smartphone

Easter's gone, spring is twanging, and we're all skint--still paying off Christmas and saving up for our summer holidays.

But fear not--if you're looking to buy a smartphone with all the trimmings this season, there's a phone available at the moment that's so cheap we had to check it over and over again to make sure we weren't seeing things. Wave hello to the MWg Atom Life, available for 200 pounds ($400).

Similar to the HTC P3600, the Atom Life offers a large touch screen, Wi-Fi, HSDPA (3.5G) and a 2-megapixel camera. But … Read more

Spring has arrived and the flowers are blooming, and apparently so are the BlackBerrys. Just last week, RIM released the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 for AT&T, and now T-Mobile is getting the RIM BlackBerry 8820. It isn't the freshest model on the market; in fact, AT&T has had this model for a few months. However, it does present T-Mobile customers with a better-equipped business smartphone than the current RIM BlackBerry 8830, since it brings the addition of Wi-Fi and support for the carrier's HotSpot@Home service. It also continues to offer Bluetooth, GPS, and of … Read more

Mobile applications are turning into big business, and Nokia is looking to launch a few start-ups on their way.

Nokia's developer arm, Forum Nokia, announced the results of its Mobile Rules contest Wednesday night at San Jose City Hall. Nine companies were chosen, representing four application categories, best business plan, and four winners of the best technology innovation.

The winners were judged by a panel of Nokia executives, venture capitalists, and media representatives. They'll get a chance to pitch their ideas to Nokia's higher-ups and the venture capital community. With smartphones and mobile phones growing more and … Read more

In the market for a new smartphone? Consider the T-Mobile Dash, a quad-band handset that compares favorably with the Motorola Q. LetsTalk.com has a pretty sweet deal going:

T-Mobile Dash: Free.

1GB microSD card: Free.

Shipping: Free.

Rebates: Up to $100.

Specifically, you automatically qualify for a $50 mail-in rebate on the phone, but you can get another $50 if you sign up for a $39.99-monthly (or higher) service plan and a $19.99-monthly data plan (fairly standard items for smartphone users anyway).

CNET and CNET readers alike had generally good things to say about the Dash, rating … Read more

Rumors continue to persist about Dell getting back into the handheld business.

The latest is from Digitimes (which should be taken with a grain of salt) which is reporting that Dell has placed orders with several Asian manufacturers for smartphones, PDAs, and GPS devices. Digitimes says those devices would run Windows Mobile. That differs from the rumor floating around in late January that Dell was about to announce an Android-based handset.

As of this writing, Dell had not yet responded to requests for comment.

It's been almost a year since the company ended production of its popular Axim handheld, … Read more

If readers are any indication, Microsoft's Windows Mobile has a better base of support than one might think, but all the winds are blowing toward Apple.

The results of our first annual (maybe) smartphone survey are in, and thanks to everyone who left comments on One More Thing or Crave and t o those who flooded my inbox with responses. Yes, I know we should have a survey tool, but we're working on other stuff right now that's more important. (You'll have to trust me on that one.)

Between the comments and the e-mails, we received … Read more

If CNET News.com's readers are any indication, Microsoft's Windows Mobile has a better base of support than one might think, but all the winds are blowing toward Apple.

The results of our first annual (maybe) smartphone survey are in, and thanks to everyone who left comments here on One More Thing or over on Crave, and those who flooded my inbox with responses. Yes, I know we should have a survey tool, but we're working on other stuff right now that's more important. (You'll have to trust me on that one.)

Between the comments … Read more

While a press launch in Singapore this week was for the KS20 smartphone pictured here, an LG representative told us that the Korean company will be rolling out a new smartphone with an updated operating system expected at the end of this year or early 2009. Our best bet is that it will be running on the upcoming Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, though Windows Mobile 7 might be possible by then as well.

Meanwhile, the KS20--LG's first GSM-based Windows Mobile 6 smartphone--is one of the most compact and slimmest in its category. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to … Read more

You knew it was just a matter of time before one of the GSM carriers got a hold of the next-generation RIM BlackBerry Pearl after Verizon Wireless released the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130. That lucky carrier would be AT&T. Today, AT&T introduced the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120, a Wi-Fi-enabled version of the slim messaging smartphone that also offers other enhancements, including a better Web browser and a 2-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities. It's available starting today through business channels for $199.99 (with a two-year contract and after rebates and discounts) and in all, … Read more