Saturday, December 19, 2009

Android This Week: Nook Gets Pandora; Nexus Appears at Google

The Barnes & Noble (s bks) Nook reader is already proving how open the Android OS can make even the most closed of devices. The e-book reader was reportedly hacked by enthusiasts this week in order to run both the Android web browser and the music streaming service Pandora. The average Nook owner is unlikely to engage in such hacking, but it is surprising to see how accessible Android makes such a device for those with a little knowledge about such things. AT&T (s t) can’t be happy about this. The carrier provides the 3G network for Nook owners to download e-books, and web surfing with hacked Nooks is sure to catch AT&T’s ire using the free (to the owner) connection.

Also this week, Google gave its employees a new phone, dubbed the Nexus One, that’s based on future Android technology — and it has tongues in the tech world wagging. It’s a full Android handset that’s rumored to be headed for commercial release early next year, without a carrier. Those claiming to have information about the Nexus believe that Google will sell the phone under its own brand.

Meanwhile, my favorite note-taking app was released for the Android platform. Evernote users can create notes via the phone keyboard, by taking pictures with a phone camera or by recording audio notes. All notes created using Evernote for Android are synced with the Evernote cloud, thus keeping important information at hand no matter what device is being used. The app can be installed through the Android Market, or downloaded directly from Evernote.

And reports emerged that Motorola (s mot) may be producing the first Android phone on the AT&T (s t) network in the U.S. The Backflip has a physical keyboard that doesn’t slide out, but instead flips over, so that the keys make up the back of the phone when “closed.” Once opened, a trackpad is exposed that can be used to control the interface, much like a trackpad on a laptop. The Backflip is expected to run the Motorola Blur interface, like the Cliq that debuted at the Mobilize 09 conference earlier this year.

[Via http://gigaom.com]

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