March 4, 2010
Google Releases Gesture Search for Android

This app is pretty smart.  Even in this early experimental release it’s already an improvement from the built-in contacts search.  You can also use it to launch apps and browser bookmarks, which is a nice bonus.

February 17, 2010
NPR News Android App Now Streams Local Stations Live

November 13, 2009

Barcode + Smartphone = Comparison Shopping Weapon + Instant Contact Sharing

I downloaded an Android app earlier (Barcode Scanner by Zebra Crossing) that scans product barcodes using the phone’s camera.  If you bring your phone to a store, you can scan the items and it will instantly search the web for better prices elsewhere.  This technology has been around for a while, but as smartphones become more commonplace this will become an indespensable tool for comparison shoppers.

This app also lets you scan 2D barcodes. These are starting to pop up on billboards and print ads. People who are viewing the ads can then take a picture of the barcode with their smartphone (iPhone also has an app for this) and be immediately whisked away to the company website.

You can also use these barcodes to share information with others. This site generates a custom 2D barcode that you can use to encode your contact info, a web link, etc. You can then put in your email signature or paper correspondence so that people can instantly import your contact info into their devices.

May 26, 2009
Canonical developers aim to make Android apps run on Ubuntu

This is great, but when can I get an Android phone for Verizon?

April 1, 2009
HP Is 'Studying' Android for PC Use

In a year or two, Android on netbooks will be huge.

January 4, 2009
The Google Linux desktop has arrived

Well, not really…but it sure does make a lot of sense that they’d want to expand Android beyond mobile devices to netbooks at the very least.  It’s Java on Linux, so there’s really no technical reason why they couldn’t make it a full-fledged desktop OS.

September 16, 2008
Google shows off final Android handset

That’s great, but when will it ship?

May 31, 2008
Android struts its stuff with new features, more integration