The Motorola Backflip is the manufacturer’s latest Google Android mobile phone announcement, and it’s due to begin releasing around the world very shortly.

What really sets the Motorola Backflip apart from the Google Android phones that have come before it is design. No Android phone to date has managed to come close to the iPhone design-wise, but the Backflip makes a valiant effort. It looks to be smaller and sleeker than other Android phones, using a clamshell design with a QWERTY keyboard located on the back of the phone. Sitting on the front of the phone is a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with 320×480 resolution.

When the phone is open, you can access the phone’s trackpad (called Backtrack), which sits on the back of the display. This can be used to use the phone when it’s open, while the touchscreen operates it when it’s closed.

The Motorola Backflip will come with the Android 1.5 OS, although this can be upgraded to the latest 2.1 system. Other specifications include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, HTML browser and 2GB of on-board memory, expandable to 32GB.

No Australian release date has been confirmed for the Motorola Backflip as yet. Local pricing will be available closer to its release.

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By Caroline Warnes

Motorola has unveiled its very first Google Android mobile phone - the Motorola Dext - though no firm Australian release date has been announced.

Motorola is hoping that the upcoming release of the Dext will help it regain some of its mobile phone marketshare around the world. Five years ago it seemed that everyone was carrying a Motorola, while in recent times the manufacturer has not really advanced its handset technology comparative to its competitors.

The Motorola Dext (which will be released in the US as the Motorola Cliq) - aside from being the first Google Android phone from this manufacturer - is also notable for the inclusion of Motoblur, a customised user interface unique to this phone.

Motoblur provides plenty of widgets on the homescreen to make the phone easier to use and navigate. You can use them to access the likes of Facebook and Twitter from the main screen. In fact, Motoblur syncs with these site automatically.

Another nice inclusion is the online backup service - so you can store all your private data and wipe it remotely without using the actual Dext handset itself, if needs be. There is also a GPS tracking function if you ever lose your phone.

The other specifications are fairly comprehensive, and include HSDPA connectivity, Wi-Fi and a 5-megapixel camera.

The Motorola Dext will begin releasing around the world in October. Australian pricing and release date will be confirmed shortly.

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By Caroline Warnes

The HTC Hero is the latest mobile phone running on the Google Android platform to be announced, with an Australian release date expected sometime in August.

Building on the manufacturer’s earlier Google Android phone, the Magic, the HTC Hero looks to be a highly customisable touchscreen smartphone that offers vast improvements over its predecessor. It runs off the Sense UI platform, which is focused on offering a vast range of widgets that sit on the phone’s homescreen - widgets for everything from the weather to the time and everything in between.

The HTC Hero will also be able to play a wider range of media files than the HTC Magic, including MP4, WMV, MP3, AAC and WMA, as well as H.264 and H.263. It is also equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack, although on-board storage is expected to be considerably less than some of this phone’s competitors (most notable, the iPhone).

The HTC Hero’s Australian pricing will be announced closer to the August release date.

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By Caroline Warnes

The Samsung Galaxy Icon (i7500) mobile phone will be the first Google Android phone to be released by a manufacturer other than HTC when its Australian release date rolls around later this year.

The Samsung Galaxy Icon i7500 will have some slight improvements over HTC’s existing range of Google Android phones. For starters, it will run on the latest 1.5 “cupcake” version of the Android operating system. Android phones running this newest software will have an on-screen keyboard, allowing greater touchscreen functionality. At this stage, the only HTC Google Android phone to run this software is the HTC Magic - see our review.

The Samsung mobile phone also boasts a 5-megapixel camera on-board as well as 8GB of storage and a 3.5mm headphone jack, which also suggests that the i7500 will offer greater multimedia functionality.

Other features you can expect to see on the Samsung Galaxy Icon i7500 are fairly standard for today’s mobile phones, including HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth.

The Samsung Galaxy Icon i7500 Google Android phone is expected to have an Australian release date in the second half of this year.

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By Caroline Warnes

HTC has unveiled plans for its second smartphone to run on the Google Android operating system, dubbed the HTC Magic.

The Magic will be slightly smaller and lighter than its predecessor running Android, the HTC Dream - it will weigh in at just under 120g. This is largely due to the fact that it doesn’t have a slide-out QWERTY keypad. Instead there is a virtual keypad on the 3.2-inch touchscreen.

Aside from this physical difference, the specifications and features of the Magic will be fairly similar to the Dream. This includes the 3.2-megapixel camera, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. It won’t come with an audio jack so an adapter will be required for regular headphones.

No release date has been announced for Australia as yet.

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By Caroline Warnes

Rumours swirled last week that Australia may soon see the arrival of the first smartphone running the Google Android operating system, the HTC T-Mobile G1.

Although smartphone manufacturer HTC has been tight-lipped on the subject, industry insiders last week claimed that Optus is training staff to offer support for the handset.

The T-Mobile G1, also known as the HTC Dream, was released in the US towards the end of 2008, and while it will arrive in Australia this year, its exact release date remains a mystery.

It’s anticipated that the G1 will shake up the mobile phone market like no other handset since the iPhone. Because it runs on the Google Android OS, it brings together Google software programs such as Gmail, Google Maps, Google Calendar, Google Talk and YouTube (yes, Google owns YouTube, amongst others). You can also use the Android Market to buy third-party software applications to customise your phone.

In terms of hardware, the G1 features a 3.2-inch touchscreen with 480×320 resolution, a full QWERTY keyboard and a 3.2-megapixel camera. It’s 3G capable, has GPS functionality and memory can be expanded up to 16GB using a memory card.

The phone features a fairly basic design and if you tend to buy Apple products mainly because of the way they look, the HTC T-Mobile G1 may not appeal to you. However it goes without saying that the release of this handset will be a pivotal moment in the Australian mobile phone market in 2009.

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By Caroline Warnes