October 19th may be under a month away, but that's still an eternity in "waiting years." Thankfully, Motorola has posted up a handy guide that spells out exactly what kind of pre-loaded software comes with the CLIQ, and we've got to say -- the list is fairly impressive. For starters, users will get access to LastFM, an array of Google features, Yahoo! Mail (funny, real funny), Digg, Mint, Facebook, Twitter, Travel Channel, MTV and Amazon's MP3 Store. On top of all that, Moto's throwing in QuickOffice -- a piece that demands $9.99 on the iPhone -- as well as TeleNav Navigator, which has also found itself on a few other Android-based smartphones over the centuries. Hit the read link for the full list, but only if you don't mind the tease.

[Via Phandroid]

Can wait to check out the new and improved Android Market slated for inclusion in the upcoming Android 1.6 release? Then it looks like you won't have to wait for the official release after all. You will, however, need a rooted Android device, and the latest, less-than-official Cyanogen ROM. Among other updates and fixes, it includes what appears to be the very same Android Market revision that's headlining Android 1.6 (a.k.a. Donut), and includes such enhancements as a bright new look, screenshots of apps, and a number of new browsing options to help you find what you're looking for. All rooted and ready to go? Then hit up the link below to get started.

As must-have mobile apps go, Pandora ranks high on the books -- with the proliferation of 3G and WiFi, it comes dangerously close to obsoleting the need to carry around your own 8, 16, or 32GB worth of tracks -- and another big-ticket platform has now joined the compatibility short list. This time around it's Android that's getting hooked up, offering a home screen widget and background playback (we'd expect no less on Android) over whatever type of network connection you've got handy. Using Wham! as a station seed is still indefensible, but we'd say the argument for scooping up a G1, myTouch 3G, or Sprint Hero (when it's available, anyhow) just got a bit stronger.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

As expected, Apple has blessed Spotify's streaming subscription music application with a home in its iTunes App Store. Additionally, the app is also making a first, less ballyhooed appearance on the Android Market. The free app allows you to stream any of its nearly 4 million tracks over WiFi or 3G and syncs playlists for playback while disconnected. It's available exclusively to Spotify Premium members in the UK, Sweden, Spain, France and Norway -- only the iPhone app is available in Finland. Great, so does that mean Rhapsody is next? Magic i-ball says all signs point to yes. Video overview of each app after the break.

P.S. We're seeing reports that the iPhone app won't play music in the background. The fix? Android.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read -- Spotify on Android
Read -- Spotify on App Store

Evidence suggests that the Android Market has a long way to go to be a profitable enterprise for would-be developers, but the good news is that Google seems to understand -- and they're doing something about it. Those in-the-wild shots of a totally rethought interface have turned out to be legit, being made official today by Android's official dev site; the beautified UI itself isn't really anything to write home about, but what makes it all worthwhile is the addition of screenshots and improvements to descriptions that should do a much better job of letting users know what they're getting for their hard-earned cash. Otherwise, there are a few new app categories and Italian support, all of which should bow with the release of Android 1.6 Donut. Sholes, Morrison, you fellas can't come soon enough. Follow the break for official video of the new Market in action.

[Via Phandroid]

Android's had a generally black-dominated UI theme since its initial launch -- we'd even go so far to say that it's become one of the platform's trademarks -- but is it all about to go away? A tipster to CNET has sent in a couple shots of what appears to be a totally revamped Market that has apparently made appearances both on Donut and on the allegedly Eclair-equipped Motorola Sholes, possibly portending a more wide-reaching interface shift to brighter, more colorful controls and elements. Outside of the facelift there's no word on any actual new functionality here, so... you know, hang onto your G1 for dear life if you're digging the dark Market.

[Thanks, z.kalach]

For every rags-to-riches story in Apple's App Store, every amazing tale of Joe Coder in his basement turning a dead-simple idea into a few thousand dollars a day, there are... well, zero in the Android Market. At least, that's the impression we're getting by digging into revenue stats published this week by mobile game house Larva Labs, lamenting the stark disparity in the economics between the two mobile distribution platforms. Despite having two apps prominently featured on the Market's home screen and racking up sales rankings of 5 and 12 overall, Larva Labs' $4.99 RetroDefense and Battle for Mars games are grossing between about $30 and $110 a day for the company -- with a scant $62 average. As they wryly note, it's "very difficult to buy the summer home at this rate." Sure, granted, there's plenty of garbage in the hopelessly overcrowded App Store -- stuff that'll never earn a dime -- but what's a little shocking here is that both of these apps are Android Market superstars and they're still not able to cover the rent.

The problem is twofold: first, the target audience is smaller. Android simply hasn't achieved the global market penetration that the iPhone has -- at least, not yet. Globally, Android sales to consumers have totaled in the seven figures -- 5 million might be a reasonable guess -- whereas Apple's pushed another order of magnitude worth of devices, something on the order of 25 million iPhones, and if you tack on the iPod touch (which you should for the purpose of running these numbers) you're totaling over 30 million. Second, Larva Labs mentions a number of systematic problems with the Market -- teething problems that Google's yet to address -- including a lack of screenshots in app descriptions, a dearth of payment methods, the seemingly preferential treatment free apps receive, and a litany of miscellaneous bugs and issues (Android owners will fondly recall the inability to find updated apps a couple months back, for instance).

