Sean Walther's Blog

Flash on the G1, Android OS — it works

We’ve been waiting for it, and the G1 has now demoed running Flash Player 10.

Andy Ruben has demoed that Flash can run on Android.  In Andy Ruben demos Flash on the G1; it won’t be long now, we read that on November 17th at the Adobe MAX event Andy Ruben was able to demo Flash.  

See the video below:

Tags: Adobe MAX, Android, Andy Ruben, Flash, G1, Google

Google Android GPhone #2

With all the “hype” around the T-Mobile G1, what did we get?

Certainly not enough.  

Now we are waiting to see what happens with the – Agora.  

The Kogan Agora, powered by the Android Operating System will be the first phone in Australia powered by the Android software.

That’s right, Australia.  Will it get to the states?  It looks cool enough, but what about the specs?

• 2.5-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 262k QVGA (320 X 240 pixel) resolution
• 5-Way Central Navigation Key
• QWERTY Keyboard
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Built in Mic and Speaker
• Headphone output
• Video: JPEG2, H263, H264, MPEG4, AVI
• HxWxD – 108mm x 64mm x 14.8mm
• Weight: 130g
• 1300 mAh Lithium-ion battery
• Up to 400 minutes Talk Time
• Up to 300 hours Standby Time
• 624 MHz processor
• 256 MB On-board + 128 MB Flash
• microSD card expansion slot
• VERY IMPORTANT: UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

Silicon Alley Insider reports on the release as well, Another Google Android GPhone On The Way (GOOG).

Dan Frommer, of Silicon Alley Insider, says that this phone woudl work better with AT&T than T-Mobile, as it doesn’t support the 1700 MHz frequency that T-Mobile uses for 3G.

Tags: 3g, Agora, Android, AT&T, Dan Frommer, G1, GOOG, Google, gPhone, Kogan Agora, phone, Silicon Alley Insider, T-Mobile

G1 has arrived! Cheap, Familiar, Easy

The G1 is out today, you can check out the official site here, T-Mobile’s “G1 Landing Page“.

I don’t have one.  So you won’t be getting a first hand perspective on the G1.  For that please go to Engadget, they usually do great jobs reviewing new toys (even check out their G1 section).

First off — the G1 is unlike the Apple iPhone, in that ANYONE can buy one.  That’s right, you don’t need to be a T-Mobile customer to purchase the G1.  

That’s a breath of fresh air.  We don’t have to activate it in store, we’re free to do whatever we want.

I just realized, that when using the keyboard on the G1, the trackball doubles as a mouse.  I know, it’s obvious to most people (I’m special).  It’s just like a mini laptop with one of those old trackballs.  

This IS a big deal.  Apple had to invent an entire new interface methodology for people to use the iPhone.  Yes, the iPhone interface is brilliant.  However the G1 interface is Familiar.  That’s right, something that doesn’t scare people away.  Something that developers are used to implementing and working with.  Something that means it will be much easier to port existing software packages to the — OPEN — platform.  

I know I’m a fan of the iPhone but this could give the iPhone a serious run for the money.  

It’s Cheap.

It’s available to Everyone.

It’s Familiar.

It’s Easy.

I hadn’t touched on that last one yet, easy.  In talking with one of my fellow iPhone friends the other day, I realized he hadn’t updated is iPhone 3G since he got it.  He was upset with the quality of the phone calls (as we all were at release).  He didn’t know you had to update it.  

I know what you’re saying — he should know to update it.  In actuality he’s one of the smartest people I know.  Perhaps he’s not the greatest person technicaly, but he is extremely intelligent.  

G1 has OTA updates.  That means Over The Air!  Over.  The.  Air.  When was the last time the iPhone did anything really over the air?  

Again, this update will be deployed to a much larger user base than an update on the iPhone (percentage wise), and it will affect the customer view of the device in a more positive way.

OTA.  I wish I had that.  As I type this my iPhone is tethered to my computer.

Tags: Apple, Cheap, Easy, Familiar, G1, iPhone, OTA, Over the Air, T-Mobile

CNET reviews the T-Mobile G1, Google Android

Here’s a video of CNET‘s hands on with the T-Mobile G1:

Tags: Android, G1, Google, T-Mobile

G1 – Will it support flash?

One of the biggest questions I have right now, is will the G1 support flash?

The famous “Google Phone”, competing with the iPhone — so far I cannot confirm or reject the possibility that it supports flash.

The lack of flash support on the iPhone is my biggest problem with the phone.

Some other various pieces of information I have gathered, mostly negatives about the G1:

• it is almost 30% thicker, 20% heavier
• smaller screen
• forces the user to use google accounts for email / contacts
• does not sync with desktop applications 

The positive updates:

Tags: Flash, G1, Google, iPhone

Finally, the new T-Mobile G1 at Engadget

Engadget has posted some hands-on coverage of the T-Mobile G1.

Can this device rival the iPhone?  

Based on the pure specs, yes:

• WiFi
• 3G
• 3 Megapixel Camera (iPhone’s still stuck at 2)
• Android Market
• Amazon’s mobile MP3 store
• Google Maps
• Over the Air synchronization! (this is a big deal for me, I’m not sure how well it works, but why can’t my iPhone with WiFi access at least, synchronize over the air?)
• PUSH Gmail support
• Full QWERTY Keyboard

Tags: Android, Apple, engadget, G1, gPhone, iPhone, T-Mobile