You have probably noticed that the latest news in the G2 saga is this whole leaked ROM deal.  Well, some time has passed and some secrets are being divulged by people that know their way around ROMs (namely, not me).  Well, you smart people have certainly found some interesting tidbits hidden inside which definitely make the G2 stand out.  First, the pixel density is 240 PPI, which shapes up to a screen resolution of 800×480 in a 3.7 in screen (think Nexus One).  Second, though we knew this, is that this phone will support HSPA+ (14.4mbps/5.72mbps max). Some other interesting tidbits include 720p video recording and decoding at 30FPS, 5.1 surround sound support, integrated GPS (it is Android after all), and Integrated 2D/3D GPU’s with OpenGL ES 2.0 and Open VG 1.1 API support (sounds fancy).  On top of that, it looks like we are dealing with Stock Android 2.2 (yummy) with some special Sense Apps/Widgets, which sounds a lot better than Sense UI over Android (seriously, custom widgets are the way to go people).  Oh, and I guess you probably want to know something about the processor.  Well, it is a Qualcomm MSM 7230 (Scorpion) with supported speeds of 800MHz and 1GHz (let’s lean towards 800MHz for this particular phone).  Don’t cry though, because this is one snappy chip that can compete with the 1GHz Snapdragon processors around today (MHz isn’t everything people).  You can see this chip in action down below.  That’s about all that has been gleamed so far, but don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments!

Thanks to all of the contributors in the comments!

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Let there be no question that I had hoped to have this review up for your viewing pleasure two weeks ago.  Unfortunately, I just didn’t have the time to write down proper thoughts regarding the Samsung Vibrant.  We have heard your thoughts though!

There is no question that this is T-Mobile’s top of the line smartphone.  The Galaxy S needs little introduction and I won’t bore you with pictures of the back of the phone or the hardware at all because, honestly, you’ve seen all of that.  The 4” screen needs little introduction as it’s already been discussed as one of the best screens currently available in the smartphone market.  It’s beautiful, it’s fantastic and I think I’ve watched Avatar about 26 times already just to see the colors “pop” on that screen.  In a world where the Retina display is often touted as the “best”, the Vibrant’s Super AmoLED screen isn’t going down without a fight and it’s ready to rumble. Cheesy, huh?

I said I wouldn’t talk about the hardware that much but there is one complaint I have that I really want to get out there.  The position of the power button on the right side of the device drives me crazy. I mean hair pulling, screaming out loud till my neighbors stare at me crazy.  Whose bright idea was that button placement?  Seriously, that was an awful design decision.  On the flip side, there is one excellent design decision on the hardware I want to bring up, the sliding door that protects the microUSB port.  Brilliant, simply brilliant.  Why?  I don’t know really but I love it.  Ok, so maybe I talked about the hardware a little.  On to the software.

Shipping with Android 2.1 and covered up by Touchwiz 3.0, the phone caused me a lot of mixed emotions on Touchwiz and whether or not its as viable or enjoyable as HTC’s sense ui. .  Let me just be honest and say that I’m not a huge Android fan.  Before you prepare to burn me at the stake, it’s not that I don’t like it.  I’m just not a “fanboy” by the standard definition.  I’m an unlocked iPhone user and I’m not a “fanboy” of the iPhone either.  It simply meets my standards and I like to stick with what I know.  In my opinion, 7 home screens is simply too much “busy work” and I would prefer that less becomes more.  In the defense of this statement, I didn’t like the iPhone layout of 5 pages worth of apps.  This was a true annoyance for me.  Folders make life complete. I will say one thing that always gives me cause for concern, the browser is fantastic, truly a great experience. I had little trouble with pages loading and definitely felt like it was a sharp competitor to other devices I’ve had in my arsenal.

That’s not to say I don’t find the bounty of homescreens functional.  I can definitely see the appeal and difference between the iPhone’s homescreens, which are just random apps vs. the Android experience that is widget based.  There is no question the widgets are a tremendous asset and it is one aspect of the Android OS that I adore.  Swiping right and left to find what it was I was looking may be what troubled me because I could never remember what widget was on what page.  Did I mention I love the screen?

