Trillian all-in-one IM coming to Android

Cerulean Studios have recently taken to their blog and offered up some good news — a version of Trillian is coming to Android. And for those who may not be familiar with the Trillian name, its an all-in-one instant messaging application that allows the user to chat with friends on services to include Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, Facebook, AIM, Windows Live and more.

As of now a release date has not been announced. That said, there were a few screen shots offered up and they look to be nice. In terms of the initial release, that was noted as being “a few weeks away” and will be a beta. Here is what we can expect in terms of features;

* Synchronize your contacts, avatars, status, accounts and more with your Trillian-enabled desktop or mobile apps
* Contact list sorting, grouping, metacontacts support, privacy settings and various ways to organize
* Set status, avatar and display name quickly in one simple screen
* Tabbed chat windows with bubble view, photo transfer, buzz and emoticon support

Of course, the usual goodies that you would expect to find in an Android app will also be included such as the ability to receive updates while the app is running in the background as well as support for a wide variety of devices. Basically, Trillian will support devices running Android 1.6 or later.

And finally, the team over at Trillian also mentioned something that should make Android users happy;

We took special care and respect to design and build the user interface to smoothly integrate with Android – this is not just a clone from the iPhone!

Acer Liquid A1 Gets An Upgrade to Android 2.1

The Liquid A1 is the first Android phone made by Acer in 2009. It launched with Android 1.6 but now an update is available to bring it out of the Dark Ages and into the Light. The update is the usual OTA variety, so if you’re one of the folks out there with the device, hopefully you’ll be receiving the notification soon enough.

The Liquid A1 has a 3.5-inch touchscreen and 5MP camera with VGA video. It features a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, but it’s underclocked to 768 MHz. It has 256 MB RAM, HSDPA 7.2 connectivity and HSUPA 2.0 Mb/s. You’ll find the general stuff, too: WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, and microSD card slot. If you get the update, let us know in the comments and let us know what you think of it.

AT&T Launching Samsung Captivate July 18 For $199

Samsung has announced that AT&T will begin selling the Samsung Captivate – their version of the Galaxy S – on July 18th. The AMOLED touchscreen Android smartphone will be priced at $199.99, with a new two-year contract including voice plan and $15 per month data package.

The Captivate has a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display and a 5-megapixel camera, together with Samsung’s Social Hub system, 720p HD video recording, HSPA connectivity and both WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0.

ESPN Radio App For Android

Are you a sports nut? Then check out the ESPN Radio app that gives you access to:

* Live radio streams
* podcasts
* SportsCenter updates
* Text into shows and become part of the discussion

Sadly, unlike their ScoreCenter app, this one is going to cost you $4.99. But if you’re a sports fan, it may be well worth it.

Borders Releases an Android eReader App

If you’re a big reader like me then the flurry of online book services must be bringing a nice smile to your face. Recently we saw Kobo eReader and the Amazon Kindle ported over to the Android platform but now Borders is cashing in on the eReader scene. Using the Borders eReader app you can search and buy books on the go and even sync your book purchased on your computer with your Android phone for on the go reading.

Currently the app is only available for Android users running 2.0 or higher ( this should be worked on by Borders in my opinion since there are still devices being released with older versions ) and can be found in the Android Market Place under “Borders eBooks”.

Borders also stated that there are FREE books as well you just have to browse for them. The app lets you:

* browse and buy eBooks at Borders.com, where you’ll find over a million titles,
including a generous selection of free books
* search by title, author, topic, or keyword
* make quick and easy purchases
* access your eBook Library
* download eBooks for offline reading
* enjoy automatic bookmarking, print quality resolution, smooth transitions between
pages and chapters, and customized fonts and type sizes

Motorola CHARM gets official for T-Mobile

After a number of leaks, Motorola has officially announced its latest Android smartphone, the Motorola CHARM. Headed to the US exclusively to T-Mobile, the CHARM is a full-QWERTY candybar running Android 2.1 with Motorola’s own MOTOBLUR social networking integration.

Above the QWERTY thumbboard is a 2.8-inch touchscreen, while on the back is a 3-megapixel camera that’s paired with Kodak “Perfect Touch” processing technology. There’s also a trackpad on the rear of the CHARM, used for navigation as on the Motorola BACKFLIP. All the usual Android apps are in place – together with Android Market access – and there’s CrystalTalk noise processing.

No word on pricing, but the Motorola CHARM will drop on T-Mobile USA this coming summer.

Twidroid Becomes Twidroyd After Acquisition by TweetUp

Twidroid will now be known as Twidroyd. Why? Because TweetUp Incorporated just bought them. And, if that’s not enough, they’re actually trying to shy away from any licensing issues that may come up from Lucas Films, considering that whole “droid” part in there. The company said that Twidroyd will become standard on millions of upcoming Android phones from five different manufacturers.

There’s no doubt that Twitter clients all over the place are showing their relevance in the marketplace. They’re being bought up all over the place. But, now that many people have their favorites, and Twitter has their own official client that actually syncs your contacts, will the new Twidroyd stand a chance? What do you think?