Android Mobile Device

Ok, not really; but with only one awkwardly angled picture to go off of, we can’t help but think it looks like the other guy. Specifications about the phone are scarce, but what is rumored, for now at least, is a delicious 5 mega pixel camera and a 3.5mm head jack. That’s right, no need for a cumbersome adapter! With the recent FCC approval of UMA on the HTC Magic (aka G2) we can only hope this will be included in Huawei’s yet unnamed phone. No firm release date has been announced, just the vaguely stated “Q3 2009”.

For the time being, the rumor is that the phone will carry another company’s brand name, much like T-Mobile’s current HTC phones are branded T-Mobile.

[Via TMOnews]

When Skype Lite launched on the Android Market back in January, it came as a mixed blessing. While it was a great solution for making international calls with your G1, it cannot use WiFi and forces you to use your minutes/data plan quota, essentially double charging you since you’ve got to pay for the Skype fees as well. But what about folks who want to make WiFi VoIP calls?

A clever reader (thanks Nikotttin!) pointed us to an application called Sipdroid. While it started as an open source project, it since has moved to closed development in the Alpha Stage, leaving non-sherlockes hopeless. But a little digging reveals a lot, for example this Sipdroid demo on YouTube published last week:

As you can clearly see, the And Dev Phone 1 (or rooted G1) he is working on is utlizing the Internet connection from the computer in the background to call the second phone he is holding, all with the Sipdroid application. Furthermore, comments on the YouTube video indicate that Sipdroid should be hitting Android Market by the end of May at the latest!

Of course there ARE still a bunch of question marks. First off is the fact that this morning, we learned Google banned tethering apps from the market. And while a VoIP app using WiFi isn’t related to tethering it DOES have something in common: the potential to piss off carriers. Using a VoIP application over WiFi means less mobile minutes used by customers which means less income from the carriers.

It still remains to be seen whether Google will ban apps only on certain carriers or if there will be carrier targeting or what, but VoIP apps like Sipdroid could certainly fall victim to the priorities of carriers. Seeing as how Android follows the “open” mantra, you would HOPE this would find a home on the market, especially since you can now get Skype over WiFi on the iPhone – a traditionally more closed platform.

Of course Skype could surprise us and launch a full version of Skype on the Android Market well before Sipdroid releases and we wouldn’t complain. We just wanted you know that options are on the way.

It seems that the guys holding the ban stick over at Google’s Market HQ have exercised their firm back swing on applications that allow an Android device to be used as a tether, which gives other devices access to the internet through it. The first victim would be the Wifi Tether for Root Users. It seems that when you combine a pinch of the Developer Distribution Agreement and a dash of the T-Mobile Terms of Service what you have is a recipe that reserves the right to remove any application that allows for tethering.

According to the T-Mobile TOS:

“Your Data Plan is intended for Web browsing, messaging, and similar activities on your device and not on any other equipment. Unless explicitly permitted by your Data Plan, other uses, including for example, tethering your device to a personal computer or other hardware, are not permitted.”

It seems as if the G1 falls under the category of “no tether”.

With new Android powered phones brought to us through other carriers on the horizon, you have to wonder what Google’s response is going to be to applications, available in the future, that don’t agree with one carrier’s TOS but agree with that of others.

[via FalseDichotomies]

What would Monday be like without the Phandroid Podcast? Hopefully not as good! Rob Jackson (I’m Amish), Joey Sochacki (@sochacki on twitter) and Spencer Gardner (@spencergardner on twitter) are back with Episode 4 and this week we talk about everything from Cupcake and Android Market to a few specific Android Apps, CTIA, Hardware Rumors and the Palm Pre! Hopefully we got the podcast up in time for Quentyn K’s commute and left out enough UMMMS for Andrew R – to whom the podcast is dedicated. Keep the comments, suggestions, encouragement and hate mail coming!

Download audio file (phandroidpodcast-4.mp3)

Download the MP3

Here are some links to the items on the agenda if you’d like to follow along and go more in depth:

• Android Market Requests
• Palringo for Android
• T-Mobile’s MyAccount App
• Flash on Android from BSQUARE
• Google Voice Number Porting
• CTIA Wireless
• Acer A1, HTC Hero, HTC Magic in South Korea and Denmark and USA FCC
• Android’s 5%
• Palm Pre April 30th for $299

Enjoy the Podcast? Subscribe via RSS Reader or through iTunes!

Android is going to have some stiff competition in about a month – the rumor just leaked that the Palm Pre is launching on April 30th.

But this is an Android website, why the heck do we care? Well, we’d like to take a moment to welcome PalmWebOS.org into our family of websites. Since the day Google Android was announced, we built this website for people like us who loved the idea of Android and were excited for everything it meant to the mobile industry. Android can certainly take credit for much of this push towards open systems, application platforms and general awareness about the potential power of smartphones. WebOS is following the footsteps of Android.

Palm has fans just like us Phandroids and they deserve the same type of outlet for information and entertainment. PalmWebOS.org will bring that to them. I don’t want to say too much about the Palm Pre but it’s launch IS significant to Android enthusiasts who are looking at the bigger picture. Personally, I think it’s more like the iPhone than Android, but we’ll be talking about that in the Podcast to be published Monday. Competition forces businesses to up their game and offer better products and services at cheaper prices. Android fans should be happy about this!

So there you have it. The Palm Pre on April 30th and iPhone 3.0 right around the corner as well. The HTC Magic is coming up soon, too and of course we’ve got the rumored HTC Hero. As for when the tsunami of robots will bring Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Motorola, Garmin and more Android Phone’s to us is anyone’s guess. Oh yeah, and we could go for an Android Netbook soon, too.

[Via Palm WebOS]