At long last, the Motorola BACKFLIP has finally been made available to the starved customers on AT&T that have been eager to get their taste in Android’s goodness. We managed to get our hands on the Motorola BACKFLIP and pleased to already find AT&T going through with some of their commitments in being more green friendly as the packaging was extremely compact without all the usual hefty cardboard. Underneath it all was the Motorola BACKFLIP which really has this mystical aura surrounding it – seeing that it has been given the duty to launch Android’s push into the final frontier. You can check out our video below in our unboxing experience and get a first hand glimpse of what to expect with the Motorola BACKFLIP. Check back soon as our full in-depth review will be up shortly!

Just because the Motorola i1 is an iDEN model doesn’t mean that the Android flavored phone has to scrimp on features. For example, the same tipster that originally told Engadget that the handset would come equipped with a 3MP camera is now recanting that and passing along the word that the phone will have a 5MP shooter on board. Not bad, Motorola, not bad. But wait, there’s more. The device, formerly known as the Opus One, will feature the MOTOBLUR UI which integrates all of your social networks on your desktop and is not a Google-experience phone. As such, Motorola is free to put an Opera Mobile browser under the hood as the default browser. Wow! When you think of all those handsets available for the prepaid networks, the Motorola i1 has the specs to really, really stand out. And with the economy improving slowly at best, offering handsets like this could make it a lot less painful for some to switch to the unlimited non-contract carriers that will offer the model.
source: Engadget

Android’s successful introduction can be attributed to T-Mobile’s almost seemingly gamble on partnering with Google to launch an unknown mobile operating system into the market a while ago. Even though the HTC Desire is still speculated to make its way to AT&T, now T-Mobile’s name is being thrown into the mix as Androincia reports that a T-Mobile store manager was being shuffled away to be trained on several upcoming phones; including the HTC Desire. In trying to find more truth to the speculations, they’ve taken the liberty of contacting T-Mobile employees who state that all of their managers are away for training. With the HTC Nexus One already on board with T-Mobile’s 3G network, the onset of the HTC Desire may open a rift between customers – it’s nice that customers might be offered a choice between two high-end smartphones, but HTC will be competing with itself heavily with T-Mobile’s diverse Android offerings. Although news about T-Mobile getting the HTC Desire might be considered far fetched, previous rumors pointed that other US carriers would receive it as well – so the thought of T-Mobile owning two high-end Android phones aren’t out of the possibility
source: Androincia via Cell Phone Signal

Shortly after the HTC Legend was unveiled during MWC, it was quickly placed for purchase on the web site of the Dutch wireless carrier KPN. During that time, it was slated to be released some time during March – but there was no official word on an exact date. Now it looks like forum members on the Dutch web site Tweakers.net that previously placed their orders for the Android powered smartphone are possibly getting treated to its arrival – it seems as though they’re getting confirmation that it’s scheduled for delivery today. That’s extremely impressive when you consider that it was originally slated for release by the early portion of the second quarter – which obviously starts in April. These lucky individuals will really have something to look forward soon if everything goes accordingly to their advantage – it goes to show that these early adopters that were swift in ordering their phones are lucky to get a special surprise.
source: Tweakers (translated) via Engadget

Raging Thunder is one of the (far too) few games at Android Marketplace that offer more elaborate graphics and complex gameplay. Yes, sad as it is, almost all available games for Android are nothing more than versions of painfully well-known logic puzzles, while at the same time most of the games in the Arcade & Action category are, to put it mildly, of rather poor quality. We hope the recent integration of OpenGL ES 2.0 support into Android is going to change the sad reality and we will get to see an increasing number of more and more spectacular games. We must say we have great expectations relating to the future of Android as a gaming platform.

Now, however, let´s leave the future be and focus on the present instead, the time when Polorbit releases Raging Thunder 2 – a new version of the arcade-style racing game that offers more something of everything. You will be able to relish extremely pleasing graphics and get yourself various and above all, upgradable cars. There are five separate single player modes, but the best thing is the game actually supports multiplayer over local networks and the Internet and it doesn´t even matter whether your opponents use an Android handset or the iPhone/iPod touch (yes, there is a version for Apple-made devices). You navigate your car via the cell phone accelerometer (sadly, there is no on-screen steering wheel) and turn on/off the speed acceleration with screen buttons.

We have to admit we are eager fans of arcade racing – we like Need for Speed and do have a thing for Carmageddon – that´s why we enjoy the fact that in Raging Thunder 2 you are encouraged to hit the cars of other players and get them off balance with any sort of creative road aerobatics you might think of. Varied bonuses are scattered about on the highways and you´ve got boost, cash, flaming tires and car repair kits. Your vehicle gradually gets broken down as you drive, so don´t go over the top smashing it against the cars of your opponents (sad faces over here). The runways we have had the chance to take a look at are nothing to write home about, plus they are too short. Still, it´s a good thing there are occasional shortcuts that allow you to gain the upper hand. Perhaps the best quality of Raging Thunder 2 is it´s really good at conveying a feeling of speed and you will probably have your adrenaline surge (despite the stuttering issues).

