Mobile Phones Tracker

Fracture : break your iPhone !

2009-01-27T12:59:00.000-08:00

Visuamobile introduces Fracture : the most fashionable way to destroy your iPhone !
Coming soon on the AppStore

New Porsche Mobile Phone

2009-01-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

Porsche Design Group, the guys who design those jaw dropping and sleek super cars is coming up with their new mobile phone, P'9522. This phone has been manufactured from a single piece of solid aluminum and the screen is made of single sheet of scratch proof glass. The phone looks sleek just like a Porsche Super car. Like its design, the P'9522 has latest technologies at its disposal with 2.8 inch touch screen OLED display, super resolution and color reproduction with wide screen. The built-in GPS receiver is perfect mate of a globe trotter. To secure your data, the phone has a finger print scanner that will make sure that, nobody but you have access to the sensitive data on the phone. The phone features a 5 mega pixel snapper with auto focus and digital zoom. Connectivity wont be a problem for you as it is Quad band, Wi-Fi and has Bluetooth connectivity. Other features of the phone include, Organizer, To dos, Voice recorder, Currency converter, Alarm clock, Stop watch, Calculator, Modem, Web browser. There is no news on the pricing of this phone but looking at the details it seems that, this phone will certainly leave big holes in your pocket.

Hello Kitty Phone from Sony Ericsson

2009-01-27T12:49:00.000-08:00

Remember the Sony Ericsson F305, gaming phone with motion control; now Sony Ericsson has come up with the Hello Kitty Edition of this gaming phone. The Hello Kitty Edition, as you must have guessed, will target the users in Japan. Hello Kitty is pretty popular in Japan. It is one of the best-known of many simply drawn fictional characters produced by the Japanese company Sanrio. The phone has EDGE speeds, a Memory Stick Micro slot, a 2-inch 176 x 220 display and some music playback features. The F305 has a accelerometer, apt for playing motion controlled games. Even the screen is pretty big for playing strategy games. They could have put some first person shooter games also, it would have been fun.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Review - Web and multimedia

2009-01-27T12:36:00.000-08:00

A look at the web and multimedia capabilities of the new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic touchscreen phone.

TMO Curve 8900 Unboxing

2009-01-27T12:31:00.000-08:00

President Obama's New Blackberry Revealed

2009-01-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

President Obama gets to keep his Blackberry with an NSA approved device.

The Samsung Show W7900

2009-01-27T12:21:00.000-08:00

Projector: 10 lumens, 480 by 320 pixels, up to 50 in. diagonal
Screen: 240-by-400-pixel, 3.2-in. OLED
Wireless: 3G HSDPA up to 7.2Mbps, global roaming (900/1800/1900 MHz)
Cameras: 5-megapixel main, VGA front-facing model for video calls
Size: 4.4 by 2.2 by 0.7 in.
Price: TBD

Nokia 6500 slide black

2009-01-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Nokia 6500 slide black is a next generation slider-opening phone. It allures modern mobile phone lovers with its sleekness and style. The handset has GPRS, HSCSD, EDGE and 3G technologies to connect with Internet and browse the Web without any hassles. The phone supports features like push to talk, music player, FM radio and talk button to enhance the thrill of entertainment and mobile communication. The handset has a Java MIDP which allows the users to download games and the gadget itself loaded with various types of games, such as high roller casino, golf tour, rally 3D, snake and many more.

The case of the phone is stainless. It supports USB slot which acts as an interface to transfer data at high-speed. This communication gadget has 3.2 mega pixels camera with an auto-focus and Carl Zeiss optics which bring clear images. The phone has a TV-out facility to watch the photo and video gallery on your TV screen. The phone supports standard battery and the Li-Ion that provides up to 6 hours talk time and up to 310 hours of standby power backup. I think that the Nokia 6500 is a style of statement phone because of its dazzling black colour and slider that makes its outlook fashionable and attractive.

Nokia N97

2009-01-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

Making Nokia N96 mobile phone as old fashion mobile, Nokia N97 has 48 GB memory, dividing in 32GB internal memory, 16GB external memory support. Nokia N97 gives limitless someone's hobbiess collections of audio songs, ringtones, video songs, and latest feeling mobile game.

Touch screen of Nokia N97 make persons to access applications. 360 x 640 pixels and 3.5 inches makes it undeaftable mobile in terms of screen comparing, Apple iPhone, Samsung Omnia, Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 mobile phones. Total size with dimensions 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9-18.3 mm, is fit for any body's hand and pocket. Ratio of screen to dimensions is appreciable for this phone. Nokia N97's backup is claimed to be undefeated by Sony's Walkman Series. Nokia N97's backup on stand by mode is 17 days, which would be challenge for other mobile manufacturer company.

Nokia N97 has good control over networking community, making itself up to date with on-board compass and AGPS. You would still be connected with your buddies giving them hints what you like over Internet with social networking. RSS reader, email, SMS, MMS make you connected with your updates requirement.

