Motorola Droid Gets Google Maps with Multi-Touch Suppport

After the addition of pinch and zoom on the Nexus One, it is turn of the Motorola Droid to get that feature too on the same new Google map app version 3.4.0 (available on the Android Market) . The Gallery and the browser with P-A-Z capability have to wait a little longer however.

Other enhancements included in this update:

* Starred items from Google.com now sync with maps
* Search suggestions from maps include maps.Google.com search history
* Night mode navigation

Source:http://solsie.com/2010/02/motorola-droid-gets-map-with-multi-touch/

Comparison Nexus One vs. Palm Pre vs. Android vs. iPhone

With the Launch of Google's Nexus One,(currently the best Android phone on the market) the war in the smartphone market has heated up. Apple's iphone is the torch bearer in the smartphone market followed by Droid of Verizon. Palm Pre is the least expensive and then came the Google's Nexus One. Here is a comprehensive guidebook of all the smartphones Nexus One vs. iPhone vs.Droid vs.Palm Pre explaining their best features, pricing stats and availability in the market.



Image By:[BillShrink.com]

AT&T plans five Android devices from Dell, HTC and Motorola

AT&T today announced plans to launch five new devices from Dell, HTC and Motorola based on the Android platform. The company also announced a major initiative to expand the universe of mobile applications beyond smartphones to more mobile phones – and spur future app development for emerging consumer electronics devices, its U-verse TV platform, and enterprise and small business workplaces.



At the 4th annual AT&T Developer Summit in Las Vegas, executives outlined details including:

• * New devices that will give customers the most robust choices of major operating systems (OS), including Android™, in the U.S.


• * A goal to offer all major smartphone OS app stores.


• * An agreement with Qualcomm to standardize apps development for mid-range Quick Messaging Devices using BREW Mobile Platform. These devices are used by millions of customers who historically have not had the same convenient access as smartphone customers to the market’s hottest apps.


• * A new AT&T SDK (software developer kit) to help developers immediately begin to develop apps for these devices.


• * A significantly enhanced developer program and new relationships with global carriers that are intended to make it easier for developers to distribute apps in markets outside the U.S.


• * Future initiatives to enable developers to create more apps for AT&T’s U-verse TV, emerging consumer electronics devices, and businesses.


• * A new AT&T Virtual Innovation Lab and two new Innovation Centers, which will help developers and spur apps development

More On:http://www.att.com/

Celebrity Smartphones That Made a Splash in 2009

The smartphone market is growing very healthily, as expected, 72% year on year. And 2009 is considered as the year of smartphones. When the Palm Pre arrived in June, the iPhone was its natural competitor. While Apple's most precious asset still continue to rule the market, the battle field has since become considerably more crowded. Google's Android operating system, new Windows phones from Microsoft, enhanced BlackBerry devices are also enticing the users. In addition, PC maker Dell has also join the hot competition this year.

Here is a list of some of the year's preeminent phones.

Apple iPhone 3GS

Apple's iPhone remains the smartphone to beat. Apple launched the new iPhone 3GS on 8 June 2009 as a follow up to its popular iPhone 3G. With this Apple remains at the leading edge of smartphone innovation with the iPhone 3GS. Apple's iPhone has transformed how the world thinks of cellphones. Phone companies and hardware-makers follows the iPhone's touchscreen interface, easy access to the Internet, and bustling App Store.

Its newest model, the 3GS, features voice controls, the ability to shoot and edit video, a built-in digital compass, landscape- and portrait-mode digital keyboards, a universal search capability, and faster application launch times. It's available in 16GB or 32GB.

The phone's processor runs at 600 megahertz, compared to 412 megahertz in previous models and packs 256MB of RAM, up from 128MB before. Apple claims that everything users do on iPhone 3G S is up to 2x faster and more responsive than ever.

Apple iPhone 3G

Apple's iPhone has become on of the world's most popular smart phones. The 8GB Apple iPhone 3G deserves a spot in its own right. Users get the 3.5-inch widescreen display with multitouch capabilities, e-mail, Web browsing and multimedia support, UMTS/HSDPA and GSM/EDGE radios, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, assisted GPS and, of course, access to Apple's App Store, with its more than 100,000 apps—for the lowered price of $99.

Motorola Droid

Android devices rocked the market in the second half of 2009, and the Motorola Droid has been called the best of them. Droid makes for a powerful tool, along-with Google’s smooth software, Verizon's killer network, and Motorola’s new-aged design. It runs Android 2.0, offers 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, and features a 3.7-inch touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera that can geo-tag images, the ability to run several applications at once and voice recognition. It also has ties to a slew of Google Mobile Services, including Gmail, the Android Marketplace and Google Maps with voice-guided navigation. Google has launched an excellent and competitive smart-phone with many of the features that a modern user would think of.

Palm Pre

The June arrival of the Pre started a new chapter for Palm. Palm Pre features a tiny QWERTY keypad, the phone scores high points on messaging feature. From within one application, users can exchange texts with phone contacts and swap instant messages with friends who use either AOL instant messenger or Google Talk.

Pre has a 3 megapixel camera that lets users take photos in horizontal or landscape mode. The phone also boasts of strong multi-tasking features with the ability to have different applications open at the same time. Pre also supports copy-and-paste feature.

