Update! Android Cupcake Coming Real Soon!

HTC has approved the Cupcake Update for the G1. Now we just wait on Google and T-Mobile to figure out the roll-out. I’m thinking they’re going to try and stagger the update evenly to a few users in different cities and wait to see if there are any adverse effects before mass distributing it. At least that would make sense in light of recently Zune headaches. No specific dates yet.

Image Source Unknown

Update on the AllShadow.com T-Shirt

Just to give you an update on the AllShadow.com T-Shirt following the contest, we’re working with the printing company now to find the best color combination and design size. We expect to have the first batch of sample delivered by the end of this week. If they look good, we’ll have the shirts ready for sale by next week!

Video: Steel Browser

Check out this mini review of the Steel browser for the G1 Android. Some features include an on-screen keyboard, agent change and auto-rotation. See the video for more!

The Shadow II Gets Detailed Specs

Well - we told you that the Shadow II would be out in early 2009, so it’s probably no surprise to you that the release date has been pinned right at the 28th of January. It looks like finally we have a list of full specs…no more speculations. › Continue reading

Dash Black Now Available

Delacerda points out that the Dash Black is now available online. Benji says it’s in the stores now. After taking a quick look at the specs it appears the improvement is WinMo 6.0/1 and the black faceplate. JellyBelly asks “why does htc even make this phone?” Hopefully this sheds some light on the subject. I believe the Dash to be an entry level Smarpthone. Simply meaning it is a gateway phone for those that just need some basic functionality along with heavy messaging. While the Shadow is a low to mid level phone (even though the Dash costs more as of this writing). Higher end phones do cost more and pack more of a punch for the tech enthusiast. There are pros and cons to each type of phone and preferences differ per consumer. I do have a dash and sometimes I just roll with it versus carrying the G1, Shadow, Wing or my trusty, bomb-proof t68i. If I’m working or schooling I will carry the higher end phone but if I’m off on an adventure where things can get messy I’ll take a “losable” phone. How about you?

The New Dash?

Reports are coming in about the T-Mobile Dash being replaced/revamped. Mostly everyone believes it is just a different colored faceplate. Looking at it I can see one difference besides the faceplate, the ear piece speaker has a screen on it instead of being open like the original Dash. There is a rumor about the camera being upgraded, which is a must. How many of you have or have had a Dash? One feature I really like about my Dash is the keyboard, it is a no nonsense messaging machine with a form factor that couldn’t be improved upon much.

Now given that since the original Dash came out many technologies have shrunk in size and that we haven’t seen any FCC filings for a new dash, what do you speculate might be changed in this Dash? Perhaps more memory, maybe UMA (HotSpot@Home)? Tell us in the comments.

Update: Ok…it’s officially…just a black Dash. As some of you have pointed out, it’s on the T-Mobile website now. Bleh.

Sources: BGR, Engadget
Mobile

‘Cupcake’ update coming for Android…soon

Word on the street is that Google is going to release the ‘Cupcake’ update for the Android OS soon. Details are a little scarce but James Falconer reports bug fixes along with the virtual keyboard. Andy Salisbury also reports the virtual keyboard as well as camera updates (including video recording) and basic x86 support (not G1 specific). The Android Roadmap for Q1 2009 does mention the virtual keyboard and other input methods as well as a suggestion algorithm.

Other changes from the Roadmap:

• Save attachments from MMS
• Music now fades for phone calls
• Many Browser enhancements
  • Updated WebKit version
  • Copy/paste is enabled
  • Find is enabled
  • Drawing is faster, pages with animations are 5x faster
• VoiceDialer now supports ‘open app’ command
• Camera features include the video recorder, video thumbnails, local playback and sharing
• Download manager is improved with better support for pausing, resuming and connectivity
• Tactile (Haptic) feedback
• Hardware accelerated video encoding
• Speech Recognition API
• Streaming Audio for apps
• Bluetooth support for A2DP and AVRCP (YAY!!!)
• Updated Linux Kernel
• Longer in call screen timeout
• Show/Hide dialpad added to in-call menu
• Many more bug fixes…

As usual this will be an OTA update. Since we’ve seen several since launch I have faith in this one showing up decently. What feature are you looking forward to, Bluetooth Stereo audio, on-screen keyboard or video recording?

