smartphone

It's hard to tell if anyone is as enthused about the possibilities of Dell making a smartphone as Michael Dell.

He's been making periodic references to his company making "small screen" devices in the near future at public appearances for the last year. But the people who watch his stock and analyze his company's every move, appear incredibly underwhelmed by the idea of a Dell handset. Their apathy is notable since a) Dell's last handheld device was very popular with consumers and b) Dell hasn't formally announced anything specific.

While getting into the … Read more

What's a day without a Palm Pre story, right? Uhh, right. The latest rumor making its way across the Internet tubes comes via SprintGurus, which says the Pre will launch on June 7 and not May 17 as originally thought.

This is based on an internal document posted by the owner of SprintGurus, who goes by "Coal," that shows all the devices that are in alpha/beta testing with Sprint. In the forum, Coal states, "For those asking about the Pre, there are 2 release windows, one is around 6/7/09 - the other I … Read more

After months of drought, we're finally seeing the Google Android news trickle in--the debut of the Samsung I7500, the upcoming Android 1.5 (aka Cupcake) release, and the launch of the HTC Magic. Unfortunately, for us here in the States, all the action has been overseas, but we can only hope that we're not far behind in getting in on the Android love.

To tide you over, we thought we'd point you to a photo gallery posted by our friends over at ZDNet UK who got a hands-on look at the Vodafone HTC Magic. The hardware is … Read more

While the Verizon Wireless and Apple talks are dominating headlines these days, the iPhone isn't for everyone and it looks like there might be two other noteworthy devices that are headed Verizon's way. More specifically, two QWERTY smartphones from HTC and Motorola.

The first handset, the Motorola A4500, is almost a lockdown for the carrier, considering that it was outed by the FCC. As PhoneScoop points out, the A4500 has similarities to the Motorola Q9c/Motorola Q9m but adds quad-band world roaming, Wi-Fi, a 2-megapixel camera, and a fingerprint scanner. The Windows Mobile 6.1 device will also … Read more

On Monday, Samsung introduced its first Google Android device, the Samsung I7500. While many were disappointed to hear that Samsung had initially delayed its Android devices till the second half of the year, the I7500 will be available in major European markets starting in June. Unfortunately, plans for a U.S. release are still unclear.

There is, however, potentially good news for us here in the States. The Samsung I7500 is a tri-band HSDPA device, supporting the 900/1700/2100MHz bands, which makes it compatible with the T-Mobile's 3G network. We talked to Samsung's public relations company this … Read more

On Thursday, Alltel announced that it will begin offering the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 starting in early May. Alltel's Pearl Flip is the first CDMA version of the smartphone (a GSM model has been available on T-Mobile since October 2008) and will go for a very reasonable $79.99 with a two-year contract and after rebates.

The Pearl Flip, of course, is the first BlackBerry to have a clamshell design and has a 2.25-inch, 240x320-pixel internal display and a SureType keyboard. Features include built-in GPS, a 2-megapixel camera, a full HTML Web browser, stereo Bluetooth support, and … Read more

As you may have seen by now, PreCentral.net got ahold of an internal memo from AT&T comparing its precious iPhone 3G with the Palm Pre, and not surprisingly, bashing the Pre as an inferior device.

Now, you know I haven't been particular happy with Sprint or Palm about the way the company's been handling the Pre, but I'm coming to its defense here and saying that this is just plain laughable. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

First off, AT&T has a couple of legitimate points. The iPhone has the advantage of international world roaming and comes in a 16GB capacity, whereas the Pre isn't a world phone and only comes in an 8GB model. Fair enough. However, the carrier then criticizes the Pre for only coming in black and being thicker and heavier than the iPhone. Well, if you want to nitpick, AT&T, the Pre is shorter and smaller in width, and I'm sure the whole 0.07 ounce of extra weight will slow all Pre owners down.

Next, AT&T makes several baseless statements, saying that the Pre's touch-screen gesture controls are "not intuitive" and that it has an "unproven App catalog." Unless AT&T has some moles embedded in Sprint's and Palm's labs, how do we know this is the case? Hey, I'll be the first to give Apple credit for the iPhone's ease of use, multitouch screen, and iTunes App Store, but does that mean the Pre will be unintuitive and have a crappy app store? No. The fact is, we won't know for sure until it's out, and to make this argument on pure conjecture is weak. … Read more

Kent's vacationing in Australia (lucky duck), so it's just Nicole and me this week. We've got plenty to talk about though, including details on the new T-Mobile Sidekick LX, and we tackle more rumors about an iPhone for Verizon. Also, the new Samsung Instinct S30 is out, and we've got a full review of the Instinct successor. Plus, Nicole's found what could be the best-sounding Bluetooth headset she's ever heard. All this and more on this week's Dialed In podcast. Happy Earth Day, everyone!

I just missed a call from our front desk this morning saying that two representatives from Sprint were downstairs with a package delivery. My first thought? "OMG, the Palm Pre!!"

I ran downstairs, and when our security operator told me they just left to drop the packages off at our loading dock, I bolted out the door to the back of our building and caught up with them. Guess what? It wasn't the Pre.

Instead, I got a little package of fortune cookies and a flash drive filled with press releases on Sprint's service plans, its … Read more