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I hope everyone had a Merry Chrismahanukwanzakah, got to cover them all, T-Mobile is reportedly giving out more presents and starting to ship out new higher capacity batteries and a bigger back covers for the HTC G-1. Those that currently own the old version should receive an e-mail detailing the shipments and hope to get all of the batteries out within a months time. With news of the new ‘Cupcake’ upgrade and all the new features a new and more powerful battery will be needed. Unfortunately I got rid of mine due to the horrible battery life that came with it, now I kind of regret it more battery life would improve my opinions of the device.If there are any owners here that have the e-mail don’t hesitate to share it with us and we’ll share it with the other site readers.

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In the last post about Google’s ‘Cupcake’ firmware upgrade we saw that there would be a on-screen keyboard added.  Well there is now video evidence of the keyboard being used.  From the looks of the video the keyboard features the click and drag function like the iPhone, for when you touch the wrong number.  The only problem is that it looks to be pretty slow when changing letters.  The black interface goes well with the black G1, but I don’t think it will look all that good on the brown and white versions of the G1.  I guess we’ll have to see what comes of this, and hopefully more details will come about in the future!

Samsung is hard at work developing their Android powered handset, and we can’t wait to see it!  The electronics manufacturer plans to release the phone in Q2 of 2009 to the Sprint and T-Mobile networks.  Sources are saying that the phone will be similar to the Omnia, available on Verizon, and the Instinct, available with Sprint.  It will feature a touchscreen just like the other Android handsets.  There are no specific details on the hardware, but if it is like the other mentioned phones, there will be no QWERTY and there will be only a few buttons, keeping a minimal look to the phone.

I can’t wait to see what comes of this.  I have a feeling that Samsung wants to out-do the other phone makers using Google Android, so be prepared for something out of this world.

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This week many companies confirmed that they were working on new phones that support the Google Android operating system.  The two that stand out the most and have fully confirmed the devices are HTC and Sony Ericsson.  Garfield Brusewitz, spokesperson for Sony Ericsson, stated that they will be looking into producing more high-end Android phones to start but will focus on creating more mid-range phones after the release of the higher ones.  He is also quoted for giving us a ballpark figure of the phones being available in Summer 2009, which isn’t as far as it seems.  Not to be outdone HTC also leaked that they were working on more headsets for a Summer 2009 release.

Sony Ericsson has given us good phones like the Xperia, but some might think about the W350a they just released that, let’s just say, is not a very good idea. Hopefully HTC will take battery life into consideration when creating these new phones, but I know that I am super stoked to see these new phones and hope to get a review unit or two! 

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Kogan Agora

If you remember my last post about Kogan we talked about the announcement made about a new Android phone available to Aussies. In that announcement they noted a detail release before Christmas, and it looks like they achieved that goal. They have just announced two phones that are available for purchase now and shipped out January 29th, labeled the Kogan Agora Pro. Right now they are accepting pre-orders of the phone for $399AUS ($256USD), which is an unlocked phone that will be able to be used on any network in Australia. For $100 less you can get this from Kogen to be used on their network.

The phone features some pretty neat features that make it stand out from the G-1 by T-Mobile. The Agora features 3G connectivity, a 2.5mm touchscreen, physical QWERTY keyboard, GPS, Wi-Fi, 2MP Camera, bluetooth and more. These are great features that give you bang for your buck! Alternatively you can pick up the Agora that does not include the camera, GPS, or Wi-Fi connectivity, it is selling for $100 less.

We are looking forward to hearing more about the phone, and wishing for a review unit, *hint hint*, or even a reader from Australia that nabs one of these to give us a review!

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Opera Browser in the Android Platform

Opera has been working on a mobile release of their popular web browsing software for the Android platform. They released a Beta in April to show how great the software looked on the G-1, but it was not ready for full roll-out.

Today the application was released in the Android Marketplace and available for download on your G-1.

The mobile client features some of the great features available on the full desktop browser, like a speed dial for your most viewed pages and also the ability to change skins for ultimate customization. Anyone out there tried it out yet? We’d love to hear hwo it works and how it looks. Shoot us a comment to share with the rest of the community here.

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All the audiophiles rejoiced today as we find out that the T-Mobile G-1 is now shipping with a 3.5mm headphone adapter.  The first wave of shipments included a miniUSB headset with a microphone.  Those of you that were crossing their arms in the corner and pouting, saying ‘I’m not buying that until I can have 3.5mm,’ can now go buy a G-1!  Now you just have to worry about the battery life. Short post, I know, but there isn’t much to say about a headphone jack.

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Gizmodo has found evidence that there may be hidden multi-touch on the HTC G-1. Readers have re-activated some code that was commented out in the software that allows for multi-touch. This find could allow for developers to take advantage of multi-touch in their applications. But don’t get too excited, you can’t just flick a switch and enable the use of multi-touch. Even though this is a cool feature, it was obviously hidden for a reason, so if you find the way to enable it, do it at your own risk!

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Dream G2

Why so soon, you ask? Well it’s not exactly what you think. This is the Dream G2 that is set to release in November by Sciphone in China. This is no beauty like the G-1 but it does come with the Android platform. The company states that the phone will have EDGE, Wi-Fi, QVGA display, FM radio, etc. and was slated for a November 28th release date.  But there is one thing no one can find, the keyboard.  There is no mention of a physical keyboard, so maybe my dreams of controlling my phone with my mind is finally coming true! I guess we will have to wait for the launch to see if there actually is a keyboard, or maybe there is talk to text. Okay I give up, I guess I have to wait like everyone else. Although I’m not too excited with the Dream G2, design looks horrible.

Two weeks ago today I ordered the HTC G-1 on the T-Mobile network. I have used the phone for almost two weeks and have had the chance to try out the features. The QWERTY keyboard is very sturdy and easy to type on and also easy to get used to. The slide on the other hand, well its still sturdy, but after a week of texting it has started to squeak like a door. So whenever I walk around and the screen shifts it sounds like there’s a mouse in my pocket.  Now the interface is stellar, Google went all out with the Android platform. The menus are clean and easy to use and the scrolling wallpaper is simply stunning. The camera is not as great as I expected, it doesn’t have a built-in flash, or video capabilities, but it works and that’s all that matters right?

I guess the main problem of this phone, which changed my whole opinion on it, is the battery. The first day I tested the phone after fully charging it and leaving all the features on, it lasted 4 or so hours.  After the disappointment I phoned T-Mobile to ask what the problem was and the representative told me to turn off the Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS, e-mail Sync, etc. and that should help improve the life. Well after turning of the functionality of the full-featured phone, the battery life improved and the phone became boring. Without all of those features it became a glorified text message phone. I never got the chance to try the 3G speed and the battery life with the 3G because T-Mobile screwed up my order and didn’t activate the data service.

In conclusion, this phone is sorta well built, the Android OS is outstanding, but the battery will cause this phone to sink.  With all the features that come in the box, not being able to use them really makes me upset.  Why buy a full-featured phone if you can’t use the features.  I enjoyed the two weeks I had with the phone, but sadly I must send it back and wait for the next Android phone to come around.  If I were to rate the phone I would give it 2.5 stars (or for the blog, 2.5 Android bots)