Set aside the differences in sharing things like photos and videos. Set aside the differences in how the app store and media purchases work. Hell, you can even set aside the differences in cost, hardware design and software design in general. And you’d still be left with the biggest problem Android faces over platforms like iOS today: manufacturers are still releasing too many damn phones. It’s what affects a company’s ability to provide timely updates, what keeps accessory manufacturers from supporting more devices and what makes Android look like the the dumb-phone OS of the future. Japan’s NTT Docomo has announced their latest lineup of devices in the “Next” and “With” series to be sold this summer; both feature a handful of Android devices.
NTT Docomo exemplifies everything I hate about carriers and manufacturers
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The internet is abuzz with the latest app to hit the Google Play Store today. Turntable.FM is now finally available for Android users and ripe for the downloading in the Play Store. The app brings a more social aspect to listening to “teh dubstepz” online. Virtual DJ’s can play their music for rooms of users where their skills can even be voted on. 
Apple has released an update to the developer preview of their next operating system, OS 10.8 Mountain Lion. The new update doesn’t appear to add much in the way of features, but it does bring the OS one step closer …
Story time! Back in October, at the Big Android BBQ, we dropped a box of tees featuring a re-imagined CyanogenMod mascot at the feet of Steve Kondik. Let me rephrase that. We attempted to drop a box of tees, but I’m not sure it actually hit the ground before it was snatched empty. Immediately we were met with reprint requests. That day has finally arrived. 
Android Apps Alert is Androinica.com’s weekly round-up of new, updated, and under the radar apps. Each app is plucked from a list of candidates found by browsing the Android Market and developer/user submissions. To suggest an app for review, drop us a line on Google+ or Twitter . QUICK HITS Dell Voice updated to provide visual voicemail. Canadians can use Dell Voice to get a new number that forwards to more phones and provides online features for controlling or monitoring accounts. It’s basically Google Voice for Canadians. 
HTC fans hoping for a new Android phone equipped with a QWERTY keyboard will be extremely disappointed to learn that HTC is moving away from producing new devices with physical keyboards. HTC creative director Claude Zellweger made the announcement in Seattle during a press event, stating “As a company the QWERTY keyboard we’re moving away from in general.” Zellweger goes on to say “putting too much effort into that [QWERTY phones] would take away from our devices.” Rather than spending extra time on new hardware designs for QWERTY equipped devices, HTC will focus on improving its on-screen keypad software to consumers. Even though most of the popular smartphones released in the past few years have not had physical keyboards, QWERTY devices have played a key role in the development of Android and its growth since the very beginning. Couple today’s news with HTC’s revelation from yesterday that they scrapped
Spotify hasn’t updated its Android app since November, despite frequent reports from users about the app crashing, performing poorly, or having a frustrating interface. A new update to one of the world’s most popular streaming service is right around the corner, and it’s a significant one that should address all of those concerns. Diego Planas Rego, writing on the Spotify blog, reveals that Spotify has opted to embrace the Holo design in its latest update. Before pushing the new version to Google Play, the company has posted a preview APK that users can download now and test for themselves. Spotify Premium members will find that the app has “Full support for Android 4.0″ and looks much cleaner than the previous version.