Cell Bytes

Motorola is working on a superphone with a dual core NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU, we all know that, but we have close to zero info about it. Ever wonder why? For one, Moto is keeping the secret about the device and it’s also got a strict non-disclosure agreement with its partners, including NVIDIA.

What’s sure is that this device will come with Android 3.0 Gingerbread, after the OS gets released. Speculations claim that this superphone will make current Android devices look like toys, since it’ll provide 2x faster web browsing and up to 5x faster gaming performance, among others.

Also, Motorola wants to keep it a secret, else it would kill all the Moto smartphones available with Android 2.1 at Christmas time, because people will choose to keep their money and purchase the new phone. The company’s boss, Sanjay Jha considers this handset his baby and it most certainly will be, once Motorola splits into 2 segments and Jha leads the Moto Mobility one.

While some sources claim that the Droid superphone will only be sold by Verizon, it’s possible that the US phone maker uses a strategy similar to the one that involved Samsung Galaxy S, sold through all major carriers. To top it all, this new handset could support 4G LTE, putting the US carriers’ new networks to good use.

Amazon is continuing its streak of offering devices for the extremely low price of a single US cent, this time putting the Motorola Droid 2 up for sale at the price. For a measly 1/100 of a dollar and a new two-year contract the phone can be all yours. You will need to add the item to your cart to see the price, and it looks like you will also qualify for free shipping. That’s a savings of $199.98 from what you would pay through Verizon.

It kind of makes you want to hold off an initial smartphone purchase at launch knowing it may very well go up for a cent through Amazon. No clue how long the deal will last, so if you are thinking about it you may want to jump in quick.

Android 2.2 (v2.25.771.1) will begin its push to HTC Desire handsets on the UK carrier Three tomorrow, October 14th, according to the mobile provider. They are so ready to push the update that they have its launch pinned down to an exact hour (now that’s something you don’t see everyday). That time would be 9AM when you can begin to feverishly refresh your “System Updates” menu item until Froyo descends from the Android heavens unto your Desire.

[via AndroidCommunity]

TweetDeck likes collecting data. Most companies do, in fact. Not all of them like to share their data, though, but TweetDeck’s just vomited a nice helping of data regarding usage of the Android version of their Twitter client which is still in beta. I’m going to skip all of the boring stuff regarding device and version distribution, but there are a few fun takeaways to be had.

First of all: the HTC Glacier is still out there. At least three people have been using TweetDeck on the device. I’m sure this will make some of our readers (coughKELLERcough) happy, but we still have no idea about the status of this device. All we know is that it’s likely headed to T-Mobile and will be a high-end monster of a cellphone.

The Motorola Droid 2 Global Edition is also still making its rounds. We used to be keen on calling this device the Motorola Droid Pro, but we already know what happened with that. Here are the rest of the obscure pieces of data gathered from their latest report:

• Android Gingerbread is real, and there’s a substantial amount of people already testing it in the field
• We’ve all seen YouTube videos with Nokia N900 and HTC HD2 running Android. Now we have proof. 103 Tweedeck Android users had HD2’s, and 6 of them had Nokia N900. There was also one HTC Kaiser user spotted out there, too. What do you know – there still are some people running Android on the good old HTC TyTN II…
• The rumored uber fast HTC Glacier is also out there in the field, probably undergoing some tests. 3 Tweetdeck users were caught with it
• While Motorola Droid 2 Global Edition missed the CTIA announcement date, it seems that it is still out there somewhere, and may be announced soon.

Everything else they’ve found can be had at their website.

Remember @Androidevicespy? It was the same Twitter account that tipped us off to Verizon’s collection of Motorola phones long before Verizon was willing to come clean (and before any of their leaksters were willing to spill the beans beforehand.) It seems the same Twitter account has picked up on the Motorola Olympus MB860 that just passed WiFi certification a couple of weeks ago. We know the phone is out there by now, but the device tracker suggests this phone has already been in testing for AT&T.

