As if Verizon didn’t have enough Android phones already, customers can now start getting their Galaxy S fix. Featuring 4 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen, 1 Ghz processor, as well as a 5MP camera with HD video, the Fascinate also features support for connection up to 5 WiFi devices.
[Best Buy via Android Community]
We just love spy shots of phones still under development, and this is no exception. A high end HTC, featuring a 4 inch screen, full QWERTY spring-loaded sliding keyboard, CDMA/GSM radio “world phone” so it will work when not in the United States, and a 1.2Ghz processor. As well as coming preloaded with at least Android 2.2, if not 3.0.
After the success of the G1, HTC kind of abandoned the sliding QWERTY for a while until the average spec’d MyTouch Slide came out. But it’s good to see they still show love to the keyboard fans out there. I know I couldn’t do without one.
No word on when we might actually see this come out, but you can bet there’s more leaks around the corner soon. Hit the link for a couple more shots.
[The Droid Guy via Phandroid]
Good news for all you LG Ally owners out there. You will also be joining the ranks of the elite phones such as the Droid X and the HTC EVO 4G and getting the upgrade to Android 2.2 FroYo. LG has not provided an expected date, or even a timeframe, but we can assume they’ll try and get it out before the end of the year. Hopefully sooner than later. The LG Ally is in a unique position of being one of the only full QWERTY Android handsets and also one of LG’s only Android phones out in North America. Just because it isn’t the most powerful popular phone doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have the latest OS.
Don’t feel like waiting around for Verizon to push you the Android 2.2 update? Great, let’s show you how to upgrade manually. The process is fairly straight forward, and not very risky like rooting your phone. Also, this is the official update, so it will not harm your phone or void your warranty. Thanks to Android Forums for this great guide! Let’s get started:
What You’ll Need:
- A MicroSD Card inserted into your Droid
- An Internet Connection1. Install Astro File Manager:
Install Astro File Manager for free from the Android Market if you don’t already have it.
(Scanning this QR code will take you to the Android Market listing for Astro File Manager.)
2. Download the update.zip file to your phone:
Download the update.zip file from one of the following locations directly from the internet to your phone:Location 1 | My Droid Does [Tested and Verified!]
Location 2 | Dev-Mob [Tested and Verified!]
(Scanning the QR codes from above will automatically begin the download from its respective location.)
3. Move the update.zip file to the root of your SD card:
To move the update.zip to the root of your SD card, do the following:
- Open Astro File Manager
- Enter the Downloads folder
- Press and hold on the update.zip file
- Select “Edit” and then “Copy”
- Now press the “Astro Up” button once which will take the root directory
- Press the “Astro Edit” button followed by “Paste”
The update.zip file should now be in the root directory.4. Prepare for the Update:
Once you have unmounted the phone, it is now time to prepare the Droid to perform the update. You will be accessing Recovery Mode to do this. Start by powering down the phone completely.While holding “X” on the physical keyboard, hold the power button to turn on the phone. You may let go of the power button, but do not let go of X.
After a few seconds, an Exclamation Mark icon will appear. You may now let go of X. To access Recovery Mode from the exclamation mark icon, hold the volume up button and then press the camera button.
5. Perform the Update:
You will then open a text menu with four options. Using the directional pad, navigate to “apply sdcard:update.zip” and push the gold, center button to select it.
The update process will begin immediately and should take no longer than a minute or two. It will let you know when the process is complete.
You might get this error:
Code:
E:Can’t open /cache/recovery/command
DON’T worry about it… it just blows right past it and installs fine.
From here, navigate to “reboot system now” and select it. Your phone will shut off and reboot.
Some users are reporting a longer than usual boot time after installing this, be patient and do not be alarmed, this is normal.
6. Congratulations!
Your Droid has now been updated to the official Android 2.2 Froyo release! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns what so ever, please post them to this thread. I will be closely monitoring this thread to provide assistance to those who need it.ENJOY!
[via Phandroid]
Good news for both Android developers and downstream users as well. Motorola has released the source code for the Verizon Droid X, and Samsung goes open source with the Captivate (AT&T’s Galaxy S).
And once programmers get a bite into the source code, look for hacks, fixes, customization and ROMs to come flooding out. Bravo to Motorola and Samsung for sticking with the Android spirit. (Despite Moto’s earlier comments about hacking your phone)
Developers, head over to here for the Captivate, and here for the Droid X.
[via BGR]
Verizon is still out of stock via their online store, and not shipping till August 3rd. Amazon says they will ship orders in 2-3 weeks, but is a bit cheaper than Verizon at $179.99. And most Verizon stores do not have any in stock. Wirefly claims to have them in stock, and at a the slightly discounted price of $179 for new contracts and upgrades. Not signing a new contract or upgrading, there’s more than a few on Ebay, but you will pay a hefty premium to have the latest and greatest Android powerhouse. And finally LetsTalk.com has it available for $149 and they say they’re shipping by 7/31.
Already got your hands on a Droid X? Tell us where you got it from and how long you had to wait.
In in interesting promo, American Eagle is offering free smartphones in exchange for trying on some jeans. While the obvious catch is you have to sign up for a 2 year contract, it can save you some cash over the carrier’s price in most instances. With offerings from all 4 carriers, you can choose from an HTC Aria, LG Ally, Cliq XT, Motorola Devour, or Motorola Backflip. No, you won’t be able to score a Droid X or HTC Evo 4G, but offering these midrange phones for free is a great way to get more Android phones on the street. And if Android isn’t your thing, they have Blackberrys too, but who wants one of those? Oh, and they also throw in a $25 American Eagle gift card. So if you’re looking for a new phone, or some new jeans, it’s an all around good deal.
[via IntoMobile]
Enough to pay $1,200 for it? Because if you don’t want to wait another 2 weeks for it to come out, there’s one on Ebay right now that you can dish out almost a grand and a half for. Sure, this may be one of the most hyped and desired Android phones yet, but I don’t see how anyone could justify that price just to get it a little early. The bad part is, you can be almost certain it will sell. How about you, what’s the most you would pay for a pre-release phone?
You may have never heard of Cellular South, but they could really give the big boys a run for their money. With a smartphone unlimited plan for $59/month and a summer promo to pay your ETF if you switch carriers, they can make a switch sound enticing. Now you have one more reason to think about passing over on the Big Four, Cellular South announced plans today to carry the Motorola Milestone. You should be familiar with the Motorola Droid carried by Verizon, and the Milestone is essentially the exact same phone for GSM networks, already carried by many carriers in Canada and Europe.
Specs on the Milestone include:
No word on exactly when the Milestone will be available or the pricing, but expect it to be on par or cheaper than the $199 w/ contract price it is on Verizon now. Currently the only Android phone Cellular South carries is the HTC Hero, which they have since November.
We’re now 3 days before the official launch of Sprint’s newest Android phone, and the first to run on their 4G WiMax network. The lucky attendees of the Google I/O conference already got theirs, and Sprint won’t sell it to you till Friday. But HTC has opened their own online store were you can plunk your money down today, and preorder it. The nitty gritty details are that it will not ship till Friday, but there’s not waiting in line at a Sprint store, or even worse, Sprint not having any left for you. Such as what happened to Verizon customers still waiting to get their hands on the HTC Incredible. The pricing is $199 with a new contract, $299 for upgrading customers, and $549 to buy without contract extension. A pretty damn good deal for the hottest spec’d Android phone you can get right now.
[via AndroidCommunity]
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