wnrussell at Hofo has struck again. Many thanks for the new picture and confirmed info on the Motorola Shadow.

wnrussell – “The Shadow doesn’t have a heavy feel for it’s size, not as heavy as Droid.” He also confirmed the following specs:

4.1″ screen,
OMAP 3630,
8 GB Internal,
8 GB microSD card,
8MP camera and
HDMI out.

Check it out at Howardforums
Howardforums’ Shadow pre-release thread
For more info on the shadow and the OMAP 3630 check out our post on the Motorola Shadow Release.

Thanks go to wnrussell at Howardforums for the image of the Shadow.

Another highly anticipated Android handset is apparently getting prepped for release on Verizon Wireless. The Motorola Droid Shadow is a 4.1″ slate device with improved specs over the Motorola Droid and will be released with an updated version of Moto Blur, which can be disabled.

We have gathered the relevant rumored info after the break as well as some video showing the Shadow processor performance versus the Droid processor.

Thanks go to Howardforums’ posters bill23, Winston and Aixelsyd for leaked info!

4.1″ TFT FWVGA screen
Tablet form-factor
TI OMAP 3630 Processor
2-4Gb+ built in memory as well as microSD supporting 32Gb
Released with Android 2.1, with 2.2(Froyo) upgrade to follow shortly
Moto BLUR, can be disabled easily for haters
8 MP camera
720p recording
HDMI port with 1080p output
approximately 9mm thickness

The Motorola Droid Shadow is rumored to be released some time between Father’s Day(June 20th) and the 4th of July.

Update: The Motorola Shadow release has been delayed until late August due to an undisclosed hardware change.

Check the Motorola Shadow Pre-Release Thread at Howardforums for continued leaks and speculation!

Update:

Thanks to Gizmodo for this picture of the Shadow apparently left in a corporate gym. No worries, the owner went back for the phone and it was returned to him so there won’t be any shock troops busting doors in as in the Apple and lost iPhone controversy. Check out the full story at Gizmodo.

More info on the TI OMAP 3630 SOC:

TI OMAP 3630:

45nm process CPU
720 MHz ARM Cortex A8
PowerVR SGX530 GPU
430 MHz C64x
DSP
ISP (Image Signal Processor)

Video OMAP 3630 versus OMAP 3430:

Verizon is finally pushing out the Android 2.1 update for the Motorola Droid. Why wait for the OTA update. For less than 5 minutes of your time you too can be enjoying all the 2.1 goodness.(unless you’re already rooted and have been running 2.1 for months)

Continue on for Step by step instructions to install the upgrade.

Step by Step Instructions:

1. Download the update file direct from Google here: Motorola Droid 2.1 update ESE81-from-ESD56 or if there is a problem downloading it from there you can try this alternate link.
2. Copy the file to your SDCard in the root = sdcard/ (not in a subfolder). If you need a file explorer for your Droid we recommend Estrong File Explorer for Android.
3. Make sure you have “update.zip” (without the quotes) in the root of the sdcard – rename to update.zip if necessary.
4. Power the phone off.
5. Force the phone to boot up in recovery mode: Press the Power On button of the phone and the x button on the keyboard at the same time.
6. You will then see a triangle with the exclamation point: Press the Volume Up Key and press the Camera Button(only press down half-way)
7. Use the D-pad to navigate to “apply update.zip” and press the D-pad center button to select it. It will start the update process.
8. When the update has completed Reboot the phone by selecting that option with the D-pad. It takes a little time to reboot but that should be it.

You should now have Android 2.1 ESE81 on your Motorola Droid!

There is information below on the update form Verizon. In brief it includes everything the Nexus one has, including live wallpapers, except for the 5 home screens and 3d launcher. If you want to get an excellent home screen replacement with up to 7 screens with a very smooth launcher just get the Helix Launcher from the market.

Info from Verizon on Update:

Starting 03/30/2010, Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce a new software update for the DROID by Motorola. Users will be able to upgrade their software to version AP: ESE81/BP: C_01.3E.03P to receive new improvements and enhancements.

