Engadget Mobile

FCC Fridays

Chris Ziegler — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:54:00 EST

Filed under: Features

FCC Fridays originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Hero / Eris mega faceoff on video

Paul Miller — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:45:00 EST

Filed under: HTC, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Android

Now that we've got the DROID ERIS in the mix, we're up to our ears in HTC Hero-derivative devices. We decided to sit the whole crew (GSM, Sprint and Verizon editions) down for a little modeling session, and we're finding ourselves reticent to pick a favorite. There are really plusses and minuses to each of them, but any way you lean it's a pretty good handset with some perhaps overly bulky software, a wonderful pricepoint (on Verizon, anyway) and probably a limited time in the sun with upcoming Android 2.0 devices, faster processors and wild new screens rolling on in. Check the video out after the break and you can make up your own mind.

Continue reading HTC Hero / Eris mega faceoff on video

HTC Hero / Eris mega faceoff on video originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone vs DROID multitouch keyboard showdown (video)

Nilay Patel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:31:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Apple, iPhone OS, Android

I just dashed off this quick video for my Twitter followers to demonstrate that the DROID doesn't have a multitouch soft keyboard, and pretty much instantly realized that I should probably share it with everyone else, since we've been getting a lot of questions about it. Long story short, while Android 2.0 and the DROID's hardware support multitouch, the device itself doesn't do multitouch out-of-the-box, and the soft keyboard suffers mightily for it. Why it's missing is certainly open for debate, but for now just know that no amount of hoping, wishing, or booze is going to make the stock keyboard register more than one press at a time. Don't despair, though -- while I'm not a fan, Chris Ziegler absolutely flies on this same keyboard on his DROID. Videos after the break.

Continue reading iPhone vs DROID multitouch keyboard showdown (video)

iPhone vs DROID multitouch keyboard showdown (video) originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon's BlackBerry 8530 and LG Chocolate Touch go hands-on

Paul Miller — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:41:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, LG, Verizon Wireless

Rounding out the flurry of interesting Verizon Wireless launches today are the BlackBerry Curve 8530 and LG Chocolate Touch (pictured). The 8530 is pretty much just the Verizon edition of T-Mobile's 8520, but the LG Chocolate Touch bears closer examination. Basically it's just a war on the eyeballs of anyone who's ever seen the BL40, with the front, back, materials and interface of the device all falling incredibly short of aesthetic pleasure. However, the $80 phone does have a relatively responsive and usable touchscreen interface for a "dumbphone," and we've used worse touchscreen keyboards on Windows Mobile. So it's not a complete tragedy, but we really feel sorry for someone who skips over the DROID ERIS for this just handset just to save $20.

Verizon's BlackBerry 8530 and LG Chocolate Touch go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DROID ERIS hands-on and unboxing!

Paul Miller — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:03:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Verizon Wireless, Android

Hey look, it's a Hero! We've got the brand new DROID ERIS for Verizon in hand, and it's not hard to see which particular family of phones it hails from. Still, Verizon has its own twist on the form factor, almost scoring a compromise between the "shiny" Sprint Hero and the more angular, matte GSM Hero. Confusingly, the capacitive touch buttons along the bottom of the ERIS' screen are a haphazard twist on the DROID's arrangement (though it's really Motorola that's the non-standard one here), but the phones don't look completely unrelated. In all the rounded, black matte body of the ERIS sort of "fades away" and you're just left with a nice, bright LCD -- it's not making a statement, which is sort of the statement. There's also an iPhone-style face proximity sensor for turning off the display during calls, and HTC has multitouch pinch-to-zoom on here, something Motorola hasn't seemed to manage. Sure it can't stack up to the DROID for aggressiveness or sheer specs, but it's got it's own sort of budget-friendly charm that's not overshadowed by the DROID's bombastic ways, and two out of three Engadget editors agree that the HTC keyboard beats the pants off the stock Android keyboard.

DROID ERIS hands-on and unboxing! originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

Laura June — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, T-Mobile, EDGE, HSDPA, BlackBerry OS

RIM's successor to the original Bold -- the BlackBerry Bold 9700 -- has finally landed on our doorsteps. The 9000 is in many ways a hard act to follow. Hardware-wise, it lived up to its name, going where most phones never went with its retro, leathery, nearly clunky looks in an age of rounded edges and shiny curves. Don't get us wrong -- we loved the 9000's aesthetics obsessively -- which is why we couldn't wait to get our hands on its newborn child. A few questions we had in mind: would the 9700 live up to its predecessor's notoriously uncompromising fashion sense? Would the new Bold feel as good to hold and use in the hand as its loving parent? How would it stack up against other, new devices from RIM? If these are the kind of questions you think you might want answers to, read on for our impressions.

