Investment firm Allen & Co's Sun Valley, Idaho media summit is a place for the world's wealthiest and most influential decision-makers to chill out, enjoy a couple double Macallans on the rocks, and talk shop. It might even be a rare opportunity to escape to the comfort of a competitor's product -- a guilty pleasure you wouldn't dream of indulging in more buttoned-up environments. Google CEO Eric Schmidt was caught snapping a candid shot from a BlackBerry (we're pretty sure it's a Curve 8900) at the event -- and yes, granted, Google makes apps for BlackBerrys, but when there's a phone that bears your company's own name, it feels just a little bit like cheating, doesn't it? We guess the big, ratty Google sticker adds back a sliver of street cred, but it's not like this thing's packing some furiously awesome camera that a Magic, Dream, or Hero doesn't. How's Gmail treatin' you there, Eric? You're using that, at least, right?

[Via CNN]

Here's an interesting one. While one would assume that Intel would be quaking in its boots with the emergence of Chrome OS, Michael Chen -- director of Intel's embedded sales group and ultra mobility group in Asia-Pacific -- recently proclaimed that the company isn't worried at all. In fact, Intel seems pretty stoked that Google has introduced an operating system that will undoubtedly rival its own Moblin. To quote: "Our long-term goal is providing hardware for devices with different operating systems... more competition will drive up more innovations and that's good for consumers." Furthermore, we're told that Intel is looking forward to providing chips for machines based on Chrome OS, and frankly, we reckon that Intel's foothold in hardware and software makes it easier to brush this whole thing off. Must be nice, right?

Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments -- according to the latest Chrome OS update from Google, you're looking at the company's initial ragtag team of co-conspirators for its entry into the operating system business. With Adobe's involvement, we can assume Flash support is a given, and the others unsurprisingly run the gamut of netbook and smartbook players. We can't help but notice a couple of conspicuous absences on that list, including Intel and Dell. With Intel, you don't need to partner to work on its chips, but we gotta imagine it'd help by offering more support, and as for Dell, we don't know about that one, but there's still plenty of time for the Big G to enlist more companies in the lead up to its second half 2010 debut.

Update: Google updated the list to include Toshiba.

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Google's incursions into software -- particularly in strategic markets for Microsoft, are like an Earth-bound asteroid. Observers see it coming for a long time, and fear its impact will be devastating when it finally arrives. So far, though, Google's major software forays have been anything but cataclysmic, and Microsoft hasn't even had to send Bruce Willis into space to stop them.

On one hand -- as I discussed in a recent Switched On column that argued why Android was not the right choice for netbooks -- the mobile operating system continues to have a lot of potential to reshape the smartphone OS competitive landscape. On the other hand, while Chrome is a fine browser, Microsoft, Apple and Mozilla all have their counterparts, and certainly Firefox and Safari at least give Google's browser a run for its money in terms of speed, privacy and user interface. Chrome's impact has been blunted because the PC is already an open platform.

Enter Chrome OS, which will be available on ARM and Intel processors. For the high-volume Intel PC market, Chrome OS will have to take on Windows, but Chrome OS is very different than other Windows competitors such as the Mac OS, Ubuntu or the OS/2 of yore, in that Google does not seem focused on creating platform-exclusive applications. In some ways, Chrome is more of a competitor to Silverlight than to Windows, as Silverlight is Microsoft's cross-platform application foundation. Of course, Windows is Microsoft's home field, and Chrome OS will be Google's.

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. Apparently.
• Cole is talking up the Google love and the Android ecosystem. A "strong Google partnership."
• Cole says we'll have "more Android devices out this year."
• Denny sees it as a more desirable device and potentially more attractive to new adopters of smartphones. "Boundless possibilities" for individualization. They're showing a few videos, which seem to be app-centric as far as individualization goes. "If it could sweat for me, it would."
• A few apps being highlighted: Wikitude, Sherpa, a few exercise apps, imeem, YouTube uploads, Qik (my buddy's iPhone can't do that), Twitter, a ringtone editor. A few Google services mixed in, naturally.
• They're both showing off their own devices and how they've personalized them. Denny is a big fan of Zombie Run, which she plays with her 15-year-old son at the mall. Best mom ever?
• T-Mobile, in partnership with Google, will help put a "lens" on the Marketplace to help users find the good apps. Going to offer an "app pack" to highlight a particularly useful selection of apps. One of the highlighted application partners will be Sherpa. Also working on improved payment options: will include a direct bill option to post app purchases directly to your T-Mobile bill.
• Shipping the phone with a zippered case and a cloth screen-polishing sleeve (like we've seen already).
• Matching service plan warranty with device warranty, and working on retail experience / consumer training, including in-store appointments.
• No current plans to bring HTC Hero to the US.

