Mobile, Internet, etc

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

It’s not often that you see an existing handset remixed with entirely different kinds of radios built in, so color us a bit surprised this week to see Nokia announce a new version of the 5330 slider this week sporting DVB-H mobile TV tuning compatibility. Knowing what we know of DVB-H, its presence signifies that a North American release is a straight-up no-go, which is actually a bit of a shame — it’s a slick-looking Series 40 handset with a 3.2 megapixel cam and 3.5mm headphone jack for €155 (about $230) without a hint of contract or subsidy. Then again, just how badly do we want to watch football on a 2.4-inch display?

Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition is… a 5330 with mobile TV originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Peripherals, Misc, Apple, iPhone OS

Magellan debuts GPS app / car kit for iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, T-Mobile, Danger, EDGE, EV-DO, HSDPA, UMTS

After a protracted “let’s be absolutely certain we’re in the clear” period, T-Mobile has gone ahead and lifted its self-imposed moratorium on Sidekick sales following that little meltdown you may have heard about. Oh, and there’s a bonus, too: they’re a little cheaper this time around. The Sidekick 2008 has dropped to $49.99 on contract while the top-of-the-line LX 2009 has shed $25 down to $149.99 on contract, so if you were looking for an excuse to live dangerously with your precious address book, this might be as good of a reason as any. Then again, what are the odds of lightning striking twice?

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Read - Sidekick LX 2009

T-Mobile cautiously resumes Sidekick sales at lower prices originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Apple, iPhone OS

Hey there sailor, we imagine you’ve been doing your fair share of button mashing what with a certain new bit of software out and about, but how would you like a whole new control paradigm? Taking up Steve Jobs’ war on buttons, a group of grad students at Japan’s Keio University have put together a comprehensive robot control interface that relies solely on finger swipes, taps, and presses. By employing the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer and multitouch screen, the robot can replicate a humanistic walking motion, perform sidesteps and, when called upon, kick a football with gusto and presumed passion. Your destination is just past the break, where the video demo awaits.

[Via HDBlog.it]

Continue reading Walky robot understands iPhone gestures, football fanaticism (video)

Walky robot understands iPhone gestures, football fanaticism (video) originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: MVNOs

The once-burgeoning MVNO industry may be down, but it’s not out — apparently — on news today that newcomer Simple Mobile is planning to offer GSM-based contract-free plans ranging from $40 for unlimited voice to $50 for unlimited voice and text plus a meager 20MB of data per month (you can upgrade to 40MB for another $5 a month). In theory, it sounds brilliant — all-you-can-eat minutes, no contracts, bring your own phone (if you don’t want one of the six snoozers they offer directly) — but we can’t find a way to sign up for the service, so this might devolve into another Zer01-esque debacle unless we actually hear of people using and enjoying it. It’s clearly not for data-heavy folks, but if this pans out, we can see it stealing some business from the regional value leaders like Cricket at the very least.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Simple Mobile springs to life with $40 unlimited voice plan? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Peripherals, CDMA

We’re all for upping our cell service in-home, so a few cheers to Samsung for upgrading its Ubicell personal CDMA base station to 3G. Joining the femtocell party in 2010, all we know beyond its primary directive is built-in GPS for more accurate E911 calls. Mum’s the word on price, carriers, or any more definitive launch date. The last Ubicell (pictured) was launched with Verizon, so nah, we wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if this one here followed in its ancestor’s footsteps.

Samsung’s Ubicell CDMA base station going 3G in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: RIM

Looks like BlackBerry Internet Services is having a rough night, with a number of sites reporting it being down not just in North America, but also elsewhere around the world. A handful of tipsters have expressed similar issues, and though we’ve had some weirdness with our service tonight, it seems to be working well enough. So tell us, how’s BIS doing for you tonight?

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BlackBerry Internet Service stricken with global outages? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: ATT, Verizon Wireless

Sure, Verizon’s doubled down on the 3G map ads in response to AT&T’s false advertising lawsuit, but eventually the company’s lawyers had to file a response and, well, ain’t nobody backing down in this one. Here’s the freaking introduction:

AT&T did not file this lawsuit because Verizon’s “There’s A Map For That” advertisements are untrue; AT&T sued because Verizon’s ads are true and the truth hurts.

Yeah. It’s gonna be like that. Verizon goes on to argue that even AT&T concedes the maps are accurate, and that pulling any of the ads off the air without proof that they’re misleading consumers would be unfair, and that at the very least both parties need time to investigate further. Honestly? We’ve read it over a couple times now and while the legal arguments are certainly interesting, it’s hard not to get the impression that Verizon drafted this response with publication in mind — check out this quote:

In the final analysis, AT&T seeks emergency relief because Verizon’s side-by-side, apples-to-apples comparison of its own 3G coverage with AT&T’s confirms what the marketplace has been saying for months: AT&T failed to invest adequately in the necessary infrastructure to expand its 3G coverage to support its growth in smartphone business, and the usefulness of its service to smartphone users has suffered accordingly.

