Google Earth for Android phone available on the Android Market and Androlib

Android User eagerly awaited the release of the Google Earth app for the AnDroid phone. (When will google earth be available on Android???)

For exploring the world from the Android smartphone in your hand,  flying around the planet, view the same 3D imagery which is available in the desktop version. Use the searching by voice for cities, places, and businesses function, etc.

Screenshots

Package name : com.google.earth

Images and download the free Droid app from Androlib

hint via XDA-Developers

via AndroidCommunity

update 2/22/2010: Your Android phone must be rooted

(A video guide to rooting your DROID! EASY PEASY!)

This AllDroid Dark Beta 0.3 release is based on Android 2.1 one with Launcher2

This is a community custom ROM from the Alldroid community they are trying to keep this ROM as “functional”, which updates based upon Android 2.1. I would recommend that you are a developer or that you are very experienced with rooting your Droid phone. (A video guide to rooting your DROID! EASY PEASY!)

Let’s do it!

[Rom Review] AllDroid Dark Beta 0.3 by ReverendYo w/ Video

ROM Beta includes:

• Youtube HQ patch – xeudoxus
  • Replace NexusOne livewallpaper with Droid livewallpaper — Sniffle
• Launcher2 with Functional Buttons — xeudoxus + KrazyKrivda + dev team
• SU binary and Super User.apk for 2.1 — Zinx/cyanogen
• Symbolic links for busybox
• (mostly)Deodex, Optipng & ZipAlign /system apk’s (beta 0.2 needs more optimization, but it is fast and stable so we want it in your hands)
• Engineering bits from Cyanogen and our dev team
• Cyanogen multitouch browser for 2.1 (will update to ere27 soon)
• Multitouch 3D Gallery
• Multitouch Maps/navigation with Night mode
  • AllDroid Boot Animation — MrLane
• Add “reboot” option to power button
• Kernel — Tazmanian_Droid
• Overclock to 950
• Wi-fi Tether support
• Auto/Manual Brightness
• IM app
• Working Camera
• Several aspects of ERE27

via [Rom] AllDroid Community Beta 0.3 release

More information, bug reports, user feedback and the ROM dowlnoad link.

Pros:

quick 2.1 Rom; Launcher2; out over boxed OC to 1.2ghz; nicely put together with looks and function

cons:

2.1 wallpaper lag/restarts when going from home screen to app tray, Some issues getting things to work with Super User, Custom Boot image should be changed IMO, LED’s don’t work 100%, When in dock mode and press menu>settings you get FC

A full review about this ROM you can find at [Rom Review] AllDroid Dark Beta 0.3 by ReverendYo w/ Video

Link to Rom thread (“[Rom] AllDroid Community Beta 0.3 release”) starting Alldroid forum comments or via all ROM releases (@Mediafire reverendyo)

Screenshots

For questions and support follow @alldroid on Twitter

Motorola Droid OTA Android 2.1 update appeared in the wild

Motorola has realized that there is a big frustration growing with their subscriber base outside, not only because of the delays with their software upgrade releases, but also the lack of information they have shown in the last month.

This [RELEASE] OFFICIAL OTA 2.1 DROID SYSTEM DUMP will give developers an overview, of the features in the Android 2.1 OTA update

When you extract the downloaded system.rar file this content will appear

• Gallery3D
• Genie Widget
• Google Goggles

(download via AndroidOverdrive)

The feature list sounds impressive and it is understandable why Droid users would like to have the new update pushed out to their devices.

When the official Droid 2.1 rolls out, there will the expected updates and enhancements be and all will be satisfied

The ‘normal’ Motorola Droid owners will have to wait patiently for the arrival of Droid 2.1.

Official Droid OTA Update Android 2.1

The file which is not installable and is really only useful to developers at this time is available, but please don’t ask me for instructions on how to get it working. 

file:  system.rar

Thanks to DroidLife and AllDroid

Flash 10.1 running on Motorola Droid, HTC HD2 and Nexus One

Once Flash Player 10 is released, almost all Android devices would be provided an update that would make the phones a lot web friendly than they are right now.

This demo video shows embedded YouTube videos and a Flash-based web game on a Motorola Droid.

Motorola DROID running Flash 10.1 demo

via @mobileburn

Motorola revealed that Adobe has been working with the Droid by Motorola, during the process of development of Flash Player 10.1, which is expected to be released by the first half of 2010.

Adrian Ludwig from the Flash Player Team on Adobe demos various Flash video and game sites on two HTC devices the HTC HD2 and Nexus One.

HTC HD2 and Nexus One

(via @TV-Adobe)

More videos on Adobe Devnet “Flash Player 10.1 prerelease software demos and interviews”

This is a comparison between the MyTouch 3G, the HTC Hero, the Motorola Milestone / Droid, the Samsung Galaxy, the Nexus One and the Acer Liquid

The AndroidHD Youtube channel has published this Android display comparison.

The Great “Android phones” War

Could it be that the display of the Nexus One is a little bit too red and the display of the Motorola Milestone is too dark plus the liquid got too much white?

