[Via egether]

The HIGHSCREEN PP5420 itself is seemingly an Android 1.5 version of the Mobinnova Ice, which usually runs Windows Mobile.  Most of the specifications of the two devices are the same, including the 3-megapixel autofocus camera, WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and GPS.  Each also has a TV output, mini USB connector, microSD card slot and uses Qualcomm’s 528MHz MSM7201ATM chipset.

According to Vobis Computer, the HIGHSCREEN PP5420 will cost around €360 ($507), presumable unlocked and SIM-free.  No word on availability outside of Russia.

[via Unwired View]

The myTouch 3G has already taken many forms; HTC Magic and recently, the Google ION special edition. It has a 3.2-inch capacitive display, 3.2-megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G HSDPA and powered by Android OS.

Pre-order begins on July 8 for current T-Mobile customers for $199.99 with a two-year contract.

Vic Gundotra introducing GD2 and the Google IO 2009 HTC Android-phone

Unboxing Google IO 2009 HTC Android-phone

HTC Magic Full hands on demo at MWC09 by Eric Lin

HTC Magic Hands on at MWC09

Most of the video is a general overview of the device hardware; there’s no SIM in the handset at first, but we’re pleased to see that the Hero will still let you access much of Sense without one.  The new HTC UI looks just as smooth as it did in our hands-on testing.

Otherwise the contents of the box seems to be pretty much in line with every other HTC Android device we’ve seen: USB cable for charging and synchronizing, a power adapter and interchangeable power plug section, and stereo headset. We’re expecting our own Hero in soon, so keep asking questions for the official Android Community review!

In fact, all they’ve apparently done is tweaked it just enough to make it run on the Magic.  Because of that it supports Flash, as well as all the HTC widgets expected to be on the production Hero.  There’s also multitouch support, and in the latest version both GPS and the camera are functional.

The one significant drawback we’re hearing is that Sense must be completely reloaded whenever the Magic’s home button is pressed, something which as you’d expect slows matters right down.  That could be a memory issue or something else to be addressed by the hacked ROM creators. 

Android HDblog have been playing with the latest so-called SuperHERO ROM, and put together a video demo which you can see below.  They’ve loaded it up on the HTC Dream (aka the T-Mobile G1) and given their opinion of the changes.

Unsurprisingly the multitouch browser support, new PMP functionality and social networking integration all get high praise.  Less impressive are the slow performance and occasional crashes, together with the absence of screen-rotation support (that currently leads to more crashing).  Still, it’s free to try and with the news that official “with Google” branded devices are unlikely to see HTC Sense officially these hack projects might be your best bet.

Dell have made no secret of the fact that they’ve been experimenting with Android.  Back in May the company demonstrated a netbook running the open-source OS, though they were clear that it was only a prototype and not confirmation of an upcoming production model.

This latest leak appears to be more of the same; another source, who claims to have been briefed on Dell’s plans, suggests that the Android MID could be put into production for a release later in 2009, or alternatively “the plan could be delayed or scrapped entirely.”  Dell are apparently considering distributing the MID via carriers, similar to the manner in which their 3G-enabled netbooks are sold; there’s also talk of a separate line of Android-based smartphones still in the works.

[via SlashGear]

Bsquare had announced back in March that they were working on a Flash plugin with an unnamed “tier one” carrier.  This latest news seems to suggest that their attempts at porting Flash have been successful; however, there’s no sign of general availability for the plugin, with Bsquare seemingly targeting OEMs:

“Our Flash Platform technology browser plug-in will be valuable to OEMs building ARM-based smartbooks and to those who are developing other types of Android devices requiring a rich media experience that is fundamentally different than anything else available for users today” Larry Stapleton, VP global sales, Bsquare

Of course, the nature of the Android platform means that what arrives on one device soon gets ported to everything else, so even without an official release it’s likely we’ll see Flash on existing Android devices.  No word on when Bsquare might release the plugin.

[via jkOnTheRun]

Don’t be misled by the seemingly more ambitious availability on Expansys’ listing, however.  While they say the Hero is expected to launch in eight days, that’s not including weekends; in fact, it tallies with Amazon’s July 15th ship date estimate.

Still, it’s a little cheaper (and Expansys throw in £30 of their own gift vouchers, for accessories and the like) so if you’re not interested in Orange or T-Mobile’s offers then it may be the easiest way to pick up a new Hero.  More details about HTC’s latest Android smartphone in the video below.

[thanks Mario!]

The Sprint Hero would also be accompanied, their sources suggest, by a multi-mode CDMA and WiMAX Android phone, made by Samsung.  This would take advantage of the WiMAX network Sprint have developed in partnership with Clear.

Sprint have already confirmed that they intend to launch a tri-mode CDMA/WiMAX handset sometime in 2009 or 2010; however they’ve not publicly suggested which OS the smartphone might use.  Samsung have previously created a small number of WiMAX handsets, usually for use in Asia; it’s unclear whether this new Android model would be a version of one of those, or a completely new device.

According to Amazon, the unlocked HTC Hero will be released on July 15, a little over two weeks away.  It will come with a screen protector, travel charger, mini-USB data cable, batter, wired stereo headset and a 2GB microSD card.  Since it’s a European model, it supports dualband HSPA/WCDMA (900/2100MHz).

Remember, if you’ve any particular questions that you’d like answered in our Hero review, head over to this thread and ask away!  For more on the Hero itself, check out the video below and this hands-on post.

