Garmin and Asus have announced that the nüvifone M20 has been updated with Microsoft's latest Windows Mobile 6.5 software. The software provides a revamped home screen, with touch-optimized icons and access to the variety of apps available through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Users can also take advantage of Facebook and Microsot's My Phone service.
Rumors of a dual-network iPhone gained fuel on Wednesday with an analyst report from Northeast Securities claiming to know of the device. Pointing to checks within the parts chain, the analyst group expects an iPhone with both CDMA and WCDMA support to be ready by the summer of 2010. The change would let the phone work on Sprint, Verizon, and a handful of other international networks while still having the WCDMA foundations needed for UMTS and HSPA 3G on AT&T and most worldwide cell providers.
Walmart said on Wednesday that it will offer buyers of the BlackBerry smartphones it carries a $100 gift card to use in store for whatever they want. This promotion will only last one week, and will start at 8am on November 14th. The BlackBerry handsets will also need to have two-year contracts attached to them from either AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon.
T-Mobile on Wednesday started shipping the webConnect Jet modem and its T-Mobile Tap handset, first introduced over a month ago. The USB modem connects to T-Mobile's 3G network and also provides access to T-Mobile's Wi-Fi hotspots. It doubles as a flash drive through a microSD card slot.
Microsoft has sped up the release schedule for Windows Mobile 7 to less than a year after 6.5, a leak hinted today. The company is reportedly set to launch a test program in early 2010, codenamed "Maldives," that will let smartphone makers check the mobile OS against their hardware relatively early. Timing would be such that the OS would reach shipping phones by summer where 6.5 was unveiled this past winter but didn't ship until the fall.
Nokia said on Wednesday it will soon bring three new CDMA handsets to its market in China. This includes the Nokia 6316s, Nokia 3806 and Nokia 1506. The 6316s is the most advanced device, sporting support for China Telecom's 3G data network, a built-in GPS receiver and media playback with dedicated controls on top of the slider.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata in a talk today denied that handhelds like the DSi LL compete with the iPhone and iPod touch. While he uses an iPhone himself, Iwata explained to the Wall Street Journal that comparisons between the DS series and Apple's devices make him "uncomfortable" as he sees the two targeting different audiences. The DS experience considered unique, particularly as games like the Mario series won't be found on other handhelds.
Samsung senior VP Don Joo Lee today confirmed rumored plans that it will dismiss Symbian from its smartphones. The executive expects Android and Windows Mobile to remain but will completely phase out Symbian in 2010, replacing it with Samsung's in-house bada. A previous analyst forecast had Samsung scaling back its Symbian use to just a small percentage next year but had only anticipated a complete exit in 2011.
Saygus is reportedly readying its V1 Android handset for Verizon's network, according to PhoneScoop. The sideways slider will carry the name VPhone and serve as Verizon's foray into the Open Development Initiative. Highlighted features include the ability to work as a Wi-Fi router for wireless broadband, while a front-facing VGA camera is capable of sharing live two-way video feeds with other users.
RIM is not typically known for revolutionary new phones that are entirely different than previous models. The BlackBerry Bold 9700 certainly stays consistent as it is represents an evolutionary step forward from the Bold and other previous BlackBerries. While it’s apparent that RIM has put a lot of work into perfecting the design, our Bold 9700 review will see if it's perfect for converting iPhone and Windows Mobile users into devotees.
Apple is now the single most profitable phone maker in the US, Strategy Analytics said today. Although it has just 2.5 percent share and makes just two similar iPhone models, Apple is estimated to have generated about $1.6 billion in operating profit from its cellphones in the summer where market leader Nokia said it had only generated $1.1 billion. Nokia's second-place finish comes despite it being one of the most experienced phone builders and Apple having only entered the category in 2007.
Japanese telecoms provider NTT DoCoMo on Tuesday announced the upcoming release of 19 new phones for its network. Divided into Style-, Prime-, Smart- and Pro-series of handsets, there are some standouts in the range, including the waterproof F-02B that is said to be of jewelry quality and have a snap-on perfume holder or the SH-05B, which was designed by the top models from Seventeen magazine. These are two of the ten new Style series handsets.
Minnesota Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar said on Monday that she will introduce a measure to prevent US cellular carriers from raising their early termination fees (ETFs) quickly. The move is a direct reaction to Verizon's decision to double ETF rates for "advanced devices" like the Droid to deter customers from exiting their service early. Klobuchar claims the rate hike has "little to no relation" to the cost of the phone and that it punishes those who depend on cellphones and have to quit for honest reasons, such as moving into regions that don't have coverage.