Continue reading BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ears-on with Sony Ericsson MH907 Motion Activated Headphones

Richard Lai — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:57:00 EST

What we have here today isn't just another pair of ordinary headphones: Sony Ericsson's MH907s are button-free, minimalistic headphones that activate upon the magical touch of your skin. Well, your ears to be precise. You must bear in mind that the MH907s are exclusive to Fast port-equipped Sony Ericsson phones thus excluding the forthcoming XPERIA X10 -- so chances are you're already not interested. That said, we shall see if Sony Ericsson is really going to change things forever with these gleaming buds featuring SE's SensMe Control technology, or by just stopping everyone from using their 3.5mm headphone jacks. Read on to find out how these €39 ($57) headphones fared.

Ears-on with Sony Ericsson MH907 Motion Activated Headphones originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC's HD2 has landed at Engadget (hands-on)

Joshua Topolsky — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:12:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets

That's right... the HD2 has landed. Actually, we took the phone over to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon the other day, but didn't get a chance to show it off, so here we are. Sure, you've seen this guy in action in earlier videos... but it's still nice to get a look at this monster up close. We're still blown away by the fact that this is a Windows Mobile 6.5 device -- the skinning job that HTC has done here is nothing short of a miracle. So far we've found the phone to be snappy and responsive, but we're currently putting it through its paces. We'll have a full review shortly, but for now, feast your eyes on the photos below -- and start saving for that imminent US launch.

HTC's HD2 has landed at Engadget (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 announced, we go hands-on

Vladislav Savov — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Sony Ericsson, Android

The first Android device from Sony Ericsson may have undergone an upgrade in the naming department, jumping from X3 all the way to XPERIA X10 (probably to avoid confusion with Nokia's X3 handset), but what lies under the hood is reassuringly in line with what we've been hearing. That is to say, a 1GHz Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm, wide 4-inch capacitive touch display, 8.1 megapixel camera with LED flash, and a thoroughly tricked out Android skin named Rachael. Sony Ericsson stressed to us the symbiotic importance of both the new flagship device and "open OS" UI -- they see the X10 as the patriarch of a whole new family of handsets, which we can expect to see in the first half of 2010, all sporting the beauty of Rachael and perhaps helping to bridge the gap between featurephones and, well, more advanced featurephones. So don't be shy, come along to Engadget Classic to see our full and uncensored first impressions of both, along with hands-on video and pictures.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 announced, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC Fridays

Chris Ziegler — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:29:00 EST

Filed under: Features

FCC Fridays originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola DROID review on Engadget!

Nilay Patel — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:23:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, Android

It's finally here: the Motorola DROID, perhaps the most hotly-anticipated Android smartphone yet. We've been poring over every nook and cranny of this svelte QWERTY slider, and our full review is up on Engadget Classic -- so what are you waiting for? Hit the read link and dive right in!

Motorola DROID review on Engadget! originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Moment review

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Sprint, EV-DO, CDMA, Android

In the world of Android, it's not yet clear who's going to come out victorious -- QWERTY sliders or their keyboardless brethren -- but does there really need to be a winner? We say there's room for just about everyone in this open-source party, and Sprint is starting to round out its Android offerings by introducing the keyboard-equipped Samsung Moment to saddle up alongside the HTC Hero that was released a few weeks ago. In the scheme of things, the platform is still extraordinarily young which means that virtually every new handset that's announced brings "firsts" to the table; in the Moment's case, it's both the first Android device with an 800MHz ARM11 core and the first Android QWERTY phone with an AMOLED display (you'd have to go back to another Sammy, the Galaxy, to find the first AMOLED Android phone regardless of input method).

Being able to stuff Android, AMOLED, QWERTY, and 800MHz all into one sentence certainly sounds like a winning combination, but does the Moment deliver? Let's find out.