*Key Advantages:*
• Email – Yahoo Mail is now supported – customers can simply
  sign in with their Yahoo! Email address and password. Note:
  Yahoo! Email is not available over Wi-Fi
• Pinch to Zoom now available in the Browser, Maps, and Gallery
• Speech-to-Text – Customers can now use their voice instead
  of typing whenever a text-entry box appears
• Google Goggles is now preloaded
• The new Gallery application uses 3D layout and shows both
  pictures taken with the customer’s Android device and images
  from Picasa Web Albums account online

*Software Schedule:*
Below is the software-upgrade notification schedule (All times listed are Eastern Time):
• At noon on 03/30, 1,000 users will receive notification of
  the update.
• At 11:59 PM on 03/30, 9,000 more users will receive the
  update notification.
• After the first 10,000 users receive the update on 03/30,
  there will be a 24-hour period when no additional upgrades
  will be delivered.
• On Day 3 (04/01), 200,000 users will receive the update
  notification at 11:59 PM. This schedule will continue each
  day thereafter until the update has been delivered to all users.

*Download & Install Conditions:*
• An OTA download requires 40% or more power availability if
  the device is not connected to an external power source or
  20% or more power if it is connected to an external source
  o If roaming, the customer will not receive the update. The
  only option in this scenario is for the subscriber to enable
  Wi-Fi and wait for a mandatory OTA. The wait period in this
  case will not be more than 12 hours
• User must wait to receive the upgrade via OTA
• User is unable to make or receive calls, including emergency
  calls during this time
  Users will see the following information when they select*
  More info* on the update screen:/ This software update
  includes new enhancements to support Yahoo! Email,
  pinch-to-zoom, and many other improvements for your DROID by
  Motorola. You will be unable to use your device or make
  emergency calls for the duration of the install. The
  software updates automatically, and your DROID will power
  off and on as part of this software upgrade.

Screen Captures from Motorola Droid:

 

 

 

 

 

 4.50/5

EStrongs File Explorer is a featured File/Application Manager which can explore the phones & PCs in LAN network via samba protocol.

Recent Changes:
* Toolbar (click addressbar)
* Help document
* More settings(size…)
* Performance enhanced
* Some bugs fixed

Key features:
* Manage/(un)install/Shortcut Apps
* Manage files on phone & LAN PC Shared
* Play audio and video using chosen player/stream playing
* view texts/images or open other files with associated apps
* search files in the machine.

Download to your Android phone from Android Market:

Android App Labs Review

Full featured file explorer for Android. Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename files. Connect your phone to a Computer through WiFi.

None really, need to learn the UI, Need to know computers IP Adress on LAN

Excellent file explorer and client to connect to computers through Wifi. Download it now.

Detailed Analysis:

Estrongs File Explorer is an excellent file explorer for the Android platform. It allows you to view all the files on your android phone’s sd card as well as cut, copy, paste, delete, rename and view properties of folders and files. With Estrongs you can also view and backup all applications currently installed on your phone. This can be especially useful if you have non-market apps installed on your phone.

What makes Estrongs file explorer really standout is that it allows you to use your phone to connect to your pc over your wireless LAN. You can copy files from your computer to your phone and from your phone to your computer. Through Estrongs you can stream music from your computer to your phone. I tried to stream video from my computer to my Motorola Droid and I received an error that the file could not be streamed and had to be completely downloaded first. Additionally, you can use your phone to connect to an FTP server through the internet and connect to other devices through Bluetooth. (I have not had the chance yet to test this functionality)

Conclusion:

I have found Estrongs to be an excellent file explorer for Android. Although, it does require a little effort to learn the UI and how to do some things it is a very powerful tool virtually eliminates the need to ever physically connect your android phone to your computer. Highly recommended!

Video from Developer:

Screen Captures from Motorola Droid:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hardlink to Market:

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

 4.60/5

HelixLauncher is based on android Launcher git and is heavily modified to resemble Launcher2 mod.
HelixLauncher features:

* Based on Launcher
* Standalone Launcher
* Should support hdpi & mdpi resolutions (not fully tested)
* Sense UI-like scrolling / Velocity Scrolling
* Enabled rotation
* Double Tap action for Screen Previews
* SPEEDY!
* Up to 7 screens!
* Full-screen app menu (with notification bar still)
* Quick Shortcuts! – Drag & Drop and shortcuts to the QuickBar

Helix Launcher Developer page at XDA-Developers

Download to your Android phone from Android Market:

Android App Labs Review

Fast, up to 7 screens, full portrait and landscape support, don’t need to be rooted, stable.