Sony Ericsson W880i: Symbol of Elegance And Smartness

2009-01-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

The latest Sony Ericsson W880i mobile phone comes to drive out all the communication and the entertainment related tensions from your life. As a matter of fact, this mobile phone has been efficiently designed to offer the exact relief that you have always desired in terms of operating high-end specifications. The design of this gadget would also raise your standard and help you to become the trend setter without any hassles. In order to facilitate the users in their communication tasks, this handset comes efficiently furnished with high-tech specifications. The 1.8 inches TFT screen of this gadget can easily support display resolutions of 240 x 320 pixels and quite interestingly 256K vibrant colours. The high-end display resolution and vibrant colours automatically adds more glamour to the displayed items. In fact, you would love to switch on the handset and enjoy watching the displayed items during the mundane moments. The 16 MB storage capacity of this mobile phone would further assure you to store as much contents as your heart desires or in other words as much contents as you require. Most importantly, the available storage capacity can be easily expanded with the support of a microSD (TransFlash) card.

If you are an avid Internet user then also this Sony Ericsson W880i handset would brilliantly serve you purpose. This gadget has been enhanced with the WAP browser option to facilitate you with this high-end requirement. Even while on move, you can comfortably browse your favourite web pages at ease and that too at a very fast pace. The 2 mega pixels camera is the most exciting option which comes embedded with this handset. This camera phone brilliantly captures still, moving, far and close images at a high resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. Recording video clips with this camera phone would also be quite easy with this high end handset.

Consumers driving demand for BlackBerry

2008-11-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

The Wall Street Journal has an article about Research In Motion's fastest growing customer, consumers. The company previously courted business users almost exclusively, but the BlackBerry Pearl has helped open up a new market for the company.

According to the article, everyone from college students to stay at home mothers have taken up the Pearl with a similar zeal that stock traders and lawyers were famous for (e.g. CrackBerry).

"The Pearl has attracted a lot of people to BlackBerry who we would not have otherwise attracted in the retail setting in the past," says Mark Guibert, vice president of corporate marketing for Research in Motion, of Waterloo, Ontario. Unlike other BlackBerry devices, the Pearl has a built-in camera and multimedia player -- features that help increase its broad appeal. "We are seeing people who are buying the Pearl with personal use in mind as the primary use," he says.

Motorola sells more phones, makes less money

2008-11-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

As expected, Motorola announced disappointing financial numbers for the fourth quarter. It wasn't for the lack of handset sales though, Motorola sold a record 65.7m phones in the quarter. The Chicago based company reported a 17% surge in revenue but a 48% drop in net income. Motorola's main trouble was tumbling handset prices, the average price for a Motorola phone in the fourth quarter was a scant $119. The profit margin of Motorola's phone business fell a dramatic 49% versus a year ago and means that Motorola only recorded about $5 of profit for every handset it sold. This comes at the same time as an analyst report that half of Apple's new $500 iPhone is profit.

Ed Zander, Motorola's CEO, announced a plan to cut 3,500 jobs which should save the company $400m over the next two years. Zander noted to analysts that the company is ramping up its 3G lineup and expects handset prices to move upward in 2007. The published first quarter estimate is strong, calling for sales between $10.4 and $10.6 billion.

AT&T Unity announced, free calling within AT&T family

2008-11-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

AT&T now includes Cingular and the company hasn't wasted time to use its new size--AT&T Unity is a new calling plan that gives customers unlimited calling within the AT&T network. The company says that over 100 million phone numbers, it's the largest free calling community in the country.

Customers can switch to AT&T Unity starting this Sunday. You must subscribe to both wireless and wireline (local/long distance) service through AT&T to be eligible. The new wireless calling plans are identical to the existing plans except for the lack of rollover. Only plans over $60 per month qualify. More information is available on the Cingular site.

Besides the in-network calling benefits, AT&T Unity customers will have the luxury of only be sent one bill.

NYC to make 911 work with picture messaging

2008-11-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

New York City will become the first city in the country to upgrade its 911 and 311 call centers to handle picture messaging. Landline callers will also be able to transmit images to operators via the web.

“Imagine someone caught in a hostage situation transmitting pictures or video,” he added. “It’s just an incredible amount of information that can be gathered from fairly simple technology.”

Multimedia messaging (MMS) is built into nearly every camera phone and makes it simple to send an image (or other multimedia content) to either a phone number or email address. The adoption of MMS has been slowed by interoperability problems between carriers. While international MMS is still hit and miss, US carriers have worked together to improve the situation domestically.

Alltel launches Celltop

2008-11-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

Alltel Wireless has launched a new widget based home screen its calling Celltop. Celltop makes it easy to fetch and display basic information like weather, news, sports scores and stock quotes. Alltel is calling their widgets "cells" and Celltop comes with 10 cells built-in. The company hopes to increase that number soon and has also made it possible for developers to contribute their own work.

Celltop is now available on select Alltel handsets and will be shipping on all new phones by late 2007. Alltel customers can check compatibility and (perhaps) install the free program from MyCelltop.com.

You can view a video tour of Celltop that was created by our friends at PhoneScoop.

LG Prada phone official

2008-11-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

LG let it slip out last month that it was working on a high-end fashion phone with Prada but today has gone ahead and officially announced the PRADA Phone by LG. As expected it is a stylish device and actually looks a great deal like the upcoming Apple iPhone. Like the iPhone, there is no physical keyboard on the Prada phone. It instead relies on a touchscreen powered software keyboard.

Features of the Prada phone by LG include:

Tri-band GSM plus EDGE
2 megapixel camera
Bluetooth
Music and video player
Just 12mm thick
microSD card slot

The Prada phone will be shipping in February in both mobile phone channels and Prada stores. The price starts at 600 euros unlocked.

