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T-Mobile Will Be First To Use Android
Posted by
ScuttleMonkey
on Fri Aug 15, 2008 02:32 PM
from the setting-your-sights-too-high-can-lead-to-disappointment dept.
from the setting-your-sights-too-high-can-lead-to-disappointment dept.
stoolpigeon writes to tell us that T-Mobile's upcoming phone will try to combine the best elements of many of the new smart phones, and will be using Google's Android software. "The HTC phone, which many gadget sites are calling the 'dream,' will have a touch screen, like the iPhone. But the screen also slides out to expose a full five-row keyboard. A video of the phone has been posted recently on YouTube. A person who has seen the HTC device said it matched the one in the video. The phone's release date depends on how soon the Federal Communications Commission certifies that the Google software and the HTC phone meet network standards. Executives at all three companies are hoping to announce the phone in September because they would benefit from holiday season sales."
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Developers: Motorola To Hire 300 Android Developers 88 comments
ruphus13 writes "Google's Android is starting to see more industry support. Motorola recently announced plans, despite hardships within the company, to hire 300 Android developers. Quoting: 'A quick search of Motorola's job openings suggests that, indeed, Android is set to become a permanent fixture at Motorola, which has long built Linux-based phones but hitherto used MontaVista's Mobilinux. The goal? Move from an internal development pool of 50 Android-savvy developers to 350. Motorola, recognizing that most developers won't have deep experience with Google Android, is looking for a somewhat general skillset ... Java and Google Android programming experience is listed as 'highly desirable,' but not required.'"
T-Mobile has already made plans to use Android as well. Xconomy has a related interview with a member of the MIT team that won a $275,000 prize in the Android Developer Challenge by creating an application to automatically modify a phone's settings depending on its location, which they say "wouldn't even be possible on an iPhone." We've previously discussed the Challenge itself and some of the other winning apps.
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A video of the phone has been posted recently on Y (Score:3, Insightful)
From the summary:
Come on, link! I'm lazy!
Re:A video of the phone has been posted recently o (Score:5, Informative)
here [youtube.com]
Parent
No, wait! It's... (Score:5, Informative)
this one [youtube.com]
Parent
Re:No, wait! It's... (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:No, wait! It's... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:No, wait! It's... (Score:5, Funny)
You sure it's not this one [youtube.com]?
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Hmm... I clicked 'watch in high quality' but it didn't help.
Re:A video of the phone has been posted recently o (Score:3, Informative)
Linked. [youtube.com] But only because you're lazy.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
<a href="your url here (with the quotes)">some witty text here</a>
Re:A video of the phone has been posted recently o (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Right. Because there's no way an open source product is going to have an awkward or otherwise clunky interface. This must be editorial bias, no other explanation is possible.
"Use Android" (Score:3, Funny)
That sounds like a nice way of saying robot slavery! FREE OUR MECHANICAL BROTHERS!
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
That sounds like a nice way of saying robot slavery! FREE OUR MECHANICAL BROTHERS!
Android Dream is clearly a female, you sexist pig! Think 'Gigolo Jane' from A.I. Android's Dream, however, is a novel.
Besides, it's clearly not slavery, as you won't be using it for more than a few years. It's more like being a serf.
Re:"Use Android" (Score:4, Informative)
Gynoid.
Parent
Re:"Use Android" (Score:5, Funny)
I disagree, an android dream is clearly an electronic sheep.
Parent
FCC (Score:4, Insightful)
The FCC has to certify software? That seem strange to anybody? Isn't regulation of the power and frequency enough, and everything else is between the carrier and the phone?
Re:FCC (Score:4, Interesting)
Parent
Re:FCC (Score:5, Informative)
http://ftp.fcc.gov/oet/ea/procedures.html [fcc.gov]
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Re:FCC (Score:5, Informative)
The FCC has to certify software? That seem strange to anybody? Isn't regulation of the power and frequency enough, and everything else is between the carrier and the phone?
If software controls the power and frequency [wikipedia.org], FCC regulates the software.
Parent
Re:FCC (Score:5, Funny)
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Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
There is nothing wrong with your government. Do not attempt to adjust the leadership. We are now controlling the information. We control the horizontal and the vertical. We can deluge you with a thousand unwarranted wiretaps or expand one your phone call to crystal clarity and beyond. We can hear you now.
Re:FCC (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, considering that T-Mobile and Google are corporations and the FCC is a government agency, you don't expect it to have to follow the zeroth law, now do you?
