World / Mobile Communication
T-Mobile first to blanket UK in HSUPA
03.07.2008 23:14
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: T-Mobile, HSUPAWhat's the first network to claim a true, full HSPA across all of the United Kingdom? Vodafone? Orange? 3? Nope -- try T-Mobile, which has just flipped the switch on its HSUPA upgrades nationwide to bring upload speeds to a blazing 1.4Mbps (theoretically, anyway). The figured they'd commemorate the occasion by giving download speeds a little boost, too, so those are now up to 7.2Mbps, making Great Britain an absolutely fabulous place to do a little mobile computing right now. Oh, and hey, T-Mobile USA, you could seriously learn a lesson or two from your counterparts across the Atlantic here.[Via Tech Digest]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mobile Phones
T-Mobile to Offer BlackBerry KickStart for $50?
03.07.2008 20:18
cellaz.com
Is that for real? BlackBerry KickStart for just $49.99? We knew it wouldn't be expensive, but didn't expect this. The handset should be available soon from T-Mobile on a 2-year contract. P.S. The information above is not yet confirmed.... [These are short news! Click for details]
World
Mobile Communication
Samsung Instinct Coming Soon to Canada
03.07.2008 20:18
cellaz.com
Another cool handset making its way to Canada is the Samsung Instinct. Bell Mobility will be the lucky carrier to offer the device this time (tough luck, Telus), and will sell it for $149.95 on a 3-year contract or $449.95 w/o commitment. Features remain the same as on the U.S. variant.... [These are short news! Click for details]
World
Mobile Communication
CDMA HTC Touch Diamond Coming Soon to Telus
03.07.2008 20:18
cellaz.com
Good news for Telus customers. The carrier will soon be bringing the CDMA version of the HTC Touch Diamond to Canada. The handset will cost $149.99 CAD with a 3-year contract and one of the data plans randing from $15 to $30. Sprint, now it's your turn.... [These are short news! Click for details]
World
Mobile Communication
Matias Duarte, designer behind Sidekick and Helio, now developing Palm's next-gen UI
03.07.2008 20:17
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Software, PalmSo we heard from a very reliable source that mobile user interface guru Matias Duarte -- who you may know as the man behind the Sidekick and Helio UI / user experiences -- actually left Helio late last year to join up with Palm. Although no announcement was made, we hear he and his gang of designers jumped ship (well before Helio completely flooded) to take on the monumental task of designing the UI for Palm's next-gen mobile OS (aka "Palm OS 2.0 or II"). His resume online now lists him as "Senior Director, Human Interface and User Experience" doing "Something new..." since September 2007; we got in touch with Palm, who confirmed that he's now under the company's employ.Of course, expectations should be pretty high -- Palm's only been promising this supposedly game-changing OS since around 2004, and the company's reputation and pedigree is (or at least it used to be) in groundbreaking mobile UI design. But this news also kind of makes us wonder: if they didn't have a killer UI and user experience team already in place and long-since working their asses off by late 2007, exactly how far along are they on this thing, anyway?Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Verizon?s World Phone: Motorola Napolean Q9
03.07.2008 19:15
cellaz.com
BGR have got their hands on the Motorola Napolean Q9. It is a new world phone from Verizon Vireless supporting both quad-and GSM and CDMA networks. To prove that, they've inserted an AT&T SIM-card, and it worked. Features are as following: Fingerprint scanner; QWERTY keyboard; Windows Mobile 6.1; CDMA EV-DO Rev. A; Quad-band GSM/EDGE; 2Mpix camera with flash; Stereo speakers; 320&ti... [These are short news! Click for details]
World
Mobile Communication
Motorola's worldly Q9: "Napoleon" breaks cover for Verizon
03.07.2008 19:15
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, EV-DO, CDMA It looks like Motorola and Verizon are getting ready to take a third crack at the Q9 form factor, following up the Q9m and Q9c -- and this time around, there's a little something extra in store. On top of the EV-DO Rev. A radio, the so-called "Napoleon" (codename, of course) features GSM, because -- surprise, surprise -- businesspeople who use Windows Mobile devices tend to do just a bit of traveling. It looks like Moto has taken this opportunity to give the Q9 meme a little nip-tuck job, too, with a rounded body and a tastefully-applied ring of chrome around the top edge. They've even tossed in a fingerprint scanner for good measure, a tip o' the hat to the suits who'll undoubtedly populate the upper 90 percent of this sucker's client base. No word on a release date or price, but can we cautiously submit a thumbs-up for the design direction here?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Is the BlackBerry KickStart getting a $50 price tag on T-Mobile?
03.07.2008 18:12
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, RIM, T-Mobile We could tell by looking that RIM wouldn't think of charging too many hundies for its still unannounced BlackBerry KickStart, but $49.99? CrackBerry has it that said flip phone will be selling at T-Mobile for a penny under $50 on a two-year contract, which certainly seems smart given the competition. 'Course, we've nothing to substantiate this with just yet, but take one more look at that chubby side and tell us this thing deserves a triple digit price tag. That's right, you can't.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Philips X800 gets reviewed, GPRS makes it hard to care
03.07.2008 17:18
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Others, GSM Reviews of Philips' new X800 touchscreen phone are starting to hit the wires ahead of its release, and while it's a plenty attractive phone with a lovely 2.9-inch WQVGA display, the relic of a GPRS radio -- you know, the same kind your great grandparents used during the Crimean War -- makes it very difficult to care, unless you happen to be in an area without EDGE or 3G, nor the hope of either technology making an appearance in the forseeable future. On the plus side, that very same black mark on the X800's record should lead to a pretty aggressive pricing strategy for a form factor typically associated with the highest of the high end, and we suppose that's a good thing.[Via GSM Arena]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Telus announces HTC Touch Diamond for a summer release
03.07.2008 15:18
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Telus Mobility, Windows Mobile, EV-DO, CDMA Though the Sprint version is the most well-scooped CDMA variant thus far, Telus is actually becoming the first carrier 'round these parts to announce the Touch Diamond imbued with a little EV-DO for your data-consumption pleasure. The phone will run $149.99 CAD (which is just about a wash in US dollars) on a three-year contract, accompanied by data plans ranging from $15 for email and instant messaging to $30 for email, IM, and web browsing. Sprint, Verizon, we anxiously await your press releases.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
OpenMoko says "screw it," starts taking FreeRunner orders a day early
03.07.2008 15:18
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Others, Linux, GSM July 4 was the date, but hey, what's the harm in opening up the floodgates just a handful of hours early? Get past the lack of 3G, EDGE, camera, and a rock-solid set of tested, commercialized apps, and open-source phoning nirvana can now be yours for $399 on the plastic.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mobile Phones
Samsung bringing the Instinct to Canada next
03.07.2008 13:19
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Bell Mobility, EV-DO, CDMA Fired up to capitalize on some of the hype Sprint has managed to drum up for the Instinct down in the States, Samsung's taking its iPhone fighter north of the border for a promised intro later this summer. Bell Mobility is the lucky partner (seriously, Telus, you probably should've hustled Samsung a little harder for this one), launching at price points ranging from $149.95 up to $449.95 for a three-year contract all the way down to zero commitment. Features and software look like they're all carrying over from their stateside cousin, although the UI's looking just a little bit less Sprint-ified (read: no yellow tinge). Nice.[Via MobileSyrup]Update: There are rumors that Telus is slated to pick it up, too, but we haven't seen anything solid just yet. We'll let you know.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
German "Future Store" lets you grocery shop with your cellphone
03.07.2008 12:18
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Misc It's been a long, long time since we've heard from Germany's "Future Store" -- the ultra-futuristic German grocery store that might have sprung directly from the Sprawl trilogy -- but they've got a new feature we thought you might be interested in. Shoppers in the store can now use camera-equipped cellphones (i.e., cellphones) to snap pictures of item barcodes, and then download the information at the checkout when they're finished shopping. The system totals all of your purchases into one big, nasty barcode which you then scan and pony up cash (or cards, or fingerprints, or magical rainbow juice) for. It's unclear how to store handles shoppers who don't scan everything they've got in their cart, but if it's anything like our favorite books, it's not pretty.[Via PHONE Magazine]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Sidekick Gekko, Tony Hawk LX coming to Best Buy on July 27?
03.07.2008 12:18
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Sharp, T-Mobile, Danger, GSM, EDGE Leaked inventory screens from Best Buy (also known as Poor Buy, So-So Buy, Decent Buy, or Alright Buy, depending on how you feel about the place) suggest that the big box expects to take inventory of the Sidekick Gekko (or "Gecco," depending on whose spelling you believe) along with the Tony Hawk LX come the 27th of this month. That's just about on schedule with the expected release dates for both devices, so it seems believable enough -- and with the memory of the iD fading fast, an entry-level Sidekick with changeable faceplates is just what the doctor ordered (as for the Tony Hawk LX, we're really not sure who ordered that, but it certainly wasn't the doctor).Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mobile Phones
Cops adopt SMS tip lines to help fight crime, find out where the party is
03.07.2008 10:18
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Misc Apparently, law enforcement is seriously stepping into the 21st century. According to a report, police dep artments in Boston, Cincinnati and over 100 other communities have begun using a text message tip-line in the hopes that cellphone-savvy youngsters will alert them if they see a crime being committed, or know of one ahead of time. "It's obvious that the future of communication is texting," said Boston Police Crime Stoppers commander (and techno-visionary) Michael Charbonnier, adding that the department's system as yielded, "Some great drug information, specific times, dates, names of suspects, locations, pickup times, [and] license plate numbers." The only roadblock? Getting cops to understand that OMG doesn't refer to a terrorist attack.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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