Vodafone launches McLaren Mercedes handsets

2008-11-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

Vodafone has launched three new special edition handsets branded by the McLaren Mercedes. Vodafone is the sponsor of the McLaren Mercedes team in the upcoming Formula 1 season and is hoping the new handsets build buzz for the team. Special edition (new color schemes especially) and cross-branded handsets are hot right now.

The three new McLaren branded handsets are:

McLaren Mercedes 770SH - 3G clamshell from Sharp
McLaren Mercedes GX29 - 2G clamshell from Sharp
McLaren Mercedes SGH-Z720M - this is the Samsung Ultra Edition

Racing phones aren't new, Nextel launched NASCAR themed handsets in the US market about three years ago.

T-Mobile launches white BlackBerry Pearl

2008-11-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

T-Mobile exclusively launched a white version of the BlackBerry Pearl today. The Pearl is the first multimedia capable BlackBerry and is being targeted more towards consumers than other BlackBerry models. The device is myFaves compatible and has the option of a $19.99/month unlimited data plan (tack on $10 extra monthly for BlackBerry enterprise email).

Features of the BlackBerry Pearl include:

240×260 screen
64MB built-in memory
Quad-band GSM with EDGE
1.3 megapixel camera
Instant messaging
Push email

T-Mobile is selling the BlackBerry Pearl White for $149.99 after a 2-year contract and $50 mail-in rebate. The original "piano black" Pearl is also available at the same price. Cingular is carrying the black version for $199 after comparable promotions.

Verizon Wireless joins SMS price increase club

2008-11-08T14:20:00.000-08:00

Sprint Nextel started things off by increasing the amount it charges for SMS messages. Cingular dove in next and angered a lot of customers by sticking to its early termination fee despite a 50% price increase for a central service. This week Verizon Wireless announced a similar move, text messages will cost $.15 instead of $.10. This fee applies to both incoming and outgoing messages. T-Mobile remains the only national carrier to keep $.10 texting.

Verizon Wireless' price increase goes live on March 1st. Customers who subscribe to a messaging plan will not see any increase. The FAQ does not make it clear if customers who do not have a text messaging plan will be able to opt out of their contracts without having to pay an early termination fee. Sprint allowed this for a short period of time, but Cingular did not. Some Verizon Wireless customers have reported that customer service reps are offering to disable text messaging without a fee as that is the only portion of service that has had its pricing change.

The actual language in the contract seems to back up what these customers are reporting. You can read the current price change policies of Verizon Wireless, Cingular, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile below.

[via Engadget Mobile]

Here is the pertinent info from the contracts.

Verizon Wireless:

UNLESS OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW, WE CAN ALSO CHANGE PRICES AND ANY OTHER CONDITIONS IN THIS AGREEMENT AT ANY TIME BY SENDING YOU WRITTEN NOTICE PRIOR TO THE BILLING PERIOD IN WHICH THE CHANGES WOULD GO INTO EFFECT. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE YOUR SERVICE AFTER THAT POINT, YOU'RE ACCEPTING THE CHANGES. IF THE CHANGES HAVE A MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON YOU, HOWEVER, YOU CAN END THE AFFECTED SERVICE, WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE, JUST BY CALLING US WITHIN 60 DAYS AFTER WE SEND NOTICE OF THE CHANGE.

Cingular:

IF WE INCREASE THE PRICE OF ANY OF THE SERVICES TO WHICH YOU SUBSCRIBE, BEYOND THE LIMITS SET FORTH IN YOUR RATE PLAN BROCHURE, OR IF WE MATERIALLY DECREASE THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA IN WHICH YOUR AIRTIME RATE APPLIES (OTHER THAN A TEMPORARY DECREASE FOR REPAIRS OR MAINTENANCE), WE WILL DISCLOSE THE CHANGE AT LEAST ONE BILLING CYCLE IN ADVANCE (EITHER THROUGH A NOTICE WITH YOUR BILL, A TEXT MESSAGE TO YOUR EQUIPMENT, OR OTHERWISE) AND YOU MAY TERMINATE THIS AGREEMENT WITHOUT PAYING AN EARLY TERMINATION FEE OR RETURNING OR PAYING FOR ANY PROMOTIONAL ITEMS, PROVIDED YOUR NOTICE OF TERMINATION IS DELIVERED TO US WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE FIRST BILL REFLECTING THE CHANGE.

T-Mobile USA:

EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PROHIBITED BY LAW, IF WE: (A) INCREASE THE CHARGES INCLUDED IN YOUR MONTHLY RECURRING ACCESS RATE PLAN, OR (B) MODIFY A MATERIAL TERM OF OUR AGREEMENT WITH YOU AND THE MODIFICATION WOULD BE MATERIALLY ADVERSE TO YOU, WE WILL NOTIFY YOU OF THE INCREASE OR MODIFICATION AND YOU CAN CANCEL THAT SERVICE WITHOUT PAYING A CANCELLATION FEE (WHICH IS YOUR ONLY REMEDY) BY FOLLOWING THE CANCELLATION INSTRUCTIONS IN THE NOTICE. IF YOU DO NOT CANCEL YOUR SERVICE BY FOLLOWING THOSE INSTRUCTIONS, OR YOU OTHERWISE ACCEPT THE CHANGE, THEN YOU AGREE TO THE INCREASE OR MODIFICATION, EVEN IF YOU PAID FOR SERVICE IN ADVANCE. IF THE NOTICE DOES NOT SAY HOW LONG YOU HAVE TO CANCEL, THEN IT IS WITHIN 14 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THE NOTICE, UNLESS A LONGER PERIOD IS REQUIRED BY LAW. EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PROHIBITED BY LAW, CHARGES FOR PRODUCTS, SERVICES, OPTIONAL SERVICES, OR ANY OTHER CHARGES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR MONTHLY RECURRING ACCESS RATE PLAN (SUCH AS DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE, ROAMING, DOWNLOADS, AND THIRD-PARTY CONTENT) ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND IF YOU CONTINUE TO USE THOSE SERVICES, OR YOU OTHERWISE AGREE TO THE CHANGES, THEN YOU AGREE TO THE NEW CHARGES. VISIT OUR WEB SITE, RETAIL LOCATIONS, OR CALL CUSTOMER CARE FOR CURRENT CHARGES.