Touchwiz is a mixed bag as the outward appearance seems to have taken on a very iPhone-like experience, which has been both good and bad.  The iPhone obviously has its system down pat and yet, with the Vibrant, it seems as though Samsung is working to both copy and take it in a different direction.  For the most part it works, but it’s not really my first choice for Android.  I’d take stock Android any day.  I honestly can’t really explain why, but I definitely recommend comparing the Vibrant to a Nexus if you have the opportunity to see what I mean.

Let’s talk about the camera for a moment as we all know this was hotly contested from the get go regarding the lack of flash.  Let’s just say this, night mode is no flash replacement but I think that goes without saying.  Night mode is, however, a worthwhile feature that does work and works quite well.  If you don’t believe me, check out this post of ours right here with some comparison shots that, in my opinion, shows that night mode works just fine.  Daytime photos are really nice and I would have little hesitation about carrying this around without concern for an actual camera.

I want to take a moment and talk about swype and how damn awesome it is.  I had some hesitation about trying swype as I wondered how it might work when entering a URL, for instance, where I needed some more freedom to enter text.  My concerns were immediately alleviated as I simply went to tmonews.com on the first try.  Boom, I was sold. Why, oh why won’t swype be included on every device made in the future?  It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s fun to use, fairly practical and doesn’t really affect the time span to enter text.

Surely another area of concern with the Vibrant has been the GPS feature.  I wasn’t able to escape the trouble many other users are having and, even with some of the quick fixes, I wasn’t completely out of the woods.  Sometimes it would pinpoint me down the street and other times it would take me one town over and, on one stand-alone occasion, it took me out of state.  While it’s easy to say this was a disappointment, Samsung has readily admitted trouble and stated a fix is on its way in early September so I’ll reserve final judgment for then.

The bottom line for me is that the Samsung Vibrant has a lot to love.  While I wasn’t totally thrilled with the “feel” of the device, as the back casing did feel a little “plasticky”, I had no concerns about the phone’s build and never felt like I was going to snap it in two.  With its absolutely beautiful 4” screen, I found myself totally enthralled every time I booted up Avatar or watched a YouTube video.  I don’t know if it’s the best video experience in the smartphone market but I would wager good money it ranks in the top 3.  The Vibrant is easily the most powerful Android phone in the T-Mobile arsenal and you should give it a look for good reason.  I have mixed emotions about Android as a platform and I’ve yet to find a device that would make me feel comfortable about a full time position but that would be more platform related than device specific.  If you are looking for the best T-Mobile has to offer, the Samsung Vibrant is a logical choice.

Well, would you look at that. Just days after we got a look at the Windows Phone 7 powered HTC Schubert, new images have surfaced of the HTC Mozart (name sound familiar?). You might have noticed the image above looks almost identical to the HTC Schubert images, with both devices having a Nexus One like look to them. So I believe its safe to assume that both are in fact the same device, and as I originally speculated, “Schubert” could be a codename for the HTC Mozart. A few more snapshots of the HTC Mozart after the jump!

WMPoweruser Via Twitter

DO AT YOUR OWN RISK!  Everything listed in this post can pose a threat.  Now, you shouldn’t be too scared about that.  There are people out there that do this every day.  That being said, I will warn you again, proceed with caution.  Many thanks to all the contributing developers at XDA Developers, you guys are great!

Let’s start off with something easy.  Rooting seems to be all the rage now (hey, it’s legal so why not?), so let’s start that.  Rooting was once a long ordeal, not to be attempted by anyone that didn’t understand the language.  Since then, some amazing people at XDA-Developers have made rooting a simple one click app.  Now, rooting does put you at risk of voiding your warranty, so be careful (but you can unroot with a simple click as well).  I guess it should be said that these one click methods keep the bootloader in tact, so no voiding of warranties, maybe.