Gallery: Samsung Moment review

Continue reading Samsung Moment review

Samsung Moment review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC Fridays

Chris Ziegler — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:32:00 EST

Filed under: Features

FCC Fridays originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iGOG VelAUcity brings velocity-sensitive drums to your humble iPhone

Paul Miller — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:20:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Apple, iPhone OS

Mom / wife / building superintendent still won't let you get a drum set, huh? Well, you can show them, you can show them all with the new iGOG VelAUcity app, which for a mere $5 lets you do velocity-sensitive drumming on the iPhone. It works pretty great, too... to an extent. The technology appears to be based on the iPhone's built-in mic (VelAUcity doesn't work on an iPod touch), and the app recommends you use it with headphones, but not a headset with its own built-in mic, which would gum things up. In practice the drumming is really great, with multiple hit points on the drum pads and pretty good velocity sensitivity (for an iPhone app), but there are plenty of mic-introduced foibles like the potential for feedback or stray noises messing things up -- you basically would have trouble using this in a live application, though there are plenty of sliders so you can tweak things and give it a shot. Our favorite part perhaps is the mic trigger mode, which lets you do your fake drumming next to the iPhone, adding a whole new level of fake realness. Our least favorite part was the crashiness and the buginess -- part of which might've be blamed on our speed-strapped 3G. Don't say we didn't warn you. Video demonstrations are after the break.

[Via Create Digital Music]

Continue reading iGOG VelAUcity brings velocity-sensitive drums to your humble iPhone

iGOG VelAUcity brings velocity-sensitive drums to your humble iPhone originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jabra STONE Bluetooth headset review

Engadget staff — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:36:00 EST

Filed under: Features, Accessories

Finally, the teaser's over. The latest delivery to Engadget's UK penthouse is the Jabra STONE Bluetooth headset due out in the US on 8th November, and we took no time to extract the pebble from the transparent cylinder. In front of us are the two parts of the STONE: an earpiece of a breakthrough form factor that instantly makes you pity its rivals, and behind it is the accompanying portable charging base which serves as an external battery. The latter is equipped with a micro-USB port and an LED indicator -- simply green or red -- to show whether there's enough battery juice for one full charge. It's a pretty neat idea as this is the only feasible way to fit eight hours of talk time (or twelve days of standby time) into such tiny package: two on the earpiece and an extra six from the surprisingly light battery base -- our scale reckons it is just under one ounce. We also dig the auto-off function when you dock the earpiece and vice versa. Docking and undocking are pretty straight forward too: just snap in for the former, and poke your thumb through the bottom hole of the base to push the earpiece out. The generic click button hidden under the Jabra badge is easy to access and responds well. Above that is the invisible vertical touch strip for volume control and similarly it responded nicely to our strokes. What's left on the earpiece are the two LED indicators on the underside for Bluetooth connectivity and battery. So far so good, but what really matters is the ear-on experience and the audio quality -- listen for yourself after the break.

Jabra STONE Bluetooth headset review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Moment unboxed!

Paul Miller — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:35:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Sprint, EV-DO, Android

It's here, folks. We'll naturally have more impressions in the near future, but for now feast your eyes on the Samsung Moment and one of the least eventful unboxings of all time -- Sprint sure isn't packaging this like a premium handset, but at $179 we suppose it isn't really pricing it like one either. The hardware itself might tell a different story, with a solid, hefty feel to it and great screen. So far our editors are divided on the keyboard, with Chris not being sure it meets up to the CLIQ's standards, while this writer feels it's far superior -- not tiresome to press, but super clicky and very touch type-able. While we sort out this astonishing bit of interoffice drama, check out the unboxing shots in the gallery below. The phone goes on sale November 1st.

Samsung Moment unboxed! originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 028 - 10.19.2009

Trent Wolbe — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Features, Podcasts

Once again, our focus turns to Android this week with a number of big announcements and big reviews -- well, big review, anyway, with the CLIQ getting fully detailed. Check it out!

Note: Our apologies for the sound quality this week, Chris was sitting next to a Tesla coil the entire time.

Hosts: Chris Ziegler, Sean Cooper
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Solvent - Devices and Strategies (Ghostly International)

01:38 - Microsoft recovers 'most, if not all' Sidekick customer data
07:00 - Garmin-Asus nuvifone G60 review
11:10 - Motorola CLIQ review
14:35 - Walt Mossberg leaks the BlackBerry Storm 2
17:34 - Nokia posts $834 million quarterly loss, smartphone share down to 35%
21:24 - Acer Liquid slips through human fingers, but not before divulging new specs (updated)
22:55 - Verizon's anti-iPhone gets its first commercial: 'Droid Does'
25:30 - Mysterious HTC Android phone spied, might lean the way of the Dragon
28:50 - Listener questions

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 028 - 10.19.2009 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG BL40 New Chocolate review

Vladislav Savov — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:44:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Features, LG, Orange, GSM, HSDPA

You know the deal by now: we grab a slab of fresh new hardware, fiddle, play, and tinker with it until exhaustion or boredom is reached, then wax poetic about the whole experience, with a side serving of pictures and videos thrown in. Today's candidate for a grilling is LG's BL40, which is now available in Europe. You'll be familiar with it already from our hands-on look last month, but do join us past the break where we explore what's under the glossy hood in more detail, and give you a definitive answer on just how useful that elongated screen really is.

