Last month we told you about the Samsung M100S that the company announced for their native South Korean market to be available on SK Telecom. This month the Bluetooth Special Interest Group has listed what numerically SEEMS like a successor – the Samsung M120S – where they’ve so graciously included some specs including Bluetooth 3.0.

• 3.3-inch WVGA AMOLED Screen
• 5MP Camera with Auto-Focus
• TDMB
• Wi-Fi
• GPS
• Accelerometer
• Proximity Sensor
• HSDPA/GSM Roaming

One slightly odd fact is that the M100S has a 3.7-inch screen while the Samsung M120S drops down to 3.3-inches. Could this be a case of a Galaxy/Galaxy-Lite scenario where the “sequel” is actually a smaller version of the original device?

I know, I know… you want to know what Bluetooth 3.0 is all about, right? Well… let me Google that for you. Basically it increases the data transfer speed possibilities by working in conjunction with Wi-Fi.

No telling if the M120S will be available outside of South Korea but that fate will likely be determined in the near future as we see what becomes of the M100S. Although… the M120S could also be a version of the phone for countries outside Korea. Keep guessing and we’ll keep informing as the news rolls in!

I woke this morning to find I had zero 3g coverage on Verizon. No data!  Maps, Google Talk, Market, Browser – all dead. I probably restarted my phone 5 times, went through the settings a couple, and even REMOVED THE BATTERY.. but to no avail.

Fortunately it only took but a glance on our forums to see I’m not alone. Both our Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris sections are abuzz (unlike Google Buzz, which is just sad these days) with users all across the country missing 3G. There’s some talk over at VZW’s forums, too.  Some have it, some don’t.

So fear not – it’s not just you and with any luck everything will be back to normal before too long.  Don’t know much else now but we will update this post as more details emerge.

I’m writing this post from the Motorola Devour. To write a review of worthwhile substance you have to know the subject matter and in this instance I get a lot of hands on time with the keyboard.

I was expecting a lot out of this keyboard and at first was a bit disappointed but there is definitely a learning and familiarity curve when it comes to keyboard layouts and feel.

I promised a bunch of reviews and insight today – and I will provide some of that – but my full review will come tomorrow morning once I’ve had more time to really dig in and review things in a little more depth. Fingers crossed I can meet this timeframe – I will be pulling an all nighter either way.

If you are interested I’m writing this from the wordpress application on android market. Typing in the browser didn’t work so well and it wouldn’t let me put the cursor in the post body text box. Oh well.

Stay tuned for more moto devour!!!

PS: That is a picture of my tail-light taken from the Devour. If there is one thing I’ve learned thus far from this post, it’s that writing Wordpress posts in a mobile browser and through the wordpress android app both suck.

PPS: now I’m typing this on my droid keyboard for reference sake. There is definitely a tradeoff. Dedicated number row is nice but there are some drawbacks as well. I will be sure to share the details in a video review.

So as I was laying in bed last night I stumbled upon a little something called Google Earth – for my Droid.  Having never before heard of this “Google Earth” thing I said to myself:  “Self, let’s install this thing.” …and so I did. It was pretty awesome.  Kept me awake far too long!

(sorry, only had a coworkers flip phone available)

First, I looked around Europe a bit. I then followed a set of train tracks in Michigan for a good five solid minutes before finding a train.  Then I decided to try a voice search of “Mount St. Helens” and the next thing I know I’m using “Look-Around” to check it out in 3d.

Dare I say – sick. That’s right. I said sick.

Then I hit my location and it put this pretty little blue dot right on my house. Right on my bedroom. Right in the quadrant of the bedroom where my bed is located! As it should, by golly.  Magical.  So I then climbed up on the roof and waved at the camera and checked again, but it didn’t pick that up. :’(  I guess the magic is hit or miss! Which sucks because it was really cold and my footed onesies weren’t quite cuttin’ it.

For the simple instructions and 3rd party download, head to droid-life.com. Have fun!

