Looks like Rogers are starting to pay more attention on Android phones versus Windows Mobile. They have just released the new Samsung Galaxy Spica Android device. The device has a 3.2” AMOLED touchscreen and super slim 13mm design. It comes with 2GB of expandable memory, a 3.2MP camera and a powerful 800 Mhz processor so you can run multiple apps at once. It will be launching with OS 1.5 but will be upgradeable to 2.1 later on. The device goes on sale today and can be purchased for $79.99 with select 3 year voice+data plans.Get em while they’re hot!
Tether has reached its one year birthday and they are going all out! Tether is a program for Mac and PC that allows users to tether their BlackBerry or Android (currently in beta) phones to their computer. Tether has reached 110,000 BlackBerry smartphones which is huge! The company has made some huge accomplishments in the smartphone world and we are really excited for them.
Now the the part you are all waiting for… the giveaway. Tether has given us 25 copies to giveaway to our readers! They are also giving away SIX smartphone devices including three BlackBerry devices and three Android devices here. So how do you get a license? Just leave a comment with:
Name
Email (will not be shared)
A quick comment why you want a Tether license!
We will choose 25 readers and notify you by email! It is as easy as that.
EDIT: This contest has been completed and winners will be notified soon.
AT&T released the Motorola BACKFLIP today on their website and in stores. Back in January, we brought you a hands-on with the phone from CES and we were impressed with the design. The BACKFLIP goes for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a two-year contract. The phone does require a $30 a month data plan. With MOTOBLUR, the phone is great for social media and updating all your statuses on the go.
SugarSync is a service that lets people sync all of their data to a cloud. It is great for backing up your files or sharing them with your friends, family, or coworkers. With great mobile solutions, SugarSync allows you to use your smartphone to view and upload files to the cloud. The application is currently available for the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, and Windows Mobile phones.
SugarSync announced today a new way to upload files to the cloud, by using email. The users just forwards the email attachment to a unique email address and it will instantly sync to to all of their devices and the SugarSync. This is great for using when you are not near a computer.
The company has also launched a new update to their Android application. This update allows for local sync to the smartphone’s SD card and music streaming from remote recvices.
Lastly, SugarSync has also announced a new 500GB plan for users who want to store even more data on the cloud. This plan is available upon request.
Rogers has just announced their partnership with Acer as the first company to offer it’s Liquid e smartphone device in Canada at the World Mobile Conference in Barcelona. The Acer Liquid e will be the only Android 2.1 enabled device, including high definition display, advanced new features and functionality. I’ve already got to play with this device in Taiwan and I can definitely tell you that this is one hot smartphone. The device will be available exclusively from Rogers beginning this spring.
Today AT&T announced the availability of its first Android phone, the MOTOROLA BACKFLIP. You may remember our hands-on with the BACKFLIP back at CES. This phone runs MOTOBLUR which is powered by Android. MOTOBLUR syncs yours contacts with your social networks and delivers the content right to the homepage. The phone will be available on March 7 at AT&T stores and online for $99.99 after mail-in rebate with a two-year contract.
Verizon announced a strategic relationship with Skype today at Mobile World Congree. This means that Verizon smartphones will be able to use Skype over 3G starting in March. According to Skype and Verizon, the perks of having Skype on your smartphone are:
make and receive unlimited Skype-to-Skype voice calls to any Skype user around the globe on America’s most reliable wireless network;
call international phone numbers at competitive Skype Out calling rates;
send and receive instant messages to other Skype users; and
remain always connected with the ability to see friends’ online presence.
At launch, Skype will be available on the BlackBerry® Storm™ 9530, Storm2™ 9550, Curve™ 8330, Curve™ 8530, 8830 World Edition and Tour™ 9630 smartphones, as well as DROID by Motorola, DROID ERIS™ by HTC and Motorola DEVOUR™.
Today Verizon Wireless announced the availability of the Motorola DEVOUR smartphone on its network. Available in March, the Motorola DEVOUR will be the first phone to run MOTOBLUR on the Verizon Network. MOTOBLUR, powered by Android, syncs yours contacts with your social networks and delivers the content right to the homepage. The DEVOUR has a 3.1″ capacitive touch screen that slides up to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. For media, the phone comes with a pre-installed 8 GB microSD card and has A2DP bluetooth. Customers who want to get the Motorola DEVOUR will be required to get a dataplan which runs $29.99 a month.
Firefox, one of the Internet’s best web browsers, is now working on a project for the Android platform and it will probably be known as Fennec as well. Fennec, which means little fox, is currently still in the alpha stage for the Windows Mobile Phone platform and has been like that for almost close to a year. Just a little ove 7 months ago we heard that the Mozilla company was working on a browser fr the Android platform and now that product is coming to reality. There are reports on the German Mozilla community website that they are preparing the first Beta (Fennec) for Android to be out in February. To make things even more interesting, the Google Labs site listed a Labs Night meeting for yesterday where Jay Sullivan (Mozilla VP of Mobile) would discuss their mobile strategy and demo the FireFox for Android beta. It will be interesting to see what Mozilla can do for the Android platform because their stock browser is getting a tad bit better at rendering full websites and quicker loading times on each software update. Now we can’t forget about the downloadable Dolphin browser, which implements multi-touch in the browser, something that the stock Android browser doesn’t have.
UPDATE: It appears that February was a bit “optimistic” and Firefox for Android is more likely several months away although progress is being made quickly. To follow progress of the project visit this link.
Good news for those looking to replace the stock Android browser on your device. The first beta version of Firefox for Android (Fennec) will be released in February 2010. Currently, Firefox is among the most popular PC browsers, and my personal favorite. We have seen Fennec operating on the Nokia N900, but now with Firefox for Android the company’s plans go even further.
Rumor has it that a US flavored version of the MOTOROI, Motorola’s latest edition to the DROID family, is on its way to home shelves this March. Moto Korea head honcho Rick Wolochatiuk was on hand at the Korean launch to confirm that the new handset “will be launched in other markets around the world,” with the US specifically confirmed for a March release. To refresh your memory, the MOTOROI, is a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen spliced atop hardware good enough to record 720p video and output it via HDMI. An 8 megapixel camera with Xenon flash should ensure you get pretty decent photos too. It looks as if this handset will be running MotoBlur via Android 2.0. Stay tuned for more news as the days get closer to release.
Update: The MOTOROI will become available throughout the world in March, instead of just being released in Korea.
