Gizmodo Australia » gphone

Android Hardware By Google Rumours Stirred Up Again: Ammunition Group May Be Behind the Design

Sean Fallon — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:01:00 +0000

Talk about an android phone made by Google died down after the release of Android, but it seems that you just can’t keep a good rumour down. According to TechCrunch, an Android made by Google may actually become a reality based on two new bits of information–the first being a quote in a Mediaweek interview with Google head honchos Larry Page, Sergei Brin and CEO Eric Schmidt. The reporter noted that “The trio of Google execs also used the opportunity to talk about the inroads the company is making with its own branded mobile phone as a replacement for the iPhone.” The second being that Techcrunch claims a company called the Ammunition Group may be behind the design.

As for the second bit of information, we know that the Ammunition Design Group has worked with companies like Palm, Hewlett-Packard, Dell Computer, and Logitech in the past (a phone they designed for Sprint is pictured above). Apparently, Tech Crunch’s source swears that ADG is behind the phone and that “it is a seriously beautiful device.” Not a confirmation by any means, but TechCrunch is usually spot on–so take that for what it is worth. The most probable explanation for any sort of design work on a handset for Google is that these could be prototypes for marketing or other promotion, but no one can make a call either way about this being a for production design or not. [Tech Crunch and Mediaweek via BGR]

Wired: How and Why Android Came to Be

Matt Buchanan — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:40:00 +0000

You might already know that Google bought Android for US$50 million in 2005 after Danger co-founder Andy Rubin just asked them for an endorsement of it. But did you know that Google feared Windows Mobile? Yep, that one, Wired’s massive top-to-bottom Android feature (with awesome art) reveals. Google thought Microsoft had beat it to mobile–it had a quickly growing platform, tied to Microsoft’s ends. Google, on the other hand, was having its apps, like mobile Picasa, shot down by carriers who wanted to extort users to do the same thing Google offered for free.

That’s just one reason it needed Android. Unlike Windows Mobile, which is all tangled up with Windows, Android’s totally centered the web–where people naturally go to Google. While Android vs. iPhone is shaping up to be the new Windows vs. Mac (or open vs. closed), the iPhone actually proved the thesis that easy mobile net access is really easy access to Google: Christmas Day, the iPhone, “fewer than 5 percent of all smartphones worldwide, drove more traffic to Google than any other mobile device.” By making Android all about net connectivity and giving developers a common platform to develop for hundreds of phone, the bet is that even with tons of third-party apps, it all comes back to Google. The web is the platform as much as the actual code-y bits.

Naturally, handset makers fear losing their brand in the hype, even as Google argues it means they don’t have to waste time on the OS, but can concentrate on hardware and their own proprietary apps. (Course, if you’re of the mind it’s all about software now, then Google’s argument is funky bunk. Hardware will matter maybe as much as Dell vs. HP–maybe that’s a lot to you, maybe not so much. Besides, has HTC really had an identity in the first place?) Motorola is actually betting big, putting the original team behind the Razr on its Android phones, hoping it’ll be a path to newfound glory.

Even if it (or anyone else) succeeds, ultimately they’ll still just be a cog in the Android machine. By the same token, even if Android itself bombs out, as long as it forces open access to the internet, Google still stands to rake in the rewards. [Wired]

Google’s GPhone Delayed Until 2009, Android Platform Still OK?

Jason Chen — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:48:21 +0000

Gary Krakow of TheStreet (formerly of MSNBC) is claiming that Google’s own “GPhone” will be delayed until 2009. One question here. How can something that hasn’t even been announced—Google’s own hardware version of their Android operating system—be delayed?

