Mobile, Internet, etc

Filed under: HSDPA, HSUPA

And here we were envious of the 21Mbps HSPA+ service currently offered by Telstra in Australia. Now we hear that Ericsson will be demonstrating its 56Mbps HSPA multi-carrier MIMO technology at CTIA (using a router, not handset) later this week with scheduled deployment set for 2010. By the end of 2009, Ericsson claims that it will support 42Mbps commercial deployments. All this assumes that carriers hold steady with HSPA and don’t jump straight to LTE or WiMax… ok, LTE.

Ericsson squeezes out 56Mbps from HSPA+ originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

No details are being offered just yet, but Samsung’s Korean-language press service has slipped the first official shot of its Instinct S30 / Instinct Mini / M810 for Sprint. At first glance, the phone seems to be considerably more put-together than its older brother — and if they’ve managed to iron out all of the software issues that plagued the Instinct’s early days, Sprint might just have a winner on its hands. We’re guessing this is going to be unveiled on a more grandiose scale by Samsung USA and Sprint any day, minute, or second now, so stay tuned.

Samsung shows off Sprint’s Instinct S30 (alias Instinct Mini) originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Software, Windows Mobile

Details are starting to come into focus on some of the finer points of Windows Mobile 6.5’s launch later this year after February’s announcement at MWC, and if you had to boil the news down to just two words, they’d be “pretty” and “support.” As “pretty” goes, it’s been announced that Microsoft has partnered up with Design Museum London and the Council of Fashion Designers of America to offer designer themes for 6.5-based devices — colors, wallpaper, and the like — with the first designs coming from fashion dude Isaac Mizrahi. If that’s not good enough for ya, the company will be releasing a Theme Generator later this year that’ll let you customize colors of UI elements on your device, pair it up with wallpaper culled from your own photo collection, and send the batch straight to your phone.

Over to the “support” front, over 25 companies will be announcing their full support for the Windows Marketplace at CTIA this week, including EA Mobile, Facebook (pictured), Gameloft, MySpace, Namco, Pandora, and Sling Media. To help improve the Marketplace’s public image, Microsoft is tweaking some policies, too: developers will now be able to issue unlimited updates to their apps free of charge, and users will have up to 24 hours to “return” apps they don’t like (very cool). Notably, Facebook’s new app will be available in April, offering direct video uploads straight to your wall if you’re into that sort of thing (you know who you are).

Finally, Microsoft’s issued a clarification regarding upgrades from 6.1 to 6.5: devices that are already out in the marketplace with a minimum of 128MB of RAM and a 400MHz processor or better are theoretically capable of being upgraded — it’s all up to licensees to decide whether they want to go to the trouble of offering the upgrades to their customers. Let’s hope, shall we?

Microsoft announces Windows Marketplace partners, tweaked policies, designer WinMo 6.5 themes originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, ATT, Apple

It’s finally here, and even a few minutes early. Skype for iPhone is now available in the US iTunes store, free of charge. We’ve heard great thing from the folks in Japan who’ve been fiddling with it for the last twelve hours, and so far it’s sounding pretty good for us, too, with only minor hiccups. Not sure if it’s a glitch, but despite what we heard earlier, we seem to be able to dial out while on 3G and not over WiFi (at least running OS 3.0 beta). Hit up the read link for quickest route to the app store page, and let us know what you think. Betcha wish you could ditch that AT&T voice plan now, huh?

Update: We’re getting reports the app is crashing for jailbroken iPhones — and possibly non-jailbroken ones as well. We just got our first denial when dialing out over 3G via a popup notification, but it only happened once and we were back to old habits one call later. We did experience a brief period where no sound was coming through, but that might have something to do with using OS 3.0 and was remedied by restarting the phone.

