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Archive for February, 2010
A Shanzhai PSP phone from China is just like a SONY PSP Phone
Feb 27th
Sony Ericsson may never launch a genuine PSP phone (although the company admitted that it?s thinking about it), but there?s still hope if you really, really want such a phone.
A Shanzhai PSP phone is reportedly coming soon from China. The phone looks like a regular Sony PSP console, but it has Call and End call keys, as well as a photo camera on the back.
No word yet on specs, but it?s said that the Chinese PSP phone probably uses a MTK (MediaTek) platform, which means it might feature Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and even dual SIM capabilities.
The price and release date of the Shanzhai PSP phone are not known, but it looks like some shady Chinese company is really close to launching the handset.
LG GW620 as LG LinkMe in ITALY
Feb 27th
Available since last month in the UK as LG InTouch Max, the LG GW620 has now been launched in Italy, too, as LG LinkMe.
The GW620 / LinkMe is LG?s first Android smartphone and comes with a 3 inch HVGA touchscreen display (resistive, unfortunately), as well as a full 5-row QWERTY keyboard.
The handset also features HSPA, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, full HTML browser, access to Android Market, LinkBook (which provides easy access to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter), 3.5mm headset jack, 5MP autofocus camera with flash, and a 1GB memory card in the box.
Like the GW620, LG LinkMe runs Android 1.5 and it will probably be upgraded only to Android 1.6. In Italy, the phone costs ?299 (about $405).
New mobile Verykool i270 Touch from InfoSonics – Latin America
Feb 27th
InfoSonics, a company that distributes phones mainly in Latin America, announced the availability of a new touchscreen handset called Verykool i270 Touch.
The Verykool i270 Touch is a quad-band GSM/GPRS phone with a 2.4 inch QVGA touchscreen display, 3.5mm headset jack, Bluetooth, Web browser, email, MP3 player, speakerphone and MicroSD card support.
There?s also a 2MP camera that can be turned into a web cam if you connect the phone to a PC via USB.
InfoSonics didn?t say how much the Verykool i270 Touch costs, and neither where you can buy it from.
Launching the Google Nexus One in April – Vodafone UK
Feb 27th
According to initial rumors, the Nexus One should have been available via Vodafone since late January or early February. However, Google?s first phone is not ready yet for Voda.
And although there hasn?t been any official announcement about the exact release date of Nexus One via Vodafone, it looks like the carrier?s subscribers in the UK will be able to buy the smartphone starting April.
Telegraph.co.uk has it that ?sources close to both companies have confirmed that April is when the company will have a realistic chance of being ready for the launch.?
For the moment, there are no clear details on pricing, but the Nexus One might cost ?150 with a Vodafone contract agreement. Vodafone will probably not offer the Nexus One directly to customers. Instead, you?ll be able to buy the handset via Google?s online phone store.
Vodafone aside, the Google Nexus One is coming soon to Verizon, too (by the way, Vodafone owns 45% of Verizon Wireless).
New 4G WiMAX from Sprint markets for 2010
Feb 25th
As expected, Sprint?s 4G WiMAX network will be launched in new markets across the US by the end of 2010.
At the moment, WiMAX is available in 27 US cities, and the new markets to get it include: New York, Boston, Denver, San Francisco, Houston, Minneapolis, Kansas City and Washington, D.C.
Sprint hopes that its 4G network will cover up to 120 million people by the year?s end ? this would certainly allow it to sell the rumored HTC Supersonic to quite many customers.
“If you use a computer, a smart phone, a gaming device, a DVD player or any Wi-Fi enabled device, your online life will change for the better when you experience the Sprint 4G difference. And the value of 4G makes using Sprint 3G/4G to enhance all of your wireless devices a no-brainer. While other national wireless carriers are just talking about 4G, the Sprint Now Network already offers the reality of 4G now in a large number of markets across the country, with many more to follow this year,” declared Matt Carter, president of 4G, Sprint.
Sprint has also announced that it?s expanding its Buyback program to include cell phones from any manufacturer and any carrier. If you have an eligible wireless device, you can get a credit of up to $300 from Sprint. You can read more about the Buyback program here.
HTC Incredible phones shows up in Verizon?s inventory system?
