Author: PhoneDog.com – Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts

iPhone users know the pain of dropping their device and ruining the screen or LCD and not having insurance on the device to get it replaced.  Worry no more, iPhone fans, as Boy Genius Report has received a tip from an AT&T employee saying that iPhone users will soon be able to get insurance for their device.  Previously, one could only buy AppleCare for an iPhone directly from Apple, which cost $69 and only covered technical problems with the screen, battery, or headphones.  The new insurance plans from AT&T will be titled “MobileProtect” and will be run through Asurion. The plans will be available for purchase through Apple’s App store for $13.99 a month, charged to the credit card that Apple has on file.  Deductibles range from $99 for the 8 GB 3G all the way up to $199 for the 32 GB 3GS.  Also, the insurance plan must be purchased within 30 days of buying your new iPhone.  The whole thing sounds kind of pricey, but it may be worth it to have that sort of protection for your precious iPhone.  Would any of you buy this service or will you be a rebel, risking your iPhone’s life daily without any sort of insurnace plan?

Via Boy Genius Report

There are several Android handsets that have been released in the past that came out with Android 1.5, and the expectation has always been that the device would be upgraded to a more recent, feature-rich version of the OS.  While that is usually the case, it doesn’t seem to be that way for the Samsung Behold II.  The Behold II was released with Android 1.5 with the promise of being upgraded to Android 2.0 in the future, but now it looks like Samsung has scrapped those plans.  Owners of the device have put together a petition online urging Samsung to either update the device, provide a replacement Android 2.0 handset,  or give out refunds.  If Samsung doesn’t comply with those demands, users say that “legal action will be taken.”

Samsung issued an official response on the situation this morning, stating that they plan to bring Android 1.6 to the Behold II and nothing higher.  The update will include Swype, Google Maps Navigation, an improved media player, and a few other goodies, but it is certainly no Android 2.0.  Samsung went on to say that “the Behold II is not upgradeable beyond Android 1.6,” which sounds like it may just be a case of Samsung not wanting to put the resources into an upgrade.  I suppose at least Samsung was nice enough to be straight with us rather than lying about an upgrade that was never going to come.  How do you Behold II users feel about this situation?  Are you planning on picking up a new device?  Share your thoughts with us!

Via Engadget

Take this news with a grain of salt, but The Street is reporting that Apple is set to release a Verizon-compatible iPhone this holiday season.  Ashok Kumar, analyst for Rodman Renshaw, has been watching Apple’s production plans in Asia and says that the company has told its supply and manufacturing partners to prepare for a production rate of 4 million iPhones per month by September.  Kumar goes on to say that Apple has told Asustek to begin production of a CDMA iPhone as early as November.  While this news is interesting, I wouldn’t get your hopes up for a Verizon iPhone just yet.  Owners of the iPhone 3G are set for upgrade this year, and if the leaks are true, Apple is releasing a totally revamped iPhone with much higher specs all around, which is sure to attract a ton of upgrades and new customers to AT&T.  I won’t believe anything about a Verizon iPhone until I hear it from Steve Jobs himself, and even Kumar says that with the Verizon iPhone, “nothing is definite.”

Via The Street

Not a whole lot to go on for this rumor, but BGR just posted a two-liner saying that a source of theirs from Samsung told them ” they’re working with T-Mobile on a “major” product launch for the month of July.”  Could it be the Samsung Galaxy S?  Perhaps the I897 with T-Mobile’s 3G frequencies?  What about that spiffy HSDPA+ goodness available in some markets?  All of the above sound great to me!  What do you guys think?

Via BGR

 

The Samsung I897 – a device that is beginning to look more like a close cousin of the Samsung Galaxy S (I9000) than the Galaxy S itself – is no longer just a fantasy with Bluetooth certification backing it up, it’s an honest to goodness phone.  Earlier this week AndroidGuys received a tip from one of their sources indicating that the device would be launching with Android 2.1, a 5-megapixel camera, 2GB of internal storage, 4-inch AMOLED touchscreen and 800×480 resolution – a slight variation from the 8/16GB memory we were originally told the Galaxy S would be packing.  Now it seems that while the specs are very similar, the I897 is actually a different device – though still expected to launch on AT&T.

