PHONE Magazine

TI drops WiLink 7.0, Rambus shows off Mobile XDR, Samsung unveils Monte

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:37:25 +0000

TI has unveiled a new highly integrated chip that puts four radios onto one chip. The WiLink 7.0 chip will allow for smartphones that are smaller and pack more features.

Rambus pulled the wraps off a new memory format for mobile devices today called Mobile XDR. The new memory format promises more performance and less power consumption.

Samsung showed off its Monte smartphone ahead of MWC today. The device is the S5630 Monte and has a 3-inch screen, 3.2MP camera, and more. The device doesn’t appear to meet US specs though.

Samsung shows off Super AMOLED, Qisda QCM-330 lands, Windows Mobile 7 details surface

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:39:17 +0000

Samsung is set to show off a new mobile phone at MWC that sports its Super AMOLED screen. The screen promises five times the performance of current AMOLED screens.

Vodafone showed off a bunch of new handsets it will be offering customers this year. The coolest was the Qisda QCM-330 with a big 4-inch screen with high resolution.

Windows Mobile 7 details are leaking ahead of the expected introduction at MWC. The interface is said to be similar to that of the Zune HD and the browser will have some IE8 functionality.

Google reflects on Nexus One, Nexus One sales slow first month, Lenovo offers phone details

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:38:28 +0000

Google has posted up a four-minute long video reflecting on the history of the Nexus One smartphone. The vid also shows new docks that might interest owners.

According to the WSJ, analysts are saying that first month sales of the Nexus One smartphone have been slow. Google is said to have sold about 80,000 Nexus One smartphones the first month.

Lenovo has offered up additional details on Android handsets that it is working on. The computer maker already has the high-end Lephone and has said that it plans to offer devices at other price points too.

Nokia C5 leaks, Symbian goes open source, Blackberry Curve 8900 axed at T-Mobile

Shane McGlaun — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:20:47 +0000

The Nokia C5 3G handset is expected to be launched officially at MWC 2010 in Spain. If the device interests you, it has been leaked ahead of the official launch with most all of its secrets laid bare.

The Symbian Foundation announced today that the Symbian OS is now open source. The OS can be downloaded and modified free of charge.

Word has come in that T-mobile has axed the Blackberry Curve 8900. The handset was around for a while and fans can look forward to the 8520 taking up the slack.

Sony Ericsson Aspen gets preview, Motorola Devour unveiled, Nexus One OTA update

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:27:33 +0000

The Sony Ericsson Aspen mobile phone that we heard about the other day has turned up in a preview ahead of its official launch. The keyboard draws gripes for being too slippery but the device is said to be comfortable in the hands.

Motorola debuted the DEVOUR handset today and pegged the device as heading to Verizon. The handset will be Verizon’s first to run MOTOBLUR.

A new OTA update for the Google Nexus One started going out to end users yesterday. The update adds new features like multitouch. Let us know how it’s working for you.

Symbian^3 phones by Q3, Garmin-Asus M10 reviewed, SE unveils Aspen

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:21:25 +0000

Nokia has talked about its plans for this year and early 2011. This year will see Symbian^3 handsets and in early 2011 Symbian^4 devices are said to be debuting.

The Garmin-Asus M10 GPS nav phone has tipped up in early reviews. The device runs WinMo 6.5.3 and it seems that the handset is doing well enough so far in reviews in China.

Sony Ericsson has unveiled its latest smartphone called the Aspen. The device has a QWERTY keyboard, is part of the GreenHeart line, and runs the latest WinMo version.

TI OMAP4 hands-on, Zune Phone, Palm Pre Plus GPS woes

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:45:59 +0000

SlashGear took a road trip to the Dallas Texas Instruments location to get hands on with the new TI OMAP3 and OMAP4 chipsets that will be in smartphones this year. The OMAP4 device can drive three displays and has a pico projector module.

Spanish publication MuyComputer claims that the Zune Phone will be debuting at MWC this month. WinMo 7 is also said to be debuting there as well.

Apparently, the Palm Pre Plus for Verizon is having some issues with GPS signal locks. Owners are saying that the handset is showing their location anywhere from several years to several miles from where they actually are.

Mobiado 712ZAF phone debuts, Windows Mobile 7 coming soon, cell phone bans don’t work

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:06:10 +0000

Mobiado has unveiled a new mobile phone aimed at the rich that has a boxy and rather unattractive profile. The handset is called the 712ZAF and it comes in several colors at an undisclosed price.

Microsoft has announced that Windows Mobile 7 is coming “in the next few weeks.” That has led to reports that the new mobile OS will turn up at MWC 2010 in early February.

A new study from the Highway Loss Data Institute has found that the ban on driving and talking on a handheld phone has not reduced accidents in the ban areas. Accidents are at the same levels as they are in areas without bans nearby.

InvenSense MPU-3000 for smartphone, ZAGGsparq charger unveiled, Nokia Q4 profits up

Shane McGlaun — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:04:25 +0000

A company called InvenSense unveiled the world’s first motion processing unit for smartphones today. The device is called the MPU-3000 and will bring a 3-axis gyroscope and more to smartphones.

ZAGG has unveiled a cool new external battery and charger for any USB charging phone or other device called the ZAGGsparq. The thing can recharge an iPhone four times before it needs recharged.

Nokia has announced its Q4 numbers, and they are great. Profits for the quarter were up a whopping 65%.

ColorWare Nexus One, Nokia cell phone speed radar, custom Omnia HD ROM runs 50 apps at once

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:34:25 +0000

ColorWare has been adding a splash of color or four to gadgets for a while now. The company has now announced that it is offering coloring services for the Google Nexus One for $175 on your handset.

Nokia Research has developed something a bit strange. The gang has placed a radar speed detector into a phone. Exactly what plans Nokia has for the tech is unknown.

A custom ROM for the Omnia HD smartphone has tipped up that allows the device to run 50 apps at one time. I can’t imagine things running smoothly with 50 apps going at once.

Android 2.0 for Hero in March, hints on Zune Phone surface, Verizon offers pre paid Blackberry plan

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:36:54 +0000

Reports have surfaced that claim the Android 2.0 update for the HTC Hero may be coming in March. The date was offered up by a tech support person at an Irish carrier.

A new Zune software update has rekindled that long running rumor of a Zune Phone. Some of the code in the software update clearly points to a phone device.

Verizon Wireless has announced its intention to offer up a pre paid Blackberry plan. What devices will specifically be offered is unknown at this time.

HTC Nexus One gets multitouch, new HTC HD2 accessories, Verizon drops 10 phones from $350 ETF list

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:21:30 +0000

One of the only things that were missing on the Nexus One by some accounts was multitouch. A solution to the lack of multitouch on the device has been found, but it’s not an official fix. Users can implement the fix with a bit of time.

If you are a user of the HTC HD2 and have been on the lookout for some good accessories, Clove has a list of its new gear coming soon. Among the new accessories are a car kit and an extended battery with a kickstand.

Verizon found itself in some hot water when it upped its ETF to $350 for devices it considered to be advanced. Users and the FCC complained about the fee. Verizon has pulled ten handsets off the list, but none of them are devices you probably want.