Android-based smartphones are falling victim to something that has plagued PC users for years: bloatware.

Android phones are being pre-loaded with trial software and apps that can't be deleted off the device by the user. These apps touting mobile TV, football games, location-based search and games are the new face of bloatware, also known as crapware or craplets in the PC world. The term is shorthand for non-essential software or media files bundled with a device in a bid to boost revenue and ostensibly give consumers a chance to try new services.

Motorola's Droid X is an impressive new contender in the emerging category of large form-factor touchscreen smartphones. The device's high-end hardware specifications and massive 4-inch touchscreen set it apart from the rest of Motorola's current product lineup. Although the Android-based device has much in common with HTC's recently launched EVO 4G, the Droid X succeeds where the EVO fell short—by matching an excellent feature set with all-day battery life.

The Droid X comes with a new iteration of Motorola's custom Android environment, which offers tightly integrated social networking functionality. It has outstanding power management features and the best support for messaging that we have ever seen on an Android handset—characteristics that make up for the rough edges that are present elsewhere in the user experience.

Google's Linux-based Android mobile platform is rapidly gaining traction around the world. Recent reports suggest that it is on a trajectory to become the dominant mobile operating system in China, a region with a large population of mobile Internet users and enormous growth potential.

Although this may seem like an unambiguous victory for Google on the surface, the implications are actually not that clear. It's important to understand that the Chinese mobile ecosystem is producing its own variant of Android, called OPhone. It's a fork of the platform that largely cuts out Google as the middleman. The fork offers Chinese handset makers and mobile carriers considerable autonomy, because it allows them to circumvent the licensing policies and technical mechanisms that Google has traditionally used to exercise control over the platform.

The iPad is about to have its academic chops put to the test this fall in a number of programs around the country. Colleges and universities are looking to adopt the iPad as a collaborative tool, a standardized mobile device to integrate into curriculums, and, in some cases, even a cost-saving device.

Oklahoma State University plans to begin a pilot iPad program this fall, with students in certain courses offered by the School of Media and Strategic Communications and the Spears School of Business receiving iPads to use with those courses. The program will be used to determine how effective iPads can be as tools to enhance learning as well as how such mobile devices can be integrated into the workplace.

RIM has recently begun revealing details of its upcoming BlackBerry 6 mobile operating system. Yesterday on the Inside BlackBerry blog, the team working on the multimedia capabilities of the updated OS detailed several upcoming features designed to handle your music, photos, and videos.

Several of the new or improved features, now commonplace on other mobile platforms, will be welcomed by current BlackBerry users as well as the younger demographic that RIM has targeted in recent ad campaigns. For example, when loading music using BlackBerry Media Sync, album art will be transferred for easier browsing. New video features include controls to account for different aspect ratios, Internet searching for video content, and built-in YouTube uploading. The camera software has been overhauled with face detection, video capture capabilities, scene modes, and better on-screen controls. And a separate podcast app has been added for syncing and listening to podcasts.

To better highlight apps that take advantage of the multimedia capabilities in BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 6 will also offer direct links to areas of BlackBerry App World for apps that work with music, video, or photos.

"The multimedia team focused on delivering an intuitive multimedia experience right out of the box," wrote a product manager who oversees the team charged with building these new features, "so whether you are a power user or new to mobile multimedia on BlackBerry smartphones, you can easily find and use the enhanced multimedia features."

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Demand for new PCs is on the upswing, and most new PCs sold run Windows. How will that impact Microsoft's earnings? Tune into our live coverage of Microsoft's fourth quarter FY 2010 earnings call, which will begin on July 22, 2010 at 2:30pm PDT/5:30pm EDT (see it in your timezone).

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