Smartphones

With no disrespect to HTC, Samsung, or Motorola, it's nice to see an Android phone from someone new. Not that the former three don't make great devices; it's quite the opposite. It's just nice to see a fresh face in the crowd every once in a while, and in this instance, that face is Acer.

The Acer Liquid is the company's first Android smartphone, and it's currently only available overseas and will be heading to Canada via Rogers Wireless this spring. The chance of it coming to the U.S. is pretty slim, but … Read more

Here's a feature you'll like for capturing screenshots on your iPhone. You can use it to capture displayed error messages, images, or practically anything you see on your iPhone's screen.

Simply press the Home and Sleep/Wake buttons simultaneously and immediately release them. The screen will momentarily flash, and the iPhone's current screen contents will be saved to your Camera Roll.

Even more interesting is the fact that when the app or screen you are in supports the zoom feature you can simply zoom to the desired depth, then trigger a screen snapshot using the same … Read more

Last week, I was having a laugh at Geekonomics blogger Nicholas Khoo's iPhone accessories. On the phone's display was a mirror finish screen overlay, and protecting the chassis was a bulky rubbery case with a reflective back. We joked about how he could use it as a mirror signal on a deserted island to attract passing ships and how its bulk would allow it to be used as a defensive weapon. A day later, I was presented with the above specimen, a dropped iPhone with a cracked screen--yes, it was carried around without any protection. I can just … Read more

Besides good call quality, a long battery life is the most important quality a cell phone can have. After all, if you have to carry around your charger for frequent power sessions, it really defeats the purpose of a "mobile" device. Fortunately, CNET tests the talk time battery life of every cell phone that we review. And for higher-end phones we also test features like the music player battery life and video time. For more on that process, check out our video of how we test phones.

Below you'll find a selection of recent models that deliver … Read more

Vlingo is an app that's been around awhile in the mobile space, but a new version for iPhone is causing some uproar. With Vlingo for iPhone 2.0, the company commits the sin of opacity by updating its rather good voice search and dialing application to version 2.0 without making it clear that you can only unlock the intriguing new features with your wallet.

Those familiar with Vlingo's BlackBerry app won't be surprised. There was an equal outcry when Vlingo introduced premium features for the first time, including switching a feature that had once been free … Read more

Earlier this week, we talked about the rumor from Boy Genius Report suggesting an upcoming BlackBerry slider device. Well, pictures of such a product have emerged courtesy of BlackBerry Leaks. The blog posted clear photos of a handset with a portrait-style slide-down keyboard. This QWERTY keypad and dimensions appear to be very similar to a BlackBerry Curve, though the rumored phone does appear slightly thicker.

According to the author of the blog post, this product doesn't have the company's SurePress touch-screen technology. But the same article mentions that the device could not be turned on because of a … Read more

Last month, we shared the sad story of how our brand-new Google Nexus One went from Crave fave to purple nurple, with a cracked screen that scarred its beautiful AMOLED screen forever.

We took our Nexus One to HTC support--under encouragement from Google--and it promised to investigate fully. Now the results are in, and HTC tells us it couldn't find anything that could have caused a crack while the phone wasn't being handled.

Read more of "HTC on Nexus One cracked screen: 'They don't go in pockets'" at Crave UK.

Canadian Google Android fans got more good news this week when Motorola announced a trio of handsets were headed north of the border. The three phones--the Quench (known as the Cliq XT south of the border), Backflip, and Dext (aka the Cliq in the U.S.)--each run Motorola's Motoblur user interface on top of Android. The smartphones are scheduled to arrive sometime within the first half of this year.

Though we don't know which carriers will get the handsets, three major Canadian service providers, Rogers, Bell, and Telus, are mentioned in the official press release.

Between this … Read more

According to "sources familiar with the matter," Verizon Wireless will release the Nexus One on March 23. Tech Web site Neowin.net is reporting that the nation's largest carrier plans to make the official availability announcement on the first day of the annual CTIA trade show in Las Vegas.

Although no Verizon reps are scheduled to take the stage for any keynote address, the carrier will have a booth. As the Google Android handset isn't brand new, a simple press release might suffice for getting the word out.

Last week, a CDMA HTC phone cleared the FCC … Read more