smartphone

Samsung's Android non-news

By now, you've probably heard that Samsung revealed the Samsung Mondi and Samsung Instinct s30 during a press conference on Tuesday night, one day before the official start of CTIA 2009. At the end of the event, there was a Q&A session and one of the questions that came up was the status of Samsung's Google Android devices.

Unfortunately, the company didn't have much to say, other than what we already know. (Hey, I'm just passing along the message, so don't shoot me, OK?) Samsung said it is absolutely committed to the Open … Read more

Spb TV: TV on smartphones gets real, subscription-free

Back when I still had the ATT Tilt, I thought it was uncool that I had to pay about $10 a month to watch TV on the phone via a high-speed Internet connection. This is one of the reasons I moved on to an iPhone 3G.

However, if you haven't given up on Windows Mobile smarthphones yet, hang on, because I have some good news.

Spb Software, a Windows Mobile platform developer that makes online games and services for smartphones, announced Tuesday its new standalone application called Spb TV.

The application is essentially a mobile TV player with onscreen … Read more

Analyst: 32GB iPhone could debut in June

Updated at 9:15 a.m. PDT with comments from analyst Daniel Amir.

Apple is expected to begin production on a high-end iPhone with 32GB of flash memory and a low-end 3G version this spring, according to a research report released Tuesday by Lazard Capital Markets analyst.

Production is anticipated to begin in April and ramp up in May, and the new phones could be announced in June, Daniel Amir, a Lazard Capital Markets analyst, said in his report.

He noted, however, that the low-end version may only be available in the fast-growing, emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India, and … Read more

AT&T attracts Nokia E71x, Samsung Propel Pro

Getting a jump-start on CTIA 2009, AT&T Wireless announced on Sunday night the upcoming availability of two messaging-centric smartphones: the Nokia E71x and Samsung Propel Pro.

The two devices are expected to be in stores and online in the coming weeks, joining the carrier's four other new releases, the Samsung Impression, the Samsung Magnet, the LG Neon, and the LG Xenon.

The Nokia E71x has long been rumored for AT&T and is largely like the unlocked Nokia E71, which we reviewed in July.

The AT&T version comes in a sleek black and is … Read more

CTIA 2009 preview

As spring goes into full swing and April Fool's Day nears, the last event of the busy trade season is upon us. The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association show (CTIA) is the nation's largest event dedicated to new cell phones, accessories, and services. This year it runs from April 1 through April 3 in Las Vegas.

Of course, a large CNET crew will be on-hand to bring you all the news from the show floor. On the Reviews side, I'll be in Vegas with Bonnie Cha and Nicole Lee. We'll bring you details on all the new … Read more

Palm Pre vs. iPhone 3G: Which do you want?

The CTIA 2009 spring show is just a few days away, and there are sure to be new product announcements. HTC, Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, LG--they'll all be there. However, there's one company in particular that's at the forefront of my mind, and it would be Palm. I'm sure you can guess why.

Both Palm and Sprint will be in Las Vegas for the show, but the companies don't have any news conferences or major events scheduled--just an invite-only VIP Lounge where they'll have the Palm Pre on display.

I really hope we'll learn some new information at CTIA (ahem, pricing, release date), since we clearly didn't during their last Webcast. However, I fear it'll be more of the same and we'll come home none the wiser. Part of me also thinks that they'll wait till the last possible moment (June) to deliver on their "first half of 2009" promise, but I hope I'm wrong.

Palm and Sprint are running into dangerous territory right now. We said at CES 2009 that it was risky for the companies to announce the smartphone (though smart in many ways) back in January and they had to careful to deliver on their promise and not delay the phone.

On the one hand, I commend Palm for better communication with the public whether it be through its blog or Twitter feed, but there's comes a point where the canned responses get old and things like the Webcast look like a stalling method or shameless self-promotion. I think it's pretty safe to say, we're at that point, and the masses are getting restless.

Also, with the new iPhone OS 3.0 and all its new features, the Pre has lost some of its competitive edge. (The chart below gives you a side-by-side comparison of the basic features of the two smartphones.) Plus, there's a chance we could see a new iPhone at WWDC in early June and that could certainly steal some of the Pre's thunder.… Read more

Report: Skype coming to the iPhone

Skype, the Internet calling service owned by eBay, is expected to announce an application for the iPhone at next week's wireless CTIA tradeshow in Las Vegas, according to tech blogger Om Malik of GigaOM.

Skype is keeping mum on the announcement and has declined to comment on the rumors. But the company is hosting a press conference Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas the day before the show kicks off. And it's likely the news will be announced there.

Skype admitted earlier this year that it's working on an application for the iPhone. Scott Durchslag, the company's … Read more

Has Dell learned from the Axim or the iPhone?

Speaking before an audience in Tokyo Tuesday, Chief Executive Michael Dell dropped a few hints that his company might be looking to release a smartphone.

"For the last three years, we have integrated 3G radios into our notebooks," said Dell. "We already have agreements with many mobile carriers around Netbook devices, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect that we would have smaller mobile Internet devices or smartphones in the future."

I don't think Dell can simply start selling small computers, call them smartphones, and expect to be successful. As a company that missed quite a few trends in the market and one of the last to stop selling Pocket PCs, Dell has to carefully prepare for some of the issues that await it if it does release a smartphone.… Read more

In U.K., iPhone top smartphone for e-mail, Web use

iPhone users in the United Kingdom heavily rely on their device for accessing e-mail and Web content, compared with owners of other smartphones in the country, according to a report released Thursday by market researcher ComScore.

During a three-month period concluding in January, ComScore found that 79.7 percent of U.K. iPhone users accessed news and other Web information with their iPhone. Contrast that to 48 percent for users of all smartphones.

And e-mail also has struck a chord, with 75.4 percent of iPhone users relying on the device for checking their in-boxes and sending messages, compared to … Read more