The podcast is a little late this week, but for good reason -- special guest Michael Gartenberg joins Josh, Paul, and Nilay this week as they sort through the Google-dominated week in news. We've got Chrome OS, the myTouch 3G, some more HTC Hero hands-on time (as well as a Magic flashed with the Hero ROM), and the leaked Sony Ericsson Rachael on tap -- oh, and to top it all off, Sony backtracked huge and released its first true netbook, the VAIO W. It's a bit of a wild one, we won't lie -- buckle up.

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Guest: Michael Gartenberg
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: No Rain

Hear the podcast


00:01:22 - Google announces Chrome OS, coming to netbooks second half of 2010
00:26:37 - myTouch 3G hands-on (with video!)
00:39:35 - New HTC Hero ROM leaked, Flash 10 already chugging along on a few lucky G1s
00:56:25 - Sony Ericsson Rachael UI video leaks out, Kiki comes for the ride
01:04:55 - Android 1.5 gets official SDK for native development
01:12:58 - Sony announces VAIO W... netbook!


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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. There's also a couple more renders of the funky rear-display Kiki featurephone, but until we figure how SE intends for humans to actually use it, we're focused on Rachael. Renders and video after the break.

Read - Rachael and Kiki pics
Read - Rachael UI video

That supposedly upcoming Android XPERIA that Mobil dug up might have our minds, but it's this leaked handset (which, to be fair, looks fairly sketchily rendered), the Sony Ericsson Kiki, that has won our hearts. The screen is made of glass, with an image seemingly rear-projected onto it (teleprompter style), while the keys are, um, scarce. Mobil was able to offer few hints as to how this works or what all it does, and it seems like it falls far short of the functionality of a feature phone, but we're sure we want one whatever it is.

Hello, beautiful. Danish phone site Mobil has uncovered "internal documents" on what appears to be Sony Ericsson's upcoming Android-based handset, an XPERIA number codenamed Rachael. Under the hood is a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, HSPA and an 8 megapixel camera. It's unclear how big the touchscreen is, and other details are scarce -- there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, so that's nice, but unless we're severely misguided, there doesn't seem to be a slide-out keyboard tucked away inside this thin chassis.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

While the free-market works pretty well when, uh, left alone to be free, sometimes it needs a push from a visible hand. Case in point, phone chargers; at the moment some 30 different types of chargers are used with handsets throughout Europe. Today, the European Commission received industry backing of its phone charger standard that relies on a micro-USB socket. The standard is now backed by all the majors (representing 90% of the European mobile market) including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Apple, LG, NEC, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung and Texas Instruments with compatible devices starting to appear in Europe next year. Or course, the micro-USB charger standard already has the blessings of CTIA, OMTP, and GSM Association which implies a broader adoption beyond Europe, someday. One charger for any mobile phone... where's the catch?

As recently as May Sony has itself stated that a PSP phone "could happen," and now a report from Nikkei business daily states that Sony is planning on putting together a team as early as next month to build product that would act as a combination of a PSP and a Sony Ericsson handset. It makes plenty of sense, both as a differentiation from Nintendo and as a confrontation of the looming iPhone threat -- and hey, it might also act as a decent salve over the lukewarm reception of the pricey PSPgo. Unfortunately, if Sony is just about to get started on this, we likely wouldn't be looking at any resulting product for a while to come. Sony declined comment according to Reuters, which doesn't mean a whole lot, but it's worth keeping in mind that we've been hearing this sort of rumoring since back when the N-Gage (as a product) was still almost relevant.

[Via Mac Rumors]

Yeah, we can probably safely leave this one in the file we found it in: you know, the one marked "never going to happen." Regardless, when we spied this little dude on Unwired View, we thought we'd pass along the weirdness. Unearthed in a Sony Ericsson patent application mysteriously dubbed "Mobile Terminal," what we have here is a bracelet mobile phone concept, sort of reminiscent of LG's infamous GD910 watch phone. This one's got some added fun in the form of keys on the side of the wristband for a fuller typing experience. Like we said, it's never going to happen, but that won't really stop us from hoping.

Look, we're not going to stop you if you insist on staying up until 4:30AM ET tomorrow morning to see what Sony Ericsson has in store at its CommunicAsia press conference, we just don't want you to walk away with a broken heart if nothing cool happens there, alright? Xperiancers is now reporting that the show will be little more than a recap on the company's recent announcements -- chiefly the GreenHeart stuff, the Satio, and the Aino -- which means the X2 may not be happening for a while yet. That's disappointing, yes, but no one's exactly calling the X1 a slouch in the spec department just yet, so maybe this is a strategic win for Sony Ericsson -- particularly with a big Rogers launch just around the corner.

