China Mobile isn’t projected to offer an App Store to its nearly 500  million subscribers until September, but the Mobile App Store website (mmarket.com) was found up and running today. Mostly with broken links, sure - but the implications are humongous.

China Mobile is launching their “OPhone” later this year which is slated to be an extremely customized version of Android. While HTC Sense takes Android and gives it a next gen “TouchFlo 3D” feel, OPhone gives Android a very iPhone look - at least that is how the previews appear.

Also on the site is a link for Android Market. Considering China’s censorship of the web via government, I’m wondering what type of implications this will have on the OPhone and Android Market in China. Any way you look at it, offering Android to 500 million people will certainly increase adoption dramatically.

Developers might not be all that happy as local sources are saying China Mobile will take a whopping 50% of all paid applications purchased. We’ll keep our eyes on the China Mobile App Store, OPhone and Android Market for sure.

[Via PCWorld]

There have been grumblings about a July 8th launch event for the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G and we can now confirm this is 100% true because we’ve just received our invitation!

So take off work, schedule a fake doctors appointment or just sit in your office chair with Phandroid on refresh and enjoy while we bring you as much awesome coverage as we humanly can. A ridiculous amount of people weren’t down with the physical keyboard of the G1 but craved an all-touch Android on T-Mo and that time has almost come…

The company line on the HTC Hero has been Europe in July, Asia later this summer and North America before the year ends. That last part crushed the spirits of many Americans and Canadians craving the latest and greatest Android. Fortunately for us the FCC has come through with  July 4th holiday weekend spirit by giving Americans a little something to chew on:

FCC documents show approval for WCDMA 850/1900 MHz which - guess what? - would point to an AT&T bound HTC Hero! Earlier rumors have been focused on the Hero coming to Sprint but maybe, just maybe, the phone will truly save the day by coming to multiple carriers.

I know there are a lot of you saying the sooner the better and we couldn’t agree more. AT&T, Verizon and Sprint need to get their Android on ASAP!

UPDATE: The confidentiality agreement requests confidentiality agreement for 180 days starting May 29th which suggests this HTC Hero flavor wouldn’t launch until the very end of 2009 at best.

[FCC via EngadgetMobile]

(Scroll down for the pictures!!!)

It was only last week that Vodafone held a high-priced and celebrity-filled Hotel party to celebrate the launch of the HTC Magic in New Zealand. For some reason, only a week later, all instances of the HTC Magic have not only been yanked from the website but they are nowhere to be found on store shelves either. What did Vodafone New Zealand officials have to say about this? Not much:

The response to calls to Vodafone retailers this morning was that the phone can be bought for $1099, but there are none in stock and it is not clear when it will again become available.

Vodafone spokesman Paul Brislen said that the phone’s sudden absence was due to a “commercial issue that Vodafone is having” but declined to give any details.

“We are working to resolve it,” he said.

The disappearing act was first noted by blogger Ben Gracewood who attended the party, snapped a bunch of pics, posted them on his blog and then received a request from Vodafone to take all his pictures down. Some are suggesting that Vodafone’s use of a naked woman with the Google logo painted on her body for promotional purposes has caused conflict between carrier and Google about the use of their “With Google” branded phone.

Here is that picture:

The story was then picked up by larger outlets like ComputerWorld and New Zealand Herald, the former of which is running with a much more graphic version of the nude/painted and unauthorized Google painted woman - see left.

Gracewood complied with Vodafone’s request but then realized his freedoms and reposted the picture with an apology to his readers, noting his “obligation” to them. Surely he isn’t the only one with pictures from the event… if you’ve got some send them to us! And preferably one where that young lady right there turns around!

The invitation to the event seemed to showboat the line-crossing things one might see my attending:

Vodafone’s invitation to its “Black & White Launch Party” last week reads: “Elephants, snow, oompa loompas and roller girls, Vodafone parties have them all and more. This year it’s time for party goers from outside the walls of Vodafone to experience Black & White Magic.

“Create history with us as we combine the infamous party style of Vodafone with the Magic of a phone even Google have put their [sic] name on.

“Heck, if you ever needed a reason to party this is it, dress in black or dress in white but dress to be seen at the only party this year that will have you struggling to explain the facebook snaps to your granny.”

The spinsters are spinning this as a tech related issue with the phone although we can understand how Google would be protective of this situation - afterall the “With Google” phones have certain rules and stipulations assigned with leveraging the Google brand. If you want to have naked women steampeding around a hotel party - use your own darn brand (and invite us to the party)!

