yourself.
source: Fring via Phonescoop

There’s no denying it at this point, but one of the next levels that Android is looking to get itself comfy in is the growing tablet market. We know that Dell is on the verge of unleashing the Dell Streak, while at the the same time, a decent handful of mobile manufacturers are on board of offering their own in the near future. Motorola has been riding the success of the Motorola DROID for quite some time and released a variety of mid-range Android powered handsets to the market as well. However, none of them really managed to obtain the success we’ve witnessed with the Motorola DROID, but now it looks like we’re starting to see the beginnings of a possible foray into the tablet game.

During a Barclays conference, Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha laid out some of the boundaries of a potential tablet – which may disappoint some Android fans hoping to see a high-end offering from them. Basically the device would offer a 7” to 10” display which would also be positioned as a companion device that would enable users to do something like watch television on it, but Jha made some remarks that they wouldn’t be “comfortable” with bringing on Android to a screen size that’s larger than what’s seen on a phone. It’s still not known as to what will be powering the tablet as they are hesitant in making something with a full blown operating system.

When it comes down to future handsets coming down the pipeline, Jha still doesn’t foresee the HTC Droid Incredible being a challenge for the Motorola DROID. He went on further to say that the quality of future devices on their road-map had him “excited” as additional Droid phones are expected – and promised to be better than HTC’s current offering. We’ve been seeing quite a few leaks regarding the speculated Motorola Droid Shadow of late, but we’ll have to keep in the excitement until Motorola gives it the thumbs up.
via Electronista

We’ve been hearing a lot of things regarding Android powered smartphones from Acer, but now we’re beginning to see the faint beginnings of their foray into the tablet world. Just like how we see the Android army continue its assault in the cell phone market, they’re slowly amassing an army as well for the tablet sector. There was a recent press event held in Beijing by Acer where their CEO, Gianfranco Lanci, unveiled their 7” Android powered tablet. Their stance in joining the tablet game definitely changed as they witnessed their Android handsets becoming prevalent in the market – so it would make sense for them to jump aboard and attack the market with their own Android tablet as well. Although specs and information surrounding the device was at a minimum, Lanci did hint to a fourth quarter release with the possibility of some carriers taking part – which would mean that it would probably come packed with a 3G modem inside.
via Android Authority