Mobile, Internet, etc

Filed under: Handsets, Apple, Android

An Android and iPhone hybrid isn’t exactly new (hello, OPhone), but at least we can say this has a trackball. In fact, you might even mistaken this for iPhone OS at first glance, it’s just that kind of doppelganger. The fine details, you say? The GSM (EDGE only, no 3G) device sports a 3.5-inch LCD display with capacitive multitouch, 2 megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, and the part that really bests it over Apple’s offering, a trackball! Huzzah! Video after the break.

[Via technabob]

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake, part CCXLII: Aphone A6 is all about Android, aping Apple (video)

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCXLII: Aphone A6 is all about Android, aping Apple (video) originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Software, webOS

Just in time for the Pixi’s grand debut, webOS devices (that’s just Pixi and Pre) now have their first official Facebook app, joining the ranks of iPhone and Android… and we’re sad to report that it’s about as barebones as they can get. It pulls from the raw live stream, seemingly unfiltered — even if you said “no” to Farmville updates on your main feed, they’ll show up here. Clicking a YouTube link brings you to the YouTube app, clicking links go to browser. You can update your status or upload a photo, but that’s about it. You can’t seem to search Facebook for any info, view events, or anything else, and clicking on someone’s name or photo brings up their contact info. And that’s about it — can someone give Joe Hewitt a ring? Still, it’s better than nothing. WebOS 1.3.1 is required, not that you had any reason to hold off upgrading.

Facebook finally comes to webOS, not with a bang but a whimper originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS, Android

The long-rumored little brother to the Galaxy, the i5700, has finally been made official by Samsung — and sure enough, it’ll go by the trade name “Galaxy Spica.” Sammy’s latest Android-powered set clocks in at 13.2mm thick and comes equipped with a 3.5mm jack (which, frankly, every smartphone in the world should be including at this point), an 800MHz core (presumably the same as the Moment’s), and an Android first: built-in DivX support. This one appears to be a no-frills Google Experience device considering the number of times that “Google” is mentioned in Samsung’s press release, but for some Android connoisseurs, the purest, unskinned look and feel is preferred. Sammy says it’s already out in Europe and the CIS and will be coming to the Middle East and Asia shortly.

Samsung unveils Android-equipped Galaxy Spica i5700 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Software, HTC, Sprint, Android

Looking forward to a warm, delicious Donut or Eclair to get beamed down to your Sprint Hero? Well, keep on waiting — because there’s an update in the works, but it’s still going to rock the same Android 1.5-based core that you’re already enjoying. It looks like users can expect a so-called maintenance release in “the next few weeks,” and while a complete changelog isn’t yet available, folks are being told that it’ll fix DST and messaging issues. As far as we know, HTC hasn’t put the finishing touches on Sense for 2.0 anyway, so we wouldn’t get discouraged just yet.

[Thanks, Matt Z.]

Sprint prepping update for Hero, still 1.5-based originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Software, Android

We’ve been saying all along that we’d love nothing more than to see someone throw a 3G chip into Creative’s Zii Egg and sell it as a pretty strong smartphone, but so far we’ve been hit with little to no indication of interested parties making that happen. So when we spot phrases like “Zii Optimized Android Phone platform” and “the line-up of devices on display includes a Mobile Phone platform” on an informational site for the ZiiLABS Showcase happening early December in China, our interested are definitely piqued. The event is geared towards companies who’d like to use the Plaszma platform for their products, and with any luck, some debonair decision-maker will give Zii phone a chance.

[Via myCreative Fansite; thanks, Kyle]

Creative to show off ‘Zii Android mobile phone’ next month at Chinese summit originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson UK’s got a new pre-registration page for the Xperia X10, and along with it what appears to be a brand new, February 2010 expected launch. It’s hard to say for sure, but as far as we can tell this page is new, and last we heard the target window was a much broader “first half 2010.” Can’t say we’re anymore excited about this than before, but far be it for us to get in the way of a truly die hard fan community. At least you have a better idea of when to break the bank now.

[Thanks, Matej]

Xperia X10 launching February 2010 in UK, says Sony Ericsson site originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Verizon Wireless

Just a word of caution to anyone out there with an itchy credit card finger: signing up for a contract with Verizon just became a considerably more binding affair thanks to a big boost of its contract early termination fee from $175 to $350. Rumored for a few days now, the change became official as of yesterday, which means that anyone who bought an “advanced device” prior to the 14th is in the clear. The advanced device list can be found on Verizon’s site, and as you might expect, it’s a little broad and ridiculous — winners like the Versa, Exilim, and Glyde are on there, so they’re obviously not just referring to smartphones. They throw you a bone by reducing the ETF by a stout $10 for every month of the contract you successfully hurdle, but that still leaves you with a $120 ETF 23 months into a 24-month deal… so yeah, just be careful out there and don’t do anything rash, alright?

