21 Android Devices: Just a Start for Android Domination

Android by Google will definitely go down in the annals of
mobile history and rightfully so. This Linux based open platform along with the
iPhone platform has revolutionized the mobile industry and changed the rules of
the game. In fact according to analysts at Gartner, by the year 2012, Android
will account for 14 percent of the global smartphone market. While its not 2012
yet, we here at iSmashPhone decided to list all the different types of Android
devices. Interestingly Android is not just not restricted to cellphones, as
thanks to its flexible properties, it is also been used in digital frames,
netbooks, umpcs etc.

New Android based devices have been cropping up every other day. Some of them have been released, some will debut in 2010 and some are just concepts! Here we have picked some of the most exciting ones. Hence not all made the cut. However don‚Äôt forget to give your two cents and list your favorite Android devices.

 

Cellphones

HTC Dream/ T-Mobile G1

Display: 3.2 in

Resolution: 480 X 320

Keyboard: QWERTY

Connectivity: Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) Bluetooth

 

 

The HTC Dream/ T-Mobile G1 was the first Android smartphone to
debut. The 3G enabled smartphone is also a part of the open standards effort of
the Open Handset Alliance. The smartphone is quite a success story as in April,
T-Mobile announced they have sold one million units since its launch.

Sprint HTC Hero

 

Display: 3.2 in

Resolution: 320×480

Connectivity: HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Camera:  5 megapixels

Version: Android OS 1.5

 

 

 

After T-Mobile, it was Sprint that jumped on the Android
bandwagon by announcing the Sprint HTC Hero. The Sprint HTC Hero comes equipped
with a 5MP camera, 3.5mm headset and also includes support for Sprint based
services like Sprint TV.

Acer Liquid A1

Display: 3.5 in

Resolution: 800×480

Connectivity: HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

Version: Android 1.6

 

The Acer Liquid
A1 is Acer’s first powered Android smartphone and will debut in the UK by Late
November. When it comes to design, this one is a perfect ten. The smartphone will also be equipped
with a 5-megapixel camera.

 

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10

Display: 4 in

Resolution:  480 x
854

Connectivity: HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

Camera: 8 megapixels

Version: Android OS 1.6

 

 

One the most anticipated Android devices, the Sony Ericsson
XPERIA X10 is a touchscreen
based smartphone that has a new UX platform which is build on top of the Open
OS  and also features something
which Sony Ericsson calls Timescape. Timescape manages all your communication
with one person in one place and gives easy access to Facebook‚Ñ¢, Twitter‚Ñ¢,
photos, emails, and texts all in one go.

Samsung Galaxy Spica I5700

Display: 3.2 in

Resolution: 320×480

Connectivity: HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Camera: 3.2 megapixels

Version: Android OS 1.5

 

 

The Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700 made its debut all across Europe a
couple of days ago and has been priced around $479. The smartphone is the first
Android handset to offer native DivX support and  boasts of an 
impressive 800 MHz processor.

 

LG Snapdragon

 

The LG Snapdragon is another Android offering from the Korean
mobile giants. The smartphone will debut in 2010 and unfortunately LG is
remaining tightlipped when it comes to the features and specifications.

 

Alienware Android Phone Concept

 

The Alienware Android Phone is one of the concepts you pray
that come true. Ever since the news that DELL has shown a keen interest in the
Android platform, mobile aficionados are hoping for an Alienware Android
smartphone. What else could be better than the gaming and design features of Alienware
combined with the flexibility of the Android platform?

 

MID (Mobile Internet Device) Tablets

MOTO group OLED

Display: 5 in

Screen Type: OLED

Version: Android 2.0

Camera: 8 megapixels

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, 3G,Bluetooth

 

The MOTO group OLED Android tablet features a  5 inch OLED capacitive touchscreen is
powered by a TI OMA3430 CPU. It is also available with an optional 3G module
and Motorola is also developing 3.5″ and 10″ devices, which should be
available by 2010.

Ramos W7

Display: 4.8 in

Resolution: 800 x 480

Connectivity: Wi-Fi

 

The Ramos W7 is not one of the most well known MID devices out
there however it does have a decent feature set. This Android-based MID
features 720p video support but unfortunately lacks any cellular capabilities.
It draws it juice from  Telechips
TCC8900, which is capable of 080p playback of AVC (H264/VC-1) at high (30Mbps+)
bitrates.

 

Archos 5 Internet Tablet

 

Display: 4.8 in

Resolution: 800 x 480

Hard Drive: 160 to 500 GB

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

 

The Archos 5 Internet Tablet claims to be a “convergence of
the Internet, entertainment, TV, and GPS” and offers a plethora of features. It
supports 720p video over HDMI and can also do VGA TV recording when hooked up
with an optional DVR Station. The 802.11n Wi-Fi is the icing on the cake.

