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First Android Antivirus Software Launched

SMobile Systems have today launched the first Antivirus software application for the Android platform.

The software, called VirusGuard, will help to protect the Android powered devices from viruses, spyware, and malware. VirusGuard will have the ability to scan the handset along with memory cards searching for any malicious content.

"Android's open source architecture is fantastic because it allows anyone to develop new applications for the phones running on this system," SMobile president Neil Book said in a statement. "For SMobile, we believe that creating a virus protection solution is necessary to help thwart the potential for malware attacks that are coming and those that exist today."

As you might have expected VirusGuard is not a free application and therefore won't be available from the Android Market until 2009. The software can be purchased from SMobile's Web site or through Handango priced at $4.99.

[via SMobile Systems]

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Android Root Access Gained Through PTerminal Application

Members of the XDA Developers forum have found a way to gain root access to their Android G1 handsets using a loophole in the PTerminal application.

PTerminal is available for download from the Android Market and can apparently be used to start a telnet connection on your G1 which can then be accessed from your PC - giving you root access to the device.

According to forum member Koush, the instructions are as follows:

1. Turn on your phone's WiFi. This gives your phone an IP you can reach it at.
2. Get to a command prompt on your device by using the PTerminal application from the Android Market. (adb shell does not seem to work with these instructions, telnetd does not start up)
3. cd system
4. cd bin
5. telnetd
6. netstat (get your phones IP)
7. telnet into your phone's IP from your PC
8. you now have root!

Whether a new 'over the air' update fixes this potential bug remains to be seen, but it might be a good idea to disable OTA updates if you decide to test this method.

Please be aware this is for advanced users only, root access is hidden for a reason.

[via Link & Link]

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Android Market – First Weekend Download Analysis

While Google are keeping the exact download statistics private, mobile advertising network Medialets have been doing some data analysis of their own and have publicised some approximate figures and trends for the Android Market's first weekend.

Heres a rundown of the statistics Medialets have published:

• 167 Apps have been downloaded between between 667,000 and 2.9 Million times.
• Downloads are being driven by 41 apps, which account for between 73% and 83% of all possible downloads.
• Two applications, Pac-Man by Namco and The Weather channel generated the most downloads (50,000 - 250,000).
• Although download ranges can be very large, growth on the low-end was still nearly 80% during the first week.
• 5 Categories account for 61% of all apps.
• The number of apps has nearly tripled since launch, led by the Games, Tools and Productivity categories.

 

More approximate analysis and fancy graphs can be found on the Medialets blog.

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Motorola – No Android Phone Until Xmas 2009

During this morning's third quarter earnings call, Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha revealed that an Android powered handset from Motorola would not happen until the holiday season of 2009.

This revelation follows the news of Motorola's third quarter earnings report in which the company suffered a deep loss of $397 million. Motorola's cellphone sales shrank more than 30% year-over-year to an estimated 8.4% market share.

It is believed that over the next 12 months Motorola will continue to launch Windows Mobile powered devices with new models due in the second half of 2009.

[via InformationWeek.com]

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Android G1 Hits The UK

Today marks the start of the first Android powered handset to be released across the United Kingdom. Android fans queued from 7am at T-Mobile's Oxford Street store in London to be amoungst the first people to get their hands on the G1.

According to a T-Mobile spokesperson, the first queues began to form at 5am outside their flagship London store. It has also been reported that more than 25,000 people had registered their interest online following the US release last week.

T-Mobile UK managing director Jim Hyde said:

It's set to revolutionise the way we use the internet on our mobiles.

It's uniquely built for effortless online communication whether you want to email, text or blog, and with access to some groundbreaking applications on Android Market, the possibilities really are endless.

The T-Mobile G1 handset is available free as part of an 18 month contract with monthly payments as low as £25 a month.

[via Telegraph.co.uk]

Were you one of the first in line? Let us know in the comments!

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China Mobile And Lenovo Join Forces To Launch Android In 2009

China Mobile is currently working with Lenovo Mobile in efforts to launch an Android powered device in China in 2009.

It is not clear why China Mobile have decided to partner with Lenovo rather than HTC for the Android device, and given the lack of enthusiasm for PDA style devices from PC makers the decision to work with Lenovo could be seen as a little ambitious.

PDA style handsets from the likes of Dell and HP currently hold only 3.3% of the global PDA market share behind RIM, Nokia, HTC and even Sharp.

The first China Mobile Android device is expected to launch between February and March 2009.

[via ShanghaiList.com]

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ASUS Launching First Android Handset In 2009

According to company reports, Asustek Computers are planning to launch their first Android powered handset in the first quarter of 2009.

It is believed ASUS will initially sell the Android powered devices under its own brand in the Taiwan market, before also launching customized models for overseas clients.

Currently there is no technical information available for the proposed Android handset, though ASUS tend to focus heavily on 3G data and regularly adds GPS support for their hardware.

[via DigiTimes.com]

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EA Mobile Release 2 G1 Games – Bypass Android Market

EA Mobile have made it clear in the past that they planned to release games for the Android platform - but only when they could charge for them.

Given Google's recent announcement that applications and games from the official Android Market will remain free until the New Year, EA Mobile it seems aren't prepared to wait that long and are instead directing G1 owners to their own eamobile.com store.

The publisher has released 2 new US titles for G1 owners: Tetris and Monopoly Here & Now.

The two new titles are priced at $7.99 each and can be downloaded at http://www.eamobile.com/

[via pocketgamer.biz]

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T-Mobile Rolling Out G1 Update RC29

A handful of G1 users are reporting that their handsets have been updated today with a new update from T-Mobile.

The new update version, RC29 is believed to contain a number of bug fixes for the G1, but it is not yet known exactly what they are.

If you've received the new over-the-air RC29 update let us know your thoughts in the comments.

[via EngadgetMobile.com]

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The Android Market Is Now Open

The Android Market has officially opened it's doors, allowing new G1 owners the chance to browse and download the highly anticipated Android games and applications.

G1 owners will be pleased to hear that there are currently over 50 applications available to download from the Market, including multimedia, location-based tools, barcode scanners, travel guides and games.

From Monday Android developers will also be able to register and upload their applications to the market. Potential developers will however be required to "register and pay a one time $25 application fee" in order to ensure that they're "authenticated and responsible for their apps."

Google has also revealed that paid applications will launch across the Android Market in Q1 of 2009, in a scheme similar to the Apple Store where developers will receive 70% of the app revenue.

Let us know what you think of the apps and the market itself in our forums here!

[via Android Dev Blog & Android Market]

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