Google Phones

Extract: According to Google, there are now more than 20 Android devices on 59 carriers in 48 countries, with more to be announced at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. Plus, Google has the satisfaction of having built a phone to its exact specifications. As Google's Android chief, Andy Rubin, said at the company's Tuesday press conference, "This the best possible Google experience."

Flash Player 10.1 on Google's Nexus One Phone

Extract: A commitment to openness, a shared vision for the future, and concrete plans to make the vision a reality. Welcome to the Open Handset Alliance™, a group of 65 technology and mobile companies who have come together to accelerate innovation in mobile and offer consumers a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience. Together we have developed Android™, the first complete, open, and free mobile platform.

Extract: The official media app for Google's new superphone for Android. "As dazzling as it gets on a mobile screen." - Forbes Developed as the official media app for Google's Nexus One device, Media Gallery by Cooliris is the first native phone application to make it as simple to browse, edit, and share photos and videos on your phone as it is on your computer desktop.

I think Google has done a great job of implementing USB devices on the Android as it's not just a smartphone OS, it can be extended as any kind of control device for many gadgets.

As it turns out, Google's mobile platform appears to support USB keyboards natively on some stock builds. Of course, you can't simply attach a big, honking external keyboard to your phone and expect it to work. You have to enable USB-OTG, or USB On The Go host mode, and have the proper USB cable, says MAKE. Luckily, Chris Paget's blog shares the steps to make this happen. The whole process reminds me of a similar project that modders got into back in 2008 with the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. I was scared of the soldering then, and sadly, I'm no closer to having a comfort level.

Download and read Thousands of books on Your Android

When Android was being built, many only visualized it as a phone operating system: for a long time, phones were the only things you could find Android running on. Since then, we've seen kitchen appliances, cars, netbooks, tablets, robots - you name it, and Android has probably already seen it.

There's some good news for our phans who can't use Google Checkout in their countries (or aren't particular fans of it): PayPal has found a way to incorporate its payments system with Android and will soon be offered as an option in the Android Market. They expect the service to be ready in Q2 2010 (i.e. within a few weeks) and will support several countries starting out, including the United States, Australia, Canada, France, UK, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Extract: Nexus One, which works on both GSM and CDMA phone networks, has a slightly larger screen than the iPhone, is capable of taking five-megapixel photographs and has the ability to record DVD-quality videos. The phone is also voice activated, allowing people to speak names, numbers or messages, which will then be turned into text by the phone and either dialed or e-mailed automatically. Similarly, by simply speaking an address, the phone's built-in GPS will find the location and provide directions. "It really brings the web, the computer and your phone together. That is where the Nexus name actually comes from," said Rozeluk. "A Nexus is really a convergence point. This is about making people's lives easier.

The Looking Glass will be android based and features 4GB of RAM, 3G, Bluetooth and an optional TV Tuner card. The Streak is the more interesting model being a smartphone that functions as a tablet. We don't know how exactly that will work, but we have word that the Streak might have connections with Amazon, music stores, video stores, newspapers and magazines.

First mobile Augmented Reality satellite nav system\n\nKurzweilAI.net, May 24, 2010\nWikitude Drive from Mobilizy transforms an Android smartphone into a mobile navigation system. \n\nGPS driving directions from Navteq appear on screen, overlaid on a live video (from the phone camera) of the street you are driving on.

Just as a proof-of-concept, here's a barcode scanner written in six lines of Python code: