Parting Shots: Nokia E66
Added on 2008-06-26 10:19:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 We spent the last week with the Nokia E66 and have published our full review. We have to say that we found ourselves liking the phone a lot. The improvements that Nokia has made to the organizer applications are significant, the 3.2 megapixel camera is a big step up over the two megapixel shooter on the E65 and GPS with Nokia Maps 2.0 is a really nice feature. We also found the hardware very easy to use with a couple of notable exceptions, the volume keys are terrible for example. Still, when you use the device for awhile you come away impressed. The problem is that you won't be able to use this device for very long because a combination of a small battery, just 1000 mAh, and 3G connectivity means that the battery life is terrible. We were only able to manage three hours of talk time on the E66, and for a business device that needs to get through a full day of hard use this just isn't acceptable.
Read the full Nokia E66 review here.
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First Call: Nokia E66
Added on 2008-06-19 14:19:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 Nokia was kind enough to lend us an E66 and we'll be reviewing the phone over the next couple of weeks. The E66 is one of Nokia's enterprise focused E-Series devices and is the successor to the E65, which also sported a slider design. Unlike the E71, with which it was announced a few days ago, the E66 does not have a QWERTY keyboard.
The upgrades over the E65 seems significant on paper. The camera's been upped to 3.2 megapixels and auto-focus, the phone's been slimmed down to .54 inches from .61 inches, Symbian Series 60 Feature Pack 1 is on board and the RAM has been doubled. All of these should result in a very capable device, but we'll have to wait until we're done with our review before we can be sure. Lots of pretty pictures after the jump.
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Nokia unveils E71 and E66
Added on 2008-06-16 11:09:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 Nokia today announced two new E-Series devices that have been long expected, the Nokia E71 and Nokia E66. The E71 is the latest generation of Nokia's QWERTY oriented enterprise device while the E66 is a slider phone. We got a chance to take a look at the devices and both are slimmer and slicker looking than they're predecessors, the Nokia E61i and E65 respectively. In particular we were impressed by how small and slim the Nokia E71 was, it measures just 10mm thick. More after the break.
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HTC Dream Android phone Demo'd
Added on 2008-05-28 13:11:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 Looks like Google brought out a nice new toy today to demo the capabilities of the Android platform. According to some initial reports the HTC Dream made an appearance as Google showed off the web browsing capabilities of the device. Interesting tidbits include the ability to pan around street view in Google Maps just by moving the device around and a full web browser. Tech Crunch reports that the phone interface looks very similar to the iPhone. You should check out their coverage as there are a bunch of photos of the interface over there.
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HTC Diamond hits the FCC
Added on 2008-05-09 08:35:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 The HTC Diamond 100 cleared the FCC today. The Diamond was announced by HTC at an event earlier this week (read) and represents the latest touch screen oriented phone from HTC. It runs an updated version of the TouchFlo interface that was first seen on the HTC Touch (review). The version of the Diamond that cleared the FCC today seems to be for international markets as it lacks AT&T's 850 Mhz band and any U.S. 3G bands. HTC indicated that the Diamond would be released first overseas and make its way to the U.S. later this year.
FCC documents:
Request for Confidentiality
FCC Label
SAR Report
Test Report
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North American Version of HTC Dual on Best Buy
Added on 2008-05-08 03:57:00
by Tanya Palta
 The US version of the HTC Dual which includes support for quad-band GSM/EDGE, and dual-band HSDPA is available on the Best Buy website. The handset is unlocked so it can be used with any cellphone carrier. You can order it online for $550.
[Via Brighthand]
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HTC Announces the Touch Diamond
Added on 2008-05-06 06:21:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 HTC's big press hubaloo today turned out to be the expected announcement of the Touch Diamond. Running the newest iteration of HTC's TouchFlo interface that includes 3D effects. The::unwired's got a nice video of it up over here. We'll wait to see it in action, we haven't been overly impressed by TouchFlo in the past. The device also has support for Youtube and it seems to be running a third party web browser rather than Internet Explorer Mobile. If the information that's been previously leaked is any indication we expect the Touch diamond to sport a 2.8 inch VGA display, Windows Mobile 6.1 and 4GB of internal storage, two out of three have already been confirmed at the press event. We have to say that we're not overly excited at this point, HTC does a solid job with their devices but we just haven't seen much success from anyone that's dropped a new interface on Windows Mobile.
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FCC reveals what may be the Nokia Tube
Added on 2008-04-24 12:29:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 The FCC today dropped a mystery Nokia phone on us. Although there were no pictures, the schematic of the placement for the FCC label leads us to believe that this may be the eagerly awaited Nokia Tube. Of course it could also just be a block schematic that they use for any phone, but Nokia's schematics are usually a little more detailed. Rumors are that the Tube, a touch screen S60 phone that's meant to compete with the iPhone, will be available later this year. If this is the Tube U.S. customers will be disappointed by the lack of support for AT&T's 3G network, although Nokia has gotten better about releasing U.S. 3G versions of their phones in the past year.