And that's it! We're heading down now for a hands-on -- stay tuned!

We can't believe it's actually here, but after hearing whispers of a Google OS for what seems like ages now, the company's now gone official with its plans. According to the official developer blog, it'll be an open source, lightweight platform that can "power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems," and will be capable of running on x86 (that includes Intel Atom) and ARM chips. Addressing potential overlap with Android-based netbooks, the official line is that "choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google" -- a pretty wild statement to make, but hey, it's still all Google. A large portion of its fresh out of beta Google Apps suite already supports an offline mode, so we guess the groundwork's laid out. The company says it's currently working with a number of OEM manufacturers and that it'll initially appear on a number of netbooks coming to market sometime in the second half of 2010. Excited? We are.

Okay, this gets a bit confusing, so bear with us. Back when HTC first unveiled the Magic, the company said that any Android device with a customized build -- and that includes adding support for Microsoft Exchange -- has to drop the "with Google" logo as per Google's rules. Indeed, that notion seemed to be validated by the all the international Android phones that have Exchange but no branding. Cut to present day and the T-Mobile's myTouch 3G, which looks to have both the "with Google" backing and Exchange support, contrary to previous assertions. Did the search engine giant soften its policy? We spoke with a company representative who told us, surprisingly, that it has "never been Google's policy" to deprive its branded devices of Exchange support, and that if another phone maker wants to add it and keep that logo plastered on the phone, that's A-OK. In all honesty, we never really put too much stock into the Google logo on the phone, but if it's really just been one huge misunderstanding that's prevented our G1 from having Exchange, well, we're gonna be quite nonplussed for many weeks to come.

Guess what, internoodle? Google Apps is officially out of beta. Do you know what that means? It means that Gmail, Docs, Calendar, and Talk are losing that "beta" signage / language you've come to know and loathe. It also seems to mean that Google will be taking a much more direct and serious approach to courting businesses for its Apps suite. At first blush, it looks like the company has all but squashed the "Standard Edition" free hosted Apps package that many now use, though that isn't the case (yet). We say "all but" because while it looks like the pro bono package has been zapped out of existence by the magic raygun of capitalism, a tiny link to the service still exists on an arcane page buried deep in the casefiles of one T. Google Merryweather III. Or just Google. To be completely clear, however, regular old Gmail will still be freely available to anyone and everyone who wants a crack at it. At any rate, you'll be happy to know that the beta tag will be scuttled later today, and you can start getting righteously mad at Google for not taking care of their proper, released products immediately. Now maybe they can get to coding up nice native versions of Gmail for the iPhone and webOS... eh?

Update: The folks at Google, bless 'em, have posted a quick note on their blog stating explicitly that the Standard version of Apps isn't going anywhere. In their words, "We have no intention of eliminating Standard Edition, and we apologize for any confusion." Nice!

It's been less than two weeks since we laid hands on HTC's latest Android masterpiece, the Hero, and so while we wait to see it again, the cats at Russian site Mobile-review have gotten some extensive time with a pre-release engineering sample, and give it some high marks for those in the "tech geek" demographic who are looking to pick one up. Some caveats to be had, including the use of pre-release Sense UI firmware and the curious case of calling the screen resistive, especially since the model we used was definitely the more finger-friendly capacitive, and all the promotional material we've seen show a capacitive model in use. Still, it's well worth a read, if for nothing else than a glimpse at the sample pictures / video we can expect to capture with the phone ourselves.

[Thanks, Fegan]

Just under a month ago at Archos' Paris reveal, we were somewhat dismayed that an Android-based device didn't show up... officially, at least. We were told to expect more information about a Google-powered unit this September, but it looks as if said wait has been hacked considerably. According to The Inquirer, Archos has informed it that a 5-inch internet media tablet loaded with Android will be unveiled on September 15th, a date that certainly jibes with prior information. The handheld will boast Google's sauce underneath with a layer of Archos applications on top, and while the Windows 7-equipped Archos 9 PCTablet (pictured) is expected in October, this here device should hit shelves a few weeks prior. In related news, the briefing also included word that Archos was working on a few "telephony products," which is just barely enough to get you simultaneously excited / hot and bothered.

[Via TrustedReviews]

One of our favorite intellectual property rips of recent months is without a doubt the SciPhone Dream G2 from China. Having completely missed the point of Google's open-source OS being, well, open-source and thus free for SciPhone's use, the company instead chose to hack the G2's "proprietory" OS to look like Android. The charger, however, built to look like the iconic Android mascot is pretty damn cute; enough so that the idea of paying $150 just to get our hands on the 100-240V USB charger has crossed our minds. See the Android's naughty bits after the break.