Sprint PCS:

We may change any part of the Agreement at any time including, but not limited to, rates, charges, how we calculate charges, or your terms of Service. We will provide you notice of changes that may impact you in a manner consistent with this Agreement (see "Providing Notice Under This Agreement" paragraph). Except as provided below, if a change we make to the Agreement is material and has a material adverse affect on you, you may terminate each line of Service materially affected without incurring an Early Termination Fee only if you: (a) call us within 30 days after the effective date of the change; and (b) specifically advise us that you wish to cancel Services because of a material change to the Agreement that we have made. If you do not cancel Service within 30 days of the change, an Early Termination Fee will apply if you terminate Services before the end of any applicable Term Commitment.

The following, without limitation, will generally not be considered changes to the Agreement as contemplated in this provision and will not result in the waiver of applicable Early Termination Fees: (a) changes to our Policies; (b) changes to rates or charges that are not a core part of the rate plan package for which you contracted – for example, incidental, occasional or casual use charges and other options that do not require a Term Commitment; (b) changes to Taxes & Government Fees; or © changes to Surcharges, including assessing new Surcharges.

Motorola KRZR launched by Cingular

2008-11-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

Cingular (well technically as of Monday, Wireless from AT&T) has launched the Motorola KRZR. The KRZR had previously only been available nationally from CDMA carriers. The "MOTOKRZR" is Motorola's replacement for the ever-popular RAZR. It's a little thicker than the RAZR but comes in both shorter and narrower.

Features of the Motorola KRZR include:

Quad-band GSM plus EDGE
2 megapixel camera with video capture
Bluetooth with stereo A2DP support
MP3 playback
IM from AIM/MSN/Yahoo
MicroSD card slot
176×220 pixel screen with 262k colors

Cingular is selling the KRZR for $199.99 after a 2-year service agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate. It's available now in both retail stores and online. The original RAZR is still available in several colors for $79.99 with the same contract and rebate.

Cingular becomes AT&T

2008-11-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

Cingular Wireless will transition into the AT&T brand starting on Monday. The name change comes just a matter of days after the merger between AT&T and BellSouth was approved by Federal regulators. Cingular has been a brand for six years and ironically was the new name (after another merger) for AT&T Wireless just a few years ago.

"Around the world, our customers recognize the AT&T brand for meaningful innovation, a commitment to customer service, high quality and exceptional reliability," said Edward E. Whitacre Jr., chairman and CEO of AT&T. "AT&T, BellSouth and Cingular are now one company, and going to market with our services under one brand is the right thing to do."

Only the name AT&T will be used, not AT&T Wireless. The service will be referred to as "Wireless from AT&T". Executives want to use the same brand for all of the telecom services provided by the merged company. AT&T now provides local and long distance, wireless, internet and TV. The transition away from the Cingular name is expected to take several years. Initially advertisements will feature a transitional graphic that includes both logos much like what happened with the AT&T Wireless transition. Company owned stores will transition this year. Billing will probably be the first noticeable difference.

AT&T has not disclosed how much cash it has ear marked for the brand transition advertising campaign, but the amount will be substantial. Cingular spent around $5 billion rebranding AT&T Wireless with almost a billion of that being spent just last year.

Three phones make last gadget standing at CES

2008-11-08T14:14:00.000-08:00

CES 2007 -- Three mobile phones became finalists in theYahoo! Tech “Last Gadget Standing” competition at CES. Ten products were selected to be a part of the competition and two winners were selected. One (Data Drive Thru Tornado) was chosen by the live audience while the other (HP TouchSmart PC) by an online vote.

The three phones in the running are:

Samsung Jitterbug Dial Phone - a simplified phone targeted at the elderly
Nokia N95 - high-end 3G music savvy smartphone
Samsung Ultra Music - dual-faced music phone

Wirefly announces top phones of 2006

2008-11-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

Wirefly has released a list of their top selling phones for the year of 2006. Unsurprisingly the Motorola RAZR topped the list. However there are some surprises:

Cingular RAZR by Motorola (in various colors)
T-Mobile RAZR (in various colors)
Verizon Wireless RAZR (in various colors)
Cingular Sony Ericsson z520a/z525a video phones
T-Mobile Motorola v360
Verizon Wireless Motorola v276
Sprint Nextel Motorola i850
Sprint Nextel Motorola i710
Cingular Motorola v220
T-Mobile Samsung T309

Apple sued by Cisco over iPhone trademark

2008-10-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

Developing -- Apple has been sued by Cisco over trademark infringement relating to its use of the iPhone name. Cisco's LinkSys division owns the iPhone trademark and recently introduced a new product under the name. Yesterday it came out that Apple was in talks over the trademark, but those negotiations must have taken a turn for the worse sometime after Apple's official announcement.