Request for Confidentiality
Schematic
Testing 1
Testing 2
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HTC Touch Slide on FCC
Added on 2008-04-17 09:41:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 The FCC gods just dropped the HTC Neon 300 or Touch Slide on us today. We're not sure if this is the Touch Dual with US 3G that HTC said they were going to be selling via Best Buy (story), but the phone sports the same form factor with a slide-out QWERTY and has support for US 3G bands. We were also able to make out on the screen that this bad boy will be sporting Windows Mobile 6.1, which we covered at CTIA (video). We reviewed the HTC Touch for Sprint, and although we have to admit that HTC's TouchFlo interface is an improvement over the standard Windows Mobile interface for finger interaction, it's still not great, especially the on-screen keyboard. Of course the slide-out QWERTY helps a lot with that problem.. Pics and links to the documentation after the break.
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First Call: Samsung Ace
Added on 2008-04-10 14:50:00
by Alfredo Padilla
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 The Samsung Ace from Sprint is basically the CDMA version of the Blackjack, which has been available from AT&T for awhile now. The Ace lacks the updates we saw on the Blackjack II (review)like the two megapixel camera, but it's not identical to the original Blackjack either. In particular the phone seems to have addressed one of the biggest issues of the original BlackJack: the D-Pad. On the Blackjack the D-Pad was flush with the surrounding buttons, which led to constant mistaken presses. On the Ace the D-Pad has been raised above the surrounding buttons, although it still seems a little on the small side.
The QWERTY keyboard on the Ace is also different, with each key sloping above and below a center peak. The keys are spaced more closely together than the original Blackjack. In our initial use of the keyboard we found that they were too close together, leading to mistaken presses. We also found the feel of the keyboard to be a little strange. We'll see how we do in our actual words per minute test after we've spent some more time with the handset, but one of the things we liked about the original Blackjack was that the keys were comfortably spaced. Check out our gallery of photos after the jump and expect the full review in a week or so.
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Talking Smart: Cheap smart phones
Added on 2008-04-10 13:23:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 One of the major barriers facing anyone who wants to upgrade their cell phone to a "smart" device is cost. Phones like the iPhone (review) AT&T Tilt (review) or Nokia N95 (review) will cost you several hundred dollars. There are some good options to get a new smart phone in your pocket on a budget, however. We'll be taking a look at our top five budget smart phones today.
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Windows Mobile 6.1 Video Preview
Added on 2008-04-03 16:58:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 We took some time today to look at some of the new features of Windows Mobile 6.1, which was announced this week at CTIA 2008. The features we looked at include the new plugin systems for the home screen of Windows Mobile Standard devices, which is basically the same as the one we saw on the HTC Shadow (review). Microsoft has also moved to try and close the gap between Internet Explorer Mobile and other advanced browsers by adding an overview mode, similar to what we see in Series 60 Web on devices like the N82 (review). Last up is threaded SMS messaging, a feature much loved by users. Previously we've only seen threaded SMS on Windows Mobile devices from Palm like the Treo 750 (review), although the new implementation is slightly different. Video after the jump.
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Nokia 6210 Navigator at CTIA 2008
Added on 2008-04-02 18:41:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 The successor to Nokia's GPS focused 6110 navigator the 6210 has new stylings and replaces the Garmin GPS software with Nokia's Maps 2.0. Nokia's mapping solution is interesting in that it allows you to both pre-load maps on the device and download them on the fly from the internet. The device also sports a built in compass and has a pedestrian navigation mode. Under the hood is Symbian Series 60 and the camera has also been updated to 3.2 megapixels with auto-focus and the ability to geo-tag your photos. The device was announced a couple of months ago a Mobile World Congress but this is our first chance to get a close look at it and we took a bunch of photos for your viewing pleasure, available after the break.
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Nokia N78 at CTIA 2008
Added on 2008-04-02 18:20:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 We spent some time with the Nokia N78 today, which was originally announced at Mobile World Congress a couple of months ago. The update to the venerable and very successful Nokia N73 (review), the N78 runs the latest version of Symbian Series 60. The phone has a few updates compared to its predecessor but has also taken a step back and stood still in some areas.