Don’t shop drunk: Verizon’s $350 ETF is now live originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Android

It’s no reason to panic just yet, but apparently a good amount of people are having trouble with the external speaker on their Motorola Droid cutting out for no reason. It seems to be software-related, and sometimes a reboot fixes it temporarily, but it’s a scary problem for people relying on the handset as an alarm clock (or, you know, to receive calls), since you never know when it will strike next. For its part it seems that Motorola is replacing handsets that have the issue, though that’s no guarantee of escape from the clutches of silence. Let’s hope Motorola updates us with a software patch or some other serious solution soon — people need to hear that robotic “Droooiiid” alert sound — and meanwhile let us know if you’ve been seeing a similar issue.

[Thanks, Bryan]

View Poll

Droid experiencing external speaker problems, could be a software issue? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets

It makes sense to release your mostly-theoretical (so far, anyway) desktop OS-based slider handset with the world’s newest and best version of Windows, but it when your slider handset is dubbed “xpPhone” things become a bit more muddled. But that’s the word from Pocketables, who’s been in touch with ITG and learned that the MID / phone will not only ship with a Windows 7 option, but also be available in 4.3-inch, 4.8-inch and 7-inch screen sizes. There’s also rumors of price ranging from $500 to $700, but what we’d really like at this point is a bit of a demo of this thing in action — especially now that there’s a similar ViewSonic-branded device breathing down its neck.

ITG’s xpPhone gets options for larger screen and Windows 7, loses sense of identity originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Palm, Sprint, CDMA, webOS

webOS 1.3.1 was always destined to come alongside the launch of the Pixi, but it’s surprised us by showing its face a day early. No app catalog bombshells here, but there are a slew of more minor fixes and updates that should make users experience a great deal smoother. Is this the update that finally unlocks access to the GPU and provides the speed boost Pre owners are waiting for / advances the iTunes chess match another step? We’ll let you know once our unit reboots, for now here are a few highlights from Palm’s list of changes:

Update: Downloaded, applied and rebooted. iTunes still isn’t spotting our Pre as a device to sync with, and at least for the moment there’s no great speed increases to speak of, but we have noticed a few more key tweaks that owners are sure to like — setting a specific ringtone for text messages is exactly what we’ve been looking for.

• Yahoo! now appears as a Calendar/Contacts/instant messaging synchronization account.
• You can forward a text or multimedia message by tapping the message > Forward.
• A new option is available for restarting the phone: press and hold power > Power > Restart. The prior restart method (Device Info > Reset Options > Restart) is still available.
• Widescreen videos (including YouTube) now display in widescreen mode on the phone by default, instead of being cropped.
• If you tap to play a YouTube video embedded on a web page, the YouTube application launches and the video plays in the app.
• You can select a unique ringtone for new message alerts: Open Messaging > application menu > Preferences & Accounts > Sound > Ringtone.
• While listening to a song with album art displayed, you can tap the screen below the art to display a playback slider. Dragging the slider jumps forward or backward in the song.

Palm Pre WebOS 1.3.1 update available now originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:49:00 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 - Huawei G7002
Read - Huawei C6100
Read - Huawei M228
Read - Samsung i8180C
Read - Samsung B5722
Read - Samsung SPH-W9100
Read - Samsung C3730C
Read - Samsung SCH-W930
Read - Samsung B5310B
Read - Samsung M5650
Read - ZTE GS308+

Peripherals
Read - Huawei E1786
Read - Option GI0461

FCC Fridays originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Others, Windows Mobile, EV-DO, CDMA

In just one week, ViewSonic has gone from a glint of a 3G phone maker to having two models prominently on display. We’ve already seen VPC08 Windows XP phone, and now up to bat is the V901, found in the pages of Microsoft China’s official site. The Windows Mobile 6.5, apparently TouchWiz-skinned device has a 3.6-inch, 480 x 800 touchscreen, a Marvell PXA310 processor, 128MB RAM and 256MB ROM storage with microSD expansion, 5 megapixel camera, GPS, Bluetooth, all hailing to the wavelengths we call CDMA EV-DO Rev. A. Launch is Q4 2009, so sometime very soon — but we get the feeling this is China-only, at least for now.