Continue reading LG BL40 New Chocolate review

LG BL40 New Chocolate review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC Fridays

Chris Ziegler — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:57:00 EST

Filed under: Features

FCC Fridays originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG GD910 Watch Phone review

Vladislav Savov — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:24:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Features, LG

You're not how much money you have in the bank, you're not the car you drive, you're not the contents of your wallet, you are not your freaking khakis - oh, who are we kidding, if you're reading a site such as this, you're all about your khakis. To sate that "look good, feel good" need in all of us, LG has brought out the ultimate in techie chic: a watchphone. This is not just any watchphone though, this is a £500 ($808) droplet of Orange-tinted exclusivity that straddles your wrist and demands onlookers' attention. Do the consumer in you a favor and come along to Engadget Classic where we have the full scoop on the GD910.

LG GD910 Watch Phone review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola CLIQ review

Ross Miller — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:04:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, T-Mobile

Palm and Motorola have taken very different paths to get where they are today; one began life as a scrappy Valley start-up founded by a tablet computing pioneer, the other traces its roots to all the way back to the early days of consumer electronics and the automotive industry. Yet somehow, through years (decades, even) of adventure, success, and misfortune, they've found themselves in exactly the same situation here in 2009: it's do-or-die time. Palm, of course, has elected to try its hand at resurrecting the very thing that took it to superstardom in the first place -- an elegant, tightly-controlled software platform of its own with hardware to match -- while Motorola has thrown virtually all of its remaining weight behind Android in the hope that it can catch a little mojo from Google's ecosystem.

For Motorola, it's the wireless equivalent of stepping up to the roulette table, putting what's left of your depleted life savings on red, and letting it ride just as you see security guards off in the distance coming to throw you -- penniless -- off the premises. It's a gamble of the highest order, but it's also a gamble Motorola's painfully aware that it needs to take. North America's only top-five handset manufacturer needs nothing less than magic (and a little luck) to earn its way back into the world's wireless elite -- and that risky play starts right here, today, with the CLIQ / DEXT.

So does the CLIQ pave the way to a New Motorola, or did the RAZR's checkered legacy ultimately dig a hole too deep to escape? Read on.

Motorola CLIQ review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Garmin-Asus nuvifone G60 review

Darren Murph — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:38:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Others, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, Acer

Had the device you're peering at above come out just a few months later, it would've taken two full years to go from introduction to on sale. Thankfully, the good folks over at Garmin and ASUS (and Garmin-Asus, as it were) were able to get the nüvifone G60 out to AT&T before the holiday shopping season of 2009, but were they still too late? There's no doubt that this very smartphone had a lot of folks drooling in early 2007, but to say a lot has happened in the mobile realm between then and now would be doing the truth a grave injustice. The iPhone 3G has fallen to $99, a slew of Android handsets have hit the market and dedicated PND (portable navigation devices) have found themselves in the bargain bin. Oh, and some pretty fantastic GPS software has managed to land within Apple's App Store and the Android Market. In other words, competition couldn't possibly be hotter, and considering that the specifications haven't been updated on this $299 device since it was originally announced, you're probably wondering if it even deserves a chance. Read on to find out the answer.

Continue reading Garmin-Asus nuvifone G60 review

Garmin-Asus nuvifone G60 review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Achtung, T-Mobile: if Project Dark is $50 unlimited, you're in trouble

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EST

Filed under: T-Mobile

Put yourself in T-Mobile USA's shoes for a moment: rumor has it that the guys who pay the bills aren't happy. History, happenstance, and the realities of electromagnetics have left you with an oddball 3G frequency that literally no other carrier in the world uses (at least, not for HSPA). Larger competitors don't take you as seriously as you'd like, and you don't have smaller ones -- they're all regionals who don't play in the same space you do. So what's your next move?

Continue reading Achtung, T-Mobile: if Project Dark is $50 unlimited, you're in trouble

Achtung, T-Mobile: if Project Dark is $50 unlimited, you're in trouble originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC Fridays

Chris Ziegler — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Features

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend ~~a lot of~~ way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we've gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don't need). Enjoy!

