4 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• 7″ design is excellent, a great form factor for tablets
• Hardware, software and data is fast as can be
• Excellent battery life

Cons:

• Android OS currently has no benefits for tablets; makes it a glorified smartphone
• Proprietary connector makes it feel like an iPad, but without any spare cables lying around
• No Wi-Fi only model, high prices on most carriers

The expectations are tremendously high for a tablet to compete properly against the iPad, and Samsung took up the challenge. After seeing their Galaxy S phones (the Fascinate and Epic 4G), we had high expectations for the Galaxy Tablet. What we didn’t foresee was how similar the larger device is to the cellphones which have been dominating the Android phone market.

With the Galaxy Tab, there was an expectation that it would change everything for Android users. Ironically, it does not, just as the iPad didn’t reshape the industry overnight as so many expected. However, unlike the iPad, the Galaxy Tab is far too similar to the Galaxy S phones, mostly due to identical operating systems. The Tab runs on Android 2.2, which was never optimized for tablets. Because of this, the Galaxy Tab is, for all intents and purposes, a larger Android device which cannot make phone calls through a phone carrier.

For someone who doesn’t already own an Android phone, that shouldn’t be a big concern, though until Samsung clearly states that the Galaxy Tab will be receiving the Android 3.0 update, expected sometime this month, there’s no way to know the lifespan of the Galaxy Tab. We expect it to support the update shortly after release, but you should know regardless.

The Galaxy Tab is a 7” tablet, which is significantly smaller than the 9” iPad. As seen in the picture above, the difference is stark. The Galaxy Tab has much less screen real estate, but is also much lighter and much easier to hold one handed. Unlike the iPad, which is a two-handed tablet – that is to say it almost always requires the use of two hands, either both holding the device or one hand holding on strongly while the other is used for navigation – the Galaxy Tab is more like a phone, where one or two hands can be used based on convenience, not on size or weight. That means it’s just as comfortable to type with your thumbs on the Galaxy Tab’s virtual keyboard horizontally as it is vertically. In retrospect, the iPad’s keyboard when held horizontally is made for two hands, and is just a tad too big for thumbs when held vertically.

Size is the key differentiator between the Galaxy Tab and the iPad. In many ways, it keeps them from being directly competing products. On the one hand, the iPad is made as a companion device for two hands, but isn’t necessarily comfortable to hold one-handed for reading or simple web browsing. On the other, the Galaxy Tab is light and small enough to hold one handed while your other hand rests comfortably. They both have the same basic functions, and yet they feel so different that it’s almost like comparing two equally powerful laptops, one 12” and one 17”. The larger one may feel better to use, but the smaller is better for travel. Neither is better, simply different.

For comparison, here’s the Kindle 1st gen on top of the Galaxy Tablet

The HTC Desire, and Motorola Droid 2 behind it, beside the Galaxy Tablet

That is, for their functions. The Galaxy Tab feels good to hold in one hand or two, both horizontally and vertically. The studded back makes it easy to grip, though the four touch-sensitive buttons take up space which could be used to better grip the front of the tablet. Like the Galaxy S phones, the power/standby button is on the right side, and below it the volume rocker. As seen in our first impressions and unboxing video, the bottom of the Galaxy Tab has two speakers and a special connector specific to the Samsung’s tablet, though the connector is surprisingly similar to Apple’s 30-pin cable used for all iPod and iPhones. On the left is the device’s single microphone, and on the top is a 3.5mm jack. There are two cameras, a front facing 1.3MP (1280×1024) and rear 5MP camera with LED flash.

Picture quality is very good, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering how good photography is on the Galaxy S phones we tested (the Fascinate and Epic 4G), as well as the more recent Samsung Focus. Though the Galaxy Tab drops down from a 5MP to a 3.2MP camera, picture quality is still very high, even in low light. Take a look at some of the photos below to see for yourself (click to see full-size images). The added size and weight of the device helps keep it steadier in the hand. Camera options are standard, with no real editing tools built into the camera app, though 3rd party applications will, or already have, enabled more customization in photography. Panorama photography is good, but not great.

