Mobile, Internet, etc

Filed under: Handsets, LG, GSM, EDGE

Nah, this one won’t make your eyes quite literally pop out of your head, but it’ll handle the basics just fine. LG’s GB210 sports a candybar frame, 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, microSD card slot, built-in FM radio, MP3 player and a 1.77-inch display that greatly assists Earthlings in making phone calls. You probably won’t find this one wandering too far from its home market of Ukraine, but folks in the region shouldn’t have to pay more than 950 UAH (around $118).

[Via UnwiredView]

LG’s GB210 makes phone calls, looks okay, promises nothing originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Sprint

That didn’t take long. After Samsung showed off its Instinct S30 (a.k.a. Instinct Mini) last night with some official imagery — and less than an hour after we spotted it in the wild at CTIA — Sprint’s gone ahead and made it official with a press release. The carrier-exclusive touchscreen phone features a 2.0 megapixel camera, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, and virtual QWERTY keypad, along with Opera Mini 4.2, Sprint TV, and Sprint Music Store. It’s also got a Speech to Action function for controlling the phone by voice and allegedly more access to the core Java API for development. Color options include Cobalt Metal or Touch of Copper. Launch date is April 19th, which is exactly what we saw in that leaked Sprint playbook, and price is $129.99 with a two-year contract.

[Via Gadget Review]

Samsung Instinct S30 now official, coming to Sprint on April 19th originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Features, Samsung, Sprint, EV-DO, CDMA

Samsung’s officially announcing the Instinct S30 for Sprint as we speak, but why wait for all that jazz? We spied a dummy unit in the flesh out and about in Samsung’s mobile charging center here at CTIA, and while we would’ve preferred it not be behind a thick plate of glare-tastic glass, we’ll take what we can get. Notice that little “Exclusively at Sprint” tagline at the bottom there? Coincidentally, the same phone is being shown alongside its Samsung-branded full touch siblings — the Memoir, Impression, and Verizon Omnia — on a big ol’ banner outside the show floor, so it really doesn’t take rocket science to gather what Sammy’s theme is going to be here at the show.

Samsung Instinct S30 in the wild originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Peripherals, Others, WiMAX

Good news for those who happened to live in Portland — and elsewhere in the years to come. Clearwire’s announced that the CradlePoint-manufactured portable WiMAX-equipped WiFi router we saw back in January will be hitting stores in early April as the Clear Spot Personal Hotspot. Up to eight 802.11 b/g-compatible devices will be able to share the 4Mbps bandwidth. Price is $139 for the unit, but of course you’ll have to pay The Man beyond that to actually use the service. The company promises more devices like this in the coming months.

Clearwire’s Clear Spot portable WiMAX / WiFi router now official, coming early April originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Bell Mobility, Telus Mobility, EV-DO, CDMA

It’s a little sad that Samsung’s 5MP Omnia is just now getting around to Canada’s CDMA carriers — you know, given that you’re already savvy on the OmniaHD — but at least it’s coming, right? The WinMo 6.1-equipped handset won’t be changing in terms of specs, but we are told that it’ll be splashing down on both Bell Mobility and Telus this April. The pain? MobileSyrup has it that Bell’s Omnia will run $549.95 outright or as low as $349.95 on a three-year contract, which sounds patently absurd and completely believable at the same time.

[Via MobileSyrup]

Samsung Omnia coming to Bell and Telus next month originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Others, China Mobile, Android

Lenovo’s KIRF-tastic OPhone hasn’t exactly been all that camera shy since it first dipped its toes into the Android waters in December, but it’s now proudly showing itself yet again, and giving everyone their best glimpse yet at its China Mobile branding. What’s more, while we’ve already heard that the phone is on track for a launch this quarter, the talk now seems to be that a release could be just around the corner, with some speculating that it’ll roll out immediately after China Mobile’s other Android handset, the Dopod G2 (a.k.a. HTC Magic). Hit up the link below for a few more pics, including a closer look at the phone’s slightly familiar-looking UI in action.

[Via ModMyGphone, thanks Neerhaj]

Lenovo’s Android-powered OPhone shows itself again. Launch imminent? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Apple, OS X

The rest of the mobile industry might be gearing up for CTIA to start, but Apple’s phone elves are toiling away — iPhone OS 3.0 beta 2’s just been released to developers, along with the go-ahead to start developing for push notifications. Thankfully, beta 2 also apparently includes a number of stability and performance enhancements, which will hopefully make our tester phone tolerable again — we’ve been restarting beta 1 basically every day since we sacrificed it to the hands-on gods. Devs and beta testers know what to do to snag the upgrade, let us know how it goes!

iPhone 3.0 beta 2 released, push notifications are a go originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Verizon Wireless

The Glyde hasn’t been the most trouble-free unit to see duty on Verizon shelves; folks following the drama closely will recall that it got briefly yanked late last year from some stockpiles while a new firmware was fast-tracked to resolve connection issues in some parts of the country. Connection issues aside, though, Glyde owners have complained of wonky touchscreens from day one, and it seems like Samsung may have really taken the issue to heart, allegedly gutting its capacitive sensor and replacing it with a more traditional resistive one according to some recent buyers. Given the recent trend toward capacitive displays, that seems counterintuitive — but hey, whatever works. Anyone out there noticing a difference with a brand spankin’ new Glyde?

[Via Phone Arena]

Samsung Glyde hardware refreshed for a better touchscreen? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Windows Mobile

Look, we’re certain Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace for Mobile will be a rousing success, with loads of developers set to announce apps this week at CTIA and interesting features like full-refund returns and apps certified to run on specific devices. And we’d be totally excited to point out that this teaser video shows off the interface in action, including a charmingly illiterate app review and carrier-specific stores. But honestly, here’s a better question: if Microsoft is really serious about how cool is it is to be not-cool-enough, is a totally mediocre teaser with a relentlessly corporate electrorock soundtrack and hyperactive informercial narration really the best way to sell this thing? Discuss. Video after the break.