Phones
Read - Huawei G7007
Read - Huawei U3205
Read - Huawei C2822
Read - Huawei C2823
Read - Huawei U7515
Read - Huawei G5760
Read - Huawei V1240 / Vodafone 1240
Read - Haier HG-M350
Read - Samsung C5130
Read - Samsung C5130S
Read - Samsung SPH-M900
Read - Samsung S7550
Read - Samsung SCH-W900
Read - Samsung B1110
Read - Samsung SGH-T939
Read - Samsung SGH-A897
Read - Samsung i6410
Read - Samsung M8910B
Read - Samsung SCH-R100
Read - Samsung SCH-W940
Read - Samsung B3410
Read - Alcatel Elle GlamPhone
Read - ZTE A661
Read - Sagem VF540 / Vodafone 540
Read - Sharp SH003
Read - Sharp 940SH
Read - LG VX5600
Read - LG 320G

Peripherals
Read - Samsung WEP490
Read - Sierra Wireless U305 / AT&T USBConnect Lightning
Read - Sierra Wireless USB 306
Read - Huawei UMG1691 / T-Mobile webConnect Jet
Read - Huawei EC122
Read - ZTE MF633
Read - ZTE MF633+
Read - Sony Ericsson MH110
Read - Novatel MC996D
Read - Alcatel One Touch X210X
Read - Etymotic etyBLU2

FCC Fridays originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile Pulse review

Paul O'Brien — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Features, Reviews, Others, T-Mobile, Android

From humble beginnings with the HTC Dream / T-Mobile G1, Android is starting to gain traction in the marketplace. A steady growth in the number of devices from HTC together with more and more manufacturers coming on board means Google's entry into the mobile space is really making inroads. The next year is going to be exciting for Android fans, with Motorola launching the CLIQ / DEXT and the Sholes, Samsung following up their i7500 with the i5700 and Behold 2, Acer shifting focus from Windows Mobile to Android not to mention LG and Sony Ericsson shipping their first Android devices.

In amongst the larger players aiming for the higher end of the market comes Huawei, best known for its mobile broadband dongles, with the Pulse for T-Mobile Europe - a rebrand of the U8220 handset. What makes the Pulse particularly interesting is it's price point. As well as being available free of charge on virtually any contract (as is frequently the case in Europe), the Pulse costs only £176 ($280) on a pre-pay plan. This represents a significant move downmarket for Android with the only other low-end handset being the forthcoming HTC Tattoo, which is expected to ship SIM free for £299 ($475). Interestingly our review unit was even SIM unlocked, although it remains to be seen whether this will remain the case as handsets hit retail.

We've spent some time with a production specification T-Mobile Pulse to see whether Huawei's first attempt at Android stands up to scrutiny. Read on to find out!

Continue reading T-Mobile Pulse review

T-Mobile Pulse review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T's HTC Tilt 2 handled: it's very much a Touch Pro2

Chris Ziegler — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:19:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Features, HTC, ATT, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Unlike the Pure's transformation from its Touch Diamond2 roots, AT&T's Tilt 2 is very much a Touch Pro2 for look and feel. Given our past experiences with the device, we'd say that'll suit the phone's business-oriented clientele just fine -- it's not like you'd want to turn it into a "fun" phone by coating it in wacky colors and preloading it with every social networking client this side of Orkut, after all. We didn't have a ton of time to pore over the interface, but we get the impression that TouchFLO is largely intact (though tweaked by AT&T, naturally) and the keyboard's different than what you'll find on the generic European version -- the top row is all symbols with a numeric pad (a little staggered, unfortunately) near the right side. Check out a few more sexily-lit shots in the gallery.

Gallery: AT&T's HTC Tilt 2 handled: it's very much a Touch Pro2

AT&T's HTC Tilt 2 handled: it's very much a Touch Pro2 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Messenger 5 now available, we go hands-on

Jacob Schulman — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:20:00 EST

Filed under: Messaging, Reviews, Software, RIM, BlackBerry OS

BlackBerry Messenger: it's the holy grail of the BlackBerry platform, and, for many, the only real reason why they don't make the jump to another smartphone. Well, RIM has finally gone ahead and released the latest and greatest version upon the world (in an official capacity at least), and we're definitely pleased with the added functionality and other updates that they've cooked in to the app to make it even more useful and better. Read on after the break for a full breakdown of what's hot, what's new, and what we think of it all.