[Thanks, Steven]

We've got some good and bad news... mostly bad, though. First, the good news: HTC is looking into finding a way to bring its new Sense UI -- the one featured prominently in the new Hero -- to its non-Google branded Android devices, such as Canadian carrier Roger Wireless' Magic. Unfortunately, and this is the bad news, even that's not a sure thing, and as you can probably guess from the wording, any phone that's got the "with Google" branding, like T-Mobile USA's G1 and myTouch 3G, won't be getting a chance at all due to the same licensing terms that prevented Microsoft Exchange clients on those same phones. Them's the breaks, folks, but we're sure some hacker with enough know-how will bypass the silly restrictions and do it anyway.

We're going to need some real time with the device to make a final opinion, but we're cautiously optimistic that HTC has a winner with its new Hero. Here's what we've got from our first looks at the phone in London and NY:

• The beveled edges along the back makes the handset sit comfortably in the hand, and while the teflon coat doesn't necessarily feel revolutionary, it's going to make a world of difference after a couple of months riding in our grubby pockets. It's certainly solid, but much more so than other "brick" phones.
• The Sense UI (or as HTC terms it, "user experience") riding a capacitive touchscreen offers a people-centric approach to managing your information that is absolutely dreamy at first blush -- though it shares a lot of TouchFLO heritage. In fact, HTC promises to have a very similar Sense-branded experience for Windows Mobile.
  
• The on-screen keyboard also seems quite useable with a nice simulated haptic forced-feedback bounce when you strike each key in either landscape or portrait mode (which can naturally be deactivated). HTC has built its own touch keyboard from the ground up, and in our brief couple of tests we'd say it's probably the best touchscreen typing experience we've ever felt. It never lags behind, and has great colorful visual cues for its auto-corrected words -- green means it's suggesting a correctly spelled word, red means we've gone off the beaten path, and the T9-style multiple suggestions are heavenly.
• This intuitive one-hander isn't shy with the specs either as we've already seen in the official press release. Our only concern is possible sluggishness from the Qualcomm processor that cause the graphic transitions to stutter a bit and results in screen rotations that feel dangerously uncomfortable.
• We were told that the device we saw was running pre-production firmware so there's still time to tweak -- though not much with a July European launch.
• The Hero is not a "Google Experience" device. As such, you won't find the Google logo anywhere (no big deal) but you also won't be downloading any firmware updates over the air -- sideloading only kids. Not a deal breaker but an annoying and seemingly arbitrary limitation nonetheless. There's still a small lack of clarity of how updates will work with HTC's "mods" living on top of basic Android -- even if they're able to port in new Android versions seamlessly, we imagine there will be some breakage.
• For a device without a physical keyboard, the Hero seems a little thick up against its HTC Magic, Nokia N97, and iPhone 3G counterparts, but not overly so.
• HTC has confirmed that whichever (unspecified) carrier gets the phone in the US will have a modified version, both in software (carrier-specific services) and in hardware chassis tweaks. Just don't take our teflon away, ok HTC?
• Battery is the same larger slab that's in the myTouch, and HTC also claims to have done some vague, unspecified things OS-side to improve battery life as well. "Heavy users will be able to get through a day."
• The camera is responsive and seems to do a fine job at autofocus, but wasn't astonishingly great at first glance.
• The phone will be available for free on T-Mobile UK -- if only we could be so subsidy lucky in the US.
  

There are four videos for you after the break. The first shows Flash running at full screen on the HTC Hero courtesy of YouTube. The second, however, shows it failing when running a trailer from Yahoo Movies, just like Adobe did -- in fact, it crashed all four times that we tried it on what we were told was a Hero running the final build of the OS. Third one is a quickie showing the on-screen keyboard rotating from portrait to landscape and back. Lastly, we demonstrate the hardware a little bit and show off our lightning speed at typing. For the real completists, there's also a new gallery of hands-on shots from the NY launch event right below.

Been hankering to see what Flash -- via the Open Screen Project -- actually looks like on an Android (or any modern mobile) device? Well hanker no more, ya'll. Adobe has helpfully dropped a video on us which has Flash team member Adrian Ludwig demo'ing the newly minted HTC Hero (multitouch gestures included). Once the content loads up, it seems to run at a pretty snappy rate, though waiting on Flash content to appear doesn't look encouraging if you're in the midst of casual browsing (or on a weak connection). We'll be interested to see what this is like in the real world -- and for platforms beyond Android -- but for now at least we've got something to go on.

Read - HTC Hero: The first Android device with Flash
Read - New HTC Hero Delivers More Complete Web Browsing Experience with Adobe Flash Technology