Of course the connection between the party pictures and removal of the phone from Vodafone New Zealand is pure speculation based on the timing of these two things in addition to the alledged take-down request of the pictures.

Thoughts? Or are you still drooling… you pig!

SEND US YOUR PICTURES OF THIS EVENT AND WE WILL KEEP THE GALLERY UPDATED HERE!!!

According to RegisterHardware, Managing Director of Archos Northern Europe - Tony Limrick - has officially confirmed that an Archos Internet Media Tablet Based On Android will launch this September. He made the announcement at an event in London, England where he also suggested attendees keep September 15th open on their calendar. Launch day?

Limrick described the Archos Android Tablet as “Android-based devices with phone, email, Google apps and Android Apps” but beyond that not many new clues were given. Back in February we heard the Archos Android IMT would have:

• 5-inch display
• 7.2Mb/s HSDPA
• 2Mb/s HSUPA
• 500GB of storage (holy smokes!)
• Ability to play HD movies
• Only 10mm thick
• 7 hours of video playback time
• 800MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 3440 processor described as “laptop-like”

Is this the kind of thing you would be down with? And at what price?

Yesterday we posted an HTC Hero Unboxing video that was Day 1 in a 7-Day series from CoolSmartphone. Our commenters found it quite funny and one of them wondered why he was recording from the car - and in his Day 3 video that question is answered!

Ummm… the reason I’m doing it in the car is unfortunately we have only got a few days with this handset, and uhm, I - unfortunately we don’t have time to video it uh… in, in the house currently haha so uh we’re videoing it in the car and its all one-handed as usual but uhm…

A few things:

• That’s what she said (”it’s all one-handed as usual”)
• That reasoning makes absolutely no sense and I have no clue what that even means. Is this guy locked out of his house for days? Does he live in the wilderness?
• So far that was my favorite and most hilarious 30-second period in all of 2009 July.

Decide for yourself:

Here is the Day 2 video (PS I like how he says “Welcome to Day Twooo0-uh” in this one haha):

I realize I posted these in reverse order but I wanted to maximize the possibility of you watching that car explanation. I understand that my humor is slightly warped but I thought that was hilarious. I don’t want to detract from this guy’s actual review because while it is very simple and perhaps aimed at newbs, he has put 30 minutes of HTC Hero video up in the past 3 days.

A laugh and some info - double the fun. Maybe this guy is a hero himself… like Clark Kent and the car is his phonebooth?

If you didn’t go to the HTC Hero launch event in London but really, really wanted to go we’ve got the second best option - official videos from the event. I know the event is over and all but I’m sure you’ve watched your favorite movie several times, why not your favorite Android.

I’ve embedded the playlist so it should play the videos back to back to back:

And as an added bonus, a new promo teasing that the Hero is “Coming This Summer” that I haven’t seen posted much of anywhere:

Looks like some of the anticipators(word?) for the Geeks Phone One made a simple request of upping the RAM from 128MB to something a little more admirable. And their wish has been granted. According to the Geeks’Phone Blog the phone was just doubled in RAM size with a simple request to the engineers. “Icing on the cake, please.”, you say? This comes at zero cost to the buyer.

This is cool in a couple of ways. First, and obviously, the phone just got a sweet memory upgrade. Second, and most importantly, it really shows the responsiveness of both the big guys in the comfy chairs at Geeks’Phone as well as their Engineers. End users aren’t very used to seeing their requests come to fruition in such a positive and encouraging manner.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a company that I can really invest some Android emotion into. We can’t wait to see what you guys have in store for us!

[via Geeks'Phone Blog]

If you’re an existing T-Mobile customer and you pre-order the MyTouch 3G in between the July 8th to July 28th timeframe you’ll have your MyTouch 3G by August 3rd! T-Mo makes it very clear that this is before everyone else, so it is likely that it won’t hit retail until at least a few days later.

This update comes in a T-Mobile email about the MyTouch:

The pre-order starts in less than a week and the first customers will get theirs in just over a month!

We’re all awaiting a handful of Android Phones to splash on carriers in our area and for those in the UK that means the HTC Hero. One lucky guy (from CoolSmartphone.com) didn’t get enough Hero at the London event but someone rescued him - he has a review unit for one week and unboxed it for our viewing pleasure:

Are we jealous? Of course… but we’re probably not alone as I can practically see you salivating through the monitor. Or maybe you were salivating at those rabbits at the beginning of the video - was that hilariously weird or was that me?

Anything not in the video that makes you curious about the HTC Hero and/or HTC Sense?