Continue reading BlackBerry Messenger 5 now available, we go hands-on

BlackBerry Messenger 5 now available, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 027 - 10.08.2009

Trent Wolbe — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Features, Podcasts

Just a quick show this week live from the floor of CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment 2009, where we're refreshingly seeing tons of Android gear; what we're not seeing a whole lot of is co-host Sean Cooper who's on vacation this week, so Chris holds it down with a half-hour of rambling to himself. Enjoy!

Host: Chris Ziegler
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Solvent - Devices and Strategies (Ghostly International)

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 027 - 10.08.2009 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Behold II handled with less battery than we'd like

Chris Ziegler — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:22:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Features, Samsung, T-Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS, Android

Yesterday we showed you this bad boy behind a thick, hand-stopping sheet of glass, and today, we're taking you just a little closer to the action. The emphasis has to be on "just a little," unfortunately, because neither T-Mobile nor Samsung were willing to slip a battery in the phone and let us play around with it, a surefire indication that the firmware isn't baked to a golden brown yet -- and when you consider that they're promising the Behold II in time for the holidays, the clock's definitely ticking. Would we pick this over a myTouch 3G? Probably, yeah -- especially with the better cam -- but let's be real, the Fender Limited Edition is another story altogether.

Gallery: Samsung Behold II handled with less battery than we'd like

Samsung Behold II handled with less battery than we'd like originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM goes pale, shows white Curve 8520 for T-Mobile and Bold for AT&T

Chris Ziegler — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:32:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, ATT, T-Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

We know it's after Labor Day, but that doesn't seem to be stopping RIM from rolling out a couple BlackBerrys in bright white this season -- and who are we to accuse Waterloo of a fashion faux-pas? First up, the Curve 8520 on T-Mobile is now available, complementing the black and "frost" versions that have already landed; perhaps more interesting, though, is direct confirmation from RIM that there'll be a white version Bold hitting AT&T in mid-October. With the Bold 2 seemingly around the corner, recoloring the current model seems like an odd move -- but if they can continue to sell the Bold at a moderate discount a la iPhone 3G / 3GS, there might yet be a strategy there. The version RIM had on hand wasn't AT&T-branded, but... you know, just imagine the silkscreened logo and customized wallpaper, and you'll get the idea.

Gallery: RIM goes pale, shows white Curve 8520 for T-Mobile and Bold for AT&T

RIM goes pale, shows white Curve 8520 for T-Mobile and Bold for AT&T originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pantech Reveal and Impact revealed with impact

Chris Ziegler — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:06:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Features, Pantech, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

We've just checked out Pantech's new pair of messaging-friendly phones for AT&T, the Reveal and Impact; one of them left an "impact" on us, and we'll let you guess which one (hint: it's the one that would result in a pun occurring). Yeah, the Reveal was a pretty cheap-looking set -- and we're not sure we understand the value of eating of screen real estate with a dedicated numeric pad just so you don't have to slide the phone open to dial -- but the Impact (pictured above) was a genuinely intriguing phone. Up front you've got a glossy black surface that lights up to reveal a basic monochrome display and a numeric pad; pressing buttons on the pad triggers haptics so you can sorta feel your way around. Opening the phone up produces a full QWERTY keyboard with dedicated buttons for key functions (messaging, for example) and a color display with stereo speakers on either side. It's not a huge widescreen like you might find on something like an enV Touch, but it's still pretty big, plenty vibrant, and serviceable for the full HTML browser that AT&T's touting in these new devices. Pantech tells us that the Impact will go for "under $80" when it ships next month, so we'd argue that makes it a heck of a bargain in light of the unusual, slick design and the dual displays.

Gallery: Pantech Reveal and Impact revealed with impact

Pantech Reveal and Impact revealed with impact originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon's Razzle does the twist for us

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:52:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Features, Others, Verizon Wireless, CDMA

We checked out Verizon's most unusual Razzle sourced from PCD at CTIA this week, and put simply, we're pretty sure there's a reason that this form factor is among the rarest. Twisting the bottom half of the phone to choose between QWERTY and a speaker with music controls just doesn't make a lot of sense unless you're constantly using the phone to play music that you want everyone around you to be able to hear -- and that's assuming you're okay with the sound quality and volume compromises you've got to make with a loudspeaker of this size. What really caught us off guard was the fact that the phone is bent about 15 degrees in the middle only in QWERTY mode; when you switch over to the speaker, it straightens out, though we're not sure what the use case logic behind that is. Anyhow, if you're just looking to own the weirdest phone on the block, the Razzle might just fit the bill -- and at least it won't break the bank.