[ Droid Life ]

The Samsung Galaxy Portal that went on sale last month in the UK finally gets reviewed and photographed for us in the U.S. to get a look. A quick recap of the Portal shows it to have some potential over the HTC Tattoo and boasts:

• Android 1.5
• 3.2-inch HVGA display
• 3.2-megapixel camera
• GPS
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1
• DivX support
• DNSe 2.0
• 3.5mm jack
• SD card slot that supports up to 32GB

Check out the full review as well as more photos of the Samsung Galaxy Portal. It seems like a good alternative for our friends over in the UK but are interested in your thoughts on the Portal. Any readers get their hands on one yet?

[via ElectricPig]

The Samsung Galaxy Portal that went on sale last month in the UK finally gets reviewed and photographed for us in the U.S. to get a look. A quick recap of the Portal shows it to have some potential over the HTC Tattoo and boasts:

• Android 1.5
• 3.2-inch HVGA display
• 3.2-megapixel camera
• GPS
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1
• DivX support
• DNSe 2.0
• 3.5mm jack
• SD card slot that supports up to 32GB

Check out the full review as well as more photos of the Samsung Galaxy Portal. It seems like a good alternative for our friends over in the UK but are interested in your thoughts on the Portal. Any readers get their hands on one yet?

[via ElectricPig]

Earlier today we made a post about a page that went live on Motorola’s site providing details of the 2.1 push to the Droid. Unfortunately not long after our post the page was taken down.

Fortunately for our readers, one of my friends still had it up on her browser – and she took a couple screenshots for me.

So, what might this mean? Was it taken down because the push isn’t ready to go out yet or.. perhaps because the info is incomplete?

Thanks, Deirdre!

The folks over at AndroidSpin got an anonymous tip – which we should always be cautious about – regarding an upcoming device called the HTC Scorpion. If the rumor is true, it’ll have a 1.5GHz processor, run Android 2.2 (Froyo) and perhaps have WiMax connectivity which would mean its Sprint bound. Here are the lines of a build file that this rumor stems from:

1. # begin build properties
2. # autogenerated by buildinfo.sh
3. ro.build.id=FRE65C
4. ro.build.display.id=htc_scorpion-userdebug 2.2 FRE65C eng.xxxxx.20100206 test-keys
5. ro.build.version.incremental=26741
6. ro.build.version.sdk=8
7. ro.build.version.codename=REL
8. ro.build.version.release=2.2
9. ro.build.date=Sat Feb 6 13:42:06 CST 2010
10. ro.build.date.utc=1264645720
11. ro.build.type=userdebug
12. ro.build.user=u40000
13. ro.build.host=builder00101
14. ro.build.tags=test-keys
15. ro.product.model=HTC Olympian
16. ro.product.brand=generic
17. ro.product.name=htc_scorpion
18. ro.product.device=scorpion
19. ro.product.board=cortex1.5ghz
20. ro.product.cpu.abi=armeabi-va8c
21. ro.product.cpu.abi2=armeabi
22. ro.product.manufacturer=HTC
23. ro.product.locale.language=mdpi
24. ro.product.locale.region=
25. ro.board.platform=qsd8672
26. # ro.build.product is obsolete; use ro.product.device
27. ro.build.product=scorpion
28. # Do not try to parse ro.build.description or .fingerprint
29. ro.build.description=1.47.3.2 CL2***** test-keys
30. ro.build.changelist=2*****
31. ro.build.modelid=DF4732***
32. ro.build.fingerprint=generic/htc_scorpion/scorpion/scorpion:2.2/FRE65C/26741:userdebug/test-keys
33. keyguard.no_require_sim=1
34. # end build properties
35. #
36. # system.prop for scorpion
37. #
38. ro.sf.lcd_density=240
39. #
40. ro.home.ui.defualt.=0
41. ro.home.ui.media.scorpion.=1
42. ro.home.ui.sense.=0
43. ro.home.ui.define.=0
44. #
45. #
46. rild.libpath=/system/lib/libhtc_ril.so
47. wimax.interface = tiwlan0
48. # Time between scans in seconds. Keep it high to minimize battery drain.
49. # This only affects the case in which there are remembered access points,
50. # but none are in range.

