The Motorola Shadow: a Droid For the Light Side? [Shadow]

There's not a whole lot that's certain about these images, which popped up at Mobile01, showing Motorola's Shadow as a friendlier-looking Droid. But they're interesting.
These aren't the first rumors that have trickled out about the Motorola Shadow. One leak, a few weeks ago, pegged it as having a super-thin body and a 4.3-inch, 800 x 484 screen. These renders, of admittedly dubious provenance, suggest a more Droid-like form factor, except with a white keyboard and wrist strap.

Mobile01 also suggests that the Shadow could be a candidate for the next official Google Phone and thus the designation of Nexus Two. Maybe, but it seems a little too early for Google to be picking the Nexus One successor. And what of HTC? [Gizmodo via Mobile01 via Engadget]

Nexus One vs Droid vs iPhone vs Palm Pre [Comparison Chart]

Now that Google’s Nexus One phone has been revealed, the question everyone is asking is how does it compare to the other current top smartphones on the market, most notably, iPhone and Motorola Droid? Moreover, is it worth switching to Nexus One from your current device?

BillShrink has put together a handy comparison chart that breaks the devices down (including Palm Pre too) on all key features. There are a few obvious differences — the iPhone still lacks multitasking while the Android devices have fewer apps — but for the most part, the devices are fairly similar on paper.
The biggest difference is total cost of ownership, and Nexus One wins big there over iPhone and Droid because T-Mobile’s plans are less expensive than those offered by AT&T and Verizon, who carry the iPhone and Droid, respectively. But that comes with a caveat too — T-Mobile’s 3G coverage isn’t on par with that of Verizon, and even trails that of the much maligned AT&T.
Overall, it seems just about impossible to pick a winner just off the specs, but here’s a look at how the device’s stack up:


[Mashable]

Dolphin Browser Adds Multitouch Support for Droid

If you’re a Droid owner, you’ll want to check out the recently updated Dolphin browser. After hanging out in the Android Market for a few months, the web browser just picked up a few enhancements, most notably, multitouch support. Since Droid does allow for multitouch in third party apps, the developers decided to bake that into the latest build of their web client. Until the WebKit browser comes with 2-finger support, Dolphin looks to be the best choice.
Dolphin bills itself as social, smart, and fast. Judging by the short clip below, we’d also like to add “feature rich” and “intuitive” to the list.
Among the features found in Dolphin:

• Quick access to Google services (Search, Gtalk, Gmail, etc)
• Fast windows switching
• All-in-one start page
• Sync with Google bookmarks
• RSS detection and subscription

[AndroidGuys]

iPhone and Android Are Taking Over the (Mobile) Internet [Smartphones]

So, what does it take to snatch a combined 75% of US mobile internet traffic? Two operating systems, a handful of phones, and one great browser core.

That the iPhone is a massive source of online traffic isn't a surprise—that's been apparent since the week it launched. What's interesting here is Android's rise, which is dramatically quickening, already accounting for a fifth of mobile traffic in the US, when the real marketing push for the OS, starting with the MyTouch ads and the massive Droid launch, is only recently starting in earnest. What is a surprise, or at the very least a Sad Thing, is how poorly Palm is faring. Their tiny sliver of market share might seem understandable since they really only had one new phone for the duration of the survey, but this phone was supposed to be their savior; in the year since it was introduced, their mobile traffic actually fell.
Google and Apple's stark gain in the stats, collected by mobile advertising firm AdMob, is a little less spectacular worldwide, mainly because Symbian's established, but waning, 40% smartphone market share helps it snatch about 25% of mobile web traffic. Still though, two things are clear: Android and the iPhone are who mobile web developers are going to have to cater to, and WebKit, which Symbian uses in its browser too, is basically it.

Anyway, how about a bonus chart! Ever wondered how common the different Android handsets are, which is most popular, and which don't register? Well hello, extra pie:

The G1 is the predictable star here, but the Droid is exploding.
[Gizmodo via AdMob via Techcrunch]

Verizon Takes iPhone Directly on with “Droid Does” Campaign [VIDEO]

This is the ad campaign we’ve all been waiting for. Verizon has decided to step up to the plate and show Sprint and T-Mobile how to generate serious interest in Android. And what’s the trick? TELL PEOPLE WHAT IT DOES. Start there.

Beginning this evening, Verizon Wireless is running a commercial that points out all the shortcomings of the iPhone with quotes like “iDon’t Have a Real Keyboard” and “iDon’t Run Simultaneous Apps”. Finally, a platform that can do more paired with a carrier ready to spend more.

The ad has a definite “Apple” feel to it with the pop/folk song and simple black on white font. One thing is certain – Verizon is not afraid to take on AT&T or Apple. Their previous “There’s a Map for That” commercial show just how much larger their data network is compared to 2nd place AT&T.

The website DroidDoes.com has a countdown running with numbers replaced by unique carriers. A little bit of math and Encyclopedia Brown work reveal a timer that expires on October 30. The commercial simply mentions “November”. Why conflicting date? Perhaps the countdown reveals an interactive demo site or pre-order ability. We’ll see in a few weeks!

For now, head to the site and register for information and try to contain yourself. If you’re curious as to what happens when you sign up, you get an email like the one below!

[AndroidGuys]