See what we mean? Now, we still think there’s some merit to the idea that Verizon’s ads improperly conflate 3G coverage area with 3G service quality, but that’s really not what AT&T’s arguing — hell, it’s busy pimping EDGE. We’ll see if these two can solve their differences and get back to work, but we’ve got the feeling this thing ain’t over yet.

Update: Here’s the PDF, in case you’re interested.

Verizon responds to AT&T’s Map For That lawsuit: ‘the truth hurts’ originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaning back and forth between the $100 HTC Eris on Verizon and the $179 HTC Hero on Sprint? Well, your decision just got a bit more difficult, as Best Buy has now kicked off a new holiday promotion that’ll net you a chin-less Sprint Hero for the same hundred bucks as Verizon’s Eris. If you prefer, you can also now snag a Samsung Moment for the same price, but each will of course have to be paired with a new two-year activation, and you’ll have to take the plunge before the end of December — although there’s at least a decent chance there will be another discount / price drop by the time this one ends.

[Thanks, Daniel]

HTC Hero, Samsung Moment now $100 on Sprint courtesy of Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Others

It may look a lot like the General Mobile DSTL1, but SciPhone’s N21 still has its very own soul. Our BFFs over at Engadget Chinese were able to wrangle one in, and naturally they took the opportunity to score a photo shoot and host it for the world to see. There aren’t too many surprises to be found, but if you’re looking for a pinch of KIRF, twin SIM slots, a 5 megapixel camera and the not-exactly-newest version of Google’s mobile operating system, you know where to look.

Sciphone’s Android-toting N21 unboxed, dual SIM slots caught rockin’ the suburbs originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Software, Windows Mobile

Now that the 6.5 fat cats like the Imagio and Pure have had their fun for a few weeks, it’s high time that the love start to trickle down to older upgrade-less devices, and as promised, Microsoft’s now obliging with a Windows Marketplace download that’ll work on phones running Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1. As far as we can tell, there aren’t any material differences in this version, and Microsoft is quick to remind everyone that you don’t need the download if you’re running 6.5 — so while you patiently wait for an upgrade, owners, you may as well get a taste for the good stuff now.

[Thanks, Chris]

Windows Marketplace trickles down to WinMo 6.0 and 6.1 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Apple, Accessories

We’ve seen plenty of phone-inspired earrings — it’s a multitasking age, after all, so it’s not really a surprise to see gadgets inspire jewelery. It is kind of surprising to behold these earrings, however, which appear to have been made with iPhone ‘home’ buttons. What, there are so many disused iPhones laying around that someone just had to make jewelery out of them? Poor reception got you down? If you want to scoop up a pair of these, hit the read link… but be warned: these bad boys will run you $14.95.

[Via Make]

iPhone ‘home’ button earrings are for serious fangirls (and guys) only originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, LG, RIM, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS, BlackBerry OS

That successor to AT&T’s wildly popular LG Shine that we spied back in August has finally popped official today, becoming the Shine II (surprise, surprise). It’s a very evolutionary set — if you squint, you can’t see much difference from the original — but this might be a situation where it’s in AT&T’s best interest not to mess with success just as long as they don’t end up pulling a RAZR over the next several years. It’s got a 2 megapixel cam, a mirror-finish 2.2-inch LCD, GPS, 3.6Mbps HSDPA, and microSD expansion to 16GB; look for it on November 22 for $119.99 after rebate on contract. Perhaps more notably, the BlackBerry Curve 8520 has migrated from T-Mobile over to AT&T today with the same EDGE data and optical pad as its cousin; it’ll be hitting in the “coming weeks” for $99.99 after rebate. Of course, the Bold 9700 hits on the 22nd for a hundie more, so there’ll be some soul searching among AT&T-based BlackBerry lovers over the next few days, we suspect.

BlackBerry Curve 8520, LG Shine II coming to AT&T originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Software, Apple, iPhone OS

Continue reading iPhone app debuts for plastic surgery enthusiasts

iPhone app debuts for plastic surgery enthusiasts originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Sony Ericsson, Android

Sony Ericsson’s Android-based XPERIA X10 was mighty sluggish when we played with it at the launch a couple weeks ago, but this new video from hdblog.it shows what looks like a much newer software build that’s dramatically faster and more responsive. There’s nothing much new here in terms of features, but just the fact that the X10 is in the wild and running well is encouraging — especially since we’re really digging that media playback interface. Now all we need is some Stateside shipping details and we’ll be all set. Video after the break.