# begin build properties
# autogenerated by buildinfo.sh
ro.build.id=FRE65C
ro.build.display.id=htc_scorpion-userdebug 2.2 FRE65C eng.xxxxx.20100206 test-keys
ro.build.version.incremental=26741
ro.build.version.sdk=8
ro.build.version.codename=REL
ro.build.version.release=2.2
ro.build.date=Sat Feb 6 13:42:06 CST 2010
ro.build.date.utc=1264645720
ro.build.type=userdebug
ro.build.user=u40000
ro.build.host=builder00101
ro.build.tags=test-keys
ro.product.model=HTC Olympian
ro.product.brand=generic
ro.product.name=htc_scorpion
ro.product.device=scorpion
ro.product.board=cortex1.5ghz
ro.product.cpu.abi=armeabi-va8c
ro.product.cpu.abi2=armeabi
ro.product.manufacturer=HTC
ro.product.locale.language=mdpi
ro.product.locale.region=
ro.board.platform=qsd8672
# ro.build.product is obsolete; use ro.product.device
ro.build.product=scorpion
# Do not try to parse ro.build.description or .fingerprint
ro.build.description=1.47.3.2 CL2***** test-keys
ro.build.changelist=2*****
ro.build.modelid=DF4732***
ro.build.fingerprint=generic/htc_scorpion/scorpion/scorpion:2.2/FRE65C/26741:userdebug/test-keys
keyguard.no_require_sim=1
# end build properties
#
# system.prop for scorpion
#

ro.sf.lcd_density=240

#
ro.home.ui.defualt.=0
ro.home.ui.media.scorpion.=1
ro.home.ui.sense.=0
ro.home.ui.define.=0
#

#
rild.libpath=/system/lib/libhtc_ril.so
wimax.interface = tiwlan0
# Time between scans in seconds. Keep it high to minimize battery drain.
# This only affects the case in which there are remembered access points,
# but none are in range

If anyone has ANY information on the HTC Scorpion… or evidence that it does or doesn’t exist… SEND IT TO US! And as always, chime in on the comments with your opinions as the mobile phone spec war is about to start an arms race.

So for you HTC Magic users out there that have been operating without any Sense, HTC Sense UI that is, today’s the day that HTC finally released ROM Version:3.05.401.3.  Hit up HTC’s download page for all the necessary instructions and downloads.

Anyone either already update their Magic or about to? Let us know how it goes and any pros/cons you find to your newly updated HTC Magic.

[via IntoMobile]

I never expected this but the guys over at Engadget recently interviewed Erick Tseng – Senior Product Manager of Android.. where he dished up some delicious info. The next version of Android will be called Froyo -  short for frozen yogurt!

Very interesting indeed! Personally I had my bets on the F being Flan considering it would match the cake like code names – Cupcake, Donut & Eclair but I’m sure thousands of others thought so, too! No other info has been given on Froyo (like when we can expect it what version of Android it will be… 2.x maybe even 3.0..) so for now the name will just have to suffice.  It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t match cake type names either – it’s still sweet!

See what I did there….. with the pun…… you know…ok … total fail

Now, what might G be for? Let the speculation begin..NOW!

[Via Engadget]

As you all know, Google started selling the Nexus One phone this week. They also provide their Android OS to various other smart phone manufactures. Since Google now sells their own branded phone, it is believed that handset makers will be discouraged from working with Google since it may reflect a conflict of interest between Google and the phone manufacturer. They may prioritize their own branded Nexus One over the manufacturer’s product.

“No one has ever succeeded in selling their own device while trying to license to partners simultaneously,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Los Angeles-based research firm Interpret LLC. “As much as Google can say it’s not a Google phone, the phone says Google on it. They’re going to have to convince their licensees they’re not in competition with them.”

Do you think it is a conflict of interest for Google to develop their own smart phones as well as the OS for other manufacturers’ phones? We will see how it all plays out.

[via BusinessWeek]

What this article touches on: AT&T Phones, Nexus One Talk, A Few Application Announcements, Other Phones in News, HP Smartbook and ICD Tablet, and the Powermat.

AT&T’s Android Phones

Some are saying one of the HTC phones coming to AT&T might the the HTC Lancaster. For a while there a bit back that was what was being reported.  Maybe?

Lancaster

As for Dell, they did in fact confirm it was the Mini 3 that was headed to AT&T. (Engadget has some nice pictures)

Mini 3

Nexus One Talk

- Barclays Capital analyst Doug Anmuth estimates 5 to 6 million Nexus One devices will be sold in 2010. Goodness.

