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It’s official people, summer is here. There are leaks and updates EVERYWHERE. For all of us in the Android Community, it’s no surprise that Android is leading the pack. Want some major proof? Please keep in mind that this is a rumor, but if it’s true, it’s definitely major proof. Verizon Wireless, the nation’s number one wireless carrier, is holding a meeting Sunday. During that meeting, they plan on announcing that they are dropping the ‘Wireless’ from their name, and they will be letting employees know that they have no interest in obtaining the iPhone. They want to push Android, hard. How does it feel to be involved with the next big thing people? Pretty awesome, I know. So what else has our green little monster been up to this past week? Let’s get right into this:

Upcoming devices

If there was one Android device that stole most of the upcoming Android device news this past week, it was the Motorola DROID X. Ready for the onslaught? Deep breath. Verizon held a press conference for the (BLURless) DROID X and that was only the beginning.  Since then, it has been torn apart for the world to see, benchmarked, shown off gaming style, and put up for preorder. Let’s face it guys, this phone is going to be big. Motorola is also still kicking around the DROID 2, but it’s not getting nearly as much press.

Samsung stuck to the one device press tactic this week with the Galaxy S, and for good reason; the Galaxy S is being thrown at every carrier who will accept it. Sprint has the GS Pro, AT&T has the Captivate, and now T-Mobile has the Vibrant. It took quite the head-game for the Vibrant to go official, but at least it’s there. PhoneDog will have plenty coverage coming on the Vibrant, so be on the lookout for that. In the meantime, check out the official support page type thing.

Still hungry for more? Check out these last three links worth a read: Alcatel rockin’ some pre-paid Androids, Aria free on contract, and T-Mobile’s rumored new monster phone.

Apps, updates, and hacks

This week was huge for hacking news, but first, let’s cover some app and update news.

Google has been busy this week updating and opening up a few apps, as well as flexing some control over apps that may contain malware and what have you… but that’s not all. They have also released the source code for Froyo 2.2, which I will touch on in a minute.

Other app news includes a quick over view of Mash-App.com (a new service to help discover the Android market) from John and some thoughts on an experimental app that would change the way you interact with your phone while driving from Nicole. Interesting… very interesting.

Speaking on interesting… this weeks update news was just that. Especially official Froyo builds. Not only did FRF72 get a leak, but supposedly FRF83 (the official release of Froyo) is going OTA now. We’re still trying to gather more on that one, but in the meantime, there’s still more…

Sticking with 2.2, the DROID is slated to receive Froyo in July (and the DROID X in August), The Samsung Moment (and HTC Hero) will not see 2.2, and the Behold II is finally being updated to 1.6. *Sad horn*

Time for something fun… hacking, rooting, and modding. The Android community has been super busy making our awesome new devices even awesomer. Here’s a rundown of what’s been going on: Remember that 30fps cap on the EVO? Well that’s been fixed, along with wireless N being added to the device. What about rooting devices? John rooted the myTouch Slide on a Mac for all to see, the Galaxy S was rooted, the SE X10 was rooted, and well… so was just about every HTC device you could want.

What was the best hacking news to come out of this past week? It’s a fair toss up between two things. The HTC HD2 has almost been conquered. It’s about time. It won’t be long now, and you should have Android up and running on what is quite possibly one of the most sexy devices HTC has ever built. What could be greater than, or just as great as this? CyanogenMod 6. Cyanogen and his team has their hands on the source code for 2.2 and they are working feverishly on getting the ROM out to EVERYONE. That means Dream, Magic, DROID, Nexus, Desire, EVO, and the myTouch Slide. !!!

Reviews

We don’t have a ton of review news for you this week, but what we do have is pretty cool. Marques has put up an amazing review (see above) on Smart Keyboard Pro which looks well worth the $1.99. Look for more reviews from MKB coming soon.