[Via iTech News Net]

ViewSonic heats up phone collection, V901 spotted on Microsoft China site originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

Anyone looking for the hottest T-Mobile-powered BlackBerry experience that money can buy need only wait a few dozen hours now, because the carrier has just revealed that it’ll be launching the latest rendition of the Bold — the 9700 — on Monday, November 16 for $200 on contract. Your hard-earned cash reels in T-Mobile’s very first 3G BlackBerry underpinned by a 3.2 megapixel camera and 480 x 360 display, beating AT&T’s launch by a solid six days. Enjoy, folks.

T-Mobile launching BlackBerry Bold 9700 on November 16 for $199.99 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Nokia, Palm, webOS

We’ve been around this rumor pretty much since Palm started looking competitive again, so take it for what you will — but a bunch of fat cats down on Wall Street have been going ape today over renewed “chatter” that Nokia might be taking an interest in acquiring Palm. Palm’s share prices are up well over 5 percent on the day, though we wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if there was some behind-the-scenes manipulation going on here — an acquisition would make less sense now than ever with suitors on the hook for $2 billion or more, a hefty sum even for a giant like Nokia, never mind the fact that they’ve still got two smartphone platforms of their own in the mix. Licensing webOS is being floated as a possible alternative to an outright Palm purchase — but we’re having such an exceedingly difficult time picturing a 5800 running webOS that we’ll put this one on ice until we get the joint press release.

Nokia rumored to be eyeing Palm buy yet again originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: ATT, Apple

AppleInsider published a piece this week that does a good job rounding up the latest counterarguments we’ve been hearing against Verizon’s claims in its suddenly ultra-aggressive attacks on archrival AT&T’s network — attacks that have offended AT&T right into getting the legal team involved. Both sides are applying enough spin to make you dizzy at this point, so let’s break down the latest round of pot shots, shall we?

• Verbiage on Verizon’s site suggests that swaths of its 3G network are still running at EV-DO Rev. 0 speed: false. In fact, 100 percent of Verizon’s 3G coverage has been Rev. A since 2007 — the wording refers to 1xRTT, which is the transport technology in use where EV-DO hasn’t been deployed.
• You can’t distinguish between EV-DO and 1xRTT on Verizon’s coverage map: false. Turns out Verizon has one of the more comprehensive coverage browsers among top-tier carriers. The technologies aren’t called out by name, but they’re there — they list compatible features in different coverage zones, ostensibly to reduce customer confusion since your average Joe (not to be confused with our own Joe Flatley) doesn’t know or care what “1xRTT” means.
• EDGE approaches the “low end” of EV-DO Rev. A: false. At the top end of the specification, EDGE can theoretically approach 500kbps in a cleanroom environment — but in reality, it runs at a fraction of that and suffers more severe latency issues in practice (which is sometimes a greater detriment to a mobile web browsing experience than raw speed) than UMTS and EV-DO. Heck, AT&T itself claims 75-135kbps. Meanwhile, we got 823kbps on the downlink in real-world modem use on Verizon’s Rev. A.
• AT&T’s 3.6Mbps and 7.2Mbps deployments are significantly faster than EV-DO Rev. A: true, but only in theory. We’re getting downlink speeds ranging from the low 100s — yes, 100s — to the high 800s in Chicago and New York; Chicago’s got a trial 7.2Mbps network that’s live, but even if we’re not connected to it (hard to say), we should still be on 3.6. We seriously have no idea what AT&T’s doing behind the scenes with these rollouts, but in urban areas, at least, they’re not helping. At all. And that’s assuming we can help ourselves from dropping down to EDGE.
• AT&T’s service is augmented by the nation’s largest WiFi network: we won’t even justify that with a rebuttal.
• Verizon’s gaming the system by comparing only their 3G networks: the truth hurts, AT&T. Verizon’s commercials would have you believe that by comparing only 3G coverage, Verizon wins by a country mile. And guess what? They do. To AT&T’s credit, the 3GPP’s WCDMA technology path is considerably more advanced and extensible than EV-DO Rev. A is, but beyond UMTS’s simultaneous voice / data capability, the end user’s experience is pretty similar in day-to-day use. We go where the faster real-world speeds (and the reliable calls) are.
• Verizon is “defending steep losses” with its anti-AT&T, anti-iPhone commercials: false. Verizon added 1.2 million net customers in the most recently reported quarter, excluding acquisitions.
• LTE is “still years away from viable use” on Verizon: false. They’ll have 20-30 markets commercially live in 2010, which is 20-30 more than AT&T will have. It’s not nationwide coverage by a long shot, but it gives the carrier a notable lead in the 4G transition since AT&T has sparsely detailed its LTE plans and isn’t expected to go live with any markets until 2011 at the earliest.

