The news concerning Android and its ever-swelling flock of smartphones fails to cease. Today’s tidbits include more information about Android 2.1 for the Motorola Droid and HTC Hero, as well as an update on Flash 10.1.

Android 2.1 on Droid

We heard earlier this week from Motorola that it planned to make Android 2.1 available to the Motorola Droid sometime “this week.” While we wait, Moto thought it would update us on what’s in store. According to Motorola, the Droid will not only gain multitouch in Google Maps, but also in the browser and gallery applications. On top of that, a new gallery app, new music app, new news app, and new weather app will all be included. Also on board will be Google Goggles and voice recognition and virtual keyboard enhancements. Sounds good to me. Bring it on!

Android 2.1 on HTC Hero

Remember the Hero? HTC announced its third Android device back in the second quarter of 2009. There’s an international version of the device, as well as the CDMA-toting versions offered by Sprint and Verizon Wireless (as the Droid Eris). Well, HTC has officially said that it will be offering Android 2.1 along with an upgraded version of Sense UI to the international GSM version of the Hero. Sprint and Verizon have also indicated that their version of the device will receive updates. Exact time frames were not provided.

Flash 10.1 for Android

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Adobe about Flash Player 10.1. According to Adobe, the player is on track for the delivery to consumers during the first half of the year. Adobe wouldn’t be any more specific than that. Adobe is also hard at work on developer betas for WinMo and webOS. Beta versions of the desktop client are already available for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows 7.

Flash Player 10.1 will work in concert with the native Android browser to make sure that Flash video content plays on Android devices seamlessly, just as it would on the desktop.

[via InformationWeek]

Called the Nexus One, the Google phone is coming in January 2010 after Google admitted it had given employees devices to test. The Android operating system device resembles the unlocked HTC Touch, runs Android 2.1 on a Snapdragon chip and has two microphones. There is also reportedly voice to text features for the phone. Google crafted and customized the smartphone’s software and will sell the device online. This is a leap for Google, which has never sold hardware and has been content to furiously upgrade the Android OS and let carriers T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Sprint sell Android phones.

The Google phone is real and it is coming in January 2010 to challenge Apple’s vaunted iPhone, according to a deluge of press reports in the wake of Google’s acknowledgment that a special device with new mobile features and functionality is being tested by its employees.

The Android operating system-based device, which people are calling Nexus One, resembles the unlocked HTC Touch, lacking a physical keyboard. It is also apparently larger and thinner those devices, perhaps coming close to the screen size of the Motorola Droid phone.

The device runs Android 2.1 (the Droid runs Android 2.0) on a Snapdragon chip and has two microphones. There is also reportedly voice to text features for the phone. The Unlockr has pictures of the device here.

Google ignited an avalanche of coverage when it gave devices to employees Friday for dogfooding, part of the company’s test process for soliciting feedback and suggestions. TechCrunch uncovered several tweets from Google employees who raved about the device, even when they were not supposed to discuss it.

“A friend from Google showed me the new Android 2.1 phone from HTC coming out in Jan,” wrote the GreatWhiteSnark in a poetic tweet. “A sexy beast. Like an iPhone on beautifying steroids.”

Google felt compelled to respond to questions about whether this so-called Google phone, a device the company is creating with a hardware partner but selling itself as a GSM phone independent of carrier help, Dec. 12.

Mario Queiroz, vice president of product management at Google, wrote in a company blog post:

“We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe. This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it.Unfortunately, because dogfooding is a process exclusively for Google employees, we cannot share specific product details. We hope to share more after our dogfood diet.”

Given Qeuiroz’ comments, it is quite likely the device is this very same Android Developer Phone 2 in a shadowy picture on the Android Developer Web site here. Google began offering SIM-unlocked gadgets for $399 a year ago this month to let programmers test and debug Android applications.

The Wall Street Journal meanwhile confirmed previous reports and added some details (paywall warning), confirming that it is an HTC-built smartphone upon which Google crafted and customized the software and will sell it online.

This is a leap for Google, which has never sold hardware and has been content to upgrade the Android OS and let carriers T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Sprint sell Android phones. That Google is allegedly eschewing the carrier crutch marks a bold step for the company for which there are many reasons.

Experts believe Google is doing this because Android is fragmenting — too many operating systems and custom firmware builds — and Google wants to make a device with which it is completely satisfied. Om Malik wrote:

Others say Google wants to “own” the device because carriers hew to the competition and and can get downright Draconian about what features run on devices they sell.

For example, the Google phone is expected to feature the company’s Google Voice phone management application. Verizon has said it would support Google Voice, though Apple rejected it from running on its iPhone, which is sold exclusively by AT&T.

