Dialed In

Can a build-your-own-phone save Motorola's bacon?

Don't look now, but we're finally going to see what Motorola does in the post-acquisition era. Nearly two years since Google signaled its intent to buy Motorola Mobility, we find ourselves on the virtual eve of a major announcement.

Ever since Google acquired Motorola, the mobile company has slowly faded into obscurity, releasing few phones and generating less excitement than in past years. Alas, we appear to be only weeks away from the fabled Moto X, and perhaps the fresh start we've been hoping for.

This article was first published March 27, 2013, and was updated July … Read more

BlackBerry Q5 review: Not the bargain you're looking for

There are certain acceptable trade-offs that come with a bargain phone: a smaller screen, more modest camera performance, a slower processor. Compared with the higher-end hardware specs on the BlackBerry Q10, the equally keyboarded BlackBerry Q5 fits the bill, except for one major snag: its price.

Coming in at 320 British pounds (or $488 at today's exchange rate), the Q5 is pricier than we'd expect for what it is. BlackBerry does like to think of its smartphone experience as premium, but with the inchoate BlackBerry 10 OS and an app store still trying to find its feet, the … Read more

Samsung delays first Tizen phone to fourth quarter

The first Samsung Electronics phone running on Tizen, an operating system shepherded into development by the Korean consumer electronics giant, has hit a snag.

Samsung had originally expected to launch the first Tizen phone sometime between July and August, but now expects it to go on sale in the fourth quarter, according to people familiar with Samsung's plans. That first phone could be announced at the IFA trade show in September, according to Korean news site i24news.

Samsung's secret weapon in the mobile wars: Tizen

Tizen represents a new smartphone operating system that gives Samsung a platform that … Read more

Samsung Galaxy S4 sales top 20 million units, report says

Samsung's Galaxy S4 is still selling extremely well, a new report out of Korea claims.

Samsung has sold 20 million Galaxy S4 units worldwide since that device's launch two months ago, Korea-based news outlet Yonhap News is reporting (Translate Page). That's roughly 1.7 times faster than sales of the Galaxy S3 (that's global channel sales, not sales to consumers) at the same point in that device's life cycle.

The news comes just a handful of weeks after Samsung announced that it had sold 10 million Galaxy S4 units in one month, easily outpacing sales … Read more

QWERTY Samsung Gravity Q slides into T-Mobile's lineup

T-Mobile is rounding out its feature phone portfolio with Samsung Gravity Q, a QWERTY slider with a 3-inch touch screen.

Selling for $154, or $10 down and $6 each month for the next two years, the Gravity Q carries on the Gravity line tradition of bringing the bare necessities to those looking for a texting phone.

In addition to the four-row keyboard, the relatively compact Gravity Q also features a 2-megapixel camera, a memory card slot that expands up to 32GB, and bookmarks to Web sites for Facebook and Twitter.

You'll find even more specs at Samsung's Web site.… Read more

Android 4.2.2 hits international HTC One

HTC has begun deploying an Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update to the HTC One, according to Android Central.

Users living in Taiwan are reportedly starting to see the Android 4.2.2 update. While HTC has yet to make any formal announcements, the 456MB update file includes a number of changes to the flagship smartphone. Among the details are a new lock screen style and widget, an enhanced launcher bar, quick settings, and a battery percentage in the notification bar.

For now, only those in Taiwan are reported to see the update; however, we might soon expect some … Read more

AT&T LTE stretches into 35 new markets

AT&T flipped a few more LTE switches on Tuesday, flowing its fastest 4G data speeds to 35 more cities, for a total of 326 LTE-equipped markets (see below).

The carrier anticipates blanketing 90 percent of its 300-million-person coverage goal by the end of 2013, and the full 300 million people by 2014's close.

Additionally, AT&T has expanded its eco ratings to select prepaid Go Phones and accessories, the company also announced today.

AT&T's newest LTE markets:

Pine Bluff, Ark. Searcy, Ark. Chico-Oroville, Calif. Grand Junction, Colo. Silverthorne, Colo. Homosassa Springs, Fla. Palatka, … Read more

Windows Phone 8 one step closer to 1080p support -- report

Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 operating system might soon support 1080p resolution, leaked file information in Visual Studio 2013 suggests.

Former Nokia and Microsoft engineer Justin Angel tweeted out on Monday an image of Visual Studio 2013. The image showed Windows Phone 8 emulator files containing 1080p resolution of 1,920 x 1,080.

Microsoft's mobile operating system supports 720p resolution, as well as WVGA and WXGA. Full 1080p support, however, has been sorely lacking from the operating system. The resolution is available on several Android handsets.

For its part, Microsoft hasn't confirmed that 1080p support is coming … Read more

Waiting on the next Nexus 7

The second generation of Nexus 7 tablet could arrive before the end of July, according to one Google+ user who chatted with an Asus support rep.

The LiveChat, which Android Authority first posted yesterday, was between an Asus representative and Google+ user Tim P. In the chat, the rep tells Tim that the rumored Asus K009 would be offered to the public, "before the ending of July." [sic]

Taking things a step further, the agent went rogue and spilled a laundry list of hardware details. Reportedly, the Nexus 7 will run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and will … Read more