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2 Or 3 Android Handsets Coming From HTC In 2008

November 12th, 2007 by iDunzo

According to Digitimes, which cites the Commercial Times (a Chinese paper), High Tech Computer has said it will design and engineer two or three handsets for Google’s Android mobile platform next year.

The information comes from statements at an analyst meeting made by HTC’s CEO, Peter Chou. His remarks have led people to believe that HTC will be the first to market with an Android phone.

In fact, the comments Chou made during last week’s Android announcement implied the same.

If this is the case, it isn’t too much of a stretch to believe that T-Mobile would be the carrier offering up such a device, as HTC and T-Mobile are pretty tight these days.

Not only did Chou spill the beans about Android phones, he also said HTC is working on a new 3G solution that is not based on Qualcomm’s chipsets.

Whether it is changing suppliers to STMicro, Texas Instruments, Broadcom, Ericsson, or developing a radio solution of its own is unknown.

HTC is also working on a next-generation touch-based user interface that it says will be better than its own TouchFlo UI, which appears on several of HTC’s smartphones.

Lastly, HTC is putting together a dual-mode handset, but not the kind you might think.

Rather than marry Wi-Fi and cellular radios, which is has done with more than a few handsets, it is pairing WiMax and TD-WCDMA, which is the home-grown Chinese flavor of WCDMA. This phone would strictly be for Chinese markets.

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Google and I remember Veterans Day 2007

November 11th, 2007 by iDunzo

Here in America it’s Veterans Day, the day we celebrate the tens of millions of people who gave their sweat and blood, and sometimes their lives to serve our country.

I’m a proud U.S. Marines Veteran and did my duty in active duty during Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf. Today means a lot to me, my friends and family.

A little trivia, Desert Shield and Desert Storm Operations were the largest U.S. deployment of naval forces since World War II.

Today Google shows respect with a colorful home page logo:

You can read the complete History of Veterans Day on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs site.

On this Veterans Day 2007, we come together as a Nation to thank our veterans (the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard) for their service and to let them know that their service and sacrifices will never be taken for granted.

Posted in Geekipedia + Google + Memories + Technology | 1 Comment »

Microsoft Sync Framework: One Part Google Gears

November 5th, 2007 by iDunzo

Microsoft has released an early preview of a new programming tool known as the Microsoft Sync Framework, which looks to be one part Google Gears, with on/offline sync capabilities, and one part Time Machine-like, OS-level syncing system.

According to the documentation, the Sync Framework will allow developers to take online services and databases offline.

Microsoft says the framework can synchronize “any type of file including contacts, music, videos, images and settings.”

The Sync Framework also includes “built-in support for synchronizing relational databases, NTFS / FAT file systems, Simple Sharing Extensions for RSS/ATOM, devices and web services.”

Microsoft rather boldly claims that Sync will support “any application, any type of data, using any protocol over any network.”

But reading through the description on the Microsoft download site, it would appear that the new framework goes somewhat beyond the scope of Google Gears and enables, in addition to the offline support, various collaboration and file syncing capabilities.

Among the scenarios Microsoft notes in the documentation are multi-master file sync between multiple PCs, synchronization between PCs using a USB Drive, taking a network share offline and maintaining a backup copy of files.

At the moment the Sync Framework only supports Windows Vista, XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 Service pack 3. It’s unclear whether Microsoft will expand that support in the future.

Microsoft has yet to release any details regarding a timeframe for the final release of Microsoft Sync Framework, though the developer preview is available for those interested in testing it.

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gPhone Software: “Everything You Need To Run A Phone”

November 3rd, 2007 by iDunzo

Google’s Monday Revolution will be a suite of software based on Linux and codenamed “Android,” according to a story published at News.com.

This suite is implied to be an operating system (“it’s said to include everything you need to run a phone”) to be followed immediately thereafter by an SDK.

The rest of the story is standard gPhone preview: weasel-worded blather like “backed by some of the largest wireless industry companies in the world” and “carrier X is said to be heavily involved.”

Buried deep, however, are nuggets like JumpTap executive Dan Olschwang wondering if the whole thing is just a giant trap to get people to write expansions to Google’s software.

Tim Hanlon of Denuo points out that if the gPhone’s framework is anything like what’s described here, the carriers would be loathe to let it in their playground at all.

With all the buzz the past year or so with talks of a Google phone, would you be interested in Google gPhone software?

I’m all for this sort of “geek to the core” phone technology, especially if Google has a say in it.

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Google’s Mobile Plans To Be Revealed Monday

November 2nd, 2007 by iDunzo

I guess Google couldn’t wait two weeks to spill the beans.

It appears that Google is prepared to make an announcement on Monday regarding its plans in the mobile space, and sources say Sprint, T-Mobile and a bunch of handset makers will be involved.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Monday will likely be the day we learn the fate of the wireless industry.

Whether Google will move along an evolutionary or revolutionary path is completely unknown, but the result will probably shake up the industry either way.

At least two carriers, Sprint and T-Mobile, are on board with whatever Google is up to. Along with the carriers, handset vendors are working behind the scenes, too.

The Journal’s Amol Sharma writes:

While Sprint appears to be agreeing to work with Google to put the Web giant’s new Linux-based open operating system into phones, T-Mobile will probably go even further: the company has worked with Google for months on plans to build Google-powered phones with a variety of Google software and applications. As far as handset partners for Google, Taiwan’s HTC is a likely bet, our sources say. Samsung, LG, and SonyEricsson are also possible, but we’ll wait and see the full roster. Equally interesting will be who isn’t on the list.

Even though T-Mobile is lagging behind the other major U.S. network operators from a technical standpoint (no 3G yet), it is more forward thinking when it comes to its products and services.

In this respect, it makes sense for T-Mobile to be pushing Google the hardest for a more fully evolved product.

On the OEM side, HTC is an obvious choice but by deploying a platform, and not just one piece of hardware, it will allow more parts of the mobile ecosystem to share in the development and growth of the industry.

Posted in Google + Technology + Wireless | Comments Off on Google’s Mobile Plans To Be Revealed Monday

Google Celebrates Halloween 2007

October 31st, 2007 by iDunzo

Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31 and today Google gives us a spooktacular logo:

Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, Halloween festivals, bonfires, costume parties, visiting “haunted houses”, carving jack-o-lanterns, and viewing horror films.

Halloween originated from the Pagan festival Samhain, celebrated among the Celts of Ireland and Great Britain.

Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century.

Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century.

Source: Wikipedia

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