My original concern with photography was that the Galaxy Tab would be too big. It is in some respects, but having a good camera works well with any device. Ultimately, we want whatever’s on-hand when there’s a picture to be taken. The front camera is also fairly good, and certainly good enough for video calls or a quick vanity shot. Video quality is also above par, though the resolution is limited to 720×480 (480p). This is certainly enough for YouTube and most TVs, but video junkies won’t be thrilled at the less-than HD video quality.

Applications on the Galaxy Tab are, as expected, fast. This is no surprise considering the hardware is identical to the already tested Galaxy S phones, with the exception of a higher resolution display (600×1024). Compared to the Galaxy S phones, there is a slight difference when running applications on the tablet. They are just a bit slower. But when compared to other phones like the Droid 2, the Galaxy Tab is faster to both boot and run applications. That is to say, it’s still blazingly fast for an Android device, just not the fastest.

The particular model I tested runs on Verizon’s 3G network, not the newer LTE (equivalent to 4G) network. In Los Angeles, Verizon is the second best carrier (behind Sprint, which dominates LA county with excellent coverage), and service was very good to excellent in all areas.

Battery life on the Galaxy Tab is excellent, depending on your use. Samsung rates 7 hours with Wi-Fi use, and I’ve found that to be a steady average. Watching flash content will quickly lower that number down to 3-4 hours, and if it’s 720p, down to 2-3. Then again, if you carry the tablet with you and use the 3G model, even with push email it can stay on for over a week without needing a recharge, with only minimal use. There’s no reason the Galaxy Tab can’t run for hours, though it should be noted that depending on your usage, battery life can go from two and a half hours to a week and a half. Once again, Samsung’s 7-hour estimate is fairly accurate for standard use (meaning daily use, having several applications open at once, but limited flash content). Suffice it to say, the Galaxy Tab won’t need to be plugged in daily like your phone.

What is the real selling point for me is the form factor. As a 7″ device, it fits in both one and two hands comfortably. You can read one-handed like you would with a book, which the iPad is just too big for. The widescreen display isn’t optimal for viewing web pages horizontally, but watching media is much better when the screen is entirely filled. Furthermore, when sitting on the couch, the Galaxy Tab is, frankly, more comfortable than the iPad. It’s smaller, lighter, and fits in a single hand effortlessly. Ultimately, that’s what a tablet should do.

As it stands, the Galaxy Tablet is a very strong device, though it’s limited mostly by software. Should Android 3.0 release soon and should carriers (and Samsung) push out their own version of the update quickly, we will reevaluate the Galaxy Tablet. However, for now, it is simply a larger Android device, meaning anyone with an Android phone will not have a reason to buy one whatsoever, especially if the Android phone is newer and large, like the Evo 4G. The purchase price is also a concern. An online search yields results from $447-$767 for a new, off-contract Galaxy Tablet. This particular model, on Verizon, costs $500 direct and a month-to-month contract starting at $20 for 1GB/month, with free tethering and hotspot functionality and a $35 activation fee.

4 out of 5 stars

There’s something to be said for minimalist gadgets. Anything with just one purpose is usually built pretty well for that purpose, which is why today’s dumbphones are way better at making phone calls than smartphones. At the same time, we all want more, and we all want the ability to get more for a reasonable price. That’s where the HTC Wildfire comes in.

The Wildfire achieves a low cost in two ways: first, it’s a small device, featuring a 3.2” LCD display that’s as small as they come for an Android phone. It runs on Android 2.1, and is only 2.4” across, 4.2” tall and just shy of a half-inch thick. The capacitive touchscreen is smooth and fluid, and four touch-sensitive buttons below it allow for easy navigation through the operating system. Finally, a center, selector button has a sensor built into it to read finger movements, similar to a trackball, which provides easy scrolling for anyone who is used to Blackberry or just likes having the function.

