Mobile, Internet, etc

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, GSM, EDGE

OK, just because the Samsung GT-S3500 slider may look like a really basic set, OK yeah, you’re right, it is. While running a little on the homely side of the tracks, it does make use of stainless for the body, quad-band EDGE, has FM radio with RDS, 2 megapixel shooter, and a 2.2-inch display. Things like Bluetooth also find some space inside so wired headsets won’t be your only recourse for safe talking on the go. Pricing seems set at 7500 rubles (roughly $200) and is apparently hitting the shops now, in Russia.

Continue reading Samsung sends GT-S3500 slider to market, us to sleep

Samsung sends GT-S3500 slider to market, us to sleep originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Telus Mobility, EV-DO, CDMA

Our friend (and oft correct) RileyFreeman over at HowardForums tipped us off that Telus’ BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 is pimping and pruning its pricing prior to launch. Word has it that this flippy debutante will be priced at $100 on a 3-year contract, and $500 completely off-contract. Other info mentions that Telus has prepped a special plan just for this pink or black set, running at $32.50 it’ll include 200 minutes, evenings and weekends after 6 P.M, 3 months free local calling, and unlimited mail and instant messaging. Of course, with Bell’s launch of the same set at $29 on a three-year today — and competition with its own BlackBerry Curve 8830 at the same price point — we suspect Telus may want to rethink a tad — if indeed, this proves true — before they open the floodgates wide.

[Thanks, RileyFreeman and agent_whitevan]

Telus’ BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 gets a plan and pricing, rumor-style originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, HSDPA, UMTS

We powered up ye olde NAM 5800 XpressMusic today, and the weirdest thing happened: it worked on 3G. This comes after a day of frustration trying to get it hooked up to UMTS yesterday — a sentiment echoed by several others who took the plunge. The only theory we can come up with is that we were in Chicago yesterday at the Nokia flagship store — a place where many of the “defective” units were sold — and today we’re elsewhere, so it’s conceivable that there’s an issue with AT&T’s 3G network in Chicago. We’ve noticed an uptick in 3G loss on other devices in Chicago the past few days, so it’s possible that the 5800 is just particularly sensitive to crappy networks; then again, there seem to be others in New York that have the same issue, so it’s anybody’s guess. All we know for sure is that we’re showing a big, fat “3.5G” logo in the upper left corner of our unit at the moment — and we’re going to cross our fingers that it stays that way. We have a request out to Nokia for official comment on the issue, and we’ll let you know as soon as we have more.

Our Nokia 5800 magically starts working on 3G originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, Symbian, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA

Well if your dreams of a new set have been dashed by the Nokia XpressMusic 5800’s issues but you still want to shop Nokia, here’s a deal for you. Amazon’s Gold Box sale today features the lovely — and arguably Nokia’s sassiest QWERTY smartphone — Nokia E71 in gray for $289 shipped. We peeked at Nokia’s shop and they have it priced at $349, and Expansys is at $389, so we’re fairly impressed at the price here, though it will only be about at this price today. Heck, we may stock up and make it an early Nokia Christmas this year, for ourselves. The read link will send you off to Amazon’s Gold Box page, so if you’re reading this article late, the set will be gone.

Amazon’s Gold Box sale features Nokia E71 for $289, shipped originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, ASUS, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA

Sad business if true, but the UnwiredView is reporting that ASUS’ P565 Windows Mobile 6.1-toting, VGA, HSDPA, Blazing 800MHz (Marvell PXA930) monster has been quietly dumped. The reason? Nobody’s talking and we’ve not heard reports from either Garmin or ASUS to verify it either way — it has apparently launched in Germany and Poland, at least — but according to GPSAndCo, its debut in France isn’t happening and they point to the new partnership as the reason. In the end, it does seem as if the Garmin / ASUS team is going to deliver some pretty serious goods, so we’ll not shed a tear unless something happens to them, too. Of course, this could all be fluff, so do tell us if you catch sight of one of these at your local shop.

[Via UnwiredView]

ASUS’ P565 superphone canned due to Garmin partnership? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc

There’s no easy answer to erasing a staggering trillion-plus dollar deficit in a federal budget, but you’ve got to start somewhere — and Obama’s looking at the nation’s wireless carriers as cash cows just waiting to be milked. The President’s proposed budget for 2010 calls for an increase in spectrum license user fees from $50 million to $200 million, with further increases to $550 million over the course of the next decade, all of which would be on top of the billions carriers have already shelled out in spectrum auctions. A good way to bring in some extra cash? Yeah, probably, but considering that carriers will be more than happy to pass the increases on to consumers, let’s just be straight: it’s a tax.

