Android 2.1 The guys at Android and Me were told that every single Android device in the U.S. will be receiving the Android 2.1 upgrade. The Nexus One having the Big Daddy of all processors will be able to have all that Android has to offer. Unfortunately, devices with lesser processors will not be able to run all that Nexus One will be able to process. One example is that the Moto Droid will not be able to run animated wallpaper.
The next piece of possibly disturbing news is that some devices with versions prior to the 2.0.1 (like the HTC Eris) will require a full swipe to complete their updates to 2.1 so it looks like the Moto Droid will be safe from that. Lastly, some devices may be subject to downloadable updates as opposed to OTA updates. This decision is currently in the hands of the carriers and manufacturers. This will all go down in Q2 so keep your eyes and ears open for more deets.
CDMA Nexus One
We are looking at a potential release of March 23rd for the CDMA version of Google’s Nexus One. The source of this news is the passing of the CDMA version through the FCC.
Flash on Android If you purchased the recently released the Motorola Devour, then you are graced with the presence of Flash Lite. The rest of us Android users desperately await the abilityof seeing Falsh on our favorite websites.
An employee of Adobe set the record straight about what devices may get the Flash support. We may have previously thought the ability to run Flash was in direct corelation wit the Android version. That doesn't seem to be the case. It looks like it has more to do with processor speed. Based on that information, The HTC Droid Eris and the Motorola Devour may never see Flash 10.1.
The minimum required processor appears to be the ARM v7 (Cortex) which include the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets and TI OMAP3 series.
Verizon Wireless Backup Assistant Coming to BlackBerry March 9th?
Will Blackberry users be compelled to use it on their already syncable devices? Well I guess we'll find out on or around March 9th.
Palm 1.4 update is almost in the books. It is going to be OTA so keep your eyes peeled. The update includes:
- Video recording capability with editing and uploading capabilities to YouTube, Facebook, email or MMS.
- Improved performance and integration between apps Improved battery life under mixed use scenarios. This means
customers that use email, messaging, Facebook, and other core
services will see longer battery life
-Phone app launches quicker and faster switching between
different views in the phone (eg. missed calls, speaker phone,
dialer pad, etc)
-Phone call notifications appear more quickly
-Other apps are more responsive
- Improved notifications The LED in the gesture area lights up and vibrates to indicate a new notification
Here are some of the benefits and a video.
Video only on YouTube
Lastly...The Casio Brigade. I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention the elephant in the room.
What I know is that this phone was to be released to all channels on February 25th. When I say all channels, I mean direct and indirect. Direct would be Verizon Wireless only, through corporate stores and on-line. That is how things are usually released. Through direct channels first, then indirect, which is Verizon Premium Retailers, like Wireless Zone and other Shack-like stores!
Verizon mixed it up a little last week when they allowed the Motorola Devour to be released through indirect channels first. This almost never happens. So, first the Devour released, then we received the Casio Brigade the next day with no instructions to delay. So I say, sell those bi-atches like they're going out of style. So many people are waiting to get their hands on them. I still don't know why Verizon Wireless pulled them until March 11th. Some sources said they couldn't meet the demand. Well I have two opinions about that.
1. If they had been reading their own forum and LISTENING, they would have known there was a ton of hype over it.
2. So what if there was too much demand, why pull it altogether and piss everyone off? At least sell what you have, instead of letting them sit on a shelf collecting dust for 2 more weeks.
Wireless stores are just getting them on the shelves and as far as I know are allowed to sell them. This release was a quiet one leading up to Feb 25th so many stores (both Verizon corporate and indirect; like Wireless Zone) didn't even know they were coming. I have one on my desk so if you have questions, fire away. And no, you may not have this one!