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

Sometimes all it takes to sell something so sweet like the Motorola CLIQ XT is nothing but pieces of information on paper. Well, that’s seemingly how it’s actually turning out to become as these pamphlet leaks of the Motorola CLIQ XT provide some pointers to T-Mobile employees and everyone else in between. Just looking at one of the pamphlets, it insinuates a sales process that would clock in at 60 seconds or less to get someone sold on this Android powered smartphone. Obviously one could simply throw in their own flare to really up-sell the handset to would be buyers, but features like its 5-megapixel camera, pinch and zoom navigation, and MOTOBLUR should hopefully be enough to convince the most uninterested consumer to take notice. If you do your homework before this handset is available, you can do a role reversal in stores and really impress that salesperson – potentially getting a part time gig working there as well.
source: Engadget via TmoNews

Crave recently had a problem with a Nexus One. It was suffering from BGS or Broken Glass Syndrome. A trip to the Doctor (HTC support) was in order and the Doc said that cracked glass was actually quite a common occurrence. The support guy said, “”Putting a phone in a tight pair of jeans and sitting down would usually cause the kind of damage,” that this particular handset displayed. He also said that a small ding could gradually expand over time and become larger and larger. The support guy added that a common cause of cracked screens is the banging that a phone takes from keys when the unit is placed in a handbag. The N-One comes with neoprene case that is made to protect the handset from this type of damage. As far as how much the crack on CNET’s Nexus One would cost to fix, HTC support quoted 180 BP which is equivalent to $273 dollars, more than the $179 price for the phone with T-Mobile’s service. Despite the recent video we showed you of how the N-One goes through some rough tests to make sure it can hold up to daily use, the HTC support guy said, “People sometimes forget that they don’t go in pockets.” Not sure if we’ve ever seen that warning included with a phone before, but we now know better. As for CNET, they did get a new Nexus One courtesy of HTC.
source: CNETUK

You’ve probably been seeing a decent amount of commercials on TV showcasing the Samsung Behold II. It really makes you wonder why it took Samsung so long for it to start heavily advertising its Android smartphone geared towards the US market. Some would suggest that it got lost in the myriad of Android offerings that fell through during the holidays or that it didn’t live up to the complete experience that its rivals offered. In any case, it looks like Samsung is teaming up with T-Mobile again for their next Android powered smartphone in the US – enter the Samsung T959 which is speculated to run Android 2.1 from the start. In addition, it features a screen resolution of 320 x 480 (no word on the screen size itself), Bluetooth 2.1, support for T-Mobile’s 3G bands, aGPS, and an unspecified megapixel count for its camera. Even though there weren’t too many people thrilled with Samsung’s last Android offering with T-Mobile, let’s hope they take those criticisms and use it to their advantage with the T959.
source: Cell Phone Signal

This is news that might make some Nexus One owners feel a little upset and make Motorola DROID owners smile. The former phone is having some problems with its multitouch support. Wait-don’t panic. The pinch-to-zoom is working just fine. We know many of you who would rather miss their morning coffee than lose pinch-to-zoom. No, the problem is when two fingers are close to each other or cross the same axis, the data points get reversed. An app called Multitouch Visible Test is available in the Android Market and is supposed to show exactly where the phone is recording the two finger touches. Using this app reveals the problem with the phone.

While some are complaining about the multitouch on the Nexus One, the DROID has no such problems despite running the slightly older 2.0.1 OS. And for those ready to cry “Shenanigans”, the DROID currently does support multitouch for Google Maps and for third party games. Check out the video below which shows the problem that the N-One has had. Can this be fixed? It doesn’t appear to be a software problem, unfortunately. In fact, a Google engineer named Diane Hackborn (what a GREAT name for someone dealing with smartphones) says that the touchscreen on the Nexus One is the same as used on the G1 and myTouch models. She says that the DROID has a sensor from a different manufacturer that behaves differently. Between the lines, she is saying that the display on the Motorola device is more capable and can better handle multitouch action. Since it is not an Android problem and is not software related, there is not much outside of a recall that can fix the problem.
source: AndroidandMe

There were some unhappy campers after the latest Motorola CLIQ update went live – it caused some people to find their usually happy smartphone turn into a worthless paper weight; expensive one actually. In any case, these bricked Motorola CLIQ handsets were probably the last thing that most owners expected to see. It seems that Motorola has gone on the record to finally acknowledge the problems that occurred with the CLIQ 1.3.18 update. Now that the damage is done, Motorola is setting their eyes on making things right for the affected owners. Let’s just hope that future updates from Motorola are smoother with less headaches as we’ve seen recently. The following statement from Motorola was made available to the blog These Are the DROIDS:

Last week, the CLIQ 1.3.18 over-the-air software update began rolling out to consumers.  While the vast majority of updates were successful, a very small number of consumers reported a date error and found that, after factory resetting their device, their phone was not functioning properly. We have identified a workaround solution for these consumers, which can be found on the Motorola support forum (http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/us/support/tmo/index.html).