Second, it runs on Alltel’s wireless network, instead of a major carrier like Verizon Wireless or AT&T. That means Alltel (which is owned by Verizon) typically works well in mid- to highly-populated areas, like cities. Testing the phone in Los Angeles county, including regions like downtown LA, Santa Monica, Northridge and Malibu, call quality was spotty the further away from the city I got, but still pretty good. It should be noted that leaving areas with coverage will put the phone on roaming, which will drain the battery faster and cost more per call.

The combination of these two may make or break your purchase of this phone immediately. Because it’s a lower-end model, there is no expectation that it will receive any updates to Android, which effectively limits the number of applications available for the device moving forward. Right now, that’s a non-issue, but with the expected release of Android 3.0 sometime in February, it may be just a few months before developers make applications that work only for newer OS versions.

On the same token, the weaker CPU may limit some application’s functions. The 512MB of RAM and 384MB ROM is excellent considering the small form factor, but the 528MHz is weak by today’s standards. Even then, the phone is surprisingly fast and smooth. Switching between applications is quick and snappy. Going from one screen to the next is fluid. Even an intensive built-in app like Maps is nearly as fast as on a Galaxy S phone or the iPhone, limited only by the data connection.

The HTC Wildfire, above the HTC Desire and Motorola Droid 2

But when it comes to third party applications like games and e-readers, the Wildfire tends to be extremely slow. Even playing Angry Birds, a very light game, is slow as the game chugs along between 5-15 frames per second. For basic phone functions, the Wildfire works very well, but outside of that app quality suffers. Which is odd, considering how smooth the phone is otherwise.

In fact, thinking that the Wildfire isn’t the right phone for you because it’s relatively weak when compared to other phones is a huge mistake. This phone will surprise users with how clean and fast it really is. HTC really did a great job in optimizing the phone with their HTC Sense Android overlay. The only reason someone wouldn’t want to buy this phone, based on the hardware, is the small and low-resolution (320×240) display, and because some more intensive apps will run poorly.

The Wildfire feels good to hold in the hand. It’s easy to grip in either hand, and I had no problem selecting any part of the screen with my thumb, without adjusting my grip. The power/standby and volume buttons are well balanced and easy to press. The battery panel is very tightly fitted, to a fault, and is somewhat difficult to open. However, compared to other devices which are far too easy to open, this is a nice change. The SD card can be removed without removing the battery. Alltel Wireless does not use SIM cards.

Along with the standard phone functions, the Wildfire also has a built-in FM radio, which is a feature every phone should have. Unfortunately, the radio only works when plugged into an external speaker source (headphones or speakers) because the phone uses those headphones as an antenna. Reception is poor because of this. Sitting still in a spot with very good reception using a standalone FM radio, reception on most local stations was clear, and on all good enough to listen to. With the Wildfire, the radio worked on a total of five local stations. Of course, users can opt to stream radio over their data plan using apps like iheartradio, but I think having an option for FM radio is a huge convenience.

Camera quality is mediocre for day shooting or in well-lit conditions, but poor for night shots. The lens is too slow to capture low-light shots fast enough, and bright light sources are too pronounced. Day shots lack detail and are too soft. The camera has many options, including adjusting the contrast, saturation, brightness and sharpness, but these don’t help produce better images. Video quality is sub-par, and only allows for a maximum resolution of 352×288. Suffice it to say, the camera on the Wildfire is best used only under emergency situations, or when there is no other choice. See the sample images below:

The HTC Wildfire is simple, sleek, slim and convenient in so many ways. It lacks a bright future more advanced Android models promise, but for someone who’s just moving up to a smartphone or wants a trustworthy device that won’t falter, the Wildfire is an excellent choice. Alltel, however, is not, and in fact their service is undoubtedly the limiting factor for the device. In the UK the Wildfire is more freely available, but if you’re in the US, chances are you won’t even get passed Alltel’s website zip-code entry. It’s a shame because if more people had access to the Wildfire, a generation of dumbphone users could have an in-between phone at a low price, with almost no compromises.

