smartphone

As much as I love my new Palm Centro smartphone, it's not terribly smart when it comes to voice dialing.

OK, it can't do it at all. Same goes for its Treo brethren. (All together now: Weak!)

At least there's third-party software to fill in the gap. VoiceIt Technologies' VoiceDialIt provides fairly seamless voice dialing for the Centro and Treo. And from now until December 31, you can snag it for $15.95 (normally $24.95).

The software employs a simple, attractive interface for adding voice-dial contacts, either manually or from your address book. I installed it … Read more

Today, Palm officially released its Windows Mobile 6 update for the Palm Treo 750, bringing such enhancements as HSDPA capabilities (w00t!), Microsoft Direct Push Technology for real-time synchronization with Outlook, and better Calendar management. It's available now as a free download from Palm's Web site, and once installed, you also get support for HTML e-mail and more security options (encryption of miniSD cards, remote data wipe)--all the benefits of Windows Mobile 6, which you can read about in our full review.

In addition to the update, Palm also announced it has begun selling unlocked versions of the … Read more

Currently available only on the German and U.K. markets, Samsung's Ultra Smart F700 is headed to Malaysia and possibly other Asian countries early next year, according to the company.

We had a brief hands-on with the HSDPA handset and found ourselves liking the touch screen's haptic feedback. Sliding out the QWERTY keyboard, which was aided by a spring-loaded mechanism, was also very smooth and solid.

Adding a dash of style were the square keys with rounded borders that resembled those on the Apple MacBooks. Our only gripe with the unit was with the glossy surface that tended … Read more

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I know a lot of you have been waiting for this smartphone, and the day has finally come for the Verizon Wireless XV6800 to shine. Starting today, you can purchase the XV6800 online for a pricey $349.99 (ouch) with a two-year contract and after rebates, while in-store availability will begin on December 5.

As the successor to the aging UTStarcom XV6700, the XV6800 brings a much-needed refresh with an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition, a sleeker design, and a 2-megapixel camera. You also get EV-DO, integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), and … Read more

Online software store Handmark carries a broad range of titles for BlackBerry, Palm, Windows Mobile, and other smartphones. What? Huh? You can add software to your phone?!

It always surprises me how few people know this, or don't bother to venture beyond the preinstalled software. Well, now's your chance to score some games, apps, utilities, and more at a discount. From now through Wednesday, Handmark is offering 25 percent off all software purchases. Just enter the promo code "SITE25" when you check out.

An article in Sunday's New York Times cites recent surveys challenging the notion that smartphones are ready for prime time:

Similarly, surveys by Yankee Group, a Boston research firm, show that only 13 percent of cellphone users in North America use their phones to surf the Web more than once a month, while 70 percent of computer users view Web sites every day.

"The user experience has been a disaster," says Tony Davis, managing partner of Brightspark, a Toronto venture capital firm that has invested in two mobile Web companies.

While many phones have some form of … Read more

It's lights out for the T-Mobile Sidekick Slide--well, temporarily anyway. T-Mobile and Motorola pulled the new Sidekick from the carrier's lineup last Friday after confirming that some devices are powering off after opening and closing the phone. Motorola says it's currently working to identify the cause of the problem, but geez, that's no way to make a first impression. If you'll remember, the Slide is the first Sidekick not to be made by Sharp. We should note that the Sharp devices, including the T-Mobile Sidekick LX and Sidekick iD, do not suffer from this … Read more

Yesterday Crave attended the U.K. launch of E-Ten's new line-up, which includes the Glofiish M800, the X800 (which we reported on in March) and the X600. These oddly named handsets look very similar to HTC devices and pack many of the same features too.

The X600 (pictured), for example, runs on Windows Mobile 6 and features a large colour touchscreen, EDGE, GPS, Wi-Fi, a 2-megapixel camera and an expandable microSD slot.

Considering E-Ten managed to squash all these features into a casing that's only 15mm thin, the X600 is a formidable smartphone, although we would have liked … Read more

Hold the gravy! Check it out--it looks like you can add the Sprint store to your list of places to shop on Black Friday, as the carrier announced today that the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130, Motorola Q9c, and Motorola i335 will all be available starting November 23, though you'll only be able to purchase the Moto Q9c online for the time-being.

The RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130 will run $199.99 with a two-year contract and has built-in GPS and EV-DO with support for the Sprint Power Vision services, including Sprint Music Store, Sprint TV, and Sprint Navigation--a pretty robust … Read more