Thanks to the ubiquity of USB connections on mobile devices, getting power from a portable solar charger is just as easy as plugging into the wall.

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Customers pining for the Samsung Galaxy S II handset received good and bad news, depending on their carrier of choice. While models of this popular and top-selling smartphone are expected to see AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile during a product launch next week, Verizon this week confirmed it would not be carrying the Galaxy S II. Instead, the company said it had a strong lineup already and pointed to the LTE-equipped Droid Charge as an alternative.

Verizon appears to want more handsets that utilize its next generation LTE data network; understandable after investing billions on the upgrade which not only offers faster speeds, but can help reduce any congestion on the company’s existing 3G network. Galaxy S II fans shouldn’t be too upset though: Samsung is also expected to announce an LTE version of the Galaxy S II at next month’s IFA event in Berlin. That model is slated to have a larger display, faster processor and higher capacity battery, so may be worth the wait.

Owners of Sony Ericsson Android phones are used to waiting, but for software updates more than handsets. Initially known for being slow to provide Android updates, the company looks to be improving its response to Google’s Android improvements and this week said all 2011 Xperia smartphones would get Android 2.3.4 starting in October. Although the software is mainly a maintenance release, it does bring support for Google Talk video calls, deep Facebook integration, support for USB devices and a new 3-D panoramic image capture function.

Android owners don’t need a Sony Ericsson phone for panoramic shots, though; several manufacturers have built such functionality in to their high-end smartphones. Not everyone has the hardware to handle panoramic pic, however, as the process to stitch frames together can be processor-intensive. A new Android application in beta called 360 aims to change that.

I took 360 for a spin and found that it creates sweeping images in a relatively small amount of time. I didn’t have a low-end Android handset to test the application, but the folks at TeliportMe, which created the software, told me that it’s designed for phones with meager hardware specifications. The software also adds a social component, allowing pictures to be shared via Facebook, Twitter, or through a website specific to the application.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• What the Google-Motorola deal means for Android, Microsoft and the mobile industry
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Google held it’s annual I/O developer event this past week and outlined plans for Android, but key news took place even after the conference ended. Tuesday’s keynote at Google I/O focused solely on the mobile platform with many of the developments predicted in advance.

Google is now seeing 400,000 device activations each day, with a cumulative total of 100 million Android smartphones and tablets that have downloaded 4.5 billion apps from the Market. To continue that momentum, Google is looking to improved its mobile platform. Honeycomb gains an update to version 3.1 with support for USB devices, widgets that can be resized, and a scrolling list of recent apps for better usability.

Motorola Xoom owners on Verizon’s network are the first to see Honeycomb 3.1, with other devices to follow in the coming weeks. Some of those may be 7-inch slates, such as Acer’s A100 or the expected ViewPad 7x from ViewSonic. The tablet operating system may see additional improvements throughout the year, but it’s likely that the next big update will be Ice Cream Sandwich. Expected in the fourth quarter of 2011, this is the version that will bring tablet features to smartphones and unify the Android platform.

Two days after Google outlined improvements for Android, Netflix finally launched in the Market; but not for all handsets. Only five devices are initially supported by the video streaming software:  HTC’s Incredible, Nexus One, Evo 4G, G2 and Samsung’s Nexus S can install and use Netflix for now, with more to follow. My testing of the device showed Netflix to work well on the Android platform, and it made me appreciate the Nexus One handset that I had been thinking of replacing.

One of the many contenders to succeed my Nexus One is the Samsung Infuse 4G, which launches on AT&T’s network May 15. Although the handset uses a single-core processor — many new phones are starting to use dual-core CPUs — the performance of the Infuse is reasonably good. Even more impressive is the Super AMOLED Plus display, which provides vivid colors that seem to pop off the screen as you can see in this short video.

As nice as the Infuse 4G looks, I’m adding the HTC Sensation 4G to my “watch list” as well. A promotional video released this week for the upcoming handset shows a highly capable, multimedia powerhouse that’s sure to appeal.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
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