Today Google release Google Earth for Android, unfortunately if you’re not running Android 2.1 you’ve been left out loop.
Peter Birch, a Google product manager, wrote in a blog post:
“This is our fastest mobile version of Google Earth yet, with a smooth framerate and a beautiful 800 x 480 screen.”
The Android version of Google’s mapping program will include the Roads layer, which labels road names on top of satellite images. Google has also added voice recognition to Google Earth. As with other versions, Google Earth for Android includes photos, places, and local businesses, and the ability to customize so it displays the layers you use most.
As with other versions of Google Earth, you can also browse photos, places, and local businesses, whether it is in your local community or on the far side of the globe. Click on an icon to see photos, videos, and read about prominent places in the world. You can easily customize your version of Google Earth to display the layers that most interest you.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha said if he had the R&D budget, Motorola would develop its own mobile operating system.
The company also showed support for Windows 7 that Microsoft unveiled earlier this week. Motorola said now that Windows 7 is a clean new OS, it just may adopt it for some of its devices, as opposed to primarily supporting Google Android, which is the complete opposite of what they said when they debuted the Verizon Droid. In fact Motorola had stopped producing Windows Mobile smartphones in favor of devices that run Google’s Android OS. Read more…
Today Google announced the addition of Google Shopper to their Android application line-up.
Part barcode scanner, part Shop Savvy, and part Amazon app. Google Shopper allows you to scan either a products barcode or covers of books, cds, and video games. Shopper uses the auto-focus camera of your Android device to capture a product image or barcode. Using that information Google Shopper will return with prices, ratings, retailers, and access to expert and user reviews.
Here’s how Google describes the workings of Google Shopper:
Shopper lets you find product information quickly by using your phone’s camera. It can recognize cover art of books, CDs, DVDs, and video games, along with most barcodes. You can also speak the name of the product you’re looking for. Use Shopper to make smart decisions about what to buy, what price to pay, and where to buy it. You can star items for later and share them with friends. Shopper also saves your history so you’ll always have product and price information at your fingertips, even when you don’t have a signal.
Quick review with images and video after the break. Read more…
Sprint tells Forbes its first 4G handset will launch in the first half of 2010–a few months earlier than many expected. According to Forbes the device will be “dual-mode”, automatically switching to Sprint’s 3G network in areas where 4G isn’t available. In an attempt to gain advantage over their competitors Sprint is targeting the device and its WiMax service to government and businesses as well everyday users.
During the interview Paget Alves, Sprint’s president of Business Markets, wouldn’t disclose details about the handset. Speculation is that Paget is talking about the HTC Supersonic which will feature HTC’s Sense UI on top of Android 2.1 and bases its design on the HD series. Read more…
I’ve been playing around with Google Buzz the last couple of days and finally was able to get it to work on my HTC Hero via the buzz.google.com website. Well, maybe I should say I was able to get it to partially work. I’m able to post updates to Google Buzz minus my location.
This morning I logged into Google Maps and Latitude and noticed that my Buzz status update from February 13th was showing in my Latitude updates and I was able to converse back and forth with my fellow Buzzards in that update.
If you look at the 2nd and 3rd updates in the list, I posted those via Latitude, when I signed into my Buzz account from the computer I noticed that they had also cross posted to Buzz, but were only available to those people who were Latitude buddies.
Now I was on a mission to find out if there was a setting in Latitude that I was missing. Why were updates from Buzz on the mobile web showing in my Latitude updates? And, why were updates from Latitude showing in my Buzz updates but limited to my Latitude buddies? Read more…
Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google announced today in his keynote speech during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that Google’s Android will support Flash 10.1 opening up the Android operating system to more content.
Android will no longer be locked into application based games or video content. Users will be able to interact with websites in the same way they interact on their computers. This is huge because neither the iPhone nor the upcoming Windows 7 operating systems support flash. On top of that, this is not Flash Lite. This is full fledged Flash, users will get the full functionality of flash and not just simple audio or video streams.
This should make competitors nervous simply because Microsoft has claimed that they are working with Adobe to develop a solution; however, flash will not be ready for the launch of Windows 7. Another reason Google will continue to take market share away from Windows Mobile and iPhone.
Word around the interwebs seems to indicate that Verizon has started rolling out the Android 2.1 update to the Droid Eris.
HTC confirmed yesterday via their Twitter account that the Droid Eris would in fact be receiving the update to 2.1, which was good news to Eris users who previously were told they were only being updated to 2.0.
Apparently the update doesn’t come without issues. Updaters are reporting Google Sync issues, data being erased, and no update to HTC’s Sense UI. We strongly recommend you backup all your data and remove your SD card before proceeding with the update if you receive a notification on your Eris. Read more…
If you like to hear things for yourself straight from the horses mouth you’re in luck HTC has posted their entire MWC press event, we have it here for your viewing pleasure.
Let us know what you think by sounding off in the comments.
Verizon Wireless has kicked off their Double Your Droid campaign, which unlike previous buy one get one offers, the Double Your Droid campaign allows you to get two Droids or two Eris’ for the price of one.
Are you going to Double Your Droid or wait for one of the rumored new devices to hit Verizon?
Nine Verizon smartphones with data plans will be able to make unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls, as well as calls to landline or mobile numbers.
The partnership brings Skype to both Blackberry and Android platforms on Verizon Wireless, which will start selling devices with Skype pre-installed in March . Skype over 3G will allow international calls at rates unavailable from traditional wireless carriers.
For example, calling Australia on Skype will cost $0.021 per minute, Verizon charges $0.17. The Verizon rate is over eight times the rate offered by Skype assuming the you’re paying the $3.99 monthly fee for an international calling plan. Without the plan, you’ll pay a whopping, $1.66 per minute. Read more…
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