Update 2: So far, it looks like dialing over 3G’s only working for those with OS 3.0 beta, but unfortunately all of us in that situation are now suffering from frequent crashes and loss of audio. Things seem to be going smoothly for those running the latest non-beta firmware, but the calls only work over WiFi. That said, when using the app as intended (non-beta firmware over WiFi), audio quality was surprisingly good, far better than any third party apps we’ve used.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Skype for iPhone now live in US originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Others, T-Mobile, Android

Take this with some skepticism, but according to tmonews.com a “trusted source” has revealed an Android-based Huawei phone is currently being tested and heading to T-Mobile in Q3, a timeframe we heard about at MWC. Specs reportedly include a 5 megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, WiFi, and Cupcake, naturally. No word on UMA, but the site claims that a certain Mr. Blurrycam is dropping off photos and more dtails in next few weeks, so we’ll keep our eyes on that.

Huawei’s enigmatic Android phone bound for T-Mobile in Q3? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, CDMA

$349 sounds a bit steep for a phone like this until you realize that you’re getting it completely free of the surly bonds of a contract — and that’s exactly how MetroPCS likes to roll. The new Finesse from Samsung is one of the highest-end feature phones the regional carrier has rolled out to date, looking a bit like a CDMA Behold and offering a 2 megapixel cam, full touchscreen, microSD expansion, and 150MB of storage on-board. They’re quoting “2-3 weeks” for online availability, so that gives you a few all-important days to save up that loose change.

[Via TrendyCellular]

Samsung Finesse comes to MetroPCS originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Verizon Wireless, Accessories

It’s not quite as sexy as the brushed aluminum version we saw back in December, but these leaked images showing a Verizon-branded Novatel MiFi 2200 personal hotspot are certainly enough to get the blood pumping. If you don’t recall the concept, the MiFi is a battery-powered EVDO router the size of a credit card that can provide network access over WiFi for up to four hours on a charge. There’s still a lot of details up in the air here, like how many devices can connect at once and the max data rate, but if this thing comes in anywhere close to its estimated $200 price tag we’d say a lot of those answers might not matter. Couple more pics at the read link.

Verizon MiFi 2200 EVDO hotspot leaks out, will sell like Canadian bananas originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Peripherals, Others, EV-DO, CDMA, Misc

We can’t say there are an awful lot of folks out there looking for a single mobile broadband card that’ll play nice in both PC Card and ExpressCard slots, but for that niche that’s intently paying attention, have a look at this. The Sierra Wireless AirCard 402 is the company’s first to offer such 2-in-1 functionality, and it’s designed to operate on EV-DO Rev. A networks handling speeds of up to 3.1Mbps (downlink) / 1.8Mbps (uplink). Users can also bank on the company’s TRU-Locate GPS service to “quickly and accurately establish location for local searches and navigation.” There’s no mention of a price or release date, but it should be on hand for us to peer at during CTIA this week.

[Via ExpressCard-Info]

Sierra Wireless AirCard 402 plays PC Card and ExpressCard roles originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Software, EDGE, Apple, OS X

All those eagerly anticipating the DirecTV iPhone application, and all its remote scheduling, program browsing capability can download it right now from the App Store. All that’s required is iPhone software 2.2.1 or higher; anyone can pick it up to check out channel listings, but you’ll need a DirecTV subscription and DirecTV Plus DVR (models R15, R16, R22), DirecTV Plus HD DVR (models HR20, HR21, HR23) or TiVo Series 2 receivers with 6.4a software registered to DirecTV.com to take advantage of the remote scheduling over WiFi, EDGE or 3G. And did we mention that it’s free?

DirecTV iPhone app now available originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Software, RIM, BlackBerry OS

We’ve been able to confirm that Verizon currently plans to release version 4.7.0.113 as its next official Storm firmware build — about time, considering that the last (and only) official upgrade came some four months ago while a countless flurry of interim builds have whizzed by on the interwebs. It gets better, though: we’ve also scored an official list of fixes and enhancements in 113, which we’ve broken down after the break. A word of warning: it’s a massive, massive list. Read on!