Experts expect the iPhone to appear on other carrier networks in 2010; a Google phone such as the Nexus One could facilitate that move.

[via eWeek]

Starting this year and rolling into 2010, expect to see a slew of new smartphones, ranging from Google’s Android platform to Windows Mobile, capable of displaying Flash-powered content and video in their Web browsers. And what about the iPhone, you ask? Good question.Adobe announced early Monday that its Flash Player 10.1 for desktop PCs, netbooks, and smartphones (indeed, Adobe is calling its latest Flash Player the first to allow “uncompromised Web browsing” on mobile devices) is poised for launch, promising public betas of the Windows Mobile and WebOS (think Palm Pre) players by later this year. Android and Symbian (read: Nokia) support should come by early 2010, with BlackBerrys also on board, although no dates have been set.

PreCentral.net has video showing Flash support on the Palm Pre in action, and it looks mighty impressive. In the video, an Adobe rep shows off a Flash-powered game, then follows up by zooming in to a Flash music player on the Black Eyed Peas Web site; finally, we’re treated to a movie trailer on Yahoo! Movies.

The rep explains that the new Flash Player support such smartphone features as multi-touch gestures (such as “pinching” and “zooming”) and accelerometers (for turning the screen to landscape mode), and that the player will be able to keep multiple Flash instances running on multitasking phones (like the Pre) without ripping through the battery.

So yes … at last, no more surfing the Web on your smartphone only to see warnings that “You must have Adobe Flash Player installed to view this content.”

Pretty cool, but wait … when’s Flash Player 10.1 coming to the iPhone, again?

Well, Adobe didn’t mention the iPhone in its announcement today, and indeed, Adobe and Apple have had a rocky relationship when it comes to mobile Flash. Last year, Steve Jobs dismissed the existing desktop version of Flash as “too slow to be useful” on the iPhone, and said that Flash Lite—Adobe’s previous Flash app for smartphones—”is not capable of being used with the Web.”

Later in 2008, an Adobe staffer said that a version of the Flash Player was in the works, but that since the iPhone was a “closed platform,” Apple would have to give the OK before releasing the player on the App Store.

Since then … crickets.

So, will Apple bow to the pressure and finally get with the Flash program, especially given the speedier processor in the new iPhone 3GS? Time will tell.

[via Yahoo Tech]

ARCHOS is taking on quite the challenge. The company has sent out an invitation to a September 15th event where it is largely believed they’ll unveil an Android Internet Tablet. Keep in mind this is just where the challenge BEGINS:

Rumored specs include:

• 5-inch WVGA touchscreen
• HDMI Output
• 720p video
• OpenGL library support
• Flash support
• 500GB Storage
• 7-hour video battery life
• Cortex CPU
• 3.5G Connectivity

It has all the makings of a successful piece of hardware… but where ARCHOS’ real challenge lays is software: the company has launched their own version of Android Market targeted at super high-end non-smartphone devices. The market is called AppsLib and their objectives are quite clearly stated:

By High-End devices, we mean devices that are not only smartphones, but all kind of tablets, PDA, PNDs or picture-frames. Devices that will tomorrow provide the same kind of experience than a PC, mobility added.

AppsLib is a co-venture with ARCHOS. Our target is to be available on a large variety of device, from a lot of manufacturer. But we believe ARCHOS has got what it takes to become the future of Android devices. If you want to develop on a new generation of product, you should consider the following suggestions.

An alternative “Market” to serve alternative hardware? The fragmentation has begun! With such an open platform, Google would have an impossible time avoiding fragmentation and as long as they keep their own Market nicely situated they can do little to prevent 3rd parties from creating alternative arenas for application distribution platforms.

ARCHOS will definitely need to convince developers that submitting to such a market is worthwhile. Like Android, developers will be wooed much more easily once more of these types of devices are launched. But will other manufacturer’s submit to ARCHOS own application distribution attempt? I suppose it depends on the circumstances and legal arrangements.

The idea isn’t a bad one. Browsing Android Market for applications and downloading a result built specifically for a Netbook or Digital Picture Frame could be an increasing irritation and this is an issue Google will have to address at some point. In the meantime, ARCHOS could effectively fill that gap with AppsLib. I don’t like the name much by the way. AppsLibrary would have been much better.

Huge opportunity. Huge potential. But also huge challenges. Whether or not the ARCHOS Android Internet Tablet is successful and whether AppsLib is successful are two incredibly different questions with completely different implications. Each will be interesting to watch develop and I can tell you I’m eager for September 15th on both accounts – hardware and software.

[Via Pocketables]