This morning we showed you the SciPhone Dream G2 phone which we only cared about because of the cool charger - the stupid thing doesn’t even run Android only a proprietary Android clone. But the company’s website is now boasting the SciPhone N12 which - while still probably of clone phone quality - appears to run an authentic version of Android.

It is rather odd because the heading above the specs reads “SciPhone N12 Smart Phone With Google” which not only suggests it is definitely an Android Phone but also that it is a Google Experience phone. But if you look at the specs below and notice the Operating system it says Android/WindowsMobile.

That could mean one of many things:

• N12 comes with your choice of operating systems
• They haven’t decided what N12 will actually run
• One phone can boot either OS
• Android or Android Market is virtualized as a Windows Mobile application
• It runs their proprietary fake Android junk and they just put this as specs for the fun of it

We’ll see. Not like any of this is written in stone - the page appears half done and they’re missing a closing </div> or something somwhere with all that grey space.

In any case, if you care, here are the specs:

SciPhone N12 Smart Phone with Google

• Processor: Marvell Monahands (624MHz) + Qualcomm MSM6246
• Operating system: Android/ Windows Mobile
• Dimensions: 117*58*12.7
• Mode: UMTS-2100MHz, GSM-900/1800/1900 MHz
• Bearer: GSM, 3G(WCDMA)
• Display: WQVGA 240*400 pixels, 3.2 inch TFT 262K
• Main camera: 3.2M pixel
• Secondary Camera: 0.1M pixel
• Storage: ROM-256MB+64MB, RAM-256MB+64MB
• Extended Storage: Micro SD, up to 16GB
• USB: USB 2.0 high speed
• Bluetooth: Ver 2.0
• GPS: Yes
• WiFi: IEEE 802.11b/11g
• TV: CMMB
• Battery capacity: 1000mAh
• Standby time(GSM): Up to 220 hours
• Voice talk time(2G): Up to 170 minutes

Whatchya think?

[Thanks Jeff!]

If you have an Android Application downloaded and a newer version of that application is available in Android Market, you’ll usually get a status notification and when viewing the app in the market it will have a very visible “Update Available” next to it (see image). At least it SHOULD - users worldwide are experiencing problems with the feature.

I’ve been getting tips for a couple days on this and it is now quite obvious the problem is widespread. Longtime AndroidForums member Dkaufman1 has shared his own frustrations, linking to a Google Support Page showing the problem does indeed seem to be affecting the masses.

I’m wondering if Google is aware of the problem - if they aren’t yet I’m sure they will be soon. I’m also wondering if this problem could be caused by users installing leaked ROM versions - even ROMs that were supposedly leaked “official” ROMs but perhaps without a few lines of important code somewhere that carriers/google added in at the last second. Surely all those cupcake delays were for a reason, right?

The App Update Notification is a small yet pretty crucial feature that a lot of people are going to miss until the problem is fixed. If you didn’t know it was gone, I bet you’ll suddenly start missing it pretty badly. What you don’t know can’t hurt you but guess what? Now you know!

[Thanks to Dave Kaufman and everyone else who sent this in (remind me if you did and I'll add your name/linkhere... unless you're lying) ! ]

You craved Rosie. You heard about HTC Sense. You cried when you learned it wouldn’t be available on existing Android handsets. Shouldn’t you have known the Android hacking dev community has the will so of course there is a way?

Check out this video, where the Android HD Blog (translated) goes hands on with HTC Sense hacked onto the G1:

Before we go any further, let me stress that it is NOT recommended for you to hack your own Dream/G1/Magic with SuperHero for a number of reasons. In addition to some more minor bugs like non-compatability with auto-screen rotate, the ROM also expects a processer with higher power, causing your device to freeze and force close when doing some pretty basic things… like pressing the Home button.

Nonetheless our initial thoughts on HTC Sense were confirmed:

• Awesome UI and extremely polished
• Much deeper than only UI with significant improvements in functionality and basic apps
• Great widget system
• Overhauled music experience rocks
• Browser has multi-touch
• Contact management is exceptional

If you don’t really care and want to take the dive anyways, feel free to load it up yourself at the risk of bricking your phone and/or limited funcitonality. They’ve got full instructions on the Android HD Blog (translated) and you can download the latest ROMs from LeakDroid.

IF YOU PROCEED… DO SO WITH CAUTION!!!!

The HTC Hero has finally landed on the Orange UK website but sports an unfortunate “Coming Soon” for those wishing to pin down a price, launch date or even Pre-Order. We saw the HTC Hero hit Amazon yesterday and there is little doubt that T-Mobile UK will announce the Hero as the G1 Touch in the near future.

