Google Android and The HTC Hero coming to Meteor

Google, Google, Google… I remember when that term/word/noun/verb was such a silly name. You felt silly just saying it. And people suggested they want to take over the world. Pah!!! Actually, they are. They have dominated almost every industry they want control of. Its as though, Google wake up, make coffee and choose what industry goes with their coffee for today. Now its the mobile markets turn. Yes, Android is around since last year, but its now going to take over Europe with nothing to stop them. It is already gaining ground in the US. This article is really a three part article. I am going to quickly look at the new Android phones and the new Google Navigator service. And wrap up, referring back to yesterdays post about not upgrading your phone too soon.

Google Android

What is it?

Its a mobile phone operating system to be exact. Its built on open source technology.

Android is the first free, open source, and fully customizable mobile platform. Android offers a full stack: an operating system, middleware, and key mobile applications. It also contains a rich set of APIs that allows third-party developers to develop great applications.

If this is your thing you can read all about it here. Google Android Open Source

Do You Care?

Why you care is because open source is good for everyone. (Except closed source companies.) Applications get developed sometimes quicker and cheaper, but mostly better, because decisions are not governed by shareholders so much. Anyway enough of the technical. Here’s a video of Android in action:

HTC Hero

Meteor will be releasing the HTC Hero very soon. This will be the first proper release in Ireland. And Meteor plan a little fanfare around it. I know I will be there to pick one up as soon as I can. You can head over to the makers site to get a full low-down. They are by fair my favorite phone manufacturer. Sadly, you don’t see them much in Ireland. HTC. This particular handset is the most beautiful of the HTC family, however its the Android part that will make it. Its a slick interface with everything built for big fingers. It has everything you need within reach of a few screens. Calendar up front with notifications. Weather up front, constantly up to date. Your favorite apps, right up front too. And yet the main screen is not cluttered. Windows Mobile has a lot to answer for in this area. Here is another screen shot: Nice huh? Let us know in the comments. I have no idea on price, but based on Meteors tradition, I would say it will be very reasonable.  Here is the spec on the handset.

Memory	ROM: 512 MB RAM: 288 MB
Dimensions (LxWxT)	112 x 56.2 x 14.35 mm ( 4.41 x 2.21 x 0.57 inches)
Weight	135 grams ( 4.76 ounces) with battery
Display	3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 320×480 HVGA resolution
Network	HSPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz (Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.)
Device Control	Trackball with Enter button
GPS	Internal GPS antenna
Connectivity	Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one) 3.5 mm audio jack
Camera	5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus

Its a very worthy spec on my books. As soon as the date is announced I will let you know. Otherwise keep an eye on Meteors Website I promise the next post is about Google Navigator. I just felt writing about it before writing about Android was premature. UPDATE: HTC HERO UN-BOXING PICTURES HERE

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