We suspect the Olympus MB860 could be the super-duper-phone that Motorola Mobility’s CEO Sanjay Jha isn’t trying to unwrap for the time being, but we have no hard evidence to back that up just yet (just the trusty word of industry colleagues.) It was once believed that this device would be headed for Verizon and Verizon only, but later reports suggested Verizon wouldn’t be the only carrier to enjoy Motorola’s high-end goods as they’ve been keen on doing.

[via Droid-Life]

Looks like we’re moving closer and closer toward a release of Android 2.2 for those of you Milestone owners in Europe. It’s been a lengthy, drawn out process, but Motorola’s finally making progress and it seems you guys will be getting a nice gift heading into the holiday seasons.

Hello. From next week we start user trials of the European Milestone upgrade to Froyo. Once these are complete, we will know what further work is required to optimise, before going into final testing and approval stage. As previously we plan to start rolling the update at the end of this year, but wanted to keep you updated. Thanks

This was after Motorola was unsure if they would even issue an upgrade to Android 2.2 for the device. I’m not so sure they would’ve received as much backlash as they did if they hadn’t quickly issued that same upgrade for the American counterpart – the Motorola Droid on Verizon.

Everything’s well for at least one group of you now, though. We’re still awaiting their decision on the Latin American Milestone, and we’re still waiting for users on their 1.5 devices to be stepped up to Android 2.1. Let’s get this ball rolling sooner rather than later, Moto.

[via Motorola Europe Facebook] [Thanks, Richy!]

We’re just hours away from Sony’s big Google TV unveiling where we expect they’ll announce four initial models with the platform embedded (ranging from 24 to 46-inch models.) Sony’s getting a little head start with developer sign-ups, however, as we’ve just learned that they’re accepting registrations for the developer portal now. There’s nothing to actually be had there at the time of this posting, but we suspect that’ll change before the day is over. If you’re a developer, go ahead and sign up now.

I’m sure our regulars have already heard by now: there was a porn button on the Galaxy Tab. The button’s label was actually a shortened version of the word “Pornire” which we understand is another way to say “Start” in Romanian, but the unfortunate truncation that led to our ridiculous report has been fixed up by Samsung. It’s now labeled “Acasa,” the proper term for “Home” in Romanian. What a short-lived story, but it was fun while it lasted. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[via Samsung Hub]

Well, well, well, if it isn’t the HTC Merge again. This time, Android Central grabbed another look at the device in full color and motion. Nothing out of the ordinary to see here, but it’s the first time we’ve been able to see this device moving about. We know it’ll come preinstalled with Android 2.2, but it looks like we won’t be getting the latest version of HTC Sense found on the Desire Z and Desire HD (though it’s possible that could change before this handset comes out, whenever that is.) This phone is “Bing-ified,” but you knew that. Anything else is just drool material if you’re waiting on this phone, so be sure to press that play button ASAP.

More info from our friends at Android and Me regarding the Tegra 2-enabled handset Motorola’s putting out has just rolled in. According to them, the device – which, for now, is affectionately known as the T2 (or Terminator) – won’t just be for Verizon as all of Motorola’s high-end handset have been here in the states. Latest rumors from his source suggests that the device is going to be treated by Motorola similar to how the Galaxy S was treated by Samsung: try to get this thing into as many hands as possible.

It would be a welcome change of pace from all of the exclusivity Verizon’s been enjoying lately. It’s not that I don’t like that Verizon’s getting all of the goods, it’s just that I’m rooting for Motorola to make an even bigger impact than they already have, and if they have a dual-core Tegra 2 phone coming out, I want a chance to own it on the carrier I prefer as a die-hard Phandroid like myself would jump at an opportunity to own what surely sounds to be the next generation of Android handsets. Now we just have to wait and see if Motorola Mobility (new company, remember?) will be willing to spill out a few tidbits before CES rolls around. Regardless, January’s looking to prove to be a very exciting month.