The recently launched Motorola Droid at Verizon is already due for an over-the-air update to fix a large number of issues, according to a lengthy document leaked from Verizon. The five pages that are said to have been sent to Verizon Tech Support representatives and reveal an update is due for December 11th. It will address a large number of issues, including adding nesting folders in Exchange Active Sync e-mail, adding a notification icon when sending an e-mail and fixing a lock-up when editing large invite lists.
Japanese telecoms provider Softbank on Tuesday announced an upcoming lineup of handsets, including revealing that it will launch an Android-powered smartphone by the spring of 2010. The device will use a 3.7-inch OLED and be powered by Qualcomm's 1GHz Snapdragon CPU but has received few other details. Otherwise, Snapdragon is already found or to be found in a number of other smartphones from various manufacturers.
The Motorola Droid's quiet launch achieved just a tenth the sales of the iPhone 3GS, according to estimates by Broadpoint AmTech analyst Mark McKechnie. He determines in a note released yesterday that Verizon sold 100,000 of the Android phones on launch weekend, or just a fraction of the 1 million iPhone 3GS units that were sold when AT&T launched that device in June. The researcher also estimates that Verizon still had 100,000 Droids in stock by the end of Sunday where Apple's phone encountered weeks-long shortages, particularly outside of the US.
Telus this morning gave Canadians their own version of the Droid with an adaptation of the Motorola Milestone. Its version will be fundamentally identical to the European Android 2.0 phone with the exception of North America-native HSPA 3G. Most details aren't available, but Telus is announcing its deal early and says it will have an exclusive when the phone arrives at the start of 2010.
Nokia on Tuesday said it has started shipping the N900, its new flagship. The crossover between its Internet tablets and media smartphones is the company's first phone to use Maemo Linux instead of Symbian and is better-suited to modern computing: it has both a full Mozilla-based browser with Flash but basic multi-touch and multitasking that can support many simultaneous apps open. Helping this is along are a fast ARM Cortex-A8 processor and 256MB of RAM that closely resemble the hardware in the iPhone 3GS.
Samsung today entered into the mobile OS arena with bada. The software, whose name is based on the Korean for "ocean," is designed to be open and will compete directly against rivals like Android or LiMo. It will be based on universal standards and won't consider even core aspects of the OS off-limits: developers can not only use contacts, the dialer and other utilities but extend them with new features of their own.
Google has allegedly moved to acquire the VoIP startup Gizmo5, according to a TechCrunch report. Neither company has announced the sale, although the unnamed sources claim it has been finalized for a sum of $30 million in cash. The purchase follows recent reports that Skype was eying the startup, a deal that never came to fruition.
Sprint this afternoon warned that it will cut between 2,000 and 2,500 more jobs to improve its bottom line. The cellular provider says the cuts will apply both to internal and contractor jobs and that most of the layoffs should take effect before the end of the year. All the cuts should have a net effect of saving Sprint about $350 million per year in expenses.
AT&T on Monday announced it has added two new wireless plans, Nation with Canada and FamilyTalk with Canada, both meant to make calling to Canada less expensive. Subscribers to either plan have access to 1,000 Night and Weekend Minutes that can be used in the United States and Canada and not incur international long distance charges on wireless calls between the US and Canada. As with other AT&T plans, users have the potential to save unused minutes thanks to Anytime Minutes with Rollover.
Samsung last week said it has created a new 15-year contract with Qualcomm to use its 3G and 4G wireless technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Samsung will made a down payment of $1.3 billion to Qualcomm along with running royalties, though specifics on these were not disclosed. Samsung will also share its 57 patents for mobile technology with Qualcomm, though it will not be paid for this because Qualcomm's licenses are valued higher.
Google today said it has bought mobile advertising house AdMob for $750 million. The deal gives Google control of what's considered the single largest advertiser on phones and is characterized as helping to better monetize the ads that reach platforms like Android and the iPhone. Giving AdMob the extra support should help fund the mobile web by improving the effectiveness of ads in apps and mobile-optimized websites, according to the search engine giant.
Samsung is about deal Microsoft one of its most severe blows yet by dropping Windows Mobile from most of its phones, an investment note issued today says. HMC Investment Securities analyst Greg Noh understands that the Korean company's use of Windows Mobile will crash from 80 percent this year to just 50 percent in 2010 and will lower further still in future years. Just 20 percent of Samsung's phones should use the platform by 2012.
