Dialed In

AT&T raised the stakes in the fight for the world's toughest phone Wednesday when it announced the new A25is from Airo Wireless. Billed as the word's first "intrinsically safe" smartphone, the A25is won't produce a spark so it's built for people working in potentially explosive environments like process and chemical manufacturing, petrochemicals, the military, utilities, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods manufacturing.

Like the ultra-rugged Sonim XP3 Quest, the candy bar A25is isn't a looker, but it's certified to military specifications for durability. Among other things, Airo promises that it can … Read more

Well, it's about time. T-Mobile made it official on Tuesday evening and finally revealed that the much-awaited HTC HD2 will be available starting March 24 for $199.99 with a two-year contract and qualifying data plan. Alternatively, you can purchase the smartphone with an Even More Plus Plan, which doesn't require an annual contract, for $449.99.

For the price, you are getting tons of extra entertainment features, including both Transformer movies preloaded on the device, Blockbuster's On Demand video download application, Barnes & Noble's eReader app, and up to six months free in-flight Wi-Fi access … Read more

In their long history together, LG and Verizon Wireless have given us more than their share of quality handsets. From high-end handsets like the LG Chocolate Touch to simple models like the VX5400, we've been mostly pleased with what we've seen. The new LG Accolade VX5600 is closer to the latter, but it also meets with our approval.

It's not our pick for a camera phone, but it has an easy-to-use design, good performance, and a feature set that focuses on the essentials. And at $50 with service, or free online with an additional discount, it's … Read more

One of the great features of Android is that it offers its users choice. Whether you're downloading apps from outside of the Android Market, swapping out the user experience with a new desktop replacement, or simply choosing a different phone-dialing application, you'll appreciate the platform's flexibility.

Though I might consider the standard Android client to be a better-than-average browser, there are alternatives that add features to improve the mobile experience. Just last week, Opera announced its Mini 5 beta Web browser for Android. With it, and the Dolphin Browser, now I have two fantastic apps fighting for my attention.

I should point out that by downloading any Web client for Android, you're not required to remove the preloaded browser. Like on a PC, you are free to have more than one. As I do with Firefox and Chrome on my desktop, I like to use both Dolphin and Mini 5 for various reasons.

One of the big selling points in Mini 5 (hit the link for our First Look video) is that it compresses data on Opera's servers before it's sent off to you, which results in pages that load considerably faster. This is especially handy for people with slower or touchy data connections. I bounce between T-Mobile's 3G and EDGE connection throughout most of my day, so Opera helps make the transition less noticeable.

When you load the browser, you're presented with nine quick bookmarks called Speed Dials. As I typically don't have too many bookmarks, the ability to store nine pages covers my bases. Opera Link lets me sync my bookmarks and Speed Dial pages to and from my desktop, although I've yet to use the browser on my PC. Other features include pinch zooming, tabs, a handy navigation bar, and download manager.

Released last year, Dolphin Browser also gives users a better mobile Web experience than the standard client. With support for multitouch zooming, sharing links through social-networking services, plus fantastic RSS functionality, and a clean interface, I tend to use Dolphin as my preferred browser. … Read more

Based on recent leaks, a pair of HTC handsets, the Supersonic and Incredible, appear all but ready to ship. The Google Android smartphones have appeared in the wild and they look like final products.

A handful of pictures of the Incredible trickled out early last week from a Twitter user known as DevDroid. As you can see in the image, the handset is black with red accents. Though the color scheme doesn't resemble anything else HTC has done lately, it does have an air of Verizon Wireless about it. According to rumors, the Incredible runs Android 2.1 with … Read more

Dubbed as a handset for blue- and white-collar workers, Sprint took the wraps off its latest Nextel Direct Connect device, the Motorola i890.

The i890 offers the standard Direct Connect push-to-talk features as well as Group Connect, Direct Talk, Direct Send, and Next Mail. In addition, you get a 2-megapixel camera with fixed focus, 4x digital zoom, and video-recording capabilities. Not just for work, the Moto i890 also touts a built-in MP3 player, external media controls, and stereo Bluetooth.

Unlike some of the clunkier Nextel devices, the i890 has a sleek clamshell design (3.9 inches tall by 1.98 … Read more

AT&T sprang into action on Monday and introduced a quartet of new Quick Messaging phones as well as a set of services designed to bring smartphone-like experiences to mass-market phones.

These services will first debut on the Samsung Strive (see below) and include three tools: AT&T Address Book, AT&T Mobile Share, and next-generation messaging. The latter simply brings a reply-all feature to text messaging, enabling users to respond to up to 10 contacts at once, while AT&T Address Book allows you to sync and back up your phone's contacts to an … Read more

If you fly frequently and have an iPhone, you might have already researched the iTunes App Store for titles that will help you track your flight, pick your seat, and check for delays. As a frequent flier and airline geek, I've browsed quite a few apps on the CNET iPhone and have downloaded more than my share. The selection is quite extensive, but as is true with much of the iTunes App Store, it can take time to separate quality apps from those that aren't even worth a free download.

In the slideshow below, I've chosen 10 … Read more

Earlier this week, we shared 10 ways that Google's Android operating system beats the iPhone. And now, as promised, we offer 10 ways that the iPhone fights back. Even as Android continues to gather steam, Apple's device still can hold its own in a number of areas like the music player, app selection and video recording feature. We're not saying the iPhone is better, but we want to acknowledge the strengths of each competitor. So for the full story, check out our slideshow.