In HTC News

If I were HTC I’d be none-too-thrilled that the little ol’ Motorola DROID is getting all the Verizon love. The carrier has yet to officially confirm the Droid Eris’ existence to be exact. Images and specs of the Droid Eris, which is said to launch on Verizon the same day as the DROID, have been sprouting all over the blogsphere today. The Eris will come loaded with a 5-megapixel camera and Wi-Fi capabilities.

HTC has also confirmed it’s currently working on the Sense UI’s compatibility with the Android 2.0 (éclair) update for the Sprint’s Hero, but gave no indication as to when the update would be made available. The HTC Eris is the same device as the Hero (aside from reviews stating the Eris is “lighter, slimmer and faster” than the Hero). It only stands to reason that Verizon’s Eris would get the update along with Sprint’s Hero. That would make the Droid Eris a pretty sweet deal for a mere $99!

The Verizon Droid Saga

We all know that Verizon Wireless is sinking some major Benjamin’s into the launch of the highly anticipated Motorola DROID, including an interactive Times Square experience among other things. Formerly known as the Sholes, the Motorola DROID is quite drool-worthy – especially for an Android device. I learned today that Droid isn’t just a device from Verizon Wireless, but the name of Verizon’s entire Android line. In laymen’s terms, DROID = phone; Droid = brand. Still confusing? Stick with me as I try to explain.

We first saw the HTC ‘Desire’ or ‘Hero’ in the hands of Google CEO Eric Schmidt at the Verizon/Android announcement. This HTC Sense UI running device, which is now being referred to as the HTC Droid Eris, will launch alongside the Motorola DROID on Nov. 6. You might be asking yourself, “Why didn’t Verizon officially announce the Eris with the DROID?” Obviously this device is far inferior to the DROID as it runs the outdated Android 1.5, but Verizon is making up for that with a $99 ticket price. This is an aggressive move for Verizon as Sprint is offering the HTC Hero for $179.99. It’s nice to see Verizon is making a range of Android devices available for customers with varied budgets.

Looking into the future I’d say it is smart for Verizon to build an Android brand under the Droid name, as it easily identifies a device no matter the manufacturer as both an Android and a Verizon device. Speaking from the present with all the hub-bub over the Motorola DROID and confusion concerning code-names for specific devices that are individual to each carrier, I’d say it’s downright confusing.

Today Belongs to BlackBerry

Storm2
It’s not like this news comes as a surprise, but it’s nice to hear Verizon Wireless made the new BlackBerry Storm2’s arrival official. This Wednesday, Oct. 28 you can stop by your neighborhood Verizon store to pick up the device for $179.99 with the standard 2-year contract

inPulse to ship February 2010
This Bluetooth driven "smartwatch" will bring your incoming calls, emails, text messages, etc. to your wrist via a 1.3-inch OLED display. Bad news this watch is incapable of outgoing communication, but the 007 device has a microUSB port and rechargeable battery (last about 3 days) and a vibrating motor to indicate BlackBerry phone action! I think my favorite perk of the watch would be intercepting incoming caller information and deciding whether or not I would like to get up and walk to the other room to answer my phone. Some call it lazy but I call it technology. The inPulse can be pre-ordered now for $149 and slated for a February ship date.

Nokia N900 release pushed back to November

Nokia’s N900 was expected to debut this month, but according to Peter Schneider, head of Maemo marketing, the N900 will “start shipping during November 2009.” Although this means you will have to wait a little longer to get your hot-little-hands on Nokia’s latest superphone, I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. It seems that a lot of manufacturers took note of the 2008 Verizon Blackberry Storm catastrophe and now err on the side of caution in an effort to not rush the release of a new device. According to Schneider, Nokia lent out 300 pre-production units to the community – and being a company that claims to value the importance of feedback, I think it is safe to assume there was some cleaning up to be done before the N900 makes its way to the masses. For more Nokia N900 information, hop on over to Engadget.

More Dell Android Information Surfaces

Images of a prototype and basic specs for Dell’s Android device codenamed “Streak” have leaked onto the blogsphere, and this handset looks to be mammoth…in size, that is. Of course nothing is official as of yet, but the Streak has a whopping 5-inch WVGA 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen – not exactly pocketable but attractive nonetheless. A front-facing camera on the bottom edge and the abnormally large screen points towards video conferencing capabilities. The Streak also comes equipped with a 5-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, a 1,300mAh battery, and will run Android 2.0 (a.k.a Éclair). Dell is said to be testing prototypes on U.S. 3G networks. The phone looks sleek and could have a lot of potential, but will the size hold it back?