Someone anonymously sent Android Spin information about an upcoming HTC device that wasn’t mentioned in the infamous roadmap leak of December 2009. If their information is to be believed, then HTC will come out with a device called either the Scorpion or the Olympian, that it will be powered by an ARM Cortex based 1.5 GHz processor, and that it runs Android 2.2.
The weird part out of all of this is that this mysterious device is supposed to include WiMAX. The amount of people using WiMAX devices right now is so small, so insignificant, couple that with an entire industry is moving to LTE, and I’m simply left confused. But hey, it’s a rumor.
Qualcomm has confirmed that they’re working on 1.5 GHz Snapdragon processors, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is obviously working on a new version of Android, HTC is one of Google’s best partners, so we’re definitely going to see something turn up in the future that matches this rumour. Whether or not it lives up to the expectations you’ve set for yourself, or has the same model name that we’ve seen today, is a whole other story.
As an apparent answer to all those Nexus One customers who have been complaining that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is taking too long to respond to customer service emails/inquiries, Google has rolled out a new Nexus One customer support hotline. Now, instead of just emailing the traditionally closed and uncommunicative search giant, Google is offering Nexus One owners and soon-to-be users a phone number that they can call to talk to a live person. Combined with the Google’s decision to lower the Nexus One return fee, it seems Google is looking to boost the Android phone’s flat sales.
Here’s Google’s statement on the matter:
“By design, we focused initially on providing the best possible customer support through our on-line channel, and our experience in the four weeks since the Nexus One launch enabled us to significantly enhance that on-line support offering. We have been able to address a large majority of customers’ inquiries successfully through on-line support, in combination with phone support from our partners, HTC and T-Mobile (NYSE: DT). That said, our approach with our new consumer channel is to learn fast and continue to improve…Live phone support from Google, combined with an optimized on-line support experience, enables a superior Nexus One customer experience.”
Starting today, Google will field all your Nexus One customer support questions through their new toll-free phone number. If you’re in the US, just dial (888) 48NEXUS (63987) between 4 a.m. and 7 p.m. to talk to a real, live person. If you’re thinking about calling to get technical support or in reference to your T-Mobile service, you can find phone numbers here.
Google’s Nexus One sales have been fairly flat since the Android phone was launched earlier this year, but things may change with Google (NSDQ: GOOG)’s decision to reduce its early termination fee. The Nexus One maker has been getting some bad press surrounding the Nexus One’s $350 early return fee – something Google calls their “equipment recovery fee” – and has even drawn an official inquiry by the FCC. It’s not clear why, exactly, but Google has announced that it has dropped the fee for returning a Nexus One down to $150.
Still, the drop in fees doesn’t make the Nexus One a cheap smartphone to return. Google’s new $150 “equipment recovery fee” rides on top of T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)’s $200 ETF fee, so it’s still going to cost you a pretty penny to give the N1 back to Google. If you return the phone within 14 days of purchase, you’re free and clear of the penalty. But, should you return the phone after 14 days, you’ll be stuck paying Google’s fee in addition to T-Mobile’s ETF.
Check out Google’s new Nexus One terms of sale here.
We haven’t seen many real devices from HTC’s roadmap yet (the Bravo is the only thing that comes to mind), but the Android-powered Legend has recently made an appearance. Eye candy aside, there’s not much additional information – at most, the Sense UI is confirmed. The screen looks an awful lot like the Verizon (NYSE: VZ) (NYSE: VZ)-bound Incredible, which we saw earlier today.
If we’re to take the roadmap at face value, the Legend will be packing a 3.2” display, quadband EDGE/GSM and 900/2100 HSPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 5 megapixel camera, optical trackpad, 3.5mm headphone jack, and 600 MHz processor. It could be coming out in March, which means an announcement at Mobile World Congress this week is pretty likely.
Personally, I find the phone a little blocky looking, and not really digging the chrome-coloured casing, but hey, if this thing comes out at $200 or under, it should offer a marginal upgrade option for the Hero.
I have to ask this question to Rogers (NYSE: RCI) HTC Dream users… Have you completed your OS update yet?
Rogers has dubbed the most recent OS update mandatory, due to a 911 call glitch that needed urgent attention. The update came out (thanks to the folks at HTC), and now Rogers is laying down the heavy hand on all Dream users. If you haven’t updated your OS as of yet, your next outgoing call may be routed to Rogers’ customer service where you will be asked to start the update. Also, all data to the device has been turned off until the new OS is loaded up. To get back on track, users need to start the update process by either talking to a Rogers’ representative, or by hitting up http://www.rogers.com/dreamsoftwareupdate from their device.