"Cisco entered into negotiations with Apple in good faith after Apple repeatedly asked permission to use Cisco's iPhone name," said Mark Chandler, Cisco senior vice president and general counsel, in a prepared statement. "There is no doubt that Apple's new phone is very exciting, but they should not be using our trademark without our permission."

Cisco is asking a federal court for an injunction to "prevent" Apple from infringement. More soon. Just yesterday Cisco published an official statement about Apple's iPhone introduction:

Given Apple's numerous requests for permission to use Cisco's iPhone trademark over the past several years and our extensive discussions with them recently, it is our belief that with their announcement today, Apple intends to agree to the final document and public statement that were distributed to them last night and that addressed a few remaining items. We expect to receive a signed agreement today.

Apple iPhone photo gallery

2008-10-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Even though the device is at least five months away from launching, the tech world has been consumed by the Apple iPhone. CES has about every gadget in the world except the iPhone, making it one of the more difficult tech gadgets to sneak a peek at.

Read on for MobileTracker's exclusive iPhone photo gallery. Images provided by our good buddy and Macintosh guru Terry White. Terry was "blown away" by the iPhone demo and will probably be waiting in line at Cingular in June.

While we're at it, here's some more info about the iPhone that we've picked up since the announcement yesterday:

The deal with Cingular covers multiple years and was signed two years ago completely sight unseen. Cingular's CEO is fully inside of Steve Jobs' famed "reality distortion field".
International carriers can expect to get the iPhone starting in the fourth quarter.

Financial impact of iPhone announcement

2008-10-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

Even though the Apple iPhone is not scheduled to ship until June it has made a very real impact in the financial markets. The changes started just minutes after the introduction this morning by Apple's CEO Steve Jobs. Apple is the big winner and added billions of dollars to its market cap while Research In Motion was the biggest loser. RIM's loss is surprising considering that Apple is not putting the iPhone up against BlackBerry at all. Wall Street is famous for its addiction to the "CrackBerry".

The chart above covers: Apple(AAPL), Research In Motion (RIMM), Palm (PALM), Nokia (NOKIA), Motorola (MOT), and AT&T (T). AT&T is the parent of Cingular, who scored an exclusive with the iPhone.

Click on chart to zoom.

UTStarcom CDM8935, small camera phone

2008-10-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- UTStarcom isn't known for having many "est" titles (that's Samsung's role), but the new UTStarcom CDM8935 is one of the smallest camera phones around. It's tiny in every direction, the total volume is less than four cubic inches.

Features of the CDM8935 include:

Small size: 3.3×1.7x.7"
128×128 pixel screen with 262k colors
Speakerphone
VGA camera

UTStarcom hasn't announced any carrier partners for the CDM8935 yet, but since the device supports BREW that means it's headed to Verizon Wireless. Look for it in the second half of 2007. Pricing was not announced.

Apple iPhone officially introduced

2008-10-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

Apple has officially introduced the iPhone. Yes, the official name is iPhone despite the launch of a product from Cisco late last year with the same name. The iPhone is essentially a widescreen iPod and a phone all in one. Utilizing a revolutionary (and patented) touch screen system there are hardly any buttons at all really just the power button. While this device exceeds most rumors it does not have any 3G wireless connectivity, just EDGE. Something that doesn't come through by reading a spec sheet is the very unique operating system. The UI is like nothing we have seen on a mobile device before.

Quad-band GSM plus EDGE
320×480 3.5" touch screen at 160ppi (very high res)
Just 11.6mm thick, which is thinner than the Q or BlackJack.
WiFi (802.11b/g)
Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
2 megapixel camera
Mobilized version of OS X for "desktop quality" apps
Up to 8GB of storage
Visual voicemail
Full iPod functionality, up to 16 hours of playback. Headphone jack on top of device.

While today's announcement comes at no great surprise (the pre-show buzz was palpable), it is still huge news. Apple making a mobile phone is one of the perennial rumors in the mobile industry. MobileTracker alone has been tracking this rumor for almost four years.

Apple will begin shipping the iPhone in June exclusively with Cingular. Pricing runs $499 for the 4GB version and $599 for the 8GB. Both prices reflect a 2-year service agreement. Apple did not address how the iPhone will be sold in other markets.

Several more photos of the iPhone are available below.

Sprint updates on WiMAX buildout

2008-10-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

Sprint Nextel has updated investors on its plan to build a 4G WiMAX mobile data network. The first coverage areas will be Chicago and Washington D.C. and the network should reach over 100 million people by the end of 2008. Nokia is a key supplier for network hardware. Motorola, Samsung and LG have all agreed to build compatible devices.

Sprint Nextel intends to launch Mobile WiMAX broadband services in initial markets by year-end 2007 with a larger roll-out encompassing at least 100 million people by year-end 2008. "We enter 2007, the year of our history-making WiMAX service launch, as the broadband mobility leader," remarked Barry West, president, 4G Mobile Broadband. "Our next generation network plans have catalyzed the industry, and momentum behind our mobility vision grows with increasing technology adoption."

Speed wise the WiMAX network should be comparable to DSL and cable modems. Sprint has previously hinted at trying to market the technology as a replacement for in-home internet access.