Need to use back button to exit app list.

Great launcher, stable and gives you a lot more screen real estate for apps and widgets. Get it now.

Detailed Analysis:

Helix Launcher is an excellent home screen replacement and replacement launcher. It provides up to 7 screens to add apps and widgets to. Up to 4 apps or shortcuts can be placed on the bottom of the screen next to the launch button and they will become persistent across all your screens. This is great for the most important and constantly used apps.

Helix Launcher works smoothly and is very fast. It is superior to the stock launcher in speed, consistency and that it has full landscape support. It works just as smoothly in landscape mode as in portrait mode. I have not experienced any forced closes yet, as usual YMMV.

Upon a double-tap, an index of thumbnails is displayed showing all your screens. Even with 7 screens, any screen is only a double-tap and a press away.

The only problem I found was that the only way to close the app drawer was to use the back button. I did not find this to be a big deal and I believe this is being changed for future versions.

Conclusion:

Helix Launcher is a great home screen replacement and launcher. If you find you need or want some extra screen go ahead and install it now. Highly recommended!

Screen Captures from Motorola Droid:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screen Captures (Landscape) from Motorola Droid:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hardlink to Market:

LAS VEGAS – CES – Jan. 6, 2010
Motorola announced that they have been working with Adobe to bring flash capability to it’s smartphones. This ove will allow users of phones such as the Motorola Droid to enjoy web content from sites such as MLB.com, HULU and others in the same way they do on their home computers.
Continue on for videos of Flash working on the Motorola Droid and the Google Nexus One.

Videos from Adobe:

Motorola Droid:

Google Nexus One:

For more information visit: Adobe Flashplayer Demos

Big in Japan, Inc. has updated their wildly successful Android application ShopSavvy to version 3.6. The most notable improvement is that ShopSavvy now has support to read 2D QR codes.

The Update consists of a bug fix for a common force close issue, polishing up the user interface, standardizing their logo and most importantly QR Code support. ShopSavvy now supports all QR codes including URL redirect, contact, phone number, sms, redirect to Android Market to purchase apps

The developers of ShopSavvy had previously stated that QR codes weren’t really related to shopping and they did not plan on supporting them. However, with the advent of Google’s Favorite Places Stickers program(Google sent stickers with a QR code on them to many businesses), they decided that now QR codes were shopping related enough to be included in ShopSavvy.

While their previous thinking on the subject of QR codes was perfectly valid, Android seems to be changing the way people do things. I personally want to scan everything with my Motorola Droid and feel a bit disappointed if I want to download something to my phone and there isn’t a QR code on the page( … and yes I have the Firefox extension with QR codes but sometimes I actually have to get up of the couch to scan them instead of zooming the page and scanning in comfort.) We included a QR code to every page on this site to to make it convenient to come directly to that page and download what you want or connect to the Android Market to get an app.

Whatever the reason they decided to include QR code support now, it is a great addition to an already great application and ShopSavvy is now the only barcode scan app that I need.

Read more at the Developers Blog: Big in Japan; ShopSavvy 3.6 Update

Download to your Android phone from Android Market:

Screen Captures from Motorola Droid:

Scanning the QR code.

ShopSavvy locked on and read the code quickly.

ShopSavvy takes you directly to the link after scan.

Read our full review of ShopSavvy Here:ShopSavvy Android App Review

Google unveiled the long awaited Nexus One phone today They have dubbed it a “superphone” – which is a little cheesy for my tastes. The Nexus One is a sexy looking phone. Not as sexy as Daryl Hannah in Blade Runner, but it is only the Nexus One and not a Nexus 6.

Full details videos, and pics after the break:

Nexus One is initially available from the Google web store in the US:
* Without service for $529
* or starting at $179 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile USA.

In the near future, Google will sell the Nexus One for use on Verizon Wireless and Vodafone networks. Google is initially only taking orders from the US, the UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The Google Nexus One can be purchased at www.google.com/phone.