Assuming that the phone really is in production and will be delayed until 2009, that leaves the question of whether the Android platform as a whole will be delayed, since many other manufacturers besides Google are planning their own phones. Krakow’s source doesn’t say, which probably means it’s still on track. Either that, or horribly, horribly delayed and the guy doesn’t want to induce a panic. [The Street]

Andy Rubin Shows Off Quake, Google Maps Street View On Android

Adam Frucci — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:24:15 +0000

Here’s a video of Andy Rubin, the Android head honcho at Google, showing off a build of the new mobile OS on a touchscreen phone to the BBCs Darren waters. It’s interesting, with things like ~~Doom~~Quake and Google Maps Street View looking pretty great, especially on a phone running at 300 Mhz (half of the iPhone’s processing power). It’s not perfect, but it’s also not ready for prime time, so we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt on some of the janky-looking elements of the OS. Thoughts? [BBC via BB Gadgets]

Old Rumour, More Exotic Clothes: Alienware Android Phone Mockups

Matt Buchanan — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 19:30:40 +0000

While the rumour that Dell’s working on an Android phone isn’t new—it was sorta smashed, even—this is a slightly different (and maybe more promising) spin on it. An Alienware-designed Android phone. I’m not sure it makes a whole lot of sense, or hell, even looks that good, but it’s definitely more striking than anything Dell would probably come up with. Would you carry this thing, especially with the much-improved look of the new Android SDK? [Dialaphone via /.]

Video: New Android UI Shows iPhone-like Animations

Adrian Covert — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:32:52 +0000

The first iteration of Android wasn’t the prettiest phone OS by a longshot. However, today’s release of the refreshed Android SDK shows a UI that has more than a bit of polish. We took screens, but you should also check out the details, like this video showing smooth, animated transitions. Good on them: Some have speculated that’s where most of the iPhone’s charm comes from. See for yourself.

New Android SDK Spells Out OS Improvements and UI

Brian Lam — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:48:45 +0000

Just two days after we played with the latest build, the new Android SDK is out with improvements to the overall OS. Like last time, you can download it and play with it, but in the mean time, here are the updates, which include better file support (OGG, for one), better animations, and a better UI. We’ll update this post as we try the included emulator first hand. UPDATE: Screenshots included and the UI looks a lot better than the original, complete with screen animations.

Android Hands-On Video: It’s Fast, It’s Still Not There

Jesus Diaz — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:00:08 +0000

We have been playing with the Android prototypes scattered through the Mobile World Congress here in Barcelona. ARM had theirs running on one of their lower-end processors. No fancy graphics demos, no iPhone-style multimedia fizzbang, just a humble ARM9 processor in a plain white prototype “to demonstrate the scalability of Android” and serve as a “development platform.” Our verdict: it works, it’s fluid, but it’s boring. Qualcomm’s Android prototype, however, is a real beast.

An ugly giganfatastic beast made of multiple boards right out of a Terry Gilliam movie set. It was faster and had wireless connectivity, something that the ARM model didn’t had enabled. And obviously, it was untouchable and development oriented.

As you can see, while the Android platform is solid enough for development and testing, it seems we are far away from seeing actual products getting into the market. ARM told us that everything is still pretty much up in the air at this point, and the actual physical mobile specification is still coming from the Open Handset Alliance.

We will update this post with more Android prototypes hands-on and impressions.

An Army of First Official Android Prototype Phones Invading MWC

Matt Buchanan — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:16:58 +0000

In addition to the chipmaker ARM, everybody and their mother is showing off their own flavour of the first official prototype Google Android phones at MWC today: ARM, Texas Instruments, Marvell, Qualcomm, NEC and ST Microelectronics, to name a few. Definitely expect some first gropes of Android on real hardware later today—hopefully these are the droids we’re looking for. [Yahoo!/AP]

Google Phone Prototype to be Shown Next Week at Mobile World Congress

Jason Chen — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:18:57 +0000

ARM, the chip manufacturer that makes many of the processors in many of the phones you’re currently using, says they’re going to show a prototype Google Android phone at Mobile World Congress next week. That’s pretty much all we know so far. Chances are the prototype will have the same SDK that’s available for emulation on your PC right now, and will mostly be used to show phone manufacturers (HTC & friends) that the ARM processors will handle an Android phone just fine; a.k.a. “please use our processors in your phones!” [Reuters]