Filed under: Software, Android You don’t have to look far past Palm’s Synergy tech for webOS and smaller-scale operations like INQ to understand that social internetworking — an intelligent aggregation of every corner of your life — is the wave of the mobile future, and Google’s going on record saying that it understands. At a T-Mobile- and Google-sponsored event in San Francisco earlier today, Andy Rubin (you know, the Android dude) discussed upcoming releases in Android’s pipeline starting with Donut, which we’ve already heard mentioned, but then progressing to “Eclair” and “Flan” without mentioning specific timelines. He didn’t bust out any comprehensive roadmaps, but he waxed poetic about some of the social-centric possibilities — for example, being kept abreast of a contact’s Facebook photo and latest update every time they call — and mentioned that developers will soon have additional options for charging for apps (presently, Google Checkout is the only way to handle it, but carrier billing is coming soon).

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, O2, Android The HTC Hero and T-Mobile myTouch 3G aren’t the only Android phones making waves this week: the Samsung Galaxy GT-I7500 also launched on O2 Germany, and this is the first unboxing we’ve seen. Continuing the confusion over what handsets actually get the full Google blessing, this version of the I7500 runs pretty much bone-stock Android, but isn’t a “Google Experience” phone, which in this case apparently means that firmware updates have to be loaded manually over USB instead of being pushed over the air. If you’re keeping track, that’s now a third axis of differentiation between Google-branded Android handsets and everything else, and we’re starting to think no one really knows what all the rules and differences actually are — hey, Eric, maybe you could set down that BlackBerry for a minute and sort all this out?

Though they have only been on sale in Canada for one month, Rogers Wireless has just lowered the 3-year contract price of both the HTC Dream and Magic by $50. This means anyone who wants to pick up either device will be able to do so for $99.99, a very good price for such capable and feature-rich smartphones.

It’s been a while since we talked about these devices coming to TELUS, but the BlackBerry Tour , HTC Snap and Touch Pro2 are front and center in our minds today, having just popped up in a new Best Buy Mobile flyer. TELUS has yet to officially announce the two HTC handsets (the Tour popped up on its website this morning) and unfortunately nothing juicy like pricing or release dates are specified for any of the handsets. The flyer is valid from July 3rd to July 30th though so hopefully we’ll get official word from TELUS soon.

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, LG, Sony Ericsson, Telstra, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS Australian carrier Telstra’s taking the “go big or go home” approach with its latest announcement, dropping no fewer than seven phones this month compatible with its Next G HSPA network — table scraps for a Japanese carrier, granted, but a bounty by any other standard. Among the phones in the new lineup are the Xenon, Viewty Smart, and the Windows Mobile-powered GM730f from LG (the first version of the GM730 to launch anywhere, interestingly), the Touch Pro2 from HTC, and Sony Ericsson’s W508 and W995. All will be available before the month of July draws to a close for prices ranging from AUD $30 (about $24) on contract for the W508 up to a mind-numbing AUD $1,499 (about $1,190) contract-free for the Touch Pro2.

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, T-Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS, Android We’re here at T-Mobile’s myTouch 3G launch event — quite a bit subdued compared to the G1 launch, but still a T-Mobile extravaganza all the same. In the meantime, you might be happy to learn that the phone is now available for pre-order, with a guaranteed August 5th delivery date if they order before the 28th. Notes from the launch talk with Denny Marie Post and Cole Brodman: myTouch is about “self expression.” Like when you did drawings with crayons for your mom: sure, it sucked, but it was the self expression that mattered

Filed under: Handsets, Sony Ericsson We’ve been on pins and needles waiting for more info about the Snapdragon-powered Sony Ericsson Rachael ever since we spotted those early images over the weekend, and while the latest pics are still just potentially fan-made renders, it’s the accompanying UI video that we’re freaking out over today. Just like HTC’s layered the Sense UI over Android on the Hero, the Rachael looks to have a polished custom Sony Ericsson interface over its Android build, and we’re definitely digging the vibe — especially the unified messaging interface that displays Facebook, Twitter, email, SMS, and calls all from one screen. It’s pretty slick stuff — let’s just hope it’s real, and shipping soon.

Filed under: Handsets, Features, HTC, T-Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS, Android We just got a look at the myTouch 3G, and while it’s great to see T-Mobile’s next Android phone all official and everything, there are certainly few surprises for those of us already familiar with the HTC Magic / Google Ion. We found ourselves, despite the best knowledge otherwise, still looking fruitlessly for a 3.5mm headphone jack — it was silly that the G1 didn’t ship with it, but this year it’s downright shameful

Filed under: HTC, T-Mobile, Accessories As much heat as the “myTouch” name has taken, we’re starting to understand why T-Mobile went with it — the myTouch 3G is a very customizable device. At device launch, we’re counting no fewer than 17 trinkets to go along with your phone — not including color variations — ranging from the ultra-mundane (a USB cable in your choice of black or white, for example) to the awesome (a snap-on battery extender that’ll add 50 percent more juice) to the crazy (a myTouch logo commuter mug). Buyers will also be able to get custom-designed shells through Skinit and have access to a fitness belt, meaning you now have absolutely no excuse not to get on the trail and run that ten miles with that trusty Magic firmly attached to your arm

Don’t count on it. Earlier today at the T-Mobile myTouch 3G event in NYC, T-Mobile’s CTO Cole Brodman flat out said that T-Mobile USA has no plans to bring the Hero stateside. *sad clown* Did you think that it was coming to a GSM carrier because of that FCC filing