Feb 25th
Earlier this month, we saw the unannounced HTC Incredible, which is supposedly headed to Verizon Wireless as the carrier?s firs Android 2.1 smartphone made by HTC.
Now it looks like the HTC Incredible is already in Verizon’s inventory system, and BerryScoop has a screenshot to prove it.
Unfortunately, the release date of Incredible is still a mystery for now, but let?s hope Verizon will announce the handset soon.
The features of HTC Incredible should include: Sense UI, WVGA touchscreen display, optical trackpad, 1GHz processor, 256MB of RAM, and a photo camera with dual LED flash. The Incredible will probably be Verizon’s response to AT&T’s HTC Desire, which should be launched in May or June.
Announcing Samsung Jet 2 in India – Samsung India
Feb 25th
For some unknown reason, Samsung decided to launch a new Jet phone in India, called Samsung Jet 2. The problem is that the Jet 2 is just like the original Jet S8000, the only difference being the fact that it seems to have some new software features.
Reportedly, the Samsung Jet 2 combines ?smart features and an easy-to-use user interface? to provide a ?superior and differentiated experience.?
The phone comes with a 3D media gate UI, as well as with ?one finger zoom? ? a new concept that ?enables one hand operation to zoom in and out? and can be used while browsing the Web, viewing photos or TXT, PDF and PPT files.
The Samsung Jet 2 also features a 3.1 inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display, TouchWiz 2.0 UI (why not TouchWiz 3.0?), Wi-Fi, GPS, DNSe & SRS Sound Effect technology, 5MP camera, and a 800MHz application processor which allows multitasking.
Samsung Jet 2 should be available in India as of now for 19, 500 INR ($420).
Skype application for Windows Mobile removed from Skype website?
Feb 25th
If you have a Windows Mobile smartphone and want to download Skype from Skype’s official website, you?re in for a little surprise
According to Skype, ?Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile are no longer available? ? although, if you go here, you can still download the application to your WM phone.
Reportedly, ?Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile were not offering the best possible Skype experience?, and that?s why Skype decided to remove them. However, if you already have Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile, you can still use them (throughout 2010, anyway).
Most probably, Skype is readying a version of its moible app for Windows Phone 7 ? but this will only be available when the first WP7 phones are launched (sometime in late 2010).
Until then, Skype is still available for iPhone, Symbian and Maemo.
LG Phones now with Windows Phone 7 coming in September?
Feb 25th
Last week at MWC 2010, when Steve Ballmer officially announced Microsoft?s new Windows Phone 7 Series platform, he said that the first WP7 devices would be available in time for the holiday season this year.
Usually, this is another way of saying ?in the fourth quarter.? However, the first WP7 phone might be launched in September ? although it may also happen a few months later. Engadget China got this info from some LG Mobile officials in Hong Kong.
This is in line with some older rumors about a so called LG Apollo Windows Phone 7 Series handset, which could (but probably won’t) be launched by both Verizon and Sprint in August or September.
Other manufacturers that will launch WP 7 handsets this year or in early 2011: HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Dell, Garmin-Asus, Toshiba and HP.
HTC Desire to AT&T and HTC Hero2 (Legend) coming to Sprint?
Feb 24th
The recently announced HTC Desire and HTC Legend ? HTC?s newest Android smartphones ? might be released in North America soon.
Apparently, AT&T will carry the HTC Desire as some sort of alternative to the Nexus One (which currently doesn?t have support for AT&T?s 3G frequencies).
According to BGR, AT&T will sell the HTC Desire starting May or June, possibly with minor changes to the casing. No word yet on pricing, but the Desire is a high-end smartphone (Android 2.1, AMOLED WVGA display, 1GHz Snapdragon CPU), so it will probably be offered for around $200 on contract.As for the HTC Legend, Sprint might launch a CDMA version of it as HTC Hero2.
Like Sprint’s first Hero, the Hero2 will have a modified design. Its release date is not known at the moment, but let?s hope all this will be confirmed soon.
Nokia X6 16GB now available in the US for $455
Feb 24th
If you?re in the US and you want a Nokia X6 16GB, it looks like you can buy one right now if you visit Nokia?s flagship stores in Chicago or New York.