Buy the Nexus One Andrroid phone Direct from Google:

QUICK SPECS FROM GOOGLE (Full Specs Below):

* Display: 3.7″ AMOLED 480×800 WVGA display
* Thinness: 11.5mm; Weight: 130g
* Processor/Speed: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 3G QSD8250 chipset, delivering speeds up to 1GHz
* Camera: 5 megapixel auto focus with flash and geo tagging
* Onboard memory: 512MB Flash, 512MB RAM
* Expandable memory: 4GB removable SD Card (expandable to 32GB)
* Ports: 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with four contacts for inline voice and remote control
* Battery: Removable 1400 mAh
* Trackball: Tri-color notification LED, alerts when new emails, chats, text messages arrive
* Android 2.1
* Google Maps Navigation: offering turn-by-turn driving directions with voice output.
* Email: multiple Gmail accounts; universal inbox and Exchange support.
* Phone book: aggregate contacts from multiple sources, including Facebook®.
* Quick Contacts: easily switch between communication and social applications.
* Android Market: access to more than 18,000 applications.
* New Functionality:
* Enter text without typing.
* Search Google, call contacts, or get driving directions by just speaking into your phone.
* Enhanced personalization.
* Enhanced Camera Functionality and new 3D Gallery.
* Read your voicemail messages with Google Voice integration.

Images from Google:

Google Nexus One FRONT

Google Nexus One BACK

Google Nexus One Back-angle

Google Nexus One EARBUDS

Google Nexus One CONTACTS

Google Nexus One CUSTOMIZATION

Google Nexus One MEDIA

Google Nexus One NAVIGATION

Google Nexus One VOICE

Google Nexus One Front-angle

Google Nexus One PROFILE1

Google Nexus One PROFILE2

Google Nexus One top

Google Nexus One bottom

FULL SPECS FROM GOOGLE:

Google Nexus One
Power and battery:
Removable 1400 mAH battery
Charges at 480mA from USB, at 980mA from supplied charger

Talk time:
Up to 10 hours on 2G
Up to 7 hours on 3G
Standby time
Up to 290 hours on 2G Up to 250 hours on 3G
Internet use
Up to 5 hours on 3G
Up to 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback
Up to 7 hours
Audio playback:
Up to 20 hours

Processor:
Qualcomm QSD 8250 1 GHz

Operating system:
Android Mobile Technology Platform 2.1 (Eclair)
Capacity:
512MB Flash
512MB RAM
4GB Micro SD Card (Expandable to 32 GB)
Location:
Assisted global positioning system (AGPS) receiver
Cell tower and Wi-Fi positioning
Digital compass
Accelerometer
Size and weight:
Height: 119mm
Width: 59.8mm
Depth: 11.5mm
Weight: 130 grams w/battery
100g w/o battery

Display:
3.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen WVGA AMOLED touchscreen
800 x 480 pixels
100,000:1 typical contrast ratio
1ms typical response rate
Camera & Flash
5 megapixels
Autofocus from 6cm to infinity
2X digital zoom
LED flash
User can include location of photos from phone’s AGPS receiver
Video captured at 720×480 pixels at 20 frames per second or higher, depending on lighting conditions

Cellular & Wireless
UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900)
HSDPA 7.2Mbps
HSUPA 2Mbps
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
A2DP stereo Bluetooth
Buttons, connectors and controls:
Front / Top:
Power
3.5mm stereo headphone jack
Charging and notification indicator
Illuminated capacitive soft keys:
Back, Home, Menu, and Search
Tri-color clickable trackball
Back / Bottom
Camera
Camera flash
Speaker
Dock pin connectors
Micro USB port
Microphone
Left side
Volume Control
Additional features
* Haptic feedback
* Teflon™ coated back
* Second microphone for active noise cancellation
* SIM card slot
* Micro SD slot
* Proximity sensor
* Light sensor