To our consumers, we apologize and are working swiftly to reconcile the situation. We are also revising the over-the-air software update so that this workaround solution is no longer needed. Consumers will be notified on their device when the revised update is available.
If you would like to provide more guidance to your readers, below is additional information for consumers:

To our consumers who downloaded the update and their device is working properly, no further action is needed. To our consumers who never received a notification to download the update, please do not take further action. You will be notified on your device when the revised update is available to you. To consumers who received an error or whose device date reads December 31, 1969, please visit the support site listed above for assistance.
source: These Are the DROID via TmoNews

With the expectations of a launch this month of the Motorola CLIQ XT for T-Mobile, it should be no surprise that we finally have been able to catch a picture of the phone wearing the T-Mobile brand. The CLIQ XT has a cool feature that allows the sides of the phone, ending with the first third of the device on the way up, to be sensitive to your touch. That allows you to select an app while holding the phone, without using your thumb on the touchpad. And with T-Mobile’s recent partnership with Swype, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the program that allows you to type faster and more accurately be under the hood right out of the box. Another program that T-Mobile has recently agreed to partner with is the double Twsit apps that allow multimedia from your PC to be sent to your cellphone. While everyone is still waiting for T-Mobile to announce a launch date, the smart money is betting on March 10th. The handset will initially run Android 1.6, feature Flash Lite and users will be able to get all of their important social networking updates pushed to the home screen with the MOTOBLUR UI. What more could a Android fan want?
source: AndroidCentral

With the many Android handsets that received some kind of major or minor update recently, the original starter to all those handsets is getting a minor update as well. Before you start jumping for joy, this isn’t the kind of update you’re probably expecting – instead it will only improve the G1’s calling performance and does not include any other feature enhancements. It’s actually quite similar to the minor update that the original T-Mobile myTouch 3G received almost a month ago. The Android 1.6 update (DMD64) is expected to roll out through an over-the-air process starting today and will eventually make it to everyone by March 15th. Owners of the original Android smartphone will receive a notification on their device prompting them to either “install now” or “install later.” Once the update is completely installed, the unit will restart and owners can expect an improvement on call performance  – and that’s all. You’ll have to look elsewhere if you really want a piece of the latest version of the platform.
source: TmoNews

Having a 3.5mm jack on the top of your Android phone must be some kind of status symbol. According to T-Mobile, the carrier is removing the myTouch 3G with 3.5mm jack from its Handset Upgrade program due to lack of inventory. The operator says that the next shipment of the newer myTouch model will be arriving sometime in March. At that time it will re-enter the witness protection program-oops, we mean the Handset Upgrade program. Until then, the nation’s fourth largest carrier suggests that if you have you heart set on getting the myTouch 3G with 3.5mm jack now, before you get laughed at by everyone on your block, check the T-Mobile stores near you to see if any of them have any inventory remaining. Good Luck.
source: T-Mobile via  TmoNews

Remember that minor upgrade sent out to owners of the Motorola CLIQ just the other day? You know, the one we reported that placed version 1.3.18 on the CLIQ and fixed some minor bugs with the touchscreen and GPS and improved battery life. One thing that the update has done to some phones which was not included in the change log, was to brick the handset. Some are reporting on the Motorola and T-Mobile forums that after downloading the upgrade and rebooting the phone, it accidentally sets the time stamp to “0″ which in Linux is equal to December 31, 1969 at 7:00 P.M in the Gregorian cal­endar format. To make matters worse, the time cannot be changed which is making many functions of the handset not work. Some were told to do a Master Reset and that only made matters worse by not fixing the time and preventing users from signing into MOTOBLUR and even turning on the phone. Motorola and T-Mobile are aware of the problem and will be sending out a fix. In the meantime, do not update to 1.3.18 unless you need a new puck for your next ice hockey game.

A T-Mobile spokesperson named Meriah said, “Thanks everyone for informing us what the latest Motorla CLIQ OTA update has brought to light. We want everyone to know we have been reading your comments and we hear you. We have forwarded your concerns to the appropriate people and are working hard on them. As of now, we advise you not to Master Reset your phone if your OTA update did not download of if you are experiencing issues at this time.”
source: T-Mobileforums via AndroidandMe