Samsung Mythic & Flight Smartphones Launch

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Smartphones, smartphones everywhere. Today Samsung announced the availability of two new TouchWiz packin' smartphones. The Mythic has a 3.3" touchscreen, 3.2 MP camera, AT&T Navigator and stereo Bluetooth capabilities. The Flight has a sliding QWERTY keyboard, touchscreen, 2 MP camera, AT&T Navigator and stereo Bluetooth.

In terms of price, the Mythic costs a baffling $249.99 before a $50 mail-in rebate (if you get a 2 year contract). Warning; this rebate takes the form of a "$50 AT&T Promotional Card". To be entirely honest, you'll get a lot more bang for your buck if you just spend an equal amount of cash on an iPhone.

Posted on Thu, 5 Nov 2009 08:12:03 CST | by Robert Evans

Blackberry Curve 8520 Smartphone Review

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Tbreak published a review of the the Blackberry Curve 8520.
Quote from the review: "The Blackberry Curve 8520 launched by RIM recently is probably the best Blackberry for someone looking to get into the Smartphone/Blackberry market. Read more

Posted on Mon, 2 Nov 2009 16:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sprint: WiMAX, New Smartphones in 2010

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Sprint's numbers showed some improvement last quarter, but the carrier is still weathering some financial issues. They're losing customers (albeit at a slowed rate) and it's going to take more than some new marketing and the Palm Pre to reverse that trend. Today, in a live chat (via Boy Genius), Sprint executive David Owens talked about how his company intends to get back on the right track.

First off, Sprint will be giving its customers more of what they want. More Android smartphones (mostly from HTC) will be coming soon, and Owens stated that he expects a price decrease for Android smartphones once a significant volume have been sold. Sprint's current Android devices, the Samsung Moment and HTC Hero, are both due for an update soon. For the Hero, this likely means Android 2.0; the Sense UI doesn't work on 1.6, and HTC has confirmed that they are working out a 2.0 release for the Hero.

Posted on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:06:03 CDT | by Robert Evans

Nokia To Create AT&T Smartphone

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While it is the #1 smartphone and mobile phone manufacturer on the planet, Nokia's US numbers leave a lot to be desired. They're looking to change that fact, though, with a bevy of new releases aimed at attracting American customers to Nokia smartphones. According to VentureBeat, one of those new releases is going to be a smartphone designed for the AT&T carrier. If true, this is big news; the rumored phone is said to have a Qualcomm chip.

Qualcomm does not currently make any chips that support GSM networks. This smartphone with Nokia will be their first foray into that territory. Qualcomm did announce earlier today that they have joined the Symbian Foundation, which makes this rumor a bit easier to believe. It's certainly sensible of Qualcomm to want to hedge their bets between as many different manufacturers as possible.

Posted on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:55:13 CDT | by Robert Evans

Ericsson Android Smartphone Coming Soon

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Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh. I'm sorry folks, but journalistic detachment is going to take a holiday for this article. All of the tech blogs have been geeking out over the upcoming Ericsson Rachel smartphone since the first news of it leaked a few months back. Now Android and Me brings news of a promo on Sony's website that hints at a November 3 announcement concerning 'Project Rachel'. We don't know yet who will carry the X3, but current rumors hint at T-Mobile.

AndroidGuys has some more detailed information about the new Xperia smartphone. It will run Android 2.0 (d'uh), pack a 1 GHz snapdragon processor, and come with a beastly 8.1 MP camera. It's also set to have 32 GB of internal storage and a 4.1" OLED touchscreen. That's right a 4.1" OLED touchscreen. Are you drooling yet? Because I am.

Posted on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:34:46 CDT | by Robert Evans

Android Pulse: A Pre-Paid Smartphone

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Usually pre-paid phones mean crappy, off-brand feature phones with very little 'wow' factor. T-Mobile UK appears to be challenging that trend with the new Android Pulse (via Boy Genius). The Pulse will cost around $292 (in USD) and be available as part of T-Mo UK's pre-paid platform.

Posted on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:58:32 CDT | by Robert Evans

Asus Android Smartphone: Before 2010?

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Let's get one thing straight right off the bat; the Garmin Asus Nuvifone was not a bad smartphone. It was a decent smartphone that came out in the U.S. 18 months too late. If it had been released much earlier, it would've had some impressive features. As it happened, the Nuvifone ended up going against the 3GS and the Pre and a whole bunch of other smartphones that beat the hell out of it in every conceivable category.

Now then. With that out of the way, we'll turn to the spectre of Asus' mythical Android smartphone. According to chairman Jonney Shih (Digitimes) an Asustek Android smartphone will be revealed before the end of 2009. This news should be taken with a big, heaping grain of salt. We still have yet to see even the faintest glimmer of an Asus Android smartphone in the offing.

Posted on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:32:32 CDT | by Robert Evans

Mystery Android Smartphone Spotted

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It seems like there is a new Android smartphone out every time you turn around. Manufacturers are really starting to choose Android more and more often these days. HTC was the first company to put out an Android phone and, according to The Unlockr (via Boy Genius) they've got another Android smartphone on the horizon. Snapshots of this new mystery phone have made it onto the Internet.

Posted on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:00:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Armani Smartphone Officially Unveiled

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Remember that dangerously sexy Armani smartphone that got leaked last week? Well now it's officially been announced. Today Giorgio Armani presented their new $1,032 smartphone to the world. Yes, the price is ridiculously high. That doesn't stop the Armani phone from looking really, really cool.

Posted on Fri, 9 Oct 2009 10:15:54 CDT | by Robert Evans

Sexy Toshiba Smartphones Could Hit Holiday 09

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Windows Mobile 6.5 isn't exactly an exciting OS. It's been panned by reviewers and customers alike for being too little, too late. That said, the release of 6.5 could still herald some very cool things; like Toshiba's new line of WinMo 6.5 smartphones. According to Akihabara News (via Gizmodo) at least one of these slick new Toshiba beauties could be released before the end of 2009.

Both new smartphones, the K01 and the K02, were displayed at CEATEC recently. The K01 is a thin, glossy QWERTY slider with a 4.1" capacitive touchscreen, a 1 GHz processor, and a 3.2 MP camera. The K02 is a clamshell phone with a 3.5" resistive touchscreen, and a second dual screen that might display a touchscreen keyboard.

Posted on Thu, 8 Oct 2009 11:02:36 CDT | by Robert Evans

Why Are 12 New Smartphones Version 2?

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The fall line-up of smartphone has materialized and one crazy thing is that phone makers got hooked on calling their new smartphones version 2. HTC is even going so far as naming a new model a version 2, where there was not a version 1 to begin with, just for consistency I assume. I am talking about the HTC HD2.
Lets take a look at the version 2 smartphones that are available now or coming soon:

HTC HD2
HTC Touch Pro2
HTC Tilt 2 (same as Pro2, but AT&T)
HTC Touch2
HTC Touch Diamond2
BlackBerry Curve 2
BlackBerry Storm 2
BlackBerry Bold 2
Samsung Saga 2
Samsung Omnia 2
Samsung Behold 2
LG Rumor 2

Read more

Posted on Thu, 8 Oct 2009 05:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Eric Schmidt Pictured With Mystery Android Smartphone [Update]

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Earlier today Verizon Wireless and Google announced the forming of a new handset alliance. The announcement was made with great fanfare and a flurry of press shots of executives of the two companies being friendly. One shot in particular caught the perceptive eye of the Boy Genius crew. This photo of Eric Schmidt (on your left) shows the Google CEO holding an unknown Verizon branded device.

It's not clear what the new smartphone is, but from the distant shot we have of it the Android UI is barely intelligible. From the overall shape of the phone, it looks a lot like an HTC manufactured device. Could this be an early version of the smartphone Google and Verizon are working together to create?

Posted on Tue, 6 Oct 2009 12:46:20 CDT | by Robert Evans

Flash Player 10.1 Brings Open Screen Project To All Smartphones besides iPhone

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Adobe made an important announcement today about bringing Flash to smartphones today. Adobe unveiled Adobe Flash Player 10.1 software for smartphones, smartbooks, netbooks, PCs and other Internet-connected devices under the Open Screen Project.
A public developer beta of the browser-based runtime is expected to be available for Windows Mobile, Palm webOS and desktop operating systems including Windows, Macintosh and Linux later this year.

Public betas for Google Android and Symbian OS are expected to be available in early 2010.
In addition, Adobe and RIM announced a joint collaboration to bring Flash Player to Blackberry smartphones, and Google joined close to 50 other industry players in the Open Screen Project initiative. Read more

Posted on Mon, 5 Oct 2009 00:53:20 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

New Acer neoTouch, beTouch Smartphones Leaked

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Acer is new to the smartphone business, but the products they have in the pipe right now look very promising. We've known for a while that the Acer F1 would pack the fabled 1 GHz Snapdragon processor. Now, thanks to Cloveblog (via Electronista we have much more information about this new family of Acer smartphones.

Currently Acer is calling these new phones by internal, pre-release codenames. There's the F1, the C1, E1, and L1, which will be renamed to the neoTouch, beTouch E100, beTouch E101, and the beTouch E200. The neoTouch is definitely the high-end mobile of the group; it's got a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, 3.8" touchscreen, WinMo 6.5, a 5 MP camera, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and a microSD slot. It will support quad-band GSM and tri-band HSDPA.

Posted on Sun, 4 Oct 2009 12:30:07 CDT | by Robert Evans

Samsung W8200 Giorgio Armani Smartphone Leaked

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Gadgets today aren't just useful tools and entertainment devices; they're also a fashion statement. That's what Apple built the whole iPod line on, and that's what Samsung is betting on with their latest smartphone project. The handset maker has teamed up with famed fancy suit makers Giorgio Armani to create the latest Armani smartphone. (OpenMobile via Samsung Hub)

You may remember their previous collaboration together. The offspring of that first union was clunky and weird-looking, but with this new smartphone they seem to have gotten it right. The W820 is made of black plastic and burnished gold-colored metal. It has a slim profile, a 3.1" AMOLED touchscreen, a 5 MP camera 'round back, HSDPA, Bluetooth, and up to a 15 GB microSD slot.

Posted on Thu, 1 Oct 2009 10:54:17 CDT | by Robert Evans

LG Pop: Solar-Powered Smartphone

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As my co-workers will tell you, I'm a sucker for solar power. There's just something awesome about having the ability to keep your gear powered anywhere in the world, without worrying about having enough fuel or spare batteries. LG knows that people like me exist, and that's why they've launched the LG Pop (via Electronista) today.

The Pop (it's friends call it GD510) has an aluminium shell and a 3" touchscreen. It has a single-button interface and an optional solar panel on the back. Unfortunately, the Pop is not 3G capable; it can only handle EDGE (2G). That's a bit disappointing, but the rest of the specs are fairly solid; 3 MP camera, 8 GB of space, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Posted on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:33:47 CDT | by Robert Evans

How Much Radiation Doess Your Smartphone Have?

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Alright folks, the new studies are in and it looks like cell phone radiation might be bad for you after all. Much, much more testing needs to be done before we can say anything conclusively, but the latest studies from the Environmental Working Group point to a very possible danger. That's the bad news.

The good news is that we have more ways than ever to avoid getting our ear and brain blasted with radiation. Try using Bluetooth or a hands-free headset device to minimize the time your phone sits next to your head. You should also try to do as much of your communicating via text messages and IMs as possible. Both of these methods result in very low/nil levels of exposure.

Posted on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:51:25 CDT | by Robert Evans

Acer A1 Android Smartphone Up For Pre-Order

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For the last few months we've been hearing rumors about Acer's mysterious new Android smartphone. According to Engadget, our wait is now nearly over. The Acer A1 is now available for pre-order on Expansys. No release date information is out yet, but since it's now up for pre-order I'd be highly surprised if it doesn't launch before the end of October.

Posted on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:00:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

New Microsoft Turtle and Pure Smartphones Rumored For 2010

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The rumor that Microsoft will release a smartphone under the Microsoft brand is already getting old. We first reported it in 2008. Microsoft's main problem is to not piss off their Windows Mobile partners with the introduction of their own smartphones.
Now Apple news site 9to5Mac has a rather specific rumor about Microsoft indeed releasing two new smartphones under the rumored Project Pink in 2010.
Apparently the new smartphones are designed by Danger (owned by Microsoft), maker of the Sidekick and manufactured by Sharp. The new phones are supposed to be co-branded with Microsoft and Sharp. Read more

Posted on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:51:28 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sprint Bringing WiMax Android Smartphone by 2010?

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We've been hearing rumors for a while about a WiMAX-enabled smartphone coming to Sprint sometime in the near future. Now, thanks to Mark Sullivan of PC World those rumors just got a boost of support. He spoke to a series of wireless carriers, handset manufacturers, and market analysts and now believes that a 4G smartphone on the Sprint network is coming.

WiMax is basically mobile broadband, and it allows a connection three to five times as fast as traditional 3G. Since Sprint owns 51% of Clearwire, the WiMax carrier, they have a vested interest in setting off a consumer craze for the service. Sullivan thinks an Android smartphone would be the perfect choice for Sprint's flagship 4G phone.

Posted on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:46:57 CDT | by Robert Evans

Gypsii Unveils New App for Smartphones

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Gypsii has announced that it is launching a new version of its application that will work with more than 350 mobile devices around the world. The new app has support for 100 new phones including devices from Nokia like the 6300 and 5610 XpressMusic.

The Gypsii next generation interface works on Java phones and provides full color, feature rich interface. The app lets users of mobile phones create content about specific places that they can share with friends allowing the accessing of information on nearby points of interest. Read more

Posted on Tue, 8 Sep 2009 06:16:58 CDT | by Shane McGlaun