Amazon has an unlocked HTC Wildfire for $289 with free shipping.

As we’ve seen, the Samsung Galaxy S phones are darned impressive, definitely some of the best phones out on the market today. Then the company announced to do something very similar to Apple and make a strictly media playing device, without telephony. Meet the Galaxy Player.

Of course, this isn’t the American, or even worldwide version. This is the Korean version which will ship later this month only in Korea. It’s big and fat, and feels bigger than the Fascinate. As you can see below, they’re about the same size.

That thickness, which is the exact opposite of what I expected, is for two reasons: first, the Galaxy Player uses an LCD display using Samsung’s SuperClear technology, not SuperAMOLED like the Galaxy S phones. This makes the glass thicker, and thus the device thicker. Secondly, the Korean model supports wireless TV, which is available in South Korea, so they can watch TV anywhere and anytime.

Why not SuperAMOLED? Low supply, one Samsung representative told me, which confirms growing suspicions that OLED in general is in short supply. A marketing person was quick to point out that the current display is significantly brighter than OLED screens, which would make viewing media easier in the sunlight, as good a reason as any if you live in Korea and want to watch TV outside.

I played around with the Galaxy Player, and it’s blazingly fast. It uses the same TouchWiz 3.0 software as the Galaxy S phones, and is essentially identical in every way, except that it doesn’t have the phone. That may be the best thing about the Galaxy Player, especially for iPhone owners, or for someone who wants Android but isn’t necessarily ready or willing to switch phones.

There’s no current set price or release date for the Galaxy Player in the US or worldwide outside of Korea.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Amazing screen, great picture quality and sensitivity
• Touchwiz UI is the best to grace Android yet
• Camera great for shooting in well-lit areas

Cons:

• Connectivity can hang at times
• Camera suffers in low-light

Apple set a standard for smartphone makers to reach over three years ago. Since then, everyone and their mother has been playing catch-up, but it wasn’t until recently that anyone actually caught up. In some ways, that’s because of the OS, which Android has only recently bested iOS in a handful of ways in over the past six months. But now, it doesn’t matter what carrier you’re on, there’s a phone out there for you. That’s all thanks to one company, and one line of phones: Samsung, and their model Galaxy S.

The Galaxy S phones are nearly identical. Four models for four major US carriers. The Fascinate is Verizon’s baby, though with the exception of Sprint’s Epic 4G, the Fascinate is the cornerstone of all Galaxy S phones. And quite frankly, it’s a damn fine phone that is a serious step up from Motorola’s Droid 2.

From left: HTC Desire, Samsung Fascinate, and Droid 2

Samsung’s Fascinate doesn’t look all that special at a first glance. The front glass pane is dark tinted, and a metallic rim is visible all around. The high-gloss back is a polka-dot matrix, one which held at arm’s length looks grey instead of patchy. The only flashy portions are the front Verizon and Samsung logos, and the back Galaxy S logo. Everything else about the design whispers sleekness and poise, without the flashiness or girth many of today’s smartphones embellish.

The volume rocker and power/standby button are both very tight and very close to the phone, which makes both too hard to press easily. The volume rocker tends to stick, whereas the power button doesn’t read keypresses well. The USB connector has a sliding cover, which has led to a new bad habit carried over from slider phones: opening and closing the flap.

What’s really impressive about the Fascinate isn’t the outside, but rather the Android OS, with Samsung’s Touchwiz 3.0 software. Don’t get me wrong, the Fascinate is remarkably thin and light. At first, it even feels too light, but when you’re in the car looking for directions or on a plane watching a film, this featherweight feels like a champ. The Fascinate doesn’t feel or look cheap, but it lacks that solid feel many competing smartphones have. The sleekness of this handset is great for dropping into a pocket. It’s the best smartphone for that.

Touchwiz 3.0 is all about the little things. The pull-down bar has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and Airplane mode buttons right there for easy switching. Three of the four main applications (the ones which stay in place when moving between pages) are customizable, something many Android phones still don’t do. But most importantly, it’s fast. Battery life is on-par with today’s smartphones, lasting about a day (just over), so users will charge the Fascinate nightly.