Apple and Cingular to announce phone Tues, WSJ

2008-10-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal has gotten in on [subscription req]the hottest rumor in mobile phones, Apple's introduction of a mobile phone. In typical style the Journal didn't mess around with speculation and instead essentially confirmed that Apple and Cingular will be bringing out a mobile phone as soon as tomorrow. Apple's CEO Steve Jobs is set to take the stage at MacWorld Expo tomorrow morning at 9AM PST for a keynote speech. That presentation is the prime time for the so-called iPhone introduction.

Cingular Wireless is expected to provide wireless service for a new Apple Computer Inc. cellphone, people familiar with the situation say.

The launch of the new phone and service is expected to be announced as early as Tuesday, these people say.

SanDisk announces 2GB M2 cards

2008-10-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- SanDisk has announced a 2GB Memory Stick Micro M2 card, the largest in the industry. The new format is being used by several Sony Ericsson music phones but not much else. The company will also sell 1GB and 512MB M2 cards.

M2 cards are exceedingly small, but not the smallest (that's microSD or what used to be called TransFlash).

M2 measures 0.59" (L) x 0.49" (W) x 0.05" (H), making it the second smallest flash memory media in the world, behind the microSD, which SanDisk pioneered.

Suggested U.S. retail pricing: 2GB - $119.99, 1GB - $54.99, 512MB - $44.99.

Sprint announces customer loss for fourth quarter

2008-10-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

Shares of Sprint Nextel took a significant dive this afternoon after the company announced a monthly subscriber loss for the fourth quarter. Technically the net subscriber base increased, but the gains were in lower margin MVNO partnerships instead of the more lucrative post paid monthly subscriber vertical. Growth has been a problem since the merger with Nextel. Sprint's major competitors are all adding subscribers at a brisk pace.

During the fourth quarter, Sprint Nextel added 742,000 total net subscribers and ended the period with a base of 53.1 million. The fourth quarter net additions include 876,000 from wholesale and affiliates, and 171,000 new Boost customers, which were offset by a decline of 306,000 post-paid subscribers. Post-paid performance in the quarter reflects solid gains in CDMA subscribers, offset by a decline in the iDEN base.

After hours trading showed shares [S] down over 8%.

Samsung a727 HSDPA thin phone

2008-10-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- When HSDPA is added to the Trace you get the Samsung a727, a new 3G handset announced today at CES. The razor thin handset still manages to pack in the latest 3G technology and should be the thinnest HSDPA handset when it begins to ship.

Features of the Samsung a727 include:

Quad-band GSM plus HSDPA/UMTS and EDGE
Compact size: 114.5 × 50 x 8.9mm
Bluetooth with stereo A2DP support
microSD card slot
220×176 pixel display with 262k colors
1.3 megapixel camera

Motorola, Sony Ericsson debut new accessories

2008-10-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- Both Motorola and Sony Ericsson debuted new accessories to complement their mobile phones. Though thanks to their Bluetooth underpinnings a phone from the manufacturer isn't required.

Sony Ericsson is showing off the MBR-100, a Bluetooth receiver that makes it easy to play music wirelessly through a conventional hi-fi stereo system. It can connect into an audio system with either RCA or a mini jack. It should ship later in the first quarter.

Motorola announced the Active Headphones S9 (shown right), stereo Bluetooth headphones that have been ruggedized for an ACTV lifestyle (no joke, the 4 letter ACTV moniker was used during Ed Zander's introduction). Using A2DP stereo Bluetooth, the S9 headphones can be used to just listen to music or using the built-in microphone can act as a full wireless headset. The Active Headphones S9 will ship in the first half of the year.

Yahoo! Go For Mobile 2.0 beta released

2008-10-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- Yahoo has released an update to Go For Mobile, adding in a slew of new features and a redesign. The new version focuses on Yahoo oneSearch which displays different categories of search results for a single query. The exact results vary on search terms, but various information like news, photos and web results are shown for most queries. The system intelligently picks out key words like stock tickers and movie names to show even more relevant information.

The beta version of Go 2.0 is available now and is compatible with over 70 different handsets. It can be downloaded from go.yahoo.com. Partnerships with Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and RIM were announced today which should mean a lot of handsets will come preloaded with the software soon.

Sprint adds Mac compatibility for EV-DO Rev A card

2008-10-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- Sprint Nextel has announced officially supported Mac OS X compatibility with one of its EV-DO Rev A cards. Previously the easiest way to get EV-DO on a Mac was to go with Verizon (Mac OS X offers built-in support for a couple of the Verizon cards). Compatibility is for the AirCard 595 hardware only. Users can simply download a free application (Watcher Lite) from Sierra Wireless to get the device working.

Because the supported card is a PCMCIA type it will not work in the latest generation of Mac laptops. Those computers feature an ExpressCard slot which is an up and coming form factor that's incompatible with the wider PCMCIA connector.

Motorola RIZR Z6, Linux based music phone

2008-10-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- Motorola has had a mostly quiet CES but there were a few announcements at CEO Ed Zander's keynote speech this morning. The most interesting of which is the Motorola RIZR Z6 which looks like a sleeker RIZR Z3 from the outside but sports Motorola's Linux based OS on the inside. The Linux and Java based OS has only been used on a few handsets and this is its highest profile launch.

Features of the RIZR Z6 include:

Quad-band GSM plus EDGE
2-megapixel camera
microSD card slot
105.5mm x 45.5mm x 16 mm
QVGA 320×240 screen with 262k colors
Music player with support for Windows DRM plus MP3, AAC, AAC+, AAC+ enhanced, AMR NB, WAV and XMF
Bluetooth with A2DP stereo support

Motorola expects to begin shipments of the RIZR Z6 later in the first quarter. While no announcement has been made, Cingular is the likely target for this handset.

