It comes as no surprise to us that the Motorola DROID has been seeing some really successful sales numbers since its release. As a matter of fact, it is getting mighty close to its target of finding one million hands by the end of the fourth quarter. Actual sales figures are reported to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 700,000 to 800,000 devices sold, which is nearing Verizon and Motorola’s goal and already well over analyst predictions. If Verizon sees a big holiday push, that number can easily crawl over the one million mark. It doesn’t hurt to have a $100 million ad campaign — it’s definitely paying off, but what we want to know is how many of you contributed to those sales numbers and if you’re happy with your decision so far. Share your experience in the comments!

While others are filing this under “certainty” we are still going to have to classify this one as a “class 1 rumor.” Gizmodo is reporting that it has a trusted source, of sound mind and body, proclaiming that Google’s Android operating system will be running on Google developed/branded hardware in the immanent future. The article goes on to say, not only will Google be making its own hardware but it will also be running a version of Android that the world has yet to see. Gasp. The article is pretty light on facts and fairly high on speculation so we’ll let you guys decide how high this one ranks on the certainty meter. While we don’t see a reason that Google would want to royally piss off their hardware partners, we also don’t see them letting much get in their way of world domination.

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The Motorola Droid/Milestone is the only Android Phone currently running Android 2.0. We hear that HTC is hard at work preparing an update for their line of handsets that will catapult their Android Phones passed Android 1.6 and right back up to date with Android 2.0. But after the following screenshots of a supposed “Android 2.1″ leaked on BeGeek.fr, people are wondering if HTC is moving all the way to Flan in one single bound:

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t see anything “new” in these screenshots. It simply shows HTC Sense and one of the screenshots shows Hardware Model HTC Hero with Firmware version 2.1. Now I could be wrong… but I’m pretty sure this could be easily spoofed by someone who cooked up their own custom ROM.

Or maybe this is for the launch of the Predator/Passion/Dragon? Hmmmm… what ever happened to that thing anyways?

[Thanks to all who sent this in!]

You may have read a review of the Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet written by Phandroid contributor John Ashton Edgar. While overall he seemed to enjoy it his biggest issue with the device was its lack of Google App integration and the replacement of Android Market with AppsLib.

It runs an Archos version of Android. This is significant for several reasons. There is no Google integration. None, nada, zip, zero, nunca. The only integration you get is going into your Google account in the very nice webkit browser. I didn’t have any issues because the browser is nice with nearly 5″ of screen, but if you are a fan of the Google Android OS apps like Gmail, Gtalk, or Calendar, be warned. This also represents one of my largest issues with the Archos 5. They have their own app market, AppsLib.

Issues be gone! The folks at ArchosFans.com have figured out a way for owners of the Archos 5 to get Android Market and all of the Google Apps like Maps, Talk Calendar and more onto the the device!

Our friends at JKonTheRun did a nice step-by-step guide to getting the job done – keep in mind this is for Windows:

1. Download and extract this to your computer ( or search market4archos.zip ) ( Mirrors anyone? )
2. Download these files to your computer
3. Put Archos 5 to ADB mode ( settings/device storage & USB/USB mode -> ADB )
4. Connect usb and choose drivers to use and point to drivers folder on files you downloaded on step 2 to your computer ( if it fails, go to device manager – click Archos – Update drivers – Browse computer for driver – Let me pick – Have disk – Browse to drivers you downloaded )
5. On Windows -> copy folder named system from the step 1 to same folder as you have adb.exe
6. Run adb.exe on command prompt
7. Type adb push system /data/test/system [ press enter ] ( cd to the folder you have the adb.exe first.. like “cd downloads” )
8. reboot your Archos 5
9. ENJOY!

Updates to the steps suggest you need this version of the hack to get Google Maps working and you need to have 1.4.08 or 1.4.09 firmware for success. Give it a whirl and let us know how it turns out for you!

