HTC Desire P and Desire Q Android smartphones leaked?

HTC may be working on the extension of its Desire series, with two still unannounced Desire smartphones popping-up at Taiwan’s National Communications Commission.

The two phones are Desire P (model number T326h) and Desire Q (T328h), though as I’m writing this, we’ve no idea what these two are all about. We know that they won’t target the high-end of the market — we have the HTC One for that — and will most likely be offered to budget smartphone buyers. In that sense, there’s a chance some Western countries may not even get these two, which isn’t necessarily bad — most of us want a high-end smartphone. anyway.

As a reminder, the last HTC Desire smartphone we’ve seen was the Desire U, which was an everything but impressive device, running Ice Cream Sandwich rather than Jelly Bean out of box. We hope the Desire P and Desire Q won’t repeat that mistake…

Google launches Keep, a cloud-based notes service

Google announced a new service, Keep, that’ll compete with note-taking apps like Evernote on the desktop and Android mobile devices. Google Keep will let you jot down a quick note that’ll sync to Drive, Google’s cloud storage service. The notes are more than text and can include checklists and photos. There’s even support for dictation so you can speak your notes and send them to the Drive.

The Google Keep app is available for devices running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or higher. It’s also a web app that’s accessible from any browser. Go tohttp://drive.google.com/keep to check it out.

Google’s Eric Schmidt confirms Android and Chrome will stay separate

After Google replaced Android chief Andy Rubin with Sundar Pichai of the Chrome group, analysts and pundits alike speculated that Android and Chrome could merge in the future. Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt put the brakes on this rumor by confirming that Android and Chrome will remain separate. Though they will not merge, the two products could overlap in some of their features said Schmidt.

Google isn’t the only company looking at ways to tie in their mobile product with their desktop operating system. Over the past few years, iOS and OS X have started sharing services like Notes, Reminders and music using iCloud. Google could build something similar using Chrome, Android and Google’s cloud services like Drive and the newly announced Keep. It’ll be interesting to see what Google builds into Android in the next few years under the leadership of Pichai. I’m excited by what’s ahead, how about you?

Evernote for Android update brings new photo features, Premium trial

Evernote just released a very useful update for Android owners of the app. It brings a handful of new photo features within notes, better document organization, and a special offer for Deutsche Telekom subscribers.

The first of the additions is Page Camera, which helps improves the scanning of documents (as well as pages from the Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine if you own one) and their clarity for better readability in your notes.

The next feature has been present in the iOS app for a while, multi-shot camera. It’ll allow you to snap multiple photos and then publish them all into one note rather than taking them one by one and adding them in. It’s a real time saver, especially if you’re big on photo usage within Evernote.

Shortcuts first got their debut in the Evernote for Mac app and they’re present now for Android as well. Go to the shortcuts panel to bookmark favorite notes or notebooks for quick access.

Google Adds Facial Recognition Into Play Movies for Android Tablets

If you stop by the Google Play Store on your Android tablet, be sure to check for an update for Play Movies and TV today, as it adds a pretty nifty feature. Using facial recognition, Play Movies will detect the actor you’re watching when paused, and bring you relevant information for the actor or actress. The feature is currently limited to only Android tablets, so don’t expect to see anything special on your Android phone just yet.

At the moment, there only seems to be a few supported movies that will allow you to use the feature but that should change in time. We loaded up X-Men on a tablet, and sure enough, the feature works great. Cards popped up for James Marsden, Hugh Jackman, and Anna Paquin when the movie paused. Multiple cards will be shown if more than one person has been recognized on the screen. Cards will provide Google Now-like information, as well as a list of movies the actor or actress are in that you can purchase from the Google Play Store.

Google Android Amigurumi Doll ‘Andy the Android’ up for Grabs on eBay

Ever heard of an Amigurumi doll? I haven’t either. Turns out, what you’re looking at above is an Amigurumi, and it portrays one of the favorite characters in the mobile world… the Android Robot.

‘Andy the Android’ (as dubbed by designer Xuan Nguyen) is up for sale right now on eBay. However, the unfortunate thing is that only one of these is up for grabs. Maybe it’s just me, but after Andy here makes his rounds about the blogosphere, I think many an Android addict may want one of these? I dunno… Just a thought 

Here’s the official description of the item from Xuan:

New UI designed from the ground up for tablets

Android 3.0 is a new version of the Android platform that is specifically optimized for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets. It introduces a brand new, truly virtual and “holographic” UI design, as well as an elegant, content-focused interaction model.

Android 3.0 builds on the things people love most about Android — refined multitasking, rich notifications, Home screen customization, widgets, and more — and transforms them with a vibrant, 3D experience and deeper interactivity, making them familiar but even better than before.