Nokia N93i slims down popular N93

2008-10-20T03:36:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- The Nokia N93i is an updated version of the popular N93. The imaging-centric N93 has always packed in a lot of power, but at over 28mm thick it was never mistaken for a RAZR. The new N93i slightly slims down the case (it's both thinner and a little shorter) and adds a few new features.

New metallic finish keypad and mirrored exterior
Videos can now be uploaded straight to Vox

The rest of the features remain the same. Including the impressive wireless compatibilities: Bluetooth, WLAN, 3G (WCDMA 2100 MHz), EDGE and GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz).

Several more photos of the Nokia N93i are available below.

Samsung Ultra Music announced

2008-10-20T03:19:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- The Samsung Ultra Music F300 is a new music phone that Samsung hopes to introduce in the US. The device sports a dual face design, each with its own LCD screen. Interestingly enough the larger screen is used for music playback and is tough sensitive.

Bluetooth with A2DP stereo support
microSD card slot
1.3 megapixel camera
MP3 / WMA playback
Slim design, just 9.4mm thick

While Samsung isn't yet talking carriers there is talk that the Ultra Music will make it on a major US carrier. That means either T-Mobile or Cingular since the Ultra Music is a GSM device. Samsung also announced a multimedia targeted handset called the Ultra Video.

Samsung Ultra Video announced

2008-10-20T03:17:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- The Samsung Ultra Video was announced today along with the music centric Ultra Music handset. Ultra Video is not surprisingly focused on multimedia. Both of the Ultra handsets feature dual faces, including two screens.

Features of the Samsung Ultra Video include:

HSDPA 3G data
Video player compatible with MPEG-4, H.264, WMV and AVI files
2.0 megapixel camera
2.4" screen
400MB memory built-in plus microSD card slot

Samsung expects to begin shipping the Ultra Video later this year. We'll have more information, including photos, soon.

Nokia N76 announced

2008-10-20T03:14:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- Nokia has made good on its promise to get slimmer with its introduction of the Nokia N76. The full featured N-Series device comes in at 13.7mm thick which is significantly thinner than its other devices (the N93 is 28.2mm thick for example, over twice the size). The styling doesn't stop at size though, the N76 features a mirror finish on the outside and is constructed out of premium materials like magnesium.

Features of the Nokia N76 include:

Quad-band GSM + WCDMA 2100
2.4" QVGA display with 16 million colors
S60 3rd Edition software
Music player supporting Windows DRM along with almost everything else (MP3/WAV/MIDI/M4A/AAC/eAAC+/WMA)
2 megapixel camera with flash
Standard 3.5mm headphone jack
microSD card slot
Bluetooth 2.0

Nokia expects to begin shipping the N76 later in the first quarter. It will ship in two color combinations to start, red and black. More photos of the device (including both colors) are available below.

Sony Ericsson releases W880 photos

2008-10-20T03:12:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- Sony Ericsson put up a rare preview of an unannounced upcoming handset, the W880. Two photos were posted although the complete face of the handset cannot be seen in either one. This release from Sony Ericsson may be just to build buzz in case Apple decides to show off a phone at their MacWorld Expo that overlaps CES.

The Sony Ericsson W880 will be officially announced in the second quarter. No details other than the photos were made available. Read on to see second photo.

Sony Ericsson W200 announced

2008-10-20T03:10:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- The Sony Ericsson W200 is a new Walkman branded music phone that is aimed at the entry-level user. The MSRP sits at a low $179.99 and Sony Ericsson expects carriers to sell the device for under $50. The W200 picks up where the popular W300i left off in terms of features but adds a few twists besides a candy bar form factor.

Features of the W200 include:

Walkman media player 1.0, support for MP3 and AAC music
128MB Memory Stick Micro M2 card included, expandable to 1GB
128×160 pixel screen with 65k colors
VGA camera
GSM 900/1800/1900 (W200i) and a version for America with GSM 850 instead of 900 (W200a)

The Sony Ericsson W200 will ship in selected markets starting in the second quarter. While it was not announced, Cingular is the likely target for this handset in the US due to their existing relationship. It will come in two color schemes, rhythm black and pulse white. Two more photos o the W200 are available below.

Palm Treo 750 launches on Cingular

2008-10-20T03:09:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- Cingular Wireless has officially announced the Palm Treo 750. The long awaited device is the first Treo from Cingular to have either 3G or Windows Mobile. The 750 has been shipping in Europe for quite some time but faced delays getting the device certified in the US.

While the Treo 750 is a 3G device (in both the US and Europe) it does not yet use HSDPA, the most advanced standard. Palm noted to MobileTracker that a software update will make the Treo 750 compatible with HSDPA and that the company hopes to be able to push that update to Cingular customers at a future date.

Features of the Treo 750 include:

Quad-band GSM/EDGE plus UMTS 850/1900/2100
Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC phone edition
240×240 pixel touch screen
1.3 megapixel camera
60MB of user-available storage plus a miniSD card slot
Bluetooth with A2DP support

Cingular will begin selling the Palm Treo 750 tomorrow. It will retail for $399.99 after a 2-year service contract. Cingular also carries the Treo 680 which is a paired down version that is being marketed more towards consumers.