Unlike Motorola’s slow tacked-on software, Samsung’s is quick and snappy. Other phones, like the Nexus One or Palm Pre or iPhone, are still faster and smoother, but for an Android device with many added benefits through additional software, the Fascinate is surprisingly fast. The only slowness is an almost abrupt stop-and-go twitch for onscreen graphics, though it’s hardly noticeable except when using the touchscreen exceptionally quickly. And that speed comes with significantly less RAM than the Droid 2 (384MB vs 512MB).

Color and light contrast is the big difference between the Fascinate’s SuperAMOLED and Apple’s Retina display.

In fact, every aspect of the Fascinate has proven to be profoundly excellent. The SuperAMOLED screen is perhaps the greatest contrast to that of the iPhone 4, pushing better light and color contrast above pixel count and density. It’s not as easy to read on, but viewing pictures or watching movies is better thanks to the difference in colors and lights and darks. And thanks to the design of OLED screens in general, there’s less eyestrain. One could watch an entire movie at maximum brightness without much bother. The screen does suffer in direct sunlight as all OLED screens do, and is barely visible in very bright conditions, an area where the iPhone 4’s LCD has remained ahead.

The screen itself is also very sensitive, and the best I’ve seen since the iPhone and Palm Pre. Typing on it is the best I’ve seen across any Android device, by far. It’s still not perfect, but I think that the hardware is mostly dead on, and that the software needs additional tweaking to reach perfection.

My cheeky photography assistant rushing me to finish up while showing off the SuperAMOLED display

As I mentioned before, it’s the little things. The phone book has an iPhone-esque scroll function, where letters sit on the right side and scrolling a finger down will go to the corresponding letter. The phone’s sleek design and light weight build, while at first awkward, remarkably comfortable in the pocket and hand. The Fascinate even works well as a replacement Wi-Fi hotspot for up to four hours (under heavy use). In fact, the more I use the Fascinate, the more I’m convinced that what’s really holding it back is Android. The leaps and bounds this phone jumps is just amazing.

Photography with the Fascinate is fairly good. Well-lit rooms and shooting outdoors had some very good shots (see below). On a trip to New York, I was able to test it out in the city, and was impressed with the quality of photos taken. Low-light images are poor, and the flash tends to wash colors out. Video quality is the same, with excellent 720p video in good lighting, but once again quality suffers as ambient light diminishes. Still, the video camera is good enough to fully replace any standalone 720p camera you may own.

Voice quality is excellent. Voices come in clear over Verizon’s network, and recipients said we sounded good in test calls. The speakerphone is tinny and slightly muffled, but clear enough to understand. Call quality was great, but I was surprised to see more dropped coverage than other Verizon phones, including the Droid 2 and older models. Verizon is usually better than AT&T on the iPhone, but the Fascinate had bad days where it couldn’t get a clear signal for up to 15 minutes, or couldn’t find a 3G network to connect to. Several times, in both LA and NY, I couldn’t use the 3G Wi-Fi hotspot feature because of this. I did not have any trouble with making phone calls nor did I drop any calls.

As far as Android-based phones go, Samsung has set itself apart from much of its competition with their Galaxy S phones, and the Fascinate is a prime example of that. It has everything an Android user could ever want: a great screen, quick and easy-to-use UI, and a wonderful design inside and out. Verizon customers ready to upgrade need not look farther than the Fascinate. Phones like this make Android great.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Strong build and design
• Improvements all around
• Good keyboard

Cons:

• Slow software
• Poor screen sensitivity
• Mediocre still camera

Slider phones have a bad habit of being bad habits. We always want to play with them, whether we mean to or not. The Droid 2 is no exception, even if the popular Droid X sought to replace its predecessor’s physical keyboard with a larger screen. No, it remains a toy in the unassuming hands of millions of buyers, but a required one for Motorola’s latest.