To be fair, Verizon’s taking a questionable angle in its advertising by trying to associate 3G coverage with call reliability — in AT&T’s case, the two are totally, completely unrelated — but the fact remains that for a bunch of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco-based Engadget editors, Verizon bests AT&T in both categories, and we’re having a hard time arguing with personal experience.

So listen, AT&T, we’re sorry Verizon made you upset, but the solution’s actually pretty simple: compete. Fix your network, keep scoring hot exclusives, and get hungry again — because in a year or two, no one’s going to give a damn that you used to have an exclusive on the iPhone.

Editorial: Hey, AT&T — drop lawsuits, not calls originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Software, Palm, Palm OS, Android

It may be half a decade old, but don’t lie — you still whip your Treo 650 out from time to time, toss on some jean shorts and pretend that the size of your stub is synonymous with the big times. If we just rung your bell, you owe it to yourself to have a peek at the video past the break. There are no step-by-step instructions to accompany it (they’re out there, trust us), but man, you can just see the life seeping back into it as the code scrolls down and Android grows seconds closer to booting. It’s glorious, really.

[Thanks, Andrew]

Continue reading Palm Treo 650 boots into Android, lives a fulfilling life (video)

Palm Treo 650 boots into Android, lives a fulfilling life (video) originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Sprint, iDEN

If there’s one thing we can promise when a Moto starts with “i” it’s that it’ll be an iDEN phone, so when you hear that there’s an i680 in the FCC, you can pretty much gather what’s going on here. Taking a look at the documentation, the newest push-to-talk clamshell out of Schaumburg looks way different than what we’re used to — but then again, so did the i9, so we can’t say we’re surprised to see ‘em push the boundaries of iDEN design yet again. It’s got a camera of unknown resolution and appears to be pretty well ruggedized (we’d expect no less from your average iDEN set) on account of that beefy thumbscrew holding the battery cover on around back, but it’s hard to say when it’s launching, so we’re trying to keep our excitement level to a dull roar at this point. More as soon as we get it.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Motorola i680 gets FCC clearance originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Others, China Mobile, Android

Continue reading Dell Mini 3i unboxed in China, capacitive stylus included

Dell Mini 3i unboxed in China, capacitive stylus included originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Apple, Accessories

People have been trying to turn cellphones into medical and atmospheric scanners for some time now, but when it’s NASA stepping up to the plate with a little device to monitor trace amounts of chemicals in the air, it’s hard to not start thinking we might finally have a use for all those tricorder ringtones. Developed by a team of researchers at the Ames Research Center led by Jing Li, the device is a small chip that plugs into the bottom of an iPhone and uses 16 nanosensors to detect the concentration of gasses like ammonia, chlorine, and methane. To what purpose exactly this device will serve and why the relatively closed iPhone was chosen as a development platform are mysteries we’re simply not capable of answering. Damn it, man, we’re bloggers not scientists!

Update: George Yu, a developer who wrote this implementation for Jing Li, commented to let us know that the choice to go with the iPhone was made because it was “cool,” but he soon realized that choice was a “horrible mistake.” We’re guessing that could have something to do with an apparent lack of wireless coverage at Ames if the above screenshot is anything to go by.

[Via Gizmodo]

NASA turns iPhone into chemical sensor, can an App Store rejection be far away? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Others, China Mobile, Android

It would appear those leaked and unintentional early peeks at Dell’s first foray into smartphones did not happen in Brazil and China by accident. Hans Erickson of Dell Latin America has announced the decision to “give priority” to those two countries, who will be first to experience the Mini 3i’s Android glory, with China receiving devices “in the coming days” and Brazil getting ‘em later this year. Interestingly, China Mobile will be making do without 3G, while Brazil’s Claro will be offering a 3G-enabled handset. Dell remains mum on pricing and the rest of the spec, though all the information so far indicates that Brazilians will be able to buy the same WiFi-packing FCC-certified 3iX handset that’s heading to the US. Either way, we’ve got another heavyweight’s presence in the smartphone market, and we’ll be even happier once we know what Dell’s value-add will be.

Update: Official Dell press release is out making it clear that this is just the “initial” smartphone from Dell.

[Via Yahoo! Brazil, thanks Marcos R.]

Dell Mini 3i officially set for imminent launch in Brazil and China originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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