Palm Pixi

News of the Pixi leaked out as the Pre hype was quite high. Palm officially announced its second webOS-based smartphone, the Pixi, a slim and less-expensive smartphone with a visible full keyboard following the Palm Pre. It comes with Synergy, can connect to Sprint's 3G network and features a 2.63-inch multitouch screen, a dedicated QWERTY keypad, a 2-megapixel camera, universal search, GPS, a full HTML browser, and support for corporate and personal e-mail, IM, SMS and MMS. In November, some retail outlets lowered its price, which includes a service contract, to $24.99.


BlackBerry Bold

RIM has termed its new innovation as the 'boldest' smartphone launch in India. BlackBerry Bold measures 114mm x 66mm x 15mm and features a full-QWERTY keyboard.

Bold is also claimed to be the fastest BlackBerry on the market with 128MB RAM and 624 MHz processor. The phone packs 1GB on-board storage memory and has support for microSD/SDHC memory card slot for memory expansion of up to 16GB.

The phone features a host of multimedia capabilities including a 2 megapixel camera with video recording and an advanced media player for music, pictures and multiple format videos. The phone comes with a 3.5 mm jack, dedicated volume controls and dual speakers. It also supports video streaming.

Bold also has built-in GPS feature with BlackBerry Maps and support for location-based applications and services.

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Droid Beats iPhone 3GS For Time Magazine's Top Gadget Of 2009

In a bit of a surprising twist, Time magazine has named the Motorola Droid the number one gadget of 2009 on their list of top tech toys for the year. The device beat out the iPhone 3GS, who's predecessor took the top slot last year. The main reason they give for the honor of number one is that in their opinion, it's the first device to pair the hardware with the Google Android OS, positioning it to be the first real iPhone competitor.

"The Droid is a hefty beast, a metal behemoth without the gloss and finish of the iPhone, but you don't miss it," the magazine said. "The Droid's touchscreen is phenomenally sharp and vivid, it has an actual physical (not great, but good enough) keyboard, and best of all, the Droid is on Verizon's best-of-breed 3G network. It's Android's first credible challenge to the iPhone."

Their praise of the iPhone 3GS was less than glimmering, noting that the new device boasts little more than a speed increase.

"Take the iPhone. Make it faster. There, you're done," the story said. "Yes, the 3GS has a better camera — with video. And it has a compass and voice control. Those are all improvements over the original. But the main point of, and the best thing about, the new iPhone is speed. It has more of it. Period."

Source:http://www.iphonealley.com

Main Story:http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944278,00.html

Droid on track to sell 1 million by year end

Motorola and Verizon are on track to selling 1 million Droid phones by year end, a huge success for both companies. The company has sold between 700,000 and 800,000 units in the first month of its release, beating early predictions of only selling just over half a million in 2009.

The Droid runs on Android 2.0 from Google, which offers numerous feature list, including ones missing from the iPhone. Android 2.0 debuted on the Droid at the beginning on November, adding dozens of features over the previous version, including a new interface.

Droid had a $100 million marketing campaign push to help promote the new smartphone in the North American market, something that seems to have paid off. The Motorola Droid estimated to sell only 600,000 units by the end of 2009, but has already passed expectations.

Even though the Motorola Droid failed to beat iPhone sales, it managed to sell roughly 100,000 in the first two days; it didn't come near the estimated 1 million iPhone 3G and 3GS sold in their opening weeks.

The Droid and Android comes feature packed and includes a 3.7-inch multi-touch screen, sliding QWERTY keyboard, 5-megapixel camera, MicroSDHC support, an interchangeable battery.

Motorola Droid starts at $199.99 US, same retail price as the iPhone 3GS 16GB.

Source: http://www.neowin.net/

Motorola passes Apple in brand loyalty among men - study

Motorola has exceeded Apple in brand loyalty among men ages 18-and-up since the launch of its new Droid handset, but the iPhone maker has remained well ahead of competitor BlackBerry, according to one study.

According to new, daily tracking statistics from YouGov's BrandIndex, Apple dropped from a peak score of 48.1 in the month of November to a score of 22 last week. That took it below Motorola, which remained relatively static from its month-long peak of 32.3, finishing last week with a score of 29.3.

The study's scale ranges from -100 to 100, based on interviews conducted with 5,000 people each weekday from a representative U.S. population sample. YouGov conducts more than 1.2 million interviews per year, selected from an online panel of more than 1.5 million unique individuals. The study has a margin of error of +/- 2 percent.




The company said its survey demonstrates that Motorola has likely come out on top of the ongoing advertising dispute between Verizon and AT&T.

"Motorola has seen its brand loyalty unaffected by AT&T's lawsuits against Verizon Wireless and ad war bashing," YouGov said. "But it seems to have taken a toll on Blackberry, which has withered under all the Droid/iPhone marketing and hype."

This week, Apple indirectly joined the dispute with two new ads that tout features available only on AT&T's UMTS/GSM network. The advertisements debuted after the most recent study results from YouGov were released; any potential impact from the ads likely wouldn't be seen for weeks.

It's a similar story to earlier this month, when Verizon's brand perception soared while AT&T sunk in the 18- to 34-year-old target demographic. The study suggested that Verizon and Motorola's advertising campaign for the Droid, which launched on Oct. 18, proved effective. Those ads, along with network-specific TV spots from Verizon, directly targeted both Apple's iPhone and AT&T's coverage.

Source Story & Image: http://www.appleinsider.com