As with websites, there are two basic categories of user interaction you can track: pageviews and events. Since mobile apps don’t contain HTML pages, developers simply determine when their apps should trigger pageview requests. Google Analytics then aggregates this data in the Content reports to display the number of visits, session length and bounce rates. The data gives insight into how your users interacted with the app.

Developers can also track visitor actions that don’t correspond directly to pageviews using Event Tracking. These user actions can include views of embedded videos, button clicks, downloads and more. App developers can then use this data to understand which features are most popular and inform decisions about which features should be promoted or prioritized for further development.

While the Google Maps Navigation service is free to use, bear in mind that you would need a constant data connection to retrieve the mapping data off from the Google server when you are using it.

[via Android Community]

This new feature comes with everything you’d expect to find in a GPS navigation system, like 3D views, turn-by-turn voice guidance and automatic rerouting. But unlike most navigation systems, Google Maps Navigation was built from the ground up to take advantage of your phone’s Internet connection.

Here are seven features that are possible because Google Maps Navigation is connected to the Internet:

The most recent map and business data
When you use Google Maps Navigation, your phone automatically gets the most up-to-date maps and business listings from Google Maps — you never need to buy map upgrades or update your device. And this data is continuously improving, thanks to users who report maps issues and businesses who activate their listings with Google Local Business Center.

Search in plain English
Google Maps Navigation brings the speed, power and simplicity of Google search to your car. If you don’t know the address you’re looking for, don’t worry. Simply enter the name of a business, a landmark or just about anything into the search box, and Google will find it for you. Then press “Navigate”, and you’re on your way.

Search by voice
Typing on a phone can be difficult, especially in the car, so with Google Maps Navigation, you can say your destination instead. Hold down the search button to activate voice search, then tell your phone what you want to do (like “Navigate to Pike Place in Seattle”), and navigation will start automatically.

Traffic view
Google Maps Navigation gets live traffic data over the Internet. A traffic indicator light in the corner of the screen glows green, yellow or red, depending on the current traffic conditions along your route. If there’s a jam ahead of you, you’ll know. To get more details, tap the light to zoom out to an aerial view showing traffic speeds and incidents ahead. And if the traffic doesn’t look good, you can choose an alternate route.

Search along route
For those times when you’re already on the road and need to find a business, Google Maps Navigation searches along your route to give you results that won’t take you far from your path. You can search for a specific business by name or by type, or you can turn on popular layers, such as gas stations, restaurants or parking.

Satellite view
Google Maps Navigation uses the same satellite imagery as Google Maps on the desktop to help you get to your destination. Turn on the satellite layer for a high-resolution, 3D view of your upcoming route. Besides looking cool, satellite view can help you make sense of complicated maneuvers.

Street View
If you want to know what your next turn looks like, double-tap the map to zoom into Street View, which shows the turn as you’ll see it, with your route overlaid. And since locating an address can sometimes be tricky, we’ll show you a picture of your destination as you approach the end of your route, so you’ll know exactly what to look for.

[via Android Community]

Check out a list of other upcoming features below:

• Quick Contact for Android provides instant access to a contact’s information and communication modes. For example, a user can tap a contact photo and select to call, SMS, or email the person. Other applications such as Email, Messaging, and Calendar can also reveal the Quick Contact widget when you touch a contact photo or status icon.
• Search functionality for all saved SMS and MMS messages.
• Auto delete the oldest messages in a conversation when a defined limit is reached.
• Camera
  • Built-in flash support
  • Digital zoom
  • Scene mode
  • White balance
  • Color effect
  • Macro focus
• Improved virtual keyboard layout to makes it easier to hit the correct characters and improve typing speed.
• The framework’s multi-touch support ensures that key presses aren’t missed while typing rapidly with two fingers.
• A smarter dictionary learns from word usage and automatically includes contact names as suggestions.
• Browser
  • Refreshed UI with actionable browser URL bar enables users to directly tap the address bar for instant searches and navigation.
  • Bookmarks with web page thumbnails.
  • Support for double-tap zoom.
  • Support for HTML5:
    • Database API support, for client-side databases using SQL
    • Application cache support, for offline applications.
    • Geolocation API support, to provide location information about the device.
  • tag support in fullscreen mode.
• Calendar
  • Agenda view provides infinite scrolling.
  • Events indicate the attending status for each invitee.
  • Invite new guests to events.

Click here to view the embedded video.

According to Google, new Android smartphone with Android 1.6 will be available as early as October. A full detail new features and changes can be read here

Click here to view the embedded video.

I am happy to let you know that Android 1.6 SDK is available for download. Android 1.6, which is based on the donut branch from the Android Open Source Project, introduces a number of new features and technologies. With support for CDMA and additional screen sizes, your apps can be deployed on even more mobile networks and devices. You will have access to new technologies, including framework-level support for additional screen resolutions, like QVGA and WVGA, new telephony APIs to support CDMA, gesture APIs, a text-to-speech engine, and the ability to integrate with Quick Search Box. What’s new in Android 1.6 provides a more complete overview of this platform update.

The Android 1.6 SDK requires a new version of Android Development Tools (ADT). The SDK also includes a new tool that enables you to download updates and additional components, such as new add-ons or platforms.

You can expect to see devices running Android 1.6 as early as October. As with previous platform updates, applications written for older versions of Android will continue to run on devices with Android 1.6. Please test your existing apps on the Android 1.6 SDK to make sure they run as expected.

Our Latitude web app provides all the core functionality you might expect: you can see the location of your friends on a map and modify your privacy settings so that you control how your location is shared and with whom. In fact, if my friends and colleagues back in London haven’t yet noticed my absence, they’ll see in Latitude that I’m currently vacationing on the beach in Australia. Hi guys, remember me!?