[Via 1800PocketPC; thanks Saijo]

Continue reading Windows Marketplace for Mobile, now in super-cheesy video form

Windows Marketplace for Mobile, now in super-cheesy video form originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Sanyo, Sprint, EV-DO, Kyocera, CDMA

Not that we’re blindsided by its official introduction or anything, but it’s still good to see Sanyo’s SCP-2700 in one clear, crisp, cohesive press photo. Available exclusively on Sprint, the QWERTY-equipped handset boasts a 1.3 megapixel camera, Sprint Navigation, threaded text messaging support and Bluetooth. Prospective buyers will need to choose between Impulsive Pink (with a subtle floral overlay) and Deep Blue (which has a tactile square designer pattern on its back), but considering that you’ve got until May 10th to decide, we’d say there’s no real hurry. Oh, and pricing? $29.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and signing away your cellular soul for two long, painful years.

Sanyo’s QWERTY-packin’ SCP-2700 lands on Sprint originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

Two firmware updates in a month? If you’re the 5800 XpressMusic, the answer’s yes. Nokia has just pushed out the second update for said smartphone, and this one’s packing some serious heat. For starters, the new software promises faster data downloads from the internet, an improved email experience and a better search experience with in-device search. If that’s not enough, Nokia’s also opening up new camcorder features (second camera support for still image capture in addition to video calls, burst mode that allows people to take multiple pictures one after another without needing to repress the picture taking button) and adding a mobile dictionary with support for 38 languages. Finally, the ‘Application Update’ gives owners the ability to check (or set to check automatically) for available updates for applications and update them directly in the device. Needless to say, we’d highly recommend you hit this up on the double, and let us know how it goes, yeah?

5800 XpressMusic firmware updates brings loads of improvements originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Peripherals, Others

Not sure if you heard, but Sierra Wireless and Wavecom recently changed their respective Facebook statuses from “It’s complicated” to “Married.” Crazy, right? Here in Las Vegas, the two will be on hand to showcase their first product created in collaboration: the EVDO Fastrack Extreme concept. Said device will reportedly be streaming video of the CTIA show floor via an integrated Sierra Wireless MC5727 PCI Express Mini Card. We’re told that the device is aimed for use in a broad range of applications, including everything from video surveillance security systems, multimedia kiosks, navigation database synchronization and broadcast feeds. Sadly, neither company decided to dish out an image, but there’s a decent chance we’ll see it slinging video around the CTIA floor.

Sierra Wireless, Wavecom to demo EVDO Fastrack Extreme originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Software, HTC, T-Mobile, Android

According to folks over at Android Community, Google has begun to pull tethering applications from the G1’s Market. One of the contributors to the “WiFi Tether for Root Users” app claims that the company is citing distribution agreements with carriers as the cause of the takedowns. In their words:

Google enters into distribution agreements with device manufacturers and Authorized Carriers to place the Market software client application for the Market on Devices. These distribution agreements may require the involuntary removal of Products in violation of the Device manufacturer’s or Authorized Carrier’s terms of service” Google Developer Distribution Agreement

Of course, this should come as quite a surprise, given statements T-Mobile’s Cole Brodman made to us during the G1 launch last year, and Google’s seemingly rampant interest in being the de facto open source mobile OS. It’s not clear at this point if this is an isolated incident (possibly related to the root nature of the app), or just the beginning of a more widespread move. Google (and T-Mobile to some extent) — we await your response.

[Thanks, Chris]

Is Google pulling tethering apps from the Android Market? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Rogers Wireless

It’s not terribly often that Canada’s Rogers Communications names a new chief exec — hell, the last one was none other than the company’s founder himself — so needless to say, it’s a pretty big deal that the company has concluded its search and sealed the deal. As expected, Nadir Mohamed, who already has plenty of executive-level experience within the company serving as president and COO of its Communications Division, has been named to the CEO post, concluding a search both outside and inside the wireless giant for Ted Rogers’ successor. Congrats, Nadir — you’ve got big shoes to fill. [Warning: PDF link]

[Via MobileSyrup]

Nadir Mohamed in as Rogers CEO originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, LG, Sprint, EV-DO, CDMA

It’s not available just yet, but Sprint has released a fact sheet for a third color of its unusual Lotus clamshell — this time in red. Like the purple version, this one features a stylized cover (less flashy folk might consider sticking with the unstyled matte black model), but otherwise, all the specs carry over. If our leaks on this one have been accurate, we can expect this bad boy mid-April — likely for the same price on contract after rebate as its siblings, which would peg it for $99.99.

[Via Phone Arena]

Sprint’s LG Lotus back for round three in red originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, China Unicom, Apple

Remember how last week China Unicom brazenly threw up product images for the iPhone and a few other smartphones, implying that in the very near future it would be providing service to them? Well, funny story: turns out the company’s chairman, Chang Xiaobing, is now saying negotiations are actually still ongoing with Apple and that the two have a good bit of wheeling and dealing left to do. What could they possibly still be discussing? According to Barron’s, the debates focus on two primary issues: a Chinese law banning WiFi use in mobile phones; and Unicom’s insistence on installing its own software on the iPhone, including some sort of *gasp* non-iTunes media player. How long now until these issues are resolved? Barron’s is citing research firm Wedge Partners, who indicates it may not be until the end of the year. Better stick with those gray-market imports, folks.

Read — Negotiations still under way
Read — Barron’s

China Unicom still not confirmed as Chinese iPhone provider originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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