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Well guys and gals, that’s all for this week. Be sure to come back here for more news on everything Android as soon as it hits the pipes. While you wait, I would highly recommend reading these two posts and pondering the possible: Intel and Android x86; Dell and Google sittin’ in a tree. Sound good? Good. See ya soon! Enjoy!

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Looking for a weekly nutshell of Android news? The Saturday Wrap is for you

When you’re a phone nerd, like I assume most of our readers are, you know there is always one sure fire sign that summer is getting nearer. The length between device leaks becomes shorter and shorter. So much has gone down this past week, it’s hard to take it all in. Just about every manufacturer making handsets in the US has a hat in the ring. Motorola, Samsung, HTC, Apple, RIM… the competition is getting fierce, and as consumers, we reap all the rewards. Just what exactly are those rewards I’m talking about? Let’s get right into this:

Still no cure for EVO fever

(don’t worry, I’ll keep this short) The EVO 4G was still making major news this past week, but it wasn’t all good. Problems have been plaguing EVO owners to the tune of non-responsive screens that seem to be magically levitating. Fear not though, HTC does have a fix in the works. The good EVO news this week more than makes up for the bad news. You can now pre-order the HTC EVO in white from Best Buy, and… you know… hack it to work with a Touchstone charger. Awesome.

Upcoming devices

Where to start, where to start. Should I organize the upcoming device news by manufacturer again? I think I will, starting with Motorola. Motorola’s two new handsets (the DROID X and 2) have been EVERYWHERE lately. Even NASA… That’s right. While the DROID 2 may have not made many appearances this past week, where it did show up realllly counts. Where the DROID X showed up was even better though… an official coming soon site! According to Droid Life, you’ve got exactly one month to mill over whether or not the X is the device for you. Honestly, shouldn’t be too hard.

Samsung was ultra busy this week putting Android on phones and tablets. The new 7″ tablet Samsung has been working has been named the Tab. Could be better, but meh. Another Samsung device that is very un-meh, the Galaxy S, has *ahem* “gone hard” making the rounds this week. In one week, the Galaxy S has passed through the FCC, been torn down/rebuilt, showed off in some much needed sample videos, and took on an alias (the Samsung Captivate) to head out on AT&T. Just in case the Galaxy S wasn’t enough.. how about the GS Pro? The Galaxy S Pro for Sprint was spotted with the exact same specs as it’s non-Pro brother, but with 4G and a keyboard. But wait, there’s more! Just when you thought you couldn’t get any more Galaxy, Samsung teases us with the Galaxy Beam, and Galaxy Q. Oi. Hopefully some of this gets sorted out on the 29th.

When HTC wasn’t enjoying putting the Legend on Bell or announcing how they will be putting the Desire on US Cellular, they were busy announcing how the HTC Aria would be coming to AT&T. The Aria looks great, and according to benchmark tests, preforms great too. Too bad though… It’s just so terrible how AT&T treats their Androids.

Last but not least in upcoming device new this week, we have three more devices worth checking out. Sony Ericsson and the X8, a 14MP camera with phone capabilities from Altek (whoa), and a BlackBerry-esque Android from Acer.

Apps

Usually, I like to lump app news, and update news into the same category. This week held so much update news, it really needed to be broken up into two. Anyway… App news this week was pretty interesting. More and more carriers want a say in how their Android devices preform. Generally, that has been limited to a recommend app area, or some account management tools. Well not only is Vodafone now getting into app development, T-Mobile US has actually done it. They have released a phone resource manager titled Device Tune-up that is now live in beta form. Exciting, no? Of course, there was other more traditional app news too. Swype has entered another open beta for a limited time, Kobo has released an e-reader app, SoundHound is available now to tell you which Mr. Bungle song you are listening too, and Vlingo voice control is free for a limited time to myTouch Slide users. Nice. One last thing, if you are looking for a good read about Android apps, check out The Guide For Discriminating Downloaders. I know I will.

