With the slow incremental release of Google+ the big G has released an Android app to accompany the new social network for users on Android devices. I've been running it on my HTC Desire for a few days now and I have to say it's easily one of the most slickest apps I have come across.

The aim of the app is to allow access to Google+ on the go on your Android handset. Whilst the app does miss a few functions in comparison to the desktop browser experience, overall it's a pretty well built app, albeit in an early stage and does have some bugs.

If you are lucky enough to have found a way into Google+ and have an Android handset, you really should download and install this app. It's a great addition to experiencing and keeping up with what's going on in your Google+ circle.

With the new redesign I decided to add a few new widgets to the right hand sidebar of AdonisMobile. One of which is the Facebook Like box. If you like a post or want to stay updated with the latest from AdonisMobile straight to your Facebook page, you can "like" it.

There is also a new monthly poll section where readers can vote. The first poll went live shortly after the redesign and the results are in.

Thanks to those that voted, be sure to check out the latest poll, which can be found as always on the right hand side. Each month I'll put up a new poll and post the results of finished ones.

The results for the Favourite Mobile OS are somewhat indicative of what I tend to cover on AdonisMobile in recent times; mainly Android with some iOS and Nokia stuff. So the results pretty much mirror the posts found here.

Apple recently announced the latest updates to it's iOS platform, which runs on the Apple iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone devices. The latest update (iOS5) includes 200+ new features and improvements to the platform. I'll highlight some of the biggest improvements below why they may not be good for innovation and for Apple in the long term.

It was a well known fact notifications on iOS were intrusive and lacked any real use other than to do a very simple basic function of notifying. The new notification center improves on the old poor implementation and actually adds value. Albeit looking very similar to that of Android and WebOS. Many would argue Apple has ripped off the two aforementioned platforms, but I think they've not only done that but improved on it, and probably in a way neither Android nor WebOS could have done if they had attempted. All in all this is good for both Apple and it's competitors. A great example of how improvements can be carried out and upgraded.

For users of the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices which will support iMessage, this is a very good feature. A unified integrated platform to message and share content for free. For the 3rd party developers this is perhaps a big kick in the teeth. Platforms like WhatsApp, will be pushed out of Apple's system with this. Apple may be trying to impersonate Blackberry's BBM service, but what they have created is an ecosystem where Apple users will in reality choose to ignore those 3rd party services and use the native in built system. That's just how things work. Operators selling SMS bundles might as well just give up now.

This surprised me somewhat. I didn't expect Apple to put Twitter integration deep into the OS.With this feature users will be able to tweet away to their desires from within iOS devices. What this will do for Twitter's 3rd party apps is yet to be seen, but yet again, having an integrated service in such an environment will only constrict innovation and make 3rd party developers for the platform that much more difficult to break through. Apps like Seesmic, Tweetdeck and Hootsuite will have to find new ways to make sure users download their apps by offering better innovation and services. With Twitter clamping down on how Twitter is experienced in 3rd party apps, this could get ugly.

Android, WP7, WebOS and in more recent times Symbian users have had this setup for a long time, finally Apple decides to join the de-facto method of activating and updating devices via an OTA (over the air) method. Where previously activating or upgrading an iOS device required the use of iTunes, now it's a lot more easier. I do think this was done in order to clamp down on the jail-breaking of Apple devices. With the announcement of iCloud this is yet another instance where I think Apple tightens its hold on controlling the Apple experience whilst being done with those looking to do stuff with their devices Apple doesn't approve of. As small as this crowd maybe, I fear for the platform.

Whilst I do applaud some of the great improvements and enhanced features included with iOS5, I do fear for the flexibility users have when signing up to the system itself. As we move forward I do think it may become a matter of choosing one platform and being locked into that environment over another. With the way Apple likes to control its user's experiences, it feels quite like a dictatorship from an outsider looking in. I hope we don't end up being in a situation where owning a mobile handset means signing up your choices and liberties too.

Last year Orange released HD Voice and Three have just announced they we've rolled it out since May of this year. What you as a user should realise is that you'll need to do minimal work to experience this feature. As HD voice is enabled on a network level and is only available on 3G networks, all you as a user will need is a compatible handset.

Technically HD Voice is just an updated codec (WB-AMR Wideband Adaptive Multi-Rate codec) which captures more data, which in turn is sound. I experienced a few HD calls way back in January 2010 where Three did a little demo to a few journalists and myself on some Sony Ericsson K series devices. The difference in quality of HD voice is very much like day and night.

Compatible Handsets (as confirmed by Three)

Further handsets will be confirmed by Three, so keep a check on their blog for news about your handset.

Following on from the great video of the Long Distance SKATE, we've got yet another early access exclusive. This second video is slightly different. Titled Paint SKATE, it uses the same Push Skating Prototype as before but with a bit more paint.

 Enjoy it below. As usual keep your rss catchers aimed at the PushN8 Blog and follow the @NokiaPush Twitter account to stay up to date.

The HTC ChaCha is a peculiar handset amongst the Android family and it's not because of it's dedicated Facebook button either. The full QWERTY candy bar style with the landscape screen orientation will further add to the fragmentation of Android itself for some, but I personally think it tackles issues Android hasn't experienced yet.

