+101 - Vote for the best Android Apps

Some details of the OTA update some of you might be getting on your new G1 in the next day or so… Doesn’t look like any big changes:

• What does this update do? This update will include enhancements (I don’t know what is termed an “enhancement” and one bug fix that is visible to customers which makes all songs from Amazon available for listening
• Why do I need it? So your device will perform better long term and you don’t have to worry about corrupt files from Amazon.
• When will I get mine? If you participated in the PreSale, you will receive it between the 23rd-25th otherwise you should get it by 10/31.  For those receiving their devices after that date you should receive the update soon after you activate the phone (within 2 – 3 days).  New phones from HTC will come pre-loaded with the update.
• What if I don’t get mine? Just wait for it, it will come.
• What do I do when I haven’t gotten mine by the time you said I’d get mine? Wait a little longer
• Seriously, I didn’t get mine.  Where is it and when will I get it? Why am I missing out? Check your software version, you probably had the new software all along and were waiting for nothing.
• How do I check my software version? From the main screen hit Menu > Settings > About phone > Build number.  Look for where it says RC##  The initial release is RC19.  The Updated release is RC28
• Will I lose any applications or settings? Nope.  Your settings and apps should be preserved.

Also, you should receive a notification, alert message, or otherwise when the update is ready for your phone. You will be asked to either accept the update or be reminded later.

T-Mobile officiallly launch the G1 (although some people have been getting theirs a little bit early) today for $179.99 plus 2 year contract prices.

You can find out more on the T-Mobile G1 website.

From the press release:

With a fun and intuitive user interface and one-touch access to Google Search, the T-Mobile G1 is the first phone to offer access to Android Market, which hosts unique applications and mashups of existing and new services from developers around the world. Customers can find and download a wide range of innovative applications—from games to social networking and on-the-go shopping—to personalize their phone and enhance their mobile lifestyle. Even better, for a limited time, the dozens of applications available on Android Market are available free-of-charge for T-Mobile G1 users.

Have fun everyone!

Google today launched the Android operating system to the open-source community!

The launch arrives the day before the first handset goes to market in the US, the T-Mobile G1.  The G1 should be available in the UK in early November.

The marketing campaign is reported to be the biggest T-Mobile have ever lauched and it needs to be to take on O2 and the Apple Iphone.

From early reports, the G1 is no Iphone, but it’s getting there, and with the huge amount of potential development from the worldwide open-source community, supported by the Open Handset Alliance, it’s got huge potential.

Android uses a Linux Kernel, in the same way that Mac OS X sits on a Linux base on the iphone.  Whilst Linux was never expressly designed for mobile use, it’s ideal for a multi purpose computing environment which allows a far less restricted range of applications.  The reason for this is that it runs on x86 (esq) hardware as opposed to a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) based device (like an older phone or a dvd player).

The first release of the code is a big step.  It’s reported to be the largest repository of open source code that has been released at any one time, and with such a wealth of different factors that it will need to encounter now and in the future: different carriers, languages, devices with their own graphical subsystems and multimedia.  It’s got a big job ahead of it!  

Watch this space for more information as we find it, but it’s looking like a big week for Android!

Yesterday T-Mobile in the UK announced that the G1 will be available from 30th October. Exclusive to T-Mobile the G1 is the first mobile phone to feature the Android open source mobile software platform.

Over 25,000 people have pre-registered their interest in the phone in the UK, which will be available free on the T-Mobile Combi and Flext price plans (roughly £40 per month – lots of minutes and texts and unlimited internet access).

Vital statistics: The T-Mobile G1

• Available in two colours – black and white
• GPS and compass
• Rich HTML email client which seamlessly synchs email with POP3 or IMAP services
• 3.5G (HSDPA/HSUPA) and Wi-Fi connectivity
• 3 Mega pixel camera
• MP3 music player
• Pre-installed 2 GB Micro SD memory card (device supports up to an 8 GB card)
• Bluetooth-enabled
• Up to 130 hours standby and up to 5 hours talk time
• Dimensions: 117.7 x 55.7 x 26.5 mm
• Weight: 158g

The first Android phones, the G1, will be released in a couple of weeks and according to t-mobile all 1.5 million pre-ordered phones have been sold. This is going to be a big release and all those Android applications have to be ready for download straight away.

We’re getting a lot of interest already so if you have an application or know of one that isn’t featured on this site, why not submit it now to get things started – the next few weeks are going to be busy!

We’ve launched the site and even have over 40 applications ready for review and rating but a lot of people may be wondering what Google Android is all about.

Android is a platform for software development. It runs as a software stack for mobile devices and includes an operating system, middleware and applications. The applications are written using the Java programming language and run on a custom virtual machine on top of a Linux kernel. There’s lots of techincal information on the Google Android developer site.

Android was developed by a group of more than 30 technology companies under the title: Open Handset Alliance™. One of the most exciting features of Android is the Open Source aspect of the development:

Open
Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It is built to be truly open. For example, an application could call upon any of the phone’s core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that has been designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android will be open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.

All applications are created equal
Android does not differentiate between the phone’s core applications and third-party applications. They can all be built to have equal access to a phone’s capabilities providing users with a broad spectrum of applications and services. With devices built on the Android Platform, users will be able to fully tailor the phone to their interests. They can swap out the phone’s homescreen, the style of the dialer, or any of the applications. They can even instruct their phones to use their favorite photo viewing application to handle the viewing of all photos.

Breaking down application boundaries
Android breaks down the barriers to building new and innovative applications. For example, a developer can combine information from the web with data on an individual’s mobile phone — such as the user’s contacts, calendar, or geographic location — to provide a more relevant user experience. With Android, a developer could build an application that enables users to view the location of their friends and be alerted when they are in the vicinity giving them a chance to connect.

Fast & easy application development
Android provides access to a wide range of useful libraries and tools that can be used to build rich applications. For example, Android enables developers to obtain the location of the device, and allows devices to communicate with one another enabling rich peer-to-peer social applications. In addition, Android includes a full set of tools that have been built from the ground up alongside the platform providing developers with high productivity and deep insight into their applications.

You can find out lots more on the Open Handset Alliance and Android websites.

This is a brand new site from the same people as 101 Best Websites – here you’ll be able to rate, review and find out about new and unusual Google Android Applications.

With the launch of the new Google Android OS there are going to be thousands of new apps, homebrew and games released over the next few months. We hope to be able to help you choose the best of the bunch.

We’ve only just launched but expect to see lots more content being added over the next few days.

If you’re already registered on 101 Best Websites you can log in to 101 Best Android Apps straight away and get submitting your favourite applications.