Updates

So I heard you wanted some update news… well we got some update news. How about updates to 2.1 (which about half of all Android devices are using)? Motorola updated a list of devices that will, might, or won’t see 2.1 this year. Thanks to the Android community, at least one device won’t have to wait. 2.1 has been ported to the Moto Cliq with no BLUR in sight. That’s what ya get for rooting. Speaking of rooting… the myTouch Slide was finally rooted and received it’s first ROM. More should be coming anytime now. In more legit 2.1 news, Sony Ericsson has moved the 2.1 update for the X10 line from Q4 to late Q3. Isn’t that nice. Of course, it would be nice to hear about 2.2 (like the firmware from those Nexus One’s being shipped in Korea that can be downloaded now at Android community), but 2.1 is better than nothing. If you’re hankering for more 2.2 news like how the DROID Incredible is gearing up for Froyo with WiFi n support, PC World has a list of 2.2 recipients that seems to be pretty accurate. Looking even further into the future, I’d also check out a wonderful read on the UI changes coming to Gingerbread. Very exciting stuff.

Videos and reviews

John got his hands on the same T-Mobile Garminfone Noah from over at PhoneDog reviewed for Fox Business this past week, and you know what the means. Tons of Graminfone coverage! You can check out the unboxing vid above, or check out some photo and video samples along with a navigation demo video. Don’t forget, if you have any questions you can do so on John’s twitter (using the #Garminfone hashtag) or through a text to 502-MOB-BARK (TEXT ONLY. Don’t forget to mention Garminfone). What else has John been up to? He also has a myTouch 3G Slide that he used to make part 1 or your questions and requests video, with part 2 coming soon. Stay tuned for that.

Carlos put up some excellent review videos this week on Sedio’s Innocell extended battery, and Rom Manager for rooted users. They don’t call him Hacks and Mods Editor for nothing!

Our final review this week comes from Nicole who did a piece on the Otterbox Commuter case. After reading I must say, I’m convinced to at least give it a try.

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Alright guys, that’s it for this week. My last reading suggestions for the end of the week definitely aren’t about an Android running iPad knock-off, but is about Google TV. To see what Google TV is all about, check out this out, and while you’re at it… check out what Logitech has in store for us. Cool? Oh geeze, one more thing, don’t forget to vote in our “Which phone are you dying to have?” poll. Last time I checked, the Galaxy S (which I intend to own) was winning. You OK with that?

@dustinearley

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The first thing I need to say here is thank you, readers, for your patience regarding DroidDog’s recent server troubles. If you are a regular visitor to the site, there’s a good chance you’ve come across an error while browsing our pages in the last few months; most likely indicating a problem establishing a database connection. Or, you’ve seen the “no suitable nodes” grey screen of sorrow. Chances are you’ve noticed these errors have been popping up with increasing regularity over the last several weeks. We appreciate your coming back to see our latest Android content and how things are progressing with the site. I also want to thank all of our editors who have struggled with database errors and non-responsiveness when adding and editing posts. Growth is a difficult process and the pains are not fun. At times, the problems have been downright frustrating.

These bumps in the road, as unpleasant as they may be, are a result of the continual success of PhoneDog’s family of sites, so another big shout out to the readers who are making them popular. We have a lot of great things planned for you in the near future and our new servers are ready to rock and bear the additional weight of the new audience members sure to come along. New types of content are on the way, along with some other noticeable changes throughout the site. So stick with us throughout the Summer for more videos, more editorial pieces, more hands on reviews, more questions and requests, more DroidWars, and… more free phones. It’s going to be an eventful season.

Take care.

(Extreme gratitude to those behind the scenes who made this transition occur!)