Continue reading Verizon counting on build 113 for its next Storm firmware release, changelog leaked

Verizon counting on build 113 for its next Storm firmware release, changelog leaked originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Features, Reviews, Nokia, Symbian, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

It’s not the company’s first touchscreen device, but the 5800 XpressMusic is the first touchscreen device that Nokia has designed to appeal to the masses, and as such, there are certain expectations. By even the most forgiving of standards, Nokia is now officially late to this game — all of the remaining top-five manufacturers have been offering mass-market touchscreen phones for some time now — so there’s plenty of ground to be made up. What’s more, the 5800 marks the retail introduction of S60 5th Edition, the latest incarnation of the world’s most ubiquitous smartphone platform; future iterations of this very code will lay the groundwork for the Symbian Foundation’s next-gen offensive, so the stakes have never been higher. You might say the weight of the world — or Finland, at the very least — is on the 5800’s shoulders, but is this unassuming little slate up to the task? Let’s have a look.

Continue reading Nokia 5800 XpressMusic review

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Software, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, Softbank Mobile, Apple, OS X

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/Skype_For_iPhone_Is_LIVE’; When they said “Tuesday,” they meant it. Not long ago, the clock struck midnight in the Land of the Rising Sun, and sure enough, the bona fide Skype application (v1.0.0.63) for Apple’s iPhone has gone live. It’s absolutely free to download, and early reports from Japan have been pretty stellar in regard to sound quality. We’re fully expecting it to roll out elsewhere as Tuesday (March 31st) arrives in various time zones, so make sure you (and at least one Skype buddy) stay up late to try ‘er out. [Warning: iTunes read link may not work for all time zones yet.]

[Via Engadget Japanese]

Skype for iPhone goes live in Japan originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Motorola

We first caught sight of this one back in February, and again earlier this month courtesy of the FCC, but it looks like Motorola’s QA4 has now finally gotten fully official and, well, there it is. Now formally dubbed the Motorola Evoke QA4, this one packs a decently-sized 2.8-inch WQVGA touchscreen, along with quad-band CDMA connectivity (plus EVDO Rev A), a 2 megapixel camera, 256MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot for expansion, aGPS, stereo Bluetooth, and, of course, that stylish sliding keypad. Unfortunately, Motorola still hasn’t gotten official with a price or an exact release date, but the company is promising to get it out the door sometime in the second quarter of this year. Head on past the break for a closer look at the phone all closed up.

Continue reading Motorola Evoke QA4 gets official

Motorola Evoke QA4 gets official originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Motorola

We first caught sight of this one back in February, and again earlier this month courtesy of the FCC, but it looks like Motorola’s QA4 has now finally gotten fully official and, well, there it is. Now formally dubbed the Motorola Evoke QA4, this one packs a decently-sized 2.8-inch WQVGA touchscreen, along with quad-band CDMA connectivity (plus EVDO Rev A), a 2 megapixel camera, 256MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot for expansion, aGPS, stereo Bluetooth, and, of course, that stylish sliding keypad. Unfortunately, Motorola still hasn’t gotten official with a price or an exact release date, but the company is promising to get it out the door sometime in the second quarter of this year. Head on past the break for a closer look at the phone all closed up.

Continue reading Motorola Evoke QA4 gets official

Motorola Evoke QA4 gets official originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Alltel, EV-DO, CDMA

We’d already known it was coming, but Alltel has now dropped full details on the VE465 flip from Motorola. The relatively low end handset features a 1.3 megapixel cam, microSD slot supporting up to 4GB of data, stereo Bluetooth, and — in support of that media capability — an interesting “call” / “media” mode-switching capability that changes the keypad lighting depending on what you’re trying to do (you can kinda think of it as ModeShift “lite”). This sucker’s available right now for $50 on contract after an instant rebate.

Alltel gets official with Motorola VE465 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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