The main menu in Raging Thunder 2

Stuttering? Yes, that´s the worst aspect of the game. Raging Thunder 2 has been developed for high-tech cell phones and this is clearly indicated in its description at Android Market. In other words, if you want smooth, playable framerates, you better get yourself something like the HTC Nexus One, Acer Liquid A1 or (perhaps) Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700. We tested the title on our ageing T-Mobile G1 and as you can see in the video, although the game runs acceptably on the overall, the framerate is hardly bearable. The stuttering also prevents you from getting a proper score, since controlling the car gets so much harder.

Raging Thunder 2 is developed for high-tech handsets

Still, we do recommend that you give Raging Thunder 2 a go. The Lite edition is completely free and available for download at Android Market, but if the game runs smoothly on your device and you happen to be an eager gamer, well, we would advise you to get the full version. True, it will set you back with $4.99, but is one of the best games for Android at the time being.

According to AndroidStats, a company that monitors the Android Market, MySpace is the preferred social networking site for Android users. Based on the company’s rankings, MySpace Mobile is the third most downloaded app in the Market. The closest competitor to MySpace is Facebook which is 5th in the standings The Android’s Facebook app trails both the iPhone and BlackBerry version in terms of usability, although it has improved over the last 6 months. MySpace, on the other hand, works very well with Google’s open source OS and can even use a widget within the MySpace app to update your status by voice.

For those interested, the top downloaded app in the Android Market is T-Mobile’s My Account followed by The Weather Channel’s free app. The top installed game is Solitaire, followed by Namco’s Pac-Man and Labryinth Lite.
source: AndroidStats via Mashable

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10, which we previewed last December, will be the manufactures first Android device, and as you would expect it has a lot of people interested. As we await for an official release, Sony Ericsson has posted their own unboxing video of their first X10 commercial samples. Features are as high-end as one could hope for, with a massive 4″ 480×854 resolution touchscreen display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 8.1MP autofocus camera with flash, facial recognition and image stabilizer, 1GB of internal memory with an 8GB microSDHC card included, and a 3.5mm headset jack. The unique UX interface that is integrated into the Android 1.6 OS offers proper integration of Facebook and Twitter as well as some other online services like Flickr and Picasa. Hopefully the XPERIA X10 will be released before too long.
source: Sony Ericsson Blog via EngadgetMobile

After some speculation last week that the Samsung Galaxy Spica would come to Rogers in Canada, it has come to fruition and can now be purchased for $79.99 on a 3-year contract or $449.99 without contract. The Galaxy Spica is a nice alternative to the HTC Magic and comes comes two months after the 911 GPS problem that Rogers had with both the Dream and Magic. Features of the Galaxy Spica include a 800MHz processor, 3.2″ 320×480 resolution touchscreen display, 3.2MP camera, microSDHC card slot capable of 32GB, and has a 3.5mm headset jack. The device still comes with Android 1.5, but is expected to be upgraded to Android 2.1 in Q2 this year.
source: Rogers via EngadgetMobile & HowardChui

You may have felt it already that the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini left us with some very positive impressions. It is cute, fast and functional. Speaking of functionality, you may want to know that due to the QVGA resolution, there are fewer apps for the X10 mini in Android Market, when compared to HVGA devices for example, but we are happy to see that the catalog has grown significantly since we reviewed the HTC Tattoo. Moreover, the X10 mini supports OpenGL ES 1.1 content (unlike the Tattoo), so we believe it will get more than decent app support.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini and mini pro are expected in the second quarter of the year, at a still unannounced price. This brings us to the question that if these babies get priced correctly (and Sony Ericsson doesn’t screw up in some way), we will have no other choice but declare them one of the coolest Androids out there.
source: PhoneArena

BerryScoop says that a trusted tipster (say that 10 times fast) has told them that Verizon plans on replacing the HTC Droid Eris with the HTC Incredible when the latter launches on April 1st. Even more, ahem, incredible is that the tipster revealed that Verizon is considering the Incredible to be its version of the Nexus One. Now, we know that the Android OS is fragmented, but this is really out there. The source told BerryScoop that the Droid Eris, which was launched together with the Motorola DROID back in November, is going “End of Life” on April 1st. Oh, and considering that Big Red will have the Incredible in the store, those earlier reports that Verizon would be selling the N-One at the retail stores seems to be incorrect and that the reps will be pushing the HTC Incredible instead.
source: BerryScoop