AndroidGuys’ source just sent them a nice little pile of pictures of the phone, one of which is bearing the AT&T moniker, alleviating any questions we may have had regarding what carrier would be getting the device.  The source also mentioned a few new details suggesting the phone will be sporting a Snapdragon processor (no mention of processor speed though), and that from the looks of it AT&T has decided to leave Android alone this time, unlike what they did with the Motorola BACKFLIP.  I did notice that one of the pictures which displays the home screen still has many icons with Korean text (presumably) below them.  I’m not sure if that means much, but I just thought I’d point it out.  In any case, it looks like we’re getting closer and we’ll certainly do our best to keep you in the loop.  How’s the I897 sizing up to the competition so far?  Let us know!

Via AndroidGuys

Overview

What’s Good: Gorgeous hardware; not laggy thanks to upgraded processor and Android 2.1.

What’s Bad: No US version just yet, so purchasers are stuck with EDGE.

Verdict: The HTC Legend is a great mid-range Android device, and the most beautiful Android phone I’ve worked with to date.  I just wish it was available on AT&T or T-Mobile.

Introduction

Announced several months ago, I can honestly say that I wish the Legend would come to the United States.  Designated as the successor to the HTC Hero, the unibody aluminum frame is absolutely gorgeous.  Though the device offers physical buttons below the display instead of the capacitive touch buttons we’re used to on devices like the DROID, Incredible, and EVO 4G, it does offer HTC’s optical trackpad and Android 2.1.  That being said, is the HTC Legend’s beauty the only thing going for it, or is it worthwhile under the hood as well?

Design & Features

Coming in at 4.41 inches long by 2.22 inches wide by 0.45 inch thick, the device weighs 4.44 ounces, making it one of the lighter Android-powered smartphones on the market.  The Legend offers a 3.2-inch 320 x 480 HVGA AMOLED touchscreen, and while it’s no 3.7-inch display, it gets the job done.  The device is powered by a 600 MHz Qualcomm processor and offers 512 MB ROM, 384 MB RAM, Android 2.1 with HTC’s Sense UI, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a microSD card slot with support for up to 32 GB.  Save for the plastic surrounding the camera and the battery door, the HTC Legend is made of one piece of aluminum.  Resembling something from the Apple MacBook Pro line, it’s absolutely gorgeous, and I found myself wishing that every HTC Android device was made this way. 

Since the Legend I’m working with is unlocked and unbranded, packaging will likely change depending on what country it is sold in.  That being said, the device shipped with an AC adapter, USB cable (which doubles as the charging cord), and earbuds.  The device itself is incredibly minimalist in design, with the only physical buttons (besides the four on the front of the unit) being the volume rocker and the power button.  The Legend also offers a 3.5mm headphone jack and HTC’s new optical trackpad.  The camera, speaker, and battery/SIM card door can be found on the back.

On that topic, the HTC Legend’s battery compartment is different than any other device I’ve seen in recent years.  To access, simply slide the bottom plastic piece down, and pull back on the clear plastic piece underneath.  From there, you’ll see the SIM card slot, microSD card slot, and battery area.  It’s unique and amazing, really.  All in all, it’s quite the solid device, and it’s nice to see that a good level of detail went into a mid-range device.

Usability & Performance

The Legend offers Android 2.1 with HTC’s Sense UI installed over it.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – though 2.1 (and 2.2, by the time you’re reading this) have done a great job bridging the divide, I still think the vanilla version of Android is ever-so-slightly unrefined.  Simply put, HTC has done an absolutely fantastic job with the Sense overlay, and in my opinion, it makes the device perfect for the regular consumer.  All in all, it will ultimately boil down to personal preference, but as someone who is well-versed in all versions of Android, I still prefer carrying a Sense-enabled device. 

