Isaiah's Tech

Coming from xda-developers is yet another leak regarding the HTC Pyramid. This time it's looking clearer than ever and there's some confirmed specs in tow as well. Apparently, this smartphone features a 4.3-inch qHD display (960 x 540 resolution), a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU, 768MB of RAM, an 8MP camera with a dual-LED flash, a VGA front-facing camera, and Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" with the Sense 3.0 UI. This one should be on its way to T-Mobile USA and could be announced at this year's Google I/O - maybe with the next version of Android (that's just me being hopeful).

[AndroidSPIN]

The official Google I/O Twitter account has just announced that Android 2.2 "Froyo" will be hitting the Google Nexus One in a couple of weeks. This is great news for those owners because Froyo is a huge update. Check out the tweet here if you want. More importantly, "Froyo will be made available to OEMs and the open source community in the coming weeks." That tweet is here.

[Engadget]

Google unveiled their Google TV project at Google I/O yesterday. They're going to try to eliminate the need for channel hopping by integrating Google's search to find whatever you need. Thankfully, you'll be able to use Android devices as a remote but there'll also be remotes with QWERTY keyboards as well (like the Logitech Harmony one). The browser on-board is Chrome so there's no surprise that Sony is joining the party (they already have Google Chrome pre-installed on their Vaio line-up of PCs). There'll also be full Flash 10.1 support because Google is so "open". The "Google TV-specific" Android SDK will be launching in early 2011, so it's still about half a year away - there'll be an Android Market for these TVs as well. There's a video below so don't miss it! It'll explain things much clearer.

Update: According to Engadget, Sony - as expected - will be the first company with a Google TV and you'll find it in an HDTV or a Blu-ray set-top box. This will be available starting this Fall. Logitech will be launching their own "companion box" as well and this will be bundled with the QWERTY Harmony remote. It'll be powered by Android 2.1 and will have an Intel CE4100 Atom CPU inside. DISH Networks will also be on-board with this as well, so look out for it to hit Best Buy's in Q3 of this year.



[Engadget, Mashable]

At Google I/O yesterday, they announced version 2.2 of Android which being called Froyo - as you may already know. This new iteration is said to bring a 2-5x speed boost - thanks to a JIT compiler - as well as the world's fastest mobile browser. Of course, there'll also be other goodies like tethering, Adobe Flash 10.1 / AIR support, auto-updating apps, and the ability to install apps on an SD card. Froyo will also have Cloud-to-Device API as well as better Enterprise support, including Exchange support and improved security. HTC mentioned that if you're device began shipping in 2010, you'll likely be getting an upgrade to Froyo so you're free to get the HTC Desire or the DROID Incredible, or the EVO 4G now.

Update: Engadget has pointed out that the Froyo SDK is now available!

[Slash Gear, Engadget, Beta News]

The picture last week of the Samsung R880 Acclaim that Engadget scooped up last week looks like it was probably an earlier model. At the Google I/O event this afternoon Engadget spotted the Samsung R880 again and this one looked nothing like the one from last week meaning this is probably the final model. We already know the specs of this handset and I honestly think that this phone looks better than the one we saw last week.

[Engadget]

Apparently, Acer is set to showcase their Chrome OS devices in the near future. This is going to happen within the next one to two weeks so we could either see it at Google I/O in a couple of days or we could see it at Computex which takes place in the first week of June. We don't know what these devices will be but they'll likely be netbooks / smartbooks. These devices are scheduled to hit the market in the second half of this year, so we'll still have to wait a while until we see how well Google can integrate the cloud into this OS.

Update: Apparently, Acer is holding a global event at the end of this month and, unfortunately, Engadget has mentioned that no Chrome OS devices are going to be shown off. However, they do mention that we could still see those Chrome OS devices by the end of devices but they might not show up at Google I/O, this Acer event, and Computex in early June. Anything can happen though, so hope for the best.

[Tech Oat]

Apparently, at Google I/O next month (May 19th) they'll be unveiled their joint project with Intel, Logitech, and Sony which is possibly codenamed "Dragonpoint". Apparently, Sony will be bundling their HDTVs and Blu-ray players with Google's Android OS. These Google TVs will pack an Intel (possibly Atom) CPU along with a some sort of Logitech remote thrown into the mix. Full details are, of course, still unknown right now but if the rumour is true then we'll find out in less than a month's time.

[Slash Gear, Electronista, Engadget, Gizmodo]

If you own a Google Nexus One then you should keep in mind that you could be getting an upgrade to WiFi 802.11n in the near future. Apparently, Google and Broadcom are working on a driver that will activate it and it could come in the next Android update (version 2.2 aka Froyo). This is great news, seeing how it could be getting announced and possibly released next month (May 19th at Google I/O).

[Engadget, Electronista]

This should be no surprise but it looks like Google is already testing version 2.2 aka Froyo of their Android OS. This was hinted at with the Analytics graph you see below. They're likely just being tested out by Google employees right now. Apparently, Google may announce version 2.2 of Android on May 19th at their annual I/O conference, which will take place in San Francisco. The Nexus One may be the first handset that will be upgradeable to this version. Android 2.2 is expected to feature Flash 10.1 support, additional RAM, a JT compiler, an FM radio, some OpenGL ES 2.0 enhancements, and activation of a colour trackball. Of course, this version is set to reduce Android fragmentation in the long run.

Update: According to Engadget, Froyo has just been spotted running on an HTC Magic. At least we know that it'll be capable of running on every single Android handset that has launched so far, which is great.

[Electronista, Unwired View]

Google I/O started 2 days ago and the announcement that has made the biggest impact so far [hands down] is Google Wave. Everyone is talking about Google Wave and I'm not even exactly sure of what it is. Some sources are claiming that it will single-handedly change the web as we know it. Anyways, check out Mashable's complete guide of Google Wave because that's what I'm about to do. The video below is Google's big announcement and showing off of Google Wave at Google I/O. Beware, the video is 1 hour and 20 minutes long. Scooped up the video from Tech Crunch.



[Mashable, Tech Crunch]

Yes, I did. I marked it on my Google Calendar and everything. And I'm sad that they haven't announced it yet. I mean, yes, there are ways to make your own extensions, but Google hasn't launched an official extension platform for their browser, Google Chrome, yet. A couple of months ago, people guessed that May 27 would be the day that Google would announce extensions because it marked the start of their developer conference, Google I/O. Google has announced a bunch of juicy information at their conference so far, so I'm not upset. Maybe they'll announce extensions at tomorrow's keynote because people like me are still patiently waiting.

Anyways, I really hope Google announces extensions soon because I think it'll really increase their browser's market share. Speed + Flexibility is a great combination.

Picture Source: Tech Crunch