Nokia certainly took its launch lineup seriously ahead of CommunicAsia's grand opening in Singapore this week with the launch of the 5530 XpressMusic and E72, and considering that, we're willing to bet that Sony Ericsson would want to make a similarly big splash when it holds its press conference on Wednesday -- but what could it be? The Satio and Aino are already out there, so it seems like the odds-on favorite for announcement here would have to be the well-leaked XPERIA X2. If the leaks turn out to be spot-on accurate, we're definitely not sold that the phone's any better-looking than the X1 it replaces, but then again, it'd be awfully hard to argue with an 8.1 megapixel cam and OLED display running Windows Mobile 6.5, even if you're not a WinMo kinda person. The action kicks off at 4:30PM Singapore time, which works out to a torturous 4:30AM for you New Yorkers -- so just how badly do you want to see it possibly unveiled, eh? And more importantly, how peeved will you be if it isn't?

[Via WMExperts and Electronista]

Reaction to the rumored X2 pictures leaked this far has been lukewarm at best, but hold up -- it's looking a whole lot different (and arguably better) in silver. We can certainly buy that this is dead-on real, since... well, it looks real, and also because the X1's also available in both shades. We're still not convinced it outshines its predecessor for sheer sex appeal, but an 8.1 megapixel camera upgrade is hard to argue with, isn't it? Anyhow, with this many units seemingly floating around in the wild, let's hope we're not too far off from an official announcement.

[Via Daily Mobile, thanks Daniel]

We'll admit it, we expected to be knee-deep in Android gear by now. However, it seems like the consumer electronics industry wanted to build more mature products around versions 1.5 and 2.0 of Google's open source OS instead. Regardless, we're in the thick of it now having just witnessed a deluge of Android-based smartbooks / netbooks (expected before October) at Computex and Google's own announcement that at least 18 new Android handsets will launch this year. Building upon Sony Ericsson's plan to launch its first handset based on Android 2.0, we're now hearing that Android will play a prominent role across Sony's portable devices starting with an Android-based Walkman and personal navigation device (PND) launching sometime in 2010. Engadget Japanese says that Sony's affection for Android is an "open secret" in Japan. In fact, an analyst speaking to Japan's Nikkan simply states the development of an Android Walkman and PND as fact. Not that we're too surprised by this; as demonstrated by its XMB interface now extended to a variety of devices other than the PS3, Sony is clearly trying to unify the user experience across its consumer electronics portfolio. And opting for open-source software across the board should keep costs low while increasing speed to market. Oh Android, is there anything you can't do...in Google fanboy theory?

Read -- Android Walkman (Nikkan)
Read -- Android Walkman (Impress)

We couldn't make heads or tails of that thumbnail image we got sent a couple days ago alleging to be Sony Ericsson's X1 replacement -- it's not that we necessarily didn't buy it, it was just to friggin' small and weird to figure out what was going on. Well, when it rains, it pours, because a forum member over on fanklub.se has given up the goods in the form of a couple significantly better shots. We can already sense that there'll be a fierce debate brewing over whether this looks better than the phone it's destined to succeed, but the X2 definitely ups the specs with an 8.1 megapixel cam, flash, and what could be an extraordinarily usable keyboard (final judgment on that will have to wait until we play with a unit, but you've got to admit, anything would be an improvement over the first model). Still no word on when this might come to market or even be announced, unfortunately. Peep another shot after the break.

[Via CoolSmartPhone, thanks Gears]

Leaked carrier roadmap documents of unknown age and origin aren't necessarily the most accurate things in the world, but they are one very awesome, important thing: leaked. Pictured above is a fragment of one such spreadsheet that we've had the good fortune of receiving for T-Mobile USA -- obviously it's a little bit on the small slide, but no sweat, we'll walk you through what it's saying. Again, we wouldn't take these dates as the gospel truth, but we'd venture to say they're a good rough guide for what to expect out of these guys for the next few months. Move along for the full list!

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Hear about the green feel-good bandwagon? Yeah, well Sony Ericsson's on it, straw hat and all. Meet the first GreenHeart products bent on sustainability: the Nait and C901 GreenHeart candybars, MH300 GreenHeart headset, and EP300 GreenHeart charger. The GreenHeart label means reduced packaging, recycled plastics, waterborne paints, and an electronic in-phone manual instead of a paper booklet. The Naite even includes an Ecomate application with Carbon Footprint Calculator that shows how much CO2 you're saving while walking your fields of organic tie-dye ink. As for the phones, the C901 brings a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with Xenon flash and smile shutter tech when it lands in Q2 (hey, that ends this month) supporting GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSPA 900/2100 frequencies. Naite scales things back with a 2 megapixel camera, a 2.2-inch 240x320 pixel display, and GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS HSPA 850/1900/2100 band support when it hits in Q3. And hey, if they make lousy phones you can probably just smoke 'em.