Nokia on Monday announced it has started a replacement program to exchange about 14 million chargers made by BYD for Nokia as a precautionary measure. Three charger models made between June 15th and August 9th of 2009 can potentially shock people when they're plugged in as the top plastic cover can detach from the body and expose the internal components.
RIM opened up the BlackBerry Developers Conference by revealing the first modern 3D support for its smartphones. Those using a new Java SDK for BlackBerry OS 5.0 can now use OpenGL ES graphics and produce games or other 3D apps with contemporary effects. The SDK is currently in beta but should be available today.
ZiiLabs today claimed a milestone in mobile processors with the ZMS-08, its second new chip in a year. The new design blends the existing many-core design of the original ZMS-05 with a 1GHz ARM Cortex processor and should process video at a level previously unseen in mobile chips. While other chips can decode 1080p video, the new design reportedly processes the HD output in High Profile H.264, or enough quality to match Blu-ray.
Verizon this weekend stepped up the pressure in its anti-AT&T campaign with three new ads (viewable below). The lead ad, "Misfit Toys," attacks the iPhone's attachment to AT&T and says it belongs on Rudolph's Island of Misfit Toys for running on a network with relatively low 3G coverage. Unlike the recent Droid ads, the new commercials take care to praise the phone but attack the network, suggesting Verizon is backing away from direct criticism of Apple.
An analyst report sent today hints at Apple producing an iPhone that would work with both GSM and CDMA networks. The OTR Global note obtained by AppleInsider claims to know of an iPhone in development with a hybrid Qualcomm chipset that will support the two normally incompatible standards. It would support UMTS-based 3G on carriers like AT&T and would presumably support EVDO-based 3G on Verizon and similar CDMA carriers.
The absence of long lines at most Verizon stores for the Motorola Droid is a positive sign, company spokesman David Samberg claimed today. According to the representative, Verizon believes early queues as "not really the goal" and that they are "flashy" more than a sign of actual built-up demand. The carrier would prefer to see a regular flow over coming weeks rather than an initial rush.
ARM president Tudor Brown at a presentation on Friday provided early details of his company's next-generation architecture for smartphones and other handhelds. Nicknamed Eagle, the processor design will focus on speed and come with a multi-core main processor, "high-end" graphics and better security against hardware-related attacks. Power use will be kept down by using GlobalFoundries' new 28 nanometer process and should get more efficient still when the assembly process shrinks to 22 nanometers.
Apple gained market share in the summer but slipped in the face of tougher competition, according to new IDC data. The iPhone's share of smartphones grew from 16.6 percent to 17.1 percent during the quarter but was overtaken by Research in Motion's record BlackBerry sales, which pushed it above Apple from 14.6 percent to 19 percent. The reversal is credited to the BlackBerry's wider distribution and the launch of a pair of key phones, the Tour and the Curve 8520.
Sailing Software has released v1.1.4 of Sailing Media Sync, its multi-platform file transfer software. The Mac edition syncs music and podcasts from iTunes with phones other than those made by Apple. Playlists are preserved, including those created with Genius. Photos can be synced from Aperture and iPhoto.
Dell's Mini 3iX smartphone has edged closer to the US today with an FCC filing. While the phone itself isn't photographed, a label diagram confirms its identity as it identifies the handheld as a phone with UMTS-based 3G and Bluetooth.
Canadian carrier Rogers could be the first in North America to pick up a version of the HTC Touch2, according to sources familiar with its plans. The Windows Mobile 6.5 phone is reportedly coming onboard in one or more colors that aren't normally picked for the phone; blue and red are both being considered as choices. While not confirmed at this stage, it's also implied that the phone will have North America-native 3G where the stock version goes without.
(Updated with additional lineup details) Early reports have suggested relatively small lineups for the Droid at Verizon stores. Visitors to most stores have seen lines of several people or less, with others seeing no lineups even with later early opening 8AM openings. The midnight opening at Verizon's 34th Street Manhattan store has also been described as modest, with one report so far suggesting that only 20 were in queue roughly an hour before it opened and no reports of the line growing much larger by 12AM.
As promised, Verizon tonight launched the Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris at its primary retail store on 34th Street in New York City. The midnight opening is the first official launch in the country but follows numerous reports from those who have visited Best Buy and Walmart stores and successfully obtained the phone ahead of its official street date. Walmart Super Center stores are also typically opening sales at midnight, though the next earliest opportunity will involve the 7AM and 8AM openings at some non-mall Verizon stores.