Is the phone's code name "R. Giskard Relentlov" or "R. Daneel Olivaw"??
Re: (Score:3)
Is the phone's code name "R. Giskard Relentlov" or "R. Daneel Olivaw"??
My guess would be Caliban.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
This clearly falls under the commerce clause, as unregulated spectrum falls under a tragedy of the commons: he who shouts loudest is heard best, to the detriment of everyone else.
We can't very well allow any corporation with a many-megawatt transmitter to drown out everyone else and damn the consequences. Likewise, our broadcast television, cell-phone and wireless internet infrastructure would never work if people and corporations were permitted to just use whatever spectrum they wanted at whatever output l
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
No, you simply just don't understand. The Constitution is a document perfect in crafting. There is no fault with the Constitution. Any fault here is your lack of faith in the rightness of the Constitution.
If the Constitution doesn't explicitly address things like fire departments, libraries, schools, space programs, health care, nuclear weaponry or electromagnetic communications, those things clearly have absolutely no need for governmental attention. All problems related to any such issue can be completely
yes but what about the iPhone? (Score:5, Funny)
A mention of Android? Cue iPhone debate.
Open markets. (Score:5, Interesting)
Now that Google has a 'shipping' product I am excited about the future for these reasons:
1) Google can pull an Apple'ish move and push for carriers to open up the networks.
or (even better)
2) Google can open up all of that dark-fiber that it has bought in the past and become a telecommunications juggernaught.
Google already has data centers all over the planet, they can match these up with worldwide GSM coverage and beat the existing companies at their own game.
I currently pay $150 CDN per month for the 'privilege' of using my phone anywhere in North America to make phone calls. If I try to use any data features I get charged $0.05/kb + US Roaming + US Data Rates/kb. To view the /. home page costs me almost $1.00 without viewing any stories.
Canada has been crippled by our 3 colluding state-sponsored ogilopies and I am desperate for another option.
Googles' ability to offer North America a non-draconian cellular service coupled with content/location-based advertising would be a god-send.
Scenerio: Motorist stranded on side of the road; does a Google search via cell-phone for tow-truck. Built-in GPS can show you the closest mechanics, and contact info.
Google; please take my money and give an option to ditch the horrible choices that I currently have.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
For all the reasons that you mention, it makes me very glad Google is around. In general they're responsible for opening up a lot of markets that would otherwise not happen.
Youtube doesn't make much money, but it enables other online video companies a respite because everyone targets youtube. Of course all this online video creates a huge demand for increased bandwidth. It creates more videos, since they can now be uploaded, and it creates more data that needs to be searched.
Even if Google doesn't make mone
$CAD150/month? (Score:4, Informative)
How on earth do you end up spending that much? Does that include making all your calls + roaming + etc?
When I was in the U.S. for 3 months I got a Cingular prepaid SIM card - traveled all throughout the U.S. and could make calls just fine.. cost me $10. I'd imagine it'd work just fine in Canada as well on any GSM provider there. So I can't imagine the $CAD150/month being some flat fee just so you can actually use the phone on GSM networks.
Parent
t-mobile? why? (Score:3, Insightful)
It was bad enough when Apple locked the iphone to AT&T, but at least they have some 3G and good coverage (after acquiring Cingular.) But t-mobile? That's not going to be good for business
Re:t-mobile? why? (Score:5, Insightful)
Not good business? From which perspective?
I have no idea about which companies have better coverage than the next in the US, but if T-Mobile is indeed the smallest, then it makes a lot of sense for Google to partner up with them for their first(?) phone, the contracts are probably better than they would get from going with a bigger corporation, bit cheaper, not as much loss if it fails, and from T-Mobile's perspective, they can't really go wrong, since its already got them a lot of publicity, stocks probably went up, more website/store hits, etc...
As far as I am aware there is nothing keeping "Android" from also being used on any other phone that supports it (or vice versa), and that may happen more now if T-Mobile's attempt is even a moderate success.
Besides, its a little more demand for 3G/better networks, or at least more awareness of the need even if it does fail.
Parent
Re:t-mobile? why? (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Knowing Verizon's tendencies... (Score:3, Insightful)
to lock their phones down tight and wipe out the OEM software in favor of their own crap, the chances of me ever getting to use it are close to nil. T-Mobile's coverage is spotty at best in the areas my wife & I frequent, even AT&T can get iffy, so we're stuck with Verizon.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
T-Mobile's coverage is spotty at best in the areas my wife & I frequent, even AT&T can get iffy, so we're stuck with Verizon.
