Dialed In

The cell phone has joined your passport and a power adapter as an essential tool when traveling abroad. And as any smart traveler can tell you, texting when roaming is much cheaper than making calls.

Normally, AT&T customers 50 cents per sent text message--and $1.30 per sent picture message--but today the carrier announced a new option for international texters. For $10 per month the new Global Messaging 50 Package lets customers send up to 50 text and picture messages from more than 90 countries. The plan will be available beginning March 20.

As we approach another CTIA, it's time to travel back a year ago to the wireless extravaganza that was CTIA 2009. Back then, we named two phones, one accessory, and one software title as the top products from that show. Now that they've had several months to face consumers, we're comparing our initial impressions with our final assessments.

Of the 12 products we're revisiting (four "Best of show" picks, plus a few notable extras that made their debuts), we've had the chance to review all but one. That's a pretty good record … Read more

Yesterday, my colleague David Carnoy posted a list of the 20 cell phones in the United States with the highest SAR, or specific absorption rates. And now, as promised, I offer the 20 handsets at the opposite end of the scale. Currently, these models have the lowest SAR levels. Some are sold by carriers, and others are unlocked, but all of the handsets are available in the U.S. market today. Please note that some older models listed lower SAR levels, but as a carrier or manufacturer phases out a handset we replace it with a newer device.

A phone'… Read more

Nicole is waiting for her flight home from Austin, so Maggie Reardon joins Kent and Bonnie to talk CTIA. The fun starts next Tuesday in Las Vegas, thus we spend this episode of Dialed In dishing on what we'll see at America's favorite wireless trade show. 4G is the expected name of the game, but we should also see new handsets from Samsung, HTC, and Kyocera. We also get the scoop on the FCC's broadband plans, and we make one listener very happy.

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