Android 2.0 has multi-touch support including pinch & zoom for 3rd party applications but, for one reason or another (probably legal in nature), Google/Verizon did NOT include this capability on its core applications for the Motorola Droid. Google Maps, Webkit Browser, Picture Galleries and other features don’t allow you to use the feature… BUT… 3rd party developers can incorporate the feature for use  in their own applications.

That is what makes Dolphin Browser so intriguing. It has been on Android Market for awhile now but they just recently added multi-touch support. So, download Dolphin Browser and use THAT for your mobile web browsing needs and it’ll be your Robin to the Droid’s batman:

It has a bunch of other features and they call it a “social browser” but multi-touch is what will make most people try it for the first time… at least for now.

Are you a long time Dolphin Browser user? How have you liked it? Just get for multi-touch on the Droid? Let us know too! And keep in mind… pinch/zoom will ONLY work on the Motorola Droid for now as it is currently the only Android 2.0 device available (at the time of publication).

We gave you a glimpse of Apple’s Black Friday deals a bit early this year, and now, Piper Jaffray Apple-lover analyst Gene Munster has chimed in with some numbers to let us know exactly how the iVendor did. The world’s favorite iPod maker saw online sales increase by a staggering 39% this Black Friday — compare with this years average of 11% growth in online sales — which was driven by a mere 2% boost in web traffic. That is just about where the good news ends however, as G-Mizzle states that Apple Stores were selling, “8.3 Macs per hour, down from 13 Macs per hour last year” on Black Friday. Now, Munster uses an extremely scientific formula, one the consists of visiting three Apple Stores and counting how many Mac’s they are selling per hour, and while this formula is in all likelihood potentially flawed, it does show a decline in year-over-year sales as the economy continues to slump — note that the increase in Apple Store locations was not taken into account by this “formula.” Even with this decree Munster still thinks Apple will hit its Wall Street predicted December number. Thanks Gene, all of your insights are, as always, extremely helpful.

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This is rather hilarious. The makers of  iPhone applications like Beer Pong and Spin The Bottle (Swavv) have added another title to their collection – iDroid. Unfortunately it will sit in their collection and ONLY their collection as Apple rejected it from the App Store.

It isn’t surprising considering that the only thing the application does is display the glowing red Droid eye that, when you tap it, displays a list of selling points that prove its better than the iPhone itself. Essentially it is an advertisement for an opposing piece of hardware.

But what harm would it have done to accept iDroid? People using it already own the iPhone and chances are they already know about the Motorola Droid. The only thing this does is provide an example of why Android Market’s open nature is better than the App Store where you can only have what Apple wants you to have.

Thanks Apple… but I already have a mom and dad.

[Via TechCrunch]

The momentum on Google Phone rumors is picking up and if Gizmodo’s tipster is right, they’ll be an avalanche of prototypes descending upon the company’s Mountain View headquarters in the coming weeks:

Over the next few weeks, Google Phones (most probably in early, prototype form) will flood the Mountain View campus. They’ll don large LCDs while running a new version of Android—either Flan or the version of Android beyond it—which our source spotted running on Google’s handset as well as a laptop. (Whatever the software was, it most certainly wasn’t Chrome OS, we were assured.)

But maybe the most intriguing bit is what someone said to our source offhandedly, that the current Android, the we all know and love, is not the “real” Android. So what makes for a “real” version of Android?

Our best guess is an Android OS with Google Voice at its heart.

Yummy. I hope that the Google Phone launches with a version of Android one past Flan. That way it could be a double G phone: Google Phone with Granola…

…or something similar. Any guesses?

T-Mobile is the “Android dealer” in the US, selling no less than four Android handsets, with the Samsung Behold II model being the latest in its stable. Said device comes with a very nice media player, a great display, but can it compete against Verizon’s HTC Droid Eris? Click the image below for a video comparison of the two handsets:

Droid Eris was launched by Verizon on the same day it introduced Motorola Droid and in case you didn’t know, Eris is a touchscren phone without a physical QWERTY keyboard. However, this phone offers pretty much everything you need on an Android device, HTC Sense included and customization options, plus multitouch support.