Graphics, video and audio:
Audio decoders:
AAC LC/LTP, HE-AACv1 (AAC+), HE-AACv2 (enhanced AAC+) Mono/Stereo standard bit rates up to 160 kbps and sampling rates from 8 to 48kHz, AMR-NB 4.75 to 12.2 kbps sampled @ 8kHz, AMR-WB 9 rates from 6.60 kbit/s to 23.85 kbit/s sampled @ 16kHz., MP3 Mono/Stereo 8-320Kbps constant (CBR) or variable bit-rate (VBR), MIDI SMF (Type 0 and 1), DLS Version 1 and 2, XMF/Mobile XMF, RTTTL/RTX, OTA, iMelody, Ogg Vorbis, WAVE (8-bit and 16-bit PCM) Image : JPEG (encode and decode), GIF, PNG, BMP.
Video: H.263 (encode and decode) MPEG-4 SP (encode and decode) H.264 AVC (decode)
Audio encoders: AMR-NB 4.75 to 12.2 kbps sampled @ 8kHz

Language support
Display
English (U.S), French (France), German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean, Japanese, Russian,

Keyboard
English (U.S), French (France), German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil),

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

 4.50/5

Google Goggles lets you use pictures taken with your mobile phone to search the web.

Download to your Android phone from Android Market:

Android App Labs Review

Google Goggles can scan many images such as books, logos, labels, and business cards and determine what the item is and retrieve information about it.

It cannot yet recognize many objects just based on shape, such as a salt shaker.

Google Goggles is an amazing application that is really a sign of “things yet to come.” A “Must Have” app for your phone.

Detailed Analysis:

Google Goggles uses your phones camera to take a picture of an item. It then scans the image and does a search against Google’s image database. It’s extremely useful for things that are difficult to search for by typing or speaking a word or phrase into a search engine.

Google Goggles works well with books, DVDs, logos, contact info, text, artwork, products, barcodes, businesses and landmarks. It is not very effective at recognizing animals, plants, clothing, cars and furniture.

Requirements for Google Goggles:

• An Android device running Android 1.6 or above
• A QVGA screen
• A camera with autofocus

Videos from Google:

Images from Google:

Scan a Book

Scan a Business Card

Take a Picture of a Landmark

Screen Captures from Motorola Droid:

Using Google Goggles on a Ketchup Bottle

Search Results for Ketchup Bottle

Using Google Goggles on a Book

Search Results for Book

Using Google Goggles on Art

Search Results for Art

Using Google Goggles on a Remote

Search Results for Remote

Using Google Goggles on an old Hard Drive

Search Results for Hard Drive

Using Google Goggles on another Book

Search Results for Book 2

Google Goggles Search History

Conclusion:

Google Goggles is an amazing application even though it is still in it’s early stages. While it certainly cannot recognize everything you take a picture of it does an astounding job on many items.

Even when it does not recognize an object it is tremendous fun just watching your phone screen an seeing the “Borg” like scan of the image.

Let us know what you think of the Google Goggles app for Android in the comments below!

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

 4.40/5

ShopSavvy allows you to use your phone’s camera to scan barcodes to find the best prices for online and local items.

Android App Labs Review

ShopSavvy is a great app for comparison shopping. Just scan the barcode on a product and ShopSavvy does the rest. You are presented links to web pages selling the item in question and you can see how much it is selling for and purchase over the internet.

You are also shown how much the item is selling for at your local stores. ShopSavvy provides a list of stores with prices and the distance from your present location. (Of course your GPS must be on and working)

ShoppSavvy is also able to supply you with a list of Reviews. This is a great feature to either make you feel completely confident in your decision to purchase or helpful in steering you away from a possible inferior product

ShopSavvy is a great app to have on your Android phone. It has worked extremely well almost every time I have used it. However, its ability to scan is dependent on good lighting, a decent camera on your phone and a steady hand. The only other problem that I have encountered is that I have received results for products other than the exact one I have scanned. Driving 3 miles down the road thinking you were going to save $30 can be quite annoying when you find that the other store was selling a product with a similar name, same brand but a model or 2 down from the one you were interested in purchasing. That said, this is most likely the stores fault, and simply due to the fact that their online databases were incorrect, incomplete or out of date.

Videos from Developer

Screenshots from Motorola Droid

Conclusion: A must have app for your Android Phone. Does not work on QR-codes, for that you need to use the Barcode Scanner Android App

Update: As of Dec. 31, 2009, Shopsavvy was updated to version 3.6 and is now capable of reading 2d QR codes as well as 1d barcodes.

Download to your Android phone from Android Market: