May 16 - 1:05pm EDT
Research in Motion's anticipated BlackBerry Bold cellphone may already have prices and dates for all major US carriers, a report claims. According to a supplied chart, the AT&T version will ship first in July, at a cost of $300; the T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon versions are all scheduled for September at the same price level, with the exception of the T-Mobile device, which is $50 extra. This may be attributable to contract plans not revealed in the chart. [full story]
May 16 - 12:35pm EDT
An early photo of Palm's upcoming Treo 800w smartphone has leaked online, accounts say. Posted by a Palm OS hacker, the image appears to resemble both renderings and Sprint's own press image, depicting a device which takes styling queues from its cheaper cousin the Centro. Unexpected however is the color, as the photo model is blue, and previous indications have pointed to a "charcoal" exterior. The hacker adds that the phone uses a micro-USB connector. [full story]
May 7 - 12:20pm EDT
Dutch electronics giant Philips is working on its own attempted competitor to the iPhone, leaked information suggests. A Chinese site, CCID, says it has obtained preliminary information on a new Xenium phone, called the X800. Like the iPhone the X800 is designed as a mostly touchscreen-controlled device, with any physical buttons relegated to essential commands; its physical differences consist mostly of a black backing and a more slender profile. [full story]
May 6 - 12:35pm EDT
Sprint has set a date for the release of Palm's Treo 800w, according to WMExperts. The smartphone is said to be going on sale with the carrier on July 22nd, echoing an earlier leaked slide presentation which pointed only to that month in general. No pricing has been indicated, but it should be available in a "charcoal" black color, distinguishing itself from typically brightly-hued Treos. [full story]
May 5 - 12:35pm EDT
An unusual new Samsung phone has been approved by the FCC, filings show. The SCH-i770 uses the new Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, but its main feature is a hybrid receiver, allowing users to switch between GSM and CDMA networks at will. Such receivers are common in countries like Russia, but not in the United States, where large national networks, unique frequencies and a lack of unlocked sales can deter importing. Crucially, the i770 supports the common 850 and 1900MHz bands used by American carriers. [full story]
May 1 - 12:45pm EDT
A Chinese website claims to have obtained some of the first detailed images of Motorola's ZN5, a collaboration with Kodak. The focus of this is the phone's five-megapixel camera, which KeySJ says it can confirm has a xenon flash for better power. Also in place is an unusually large lens cover, which offers protection against dust and impact damage that most cameraphones currently lack. The phone may even be capable of capturing RAW files, something typically reserved for professional-grade cameras. [full story]
April 30 - 1:35pm EDT
Smartphone maker GSmart has revealed the creation of a new touchscreen interface, designed to compete with that of the Apple iPhone. GSmart's Smart Touch technology likewise relies on figure gestures, and similar tropes, such as placing shortcuts for up to 16 applications on the Standby screen; to add, delete or reposition shortcuts, users can simply drag icons around. Launching requires only a quick tap. Widgets are meanwhile present in the form of analog and digital clocks, which can toggled on or off with a flick. [full story]
April 18 - 3:15pm EDT
The Electro-Mechanics division of Samsung says it has developed a hydrogen-powered prototype cellphone, one which could soon have a commercial equivalent. The new technology consists of a special hydrogen generator and a micro-fuel cell; when the phone is turned on, metal and water react to produce hydrogen gas, which is then transferred to a fuel cell where oxygenation releases energy. Most conventional versions of this technology are said to require methanol in place of water. [full story]
April 18 - 12:45pm EDT
The French-based telecom Alcatel is releasing its first official phone for the US, the E206a. The phone is being carried by the GSM-based MVNO O2 Wireless -- not to be confused with Europe's O2 -- and uses an extremely basic candybar design, having only a dual-band receiver, and virtually no other features. Aside from foregoing technologies such as 3G, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi, the 206a lacks even EDGE or GPRS data support, and does not have a USB port. [full story]
April 11 - 10:00am EDT
Finnish cellphone maker Nokia has released a new beta version of its Multimedia Transfer software, which is specifically designed for Macs. The program exploits Apple's iLife suite, allowing users sync photos in either direction through iPhoto, or copy music to a phone via iTunes. It also handles more routine synching of content such as videos, games, and various other applications. [full story]
April 7 - 5:00pm EDT
Europe's Carphone Warehouse is coming to the US, reports say. The company is an independent cellphone vendor, and has some 2,300 stores scattered throughout European countries. It is now planning to open almost 1,000 stores in America, thanks to a partnership with big-box retailer Best Buy, which owns a 3 percent stake in Carphone. Some of these will be boutiques within Best Buy shops, but others will operate separately in different locations. The first American outlets should launch later this year. [full story]
April 4 - 2:55pm EDT
More details have emerged on Sony Ericsson's P5 smartphone. The source for yesterday's leak has disclosed more details, revealing for example that the direction pad is flanked by two call keys, blended into the rest of the phone. The QWERTY keyboard sports a number of multifunction keys, and the back is made of metal, with a sliding lens cover for the five-megapixel camera. [full story]
April 4 - 1:15pm EDT
The CEO of Sprint, Dan Hesse, has announced a new BlackBerry phone for the company's iDEN network, reports say. Sprint inherited the network when it acquired Nextel, but has long been accused of neglecting it, despite it having once had widespread popularity with taxi and construction companies, thanks to push-to-talk support. According to Hesse, the new iDEN BlackBerry is expected "later this year," and will have Wi-Fi -- a feature effectively absent from other iDEN options. [full story]
April 3 - 4:00pm EDT
Finland's Nokia has announced two new cellphones for North America, the 3606 and 1606. Built on CDMA, the phones are notable mainly for supporting Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) bands -- specifically, the 1,700 and 2,100MHz ranges. AWS is a spectrum opened up to American carriers in 2006, and owned primarily by T-Mobile, a GSM carrier. The 3606 is equipped with a 1.3-megapixel camera, and supports features such as music playback and Bluetooth 2.0, the latter allowing A2DP stereo. Media is kept primarily on microSD cards. [full story]
April 3 - 3:15pm EDT
After having done a limited soft launch in February, Nokia has officially thrown open the doors to N-Gage, its online gaming service. Users can download demos of games that use both 2D and 3D technology, and then buy full titles through the same means. In some cases, users can play the games against other opponents online, via the N-Gage Arena. [full story]
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