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Looking for a weekly nutshell of Android news? The Saturday Wrap is for you

Oh me, oh my, what a week gone by. Have you noticed things may have seemed a little quiet around DroidDog this past week? That would be due to a large move where, when all is said and done, everything associated with the site will be faster and error free. Yay! This may come as a shock to you, but just because we here at DroidDog aren’t pumping out articles, doesn’t mean the Android world has stopped spinning. We still have tons of the usual to go over in this week’s Wrap, so let’s get right into it:

EVO fever

Ooww!! There is a bad case of EVO fever hitting the country. While I myself haven’t come down with even the slightest tickle (mostly because at the rate Android phones are coming out… the next big thing will be a season away), the HTC EVO 4G is everywhere. I think this line from Sprint gives you a good idea of what’s going on, “The total number of HTC EVO 4G devices sold on launch day was in line with the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined.” That’s a lot of EVO. What else has Sprint’s flagship been up this week? We saw just about everything EVO with a SICK SAD scratch test (who the hell made these things popular anyway?), an AWESOME magnetic macro lens, and the EVO’s very own first ROM. It sounded like #teamandroid’s newest front man could do no bad until it was revealed that it’s running at a max of 30fps… that may not sound bad, but my myTouch 3G is running at 57. It’s being said the problem isn’t just the EVO though, it’s all new HTC devies. Look for more on this ASAP.

Upcoming devices

With all the EVO excitement going around, you’d think that’s all anyone cared about. That is quite untrue. Motorla made the news this past week with a couple of very interesting leaks. You may have been teased one too many times with spy shots of the DROID 2 lately, but at least the DROID X got some serious HD camera time. Another Motorola getting some attention was the Milestone XT720. Not only did the XT720 get a spec boost to a 700+mhz processor and 512MB RAM, it is also available for pre-order over at eXpansys for about $650 with T-Mobile 3G and all.

HTC has been the subject of  some very confusing leaks this past week. We think the Inturder… err I mean Aria Liberty should be coming to AT&T soon. Hopefully we can clear up what this little guys name is, because I can’t take much more of this. One upcoming HTC device we know a lot about, the Legend, is coming to Virgin Mobile soon for a very modest price. The Legend is yet another device rumored to still come to AT&T.

The Samsung Galaxy S (with it’s superior S-AMOLED screen) has made it’s round for the week. The Galaxy S now has it’s own website, along with a June 15th delivery date on Vodafone UK, and July 21st projected date for T-mobile US. The Galaxy S isn’t the only Galaxy coming soon, say hello to the Apollo. The Apollo is a smaller feature rich Samsung Android that you can expect to see more info on soon. If you really can’t wait for more info on the Apollo (I have no idea why that would be… … seriously…), then check out the Samsung Acclaim… because that one looks super.. cool.. too.

Of course, our manufacturer roundup of upcoming Android devices wouldn’t be complete without LG and SE. LG is said to be working on 20 (!!??!!) Android devices in the next 6 months, and Sony Ericsson is working on at least 2.

Updates, apps, and rooting hacks

App and update news was sloooow this week. The best we saw from both categories was a TV guide app, multi-touch in the newest Fennec build, new 4sqr functionality, and news of an update possibly coming soon for the Samsung Behold II to 1.6. Wasn’t this thing supposed to get 2.1?

Even though app and update news was slow, the hacking and rooting community way more than made up for it. Not only did the HTC Incredible get root access, but the Legend and Dell Streak did too! Could the Android community get any cooler? They could if they hacked the Nexus One to record in 720p HD. Oh wait… they did. Win.

Reviews and… Dogfights!

Noah from over at PhoneDog has been super busy this past week, and guess who gets to reap all the rewards? If you would kindly look up, you can watch a tantalizing part 1 to the Incredible VS EVO Dogfight that is shaping up to be intense. I love Dogfights and I can’t WAIT for the iPhone 4 vs Incredible vs EVO vs Galaxy S fight. Check out the preview and look for that coming this summer. While you wait though, check out Noah’s other Android vids with his myTouch Slide software review part one and part two.

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Well guys, that’s about all for this week. Before I go, don’t forget to check out the new freshly released Garminfone commercial, which just may be a part of T-Mobile’s big plans for June 19th. Ugh, please let there be a retail Nexus, please let there be a retail Nexus.

- @DustinEarley

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