Once this critical OS update is completed, voice service should be good to go, but data may take up to 24 hours to ‘kick in’. My advice? Run the OS update already. If you don’t, Rogers may set your device to self-destruct in 10, 9, 8…
Verizon (NYSE: VZ) wants its share of the Android-Snapdragon market and HTC is delivering the goods. The device is called HTC Incredible and it looks pretty much like Google (NSDQ: GOOG)’s Nexus One. Specs are similar as well, and include Android 2.1, Snapdragon, 3.5-3.7 – inch WVGA (AMOLED?) touchscreen, camera with dual-LED flash, optical mouse (unlike Google’s phone), and so on. However, unlike the Nexus One, the Incredible relies on HTC’s Sense UI, which I find to be more usable than Android’s default UI. I’m guessing Verizon will use MWC to officially announce its “Incredible” phone, though I may be wrong. We’ll see… And now the photos.
While not quite up to the kind of sales numbers that the iPhone and Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid have been enjoying, Google’s Nexus One has managed to find 80,000 new homes in January. Following up on a report that Google sold 20,000 Nexus One Android phones in the first week of sales, it seems Google has been selling their first smartphone at a steady rate of 20k per week. The sales figures – which come from Flurry Analytics by way of the WSJ – aren’t anything to write home about, and definitely won’t give Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) or Motorola reason to lose sleep at night, but they do hint at an interesting potential future for the Nexus One – that of the undercover blockbuster hit.
Again, 80,000 units sold during a launch month is not impressive for the a smartphone of the Nexus One’s pedigree. But, keep in mind that sales have been steady and decently strong – again, not compared to the iPhone, but 80,000 is not a small number in and of itself. Also, keep in mind that the Nexus One is only fully functional on T-Mobile’s 3G network. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) will be launching the Nexus One in the spring, which will open up the Nexus One to a whole new market. It’s also rumored to hit AT&T (NYSE: T).
When the Nexus One goes live on Verizon, the phone could very well go from undercover status to a true-blue blockbuster success. What do you think, dear reader? Will the Nexus One come into its own once it hits Verizon? Will sales continue to lag (relatively) throughout the year? Keep in mind that Android 2.1 OS will be rolled out to other Android phones by that time.
One of the HTC HD2’s shining achievements as a smartphone is its super-slim profile. It packs in a veritable cornucopia of high-end mobile hardware into a package that’s thinner than an iPhone. There’s GPS, WiFi, 3G data, 5-megapixel autofocus camera (with flash), and a huge 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen – all wrapped in a slick body trimmed in soft-touch rubber and metal. But, it’s a battery hog. That’s where the extended batter you see here comes into play. The only downside? It’s huge, and ugly, and huge.
The extended battery costs £41.11 from easydevices.co.uk, and it offers your HTC HD2 a whopping 2300mAh of battery power. That should be more than enough juice to get you through a day of abusively heavy web surfing, video watching, and emailing – that or a couple/few days of moderate use. It even has a kickstand built into it for watching videos and whatnot.
Still, you’ll have to suffer the looks of disapproval fellow gadget geeks may throw your way for sullying the HD2’s sleek lines just so you can watch an entire season of Ghost Whisperer on your phone.
The Nexus One in my pocket has just been blessed with Google (NSDQ: GOOG)’s software update, which enables multi-touch pinch zooming in the web browser, photo gallery, and Google Maps apps. The lack of multi-touch support on the Nexus One’s Android 2.1 OS is considered by many to be the biggest drawback that’s keeping the N1 from truly challenging the iPhone 3GS. But, now that Google is rolling out the N1 software update over the air, the multi-touch argument no longer holds water.
Which is the better smartphone? Well, here’s a little video demonstration of me multi-touching the N1 like it’s going out of style. Enjoy!
If you still don’t have the update, you can always follow our DIY tutorial to force update your Nexus One with the multi-touch pinch zooming update.
The only thing keeping your Nexus One from laying the smack-down on Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s iPhone is this small software update that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) are sending over-the-air (OTA). Packed inside an update no more than a couple dozen megabytes lies the power to enable multi-touch pinch zooming on your N1. So, why let something like a random update roll-out stand between you and multi-touch zooming on the Nexus One’s browser, Google Maps or gallery apps? You can force update your Nexus One and flip the switch on your multi-finger goodness right now!
The force update process is super simple. You don’t even need to root (jailbreak) the Nexus One to do it. Here’s how:
Download the software update file to your desktop.
As an apparent answer to all those Nexus One customers who have been complaining that Google (
Google’s Nexus One sales have been fairly flat since the Android phone was launched earlier this year, but things may change with Google (
I have to ask this question to Rogers (
While not quite up to the kind of sales numbers that the iPhone and Motorola (
One of the 
