Android to be available on The Island, Death Star

Buried in the documentation for Android's accelerometer are several constants for use with common calculations, but these two are of particular interest for insight into Google's future partnering plans:

float GRAVITY_DEATH_STAR_I 3.5303614E-7
float GRAVITY_THE_ISLAND 4.815162

PC Mag Predicts Underwhelming Android Launch

Lance Ulanoff from PC Magazine predicts an underwhelming launch of the Android platform, mainly because the phone seemingly offers little over what RIM and Apple already provide with the Blackberry and iPhone.

But in focusing on phones as hardware devices, Lance's analysis misses the point. Phones are becoming software platforms, and however overwhelming or underwhelming the first weeks of Android prove to be, the fact remains that the Android platform, along with the iPhone SDK, represents a fundamental change in the way the mobile market in America works. That change -- the ability to write and load software on the phone the same way we can with a computer -- is what will ultimately draw programming talent and consumers to these devices.

T-Mobile G1 to Debut September 23

Yes, that's right: only three days away until T-Mobile is set to unveil the first Android handset in a live event in NYC.

The HTC Dream ( / G1? )

So what can we expect from this event?

• Google and T-Mobile execs gathering to speak about the importance of the phone and the Open Handset Alliance


• Flashy demos of the phone


• A demonstration of an App Store similar to that of the one for iTunes but with more developer freedom.


• Developers extolling how easy it is to write software for the Android. If Google really wants to play dirty, they'll have ex-iPhone developers come up on stage and talk about how easy the Java SDK was after trying their hands at Objective-C.


• And without a doubt: games, games, games. Make no mistake, handheld phones are the new fertile ground for the casual gaming market.

First Android Phone: The G1?

The word on the street is that the first Android phone has a name, and that name is the G1. T-Mobile is reportedly letting loose with the phone sometime in the late-September to November deadline. This fits in well with reports that the phone is to be ready in time for the holiday season.

HTC Touch Diamond

If the HTC Dream, the phone reportedly chosen to be the G1, is anything like some of HTCs other phones (the Touch Diamond pictured above) then iPhone owners had better watch out, cause there's a new stylish phone in town.