One Click Root for Vibrant can be found here

One Click Root for Nexus One (maybe the MyTouch 3G and g1) can be found here

Now it gets a bit more complicated.  Maybe you aren’t on the Android band wagon yet, but you really want to be.  Let’s say you are also using the HTC HD2, and have some spare time on your hands.  Well, there may just be a solution out there for you.  This takes some work, but there are a whole bunch of ways to get Android on the HD2 (just look here for everything).  From the look of things, everything is progressing smoothly, and looking mighty stable.  We will turn our attention, though, to one particularly stable build, FroyoSense by DarkStone.  Most of the bugs seemed to be worked out, including that nasty robot voice bug.  Aside from that, everything is working and looking great on that 4.3 inch screen.  Look towards the video (by our trusty Forum Moderator T1Connect) for a sample.

The method for downloading this particular FroyoSense build can be found here

Happy hacking, but make sure to be careful and proceed with caution.  We are not responsible for any misfortunes or ramifications if you choose to proceed with any steps listed above, in the comments, or at any other site, ever, on the whole internet. Feel free to leave your thoughts, and any other hacks, in the comments!

We reported last week that Google had officially shut down its Nexus One web store after selling out of its remaining Nexus One inventory. Although it had been rumored that T-Mobile retail stores would soon sell the Nexus One, Magenta has confirmed via their internal systems that T-Mobile WILL NOT offer the Nexus One through retail stores. Additionally, current T-Mobile Nexus One owners will continue to receive the same exceptional support. For those of you still wanting a Nexus One, your best bet now is going to be Craiglist or eBay.

Well that was quick! The Nexus One is no longer available for purchase through Google. This news shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Google had forewarned us last week that it had received its very last shipment of Nexus One handsets. So we bid the first “Superphone” farewell. R.I.P Nexus One.

Google

If you’ve been planning on getting a Google Nexus One, you might want pull the trigger soon. Google today announced that it has received its last shipment of Nexus One handsets and that once it sells through this last shipment, it will close the Nexus One web store. Although it will halt Nexus One sales, Google says that Customer Support will still be available for current Nexus One owners. Just curious, but does anyone even want a Nexus One when we’ve got the Samsung Vibrant?

Google

Well well what do we have here? Senior Editor Bonnie Cha over at CNET.com decided to pit all 4 of the major carriers against one another, solely comparing data speeds. The tests, which took place in the most populous city in the United States, the one and only New York City, revealed some interesting results. In almost all of the tested areas in NYC, Magenta came out on top with the fastest 3G speeds. These tests were conducted using a T-Mobile Nexus One which is only capable of HSPA 7.2Mbps. Just imagine what the results would’ve be on an HSPA+ handset which would fully take advantage of T-Mobile’s newly launched HSPA+ network. We’ve queued up the CNET Carrier Data Speeds comparison video for you below!

CNET

Some said it couldn’t be done, but the good people behind the famous CyanogenMod just took that as a challenge.  This time they are serving up a nice helping of FroYo to all those rooted HTC built T-Mobile Android phones.  CyanogenMod 6 will run on the G1, the MyTouch 3G and, of course, the Nexus One.  This Mod will give you all the rooted goodness, but does have it’s share of bugs (like no Flash 10.1 and force closes in the Android Market).  All in all, this is a pretty stable build and might be the way to go.  Saying that there hasn’t been very many updates regarding FroYo on the G1 and MyTouch, this may be your only answer.  As always, proceed with caution and leave your thoughts in the comments!

CyanogenMod, XDA Developers (for G1/MyTouch instructions),  XDA Developers (Nexus instructions)

Apparently, the last time Android 2.2 was rolling out to Nexus One owners it only made its way to a few devices. But not to fear for Google is here. Google is now officially rolling out Android 2.2 (a.k.a Froyo) to Nexus One devices. This update provides some great new features including support for making your Nexus One a portable hotspot and support for Adobe Flash within the browser. Keep an eye on your phone’s notification bar, as you will be receiving a message to download and update soon. Google claims that the update is gradually rolling out to Nexus One owners and that most users will receive the update before the end of the week.

Let us know in the comments if you’ve received the update!

Google