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

Last month we showed you a video of the top 50 games avaliable through the Android Market for the Motorola DROID. Now the wait is finally over as QUAKE 2 and 3 have been ported over to the DROID, though it requires a few steps for installation. For QUAKE 2, follow the directions here, and the directions for QUAKE 3 can be found here. The site AndroidAndMe were the sponsors of this Android Bounty and gave both games a try and reported pretty good results, with frame rates up to 30-40FPS on QUAKE 2 and 20-30FPS on QUAKE 3, which also includes support for the touchscreen and network multiplayer mode. So if you’re feeling like a bit of old school gaming, give it a try on your DROID and let us know what you think.
source: AndroidAndMe via Engadget

The Motorola DEVOUR A555 (formally known as the Calgary) is expected to be released by Verizon Wireless any day now as it will follow on the heels of the popular Motorola DROID and HTC DROID ERIS. The Motorola DEVOUR and DROID are both about the same physical size overall, though the first thing we noticed is that the display on the DEVOUR was smaller (3.1″ compared to 3.7″) and has a lower resolution (320×480 opposed to 480×854), which makes it similar to the display on the HTC DROID ERIS. However, images on the screen looked good and text was clear enough to read. The silver and black body with blue accents has a more distinctive look to it than the all-black DROID, but the construction is plastic instead of metal. The internal QWERTY keyboard has individual buttons this time around and the number keys have their own row. This, combined with the space between the keys, makes typing on the DEVOUR a bit more user-friendly than the one-piece keyboard on the DROID. Though the optical d-pad on the DEVOUR can take some practice, as its tracking of movement is a bit finicky.

The DEVOUR runs on Android 1.6, so it’s a bit behind the DROID in that aspect, but it is the first smartphone on Verizon to come with the MOTOBLUR user interface, which we’ve seen before on the Motorola CLIQ. It combines all of your social networking (such as Facebook, Google, MySpace, and Twitter) with your Email, Messaging, and Calendar and shows them on any the 5 homescreens via widgets. It is a nice feature and is simple to use, though not as polished as the Sense UI on the HTC DROID ERIS, as there are some differences in functionality between them.

So far in the short time that we’ve used the Motorola DEVOUR, it seems like a nice device, but be sure to check back for our upcoming in-depth review as we put the DEVOUR through its paces.

Verizon’s newest rebate form dated February 16 – March 31 have two new phones listed, the Motorola DEVOUR and Casio G’zOne Brigade. The Motorola DEVOUR will offer a $100 rebate and will be the first Android smartphone on Verizon to include the MotoBLUR user interface and Flash Lite 3.1 in the mobile HTML Browser. Additional features include a 3.1″ capacitive touchscreen with 320×480 resolution, 3MP camera with flash, QWERTY keyboard, EVDO Rev A, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm headset jack, and a 8GB microSDHC memory card preinstalled (supports up to 32GB). The long-awaited Casio G’zOne Brigade PTT phone will come with a $50 rebate and feature a QWERTY keyboard, 3MP autofocus camera with flash, MIL Specs 810F, 2.9″ 400×240 internal TFT display, 1.9″ PMOLED external display, EVDO Rev A (which all Verizon PTT phones use), and supports microSDHC cards up to 16GB. There’s still no solid word from Verizon on pricing, yet Best Buy is showing the Motorola DEVOUR for $149 and the Casio Brigade should be around the same price as the Casio Rock.
Thanks to a friend for the info!

АТ&Т seems to be really into social networking, as it has just announced the upcoming March 7 availability of the Motorola BACKFLIP via Facebook. We’ve been hearing rumors about this, and now it is confirmed. Congrats to all of you, AT&T users! Those of you who’ve been waiting for an Android smartphone will finally get what they wanted. It may not be the Google Nexus One or the DROID (or both of them), but hey, the Motorola BACKFLIP is a great Android phone with 3.1-inch HVGA screen, 5MP AF camera, 3.5mm jack, Wi-Fi and 3G. Quite impressive, we should say. What makes it even better is Moto’s MOTOBLUR interface, which pushes all kinds of social updates directly to your home screen. So basically, AT&T’s announcement in Facebook does make sense, after all, many of the users who’ll be getting this device are Facebook users too!
source: Facebook

UPDATE: The Motorola BACKFLIP will cost $99.99 after $100 mail-in rebate with a two-year plan.