Gallery: Verizon's Razzle does the twist for us

Verizon's Razzle does the twist for us originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Nokia's product testing labs in 3 minutes, 42 seconds

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:07:00 EST

Filed under: Nokia

We had a chance to take a tour of Nokia's research and development facility in San Diego this week -- and while we're afraid to say we didn't see any Maemo 6-powered devices or Symbian^4 emulators lying around, we did see some pretty cool stuff, particularly in the product testing laboratories where engineering samples and final products are put through pure hell. The idea is to simulate years' worth of real-life product use in just a few days -- individual tests last anywhere from a few hours to three weeks or longer -- by pressing buttons, sliding sliders, actuating hinges, heating, cooling, wetting, drying, dropping, whacking, shaking, rubbing, bending, and generally defacing the phones in every way imaginable. Once a phone finally breaks, they look for obvious reasons -- cracked plastic, broken springs, and the like -- but if that initial analysis fails, they've got a well-equipped lab on site complete with a scanning electron microscope and CT scanner for taking microscopic looks at failed components in both two and three dimensions; from here, they can find broken connections on chips, incorrectly-fabricated materials, and the occasional ant eye magnified a couple thousand times (it's posted on the wall in the lab, and yes, it's scary). Follow the break for a cheerful montage of a few Nokia phones getting mercilessly beaten beyond recognition.

Continue reading Video: Nokia's product testing labs in 3 minutes, 42 seconds

Video: Nokia's product testing labs in 3 minutes, 42 seconds originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Behold II caught behind glass

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:36:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Features, Samsung, T-Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS, Android

Whoa, Android overload! Moment isn't the only Google-rife device out of Samsung that's on display at the show -- to get the whole picture you've got to turn your attention over to the Behold II, which is more or less a Galaxy done up in T-Mobile-specific clothes and makeup, right down to the all-important AMOLED display. Unfortunately, Sammy's been stingy with access to this one so far -- and it's apparently a non-working model, which might explain it -- but at least we can get a pretty good sense of the size of the device here. It looks plenty thin, and at a glance, it's got a higher-end appeal to it than the Moment; suffice it to say, the myTouch 3G's reign atop T-Mobile's full-touch Android lineup isn't long for this world. Check out a few shots below.

Gallery: Samsung Behold II caught behind glass

Samsung Behold II caught behind glass originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Omnia II for Verizon in the flesh, Windows Mobile 6.1 on board

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Features, Samsung, Verizon Wireless, Windows Mobile, EV-DO, CDMA

We finally got a good, hard look at the Verizon-customized version of Samsung's Omnia II, and we've got good news and bad news: the good news is that the phone's a darker, more reasonable shade in person than it was in that press shot we'd seen before, but the bad news is that we've confirmed it's running 6.1. Anyone daring to release a 6.1 phone at this point is at serious risk of getting laughed out of the room unless they offer an upgrade path mere minutes afterwards, so we're hoping that by the time this is on shelves, it'll either be running 6.5 out of the box or there'll be an update program announced in conjunction with the release. Otherwise, the display's absolutely phenomenal (indoors, anyhow) and TouchWiz seems to work as well as it did on the original model, though scrolling through menus got a bit laggy at times -- isn't it kinda weird that a years-old platform can practically max out a circa-2009 device? Check out a quick gallery below.

Gallery: Samsung Omnia II for Verizon in the flesh, Windows Mobile 6.1 on board

Samsung Omnia II for Verizon in the flesh, Windows Mobile 6.1 on board originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Moment for Sprint first hands-on!

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:46:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Features, Samsung, Sprint, EV-DO, CDMA, Android

We're not sure that the keyboard meets the lofty standard set by the CLIQ / DEXT, but arguably the Moment's single most important feature -- the slide-out QWERTY keyboard -- has decent feel. It's very clicky and requires a surprising amount of pressure to actuate individual keys, but not enough to be frustrating -- it just feels solid. Overall, the phone's a little bulky and has a plastic overtone to it, but fortunately, the screen's at least as good as the G1 and Magic for feel and there's no "give" to speak of; OLED's gorgeous (as always) indoors, but the true test of trying to view this thing in the sunlight might not come until we've had a chance to take delivery of a review unit. The software's essentially stock Android with a few Sprint apps (including Sprint TV) peppered in for good measure. Check out our hands-on gallery, won't you?