Watch the CNET prizefight to decide which of them is better for you.

[via CNET]

Nokia N900 is among the hottest pieces of gear this holiday season and it comes with tons of interesting feats, including TV-out, that gets demoed n the video below. Extra goodies after the break:

By connecting a TV out cable to the 3.5mm audio jack of the handset, you’ll get the Maemo 5 UI on a big screen or maybe you want to use a projector for such purposes (also compatible). The device packs a 3.5 inch touchscreen display, in case you want to settle with the tiny screen, instead of going big.

What’s impressive about this display is its 800 x 480 pixel resolution and if you’re curious there are 32GB of internal memory available for you to store videos and music, plus an extra 16GB via microSD. All the complex processes take place thanks to an ARM Cortex A8 CPU @ 600 MHz, plus 256MB RAM and a PowerVR SGX graphical solution.

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Tags: Maemo 5 UI, Nokia N900, specs, TV out, video demo

The month of November was a sweet one for the Amazon Kindle as the e-book reader posted its best sales month ever. The Kindle is the best selling electronics product on Amazon right now and hits the top spot as the most gifted and most wished for device. Seriously. With the Barnes & Noble Nook missing in action and Sony’s lineup of e-book readers still lacking wireless connectivity, the Kindle is the only game in town for the casual consumer looking to get in on the e-book explosion. It also doesn’t hurt that Amazon brought the Kindle down to a more reasonable $259 price point and added in that much requested international wireless connectivity.  Somebody has to be buying all these Kindles, so ‘fess up, will there be a Kindle in your stocking this holiday season?

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The number of handsets with strong navigation features is certainly growing, as is the number of apps designed for them. More intelligent phones mean the end of certain portable gadgets, like MP3 players, GPS units and video players. Do the standalone GPS devices stand a chance?

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Tags: Garmin, GPS makers, navigation services, standalone GPS, TomTom

Phone Arena puts the iPhone 3GS and HTC HD2 to the test, making a comparison video of the two famous handsets. Let’s have a look at the two and see who scores the most:

As far as design is concerned, Phone Arena considers it a draw, with HTC HD2 and iPhone 3GS being equals, thanks to the big touchscreens. HTC HD’2 interface wins the UI duel, since the reviewers call the one on the iPhone dated , but in the end this is also a draw. Moving on to the “Messaging” segment, we learn that HD2 comes with a messaging tab with an elegant preview interface, while the iPhone’s feature is “clumsy”, according to the experts.

The iPhone keyboard wins the duel in this segment, while HTC’s piece of work is considered too sensitive and the keyboard cramped (too many keys). As far as software is concerned, the iPhone leads again, thanks to the many entertaining, but what it lacks is a decent third party media player. The camera comparison has HD2 as the clear winner, specially due to the presence of flash on board, allowing pictures to be taken in the dark.

HTC HD2 also wins the Multimedia duel, the Internet browsing segment and the battery life test, but it’s once again a draw in the call quality section. Full comparison is available wmpoweruser]

The folks of Nissan have a couple of interesting technologies up their sleeves and some of them are about to be converted from the world of vehicles to mobile handsets. One of them is the Scratch Shield self-repairing paint, that can repair light scratches in a week.

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Tags: light scratches, Nissan paint, Scratch Shield, self healing paint, self-repairing paint

Lenovo Group today announced that it is acquiring the entire interest of Lenovo Mobile Communication Technology Ltd. from a group of investors led by Hony Capital. Consideration of the acquisition is approximately US$200 million in cash and Lenovo shares. Lenovo has previously sold the company last year, at around US$100 million.

Yang Yuanqing, CEO of Lenovo Group, said: “As Lenovo’s global PC business continues to make steady progress, we view mobile Internet as a key growth opportunity moving forward globally. Lenovo has prepared itself in this area. We have developed first class products with excellent hardware and operating systems integration. We will launch these innovative new products in China soon.”