[Thanks, Nils]

Continue reading New XPERIA X10 hands-on video brings the snappy

New XPERIA X10 hands-on video brings the snappy originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Games, Peripherals

Man, talk about timely. We heard right around 11 months ago that MEMS gyroscopes would be hitting an array of handsets in 2009, and while it’s looking like that estimate will be just a touch off, you won’t catch us kvetching with “early 2010.” STMicroelectronics has just announced its new 3-axis MEMS gyroscope, which promises 360 degree “angular-rate detection for high-precision 3D gesture and motion recognition in mobile phones, game controllers, personal navigation systems and other portable devices.” The gyro is said to provide two separate outputs for each of the three axes at the same time: a 400dps full-scale value for slow motion, and a 1,600dps full-scale value to detect and measure speedy gestures and movements. We’re told that samples of the tech are available now with mass production scheduled for Q1 2010; and yeah PSP, it’s totally cool if you keep sweating. NGage is about to be back… with a vengeance!

[Via FarEastGizmos]

STMicroelectronics’ 3-axis MEMS gyroscope gives a new level of control to your mobile originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Features, Nokia, Linux, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

We’ve finally had a chance to play around at length with a very late pre-production version of Nokia’s N900 (retail units are already shipping, but not to our neck of the woods just yet) and we wanted to scribble out a few notes for you before taking delivery of a final build for a full review hopefully in the next week or two. Here are some highlights we’ve noticed so far:

• Processor, processor, processor. Oh, and did we mention the processor? The N900’s Cortex A8-based core yields significant improvements in day-to-day usability over the N810’s ARM11 unit.
• Though it’s still quite raw and feature-incomplete, Maemo 5 is by far the most user-friendly version of the platform to date, if for no other reason than the fact that it’s very pretty. Screen transitions are smooth and look great, the home screen is as attractive and versatile as any widget-based home screen on the market today, and the Expose-style task switcher is a welcome addition.
• The N900 may very well offer the best browsing experience of any smartphone on the market today (yes, including the iPhone). What little ground it gives up in user friendliness is more than countered by the fact that you have the closest thing you can get to a desktop-class browser in a device of this size and form factor; it’s straight-up Mozilla, after all, and everything renders faithfully. Flash doesn’t blaze, but at least the Cortex A8 makes it usable.

Follow the break for more impressions and a quick rundown on video!

Continue reading Nokia N900 quick hands-on

Nokia N900 quick hands-on originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, RIM, T-Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, BlackBerry OS

Right on cue, T-Mobile’s newest BlackBerry is now on sale for those who covet. Starting at $199.99 on an Even More plan (which entails a 2-year contract, just so you know), the Bold 9700 can be ordered up from the carrier’s website or be snagged in-store if you prefer to roll that way. It’s also available for $449.99 on an Even More Plus Plan if you’re no fan of attached strings, but something tells us you may want to have a peek at our review before laying down that much cheddar in a moment of weakness.

T-Mobile’s BlackBerry Bold 9700 now available for $200 on contract originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, Symbian, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS, HSUPA

Amazon’s US pre-order site hasn’t heard the news yet nor has Nokia USA’s on-line store. Nevertheless, Nokia assures us that the E72 is “in stores now” and should cost €350 (as announced) before taxes and carrier subsidies are applied. Remember, this S60-powered followup to the much loved E71 sports a new 5 megapixel autofocus camera, 3.5-mm headphone jack, microSD slot (4GB included in the box), A-GPS and integrated compass, 10.2Mbps HSDPA, and new optical navigation pad right where a thumb would like it. The E72 also packs the latest version of Ovi Maps and Nokia Messaging with homescreen access to your IM accounts. Now scram buster and let us know if your pre-orders have been filled — this baby’s not going to unbox itself.

Nokia E72 in stores now, somewhere originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Games, Software, Apple

Okay, we admit to still being a little bit unsure about OnLive’s pledges for high-end, high-resolution, lag-free gaming on any ‘ol device with bandwidth, but we want to believe, and so it’s with skeptical optimism that we report on news of mobile implementations. The company has demonstrated an iPhone app in which users are able to play against gamers on a PC or on the company’s MicroConsole — despite not having a single button to press. It’s interesting stuff but, according to OnLive’s CEO Steve Perlman, it’ll be awhile before we see this in the wild, as plans for initial mobile apps will be limited to checking game stats and watching live gameplay. However, we presume it’ll be a small step from there to flip the switch and two-way communications, meaning that perhaps by the time Modern Warfare 3 hits the wires you can keep gaming even while you’re commuting.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

OnLive demonstrates iPhone app, set to redefine mobile gaming? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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