Penny Mobiles – Mobile phone news, reviews & information

When it comes to the Android, anyone who is familiar with technology would have plenty of reasons to praise and be happy with this mobile platform. From its open source nature to the fact that it supports so many standards, it is hard for any tech junkie to not like any product that is sporting the little green robot from Google.

But for the general public, the Android is just another name, and being open source is hardly a reason to choose an OS. In order to figure out what makes and Android smart phone so good, here is a quick layman’s look at Google’s operating system.

First off, the Android is an operating system. This is basically the digital foundation upon which all apps, functions, features are accessed and run from. The iPhone and many other smart phones all have their own operating system, and aside from the hardware features of a mobile handset, the operating system is an important factor to consider when buying a phone.

The Android is unique from the iPhone OS as it is an open source platform. For the consumer, this technical term may not mean much, but the bottom line here is that open source operating systems tend to have more apps that can do more things. Literally speaking, the phone will be more “open” to developers. This means that the people that make apps will have access to more of the phone’s features, like the camera, music player, and other valuable resources. In turn, this will allow for the creation of a wider range of apps.

Another reason why Google’s Android is so good is because Google made it. This means that all (well, most) of Google’s online services are accessible from an Android device. Be it Gmail, Google Buzz, Google Chat, Google Earth, Maps, Street View, YouTube, Picasa and everything else is compatible with the system.

Finally, no mobile OS would be worth much without a decent set of handsets that employ it, and the Android certainly doesn’t fall short here. At the high end, phones like HTC’s Desire provide an impresive array of features, while phones like the upcoming SE XPERIA X8 allow access to to this powerful OS on a budget.

New smart phones are always fun to look forward to, and when leaks start popping out, that is the time when we really want to get to the bottom of things. These last few days have been filled with updates and new rumors regarding Sony Ericsson’s upcoming handsets and here is a quick review of everything that we know so far.

Originally, three handsets have been revealed; the XPERIA Shakira, a new Walkman handset and an unnamed device that has a 5.5 inch touch screen, a slide out QWERTY keyboard and is reportedly an Android smart phone. While the Walkman handset was rumored to be a new Android device that was based on the X10 Mini (the two phones do share similarities), it was later confirmed that the device is actually the W150 TeaCake which is not an Android handset.

The Shakira on the other hand is pegged as the phone in between the X10 and the X10 Mini, which was later confirmed by Sony Ericsson after they announced that the handset would be named as the XPERIA X8. Despite the new name, SE has yet to announce any further details on the specs of this Android smart phone.

Just recently, there was also news of an upcoming Windows Phone 7 device from SE, the Julie. The phone is reported to have a touch screen display and a slide out QWERTY keyboard. While no further details have been released it is possible that this device and the rumored 5.5 inch Android might be one and the same. If it is, then many Android fans would be disappointed as the handset was shown in pictures as having a hinge that allowed it to be used as a very small netbook.

With the XPERIA X8 named, expect to see more official news from Sony Ericsson in the next few days.