Dialed In

Best Android ICS smartphones (roundup)

In my view, smartphones are all about the future, and the best handsets are usually the ones with the wildest, slickest mobile technology. Sure, cutting-edge wireless computing rarely comes cheap, especially phones running Google's latest and greatest version of Android software, Ice Cream Sandwich.

Still it's good to have a dream, and right now I'm fantasizing big time about the best phones money can buy. As ICS handsets actually begin to hit the market, my once wistful wishing is slowly becoming reality.

Here's a group of my favorite top-notch devices so you can live the ICS dream, too.

Verizon to ship new Jetpack 890L mobile router

Remember the cute, square Jetpack mobile router Verizon showed off at CES 2012?

Well, Verizon announced today that its new Jetpack 890L will be available on May 24.

This is the second router in the Jetpack line that the company introduced at the show, the first was the Jetpack 4620L that we reviewed just a few days ago.

All eyes will be on Google, as it takes a sudden plunge into the hardware business, courtesy of Motorola.

The $12.5 billion deal, which closed today, netted Google a healthy stockpile of patents for legal defense and offense, along with a historic technology brand and a multibillion-dollar handset and TV set-top box business.

It's pretty obvious what Google will do with the patents, given the increasingly litigious environment in which the technology world finds itself. Motorola's last few years of losses also bring a clear tax benefit to Google in the near term. But what is less more

U.S. Cellular first carrier to curate Amazon Appstore for subscribers

Regional wireless provider U.S. Cellular has become the first carrier to offer its customers a list of curated apps from the Amazon Appstore. Announced today, these Android users will find a new menu greeting them when they launch the Amazon application.

Amazon brings Appstore Test Drive to the handset

If you're not sure if you want to buy an application, you can now try it out before you drop your cash.

Amazon announced yesterday that Android device owners will now be able to test drive applications, in its Appstore before they buy. The new Test Drive feature is currently available in beta, and only supports apps that use the touch screen and accelerometer features. Apps that require using the keyboard, multitouch, or the camera, among other components, are not currently supported.

According to Amazon, Test Drive is available on more than 5,000 applications offered through its Appstore, more

Controlling your phone with motion

Hillcrest Labs isn't a household name, but if you have a Roku 2 streaming player (and really, you should) the company has entered your home.

Based in Rockville, Md., Hillcrest developed the motion-sensing technology used in Roku's remote. So when you're flipping through menus or playing Angry Birds, Hillcrest is behind how it all works. Its first product in the motion space was the Loop controller, which it showed at CES 2007. After that, the company went on to license its technology to Sony and LG, develop the Kylo browser, and sue Nintendo over the Wii controller.

For the next year, however, Hillcrest is thinking smaller. And by that I mean right down to the mobile level. Two weeks ago at CTIA in New Orleans, SVP Chad Lucien explained how the company is working to integrate motion control technology into cell phones and tablets.

After waiting months for the go-ahead to say so, Google CEO Larry Page today announced that his company now officially owns Motorola Mobility.

Google announced plans to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in August. Upon doing so, the companies had to clear regulatory hurdles to get the deal done. Regulators in both the U.S. and the European Union approved the acquisition back in February, but the companies were forced to wait for China. Over the weekend, China approved the deal, paving the way for Google to close it.

As part of the acquisition, Page announced today that more

Sidecar dials up smarter smartphones

Startup Sidecar wants to be the engine of change for smartphones.

The company, formerly known as SocialEyes, today launched its Sidecar mobile app, which has not one but two key features. First, the company says, it lets users share live video (or photos, contact information, and locations) while they talk. Second, it provides free VoIP calling in a variety of scenarios.

The goal is to bust the calling experience out of its limited, old-fashioned ways.

"Until now, voice calling has sat in a silo by itself. People who wanted to do more than talk had to toggle back and forth more

iPhone 5 launching with 3.95-inch display, more pixels?

With each new Apple product launch, there's typically one feature that gets the most attention in the rumor mill. This time around, it's the iPhone 5's display.

According to Apple blog 9to5Mac, citing sources, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is currently testing at its headquarters two iPhones -- only one of which will be released -- boasting larger displays. And although rumors have suggested the device will come with a true 4-inch screen, 9to5Mac claims it'll actually boast a 3.95-inch display.

The new iPhone's screen will be just as wide as that of its more

Want an unlocked Galaxy S III? Amazon has you covered

If you can't wait to get a U.S. carrier version of Samsung's Galaxy S III, Amazon is offering the unlocked version early.

Samsung Electronics' latest flagship smartphone is available for preorder now, and will ship June 1.

There is, of course, a catch. Since the unlocked Galaxy S III isn't optimized for U.S. carriers, there are limitations to what networks it can run on and how fast it can go.