MobileTracker

T-Mobile G1 with Google Android officially announced

Staff — 2008-09-23T11:14:47-05:00

T-Mobile USA has officially confirmed what unofficially has been the talk of the town--the debut of the first Google Android based mobile phone. The T-Mobile G1 is made by HTC (the device was code named the HTC Dream) and was introduced this morning at a press conference in NYC. While this is the first Android device to be announced there should be many more following. The G1 is a T-Mobile exclusive (both USA and Europe).

Specs and features of the G1 include:

Quad-band GSM / Dual band 3G / EDGE / Wifi
Touch screen with iPhone like dragging
Slide out QWERTY keyboard
3 megapixel camera with auto-focus
Amazon MP3 store app to download DRM-free songs over WiFi
Multi-tasking
IM (Yahoo/MSN/AIM/Google Talk)
Google Maps with street view
HTML email client (POP3 and IMAP) plus contact and calendar syncing for Gmail users
Web browser using WebKit

The G1 will retail for $179 with a 2-year contract when it starts shipping on October 22nd. Current customers can order online and the G1 will be delivered when it's launched. Like the iPhone, the G1's service agreement requires a data plan. Unlimited data with 400 messages runs $25 monthly while unlimited data and unlimited messaging will cost $35 monthly. Since it's a 3G device the phone will only be made available in T-Mobile's current 3G markets. You can use T-Mobile USA's coverage search tool to find out if your area is 3G or not, though the number of markets should be expanding rapidly. The G1 will not be available without a contract or via pre-paid service.

It's iPhone day

Staff — 2007-06-29T14:59:23-05:00

It's June 29th and Apple is finally ready to let the public play with the iPhone. The past six months have shaped up to be the highest profile mobile phone launch ever, Apple has conjured up an amazing amount of buzz for a device that only a handful of people have actually held. While the early adopters are busy waiting in lines across the country to be the first iPhone users, others are busy betting (real money!) on what bugs will be found.

AT&T came out in support of its EDGE network today amid heavy criticism from the first round of iPhone reviews. The combination of a "2.5G" data technology and a HTML/CSS compatible browser can mean some heavy wait times (expect about a minute to render a complex page like nytimes.com). Most phones, even many inexpensive models, from competitors Verizon Wireless and Sprint ship with 3G data support.

Apple has not announced how many units it has on hand, but analysts believe it's around 3 million. Steve Jobs noted that Apple has "built factories to build these things" so supply may not be an issue despite the lines outside stores. Apple employees are set to get free iPhones starting in July.

Get it tonight starting at 6PM. If you're an early adopter and would like to share your iPhone impression with us, get in touch.

Update: After getting a chance to sit down with the iPhone, our first take is that it's a big step forward in the industry and should help force all the major players in the space to focus on software and user experience. There are a number of serious limitations with the iPhone, but it's a solid first try and we're excited to see future revisions.

LG VX9400 TV phone launches on Verizon Wireless

Staff — 2007-03-28T12:24:47-05:00

CTIA 2007 -- Verizon Wireless has launched its second MediaFLO mobile TV handset, the LG VX9400. Mobile TV has been a major talking point at the CTIA conference and LG has been showing off the VX9400 proudly. Sporting a unique form factor (the screen swivels into landscape orientation) and MediaFLO, the device is designed to work with V Cast TV.

Features of the LG VX9400 include:

QVGA screen with 262k colors
EV-DO 3G data
Bluetooth with A2DP stereo support
1.3 megapixel camera
microSD card slot

Because of the TV technology, Verizon Wireless will keep an exclusive on this handset. It's available now for $199.99 with a 2-year contract. Note: V Cast TV is only available in select markets, but the list is expanding.

Samsung UbiCell CDMA Base Station for Sprint

Staff — 2007-03-28T11:33:13-05:00

CTIA 2007 -- One of the more interesting new devices at CTIA is the Samsung UbiCell base station. A small white box that looks like a WiFi access point, the UbiCell is actually mini cell tower designed for CDMA 1x networks. The device connects to a mobile network through a broadband connection and is designed to provide enhanced cell coverage for the home. Unlike UMA technology, nothing special is needed for mobile handsets to take advantage of the base station. Samsung will be distributing the UbiCell through Sprint, though other versions (such as GSM) may appear on other carriers.

Sprint should begin selling the UbiCell in the Summer. Pricing is unknown but will be geared towards consumers.

iPhone attracts 1 million interested customers

Staff — 2007-03-28T10:51:11-05:00

CTIA 2007 -- During a keynote speech at CTIA, an AT&T executive noted announced that it has collected information from a million people who want to be contacted when the Apple iPhone begins shipping in June. The company isn't taking pre-orders, so it's hard to tell if the demand is from probable (and able) buyers or not, but AT&T seemed pretty pleased at the number. Apple hopes to sell up to 10 million of the advanced devices.

