If you’re an Android-powered device user and have been jealous of all your iPhone and iPad using friends who get to watch Netflix content on their devices, be jealous no longer. Netflix finally announced that its Android application is now available and ready for you to download in the Android Market.

However, as great as that news is for Android users, there’s one thing that may dampen the excitement. The app is only supported on “select phones that have the requisite playback support.” All is not lost, however, as Netflix says it will add supported devices to its list over time.

As you probably already know, the video streaming service is currently available on Windows Phone and iOS devices, but what was the holdup for Android? “Because the platform has evolved so rapidly, there are some significant challenges associated with developing a streaming video application for this ecosystem,” Netflix product team member Roma De said.

“One of these challenges is the lack of standard streaming playback features that the Netflix application can use to gain penetration across all available Android phones. In the absence of standardization, we have to test each individual handset and launch only on those that can support playback.”

I guess that makes sense. See, Apple owning the entire widget and making developers adhere to a strict set of rules might not be a bad thing after all. At least iOS users get cool apps first, at least in most cases.

Netflix for Android currently runs on the HTC Incredible, Nexus One, and EVO 4G with Android 2.2 installed. It’s also supported on the Nexus S and Nexus One with Android 2.3 installed.

The long-awaited Android Mobile OS v.2.2 (AKA “FroYo”) has officially rolled out, but before you get too excited, it’s only for Nexus One owners.

Revealed last month at Google’s I/O Developer Conference, FroYo represents a huge leap forward in features for Google’s mobile OS. The newest Android version boasts not only faster performance, but a virtual laundry list of cool features like the ability to create a 5-device mobile hotspot, built-in tethering support, improved cloud-to-mobile device functionality, Adobe Flash 10.1 optimized for the mobile platform, and the list just goes on and on.

Owners of other Android-powered handsets such as the HTC Evo, Droid Incredible and even the upcoming Droid X will unfortunately have to wait a bit longer to get their hands on the new OS. Because most of these phones run a customized version of Android, or have an add-on UI layer like the ‘Sense UI,’ it’s up to the manufacturer to handle their own roll-outs.

That said, if you are using one of these HTC mobile devices, all signs point to August before you’ll be able to get your hands on FroYo.

For those lucky few with a Nexus One, expect an over-the-air update sometime soon.

It looks like Amazon isn’t going to simply wait around while Apple’s iPad and iPhone kill their eBook market. Instead, they are expanding beyond Apple and RIM and into the Android market by bringing their Kindle reader to the platform.

They already have an application for the iPhone, iPad and Blackberry and now they are planning to release one for Android powered smartphones. The Android app will look like its iPhone counterpart and include the the ability to read, preview, and purchase books from Amazon’s Kindle bookstore. You will also be able to navigate with a finger flick and sync reading progress across all supported platforms — which is a nice feature if, like me, you have several platforms.

The app is reportedly also compatible with popular Android handsets including the Moto DROID, Nexus One, HTC Droid Eris and HTC Incredible. Look for it in the Android Market soon. You can also sign up at Amazon to be notified when it becomes available.

If you believe the folks at The Wall Street Journal, AT&T’s monopoly on the iPhone will finally be coming to an end this June when Apple will release a CDMA version of the iPhone which will be available on Verizon. According to people “briefed on the matter” a special CDMA version of the iPhone will be made starting this September by Pegatron Technology Corp., a subsidiary of ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

To which company will this CDMA device be headed? Verizon Wireless. Even though I bash AT&T for their network (and I’m not alone here for sure) and the fact that calls continuously seem to drop, I can actualy tell they’ve made a few strides in improving their network, at least in the Los Angeles area.

Still, in LA at least, Verizon is usually the clear winner when it comes to network availability and the ability to make a call and stay on that call without dropping. So, if their really is an iPhone coming to Verizon, I may just have to pick one up. That or I may just give up the iPhone all together and go for a Google Nexus One when it comes to Verizon. The next few months should be interesting indeed.

It’s Tuesday so that must mean it’s a day for lawsuits, at least where Apple, Inc. is concerned. Case in point, our favorite fruit flavored technology company is suing hardware maker HTC for infringement of 20 patents concerning the iPhone user interface and its hardware and architecture. The lawsuit was filed with the U.S. International Trade Comission and in the U.S. District Court of Deleware.

Steve Jobs himself had this to say about the lawsuit: “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,” said Jobs. “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.” Yeah, he seems a bit miffed about the whole thing.

Although the Google Nexus One is not mentioned specifically in the lawsuit and HTC does make several other Android handsets, some could argue the touchscreen models interface does look quite a bit like the iPhone’s. Still, “quite a bit” does not necessarily a lawsuit make. Could it just be a bit of posturing to warn others away from trying to steal Apple’s ideas or to slow down the progress Android is making in the marketplace? Maybe.

Apple has the right to defend it’s ideas and the cash to try and punish those it deems responsible for stealing said ideas. However, I was kinda hoping to get my hands on a Nexus One when it is released for Verizon. I hope this lawsuit doesn’t hold that up. Neither HTC nor Google has issued a statement yet concerning the lawsuit.

In the wake of the recent release of the Motorola Droid and HTC’s Droid Eris, smartphones featuring Google’s Android software are some of the biggest sellers in the market right now. So it comes as no surprise to geeks and Google fanatics alike that this week, Google officially unveiled its very own Android-powered smartphone:  the Google Nexus.

The device, the first smartphone completely designed by Google and manufactured by HTC, features Android 2.1 software and a host of other interesting features such as a 1Ghz processor, Google’s latest map software, an 800 x 480 display, a 5 MP camera with LED flash, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and pretty much any other thing you might want in a smartphone. For the full specs, check out this page. Of course, it is powered by Google’s Android software which also gives you access to thousands of useful applications to enhance your Nexus.

Initially, the Nexus will be released for T-Mobile or unlocked in the US but will also come to Verizon and Vodaphone later this year in the Spring. To order, head on over to Google’s very own order page and get one for yourself.