OPINION: Why is nobody using Android?

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I’m going to do you a favour before I make you read everything I’ve got to say. I don’t know the answer. I don’t know why just about every phone manufacturer save Apple and Nokia has given Google’s mobile OS the cold battery cover ever since the G1 came out in October last year. I don’t know.

You don’t hear any Android user talking about how rubbish the platform is. You don’t hear any developers saying it isn’t any good either, and in techland, that’s a sign that a product is more or less perfect. So, what’s the problem…

VIDEO: Spotify iPhone application in action

Digital Buzzard’s managed to get hold of a video of a Spotify iPhone application in action. We’ve been aware of the iPhone app being in development for a while, as well as an S60 app, and presumably an Android one, but we haven’t seen it running before now.

As you can imagine, it looks fantastic. It promises to give you access to over-the-air streaming of Spotify’s entire music library, as well as playlist access. Best of all, you’ll be able to cache playlists while in Wi-Fi areas so that you’ll be able to play them back when you’re on the go. Initially it’ll only be available to Premium users (presumably because it’s tricky to work out how to serve ads in cached mode).

But the big question here is “will Apple let them do it?”. This service completely replaces everything that the iTunes store does on the device, offering on-demand access to songs. We’ve seen what happens when companies try to improve existing iPhone functionality.

That said, Last.fm exists happily on the device. The difference might be that the Last.fm application won’t let you listen to tracks on-demand, just offers you various radio stations based on your listening habits. It won’t cache songs, either.

Proper streaming mobile music is the holy grail for a lot of people. Already I barely listen to my MP3 collection on my PC any more, relying almost totally on Spotify. If I could get it on my mobile phone, too, reliably, then my Zune might end up totally retired.

(via Digital Buzzard)

Samsung promises "more than three" Android phones this year

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Over here, we’re well in favour of handset makers experimenting with different operating systems. That’s why I was filled with glee this morning after reading that Samsung’s planning not one but “more than three” Android phones this year, as well as one running LiMo – a mobile OS based on Linux.

We’ve been praying for more Android phones ever since the G1 turned out to be not *quite* the iPhone-beater that everyone was hoping for. Hopefully Samsung will take note of Dan’s shopping list for the perfect smartphone, and build one accordingly.

(via Reuters)

RUMOUR: Vodafone to launch Android handset with HTC

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Perhaps Vodafone’s CEO has had a change of heart since dissing Android last year. There’s a rumour flying about that the network operator is planning its own Android handset, built by HTC.

The rumour suggests that it’ll be launched next Tuesday, the 17th Feb, at Mobile World Congress, which would make sense. I’ve emailed Vodafone about the device, but if they come back to me with anything other than “no comment”, then I’ll be very surprised indeed.

(via @feebeyer)

More on Android: Last.fm releases Android client application | Video surfaces of the Android-based Dream G2

Google makes 1.5 million books available on mobile, free

Over the past couple of years, Google’s been industriously scanning, cataloguing and digitising millions of books whose content has passed into the public domain. These books have been available for a while on Google Book Search, but now they’re available on mobile too.

If you point your iPhone or Android browser towards http://books.google.com/m, then you’ll find mobile-optimised versions of the books which display text, rather than the digital images provided on the non-mobile edition.

I should admit, too, that the headline’s slightly misleading – 1.5 million books are available in the USA, with just half a million of those available outside the US. That’s a shame, but almost certainly due to copyright issues – books in the public domain in the USA may well not be in the rest of the world.

Google Book Search for Mobile (via Inside Google Book Search)

More about books: Vodafone extends entertainment portfolio with exciting new “books” option | British Library making rare books virtually available online

Top 10 Tuesday/Wednesday: 10 things to look for in a mobile phone

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The launch of the very tasty Toshiba GT01 has got me thinking. What is it I’m after in the perfect phone? Well, what with the choice of handsets these days being about more than having polyphonic ringtones, and section 2 subcategory B of Sod’s Law stating that you can’t have everything, I thought it might be a good time to prioritise, especially with MWC 2009 just around the corner.

So, here we go then. The Tech Digest top 10 features to look for in a mobile phone as according to me and with all the subjectivity and bias I can muster. In reverse order…

Last.fm releases Android client application

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Personalised radio service Last.fm has launched an Android version of its software, meaning that T-Mobile G1 owners will be able to get streaming music recommendations on-the-go. Previously the application was only available to iPhone owners and on Last.fm’s website on a computer.

That’s all well and good, but where’s my Symbian client? I want to use Last.fm on my N95! Last.fm’s biggest threat right now, Spotify, is recruiting for an S60 engineer with the aim of building a phone client. With the 5800 just launched, and the N97 just around the corner, now would be a great time to develop an alternative to Nokia’s egregious “Comes with Music” service.

Last.fm Android App (via @fakesensations)

Related posts: Video surfaces of the Android-based Dream G2 | Last.fm music service comes to Vodafone

Video surfaces of the Android-based Dream G2

The good news is that the G2 seems to exist. I suppose someone could have installed Android on a random phone and added a Google logo to the back, but it seems like quite a lot of effort for a hoax. Unfortunately it matches the previous rumours in that it has no physical keyboard, relying instead on a stylus for input (eww).

Back on the bright side, though, Google Reader, Notebook, and Docs are all present. I’d kill for a decent RSS reader that syncs with a desktop or web-based reader on a mobile phone. Lastly, at about 0:48, check out the awesome green android charger! Omg, how cute is that!

(via AndroidGuys)

Related posts: G2 (and G3!) rumours surface, debate over release date | Get an “Android Dev Phone 1” (that’s a Google G1 phone) by becoming a “developer”

Dell to release smartphone, bored analysts suggest

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Let’s face it, it’s all a bit quiet in the technology world after the shock of running around Macworld and CES so soon after the festive overeating, so it’s not surprising that a few new speculations are surfacing.

Take the possibility of Dell making its own smartphone. That notion’s been around since almost the same time last year and has now resurfaced.

An analyst with Kaufman Brothers, Shaw Wu, says sources indicate that a Dell smartphone “is closer to reality than before”…