Hardware

The Droid 2 is almost identical to the older Droid in design and build, though some significant updates have been implemented. The physical keyboard is no longer a joke thanks to a directional pad. Now all the keys are properly placed and typing is easier on a more tactile keyboard. The front bezel has also been smoothed out, so it no longer sticks out like a sore thumb, and actually feels good to have on the handset. It still seems like a waste of space, like the screen could go farther down, though considering the phone’s girth, that probably would be too much.

When you pick one up, the first thing you’ll notice is the solid feel. Like a brick, but in a good way. It feels like a smartphone, with a good weight and shapely design, fat as it may be. The physical keyboard is the reason for that excess thickness, but if you’re interested in a physical keyboard, your options are small screen or thicker phone.

One of the bigger improvements over the Droid is the battery panel. On the Droid, it was awfully easy to take off, and when I tested one the panel tended to fall off in the pocket. The Droid 2’s back is just stronger in every way. It’s a heavy aluminum sheet this time around, and the latches are no joke. It won’t fall off, and your kids won’t be able to open it to play with the battery or memory card. Once again, the battery blocks the SD card, so you’ll have to reboot to take it out. Then again, there is only 512MB of internal memory, so I expect users to take out the included 8GB card less than rarely. Possibly just once, to replace it with a larger memory card (up to 32GB).

The screen is polished and high resolution at 800×480. Reading text is easy, though not as good as the iPhone 4, but very similar to other 3.7” and 4” Android devices. Lights do tend to get washed out in bright environments, and we’ve seen better screens for viewing media on. My biggest concerns was with the capacitive touchscreen, which didn’t read finger presses very well. This has been an ensuing problem on Android devices, which may be in part due to the software, though I believe the hardware is also at fault. The Samsung Fascinate, which I got in to test last week, has a much more sensitive touchscreen than the Droid 2. Put it this way: for iPhone users, the Droid 2’s screen would feel like a serious step down.

Battery life is nothing special, and it lasts a good day under moderate use. Users will be charging it nightly, or at least once a day. One thing I do like about the Droid 2, similar to the Droid X and original Droid but not native to some Android phones, is the notification light. It’s one of those things that when you have it, it’s great, but when you don’t, the phone feels like it’s missing something.

Telephony and Modem

Call quality for the Droid 2 is good. There is certainly room for improvement for the receiver, which sounds tinny, and the shape of the phone doesn’t help at all, though callers said we sounded clear over the line. With Verizon, I rarely ran into trouble connecting to the network and calls connect immediately, which is amazing for an iPhone user.

I also tested, briefly, download speeds and quality of the 3G (actually EVDO, but even Verizon and Sprint have given up on their CDMA nomenclature). Loading web pages is relatively quick, slowed mostly by the phone itself (when running only the browser app, pages loaded faster). I ran several devices off the 3G Mobile Hotspot app (an additional $20/month), including a laptop and iPad, and both running simultaneously were faster than some Wi-Fi routers I’ve used. It won’t beat a home network, but on the road it’s a lifesaver.

Software

Using Android OS 2.2 (or Froyo), the Droid 2 is a very barebones phone. Some apps are built-in and cannot be deleted, which is beyond annoying, like Blockbuster, Need for Speed Shift, and a few others. For users who still use the apps screen often, this is an especially bothersome nuisance.

While I won’t go into 2.2 for this review, I will say that many times the Droid 2 is just slow. The software tends to hang and stutter. Apps run smoothly enough, so you won’t find music stopping and starting, but moving from screen to screen or even dialing a phone number is often met with lag, which often kills the phone. Waiting to make a phone call because the phone needs to load the button press is just sad. Of course, I tested running the phone running no apps, and slowdown was minimal. But considering most users won’t shut down their apps often, if at all, this memory problem is serious. On my front page I had to install Advanced Task Killer, which closes all apps, because the phone would just be impossible to use.