And some of the glorious Hero specs:

• 5-megapixel camera
• 3.2 inch touch screen
• MP3 player
• Bluetooth®
• Music Player
• microSD external memory
• TFT touch screen
• touch screen
• multi-touch input
• handwriting recognition
• trackball
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• vibrating alert
• speakerphone
• polyphonic ring tones
• video playback
• HSDPA, 7.2Mbps
• WiFi 802.11 b/g
• email
• Java™ capable
• GPS
• GPRS
• USB compatible
• Autofocus

5MP and 3.5mm headset jack is just… so yummy.Engadget has been directly in touch with Orange who are confirming that:

• It will be free with some service plans (as we previously reported)
• A price will should come by tomorrow

[Via Orange]

Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, LG, NEC, Qualcomm, RIM, Samsung and Apple have all signed an agreement to make MicroUSB the standard charging/connectivity technology in Europe. This is awesome news for Euroconsumers who no longer have to worry about buying/matching proprietary cables from various manufacturers and it is surely an environmental victory as consumers frequently discard used cables that are in perfectly working condition simply because they aren’t compatible with their current phone.

Don’t know exactly what MicroUSB is? See the picture below which compares MicroUSB to MiniUSB.

This image comes from Gizmodo who have also put together an entire Cable Explainer Guide that will leave you with no more connection questions. Read it and bookmark it - great little resource!

The initial benefits are quite obvious:

“People will not have to throw away their charger whenever they buy a new phone,” said EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen, estimating that unwanted phone accessories accounted for thousands of tons of waste in Europe each year.

But a couple years down the road, when folks already have a few MicroUSB chargers, there will be a further savings and environmental benefits since new phones won’t need to be sold with new cables - they’ll be sold separately. That way you’re not paying for something you don’t need, don’t want and will inevitably discard at some point:

The Commission hopes that as people discard their old handsets, within three to four years all data-enabled phones in Europe will be using standardized chargers.

New data-enabled phones will come with a standardized charger but after an unspecified time the two items will be sold separately, industry group DigitalEurope said.

I understand that “micro” is smaller than “mini” but I actually prefer the MiniUSB. It just seems easier to connect and sturdier, which for me has resulted in less wear and tear on the connection port and inherently less problems. The benfits of having a European standard far outweigh my own personal preference, so I’ll live.

It has been noted that Apple - who agreed to these terms - has a proprietary 30 pin connection that will be disrupted by the new standard. Speculation is that they’ll provide an adapter that will prevent the need for a hardware overhaul and/or redesign. But this is just speculation - there are several other options.

The companies involved in the agreement make up 90% of the European handset market - a pretty staggering percentage given its the intial agreement, but I suppose an overwhelming majority is needed for a “standard” to exist - otherwise it is just a favorite. And of course the big question now is when will other countries, like the United States (hello please), follow suit?

Many bloggers and journalists today are asking the question why in the heck did this take so long and why won’t manufacturers in other countries follow suit TODAY. I applaud the efforts of these companies in the EU but I can completely understand the hesitation or even reluctance to enter into such an agreement.

First of all you’ve got opportunity cost. Like it or not these agreements take time and that is time that could be spent doing something else.

Second you’ve got manufacturing costs (monetary and design based) - if you haven’t been using whatever will become the “standard” you’ve got to put resources into implementing this new standard the most efficiently, effectively and attractively.

Third there is no ROI - by making this decision you’re cutting off a source of revenue in accessories.

Fourth you’re limiting your future - look at how excited consumers were over Palm’s Touchstone Charger. By agreeing to use MicroUSB you’re also suggesting that developing an innovative, new solution to charging and connectivity is against your priorities while simultaneously accepting a barrier if you were able to create a better, proprietary solution.

All the above is part of Android’s brilliance…

The mobile market mostly consists of individual companies attempting to favorably differentiate and position their own products. Then you’re asking these highly differentiated companies to retroactively fit their unique products and offerings into a single hole. Android was created from scratch without these various strings and proprietary obligations, following the mantra “if its good for consumers, its good for Android”.

Obviously there are exceptions to the rule. Obviously we’re talking about hardware standards vs. software standards. But I think you can take the intricacies of the hardware challenges and the success of this European agreement and notice some strengths of Android that may help prevent similar complexities in the future.

I would love to hear how these companies settled on MicroUSB and wonder if agreements in other countries are currently taking place. And if so, will they also follow the MicroUSB standard? It would make sense since we’re talking about the same group of manufacturers and it will achieve more of the same positive results.

[Via Reuters]