Smartphones

Phew! Day 1 of CTIA 2008 is in the bag, and as usual, the opening day provided plenty of action. Here are some of the highlights of the day.

Samsung was certainly a show stopper as it revealed its Samsung Instinct, an iPhone competitor that features a sleek touch screen interface and a boatload of features. Senior Editor Kent German has all the details for you and says it look promising. Kent also got some hands-on time with AT&T's new Motorola Z9, which left him with some mixed feelings. And Kyocera kept busy as it announced a … Read more

Verizon Wireless isn't the only CDMA carrier to have scored the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330. Sprint also announced at CTIA 2008 that it will offer the popular smartphone later this month. Like Verizon's version, the device features integrated GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 (with A2DP and DUN support), a 2-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities, and a microSD/SDHC expansion slot. In addition, it's compatible with the carrier's various add-on services, including Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV, and the Sprint Music Store. Sprint's BlackBerry Curve 8330 comes in a charcoal gray and is priced at $179.99 … Read more

Good news, good news! At CTIA, smartphone manufacturer HTC announced that it will offer the HTC Touch Dual through Best Buy stores this quarter. And the news gets even better, as the unlocked quad-band smartphone will ship with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition and wait for it...it will include support for U.S. 3G bands.

Already available in Europe and Asia (of course), the HTC Touch Dual is the next-generation of the HTC Touch, and alleviates some of the text entry pains of the original Touch by providing a slide-out SureType-like keypad. You'll also still get the … Read more

Sony Ericsson may have a shiny booth at CTIA, but the company is hardly showing us anything. We saw the Sony Ericsson Z750a announcement yesterday, but so far the company hasn't unveiled any brand-new handsets. In fact, the best news concerns a smartphone we already know about. This time we actually got to touch the fancy Xperia X1, which the company announced at GSMA World Congress. At the previous show the Windows Mobile 6.1 handset either rested behind glass or in the firm grip of a Sony Ericsson employee. It's disappointing to see the company phone it … Read more

Of the four major mobile operating systems (Palm, Symbian, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry), we hear plenty of complaints from users that Windows Mobile devices are the hardest to use because of the laborious navigation. And we certainly agree. Seriously, do you really need to go through several steps just to open or close an application? To be fair, Microsoft has heard the cries and made some headway in making its smartphones easier to use with Windows Mobile 6. But there's plenty of room for improvement, and the company is hoping its latest build will solve some of the problems.

At … Read more

Q&A For a man staring down Microsoft, Google, and Apple, Symbian's Nigel Clifford doesn't have the deer-in-the-headlights look as much as you might expect.

Perhaps because, at the moment, those three juggernauts are staring up at Symbian. Clifford, CEO of the company since 2005, has a dominant share of the market for smartphone operating systems and a strong backer in Nokia, the world's largest handset maker.

Still, Symbian is sitting on top of the market at a time when it appears destined for change. Apple's entry into the market has galvanized the American consumer, … Read more

Feel better now T-Mobile customers? That's right, in case any of you were frothing with jealousy over AT&T's next-gen RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120, you can rest easy knowing that you'll be able to get your hands on one starting April 14 (you can preregister for the smartphone starting today). The upgrade to the original Pearl brings integrated Wi-Fi, which you can use for Web surfing as well as voice calls since it's compatible with T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service. You'll also get the benefit of a 2-megapixel camera with video-recording capabilities, Bluetooth 2.… Read more

Last but not least of today's Verizon smartphone news is the Verizon Wireless XV6900.

In a nutshell, the XV6900 is the carrier's version of the HTC Touch, which has been available in GSM and Sprint flavors for a little while now.

The XV6900 does get a fresh coat of paint, stepping out in a vibrant white, but it seems everything is pretty much the same under the hood. You still get the TouchFLO interface that lets you navigate the phone's menus with the swipe of your finger; a 2.8-inch touch screen; Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition; … Read more

Verizon Wireless opened the floodgates today, introducing a number of additions to its cell phone and smartphone lineup, including the Motorola Q9c shown here.

Unlike the multimedia-centric Motorola Q9m, the Q9c goes after the road warriors with its integrated GPS and VZ Navigator support. In addition, it offers Windows Mobile 6 Standard Edition with the Documents to Go suite, Bluetooth 2.0, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and 128MB Flash memory.

Being a more business-centric device, Verizon will not offer the more flashy lime-green version, which was announced for U.S. Cellular and Alltel. The Motorola Q9c for Verizon will be … Read more