Froyo finally coming to the Epic (and maybe Captivate)

When the whole Samsung Galaxy line launched, they were all running Android 2.1, Eclair even though Froyo was already available. Samsung and the carriers told everyone not to worry, that an update to Froyo would be provided very soon. Well, the devices have all been out for over 6 months now and the updates are finally starting to arrive. The Vibrant on T-Mobile was the first to receive the Froyo update, and now the Sprint Epic (and maybe the AT&T Captivate) are joining the fun.

HTC announces new, refreshed phones

HTC took the wraps off their newest products this week at Mobile World Congress and they had a lot to show off. They announced five new phones and a 7-inch tablet. Two of the phones are the rumored Facebook phones, which we'll discuss in another post. We'll also cover the tablet in another post.

For the most part, their new products were simple refreshes of existing devices. The three phones we'll discuss in this post, the Incredible S, Desire S, and Wildfire S are all updates to existing phones by the same names. Many have questioned why HTC went with the S suffix for these devices, since both the iPhone 3GS and Galaxy S have both previously used it. HTC didn't provide an answer to that question.

LG announces the Optimus 3D

LG has already showed off the Optimus Pad (called the G-Slate in the US), which features 3D video recording, but at MWC this week, they showed off a phone with similar capabilities. The Optimus 3D features a 4.3" glasses-free 3D screen and dual cameras on the back for 3D video capture.

It's powered by a dual core CPU, and runs Android 2.2, Froyo. LG promises an update to Gingerbread will be provided soon, maybe even before the device actually launches. It is promised to be available in Europe later this year, with no mention of a US launch.

Samsung announced Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab 10.1

Samsung announced their latest phone and tablet this week at MWC, the Galaxy S II, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Both are sequels of sorts to their existing devices and both push the envelope. Nothing about price, release date, or even what country both will be for sale in was announced, but the devices are coming sometime this year.

To start, the Galaxy S II is a powerful follow-up to the original Galaxy S line. It packs a dual core CPU, a larger 4.3" screen, full 1080 HD video recording, front facing camera, all packed in a body that's thinner than the previous model and even thinner than the iPhone 4. It also features the same NFC technology as the Nexus S. Samsung is claiming it's the world's thinnest smartphone, and they just might be right. The device is running Android 2.3, Gingerbread.

Android weekend rumor recap

Welcome to another February edition of the weekend rumor recap! This is where we briefly summarize the various Android related rumors of the past week, along with our commentary. If you're the type of Android fan who likes to follow rumors as they come in, we recommend any of the great Android blogs listed on the side of this site. Now on to the rumors!

INQ announces a Facebook phone

The rumors of a Facebook Phone have been around for several months now, and even though the company has explicitly stated that they are NOT working on a phone, the rumors refuse to die. And yesterday, the rumors all got a little more credibility as INQ showed off their custom Facebook phone, called the INQ Cloud Touch.

It's important to note that this is not a Facebook branded device, but rather a phone made by INQ that runs Android and features very, very deep Facebook integration. INQ worked with Facebook on this device, not the other way around. INQ is not a company most Americans will have heard of, but they are a fairly well known phone manufacturer in Europe and Canada.

Dual-screen Kyocera Echo now official

Earlier this evening, Sprint held their special press event where they promised something new that had never been done before. Some early rumors suggested they would do a 3D phone, while others pointed to some type of folding tablet. Turns out neither were quite right, though the second was much closer to the mark, as the device announced is a smaller, folding, dual screen phone.

The Kyocera Echo is a Sprint device that features a very unique hinge design, allowing one screen to fold down over the other to form a traditional slate form-factor, or fold open to create a unified, tablet style device. The folding hinge is hard to describe, so take a look at Kyocera's press video:

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play finally official

After literally years of rumors, leaks, pictures, videos, etc., Sony has finally decided to make the device official. All the leaks look to have quite accurately predicted how the device would look and perform. While it does take quite a few design cues from the PlayStation, it is not called the "PlayStation Phone" as many predicted. Instead, it is branded with Sony's Xperia line of entertainment TV devices, and is called the Xperia Play.

Android weekend rumor recap

It's time once again for the weekly rumor recap post! This is where we quickly summarize the best Android related rumors and leaks of the past week, complete with our commentary on each. If you prefer to follow rumors as they come in, we recommend any of the fine Android sites listed to the right. Now, on to the rumors!

Official Blogger app now available!

Google has owned Blogger for 8 years, and Android has been around for more than 2 years now, and yet there was never an official Blogger app. You'd think that with Blogger being one of the most popular blogging platforms in the world, and owned by Google, that it would have been one of the first official apps to be released.

Thankfully, those of us using Blogger no longer have to long for an official app, as it was finally released yesterday! The app allows switching between multiple accounts and multiple blogs, composing new posts and saving offline drafts, uploading photos, location sharing, and photo sharing right from the Gallery.

Web-based Android Market goes live!

Early last year, at their annual developers conference, Google briefly teased a web-based version of the Android Market that would allow browsing, searching, and installing of apps right from the desktop. They said it was coming soon, but nothing was ever said about it. That all changed yesterday when the new Market website finally went live.

The new webstore can be found at market.android.com and allows for detailed searching, browsing by category, sorting search results by popularity, and instant, over-the-air installs. Simply log into your Google Account, and you're good to go. Pressing the Install button on a given app presents you with the option to choose which device you want it to be installed on (assuming you have more than one), and then it instantly begins to download and install on your phone.

T-Mobile G-Slate details announced

Late last night, T-Mobile took to Twitter to announce some official details of their upcoming Honeycomb Tablet, the LG G-Slate. The G-Slate was announced at CES, but no details were given at all. Now we have some concrete specs, and a slightly more concrete release date.

The G-Slate will have an 8.9" screen, a super-fast dual-core processor, and will be powered by Android 3.0, Honeycomb. In a first-of-its-kind move, the G-Slate will also feature some fancy 3D capabilities. Its display will be able to display 3D content, though glasses will be required. It also features dual cameras on the back, allowing it to record full HD, 1080p 3D videos. The glasses won't be required all the time for using the tablet, just for when you want to watch 3D content. It's unclear what type of 3D screen technology LG is using for this device.

HTC Inspire 4G available Feb 13 on AT&T

The impressive HTC Inspire 4G was announced at CES earlier this year for AT&T, and now we have an official launch date. If you recall, the Inspire 4G is nearly identical to the Evo 4G on Sprint. The Inspire has the same 4.3" screen, but features a newer generation processor and an improved graphics chip for better game and graphics performance. It lacks a front-facing camera, however, which is one of the prime features of several other modern smartphones.

The Inspire is the first device to go on sale running on AT&T's 4G network, and it will cost only $99 on contract. It goes on sale February 13, less than 2 weeks away.