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Only the Cute Survive

T-Mobile Releases it’s Second Android Handset, The MyTouch In August

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To round out the smartphone debuts, comes the second Android handset from T-Mobile. The G1 has been out for a while now, and I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for Android to come out with some new handsets. Coming in August, T-Mo will drop the MyTouch for $199. It’s a completely different handset from the G1, basically it’s the Google Ion that was given to peeps at the Google I/O conference, and the HTC Magic, which was released in Canada and overseas.

The name of the phone, myTouch, goes with the big ethos of this phone: Customizability. Users will be able to customize the menus, wallpapers, icon and a range of other things on the device with the use of themes and skins. The handset will come in 3 colors, black, white, and merlot, and there will also be options to customize the shell of the unit also.

The phone will also get to know you and your search habits over time, how very Google of them:

“The other key point T-Mobile is touting for the myTouch is something called Sherpa, which T-Mobile worked with startup Geodelic to create. Basically, Sherpa is an application that claims to learn from a user’s actions. So, for example, if you’re searching a lot of Thai food, Sherpa should recognize that as something that you like in the future. And it uses your location information to give you tailored results for what it believes you will want based on what you’re around.”

The Hardware

While the myTouch keeps it’s 528 MHz processor, it has doubled it’s internal memory to 512 MB which bumps up the loading of apps and also makes the apps run more smoothly than on the G1. The screen size and resolution is the same as the G1, and unfortunately, is still not multi-touch. The camera is 3.2 megapixel with autofocus, comes with a 4-GB microSD card.

The big difference is that they did away with the physical keyboard. It’s running the Cupcake OS build, and the myTouch will now have a virtual keyboard. This makes for a slimmer, sleeker, and lighter handset.

While these some of these specs are admittedly, slightly meh, there is one big improvement. They did improve the battery life, which was the biggest complaint that users had with the G1. According to TechCrunch, “Well just in everyday use with a couple applications running in the background, my G1 battery would be gone in a few hours. The myTouch battery easily lasts all day in the same environment.”

Existing T-Mobile customers can pre-order the myTouch starting July 8. The device will be $199 with a 2-year agreement, and availability is set for early August.

via TechCrunch

Google’s Android OS Cupcake Update is Almost Ready!

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Ok, we all know that I’m the biggest cheerleader for Google’s Android and I’m always in wait for news and updates about it. Well, the world’s cutest OS update build, Cupcake is almost done.

The Android Developers Blog announced today the availability of an “early look” Android 1.5 SDK. This release seems like a mostly complete version of the final release, though Google warns that some of the APIs are bound to change.

Beyond the features that v1.5 brings to the end user (see below), the new SDK carries a few key changes:

* The SDK now supports multiple versions of the platform, so developers can continue to work on applications for the current release (v1.1) while preparing their apps for the next one.
* Developers can now install SDK add-ons. This allows carriers, OEMs, and other third-parties to easily expand the SDK for their needs.

The Deets:
* On-screen keyboard support, with support for auto-correct, text prediction, user dictionaries, and third-party keyboard layouts
* Live folders (Auto-updating folder shortcuts for things such as YouTube favorites, Starred Contacts, and, with the API now available, whatever else developers conjure up)
* Video Recording
* MPEG4 and 3GP Video Playback
* Stereo Bluetooth
* Browser enhancements: New ultrafast “Squirrelfish” javascript engine, search within a page, copy and paste, UI changes
* New Linux Kernel
* Google Application enhancements: View Google Talk friend statuses in contacts, SMS, MMS, Gmail, and Email
* New frameworks for developers to build upon: Widget creation, Live Folder creation, Raw audio recording/playback, Video recording, Speech recognition
* Faster GPS, Faster camera startup, faster Gmail scrolling, and smoother browser scrolling

Peep the whole list here at mobilecrunch.

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