The Cha Cha comes in a mixture of white plastic and silver metallic casing. It has a full QWERTY thumb pad, touch Android user buttons, whilst the dedicated Facebook button sits at the bottom of the "chin" found on older HTC handsets such as the Hero and Dream (G1). The included charger is also white and there is a snazzy twist clip function, although one wonders how long the plastic on plastic twisting would take to ear it out.

Physically I found the handset to be smaller than expected, the press and advertised images make it look a lot bigger than it actually is. At most I'd say it's a half centimetre wider than the Desire, whilst it being a half centimetre shorter. It fits comfortably in one hand, although one handed operation isn't easy, nor does it seem it was designed for one handed use either.

The HTC chin is back on the ChaCha. Design wise it's not too bad, I didn't find any advantages to this design. It might make viewing the screen more optimal, but I think the screen needs more help than just a little tilt upwards. The rounded edges and the smooth finish on this handset make it slightly slippery, I would think the chin plays a little part in this.

The rounded keys and little spaces in-between them make typing away on the ChaCha easy to get used to. Once familiarised with the layout (here we have yet another variation) and where to access the FN (function) key for your access to symbols and special characters, you'll be updating your status, commenting and chattering away on Facebook pretty quickly.

What I found missing was the lack of a trackball, whilst the arrow keys do make up for them, having them in the bottom right corner instead of in the centre under the screen is somewhat undesirable. Most Nokia and Blackberry models have that setup, the ChaCha does not, so this might take a little getting used to. But as the ChaCha does have touch screen functionality there is some compensation.

The two dedicate answer / reject buttons just under the touch Android buttons went unnoticed, it would be better utilising this space for more screen real estate.

The screen maybe a higher resolution to some other similar handsets the ChaCha will be competing in the market against, but I think there are a few factors which hinder the experience.

First and foremost, Android is not optimised for landscape use. Whilst there are a few options to make it usable, using any Android device in landscape mode all the time will be painful and the lack of support and optimisations will be clear. Apps in the market have not been optimised to run landscape nor on this resolution (480 x 320), which really make getting as much info on screen at one time very hard. Screen retail space is a major concern here. There is a real feel of claustrophobia when using the ChaCha for long periods of time. Those used to the landscape mode may not experience it as much, but coming from a larger screen, it was definitely something I had to consciously get used to.

The screens other fault is the viewing angle. The viewing angle is not as wide as I would have liked, whilst the reflective nature make it hard to see when outdoors. At times viewing images or a video at a slightly slanted angle weren't crisp or as sharp I'd like. Having to view them almost straight on or past that line of limit is not ideal.

The 5 mega pixel camera on the back of the ChaCha is not really the selling point of this handset, so I wouldn't expect amazing images from it. But the images captured were good enough for sharing to Facebook. In good lighting conditions it wasn't a problem whilst in lowlight it performed OK, whilst the LED flash wasn't as blinding as on my Desire. The option to take images in a 3:2 widescreen resolution is a nice bonus. The 480p video capture ability is sufficient for grabbing quick videos in good light, but in lowlight it's not advisable. There is also the option to capture in widescreen mode here too - 720x480. A couple of sample images and comparison with the Desire can be found below. Click them to open in higher resolutions.

It wasn't easy trying to get the pictures as desired due to the fact the ChaCha doesn't have a dedicated camera button and also the fact the pictures were taken using the phone vertically. It's not comfortable at all.

The ChaCha's main selling point is the Facebook integration. Not only does it have a dedicated button for quick access to Facebook, the ChaCha's software has also been optimised to utilise this. Like most of the HTC's Android handset loaded with Sense, Facebook comes as part of a pre installed package. But HTC have gone the extra yard to make use of the dedicated Facebook button. When pressed it loads up a quick status screen where one can update their status, upload a picture from the gallery or snap one using the camera to post something on one of theirs or their friend's walls. The integration works well and it's super quick to do. Holding the button down allows the user to check-in to a place by using Facebook places. Again, very easy and quick to do.

FB Chat is also preloaded on the ChaCha. This allows the user to quickly see who's online and available to chat. There are also various widgets to stay alert with the latest from Facebook on your homepage. Whilst HTC's optimised Friend stream is a one stop shop to see what everyone is up to or what they are sharing. All of which can be filtered by categories; Photos, Status Updates, Links etc.

The HTC ChaCha is clearly aimed at a specific crowd. I'm not sure whether it excels at what it's aimed to do. But if the handset can be priced at a decent market, then there would be relative success. High end users on the whole would prefer a different setup or handset. There is too much change and adaptability for them. I think if it's aimed at the budget market the ChaCha may succeed, but put it up against a Blackberry Curve for example and it would have no chance, despite it's overwhelming features.

The ChaCha for me is a good experiment to see where Android users could end up and how far they would go to try something different. I don't quite agree having a dedicated Facebook button would make it a more social handset. There are plenty of apps, widgets and customisations in the Market to easily turn any generic Android handset into a "Facebook" phone. I'd rather HTC and others concentrate on doing what they have and expand on those, the HTC G2 and Desire Z are great examples. A dedicated camera button instead of a Facebook button would be a starting point.

The HTC ChaCha asks more questions than it actually answers. Can Android cope with handsets purely designed to work in Landscape mode. Are developers aware of Landscape mode and are they optimising their apps to utilise these options. Can Android become flexible enough to cope with varying different resolutions and handset design without fragmenting itself even more? I for one hope so.

Pros
Cons
The HTC ChaCha is available on ThreeUK on The One Plan with AYCE (all you can eat) data.