And now the million-dollar question, if you'll forgive our pun: will the Market get to the point where it's a logical business proposition for devs? In all likelihood, yes -- but it's going to take plenty of additional commitment from manufacturers, carriers, and Google itself to make the place a friendly joint for buyers and sellers alike. In the meantime, thanks to the wonders of modern capitalism, Android's app variety is fated to place a distant second, third, or fourth.

[Via Daring Fireball]

While Apple was busy batting away the FCC with its litany of reasons why its app approval process is totally hunky-dory, Google was apparently having it's own VoIP-related firefight. It seems that an article in the USA Today which hit newsstands this morning alleges that the internet giant sought to block (dare we say reject) a full Skype application from making its way into the Android Market. The story claims that the application was neutered to become "a watered-down version of the original that routes calls over traditional phone networks" -- which would obviously cast a decidedly malevolent slant to the benevolent company's policies.

Here are the facts, clear and simple: While the first generation of our Android software did not support full-featured VoIP applications due to technology limitations, we have worked through those limitations in subsequent versions of Android, and developers are now able to build and upload VoIP services.

As we told USA Today earlier in the week Google did not reject an application from Skype or from any other company that provides VoIP services. To suggest otherwise is false. At this point no software developer -- including Skype -- has implemented a complete VoIP application for Android. But we're excited to see -- and use -- these applications when they're submitted, because they often provide more choice and options for users. We also look forward to the day when consumers can access any application, including VoIP apps, from any device, on any network.

[Via TechCrunch; Image courtesy eBoy]

Read - Google-AT&T-Apple fight over Net calls draws FCC interest
Read - Android and VoIP applications

Google has updated its Maps app for Android -- perhaps the most vital, central app in the platform outside of the dialer itself -- and fortunately for G1, Dream, and Magic users around the world, they've made the update available through the Android Market. That's a really big deal and a major departure from basically every other mobile platform, because it means that folks won't be waiting for carriers and manufacturers to get off their rumps and release firmware updates -- instead, integrated components of the operating system can be pushed out through the Market just like any other app you'd install. The new version's a doozy, too, featuring voice search, more comprehensive support for Latitude, detailed business information, and pedestrian / mass transit navigation, arguably making the Android version of Maps the most robust on any phone. Seeing how Android is Google's own, seems fitting, doesn't it?

[Thanks, Justin]

As Android goes, all eyes might be on the Magic at this point -- but T-Mobile USA's still rocking the G1 hard, and they've got the stats to prove it. The carrier has announced that "roughly half" of its G1 buyers traded up from a dumbphone of some sort, which should really help them put that nascent 3G network through its paces in earnest. Proof of that lies deeper in the numbers: 80 percent of G1 customers are browsing the web on a daily basis from the comfort of their device -- a testament to the goodness of WebKit, we reckon -- over half are using Facebook and YouTube at least once a week, and half are hooking up to WiFi on a daily basis. HTML and streaming video aren't the only things burning through AWS bandwidth, though; T-Mobile's also claiming that the average G1 customers has downloaded over 40 frickin' apps from the Android Market, and four out of five download apps at least once per week. We imagine that number will level off now that paid apps are scaling up, but still -- that's an impressive stat.

According to folks over at Android Community, Google has begun to pull tethering applications from the G1's Market. One of the contributors to the "WiFi Tether for Root Users" app claims that the company is citing distribution agreements with carriers as the cause of the takedowns. In their words:

Google enters into distribution agreements with device manufacturers and Authorized Carriers to place the Market software client application for the Market on Devices. These distribution agreements may require the involuntary removal of Products in violation of the Device manufacturer's or Authorized Carrier's terms of service" Google Developer Distribution Agreement

Of course, this should come as quite a surprise, given statements T-Mobile's Cole Brodman made to us during the G1 launch last year, and Google's seemingly rampant interest in being the de facto open source mobile OS. It's not clear at this point if this is an isolated incident (possibly related to the root nature of the app), or just the beginning of a more widespread move. Google (and T-Mobile to some extent) -- we await your response.

[Thanks, Chris]

Tired of logging into your T-Mobile account in order to check your G1 usage figures, existing bill status and plan information? Just too lazy to even do it? If you've somehow managed to remain on the carrier as a customer despite your lackadaisical approach to paying up on a monthly basis, you just might want to give the 'My Account' app a look. Freshly loosed on the Android Market, the app gives G1 users easy access to current activity, bill summary, plan information, online payment, help guides, forums, battery info, storage info, etc. Anyone sucked it down yet? Is it amazing?

With the US version of the Android Market now in full swing, it was just a matter of time before European markets started to come online. Now, we've got the first concrete date, and needless to say -- T-Mobile UK customers won't be waiting very long. A PocketGamer.biz liveblog of a T-Mobile-hosted Android even in London has revealed that the Market goes live for the British Isles tomorrow, and according to the carrier's head of internet and entertainment, it'll be awesome: "From tomorrow, UK customers will have paid apps on the phone, and there'll be a wide selection of paid apps on the market." In the same event, it was revealed that fully 20 percent of all new customers to T-Mobile UK are selecting the G1, which seems like a promising sign -- and now that there's going to be some better stuff available to download, that number can probably only stand to go up... or down, considering that the Magic's just around the corner on T-Mob's arch nemesis Vodafone.

[Via AndroidPhone.co.uk, thanks Chris]