A Look Inside the Shadow…Literally

Ah, it’s fun to take apart stuff, right? Well - just as long as you can put it back together. Over in the General forum, bipinsen has done a great job going through the steps needed to take apart a Shadow, should you get the urge. Caution: taking your Shadow apart may render it useless if you forget to put something back correctly =D.

I’m not an electrical engineer, but what we seem to be looking at above is the CPU in the top center, which has a “Pass” sticker on it, implying that it passed a quality inspection. But I wonder what the oddly shaped metal thing is below it. Anyone? For all of the images, enter the thread.

Mobile AllShadow.com

Since the G1 is recognized as a desktop browser the full version of AllShadow.com has been rendering on the G1. After consideration for data speeds and time, the mobile site has now been set to recognize the G1 as a mobile device and render the mobile version when you visit AllShadow.com from the Android Browser. Please let us know in the comments if you prefer it this way or another way. 

Also in case you didn’t know the forums have a read-only mobile version that you can see at AllShadow.com/forum/mo

AND the Store is mobile friendly as well so you can get your app on in the wild. Just go to the usual store.allshadow.com from the Shadow or G1 to see it.

Note: I have been doing a little work on a better mobile forum. If there is a huge interest in this please let us know in the comments and we’ll make it happen sooner. ‘Better’ would mean being able to post replies and messages from your phone.

Be sure to bookmark these addresses on your phone!

Get a Shadow for the Price of Lunch

Ok, ok, so maybe a Sushi lunch or something. Anyhow, T-Mobile is showing the price for the Shadow at a mere $29.99 right now. Wow. Might as well get three of them and share the Shadow love with your friends. We’re not sure how long the discounted price will last - but if you’ve been watching this site thinking about getting a Shadow, now might be the most economical time =D.

Black T-Mo Dash…is Just That

Ah, remember that T-Mobile Dash that was floating around in black that was rumored to be the Dash 2? Well, seeing how the hardware is absolutely identical to the current Dash, it makes total sense that the Black Dash is simply a mild refresh, not a new device. It seems that T-Mobile still sees some life left in this last-generation device, which is fine by us, because the keyboard on the Dash rules. Thanks to The Technicist for the photo.

T-Shirt Contest Results…

Alright guys, the results are in - and the winning T-Shirt design is the one seen above by soulja!  Nicely done - we think it captures the essence of the AllShadow site and community quite well.  Thank to all that participated.  We should have the shirt ready to roll of the presses by sometime next week =D.

Preview of What’s to Come: G1 On-Screen Keyboard

The G1 doesn’t come with an on-screen keyboard, yet. It’s in the works for an Over The Air (OTA) rollout in Q1 of 2009, which isn’t too far off. Watch the video above for a preview. It appears to be a simple yet functional keyboard. I’m hoping there will be a selection of layouts. I personally have a liking for the 20 Key layout.

P.S. We didn’t make the video

Another New Smartphone for T-Mobile…The Dash 2?

It’s our duty to keep you up to date on the latest happenings in the T-Mobile smartphone world, cause hey, we’re the t-mobile smartphone community =D.

BGR is reporting that T-Mobile is due out with a new version of the Dash. It may be just a simple refresh that brings a new color (black), or it could bring 3G and GPS to be a proper upgrade. We’ll keep you posted as we hear more!

Extended Battery for the G1 Now Available

Sedio is now selling the Innocell 1400 mAh battery for the G1. That’s 18% more juice than the 1150 OEM battery (the website says up to 15%, but you can do the math). It’s being sold for $42.95 here. Apparently you don’t need a different back cover as this will fit in the existing space. I’ve seen some mixed reviews saying the change in battery life is barely noticeable but that’s subjective. Once we get our hands on one we’ll give you an objective report as always.