The same keynote presentation included the only appearance of the iPhone at CTIA. It was only for a few seconds, but attracted more photos and attention than any other part of the presentation. Apple's secretive approach to marketing is at least successful in terms of producing buzz.

SanDisk announces 4GB microSDHC card

Staff — 2007-03-28T10:41:19-05:00

CTIA 2007 -- SanDisk, in conjunction with Verizon Wireless, has announced a 4GB microSDHC card. microSDHC is the new High Capacity (HC) version of microSD, more information on that is available below. Two Verizon Wireless V Cast handsets are already compatible with the new standard, the LG VX9400 and LG VX8700. According to SanDisk, 4GB is enough for 4,000 photos or 16 hours of video. It also matches, in storage terms, one of the iPod nano configurations.

Verizon Wireless will launch the new 4GB card exclusively on May 1st. The retail price is just $129.99. It's not known when the card will hit other channels.

LG announces Google partnership

Staff — 2007-03-28T08:48:51-05:00

CTIA 2007 -- LG has become the latest mobile phone manufacturer to partner with Google. The handset maker will begin to introduce new models that come pre-installed with Google applications such as Google Maps, Gmail and Blogger. There will also be one click access to Google's search site via an icon on the home menu. The phones, estimated to be 10 models, will ship throughout Asia, Europe and North America starting in the second quarter.

There is widespread speculation that Google itself is working on a mobile phone, but the search engine giant is only experienced with software and many analysts believe would be better off providing software for existing handsets.

Prior to todays LG news, Google had inked deals with other major mobile players like Motorola, Nokia and Samsung.

Sony Ericsson Z750 HSDPA handset

Staff — 2007-03-26T17:55:15-05:00

CTIA 2007 -- The Sony Ericsson Z750 is a new HSDPA handset targeted at North America. What that really means, though not technically announced, is it's destined for AT&T (Cingular). While the 3G connectivity is surely big news (it's Sony Ericsson's first HSDPA phone for North America), the Z750 is also one of only a few consumer focused handsets to support Exchange ActiveSync push email. In addition, the Z750 is Sony Ericsson's first handset based on the Java Platform 8. That should make it easier for developers to create innovative applications.

Features of the Sony Ericsson Z750 include:

Quad-band GSM/EDGE plus tri-band HSDPA (850/1900/2100)
2 megapixel camera
Memory Stick Micro M2 card slot
Bluetooth 2.0 EDR + with A2DP stereo support
QVGA screen with 262k colors
POP3/IMAP4/Exchange email support
Full HTML browser with RSS

The Z750 should begin shipping in the third quarter. It's available in two color schemes, rose pink (shown right) and phantom grey (shown below).

Sony Ericsson W580i announced

Staff — 2007-03-26T16:50:09-05:00

CTIA 2007 -- The Sony Ericsson W580i is the latest Walkman music phone for the North American market. With yet another music announcement, CTIA's first day has a very familiar feel. The W580i builds on the Walkman platform which has so far been the most successful line of music handsets.

Features of the W580i include:

Quad-band GSM plus EDGe
Walkman 2.0 music player (MP3/AAC/AAC+/e-AAC+/WMA)
512MB Memory Stick Micro in box
2 megapixel camera
Stereo Bluetooth
Just 14mm thick
Full HTML Browser with RSS

The Sony Ericsson W580i will ship in two color combinations, white (shown right) and grey (shown below). It will begin shipping in Q3. Carrier partners have not been announced, but AT&T or T-Mobile would be likely candidates.

AT&T to give away unlimited Napster To Go

Staff — 2007-03-26T15:33:56-05:00

CTIA 2007 -- The music phone battle is heating up, AT&T (formally Cingular) has announced it will be giving away 1 year of unlimited Napster To Go service ($180 value) with the purchase of a SYNC or BlackJack. The subscription covers unlimited playback of the over 3 million tracks in Napster's catalog.

AT&T will begin this deal on April 1st. It's also available to existing AT&T customers if they sign up for one of the bundled service packages (covering home phone and broadband). The SYNC is currently priced at $49.99 after rebate while the BlackJack rings in for a more hefty $199.99 after rebate.

In a related move that also occurred this afternoon, Sprint Nextel announced lower pricing for its wireless music store.

