Android 2.2

If you are a mid/high-end Android lover in the US, but want unlimited data and don’t want to pay high monthly fees, it is hard to beat the Motorola Triumph.  It hits a lot of sweetspots:

• Front (5MP) and rear(.3MP) cameras which take 720P video, 4.1 inch 480×800 display and big 1400mA battery
• Relatively untouched Android 2.2 (boo! bring on 2.3.4!)
• Plans start at $35/month: 300 talk minutes, unlimited internet and SMS (gets throttled to 256k at 3.5GB in October)

The best news is that it is hitting Best Buy ahead of its supposed July 20th launch date.  Reddit users (via Phandroid) are reporting on walking into the stores right now and picking them up.

The Optimus V launch was the same with people picking them up before the launch at Radio Shack.

You can buy it online here.
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pbo-d62ivY]

Google has announced that a new Android Market is coming to Android phones. Along with an overall redesign, the new Market will be receiving a Book and Movie tab. The updated Market is available for phones running Android 2.2 and up, and will be rolling out in the coming weeks.

Movies will be available in the U.S. for $1.99, where they can be downloaded right on the Android phone. We assume Books will be priced book-to-book, like almost all e-book stores. Movies and Books will be linked to your Google account, so all of your Android devices will be in sync. Check out screenshots after the break.

The new Android Market will be rolling out in the coming weeks to Android 2.2 and higher phones around the world. You don’t need to do anything – the update is automatic on supported phones. If you’re in the U.S., you’ll also be able to download the Videos app, rent movies, and buy books once you receive the new Android Market.

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Joining the Computex tablet party this morning is Viewsonic which announced the ViewPad 10Pro, its newest ten-inch tablet powered by a 1.5GHz Intel Oak Trail Z670 processor that can run Android 2.2 alongside Windows 7 Pro. This feature is enabled with the Bluestacks virtualization software which comes preloaded on the device. Blustacks enables you to run Android software within Windows, without the need for rebooting. Note that the ViewPad 10Pro isn’t a dual-boot tablet as some media outlets incorrectly reported.

We’re not entirely convinced this is what people need. There’s also the question of battery life because virtualization comes at a price and Oak Trail processors aren’t known for their power savviness either. Official specs claim 4.5 hours of 1080p video playback, which is definitely on the low end. Other features include 32GB of storage, a capacitive display, HDMI video output, 3G HSPA+ cellular connectivity, front and back cameras and DLNA support. It weighs in at just 380 gram. Full press release below…

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