T-Mobile will roam on AT&T/Cingular & Sprint's networks wherever they companies have agreements. m
The only catch is that if you roam "too much" (for undefined values of to much) they'll terminate your contract.
That said, you can always get a contract, try it out and you have 2 weeks to cancel it and get your money back.
But does it run Linux? (Score:3, Interesting)
It will be very interesting to watch the mobile computing space heat up. Can Android steal away the momentum the iPhone currently has on third-party development?
Re:But does it run Linux? (Score:4, Insightful)
The thing which is choking iPhone development right now is the absurd NDA, and the absolute control Apple has over the App store. The NDA prevents any discussions about development, if you want to see the frustrations caused by this, just follow Craig Hockenberry's Twitter feed [twitter.com]. He's the developer of Twitterrific.
And why risk investing thousands in an iPhone app, if in the end, Apple can arbitrarily reject it? Not to mention the ridiculous wait times developers endure to push out updates, whilst Apple review them. Especially bad if you inadvertently ship a show stopper bug.
Apple needs to sort this stuff out, or iPhone development will gradually die out. Which would be a shame, because they managed to get an awful lot of developers very excited about it.
Parent
iphone (Score:3, Interesting)
"T-Mobile Will Be First" (Score:5, Insightful)
Erm.. Shouldn't it be "HTC will be first"?
Something must be seriously broken with the cell phone market in the US when $cell_carrier is considered more important than $phone_manufacturer.
Re:Better than the iPhone (Score:5, Insightful)
We'll see. I'm guessing Google probably won't totally drop the ball on the software, but the hardware and integration between hardware and software will be interesting to see in the real world. Lots of companies make good hardware, and lots make good software, but Apple is usually better than most at integrating the two, which in a device like the iPhone or HTC "Dream" is pretty key.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Apple is better at integrating their own software and the hardware, but they have a tendency to put artificial restrictions in place to prevent that kind of integration between third-party apps and the hardware. Among other things, Apple's applications that come with the iPhone can run in the background and access the contents of the user's iPod...and those are just the two that you find out within 10 minutes of looking into what it would take to develop an app for the iPhone. When you dig deeper, there are
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Among other things, Apple's applications that come with the iPhone can run in the background and access the contents of the user's iPod...
If the Android SDK can focus on allowing third-party apps to have full access to the available hardware,
But, what you're asking for is full access to all the software. I don't think you're even going to get this on Android (or any phone in the near future).. your code all runs in a VM doesn't it? Hell, we don't even have full access to everything on OS X or Windows systems, just lots of clever work arounds that break in the next SP/release, right? Right now, how do you modify the iTunes DB without iTunes? Look what happened to anti-virus developers and Vista. Even Linux, about as open a system as you ca
Re:I looked at the Android software. (Score:4, Insightful)
more limiting than objective-c?
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Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I would say yes. I am a big fan of Java but on a small device like a phone I would think native code would be best for some applications. :) Seems like it could be good for some small screened d
On the other hand I can see the logic to keeping applications on a JVM so that locking up the device is less of an issue.
I have not really looked at the SDK yet so maybe it is all that and a bag of chips.
What I don't like is that I can not use it outside of the emulator. I would like to try it out as a Netbook Distro
Re:I looked at the Android software. (Score:5, Interesting)
I would have preferred Apple had adopted Java back in the late 90's and done all of Cocoa in it, personally. That being said, yes, Java as it stands today is more limiting for writing rich client apps than Apple's Objective-C UIKit.
It's not about the language. It's about the libraries. And Apple is currently second-to-none in that department for user interaction.
And really, the amount of Objective-C specific stuff you have to know to write compelling content for the iPhone isn't that huge. The most popular apps seem to be either 90% Interface Builder work, or 90% OpenGL ES work.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Well, it would have been nice if NEXTStep (aka Cocoa) had been written in Java, except that development started about ten years before Java 1.0 was released.
Keep in mind that the Apple/NEXT reverse takeover occurred in 1996, about when Java was showing up in web applets.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
It's not about the language. It's about the libraries. And Apple is currently second-to-none in that department for user interaction.
Really? As demonstrated by what?
Looks to me Apple has the same pushbutton/scrollbar/slider stuff as anybody else. And Objective C with XCode seems clunky and outdated compared to Glade and Python, or C# and Stetic.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
T-Mobile is rolling out 3g in the near future.