I’ve always liked HTC’s custom keyboard that is found on the company’s Sense-equipped handsets, and that doesn’t change with the Legend.  It’s easy to type on, offers fantastic auto-correction services, and has no lag whatsoever (a welcome change from the Hero and DROID Eris).  I was able to type out e-mails, text messages, and instant messages with ease. 

The Legend offers the same 5.0-megapixel camera that is used on the DROID Eris and Hero, and picture quality was just as good.  Colors were crisp, and the autofocus works well.  Editing options include brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, color effect, white balance, resolution (four different options), quality (high, fine, or normal), and more.

In regards to battery life, the Legend offers just over 7 hours of talk time, and 560 hours of standby time.  Though it was used on EDGE during the test period, the Legend performed well in battery life tests.  With moderate to heavy use including calling, text messaging, instant messaging, browsing the internet, use of Google Maps, and browsing through the Android Market, I was able to make it just under 1 1/2 days before the device powered down.  Though it’s no battery life champion, it seems to fall right in line with other mid-range Android devices on the market.

The Legend I’ve been working with is an unlocked European version (supporting 3G in the 900 and 2100 MHz bands), so I haven’t been able to test anything beyond EDGE on T-Mobile and AT&T.  Still, data speeds were reasonable given the network limitations, and call quality was very good on both networks.  Callers were able to hear me, and I was able to hear them without issue.  I took the device to a known T-Mobile and AT&T trouble spot in the Charlotte metropolitan area, and found the call quality to be very good, even with no “bars” of service.  Speakerphone worked well in the busy department store it was tested in, and my Plantronics Voyager Pro headset connected without issue.

Conclusion

Are there other Android devices on the market that are more powerful?  Yes.  However, when looking at the Legend as the successor to the HTC Hero (which is what it is), it puts it into perspective.  The unibody design is absolutely gorgeous, the optical trackpad is a welcome improvement, and the improved processor combined with Android 2.1 makes this my favorite mid-range Android device to date.  I’d just like to see it in the United States (with support for AT&T or T-Mobile’s 3G) at some point.

Not long after a report was released that Android had overtaken the iPhone in U.S. marketshare comes a report from AdMob stating that iPhone OS devices are outnumbering Android 2:1 in the U.S.  AdMob, officially a part of Google as of today, has released a report measuring the number of unique devices that requested an ad from AdMob at least once during April 2010.  During April, AdMob says that there were 10.7 million unique iPhones accessing AdMob, compared to 8.7 Android devices.  When we include iPod Touches and iPads in the equation, the iDevice number jumps to 18.3 million unique devices.

Worldwide, the story is largely the same.  AdMob says that there were 11.6 million unique Android devices compared to 27.4 million iPhones, and that numbers jumps to 40.8 million when you include all of Apple’s iDevices.  When breaking down the OS distribution worldwide, AdMob reports that Android is considerably more popular in North America than the rest of the world, as we have 75 percent of the world’s Android devices here, compared to only 49 percent of iPhones.

When considering the actual number of ad requests, the iPhone OS is still the leader worldwide at 42 percent and Android at 25 percent, ahead of Symbian and BlackBerry at 2 percent and 1 percent, respectively.  In the U.S., however, Android is in the lead with 46 percent of ad requests.  The iPhone OS is in second place with 38 percent, followed by BlackBerry at 7 percent and webOS at 3%.

Via AdMob, Boy Genius Report

There’s no doubt that the HTC EVO 4G is stealing the show on the Sprint side, but the nation’s third largest carrier isn’t backing down when it comes to device launches.  To that end, our Sprint tipster shot us over a screenshot today containing launch dates for the Samsung Restore and Motorola i1.

The Samsung Restore (left) is slated for launch on June 4th (same day as the EVO, if you’re keeping track), and sports a full QWERTY keyboard, MP3 player, 2.0-megapixel camera, and eco-friendly packaging.  It will be available in “Midnight” and “Limeaid.”  The Motorola i1, announced at CTIA in March, offers a 3.1-inch HVGA display, Android 1.5, Wi-Fi, a 5.0-megapixel camera, and Direct Connect.  The phone is gearing up for a June 20th Direct Ship launch, which means that stores should get them shortly thereafter.