[via Phandroid]

There’s also a 3.2-megapixel camera and – something HTC inexplicably left off of the Hero - a front-facing camera for video calls.  A microSD card slot and integrated DVB-T TV tuner are useful additions too.  Bizarrely, they’ve decided to use a resistive rather than capacitive touchscreen; we can only assume it’s a cost-saving exercise.

The results of that exercise, in fact, is an estimated price tag of between €250 and €300 ($352-$422); that’s reasonable for an unlocked GSM device.  We’ll have to wait and see how well Android 1.5 Cupcake runs on its 625MHz PXA310 processor, and whether the resistive display slows things down; the GeeksPhone One is set to arrive in Europe this fall.

[via Engadget Spanish]

I’m not sure if it’s good news or not, but Google has announced that AdSense is now available for Android and the iPhone. The ads will allow developers of applications to make money off their apps based on website content.

Enrollment for the program is available through the Google AdWords program and the software automatically displays the highest paying ads on each app. Ads are targeted by keyboard. In short, the program appears to work just like website ads, only they show up on apps for the iPhone and Android.

[via Fierce Mobile content]

The confirmation most directly affects those who bought their Android device through a carrier, such as the T-Mobile G1 or the Vodafone Magic.  According to HTC’s representative, the company is trying to develop a way to get the new UI to those with non-Google branded handsets, such as Rogers Wireless’ HTC Magic in Canada; however nothing is guaranteed and logistical or financial limitations may end up preventing it.

It unfortunately means that buyers of the T-Mobile myTouch 3G, the US version of the HTC Magic announced earlier this month, won’t get Sense as it’s a “with Google” branded device.  You can be sure that hacked ROMs of the HTC UI will be circulating very soon, though.

The company doesn’t give an exact date the handset will be available on its network. However, interested Magic fans can pre-register to get more info on the device.

TMN is mum on the price of the phone at this point as well. For those unfamiliar the Magic has a 3.2-inch screen, 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS, and supports HSPA networks. Other features include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

[via Tek Thanks Pedro!]

The Omnia is usually a Windows Mobile 6.1 phone, with a 3.2-inch WQVGA resistive touchscreen, 5-megapixel autofocus camera, 2100MHz 3G, Bluetooth and WiFi.  So far, the porting team have managed to transfer Android to the smartphone, boot it and load the kernel, and get basic touchscreen support.

There are still problems, though; most of the hardware lacks Android support, so no phone or camera access, and some of the hardware buttons don’t yet work.  The touchscreen occasionally freezes, and sometimes the whole screen turns black, shows streaky text or other glitches, which have to be fixed with a restart.  Still, it sounds like you can try it on your own Omnia without necessarily losing your Windows Mobile install; Android is loaded from a microSD card.

[via Patrick Soon]

It may not be so clear-cut, however.  What HTC failed to make entirely clear during their press conference yesterday – and then took pains to point out in the aftermath - HTC Sense refers not just to the new UI on the Hero but to all of the company’s latest UI work, including TouchFLO 3D on Windows Mobile devices.  Talking to an HTC executive at a dinner event in London last night, it was made clear that Sense is the culmination of three years of development - since the original HTC Touch device, in fact - with TouchFLO 3D being just one step along the road to what you see here on the Hero.

There’s also the question of what ties HTC had to break with Google in order to make their modifications in the Hero.  We already know that there are different levels of Android involvement that lead to different types of branding – i.e. whether you can have a Google sticker on the back of your phone – and that branding is conspicuously missing from the Hero.  We don’t yet know enough to say whether HTC’s new UI sits entirely well with Google’s “Android Experience”.

What that could mean is that the existing devices Chou talks about might not, in fact, be Android-based, but could be newer models from the company’s Windows Mobile range.  The recently-launched Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2 might be two potential candidates.  It certainly seems more likely that HTC would do a straight port of the latest Sense UI to models in its Android line-up, but until it announces definite plans we can’t be certain.

While it’s still early days, our takeaway-impression of the Hero – and the Sense UI – is a huge usability step forward for Android.  Tasks which previously required third-party apps or trawling through the menus and browser are now brought right up to the homepage, and the various ways in which HTC have made them easy to organize and use are particularly slick.

If you’re looking for the full specifications of the Hero, HTC have put up their official product page.  There’s also our full gallery of hands-on Hero images, which you can see here.

One of the cooler widgets for geeks looking to keep up with their tech news without having to actually go to their favorite sites to find the news is Tech Buzz. The app is from Mippin and allows the display of content feeds on the home screen of an Android device.

The feeds fall into tech news, mobile news, Android, gadgets, gaming, and tech videos categories. The app can be configured to check for new content from every five minutes to only once per day. The app also lets you send favorite news posts to friends via email, SMS, or Twitter.

[via CNET]

The specifications of the device are, unsurprisingly, exactly the same as with the Orange version.  Orange claim to have exclusivity on the “graphite” finish, so we can only assume that what you see in these photos is a more generic gray.

The T-Mobile G1Touch will be available from mid-July (no word on whether that means it will land on Orange – who say “early July” – beforehand) priced free as long as you take out a minimum of a £40 ($60) per month contract.  That will get you £225-worth of credit to be spent on calls, SMS and MMS messages, together with free on-device data access.

[Thanks afriendcalledben!]