- Howard Stern talks the Nexus One. We haven’t heard it but hear it’s nowhere near SFW. Listen in.

- As usual, the ‘ol cost of ownership comparison between top devices is out.

- Cooliris developed the media gallery for the N1 and joins OHA. Head over to AndroidGuys to read more.

- Philip K. Dick’s estate says Nexus One name infringes.

“We feel this is a clear infringement of our intellectual-property rights,” said Isa Dick Hackett, a daughter of Mr. Dick and the chief executive of Electric Shepherd Productions, an arm of the Dick estate devoted to adapting the late author’s works.”

We don’t know what’s going to come of this but it’s clear they aren’t happy. Check the sources to read all about it. Saw this on Engadget. Check the WSJ source to read more.

Sources: DigitalDaily | TechCrunch | BillShrink | AndroidGuys | Wall Street Journal

A Few Application Announcements

- Engadget has a great write up detailing the OnStar and Chevy application to be used to control the Volt.

“When the car is connected you can monitor the charging status and program it to delay its recharging, giving it a deadline for when you need it to be full and then letting it charge itself when the rates are lowest. Cool, but just the beginning. You can check driving statistics, honk the horn, lock or unlock the car, and even start it up, all from your handset.”

Head over to Engadget to read the whole thing and see plenty more pictures – as well as a video!

- Truphone has announced version 3 of it’s software for Android, which allows users to place VOIP calls over Wifi using Skype or Google Talk, and also allows users to chat using AIM, Google Talk, MSN, Skype, and Yahoo Messenger.

Android 1.5 and up, in the Market now.

- Also worth a mention, we  saw over at AndroidGuys that Flip Video has announced releasing a new app:

Available for iPhone, Blackberry, and Google’s Android platform (at no cost)

Mobile Devices currently supported: Apple iPhone, iPod touch; Blackberry Curve 8520, Curve 8900, and Bold 9000; Google G1 (T-Mobile) and MyTouch (T-Mobile)

View favorite FlipShare videos and photos

Access their personal Flip Channels

Watch Flip Channels from friends and family

Create playlists (iPhone) and favorites

Share videos by email or on Facebook

Users can find the links for the iPhone, Blackberry and Android mobile apps on the www.FlipShare.com site or at their respective app stores

Sources: Engadget | Flip | MobileBurn

Other Phones In News

- Cool F910.  This China bound phone has the following specs:

Cool F910 features a 600MHZ Qualcomm 7227 processor, a 3.2-inch 320*480 HVGA capacitive touchcreen, 512MB of ROM, 256MB of RAM, a 5-megapixel camera, WAPI (compatible with WI-FI ) and Bluetooth connectivity, 3.5mm headphone jack, Android 1.6 OS, and a 1230mAh battery. The phone supports GSM quadband and WCDMA networking.

Head to LeakDroid for more info, some pics and a video.

- i5700 Galaxy Spica. Yesterday Samsung announced the US debut of the Spica. The phone launched over seas a few months back. Check out MobileBurn for more info.

Sources: LeakDroid | MobileBurn

A Smartbook and a Tablet

- HP showed off a Snapdragon Smartbook. Not much is known about it but AndroidandMe say it runs 1.5 or 1.6 and has a touchscreen. It looks pretty sweet. Here’s the video they posted but be sure to heard over and read more and see the pictures they’ve posted.

- T-Mobile and ICD Reveal First Mobile Connected Tablet Made for Busy Families.  A portion of the press release:

“Exclusive to T-Mobile in the UK, the centrepiece of the family hub is ICD’s new Vega, a 15″ touchscreen device designed primarily to sit in the kitchen which T-Mobile research identified as the heart of family life. The tablet offers one-touch access to a household calendar so families can organise their busy schedules in one place that everyone can always reach. It can be accessed by the whole family, wherever they are, via the web on a mobile, work computer, home PC or other devices with an Internet connection. The calendar automatically sends SMS text reminders to the family’s mobiles, putting an end to scraps of paper and nagging phone calls. And because it comes with a T-Mobile SIM on-board, it’s easy to make a quick hands-free call at the touch of a button. The family hub is a full-featured tablet with Wi-Fi web browsing, on-demand TV, access to social networks, video chat and games, as well as an FM radio for the complete kitchen set-up.”

..read full press release.

That sounds pretty cool, too!

Sources: AndroidandMe | Marketwire

Miscellaneous

Powermat announced support for Android phones – starting with the Motorola Droid and the Mytouch – by using custom battery covers. This allows you to charge your phone wirelessly. They offer a few different size mats.  Our friends over at AndroidandMe seem to really like it, and have wrote a bit on it and posted some pictures, head on over to check that out.

Source: AndroidandMe

That’s it guys. Hope you found something that piqued your interest. The news this week coming out of CES is pretty non-stop – we will continue to keep our eyes and ears open and keep the articles coming!

The Samsung Moment was used yesterday to demonstrate a new mobile TV chip that allows the phone to pick up local broadcast stations, “including prime-time network programs, local news and sports and emergency alerts.”

An excerpt from the press release:

Moment was selected because of its 3.2-inch AMOLED display screen, which delivers crisp colors, bright pictures outdoors, and wide viewing angles. Samsung was the co-developer of the ATSC standard that is making mobile digital TV broadcasting possible on mobile phones, laptops, USB drives and other mobile devices. Samsung’s single-chip implementation of the standard—the world’s first—enables reception at lower power, size and cost than previous multi-chip solutions which separate the tuning and decoding functions between two or more chips.

“The selection of Samsung Moment as the first trial handset for mobile digital TV in the U.S. is an enormous honor for Samsung Mobile,” said Omar Khan, chief strategy officer for Samsung Mobile. “It is incredibly rewarding to see one of Samsung Mobile’s flagship devices be integrated with the Samsung ATSC Mobile DTV chip that’s giving the power and potential of free, live mobile digital TV to our U.S. customers.”

”Samsung Moment is already a customer favorite with its integrated and innovative Android™ platform so we are very excited to be able to offer it with the Samsung’s Mobile Digital TV chip to customers in the Washington and Baltimore areas,” said Fared Adib, Sprint vice president of product development. “It is truly an amazing experience to watch local and network television on Moment with the benefit of its dynamic screen. This trial is a great opportunity for Sprint customers.”

Some our of androidforums users have been talking and tweeting and Samsung has clarified: No release date has been set and no, current Moment devices do not have the chip.

…read full release.

[ Samsung | Samsung on Twitter | androidforums ]

The Samsung Moment was used yesterday to demonstrate a new mobile TV chip that allows the phone to pick up local broadcast stations, “including prime-time network programs, local news and sports and emergency alerts.”

An excerpt from the press release:

Moment was selected because of its 3.2-inch AMOLED display screen, which delivers crisp colors, bright pictures outdoors, and wide viewing angles. Samsung was the co-developer of the ATSC standard that is making mobile digital TV broadcasting possible on mobile phones, laptops, USB drives and other mobile devices. Samsung’s single-chip implementation of the standard—the world’s first—enables reception at lower power, size and cost than previous multi-chip solutions which separate the tuning and decoding functions between two or more chips.

“The selection of Samsung Moment as the first trial handset for mobile digital TV in the U.S. is an enormous honor for Samsung Mobile,” said Omar Khan, chief strategy officer for Samsung Mobile. “It is incredibly rewarding to see one of Samsung Mobile’s flagship devices be integrated with the Samsung ATSC Mobile DTV chip that’s giving the power and potential of free, live mobile digital TV to our U.S. customers.”

”Samsung Moment is already a customer favorite with its integrated and innovative Android™ platform so we are very excited to be able to offer it with the Samsung’s Mobile Digital TV chip to customers in the Washington and Baltimore areas,” said Fared Adib, Sprint vice president of product development. “It is truly an amazing experience to watch local and network television on Moment with the benefit of its dynamic screen. This trial is a great opportunity for Sprint customers.”

Some our of androidforums users have been talking and tweeting and Samsung has clarified: No release date has been set and no, current Moment devices do not have the chip.

…read full release.

[ Samsung | Samsung on Twitter | androidforums ]

WIND Mobile has said they are trying to get the Nexus One to Canada, and are in talks with the big G to make it happen. This would be great news for both Canadian Android lovers and WIND – as this could really help propel them up the ranks a bit. I would ask if anyone was excited about this but given how many people have sent this in to us, I’d say yes!

[ Android in Canada | Thanks, everyone!]