Their position about why they only allow market available apps to be installed that is. “Q. Why can’t apps be installed from sources outside of the Android Market?” Simple. Developer accountability. I, I mean… A.:

“Android Market, managed by Google, is open to all developers. There is no approval process for applications, they are all accepted by default and Google has stated that they place apps in the Android Market within 24 hours of their submission. AT&T selected Android Market as the exclusive source for applications because it forces developers to be accountable for the apps they submit. If the Android community has issues with an app, the app can be flagged and removed. This minimizes the risk of malicious apps harming customers and provides more protection to the customer’s private data stored on the phone.”

OK, OK, this is understandable. But still. I don’t like it, and I’m sure many of you don’t either. Then again… if you are installing experimental apps that aren’t in the market, you probably know how to make sure your device can already do so. What it really boils down to is this: One of the major selling points of Android is how open it is. The freedom to do what YOU like with YOUR device. AT&T is taking a little piece of that away from you. Involuntarily. Sure, there is no approval process so apps fly right in if devs so choose, but that only alleviates the sting a little. Because now, if a dev doesn’t put their app submission in right away, you don’t get to use it. End of story. Oh well I guess. Love it or hate it, I highly doubt the policy is going to up and change.

Via PhoneDog

We already knew that it’s big, and we knew it will ship with the Android Kindle app. And unlike the original source of these photos, we already knew it will come in a variety of colors, including red. We also knew that it has cleared the FCC with AT&T 3G bands, but one key bit of information we don’t have on Dell’s Streak – previously known as the Mini 5 – is exactly when it’s planned to drop.

And while we still don’t have a window more specific than late Summer, it’s good to see that someone was recently spotted out in the streets of Seattle, testing a handful of Streaks’ e-911 performance on AT&T’s network. The tester was apparently a bit nervous about having the photos taken, but I don’t think there are to many surprizes left up the Mini 5’s sleeve anyhow:

If you’re running an Android on AT&T (c’mon, there will be more soon), check out the free app MyWireless Mobile. It allows you to pay bills, view usage data for talk, text, and web, and even lets you change plan add-ons. It is not clear at this time whether or not the app facilitates changing the base plan. Can a Backflip owner check it out and post in the comments?

Search the Market for MyWireless or check out AT&T’s dedicated page.

Not likely coming to America anytime soon? That’s what I said of LG’s LU2300 at the beginning of April, but to be fair, that model number wasn’t firmly linked to the Aloha moniker yet (still a bit shaky) and there was little information at the time about what could have been two distinct phones as far as anyone knew. Actually, there was some confusion about whether or not the Ally was fulfilling Aloha rumors under another name, and it’s easy to see why: we’ve heard at least four names/model numbers turn up surrounding a new Snapdragon Android from LG, and it’s possible that there are more gadgets lurking discreetly.

Thanks to a recent FCC filing, we do know that the LG-C710h (whatever that may be) is capable of utilizing AT&T’s 3G network. It will be nice to see a few powerhouse Androids – Galaxy S, Streak, and Aloha – bring the noise to a carrier that currently sells (what I would call) a generation 1.5 Android, the Backflip. Rumored specs, as listed at Android and Me, include:

Android 2.1
1 GHz Snapdragon processor
3.5-inch AMOLED 800×480 touch display
Sliding 4-row QWERTY keyboard
5 megapixel camera
720p HD DivX compatible playback
WiFi, GPS, DMB tuner

Engadget has word that AT&T will be launching Sony Ericsson’s troubled XPERIA X10 during the week comprising the end of July and the beginning of August. Will it be running Android 1.6? Probably, but a major update may roll out soon after launch. Will the touchscreen and phone performance live up to the expectations that Android fans will have acquired by then after playing with Incredible, EVO, and possibly Samsung’s Galaxy S? That’s another story. Of course, there is a very good possibility that this release window could change, and considering that the X10 already seems to be a better fit for the last generation of Android flagships, I say it needs all the updates and tweaking it can get before release.