For those that are looking past the EVO 4G, does the Samsung Restore or Motorola i1 interest you?  Discuss!

It seems there has been Verizon news trickling out of the Barclays Capital Global Communications, Media & Technology conference almost every day this week, and now we’ve got more news for you.  Speaking at the Barclays conference, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha had quite a bit to say about Android, Verizon, and the company’s plans for future devices.  Jha explained that nearly all of his focus is on Android and that the company would be “aggressive” in bringing Android 2.2 to its phones.

When asked about HTC, Jha responded by saying that he wasn’t concerned that devices like the Incredible would eat into his company’s phone sales because Motorola has more Droid phones for Verizon in the pipeline.  We’re assuming one of the devices he is referring to is the Motorola Shadow (DROID 2?), but who knows what else the company has planned.

Lastly, Jha touted the popularity of Motoblur, saying that the skinned version of Android had surpassed one million users and that a new version would be available later this year.  It looks like Motorola and Verizon are getting pretty cozy lately, but here’s to hoping that Moto will bring some quality DROID-like devices to other carriers, such as AT&T.

Via Marketwatch

 

Just in case you believed the rumor that Microsoft’s own Steve Ballmer would be speaking at Apple’s WWDC in the coming weeks (I mean seriously, you believed it?), Microsoft would like you to know that the rumor is false.  If you didn’t hear it, here’s how it went: Trip Chowdhry, an analyst at Global Equities Research, stated that Ballmer would be appearing at WWDC to announce Visual Studio for the iPhone platform.  And as you can imagine, the rumors went rampant from there.  However, in a message posted on Twitter a few minutes ago, Microsoft laid the rumor to rest by saying: “Steve Ballmer not speaking at Apple Dev Conf. Nor appearing on Dancing with the Stars. Nor riding in the Belmont. Just FYI.”  Of all the rumors I would like to have seen, I am sorely disappointed that Dancing with the stars is not in Mr. Ballmer’s future.  The end.

Via Engadget

Noah’s multi-part review of Verizon’s fastest Droid, the Incredible. In this episode: Hardware.

It’s not rocket science – the HTC EVO 4G is huge for Sprint.  Really huge.  And in fairness, the device really is awesome.  So it makes sense that in the latest edition of the Sprint Playbook, most of the pages are dedicated to the Android-powered behemoth.

It’s exactly what you would expect in a sales-centric handbook – pages of comparisons between Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile with…you guessed it…Sprint coming out on top.  The handbook also discusses potential objections to the $10 mandatory “premium data” fee, and additional information on the $29.99 mobile hotspot feature.  Frequently Asked Questions are also included, with topics like “Do customers have to pay $10 if they’re not in a 4G market?” and “Is the EVO available in 3G-only markets?” covered in-depth.

Needless to say, a device like the EVO 4G is going to chew through its 1500 mAh battery (particularly with 4G, video chatting, and other data-intensive tasks enabled), and the company wants customers to be prepared for it.  They’re recommending that data-intense features like 4G, Wi-Fi, and the Mobile Hotspot feature remain off unless they’re being used, and to keep a close eye on running widgets and programs.

Have a look and familiarize yourself with what’s required, because after all, we’re only eight days away from launch.  Who’s getting excited?

Thanks, Edna!

We haven’t heard much about the Motorola Motoroi since it launched overseas, but now the device is back in the headlines as it finally comes to the U.S. to Cincinnati Bell.  Cincinnati Bell is a smaller, regional carrier based in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.  The Motoroi isn’t the carrier’s first Android device, but judging by the success of the carrier’s first Android phone, the Bell Blaze, there will be many more to come.  The Blaze sold out quickly, and we’re sure that the Motoroi will do the same.  Specs for the U.S. version of the Motorola Motoroi aren’t locked down yet, but it does look like the device will ship with Android 2.1, possibly skinned with Motoblur, as well as HDMI-out, 720p video recording, and an 8 megapixel camera.  Pricing and availability info isn’t available right now, but we’ll let you know as soon as we get something.  So are any of you Cincinnati Bell customers excited about the Motoroi?

