Dialed In

Skype for Android gets 3G VoIP calls at long last

Skype for Android users in the U.S. will be able to start making VoIP calls over 3G today in addition to calls over Wi-Fi, a feature that loyal users have been wanting since the app first debuted.

This isn't the first time 3G calling has been available in the U.S. Back in March 2010, a partnership with Verizon brought a special version of Skype Mobile to select Android phones (and also to select BlackBerrys, the first time Skype became available for that platform).

Skype wouldn't share with us what, if anything, prevented it from releasing this … Read more

Samsung Droid Charge hits Verizon on April 28

Remember the Samsung 4G LTE smartphone that was announced at CES 2011 for Verizon Wireless? Well, it's finally got a new name (thank goodness) and a release date and pricing.

Verizon Wireless revealed today that the Samsung Droid Charge will be available on April 28 for--brace yourselves--$299.99 with a two-year contract. The 4G-capable Droid Charge will ship running Android 2.2 and features a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, mobile hot-spot capabilities, and a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus touch screen, which has 50 percent more subpixels than the original Super AMOLED touch screens (read: improved outdoor visibility and … Read more

Skyfire's Android browser gets its Groupon

Skyfire is the latest app to board the Groupon gravy train, as the alternative mobile browser announced this morning that Skyfire for Android 4.0 integrates Groupon's daily deal service. 

Now when you open the Groupon module on Skyfire's "SkyBar," to toolbar running across the bottom of the screen, you'll be able to view local deals.

Groupon integration is just one of eight new features that the Silicon Valley-based browser maker added to its app. Our other favorites include Twitter and Google Reader making an appearance on the SkyBar, and the toolbar's … Read more

Poynt for BlackBerry PlayBook to push calls to phones

Poynt is one of the developers making a play for the BlackBerry PlayBook, which launched this week. Poynt for PlayBook, available for free in BlackBerry App World beginning today, will soon be offering a unique "send to phone" feature that will let the tablet initiate phone calls and even turn-by-turn directions on a BlackBerry smartphone phone, Poynt told CNET in an exclusive interview.

An alternative to Google Search, Poynt will use a form of tethering to bypass restrictions that bar pairing non-RIM PlayBook apps with your phone via BlackBerry Bridge and Bluetooth. Instead, Poynt will use RIM's … Read more

Dialed In #170: Playing with the PlayBook (podcast)

The BlackBerry PlayBook finally arrives at CNET for review and Dialed In picks it apart to see what makes it tick. Sure, we're grumpy about a few things (like AT&T fudging on the BlackBerry Bridge app), but we did like the new tablet's browser. We also go 3D with the LG Slate, Nicole talks of her love for the LG G2x, and Sprint's CEO introduces a new eco-friendly phone while also complaining about AT&T. Bonnie was off on assignment so we didn't spend our usual 20 minutes piping her in from New … Read more

On Call: Best carriers for recycling your phone

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

Though you probably know that Friday is Earth Day, I'd wager that you weren't aware that it's also National Cell Phone Recycling Week. Created two years ago by the Environmental Protection Agency, the week encourages U.S. wireless subscribers to recycle and reuse old handsets rather than discarding them into a drawer, or worse yet, throwing them away in the trash.

It's a noble effort, indeed, particularly when you consider how often we're encouraged to … Read more

Moto delaying Droid Bionic until summer

Three months after its unveiling, the Motorola Droid Bionic is still without a launch date or price. And now it appears that the handset won't land at Verizon Wireless until the third quarter of this year.

In a conversation with The Wall Street Journal today, a Motorola spokeswoman said Moto is delaying the Droid Bionic's release until this summer so it can incorporate several enhancements that will make "an even better consumer experience." The spokeswoman didn't offer specifics, but the original second-quarter launch window is now seen as unlikely.

Neither Motorola nor Verizon have said … Read more

BlackBerry PlayBook 'bridge' app not available for AT&T

AT&T may be putting the kibosh on an application for BlackBerry smartphones that allows users to connect their new BlackBerry PlayBook tablets to AT&T's 3G wireless network for free.

AT&T has confirmed that the app that allows BlackBerry users to pair their RIM smartphones with the new PlayBook tablet is not currently available on AT&T BlackBerry phones, a fact that limits the functionality of the device for AT&T BlackBerry customers.

AT&T said the app isn't supported yet on its network because it hasn't fully tested … Read more

BlackBerry Bridge on AT&T workaround

If you're an AT&T customer who just got a PlayBook, you might be surprised to learn that you weren't able to download the BlackBerry Bridge application to your BlackBerry this morning. That's because AT&T has reportedly decided to evaluate the app before allowing it on BlackBerry's App World. This is more than a little annoying because the other carriers--Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile--have allowed the same app to be downloaded.

As a refresher, PlayBook owners need to download the BlackBerry Bridge application to their phone to tether the two devices. This lets PlayBook owners get access to secure BlackBerry e-mail as well as calendar, tasks, contacts, and BBM. All of that information stays safely confined to your phone and does not leave a trace on the tablet. As a bonus to BlackBerry customers, this unique pairing method also allows them to tether the two devices without an additional tethering cost typical of most smartphone data plans.… Read more