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13/11/2008

Software

Fusion Voicemail Plus is an application from PhoneFusion that will bring visual voicemail to the G1 and the Andoid OS. The free application will allow users to view their voicemail boxes and see various details such as who they have voicemail from and when it was received. The application will also allow users to listen to voicemail directly from their handset.

Louis Lubin, Cheif Executive of PhoneFusion said:

“Our Fusion Voicemail Plus application is tremendously popular with our existing customers who wanted iPhone-type functionality on their favorite devices,” said Louis Libin, chief executive officer, PhoneFusion. “With the launch of T-Mobile’s G1, the first Android-powered smartphone, people have been looking for an innovative visual voicemail app that runs on this breakthrough device. We believe Fusion Voicemail Plus fills this gap, giving the Android community a better way to stay connected when it matters most. We expect this application will quickly become one of the favorites on Android Market.”

The application very much resembles the visual voicemail application built-in to the iPhone. Although it doesn’t look the same, it features pretty much the same functionality.

Fusion Voicemail Plus is expected to hit the Android Market at the end of this year.

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13/11/2008

Software

On October 30th the long awaited G1 with Android OS hit the UK. Those of you who are in the UK with a G1 will be pleased to hear there is a new update available for the handset. The RC8 update is reported to combine both the RC29 and RC30 updates that the US users have received.

Many users with the new firmware have reported the text entry bug has been squished and the G1 runs with a much cooler temperature.

If you’re in the UK and you’ve got the new RC8 firmware, let us know what your experience has been and what changes it’s made to your G1 by leaving us a comment!

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11/11/2008

Hardware

A Nokia roadmap leaked by an anonymous source had been passed on to Engadget Mobile who have published the details on their site.

It seems that Nokia could be planning to release a handset with the Android OS in 2009 and some of the features will include:

  • Full QWERTY keyboard
  • 3.5-inch 640×350 display
  • 8GB ROM
  • microSD slot
  • Touch sensitive UI
  • 5MP camera
  • Integrated compass, accelerometer, proximity sensor and FM transmitter

The device is nicknamed on the Nokia roadmap as ‘Eitri’. Although it isn’t stated anywhere that this will be an Android device, it is believed by Talk Android that these are very ‘Android favouring features’.

Are you a die hard Nokia user who would love to see them release an Android handset? Leave a comment and let us know!

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10/11/2008

Software

A very strange Android bug has been discovered in firmware RC29 and below which takes all text entered in to the phone as a system command. For example, if you were to type the word ‘reboot’ in to your G1, the phone should reboot, as it did for one user who spoke out about the issue — “I was in the middle of a text conversation with my girl when she asked why I hadn’t responded. I had just rebooted my phone and the first thing I typed was a response to her text which simply stated ‘reboot’, which, to my surprise, rebooted the phone.”

If you’re worried your phone might be effected, check out your build number. This can be found by going from the home screen to Menu -> Settings -> About Phone. If you see this: kila-user 1.0 TC4-RC29 115247 ota-rel-keys,release-keys then you need to update your firmware — your firmware must be above RC29 to be fixed of this issue.

Google are currently rolling out firmware update RC30 which will fix this issue and a few others. If you’ve encountered any strange Android happenings when typing in text, leave a comment and let us know!

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07/11/2008

Hardware, News

At the recent Web 2.0 Summit, CEO of AT&T Ralph De La Vega got talking a little bit about the new Android OS from Google. He commented that AT&T “continue to look at Google’s Android operating system but is not prepared to make any moves to carry any Android phones.” He continued “the platform is still evolving and needs to open up even more to offer a wider array of non-Google applications.”

A representative for AT&T stated “we continue to evaluate the Android platform, and if customers want it, we will offer it.” It seems AT&T are fans of the Android operating system but are waiting to see how it evolves before they take anything on.

AT&T obviously had a different view when they took on the iPhone — this was a completely new handset with a completely new operating system yet they didn’t hold on to see how it ‘evolved’. They jumped right in and grabbed a slice of the cake. And I bet they’re glad they did.

Would you like to see AT&T offer an Android handset? Let us know by leaving a comment.

