In a recently announced study market research firm NPD states that Google’s Android operating system edged up into second place in the US smartphone market during the first quarter of 2010.  While Google’s Android still trails RIM’s BlackBerry operating system I am sure that Google will more than take this news that they are the number two cell phone operating system in the US.  This marks the first time that Google’s Android has moved ahead of Apple’s iPhone OS in the market share.

NPD found that RIM owns 36 percent of the market share in the first quarter with Android coming in with 28 percent and unlocked Apple iPhone OS owning 21 percent.  This significant growth shown by the Android OS can be largely attributed to strong carrier support such as Verizon’s buy one get one free promotion which helped Verizon obtain a 30 percent market share trailing only AT&T who had 32 percent.  T-Mobile and Sprint held 17 and 15 percent of the market share respectively.

With the growing success of several Android devices this announcement does not come as much of a shock to the smartphone industry.  Google Nexus One Android has been making ground on the iPhone OS as soon as it was launched.  With several other top of the line Mobile devices set to the market and Adobe Flash technology set to be released with the next Android update I would expect this trend to continue.  I have a feeling that more and more people are going to be switching over to Android devices once they see several of the new phones that are set to be released.  Unless Apple’s iPhone OS 4 has a whole bunch of fascinating features I am not sure they will be able to catch up to the Android OS in terms of market share.

So it appears that AT&T finally released information about the Unlocked  Pre Plus that their customers have been patiently waiting for.  It looks like AT&T customers will be able to purchase the new Palm Pre Plus for $149.99 on contract after rebate.  This is the same price that Sprint is charging for the Pre and $100 more than Verizon is charging for its own Pre Plus.  However, AT&T customers will also get a free Touchstone charging dock along with their purchase for a “limited time” when they purchase the device in a corporate owned store.

There is no word yet on the Pixi Plus but at least this gets Palm back onto AT&T’s network.  Also, there was no word on a free mobile hotspot add-on to mirror the deal that Verizon has going.  The Pre Plus will hit store shelves on May 16^th.

Finally we get official word on when the Pre Plus will be released on AT&T’s network and how much it will cost.  While the price of $149.99 seems awfully steep compared to Verizon’s $30 (with a 2 year contract) the addition of the Touchstone charging dock is a nice add on.  This charging dock will help alleviate the extra costs associated with purchasing this device on the AT&T network instead of switching over to Verizon.  However, Sprint is selling the same phone with the same price tag as AT&T so maybe it is just Verizon Wireless that is crazy for selling this smartphone for a mere $30.  Either way it is about time that AT&T announced  when this device would launch as Palm fans have been anxiously waiting to get their hands on the new Pre Plus Unlock Gadget .

Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch has once again reiterated that Flash works just fine on the Unlocked Apple iPhone and thinks this is exactly why Apple keeps on denying it access.  While speaking at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco Lynch revealed that he thinks Apple is forcing developers to build apps natively for iPhone OS rather than one of Adobe’s cross-platform solutions thus creating a “walled garden” of applications that users must flock to the iPhone in order to use.  Lynch goes on to mention that it is “not a matter of Flash vs HTML5 as they have been co-existing for over a decade” and that Adobe is going to “continue making the best tools in the world for HTML5.”

This speech looks like just another calculated jab at Apple and their reluctance to allow the Flash technology to be included with their mobile devices.  It is still a mystery to many why Apple will not allow Flash to be installed on the most popular mobile device in the world.  Many iPhone customers have been begging for Adobe’s Flash Player ever since the devices were released.  If Apple is not careful they may lose some of their customers to their up and coming rival Droid company’s as these devices are expected to include Flash 10.1 with the next release.  For those hardcore smartphone fans that really wish to have Flash on their mobile device the move to an Motorola Milestone Android 2.1 Unlocked Phone may be the only option if they want to have the Flash player included with their phone so that they can access more content via the web.  I know I am eagerly awaiting this release so I can view streaming content on my handheld device from anywhere in the world.

AT&T customers have waited long enough and finally appear to have the chance to buy the Unlocked Palm Pre.  The wait has been so long for these AT&T customers that the device is now actually called the Palm Pre Plus and the company Palm itself was bought out by HP.  However, it now appears that this device will be available starting May 16^th for most of the nation with continued planned rollouts expected in the weeks following until it is available nationwide.  There was no mention from AT&T about a free 3G mobile hotspot capability like the one that was offered by Verizon but you will have free access to AT&T’s network of 20,000+ fixed hotspots.  The only piece of information that we need now is price AT&T plans on selling the Palm Pre for.  This will be an interesting thing to note given the fact that Verizon Wireless recently announced they will be selling the same device for only $30 with a 2 year contract.