We worked closely with Apple to bring Latitude to the iPhone in a way Apple thought would be best for iPhone users. After we developed a Latitude application for the iPhone, Apple requested we release Latitude as a web application in order to avoid confusion with Maps on the iPhone, which uses Google to serve maps tiles.

Other than the layering feature, map search results can now be also displayed on the map as little red dots so that you could find the nearest location from the result map. To download the new version, you can visit this page,  m.google.com/maps, from your mobile directly and follow the instruction.

full release note below

New features

• ayers: Layers (’2′ shortcut key) allow you to view locations and additional info overlaid on the map. You can add multiple layers or remove only certain layers so you control exactly what information you want visible on the map at the same time. Familiar info now available as layers include search results, Traffic (with new traffic incident icons and info), Directions, and Google Latitude. New available layers include My Maps (view-only), Transit lines (w/upcoming station departure info where available), and Wikipedia.
• Browse categories: Browse popular categories from the Search menu to search the map for businesses or points of interest by type. Category searches are currently available only for results in the US and China.
• Additional search results: When you search the map, Maps for mobile will now show you additional search results beyond the top ten results. The additional results will appear as “dots” on the map that you can select to see more info. As you pan the map, more search results will appear. Just zoom in to select a specific dot if there are lots of results for your search.
• My Maps: Add the My Maps layer from the Layers menu and sign in to your Google Account to access your custom My Maps created and edited from your computer. My Maps are currently view-only from Google Maps for mobile. You cannot create or edit your My Maps.

Signing in to your Google Account

You may sign in to to your Google Account from Google Maps for mobile in order to access certain features such as My Maps. By signing in, you will be able to use features like Google Latitude or to access info linked to your Google Account from other places outside of Maps for mobile such as My Maps.

Signing out: Sign out of your Google Account in Maps for mobile at any time by selecting the option from the main menu. Once you sign out of your Google Account, you will no longer be able to access any features that require a Google Account such as My Maps or Google Latitude.

Google Latitude: Google Latitude is an opt-in feature that requires you to both explicitly join and to be signed in to your Google Account. You may sign in to your Google Account to use features like My Maps, but Latitude will not be enabled until you explicitly choose to join it from the main menu. Similarly, you may turn only Latitude off from its privacy menu and still remain signed in to your Google Account to use other Maps features that require your account. If you sign out of your Google Account entirely from the Maps main menu, all features that require your account will no longer be available, including Latitude.

Fixed issues

• Symbian S60: E61, E61i, and E62 devices: Shortcut keys work properly using the standard numeric shortcuts. Previously, shortcut keys were not working as intended on these devices.
• Windows Mobile: Copy and paste has been re-enabled for most text entry fields (Search, directions, and user name)

Troubleshooting

• Symbian S60
  • N82 and N95 devices: we strongly encourage that you back up your device and consider upgrading to the latest device firmware version (see http://nokia.com/softwareupdate). A very small number of users report experiencing a device hang during installation, and we haven’t yet been able to reproduce this in the lab or determine the exact cause.
  • For some S60 3rd ed. FP2 phones (Nokia 5320 XpressMusic, 6210 Navigator, 6220 Classic, 6650, N78, N79, N85, N96, N96-3), you may need to set a default destination using the following steps: Go to Settings > Connection > Destinations > Options > Default connection. Select “Internet” (if you have it) or whichever APN group you want it to use.
• Windows Mobile
  • If you install Maps for mobile to your memory card instead of your device memory, you may experience issues due to a corrupt memory card or files. Please try a clean install using these instructions if you experience errors during installation:
    1. Uninstall Maps for mobile by going to Settings > Systems > Remove Programs > Google Maps.
    2. Do a soft reset / power off.
    3. Delete any remaining files under “\Program Files\GoogleMaps” (if installed in the internal memory) or “\Storage Card\Program Files\GoogleMaps” (if installed in an external memory card).
    4. Delete any remaining files under “\Application Data\GoogleMaps” (if installed in the internal memory) or “\Storage Card\Application Data\GoogleMaps” (if installed in an external memory card).
    5. After that, re-install the latest version from m.google.com/maps
  • Some users may see scrambled text upon loading Maps for mobile the first time after installation. Please try rebooting your phone first and seeing if this issue persists.

AdSense for Mobile Applications allows developers to earn revenue by displaying text and image ads in their iPhone and Android applications. For our beta launch, we’ve created a site where developers can learn more about the AdSense for Mobile Applications program, see answers to frequently asked questions and sign up to participate in our beta. Advertisers can also learn about the benefits of advertising in mobile applications.

Orange is offering the HTC Hero for free to customers who take out a £39.15 per month, 24 month contract. The package includes 1200 any network call minutes, unlimited texts, as well as inclusive anytime internet browsing so users can make the most out of their mobile experience.

Francois Mahieu, Director of Devices, Orange UK said, “We’re really pleased to be launching our first Android handset in conjunction with HTC. The first of several Android devices you can expect from us this year, we believe the Hero is a great all round device which will allow consumers to get to grips with all the things they love about the internet, whilst on the move. We expect it to be extremely popular when it hits shelves this summer.”

[via Android Community]

In the hand, the Hero feels slimmer than the Magic, not least because of the bevelled edge. The HTC rep we talked to wasn’t sure whether the pre-production handset you see here has the Teflon back coating or not; it doesn’t feel especially different to a normal matte-finish panel.  The fingerprint-resistant screen is, as you’ll see in the shots, not particularly good at avoiding smudges in the first place, but like the iPhone 3GS it sheds them with a quick wipe.