Samsung Moment for Sprint first hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kempler & Strauss' Billionair B6 and B7 pose alongside the W watchphone

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Features, Others, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Kempler & Strauss -- which pretty much came out of nowhere this week to announce a pair of 3G WinMo devices and a watchphone -- is pulling out all the stops here at CTIA to get its new products noticed, so everything they've got is on display and ready to use (or in some cases, wear). First up are the Billionair B6 and B7, full touch and portrait QWERTY WinMo devices respectively that currently run 6.1 -- but we're told that 6.5 upgrades will be available by the end of the year. Neither phone looks that awesome and feel generally cheap; the B6 borrows styling cues from the original HTC Touch, to boot, so there's an overal KIRFy feel to the thing. The skin they've dropped atop the operating system is pretty uninspiring, too -- though many WinMo skins look uninspiring when they're up against something thoroughly modern like a recent build of TouchFLO 3D. The phones' saving grace might be the fact that they're cheap -- sub-$300 -- and in the case of the B7, the combo portrait keyboard / QVGA touchscreen is still a nice, sadly too-rare combo.

Turning our attention to the more interesting device of the trio, the W is a watchphone that employs a pretty standard GUI we've seen on similar models, but this one employs perhaps the most livable styling that we've seen this side of an LG GD910, and it all comes at a small fraction of the price. The touchscreen doesn't come with a traditional stylus, per se, but instead you get a "communicator" accessory that functions as a combination stylus / Bluetooth handsfree / remote control -- pretty cool, although we'd feel pretty silly (and sad) if we misplaced it. At $200, we could almost justify buying one of these just for the sheer novelty of it -- just don't expect desktop-class browsing on that display, and you should be a happy camper.

Gallery: Kempler & Strauss' Billionair B6 and B7 pose alongside the W watchphone

Kempler & Strauss' Billionair B6 and B7 pose alongside the W watchphone originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iida Ply and Prismoid phones strut their stuff at CEATEC (video)

Darren Murph — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:20:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Others, KDDI

While Fujitsu's design entrants already boggled our minds here at CEATEC, KDDI au is looking to take things one step further by actually shipping a pair of decidedly futuristic handsets in Japan. Just months after the iida sub-brand was formally launched, the Ply and Prismoid are making their debuts on the show floor. The latter sports a 2.7-inch primary display, a 0.6-inch OLED sub-display, a microSD expansion slot and a design to die for; the former packs a 3.2 megapixel camera, 1seg TV tuner and a 3-inch panel. Have a look at the gallery below (and video past the break) if you're yearning to see just how lovely a dumbphone can be, and trust us when we say you've only yourself to blame if you carelessly let this opportunity pass you by.

Continue reading iida Ply and Prismoid phones strut their stuff at CEATEC (video)

iida Ply and Prismoid phones strut their stuff at CEATEC (video) originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Imagio for Verizon unboxing and hands-on

Chris Ziegler — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:32:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Features, HTC, Verizon Wireless, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, EV-DO, HSDPA, CDMA

Verizon's matching AT&T tit-for-tat in the race to get the first Windows Mobile 6.5 devices out of the door with the launch of the HTC Imagio, a phone that essentially amounts to a more deluxe version of the Touch Diamond2 with a larger screen, 3.5mm headphone jack, combo CDMA and GSM radios (both with 3G) for global roaming, and a FLO TV tuner to support Verizon's VCAST TV service. We've had just a few brief moments to play with the Imagio so far, but after coming from the Pure -- the AT&T-branded model that we used to compile our initial impressions of WinMo 6.5 -- it's a real treat. It looks and feels like a higher-end device thanks to a proliferation of soft-touch plastic (as opposed to the Pure's glossy cover) and the kickstand is a cute touch, perfect for when you've got a few minutes to kill and you want to fire up the FLO-powered tube.

Follow the break for video and more impressions!

Gallery: HTC Imagio for Verizon unboxing and hands-on

Continue reading HTC Imagio for Verizon unboxing and hands-on

HTC Imagio for Verizon unboxing and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Mobile 6.5: a family portrait

Paul Miller — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:31:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, LG, Samsung, ATT, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Windows Mobile, Toshiba

Can you name them all? Don't worry, it's a lot to keep track of. Clockwise we have the HTC Tilt 2 (AT&T), Toshiba TG01 (not announced for US), HTC Imagio (Verizon), HTC Pure (AT&T), Samsung Intrepid (Sprint) and LG GM750 (not announced for US). It's a pretty diverse roundup, with two QWERTY phones in the mix and an incredible variety of home screens and themes, though all six do house touchscreens -- resistive, of course. Check out a super quick meet and greet after the break.

Continue reading Windows Mobile 6.5: a family portrait

Windows Mobile 6.5: a family portrait originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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