It has also been mentioned around the internet rumor mills that AT&T will be rolling out its 3G MicroCell from coast to coast on the same day.  This announcement would make a lot of sense as this Palm Pre Unlocked device is expected to increase the amount of load on AT&T’s network with the various web browsing and data using features included with this device.  The main selling point of the Palm Pre is that it can also be used as a wireless networking device which will surely add a lot more traffic to AT&T’s already strained 3G network.  By releasing the 3G MicroCell product on the same day will hope to alleviate any potential problems that might occur from more users being the on AT&T’s network with a web browsing friendly smartphone.

In a recent call to discuss their first quarter earnings Clearwire mentioned that WiMAX-capable phones bearing the Clear name from both Samsung and HTC Pure Unlocked phones are “expected” to be available before 2010 is over which appears to be pretty optimistic based on earlier comments from the company stating that consumers should not expect any WiMAX phones before the end of 2010.

Clearwire describes the Samsung device as “an Android based 3G/4G/WiFi device optimized for heavy video and video communications use,” while the HTC handset does not mention a platform and is simply called “a 3G/4G/WiFi enabled phone.”  The lack of a platform for the HTC is leading many industry experts to assume that this device will be running Windows Phone 7.  If this is really the case it is understandable why HTC wouldn’t want Clearwire to mention their HTC device will have Windows Phone 7 since HTC themselves have not made any formal announcement for plans to jump into the Windows Phone 7 market.

This announcement by Clearwire is pretty optimistic news about the potential of having WiMAX devices on the market before the end of the calendar year.  Especially since Clearwire has already gone on the record saying to not expect any WiMAX devices before the end f the 2010 this news is especially exciting.  Add in the fact that it appears Unlocked HTC Pure is working on a Windows Phone 7 device and this announcement has the chance to be one of the biggest announcements of the year in the smartphone world.  It looks like we will have to wait a little while for official word on this Windows Phone 7 device from HTC but from what I have been reading about the potential for some of these upcoming Windows Phone 7 handsets I can not wait to hear what HTC is looking to put out on the market.

Sony Ericsson recently released the second firmware update for their touch-drive Aino Unlocked phone.  This latest firmware update reduces the power usage, improves the overall stability and adds a bunch of themes.  In addition to the longer battery life the new Aino firmware also brings new video codec support (MIME-type MPEG4-generic), improved WLAN and Bluetooth coexistence and three band new themes.  You will also get a new game called Bubble Town 2.

It appears as if Sony Ericsson is fully committed to delivering nice firmware updates through their entire line of mobile phones.  Earlier this year we saw new firmware updates for Satio, Yari and Xperia X2.  The Xperia X2 has been updated with video telephony and FM radio apps while the Satio’s firmware was given WVGA video recording, direct upload to Facebook and YouTube plus DLNA support.  The Yari also has two new games and improved battery life.  Also, Sony Ericsson recently announced a major Android 2.1 update to the Unlocked  Xperia X10 which is suppose to add HD video recording to the already impressive specs sheet of the smartphone.

It is nice to see Sony Ericsson still paying attention to their current and older models of cell phones to enhance their users’ experience.  It seems that many times these cell phone manufacturers worry too much about releasing the next latest and great smartphone that they forget to pay attention to the ones they currently have on the market.  Often times there will be several bugs or quirks related to a certain phone and instead of fixing these issues cell phone companies will just release a new device hoping that people will upgrade their phones.  By continually adding upgrades to these devices they will surely keep their current customers happy and will more than likely be rewarded with repeat business.

Over the weekend there were various reports that Verizon’s new Motorola Milestone Droid Unlocked Incredible already received its first OTA update.  At first no one really knew what the update accomplished and very few people even received the update.  While many were hoping that this new update was going to fix all of the random reboots and radio bugs that early customers were experiencing it looks like this will not be the case.  Rather this OTA update will merely fix a bug in Microsoft Exchange support.  Also, you will only see the update if you have a corporate handset.

Here is the full statement released by Verizon explaining the issue that needed to be fixed with this update:

It was discovered that customers using Exchange for corporate email may find when an email is opened that has no recipients in the CC field, unintended recipients email addresses can sometimes be added into the CC field from previously received emails when the user selects the reply all function. The update that is being pushed to customers is to correct that issue. THIS ONLY IMPACTS EXCHANGE Users (corporate users).