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Nokia N96 Video Preview
Added on 2008-04-02 17:13:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 We got a chance to spend some time with the Nokia N96, the successor to the wildy popular Nokia N95 (review). The N96 sports Nokia's new styling that we've seen on devices like the N82 (review) and N81 (review). As we mentioned in those reviews we're not particular fans, Nokia seems to have sacrificed a lot of ergonomic usability in the name of, dubious, style. We're also concerned about the 950 mAh battery. This is the same size battery that the original N95 had and caused so many people problems. We wonder why they didn't go with the larger 1200 mAh battery found on the latest versions of the N95.
The N96 is certainly packed with features, however. In addition to the same five megapixel camera and VGA video recording we've seen on the N95 it add DVB-H support for mobile TV and 16GB of internal storage. How well it will do is going to depend in large part on how annoyed people get by the uncomfortable keypad and controls. Video after the break.
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Nokia 6220 Classic Video Preview
Added on 2008-04-02 16:01:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 Catching up on devices that were launched at Mobile World Congress, since there's really not much else to do here, we took a look today at the Nokia 6220 Classic. Even though this device runs the Symbian Series 60 interface and is a full fledged smart phone it's not in Nokia's N-Series lineup of high end devices. That doesn't mean there are no high end features, however. First off is GPS functionality, which seems to be creeping down Nokia's product line like some slow growing fungus. The big features, however, is the five megapixel auto-focus camera with Xenon flash. This is similar to the spec that we see in Nokia's flagship N96 and to see it in what should be a mid-level device is pretty impressive. Video after the break.
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Sony-Ericsson Xperia X1 Video Preview
Added on 2008-04-02 01:08:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 Even though the Xperia X1 was announced almost two months ago at Mobile World Congress we, alas, were not in attendance so we were duly enthused to take our first look at the device at the Mobile Focus event tonight at CTIA 2008. The hardware felt solid and although the Panel interface overlay was interesting we couldn't make any final judgement as the device we looked at was pre-production. It should be available sometime in the second half of 2008 for an undisclosed sum, we recommend you start saving now. Video after the break.
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HTC to sell Touch Dual via Best Buy
Added on 2008-04-01 11:15:00
by Alfredo Padilla
HTC today announced that they will be selling the Touch Dual, a version of their popular HTC Touch (review) device that adds a slide out QWERTY keyboard. Interestingly the phone won't be available via a particular carrier but will instead be sold at Best Buy. As a GSM device it will support both AT&T and T-Mobile's networks, however it's 3G functionality will be limited to AT&T.
The Touch Dual sports HTC's TouchFlo interface, which is supposed to improve the Windows Mobile experience when using your fingers to interact with the touch screen. In our review of the Touch we found that the improvement was minimal and the experience was still significantly short of what you get with better touch screen devices like the iPhone (review). It's interesting to see HTC move into the unlocked device space directly in the United States. This is a move they've made internationally but in the U.S. where carriers tend to be more powerful they have thus far avoided it.
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Nokia to launch Windows Mobile handset?
Added on 2008-03-31 13:17:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 Take this one with a huge grain of salt but over at MSMobiles.com they're claiming that Nokia will be announcing a Windows Mobile Standard smart phone during CTIA. There's no source but the story claims that they handset will be revealed during the Microsoft keynote tomorrow morning. If this turns out to be true it will be a major shift for Nokia which has traditionally only used the Symbian Series 60 platform for their smart phones like the N95 (review).
One thing that may lend credence to the story is that Nokia's enterprise focused E-Series devices like the E90 (review) have not been as successful as the company might have liked. Windows Mobile devices with their native Exchange Server integration may be an opportunity for Nokia to better compete in the enterprise space. This is a rumor that's reared its head several times in the past and I guess we'll know tomorrow morning if this time it's true.
Update: it looks like we've fallen for what is likely an April Fool's joke, god I love that unconfirmed rumor tag, it's the only thing that's saving our dignity right now :)
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Parting Shots: Verizon SMT5800
Added on 2008-03-18 14:27:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 After having spent the last week with Verizon's SMT5800 Windows Mobile Standard device we found any positive thoughts we had about the device overwhelmed by one major drawback: battery life. Like any Windows Mobile device the SMT5800 provides users with a powerful set of tools that will let you use it as both a cell phone, PDA and email device. The latter is helped by the slightly cramped, but still very usable, slide out QWERTY keyboard. The Standard version of Windows Mobile does have a few drawbacks, but these can always be addressed with third party software if you want.
Throw in some professional good looks and solid build quality and we were on our way to what looked like a positive review on a solid device. Unfortunately this trajectory was upset when we started running battery tests. Quite simply the SMT5800 put up some of the worst battery scores we've ever seen from a phone. In fact it's talk time of two hours eighteen minutes is the worst we've seen from any device and music playback and browsing times were barely better. Given that any smart phone is inevitably going to be put to more use than regular phones this drawback means anyone looking at the SMT5800 as their all-in-one device better be ready to invest in chargers everywhere and a selection of backup batteries, or maybe just look elsewhere.