The X6 16GB costs $455 (plus some taxes) ? less than the N97 or the N97 mini. Unlike the Nokia X6 32GB, the X6 16GB doesn?t include Nokia?s Comes With Music service and has more color versions (including all black, and yellow on white). The X6 16GB also features a 360 x 640 pixels capacitive touchscreen display, HSPA, Wi-Fi, Nokia Maps, GPS, 3.5mm headset jack, and a 5MP Carl Zeiss camera.
You can also order the X6 16GB via Nokia USA?s online store for the same price ($455), but you won?t receive it until the end of the month.
Amazon has the X6 16GB priced at only $401.99 ? however, the smartphone?s not yet available via the online retailer.
Vodafone UK announces – pre-order the Sony Ericsson Vivaz as of now
Feb 24th
Vodafone UK has just announced that its customers can pre-order the Sony Ericsson Vivaz as of now. The Symbian smartphone will be available through Vodafone starting March 9, for free with a 2-yr contract agreement of at least ?30 per month.
The Vivaz (which will also be sold via T-Mobile UK) features a 3.2 inches touchscreen display, 8MP camera with HD video recording, GPS, Wi-Fi and an 8GB memory card in the box. Unlike the Vivaz Pro, the Vivaz doesn?t have a full QWERTY keyboard.
You can pre-order the Sony Ericsson Vivaz from Vodafone UK here.
Vodafone has also announced that it now provides access to Qik, the well-known live video streaming service for mobiles.
To download the Qik app from Vodafone you have to text ?Qik? to 97886. Qik is compatible with lots of phones, including the iPhone, BlackBerry smartphones and Nokia handsets.
A video demo with Qik on a Vodafone phone can be watched below:
Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series mobiles to Support Only 3 Flavors of Chassis Models
Feb 24th
Long before Microsoft officially announced its plans to release Windows Phone 7 last week at MWC 2010, rumors flew all over the place that these phones would be held under incredibly strict standards. It was widely expected that if you were planning on manufacturing a Windows Phone, you would need to adhere to a long list of required specs or else you would not be allowed to use Windows Phone 7 Series. Details on these specs were (and still are, for the most part) rather fuzzy and unknown, but a new leaked detail from Redmond is making waves.
According to an Australian developer, Microsoft is only supporting 3 chassis models to be used for its Windows Phone 7 Series. This is a rather large contrast to the lackadaisical approach Microsoft seemed to have towards manufacturers of previous Windows Mobile OS. Here’s what we know about each chassis type.
Chassis 1: Meant for “big touchscreen phones”; they will be only touchscreens and have at least a 1 GHz processor such as Snapdragon, and will need its own dedicated graphics processor. Chassis 1 will be the first ones out of the gate for this holiday season.
Chassis 2: Slide-out keyboards will be added on alongside touchscreens.We assume the processor specs will be roughly similar to that of Chassis 1.
Chassis 3: There are no certain details on 3, though they are suspected to be candybar devices. No word on when 2 or 3 will be ready.
If this is truly the case, it means Microsoft is finally getting serious about the way it locks down its handsets. The company is taking some earnest ownership of the new OS, which could prove to be the best solution to a ever-growing reputation concern involving Windows Mobile or Windows Phone.
Apple plans to Sell iPad at Best Buy and Other Locales
Feb 24th
Last week we mentioned an unconfirmed piece of info that the iPad will be sold in AT&T retail stores. Fortunately, we can take that rumor and raise you a confirmed announcement straight from the mouth of Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. Cook officially mentioned yesterday at a Goldman Sachs tech conference that the iPad will be available in a similar fashion to that of the iPhone, meaning it will be available in Apple’s direct sales channels and other retail locales that already sell Apple products.
Specifically, Mr. Cook mentioned one such partner will be Best Buy, which fits because it already is selling the iPhone. While he didn’t come out and specify any other company, it certainly was implied that AT&T stores as well as other venues selling the iPhone will also be allowed to sell the iPad.
He also mentioned that “over time (the number of venues) will expand”. Does that mean it will be limited to a very small number of retailers at first, but expand out to anyone under the sun later down the road?
With the iPad launching in about a month, we can expect to see more announcements of this type in the very near future, as more and more details start surfacing about the all-mysterious iPad.
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