Dialed In

Android's Opera Mini browser gets session restore

Opera continues updating the "Mini" version of its mobile browser for Android phones with some noticeable tweaks and enhancements.

The Wednesday release of Opera Mini 5.1 for Android brings sundry features such as setting Opera Mini as the default browser, and seeing the entire screen when you switch to full-screen mode.

The best addition is that Opera Mini can save your session within an hour of starting it, if the browser accidentally closes while working in the background. This is a similar provision to the session restore in Opera Mini for the iPhone.

Opera Mini 5.1 … Read more

Cell phones with absurd names

Though Samsung's :)--that's Smiley for the uninitiated--has us all riled up, it's hardly the the first cell phone to bear a rather silly or baffling name. True, Samsung, tends to be the worst offender in this area, but other manufacturers have left us just as perplexed. That's why we took this opportunity to take a trip down memory lane for the most ridiculous cell phone names that we've seen. It wasn't easy to choose just 10, but here are our picks for the most bizarre cell phones. And be sure to tell us which … Read more

Facebook's Open Graph going mobile

SAN FRANCISCO--Facebook's Open Graph is the reason there are Facebook "Like" buttons strewn across the Web on sites that Facebook doesn't operate. Eric Tseng, Facebook's head of mobile products and a former product manager of the Google Nexus One phone, told the room at MobileBeat 2010 that Open Graph is going mobile.

What does this mean? Simply that as Facebook rolls out its Open Graph plug-ins to partners in the mobile space, many more of Facebook's social tools (such as that "Like" button, for instance) will show up in unrelated mobile apps … Read more

Testing data speeds in New York

Recently, AT&T completed upgrades to its 3G network in New York City, more specifically in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, and the carrier was hopeful that its customers would see improved 3G performance voice and data performance during peak hours.

Wanting to put AT&T's claims to test, we asked you to share your experiences with us, and the results were mixed; some of you said service was worse, while others said it was about the same, and still, a few said performance was better.

Unfortunately, without having any data from before the AT&T network upgrade, it's hard for us to do a before and after comparison, but we thought it would be a good opportunity to do a data speed comparison among the four major U.S. carriers. In an ideal world, we would conduct these tests over an extended period, but time constraints and other responsibilities prevent us from doing so right now. Still, we wanted to provide you with a snapshot of what we experienced on a weekday in New York.

We conducted the tests on a Thursday afternoon and into the evening rush hour at four different locations in Manhattan--CNET's offices in Midtown, Columbus Circle, Times Square, and Union Square. To measure download and upload speeds, we downloaded the Ookla's Speedtest.net mobile app (set to the same server and set to measure in kilobits per second) to the iPhone 4 for AT&T, Nexus One for T-Mobile, HTC Evo 4G for Sprint, and Motorola Droid X for Verizon. We ran the test three times on each phone at each of the locations and then averaged the results, which are found in the tables below.

Separately, I (Bonnie) went around the same locations over the weekend, as well as other reported trouble spots, including the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, and Greenwich Village, and made phone calls to one annoyed little brother. I used the Palm Pre Plus, wanting to avoid any issues that might be a result of the antenna problems on the iPhone 4, and my experience was mostly positive. I had two dropped calls in Union Square, but otherwise was able to have conversations without problem.

Finally, for a more comprehensive and detailed look at the service in your area, including average signal strength, data throughput, and dropped calls, be sure to check out our Root Wireless carrier coverage map and don't forget to help us rate carrier coverage by contributing your own data.… Read more

Remember the Hiptop: A Sidekick retrospective

On July 1, T-Mobile announced that it has ceased the sales of the two most recent Sidekick models, the Sidekick LX and the Sidekick 2008. More importantly, it appears that Danger, now owned by Microsoft, will no longer be making any more Sidekick handsets. There have been some rumors that T-Mobile might continue the Sidekick franchise with Android-based models, but the ones with the proprietary Danger OS is effectively dead.

This is a bittersweet end for me, as the Sidekick was my first-ever real smartphone. I owned both the Sidekick II and the Sidekick 3, also known as the Hiptop … Read more

Defining the 'superphone'

Google may have latched onto the term, but the concept of a "superphone" is simply a description of an even smarter smartphone that combines the most cutting-edge features that mobile phone users and technologists alike want.

At the MobileBeat tech conference in San Francisco on Monday, Samsung's chief strategy officer, Omar Khan, took a stab at listing the components that go into building the next-generation smartphone.

Software specifications

High-definition video capture and playback (720p minimum) High-quality 3D gaming Rich social networking apps True multitasking without stopping or restarting apps as you go back to them (he means … Read more

Skype, Fring throw punches over iPhone hang up

Fring and Skype, sometimes-rivals in the VoIP mobile space, are spitting out harsh words in what's turning into an ugly public relations play.

In a news release sent to CNET on Monday, Fring accuses Skype of being "afraid of open mobile communication" after Skype brought legal action against Fring, which has traditionally included Skype in its IM and VoIP calling app.

In its news release, Fring went on to accuse Skype of "muzzl[ing] competition, even at the expense of its own users," and in a strongly worded blog post, Fring's CEO, Avi Shechter, … Read more

Consumer Reports says it can't recommend the iPhone 4

Consumer Reports announced Monday that it can't recommend the iPhone 4 due to problems with its reception. According to a story posted on Consumer Reports' Web site, it is withholding the recommendation after its engineers found that when you touch the gap in the antenna on the phone's lower left side, "the signal can significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you're in an area with a weak signal."

The iPhone 4 still tops the firm's latest smartphones ratings list--largely due to its Retina Display, added features, and better … Read more

Another peek at in-the-works BlackBerry OS 6

If you're salivating for news on the forthcoming BlackBerry OS 6, RIM is throwing out another bone in the form of a video and blog post released Monday.

The video shows the redesigned home screen, universal search, the new media interface, context menus, and a couple of new applications. It also highlights the new BlackBerry browser, which has long been maligned for its sluggishness and light features. RIM's decision to base its new version on the WebKit platform is a move that's sure to go a long way toward easing complaints.

The video also lingers on BlackBerry … Read more