Sprint lowers price of music downloads to 99 cents

Staff — 2007-03-26T15:20:02-05:00

CTIA 2007 -- Sprint Nextel has taken a page out of Apple's playbook and lowered the price of music downloads on its wireless Sprint Music Store to 99 cents (matching the price set by digital music leader Apple). Downloads were previously priced at $2.50. This move comes in tandem with Sprint's announcement of the Samsung UpStage. It also happened the same day as AT&T's announcement of free Napster To Go on select handsets. Like before, the price is consistent across the entire catalog of 1.4 million songs and includes another copy of the song to download to a Windows PC. Customers should expect to see the new pricing kick in during the first week of April.

To date Sprint customers have downloaded over 15 million songs.

Samsung UpStage announced by Sprint

Staff — 2007-03-26T15:06:07-05:00

CTIA 2007 -- The Samsung UpStage is Sprint Nextel's latest effort in the expanding music phone niche. We first saw this handset at CES when it was called the Samsung Ultra Music F300, but since that was a GSM device there have been a few changes. The UpStage keeps the unique 2-face styling in an iPod nano-esque shape. Executives for Sprint joked that the name UpStage comes from Sprint's desire to steal Apple's iPhone thunder. Though the spec sheet shows the UpStage is not made to compete with a high-end product like the iPhone.

Features of the Samsung UpStage include:

EV-DO 3G data
Stereo Bluetooth 2.0 with spoken caller ID
1.3 megapixel camera
45MB built-in memory plus microSD card slot, 64MB card included
Petite size, 4.07" × 1.73" × 0.37"
Sprint Music Store for OTA downloads, new lower priced $.99 downloads
Sprint Music Manager application to load music onto device

Sprint expects to begin selling the Upstage in the first week of April. It will be priced at $149.99 with a new 2-year contract. Sprint looks to be betting big on the Upstage and will be aggressively marketing it.

Helio Ocean

Staff — 2007-03-26T11:06:17-05:00

CTIA 2007 -- Jon Gales -- - The Helio Ocean by Pantech is the first major handset announcement out of the annual CTIA conference. Highlighted by a unique dual-slide form factor, the Ocean is the most unique Helio handset by far. Executives at the startup carrier have been buzzing about the device and noted that this device has actually been in development since before Helio was officially a company.

The Ocean has both a numerical keypad and QWERTY keyboard. With the numerical keypad slid out the device looks like a conventional slide-style handset and behaves as a phone. With the QWERTY slid out the Ocean transforms into what's best described as a Sidekick competitor.

“Finally, you don’t have to choose between a device that’s good for talking but a nightmare for messaging, or one that’s good at messaging but feels like you’re holding a brick up to your face when you try to make a call,” said Sky Dayton, CEO of Helio

Features of the Helio Ocean include:

QVGA screen with 260k colors
200 MB internal memory plus microSD card slot (USB mass storage mode supported)
EV-DO 3G data
2 megapixel camera
Media player with support for MP3, AAC, WMA, MPEG-4, H.264, VOD and MOD
GPS
Stereo Bluetooth
POP, IMAP, Exchange email support (plus popular web mail)
Full HTML browser

The Helio Ocean will go on sale later this Spring for an estimated $295. It's an exclusive to Helio. MobileTracker will have more on the Ocean as soon as we get a hands-on look.

Nokia N95 begins shipping

Staff — 2007-03-22T03:08:53-05:00

Nokia has started shipping the N95. As Nokia has reminded its customers many times, the N-Series isn't made up of phones, it's made up of "multimedia computers". One look at the N95's impressive feature least with re-affirm the title. The most unique aspect of the phone is its dual-slide mechanism that either reveals number keys for dialing or music playback keys for tunes.

Features of the N95 are high-end to say the least:

5-megapixel camera
HSDPA high-speed 3G data , EDGE and WiFi
microSD card slot
Integrated GPS
Stereo Bluetooth
QVGA screen with 16 million colors

All this can now be yours, Nokia has started shipments of the N95 in select European, Asian and Middle Eastern markets. Wider distribution is expected in a matter of weeks.

Nokia 5300 Xpress Music on T-Mobile

Staff — 2007-03-22T02:47:31-05:00

T-Mobile USA has launched the Nokia 5300 Xpress Music. The 5300 is one of Nokia's latest music devices and is available exclusively from T-Mobile. Unlike Nokia's popular N-Series devices, the 5300 Xpress is designed for the mass market. It may be marketed as a music device, but it's also much more of a regular phone than Nokia's multimedia centric offerings.

Features of the Nokia 5300 Xpress Music include:

External music playback keys
Music player with MP3, WMA and AAC support
1.3 megapixel camera
AIM/MSN/ICQ IM
Speakerphone
Stereo Bluetooth
SD card slot (1GB card included)

T-Mobile USA is selling the 5300 Xpress for $99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and 2-year service agreement. It's available in both Lilac and Black.