With minimal help from Motorola, the OS has almost nothing added to it, which isn’t good or bad. Doing so means that when new updates to the OS become available, the Droid 2 will have them ready sooner than other handsets with more manufacturer software included, but simultaneously Froyo has a lot of room for improvement, and we’ve already seen some great software improvements from other companies. Still, some users are happy with the bare minimum, so whether you’re happy with no additions from Motorola is completely personal preference.

Camera

Little has changed from the original Droid camera, which for shooting quality is a shame. You can see the differences in picture quality below.

The 480p camcorder provides pretty good quality video, small as it may be. Better yet, audio recording for video is very impressive. If you plan on shooting a family get-together, the Droid 2 is a good phone for it. It won’t fill up your whole HDTV screen, but quality is always better than extra pixels. Considering the mediocre picture shooting quality, having decent video quality at a lower resolution is much more preferred than higher resolution but lower-quality video.

Final Thoughts

The Droid 2 prospers above it’s predecessor in nearly every way, but doesn’t put up much of a fight compared to other newer Android phones. The build quality is great, and except for the mediocre still camera, as a phone the Droid 2 is pretty great. Yet the software tends to hang, and it clearly isn’t made to run multiple apps simultaneously, which the OS clearly is meant to do. For all it’s lacks and mishaps, the Droid 2 offers style, especially with the R2-D2 special edition, that no other Android handset has.

You can buy the Droid 2 from Amazon for $0.01 after signing a 2-year contract.

It looks like we were a little premature in our Droid X debut, saying that Android 2.2 would hit sometime in the middle of the summer. No, Froyo is out today in a nice little surprise from Google. It’s totally open-source, of course, and offers a wealth of new improvements from 2.1, including numeric passwords. It’s going to vary when different carriers and phones unleash the update, but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later for your device.

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At the same conference as the Libretto unveiling, Toshiba showed off an interesting new 10.1-inch netbook, the AC100. The AC100 runs Google’s Android 2.1 OS, a first for Toshiba. The AC100 is a cloud-based netbook — its specs may seem underwhelming at first, but most of your actions on the notebook are expected to be dealt with server-side. Specs include a 1024×600 LED display, 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra CPU, 512MB DDR2 RAM, up to 32GB SSD, Bluetooth, USB, HDMI, and a 1.3MP webcam.

The AC100 is expected to hit overseas in the third quarter. Pricing and availability for the US are currently unknown.

With all of yesterday’s exciting news about Google’s new WebM format, an interesting tidbit about the next version of Android came quietly from Google themselves. Located within a Q&A for WebM lies information that an Android version dubbed “Gingerbread” supporting WebM is currently scheduled for release in Q4 2010. No other details are given. Android 2.2 hasn’t even been released yet, and ‘Gingerbread’ doesn’t have an official number (2.3? 2.4?), so we’ll just have to wait for more information. And just as I got excited about a nice cold Froyo…

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TechCrunch has broken news that Android 2.2, codenamed “Froyo,” will feature tethering to laptops to share its internet connection. On that same end, you can set up a mobile hotspot so that others can share your connection. Android 2.2 also features full flash support, though how well mobile devices will handle it (and consume power) is yet to be seen. American mobile carriers have been finicky when it comes to tethering., especially AT&T with the iPhone. So it’ll be interesting to see how they respond to this feature.

Best of all, Froyo is expected to hit next week, around the same time as the Google I/O event.

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Your allegiance to Android is growing ever boring, especially seeing as you have to whip out your phone to show off your devotion to the mobile OS.  If the case is such then you’ll be pleased with artist Andrew Bell’s ‘authorized’ Android figurines.  Each box includes 12 of the tin can like robots, which feature rotating arms and heads.

There’s no word on price but they should be available later this month.

[Thanks, Mike]

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By: Albert S

Android OS has been a hot topic as of late. So what is it and what’s all the hoopla surrounding it, you ask? Basically, it’s an operating system for mobile phones based on Linux and developed by Google. The thing that makes it so special is that it’s a completely open OS, meaning anyone or anything can customize it to their heart’s content.

To read more about it click here.

To see an in-depth video tour check out Gizmodo.