Android Abuzz with VoIP App Nimbuzz

Android users will soon be able to make use of the NimBbuzz application. Nimbuzz allows cheap calls using VoIP and IP telephony over Wi-Fi or 3G networks. This mobile app is available with the latest version of the Nimbuzz software for the Android OS.

It gives customers the choice of a number of different VoIP providers because Nimbuzz is an open application which is not restricted to a single client.

Nimbuzz even has its own VoIP service called NimbuzzOut. The app is expected to increase VoIP usage as it will give more Android users access to the technology. Nimbuzz also supports instant messaging from Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger.

Quentyn Kennemer of Phandroid wrote: "With NimBuzz for Android the Call quality is clear and I couldn't find anything to complain about. They use the Jingle XMPP protocol which delivers unrivaled audio clarity for VoIP calls."

Awaiting Froyo 2.2 : Best of the Week's News

Froyo 2.2 is causing quite a stir, especially for some Vodafone customers who have not been able to get their hands on it. IT Pro reported that there had been some confusion. When shoppers who thought they were getting Android 2.2 found out it was just the delayed release of Vodafone's 360 services the mood turned ugly. But "once customers do get their hands on Froyo they will be able to enjoy a faster browser, better performance and an improved Android Market, which will include a handy bug reporting feature."
The Product Reviews Blog reported that Vodafone had decided to customize Android phones, which was not to everyone's taste.
Vodafone defended themselves saying : "We customise phone software to optimise the experience and enable access to our services.”
The blog also gives a handy way to install Froyo without the Vodafone customization, though it is to be undertaken at your own risk.
Meanwhile PC Magazine said that Android Froyo 2.2 for the HTC Sprint was a must install upgrade with dramatic speed improvements, except for the flash feature which felt slow and 'clunky'. It also said that installing the upgrade is easy and gave a few handy instructions.

Android hits 100,000 Apps: Best of the Week's News

As usual Tech Radar is leading the way with the news this week that Android has hit 100,000 Apps. This information should be qualified - there are about 85,000 Android apps on the market right now as 15,000 have been taken off. Google does not put its apps through the same rigorous testing as Apple.
Furthermore Marc Chacksfield wrote that the news would not necessarily have Apple CEO Steve Jobs sweating: "At this rate, the Android Market could feasibly catch up with the iPhone App Store. But it's not about quantity but quality – and this is where Apple is still winning."
Music Week also carried the story noting that the app milestone was a significant increase from the 5,000 apps available for the Android in June 2009.
The Retail Digital blog asked whether smartphones were outsmarting us?
Jordan Robertson of the Associated Press, wrote: “Your smart phone applications are watching you. Lookout Inc. scanned nearly 300,000 free applications for iPhone and Android and found that many of them secretly pull sensitive data off users' phones and give them to 3rd parties without notification."
Given this terrifying information Laura Canter advises us to be careful about what apps we are using and to turn them off once finished. But, she asks, are apps really worth it?

Android Updates to 2.2: Best of the Week's News

The blogosphere is abuzz about what Froyo 2.2 will mean for the Android industry. TechRadar.UK reported Vodafone's desire to ready the Android Froyo 2.2 update for the HTC Desire phone. Although the update was released this weekend just gone, it currently only works for unlocked phones which are not tied to a network.
Gareth Beavis wrote: "Given that the new Android 2.2 update promises a real upgrade in functionality to the HTC Desire smartphone, users are understandably anxious [to get their hands on it] as soon as possible."

EuroDroid posted a nifty video demonstrating how clear your video recording can be when using the HTC Desire 720p and Froyo.



The Droided Up blog said that a hacked version of the Evo4G can access Froyo: "We're going Froyo crazy this week. A hacker has gotten hold of an official Froyo with Sense Rom and now it is available for your downloading and flashing pleasures."

Meanwhile Phones Review said that the Froyo update for HTC Evo 4 is set for August 3. It focused on the good news for Android users including Voice dialling over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi hotspotting, improved speed and Flash 10x support with improved browser performance.

Android 2.2 Froyo is coming to the Verizon Motorola Droid next week, says NewsDen blog.

VoIP phones for Android released

VoIP and SIP phones for Android seem to be all the rage at the moment with 3CX having recently released their free client.
Now Infrax Systems has also jumped on the boat. The corporation provides unified products and services for the Utility and Energy industries and has now announced the release of an Android-based mobile phone with various data applications. The phone system is encrypted and works on the HTC Desire handset which allows users to safely manage data and voice calls.
It operates via a peer-to-peer connection to provide secure VoIP. The calls can be made on HSDPA (3.5G), Wi-Fi, EDGE (2.5G) and UMTS(3G)networks. There are Industrial, Government and Business phones available, with a Utilities model to be released soon.

Android Sales Skyrocket: Best of the Week's News

Android sales have skyrocketed in the UK with a whopping 350 per cent increase in the first three months of 2010.
The Daily Mail said: "The surge has accompanied a general rise in the consumer uptake of smartphones as people come to the end of their old mobile contracts."
The huge increase in Android sales is all the more remarkable given that in the same period sales of contract phones only rose by 1 per cent.
GfK Retail and Technology has published research to show that Android smartphones now cover a 13 per cent share of UK smartphone contracts. At the start of 2010 this was only 3 per cent.
GfK analyst Megan Baldock said: "The figures suggest that an increasing number of consumers are now asking for Android handsets by name".
"Operating Systems such as the Android OS are now becoming a key selling point in their own right."
ZDNet also covered the news surmising that recently launched handsets such as the HTC Desire and Samsung Galaxy S have been extremely popular, which in turn has contributed to the amazing sales numbers.
Meanwhile the Register commented on the effects of the growth for Apple saying that the outlook was not good: "Apple, conversely, saw its UK market share decline from 75 per cent to 64 per cent during the same period."

The Best Android Travel Apps

Here's a look at a couple of the best new Android smartphone travel Apps.

Swift boarding

Currently only present in the iTunes store for iPhone, Android users who have problems hanging on to their boarding card will soon have use of this app.
Amazingly this new app will turn your Android phone into a mobile boarding pass with a bar code which can be scanned at the gate.
You just have to join the BA executive facility, which is free of charge. Having regularly found myself in a position to check in online but with no printer in reach, my first thought was that this is a fantastic app.
My second thought was that surely there are some security issues with being able to have your boarding pass on an Android phone? However I suppose it's just as likely that your boarding pass gets stolen as your Android. Also the pass would have to match your passport to be of any use.
The app will be functional on certain popular routes including London Heathrow to New York.

Postcards

This Android app is really cool as it allows you to take a photo, and then send it anywhere in the world as a postcard for a minimal postage fee. Sending the old style postcard within the United Kingdom is only 99p while it costs £1.49 for postage to the rest of the world. Currently its available as a free download in the iTunes store.