LG VX9400 mobile TV phone

2008-10-20T03:03:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- Verizon Wireless has announced the LG VX9400, a mobile TV compatible phone that will be one of two launch handsets for V Cast TV. The other phone, Samsung's u620, was also announced today. Besides supporting broadcast TV on Qualcomm's MediaFLO network, the LG VX9400 features a unique form factor that's something inbetween a slider and a swivel. The screen rotates up into a landscape orientation for optimal video viewing and to reveal the number keys.

Features of the LG VX9400 TV phone include:

QVGA (320×240 pixel) screen with 262k colors
Bluetooth with stereo A2DP support
1.3 megapixel camera with flash
Speakerphone
microSD card slot

The LG VX9400 will begin shipping later in the first quarter. Read on for another photo of the device, hands on photos will be up soon.

Samsung u620 mobile TV phone

2008-10-20T02:59:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- The Samsung u620 will be one of two launch phones for Verizon Wireless V Cast TV. The LG VX9400 is the other launch handset. Samsung is marketing the handset quite heavily at CES, there are photos of it along with the BlackJack plastered all around the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Mobile TV is the obvious key feature for the Samsung u620. There is a dedicated TV button on the right side of the handset and a TV antenna that can be extended if needed for reception. MobileTracker demoed the handset this afternoon and there wasn't any noticeable difference with the antenna extended or not, but results will vary based on location.

Features of the Samsung u620 include:

QVGA (240×320 pixel) display
Bluetooth with stereo A2DP support
EV-DO high-speed data with full V Cast support, including V Cast music
1.3 megapixel camera with flash
microSD card slot
Speakerphone

The Samsung u620 will begin shipping exclusively from Verizon Wireless later in the first quarter. Pricing was not announced. Read on for another photo of the U620. Hands on shots coming soon.

Verizon Wireless announces V Cast TV

2008-10-20T02:57:00.000-07:00

CES 2007 -- As expected, Verizon Wireless has officially announced its mobile TV service. V Cast TV uses Qualcomm's MediaFLO technology to provide broadcast TV to US consumers for the first time. The service will launch later in the first quarter, but Verizon has already revealed some specifics.

Content partners include MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, NBC News, NBC Entertainment, CBS and Fox. ESPN is currently under negotiation and showed up on the demo handsets but wasn't in the official anouncement. Programs are carried "live" but Verizon Wireless is putting an emphasis on the "best of TV" so while the prime time line ups might sync up there might be a replay of CSI on in the morning instead of a game show. The content is long form so it's the entire show, news cast or sports game. There will be commercials in the content just like there is on conventional TV and in many cases you will see the same ads (for national runs) but Verizon is also looking at selling their own more like a cable provider. Qualcomm had previously talked about time shifting content with MediaFLO but this won't be part of the V Cast TV launch.

There will be two handsets available at launch: the Samsung u620 and the LG VX9400. Both phones feature a dedicated TV button and the ability to view video in landscape. More V Cast TV handsets are expected to be announced later in the year.

While pricing has not yet been announced there will be an extra fee in addition to the regular V Cast fee. CEO Denny Strigl hinted that the price, "Will be affordable" but offered no more details. One spokesman joked that the handsets will be priced to sell and not to admire.

Our first impression

By Jon Gales -- Verizon Wireless had demo units of both the LG VX9400 and the Samsung u620 available. Video content looked reasonably clear on both handsets and the interface was the same (not a surprise since we're talking about Verizon). It was hard to gauge audio quality since there weren't headphones on the units I used. The programming guide is easy to use and should mirror the web version that will be on VerizonWireless.com. The website will let you set up reminders (via SMS) for programming but it was not available for a demo.

Cingular to demo one-way video calling

2008-10-20T02:56:00.000-07:00

Cingular will demo a one-way video calling service next week at CES. Video calling is currently supported in many countries but this will be a first for the US market.

The service allows users to send a live video stream to a recipient during a standard voice call. Beginning with a normal phone call, customers can hit one button to add a live video stream, allowing the called party to see what the caller is seeing while they're talking. The service also allows customers to switch the direction of the video stream during the same phone call.

The yet unnamed service will launch for 3G customers some time later this year. Further details, including pricing, were not revealed. MobileTracker will catch the demo at CES, check back next week for a full report.

Motorola 4th quarter lower than expected

2008-10-20T02:55:00.000-07:00

Motorola has issued a restated estimate for 4th quarter sales and earnings because of lower than expected sales of mobile devices. The usually red hot holiday season ended up being not as KRZY as Motorola was hoping for:

"We are very disappointed with our fourth-quarter financial performance," said Ed Zander, chairman and CEO, "but we remain committed to the strategic direction and long-term financial targets we discussed at our annual analysts meeting in July 2006. We will discuss plans to improve operating profitability on January 19 when we announce fourth-quarter earnings."

Motorola estimates Q4 sales of mobile devices at 66 million and attributes the shortfall to, "an unfavorable geographical and product-tier mix of sales."

Motorola Q announced by Sprint Nextel

2008-10-20T02:44:00.000-07:00

As expected, Sprint has officially announced the Motorola Q. The Q had been an exclusive to Verizon Wireless since its launch in May 2006. Sprint will begin shipping to business channels the Q later in January and expects to have the device in retail channels starting in February.

The Motorola Q on Sprint has the same basic features as Verizon's model:

Compact design: 4.6H x 2.5W x 0.45D inches
Windows Mobile 5.0
miniSD card slot
EV-DO 3G data
1.3 megapixel camera
Bluetooth