[Via El Reg]

Obama’s proposed 2010 budget juices carriers for more cash originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Boost Mobile, Sprint, iDEN

Well Motorola’s first iDEN QWERTY effort has sailed through the FCC’s proving grounds and will apparently, or at least potentially, grace our push-to-talk pockets one day. We chattered about this wee red phone a bit on a recent podcast because from the looks of the pics we’ve seen, that keyboard will saw through fingers, and for a messaging handset, that’s just not good planning. If Boost Mobile literature is to be believed, then we can potentially expect this around June 15th this year, though, don’t hold us to that. Thanks FCC for testing and ensuring that this handset met 47 CFR 2.1093 (c) for RF exposure and found to be compliant with the limits specified in 47 CFR 2.1093(d)(2). Top job, love your graphs.

Motorola’s iDEN i465 passes muster with the FCC originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Features

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol’ Federal Communications Commission’s site. Since we couldn’t possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we’ve gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don’t need). Enjoy!

Phones
Read - LG GB250
Read - LG GB250F
Read - LG KT770F
Read - Samsung E2100L
Read - Samsung SCH-W760
Read - Samsung SCH-R311
Read - Samsung SGH-A257
Read - Samsung SPH-M810
Read - Samsung M7600
Read - Pantech C180
Read - Sanyo SCP-2700
Read - Philips Xenium X530

FCC Fridays originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, Symbian

We doubt you need a translation to figure out what’s going on here, but to summarize: the crew at mobile@mail.ru managed to get what they’re saying is an exclusive hands-on with a red Nokia E55. It’s the same compact QWERTY phone you’ve grown to love vicariously through photos and video, only now with a little rouge. Check out the read link for more pics.

[Thanks, Zavackiy]

Nokia E55 blushes red for the camera originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While RIM and Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo still don’t know why their BlackBerry Bold is feeling a little toasty around the keyboard, the duo has ruled out a likely culprit, the battery, as its unwelcome heat source. Word on the street is an estimated 30 people have issued complaints about the mobile device heating up while recharging, with around 4,000 units being sold before DoCoMo halted sales. One analyst speculates the issue — which so far has affected only Japan — may be based on region-specific software of other customizations. We’re sure the pair are working around the clock to get to the bottom of this malfunction, but in the meantime, we recommend dusting off the ol’ 8707h to get that retro BlackBerry feel — y’know, just for kicks.

NTT DoCoMo’s overheating BlackBerry Bold not caused by battery, says RIM originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, O2, Orange

Nokia made plenty of folks happy with its decision to include Skype on its new N97 handset, and future N-series devices, but it looks like the usual cadre of UK carriers aren’t among them, and they’re now making their displeasure quite clear. That includes O2 and Orange, who are apparently threatening to refuse stock of the N97 unless Nokia strips out the Skype client, a point they have reportedly made directly to Nokia in “high-level discussions.” Another unnamed “operator source” was apparently even more blunt, saying that this is “another example of them trying to build an ecosystem that is all about Nokia and reduces the operator to a dumb pipe,” adding that, “some people like 3 may be in a position where it could make sense to accept that. But if you spend upwards of £40m per year building your brand, you don’t want to be just a dumb pipe do you?” For its part, Nokia seems to be staying mum on the matter for the time being, though it’s tough to see a handset like the N97 just sitting on the shelf, so it seems like one party or the other will have to give sooner or later.

[Via mocoNews.net]

Nokia irks UK carriers with decision to include Skype on N97 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Verizon Wireless, GSM, EDGE, EV-DO, UMTS, CDMA, BlackBerry OS

Sure, the pic’s getting old at this point, but according to the Boy Genius Report, we may not have too much longer to wait to catch the 9630 Niagara in the wild. The radio department in the 9630 is filled to busting — or slowly warming your face — with CDMA, EV-DO Rev.A, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, and UMTS, with the GSM flavors getting the quad-band treatment. The rumored OS at launch is 4.7.1, though if delayed enough, it could pull through with OS 5.0. The last tidbits in the list are a 3.2 megapixel shooter — and maybe a version without — and the depressing news of no specific release date. Though, If we were Verizon and were sitting on this, you’d like to think that our timeline to launch would be as soon as frickin’ possible.

Is RIM’s BlackBerry 9630 Niagara headed to Verizon as World Edition? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA

Seems all’s not rosy in North American XpressMusic 5800-land, as tipsters and forums are buzzing with reports that the newly launched touchscreen isn’t connecting to 3G. We did a little spelunking on the newly launched set ourselves, and we can confirm that 3G appears to be a complete no-go — GSM works fine, but apart from a very brief 3.5G blip, we’re getting nothing in terms of UMTS or HSDPA. Also on the block in the trouble department is the ongoing speaker failing issue we’ve heard so much about of late. Apparently the issue stems from a supplier’s earpiece units packing it in — and Mobile-review used science to prove this — due to humidity. The fix? Grab one made in February, we’re told, or if you already have one of the affected Euro-spec units, Nokia has parts in from a new supplier and should be able to sort you out right quick.