At a press event in New York City on Thursday, wireless provider Verizon showed off the still-unannounced Casio G'zOne Brigade handset. Photos reveal that this is Casio's first rugged push-to-talk device to flip open vertically to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. This keyboard has four rows of keys that include a shortcut key for messaging along with a dedicated row of number keys.
Apple and AT&T may use an 8GB iPhone 3GS as a 'secret weapon' against the launch of the Motorola Droid if a rumor proves accurate. Two separate sources of BGR's say the two iPhone partners are considering replacing the existing 8GB iPhone 3G with a 3GS variant, preserving the same capacity and $99 price. The move would undercut Verizon by offering the latest iPhone at the same price as the less ambitious Droid Eris.
On Thursday, Verizon Wireless said it has added three new prepaid mobile broadband data plans. Users can now opt for a $15 daily data allowance that includes 75MB of data, a $30 weekly package that includes 250MB of data and a $50 monthly offering with 500MB of data. These will be sold alongside a Verizon Wireless USB760 modem, priced at $130.
After making its appearance at Verizon earlier today, Sprint also announced that the BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone is coming soon to its lineup as well. Potential customers can register now to receive updates on the handset. Preloaded apps are the primary difference for Sprint's Curve 8530 and include the Sprint Music Store, Sprint TV and Pandora radio.
A source today claims the sequel to NVIDIA's Tegra mobile processor could muster double the performance of the original. The new chip is purported by "high ranking" industry contacts to be switching from an ARM7 architecture to the much newer ARM9 and also to use a dual-core design. Combined with improvements to the graphics core, the updated Tegra would be roughly twice as fast overall.
Verizon in a last-minute update today moved up the launch of the Motorola Droid for just one of its stores. Its flagship store on 34th Street in New York City will open at 12AM tonight for two hours to sell the Droid, the HTC Droid Eris, and accessories like the Droid's horizontal dock. This and other stores in the city will still open early afterwards, with most ready between 7AM and 8AM.
The European Parliament today agreed on a new set of legal protections for those threatened with losing Internet access under anti-piracy rules. The new measure in the EU's Telecoms Reform Package considers Internet access a "fundamental" right and will require that EU countries implement a "fair and impartial" process if their laws allow for disconnecting alleged pirates. It will also permit those facing a disconnection to legally dispute their case, though this won't necessarily be part of the regular process.
Verizon on Thursday introduced two new handsets, including its first touchscreen Chocolate handset from LG, the Chocolate Touch, along with the rugged Push-To-Talk Samsung Convoy flip phone. While not as advanced as the Chocolate BL40, the Chocolate Touch is being billed as a capable music phone, sporting Dolby Mobile sound processing, an integrated FM radio with 12 presets and song ID, as well as a dedicated key on the side of the device for quick access to music.
Nokia on Thursday said it has started shipping the X6. Its latest touchscreen-only smartphone is the first from the company to use capacitive touch and responds much more precisely and quickly to input than the pressure-based resistive screens of earlier models. Reinforcing this upscale image, the X6 is also more advanced than the 5800 XpressMusic with a 5-megapixel camera and 32GB of internal storage.
Samsung Mobile began shipping two promised touchscreen handsets on AT&T's network. The Samsung Mythic has a 3.3-inch touchscreen only interface and is the latest phone to work with AT&T's Mobile TV service. It runs on Samsung's own widget-based TouchWiz interface and brings top-level access both to the Mobile TV service as well as Facebook and MySpace.
Verizon this morning preceded the launch of the Motorola Droid two expected new smartphones, including its second Android phone. The HTC Droid Eris, also known as the Desire, is Verizon's interpretation of the Hero and comes in an all-black design with touch-sensitive buttons below the 3.2-inch screen as well as a trackball for one-handed use. It still carries the 5-megapixel camera, GPS and Wi-Fi, and still uses HTC's original Sense UI layer and built-in web browser Flash.
Telus this morning took its turn at launching its own HSPA+ network and new devices, including the iPhone. It sells the iPhone 3G and both the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 3GS units at the same $100, $200 and $300 prices as at Bell and Rogers on a three-year contract. The plans are slightly different than Bell's and start with a $50 Clear Choice iPhone plan that provides 150 minutes, unlimited evenings and weekends after 9PM and 500MB of data with tethering but supplies the perk of either unlimited local calls and MMS/SMS messaging to five numbers, double the minutes, or 1,000 outbound (unlimited inbound) messages.
