Smartphone Experts–Smartphone Fan

This is likely a move to challenge Apple’s plans to add streaming capability to iTunes later this year. I am excited by the idea of Google having a music service that will allow purchase, streaming, and download of music, so I am extra excited to see what this holiday season brings us Android users.

For more information on Android and the current Android mobile phones, check out our Android Guides

I came across this post on Droid Life today and I got all excited. As a Motorola Droid owner I am hopping that it is more than a rumor

We just received word from one of our most reliable sources that the official Android 2.2 update will be hitting the Motorola Droid starting July 13th. I know, I know, here we go again right? After the pain we all experienced with 2.1, it’s hard to even mention a rumored Froyo update date, but this one feels legitimate enough to share.

Let me just toss out some thoughts as to why this could easily happen…

1. We’ve already seen July mentioned in a couple of Verizon systems.
2. The Droid X arrives 2 days later on the 15th. What better way to keep your millions of Droid 1 customers happy than by dropping a major OS update on them a few days before a new device takes over the Droid throne.
3. July 13th is a Tuesday, and if you remember the 2.1 update, Verizon tends to like Tuesdays.
4. We saw the release of an extremely polished Droid Froyo build (FRF84B) this week which should mean we’re closer than ever.

Thoughts? Fingers and toes crossed?

• Blazing fast music recognition. Fans can identify music playing from a speaker (radio, TV, films) in as little as four seconds.
• Sing & Hum music recognition. If the user can carry a tune, SoundHound can identify it.
• Voice-directed search. The fan simply speaks a Title or Artist to explore, and get results instantly, including links to video, discography, artist info and more.
• Instant sharing with integrated and customizable email and Twitter options.
• Lyrics, videos and other rich content.
• Buy links for easy purchase of songs and related content, including Amazon MP3

SoundHound is getting to app market as we speak. Now there are two verions: SoundHound, in which you only get 5 “ID’s” per month and then there is SoundHound Infinity, where you get an unlimited number of song “ID’s” this version is going to run you $4.99. So depending on how often you’re trying to identify a song, the free version may be just fine for you. Anyway, head on over to the Android Market,try it out and let us know what you think in the comments.

Sports fans rejoice! This is one of those apps that iUsers have been enjoying for a while, well our time has come. The app is easy to use, updates happen almost real time and it allows you to add your “favorite” teams to the app. It even allows you to login with your ESPN account. Oh, I forgot the best part, it’s FREE!

Well there isn’t really much more to say, head on over to the Android Market and grab it! Once you download it, be sure to leave your comments here.

Download Link

We wrote about the 2.1 update possibly coming to the UK a little over a week ago. Well apparently good things come to those who wait. HTC Europe has begun pushing out groundwork for the 2.1 update OTA to Hero owners today. If your phone receives the update, you will see a notification on the phone and all you have to do is press OK to accept the update, which will download via your data connection or wifi. After installing the update, you can verify it installed correctly by checking the Build number.

From the Home screen, go to Menu -> Settings -> About Phone -> Build Number. Once there, the new Build number after the update will be 2.73.405.93; 2.73.405.94 (Nordic) & 2.73.405.95 (Greece/ Ireland).

[via HTC]

For more information on Android and the current Android mobile phones, check out our Android Guides

Tony Bradley over at PCWorld has put together the top 5 reasons that Apple (and the iPad) should fear an Android invasion. Here’s my summary of his list:

1. True Multitasking – Sure iPhone OS 4.0 will have multitasking, but it’s still a limited version only usable within certain situations and scenarios
2. Less Restrictive App Market – With nearly 200,000 apps (according to Apple), there is power in numbers. However, with Apple ruling their app market with a very subjective iron fist, how soon is it developers leave the platform? This isn’t helped when Apple approves an app, but then changes the rules down the road and then un-approves the app.
3. Adobe Flash – This horse is pretty dead, but Android supports it. iPhone / iPad doesn’t. End of story.
4. Hardware Diversity – Not in love with Apple hardware but like their software? You’re outta luck my friend. But let’s say you love Android (and who doesn’t) but you cant stand the Moto Droid? No problem, take a look at HTCs offerings, or Samsung’s, or Google’s, or Dell’s. You get the idea. This applies to not only phones, but obviously tablet’s as well.
5. Carrier Diversity – There are Android devices available for pretty much every carrier under the Sun, so finding a device that works on your network shouldn’t be a problem. But if you’d like to get an iPad, you need to sell your soul to ATT, which not everyone is willing to do.

These are my brief opinions on each point that Tony makes, but go check out his article for a more in-depth look.

For more information on Android and the current Android mobile phones, check out our Android Guides

After yesterday’s mildly-dubious Motorola Shadow leak, the handset has shown up in the wild again, this time courtesy of HowardForums.  We described the Shadow as Motorola’s version of the HTC EVO 4G, only without the WiMAX, and that continues to look roughly true; like the EVO 4G the Motorola handset has both microUSB and mini HDMI connections, but it has a 4.1-inch display and a 720MHz OMAP3630 processor.

There’s also 8GB of onboard memory and a microSD card slot, together with an 8-megapixel camera.  According to HowardForums member wnrussell, who took the above photo, the Shadow feels lighter in the hand than the Motorola DROID, likely a side-effect of losing the slide-out keyboard mechanism.  Previous rumors had tipped the Shadow as hitting the market in June or July 2010, on the Verizon network.

No matter what the product is I think it’s safe to say we love to see a nice unboxing. And the pot is even sweeter when the device is turned on for a short demo. Noah from phonedog received the upcoming Garmin-Asus android phone from-Mobile. And he was nice enough to share the unboxing with all of us.

This is a great unboxing, you get the see the device and all the accessories one at a time. Then there is a quick look at the custom UI that this phone introduces to Android. The Garminifone is expected to be a navigating powerhouse. For now its stuck on Android 1.6, it has a 3.5 inch screen which is quickly becoming too small for today’s standards.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There are some nice accessories included with this device that may make up for some of its short comings. It has a few things that can get you by when traveling. There is an international-ready power adapter and a cigarette lighter charger. A dock is also included, these things don’t usually come with phones so they will save you a few dollars.