Read the full SMT5800 review here.
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Talking Smart: Windows Mobile Professional vs. Standard
Added on 2008-03-13 13:40:00
by Alfredo Padilla
Anyone wading into the world of smart phones for the first time is bound to be confused. Choosing between Symbian, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and even Linux (if you're really geeky) is no easy task. But then throw in the fact that many of these platforms have various "flavors" and it gets even harrier. Today we're going to be talking about the difference between the two different versions of Windows Mobile: Professional versus Standard. We're warning you, it's going to get a little geeky, so if you think you can put up with it, read on for this week's Talking Smart.
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Nokia N78 with US 3G revealed on FCC
Added on 2008-03-12 09:47:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 The FCC gods just gave us a nice little tidbit in the form of the Nokia N78 with U.S. 3G support. The N78 was announced at Mobile World Congress (blog post) in early February and is the successor to Nokia's wildly successful (overseas at least) N73 (read review) handset. It features a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, Xenon flash, GPS and sports a style that is now familiar in Nokia's new handsets as we've see in the Nokia N82 (read review) and Nokia N81 (read review). Whether you like this style is of course a personal matter, but frankly we've got concerns about the move to small fiddly keypads.
Of course the most interesting bit here is support for AT&T's 3G network bands. Nokia's move to start supporting North America 3G first started with their N75 (read review) for AT&T and they then released their flagship N95 with U.S. 3G (read review) late last year. It looks like this trend is continuing and we're sure that anyone who was lusting after the Nokia N78 is going to be extra excited about the inclusion of 3G support. Of course Nokia already announced they were going to do this, but it's nice to get confirmation. If you want links to all the FCC goodies you'll find them after the break.
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Samsung lineup at Mobile World Congress
Added on 2008-02-11 13:33:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 Today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Samsung has announced a plethora of new handsets. First up is the G810 slider smart phone. Running the Symbian Series 60 interface the G810 packs a five megapixel camera, GPS and Wi-Fi into a 12.5 millimeter thin frame. The camera includes advanced technologies that are rare on a cell phone camera including face detection, Wide Dynamic Range and image stabilization. The handset is expected to be available in March for a European release. More handsets and pics after the jump.
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I-Mate Ultimate 6150 approved by FCC
Added on 2007-08-29 10:49:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 The I-Mate Ultimate 6150 has just been approved by the FCC. This Windows Mobile 6 handset sports a 2 megapixel camera, VGA screen, and support for global 3G/HSDPA, meaning it will work both in Europe and Asia as well as on AT&T's 3G network. I-Mate has struggled since HTC decided to stop allowing the company to resell it's handsets, and it's Ultimate lineup of phones is an attempt to grab the high ground in the marketplace by selling high end handsets with impressive spec sheets. Check out I-Mate's spec sheet for the 6150 here.
FCC External Photos
FCC Test Report
FCC User Manual
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BlackBerry Pearl for Spring coming on Black Friday?
Added on 2007-08-24 15:57:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 Boy Genius Report is, well... reporting... that the BlackBerry Pearl 2 for Sprint may be released around Thanksgiving, which should make for some interesting fist fights to get to the phone on Black Friday. Admitting the tenuousness of their information BGR also states that: "the date we were given was more like a timeframe, please consider it such", which indicates to us that you may not want to bank on this. Also, as an additional crumb thrown in, they state that a CDMA Curve should be coming in Q1 of 2008.
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Nokia 6120 Classic hits the FCC, maybe a U.S. carrier?
Added on 2007-08-17 14:05:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 Nokia's diminutive Series 60 smart phone, the 6120 Classic, picked up FCC approval today. A smart phone packing a 2 megapixel camera and targeted at a decidedly consumer market the 6120 sports quad-band GSM/Edge support but no U.S. 3G bands. So why do we think it might be coming to a U.S. carrier? Because the phone pictured in the FCC documents lacks the front facing camera for video calls that is not supported by U.S. carriers. Another alternative is that this version of the 6120 Classic is just the latest move by Nokia in their ongoing strategy of by-passing U.S. carriers. Recently they've started selling their handsets through alternative retail channels like Dell and of course there's the rumored Nokia N95 with U.S. 3G support coming sometime in the fourth quarter.
FCC Photos
User Manual
Test Report
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How safe is your smart phone?
Added on 2007-03-25 22:37:00
by Emily Price
 For many people their smart phone is merely a cell phone that makes checking email and sending messages a little easier. Joe Espenschield over at ComputerWorld just did an interesting write up on smart phone security which points out ten security misconceptions people have about their smart phones. The article is well worth a read and points out that you may not be the only one checking the email and information on your BlackBerry.
[Via ComputerWorld]
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