Enagdget thinks that the Google Nexus One has the best display

“In our opinion, the Nexus One with its 3.7-inch AMOLED display packing a 800 x 480 pixel resolution comes out on top with the best overall image (though slightly on the red end of the color spectrum)”

Tell us your opinion in the comment area.

Can you really make a comparison between Google’s new HTC-Nexus-One and Apple’s iPhone-3GS? Apple iPhone fans can’t await Apple’s new iPhone 4G

The HTC Nexus One was introduced recently to rave reviews. Some claim HTC could add more features to the Nexus One, which at present, are not working on Apple’s iPhone 3GS.

“Comparing the two smartphones is not fair.”

First watch the video, which has been brought to us by PhoneArena.

This video compares the HTC Nexus One vs. iPhone 3GS

“…so you can get a good idea of their similarities and differences,…”

Apple iPhone 3GS and HTC Nexus One: Side by Side

The opinions still differ, some love their new HTC Nexus One phone and other would never swap their iPhone with any Android phone.

Image credits and more information to this comparison via PhoneArena

When Apple will release the iPhone 4G, will it  kick and will it pass on the HTC Nexus One?

Engadget has uncovered some new features on Apple’s new iPhone OS 3.2

• CoreGraphics to PDF API for sure, printer API is being prototyped
• Spell checker in text fields and web views using AppleSpell
  • multiple languages
  • grammar checking (English-only so far)
  • address book integration
  • user added words
  • SDK access
  • Included dictionaries: Apple Dictionary, New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Shogakukan Daijisen, Shogakukan Progressive English-Japanese Japanese-English Dictionary, and Shogakukan Ruigo Reikai Jiten (may also be used for a Dictionary app perhaps?)
• USB Host support or expanded Bluetooth support
  • PTP support for transferring images
  • MobileStorageMounter (perhaps used for PTP; perhaps used to mount external USB storage?)
  • Hardware keyboard: USBKeyboardLayouts.plist
• Much richer text API including low-level access to font data and highlevel support for drawing formatted text
• Support for querying attached screens and choosing which screen a window draws on (App Store approved?)
• The beginnings of file upload in Safari
• Location-sensitive ads

…

The ‘Motorola Droid’ caught a lot of attention in the last months, therefore I thought to research the web a bit to make this YouTube video, comparison review list.

Most of the information in this post are about ‘Motorola Droid’ comparison with the BlackBerry Storm 2, the Nokia N97/ 900 and my other favorite Droid the HTC-Droid Eris.

Another way leads to the ‘iPhone 3GS’ which has been compared with the Droids and with the ‘Palm Pre’, the ‘Palm Pixi’, the  HTC Touch Pro2 Windows Mobile and the Verizon Wireless Touch Pro2 smart-phones.

Motorola Droid Vs. RIM BlackBerry Storm 2

The launch of the Motorola Droid in November ‘09 wasn’t very useful for BlackBerry Storm 2. The ‘BlackBerry Storm 2′ was RIM’s second attempt to try to offer an alternative Smartphone, which should compete with Apple’s famous iPhone. Now Motorola’s Droid smartphone receives plenty of attention, that the launch of the BlackBerry Storm 2  falls into oblivion.

In this video Jon Rettinger aka jon4lakers from technobuffalo.com compares the functionality of the  Browser and Browser speed, the Text entry, customization, navigation and apps on these both smart-phones.

The Motorola (An)Droid has the better Browser rendering plus the right screen which wins against BlackBerry’s baby screen. The page load on 3G and Wifi is on The Droid much faster than on the BB. The Storm’s keyboard is much better to use then Motorola’s soft and hard keyboard.

The Blackberry Storm 2 looks much more compact, but I would prefer the bigger screen of the Motorola Droid over the BlackBerry Storm.

I also would prefer that the OS of the Motorola Droid is open source, while the BlackBerry OS 5 is not.

Android’s open source software allows adding widgets without restriction, which is a smart way of customizing your Droid’s Desk very easy.

Load your Android 2.0 applications via the Android Market.

The Black Berry Storm limits the added Widgets to 8 and the applications on the Webstore seems…

You won’t be unproductive again with your Droid-phone when you use these top free productive Android apps for business

In this economy we need to be frugal with our spending and efficient with our time. An opportunity for business may arise at any given moment and could be one we cannot afford to miss. I have compiled a short list of the free Android apps that makes my life a heck of a lot easier. So here’s what I’m calling my “Stranded on a deserted island, and still need to get work done app list”.

AK Notepad: Do you forget things 30 seconds after you’re told about them? Do million dollar ideas come to you spontaneously? With AK Notepad, you’ll always be ready to jot something down in an instant. AK Notepad is one of those easy, yet invaluable apps. Put simply, you take notes on your smart-phone. Use it in meetings, write down quick to-do lists and attach alarmed reminders to specific notes.