While this initial OTA update was not the one many Droid Incredible customers were hoping it was it is an important update nonetheless.  Sending a business email to a bevy of unintended recipients could be a potential catastrophe for some businesses.  This issue would pretty much render the email function of the Unlocked Motorola  Milestone Droid Incredible useless and I am sure that this feature draws a lot of customers for this particular mobile device.  It is a good sign that Verizon is quickly taking steps to correct this issue.  Hopefully they will do the same with the various issues other customers are having with their Incredibles.

Verizon Wireless appears to be setting out to clobber the competition when it comes to selling the Unlocked Palm Pre Plus Phone.  According to their website it appears that Verizon has already lowered the price of  the Pre Plus to just $30 on a two year contract.  This is a substantial discount over Sprint and AT&T who will be charging $149 not to mention AT&T has not even started selling the device!  There has been no word on whether or not this discounted price will last or if the lowered end model Pixi Plus will eventually fall to free with a contract.  If you are looking for a cheap way to get in on the future of HP it looks like this is as good of a chance as any.

The Palm Pre Plus is one of the better, lower priced smartphones on the market today.  Packing features such as Palm webOS, 3.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, QWERTY keyboard, Touch Screen and 3G Mobile Hotspot it is easy to see why many consumers are eager to pick up this new mobile device.  Now it appears that with Verizon’s generous pricing structure consumers will be able to grab this device at an exceptional value.

The various other devices by Palm Pre have been great sellers in the past as well.  Perhaps spotting a chance to gain a few more members of their network Verizon jumped the gun by lowering the price substantially over their competitors to cash in on all the people who will be looking to purchase this particular Palm device.  This looks like a good decision by Verizon as they will be sure to gain a few new customers for their network via this very affordable smartphone.

Smartphone manufacturer LG Technologies has recently confirmed the existence of its new Android powered Unlocked LG Ally handset and that this new device is set to be released on May 20^th.  LG did not name a carrier in its press release but it is presumed that Verizon will be the lucky winner and obtain the rights to this new mobile device.

The new LG Ally is expected to feature plenty of Iron Man 2 tie-in content as well, including an augmented reality application.  While there has not been much information released surrounding the LG Ally the mobile phone company has confirmed the phone will sport a touchscreen and full QWERTY keypad.  More information about what features to expect with the Ally is expected to be announced at the upcoming LG event on May 11^th in New York City.

This new Android device has definitely taken a strange release route especially in the form of being heavily tied in to the upcoming Iron Man 2 movie.  From the initial look of this device it appears that the LG Ally Unlocked Phone is going to be one powerful Android device.  There are expected to be plenty of features for any smartphone enthusiasts.  Unfortunately we will have to wait until later in the month to hear just what these features will be but I think it will be well worth the wait.  If the other LG Android devices are of any indication smartphone consumers are in store for one of the better devices on the market.  This particular device expects to be rich with media features and have one of the best cameras of all the smartphones.

If you are looking for phone that is slim and mighty, the Nokia Unlocked  2730 Phone may be the one you were looking for. It was first released in October of 2009 with its slim candy bar design. The phone measures 14mm in thinness and the 109mm x 46mm dimensions makes for a compact cellular device. Do not let this size for you, as it handles many of the features and applications, which are already installed, making it a great unit to own. It is not that expensive, especially for all of the features that it has.

Some tissue the capability of being able to utilize your e-mail and other messaging features and uses a five way navigation system to help make it a smoother process. It has a decent call log in then it can retain 20 of your dialed, received and any missed calls. It comes with some preinstalled ring tones, but of course, you will also be on to download some of your favorites. The MP3 player can be listened to by either using the speakerphone or with ear buds. It does of course also have an FM radio. With over 13 hours of music playtime, you may not have to carry around those extra electronic devices. It also has a port where you can connect rectally to your computer speakers to listen to your favorite music. This mobile device has 396 hours of standby time and almost 8 hours of continuous talk time.

The two megapixel camera does come with the auto focus function. The phone has some elegant styling, which uses black and magenta colors and has silver highlights, which makes it very sleek looking mobile device. The Nokia 2730 Unlocked Phone does work with Bluetooth 2.0, which will work with the headset in order to be ready to use it hands-free. It has the ability to download other applications and can make the phone a great personal or business unit. It is small enough to be able to carry easily and will give you all of the features that you may be looking for in the bigger phone.