Undeniably, the Google Nexus One is a wonderful smartphone. It packs many great features and a good-looking user interface. It’s great as a whole, but lacks what some consider to be the best thing that has happened to Android so far – the Sense UI. HTC has greatly personalized the operating system, adding a lot of diversity to the interface and neatly integrating it with social services.

Apparently, someone has decided to fill that gap, by porting the HTC Desire’s UI to their Google Nexus One. Unfortunately, the developer has not yet uploaded the Desire ROM, in order to share it with the whole wide world, but has at least posted a list of the working features. These include hardware stuff like the trackball and key on the front, the proximity, light and G sensors, LED and compass. Other features the dev has managed to run fine are the camera, Flash 10.1 support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. What’s still not working however is the microphone – a very important element no doubt. So, we hope the ROM will become available for all who would like to try it, as soon as this issue gets patched up.
source: Android@MoDaCo

Last week some HTC DROID ERIS users reported a minor OTA update, but the phone remained at Android 1.5. Now a few users are saying a new OTA update has started to roll-out this week with it taking the phone to Android 2.1, but not without a few problems. First off the update is reported to wipe the DROID ERIS clean of all user data, which can be a pain and time consuming to reload all your apps and personal settings. Furthermore, the update does not include the HTC Sense UI interface, which leads most people to believe this 2.1 OTA update is a mistake, and was not intended to be released yet. Because of this, only the brave should proceed with the update, and be sure to backup your data first. Let us know in the comment section below if your HTC DROID ERIS received the Android 2.1 update.
source: EngadgetMobile, AndroidForums, and Droid-Life

Today we came across the device that was previously rumored to become the third Android phone in Verizon’s lineup. As the Motorola DEVOUR is now announced and scheduled for a March release though, this goal would be quite difficult to achieve. Well, at least we can tell you that the Saygus Vphone can still become the fourth Android for Verizon! It’s almost as exciting, really. This handset is not yet officially announced, so keep in mind its future is not yet very clear. If it does launch at some point, we are hearing this might happen in May. Important specs include a 3.5-inch WVGA screen, 800MHz processor, 512MB RAM and 5MP camera. Enjoy the pics!

HTC Legend

HTC Desire

HTC today announced two new Android smartphones that we’ve seen in the unofficial space for months. As expected, the HTC Desire and HTC Legend are the new Android 2.1 smartphones of the company, featuring the revamped Sense user interface. In short, the new features of the interface include a new special screen that lets you overview all the home screen pages and easily pick one. Another novelty is the Friend Stream app, which aggregates updates of your friends’ social profiles. It kind of looks like MOTOBLUR’s happenings. The browser app is also slightly updated, letting you select certain text and run a quick Google search for it.

Now, the HTC Desire (aka Bravo) is something like HTC’s Sense UI version of the Nexus One. It sports very similar specs, including the beautiful 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen and 1GHz Snapdragon processor. For a smooth system performance, it has 576MB RAM and 512MB ROM, which sounds like more than enough. So, if you were into the Nexus One’s features, but also wanted HTC’s social-oriented Sense interface, we guess the Desire is what you’ve been dreaming of. It even has full Flash support so watching online video will be a seamless experience (we hope). The HTC Desire is a quad-band GSM and a dual-band 3G smartphone that will be available in Europe and Asia from early Q2. T-Mobile UK just announced it will offer the device starting March 26.

The HTC Legend is something else. It is the successor to the quite popular HTC Hero, sporting a 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen, 600MHz processor and 384MB RAM / 512MB ROM. Many other great features are also available of course, such as a 5MP shooter. The HTC Legend also runs Android 2.1 (aka Éclair) with the updated Sense UI proudly on top of it. The Legend has been “machined from a single aluminum block into a seamless compact frame”, which according to HTC has allowed them to make the device slightly smaller… um, okay, it’s a good looker that’s for sure. Being a dual-band 3G smartphone, the HTC Legend will be available in Europe (through Vodafone) in April, while other parts of the world will get it in early Q2.

Stay tuned for our hands-on experience with the HTC Desire and Legend live from the MWC!
source: HTC