06/11/2008

Software, TOOGAB News

A recent post on the XDA-Developers forum reveals instructions on how to get to the ‘root’ of the Android directory and ‘jailbreak’ the device. This part of the OS is designed by the Android developers to be restriced and inaccessible to the user, however with access it gives users the opportunity to install new applications and possibly a new operating system.

Posters on the forum have advised that the hack should only be carried out by technically sophisticated users and that a mistake could render the G1 inoperable.

Google have stated that they have been notified of the issue and have been working on a fix that they intend to push to users.

If you have a G1 and are interested in getting to the root of your directory, instructions can be found here. However please note: TOOGAB does not recommend you attempt this and will not take any responsibility for damage caused.

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03/11/2008

News

What’s your gadget of the year? The iPhone? The G1? The Peek? Yes, I did say the ‘Peek’. This is a little talked about gadget available from T-Mobile and it’s just been voted the winner of the Time’s Gadget of the Year award.

The Peek has been created specifically for e-mail. It features no fancy accelerometer, no GPS, no phone, no camera… and not much else either really. It’s a simple gadget that doesn’t beat around the bush. If you don’t want an iPhone, or a G1, or a Blackberry or any other PDA, PocketPC or Smartphone for that matter, but you do want the ability to read and respond to your e-mails on the go, the Peek is for you!

It’s available from T-Mobile for around $100 on a £20 per-month contract. Time had this to say about the award winner:

If the BlackBerry is too techie or pricey for you, check out the Peek. It does one thing and one thing only: e-mail. This slender little device gives you BlackBerry-like portable access to e-mail (it’s not a phone, organizer or anything else), but without the hefty fees; monthly service costs about $20 for unlimited access to your messages. The Peek doesn’t work with corporate e-mail yet, so for now, it’s primarily web-based mail. Still, for anyone who wants to keep in touch when they’re away from a computer, it’s a smart, handy tool.

If you’re wondering what else was in the list, the MacBook came 2nd, the G1 was 5th and the iPhone wasn’t even in the top 10! Check out the full list here.

[ Source ]

01/11/2008

Fun Stuff

Everyone wants to know what’s going on inside their gadgets and what sort of things can be found. Although the majority of us are afraid to rip our costly gadgets apart, there is always someone who’s curiosity gets the better of them. And now it’s the G1’s turn.

Android Community have published an article which features the dissecting of the G1 and lots of photos to go with it. It’s really quite interesting. It seems the roll ball in the G1 is the same as that in the Blackberry and a second vibration motor has been discovered.

Check it out now before you decide to pull yours apart!

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EA games are the world’s leading games publisher and have produced many fantastic applications for the iPhone including Spore, Tetris, Bejeweled and Monopoly. All of which have been a big hit in the App Store. For those of you with a new T-Mobile G1 who feel you might be missing out somewhat, do not fear.

The Smart PDA have reported that Tetris, Bejeweled and Monopoly are all due to make an appareance on the Android platform in the not-so-distant future. EA’s Mobile Vice President, Adam Sussman, said “Android is another exciting new platform to offer customers great games with enhancements like touch and tilt capabilities.”

It seems like the Android Market will soon be filled with some great quality games and the G1, just like its rival the iPhone, will be a big hit in the mobile gaming market.

[ Source ]

30/10/2008

News

As of today the T-Mobile G1 will be available throughout stores in the UK. Queues started building for the G1 at 7am this morning, with customers eager to be the first to get their hands on search giant Google’s first Android phone. This is Google’s first move into the lucrative mobile phone market and they will be competing with Microsoft, Nokia, Blackberry and of course, their major competitor… Apple.

Despite the anticipation for the G1 however, first reactions have been a mixed bag. Retailers in the US have already started slashing prices on the G1 to boost sales. Whilst our own Wes Joyce is loving his new G1, Gizmodo stated that they believed this wasn’t the finished article but, ‘was a good start’. CNET called it ‘weird’ and claimed it was ‘not quite there yet’.

A spokesperson for T-Mobile stated that more than 25,000 people had registered their interest in the G1 since its launch in New York last month.

In the UK the G1 comes free on a £40 a month contract and is packed full of features such as GPS, WiFi and Google’s long awaited Android OS.

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