 

ENT N97

Display: 7 in

Video Support: 
MPG, WMV, AVI, 3GP, MP4

EBook:  Built-in
e-book reader

Image Support: JPG, TIF, BMP, PNG, GIF

Connectivity: 3G

 

The ENT N97 Internet Tablet may not ever cross the Chinese
shores but we still like it for its feature set.  Equipped with a 7 inch TFT LCD touchscreen, the tablet
outputs full 1080p HD and also features a built-in Flash player, Internet
browser and also an eBook reader!

 

Eston MID-05

Display: 5-inch

Resolution: 800 x 480 pixels

Screen Type: WVGA touchscreen

Connectivity: 802.11b/g Wi-Fi

Video playback: MPEG-1/2/4, ASF, DivX3.1/4/5, XviD, AVI and
RM/RMVB

Picture: JPG and BMP formats

 

The Eston MID-05 is powered by a 624MHz Marvell PXA303
processor and like the N97, may never seen an American release. It
includes  a SDHC card slot, USB 2.0
connectivity, 1080p HD video support and an integrated speaker.

Photo Frames

 

Parrot Grande Specchio

Display: 10.4-inch

Connectivity: USB, SD, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Memory: 200MB

 

 

The Parrot Grande Specchio is an Android based picture frame
with a dedicated email address so you can send it photos to display. The frame
is also capable of streaming RSS feeds and Windows Live FrameIT and
FrameChannel feeds. Designed by
French artist Martin Szekel, the frame also doubles up as mirror when not in
use!

 

NTT Hikari iFrame

Display: 7 in

Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi

 

The Hikari iFrame by NTT also doubles up as an Internet tablet when not displaying your
favourite pictures. Apart from a touchscreen display it also includes Wi-Fi
connectivity, an USB card and a SD card.

Macnica Android Photo Frame

 

Macnica Inc in conjunction with Fujitsu Software Technologies
have developed this Android Photo Frame. The digital photo frame can display a
slideshow of photos on a home network via DLNA and the frame was first
exhibited at the  Tokyo Big Sight
in Tokyo, Japan. However no specs are available as of now since the frame is
still in development.

 

UMPC

Acer Aspire One D250

Display: 10.1?

Hard Drive: 160GB

RAM: 1GB

 

The Acer Aspire One D250 features a 10.1? LED backlit LCD
display and draws power from an Intel Atom N270 CPU. The netbook features 1GB
of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. The D250 is a dual boot netbook, which means it
can also run the Windows OS along with Android.

Menq EasyPC E790

Display: 7 in

Resolution: 800 x 480

 

What sets the Menq EasyPC E790 apart from the rest of the packis its $80 price tag. It may not be a powerhouse of a performer however for
$80, I am sure no one will mind. No details or pricing or availability.

 

Skytone Alpha6980

Display: 7 in

Resolution: 800 x 480

Connectivity: USB

 

China really does love Android. The Chinese brand Skyton are
the brains behind the Alpha680 (code name) netbook. The device is still in
development so no concrete information is 
available. However we do know that it will feature a 7 inch  and will come with only 128MB RAM and
1GB of flash storage as standard.

Dell Android Netbook

 

Dell is completely mum when it comes to the rumored Dell
Android Netbook but according to industry insiders, its might be here sooner
than expected. A press release  by
BSquare stated that they were working on an Adobe software for unannounced
‘Dell Netbooks running the Google OS’. They later  called the press report ‚Äúerroneous‚Äù  however it only added fuel to the fire.

 

Book Readers

Barnes & Noble nook

Display: 6 inch E Ink display and a 3.5 inch color control
display

Resolution: 600 x 800 pixel ( 6 inch) and 480 x 144 (3.5)

Connectivity: 802.11b/g Wi-Fi AT&T 3G

 

The nook developed by Barnes & Noble, was announced on
October 20th 2009 and will debut by November 30, 2009 for US$259. It will
feature Wi-Fi and AT&T 3G wireless connectivity and will also let nook
users share purchased books with others who are using Barnes & Noble’s
reader application software for iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac.

 

Spring Design ARMADA 166E

Display: 6in and
3.5 in

Connectivity: 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

 

Spring Design‚Äôs ARMADA 166E  is the e-reader to look out for as it features 6-inch e-ink
screen up top and a 3.5-inch color capacitive touchscreen for navigating and
control. The ARMADA‚Ñ¢ 166E  will
offer fast renderings of high resolution PDF documents and support for the
latest ePaper technologies. Other features include;  a removable SD card 
and browser features such as bookmarking, history, and security
settings.

 

While Google is ecstatic about Android’s success, however some developers are worried about its rapid growth since three versions of the OS (Android 1.5, 1.6 and 2.0) are already here. This means that apps have to be developed keeping in mind multiple versions of the OS and different hardware capabilities. This can be tricky and users can also suffer as purchased apps can be buggy and not provide the most intuitve experience.

Note: since this article was written, at least 10 more Android-based devices have been released