All You Need For Your Smartphone Is On This Big List of Free Google Android Apps for your daily life with the Droid-phone

The Google Android is a smartphone with increasing popularity throughout the smart-phone world. As expected, the question of whether an application is good or not, or whether a user should pay this amount of money or find a free alternative has been rising as well for multiple Android users. This list aims to provide a few applications that every Android user should have and at a price anybody could afford – free.

Android apps for Students

Gdocs
By using their Google Docs (Reviewed) account, users can create, view and edit documents and spreadsheets. Additionally, whenever a person views a document, a good number of the original formatting is still present, which is a bonus considering the small screen of the Android. It is a helpful application when touching up a report or taking some notes.

SnapTell
Never go shopping for textbooks without this application, which offers the most variety in price checking. All the user has to do is take a picture of the textbook and the rest of the work is done by Snaptell. It searches eBay, Amazon, B&N, Half.com as well as local stores.

CoursePro
This application’s purpose is to replace that assignment book students use to write down their schedule. The free version of CoursePro can be helpful to part time students, adding four courses with five assignments per course, but the Pro version adds any amount. The main screen displays upcoming assignments, classroom, professor and more.

Image credits and more via AndroidAndMe

Wapedia
Most professors don’t accept citations from Wikipedia, but it goes without saying that it is a very useful tool for quick facts or to help start a project. This application loads articles similarly to Wikipedia’s mobile website but also adds the ability to send the article via email. All in all, definitely something to add.

Plus Hardware and software compared between Motorola Droid and HTC Eris [Android]

Motorola DROID, HTC Imagio and DROID ERIS: Side by Side

This side by side comparison of the Motorola DROID (Gadget of the year), HTC Imagio (CNet review), DROID ERIS (Gizmodo review), could give you a better idea of the similarities and differences of these Android phones

The hype about the Motorola Droid is high, but this is a good comparison also below there is a Hardware/ Software comparison between the HTC-Eris and the Motorola Droid.

After reading this post and watching the videos, you will maybe know which smart-phone is the right for you, or the choice will become more difficult,

Should you buy all three?

3D Games and Graphics on Android So Far

For the longest time, the vast majority of games available on mobile phones were as basic as can be. With only two dimensional, low bit graphics, they were sometimes not even playable or enjoyable. These limits were usually set due to the small processing power available on a mobile phone. Even though phones have seen a fair amount of technological advances, often the phones would be limited to two dimensional graphics, limiting their appeal more than a few times. The Google Android in particular did not see enough of an advance in technology until recently. Now a few three dimensional games are beginning to pop up that can be played on the Android, which is a great breakthrough for the mobile gamer who just needed to have Google’s phone.

G1? Here are two videos from the next Android generation

Basic Feature Improvements to the Android Phone

The Android phones on the market now are, for the most part, quality smart-phones, but as the future marches on with an army of new Android-phones.  As first-generation devices, they’ve served their purpose well – sketching out the turf for second and third-generation Android phones to shine. Listed are some of the features that Google should fix as soon as possible, to ensure that.

With the unveiling of Android 2.0 in Motorola’s new DROID phone, we see that some of these have already been promised. As for the rest…we can only hope that Google understands the needs of its user base.

Check out the Motorola Droid Ultra FAQ

- – – Hardware features – – -

What’s the resolution of the Droid?
854×480

What do the two dots/holes at the top of the Droid do?
The one on the left is an IR emitter and sensor to blank the phone during a call when it’s against your face. The one on the right is a light sensor to activate automatic brightness.

Android Developers Challenge (ADC) announced 30 Best Mobile Apps for Android

Yesterday Eric Chu of the Android Mobile Platform group “announced, .. I am pleased to present the ADC 2 winners gallery, which includes not only the top winners overall and in each category,…” there are winners in different categories from Social Media to Education applications as also from Entertainment to Productivity tools.

What is it all about ADC

Google Code page

“These winners were selected after two rounds of scoring by thousands of Android users as well as an official panel of judges.”

I’m sure this list includes some must-haves for seasoned Android owners and nervous new Droid users alike. And…

The overall ADC 2 winners are:

The Lifestyle app SweetDreams tops Googles’ Android-app award

“SweetDreams is a revolutionary tool that will finally allow you to go to sleep without worrying about changing your phone settings in order to avoid unwelcome late night calls. You can even use those inactivity periods to save battery power as well, and of course forget about enabling WiFi, Bluetooth or ringtones volume …”

Go ahead to the ADC 2 winners gallery

The winner SweetDreams gets $250,000 for the first place, ‘What the Doodle!?’ receives $50,000 for the second price  and ‘Wave Secure’ goes home with $25,000 for the  third place.

Inspiration and heads-up via ReadWriteWeb a great Blog

Great comparison table of Android-phone, iPhone 2 and iPhone 3 features

found this image via Lifehacker’s post Android Versus iPhone 3.0: The Showdown

People are talking about the Motorola Droid in my opinion this is the best video comparison between Android vs. iPhone 3GS

Motorola Droid Vs. iPhone 3GS

BTW check also this funny comic

Android-phone vs iPhone (comic)

Image via

Comment your thoughts in the comment area