Nokia’s XpressMusic 5800 troubled with speaker and NAM radio woes? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: EV-DO, CDMA, Misc

It seems like just yesterday that Big Red was firing up its EV-DO Rev. A network in America, and already we’re seeing signs of life with Rev. B. In all honesty, though, we’ve known about the next iteration of EV-DO (and the next-next, for that matter) for years now, but said Chinese carrier has just completed what it calls the world’s first EV-DO Rev. B VoIP call on its CDMA2000 system. In other words, this is the first time a CDMA carrier has achieved a 9.3Mbps download rate and 5.4Mbps upload rate. The lovely part of this is that ZTE can upgrade from Rev. A to Rev. B without any additional hardware, thus paving the way for a quick commercialization in Q3 2009. Huzzah!

ZTE completes EV-DO Rev. B VoIP call on CDMA2000 system originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Culture, Handsets, Software, Bell Mobility

We had a quick chat with Bell Canada’s Julie Smithers, and apparently the user gripes, moaning, and all around sadness seem to have helped Twitter and Bell strike up a new conversation about your beloved. Bell and Twitter have agreed that incoming Twitter SMSes will be free on Bell — provided you have a Bell SMS bundle — and that outgoing will be charged just like any other text would be. So if your plan includes 30 sent messages — like the $3 SMS bundle — and you go over, you’ll get dinged just like you would sending normal text messages. So let the merriment begin Canada, go forth, sign up for unlimited texting, and tweet like we know you’ve been itching to since November last year.

@Bell Canada backpedals, Twitter SMS now — almost — free originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, ASUS, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA

Last we checked, Mobile World Congress ended a few days ago, but evidently ASUS doesn’t mind a bit. Out of nowhere, the company has just introduced its newest Windows Mobile 6.1 (boo…) smartphone, the P835. Without a doubt, the two standout features here are the 3.5-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen and support for HSUPA 7.2Mbps downloads. The handset comes loaded with Opera Mobile for web surfing, a trackball, the company’s new and improved Glide user interface, a battery good for six to seven hours of talking, a 528MHz Qualcomm 7201A processor, 4GB of internal storage, a microSDHC card slot, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, USB 2.0 connectivity, aGPS and quad-band GSM compatibility. You’ll also find a 5 megapixel AutoFocus camera and video recording, and beautifully enough, the phone can double as a WiFi access point to share its blazing fast connection over WiFi with up to ten devices. As ASUS always does, we’re left high and dry when it comes to pricing and availability. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading ASUS gets official with P835 WVGA smartphone

ASUS gets official with P835 WVGA smartphone originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Bell Mobility, EV-DO, CDMA, BlackBerry OS

Big day for Bell and smartphones as they add the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 on top of the Pal Treo Pro launch a little earlier in the day. Thankfully the BlackBerry seems to have its pricing lined up and will squeeze your piggy bank for $29 on a three-year contract, a steep $349 on 2, $449 for 1-year and is $499 off contract altogether — though the $29 is apparently only until the end of March. Telus is also prepping this flippier BlackBerry for launch, though no word on a date for that just yet. In case you’ve forgotten the pink or black 8230 features GPS capabilities, 128MB of memory, external 1.6-inch and internal 2.4-inch displays, and the oh-so novel 4.6 OS. Grab it now on Bell’s site if you’ve been dreaming of the same ol’ BlackBerry in an entirely new and interesting package.

Update: Pricing updated as site was updated.

Bell Canada launches first CDMA BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Software, Windows Mobile, Android

This is just too good. We knew VMware was working on this sort of thing, but watching it in action is almost too much magic for our fragile hearts to comprehend. VMware MVP lets you run multiple mobile operating systems on a mobile device as virtual machines. It works exactly as you might hope something like this to work — you can switch between operating systems on the fly, with full graphics acceleration and touchscreen interaction. You can even view both operating systems running simultaneously (in this case Windows CE 6 and Android), with info on just how much power each OS is swiping from your poor little mobile CPU. Performance isn’t perfect, of course, but as mobile hardware gets better and the desire for multiple mobile operating systems on the same device becomes unbearable, we see good things happening here. VMware expects to release the software in 2009, video is after the break.

Continue reading VMware MVP weds Windows CE and Android in unholy matrimony on dual-boot N800

VMware MVP weds Windows CE and Android in unholy matrimony on dual-boot N800 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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