Via Phandroid

You thought we’d leave you hanging on the HTC Aria information until the June event?  Absolutely not!

In addition to the information we brought you a few days prior, we’re getting additional word that the HTC Aria will be powered by a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor.  Combined with our tipster’s original claim that the device is a touchscreen-only device, it leaves the possibility of a device that’s similar to the HTC Desire.  Android 2.1, Sense UI, Snapdragon processor, touchscreen…yep, it all fits. 

Rest assured – as the information trickles in, we’ll be sure to get it to you as quickly as possible (we’re not too far away from the event itself)!  In light of this, let’s have a conversation – what would YOU like to see on the HTC Aria?  Hit the comments, and let’s talk!

While speaking at the Barclays Capital Global Communications, Media & Technology conference in New York this week, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam discussed everything affecting his network, including the shortage of DROID Incredibles.  McAdam also covered LTE and how Verizon plans to implement data plans once its 4G network goes live.  Rather than continue on with plans that include a 5 GB cap that exist now, Verizon will roll out tiered, non-unlimited plans that offer different sizes of “buckets” of megabytes.  This should come as good news for users who have smartphones but rarely come near the 5 GB cap as they will likely be able to choose cheaper plans that better suit their needs.

Continuing with LTE, McAdam said that Verizon plans to move to using LTE for voice transmission by 2012, not long after the first LTE-capable phones are expected to land in 2011.  He went on to say that those very same LTE phones will be shown off at CES 2011, so we’ll get some hands on time with Verizon’s first 4G handsets next year.  Are you excited about Verizon’s move to LTE?  What are your thoughts on Verizon’s tiered data plans?  Share your opinions with us!

Via Engadget

As an update to our previous post about Matias Duarte, one of the major contributors to the creation of Palm’s webOS, leaving Palm, Engadget has received confirmation that Duarte has joined Google and their Android OS.  Duarte is now the User Experience Director for Android, working with the head of Android Andy Rubin.  Rubin and Duarte have worked together in the past on Sidekick, so we’re sure that Duarte’s transition into the Google will go smoothly.  While this is a huge loss for Palm, we’re sure that HP has some talent that they can put behind webOS to replace Duarte and help to make webOS better than it already is.

Via Engadget

Your eBook options for the iPad just increased by quite a bit as Barnes & Noble has sent out a press release announcing that they have released an eReader iPad app to go along with Apple’s iBooks and Amazon’s Kindle apps.  B&N’s app allows access to the company’s large library of eBooks as well as the ability to use their LendMe technology, giving users the option to lend an eBook to another B&N eReader application user for up to 14 days.  Barnes & Noble has said that they plan to release an eReader app for the Android OS early this summer.  The B&N eReader app for iPad is available now in the iTunes app store.  Are any of you planning on using Barnes & Noble’s eReader new app?  Do you use any other eReader software on your iPad?  Tell us below!

Foursquare for iPhone is a location-based app using GPS functionality to pinpoint you and allowing you to check-in at specific venues. You can choose from a list of your favorites or a list of nearby locations. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, there is a search box to type it in manually. If a venue is not in the system, you have ability to add it yourself, along with the category of venue, address and phone number. Once you have the location, there is the option to add text to the check-in or just “shout” out to your friends. By checking in, the app alerts your foursquare friends to your location and by linking up your Twitter and Facebook accounts, you can decide each time whether to broadcast the information on those platforms as well. You can also decide not to share the information with anyone, in which case you will be shown as “off the grid” but still get credit for checking in. If you check-in the most times at a certain location, you are crowned its Mayor and quite often, this title awards you specials donated by the business itself. It may be a free drink, a free appetizer, or a percentage off services until you relinquish your crown, but there is certainly incentive to users to frequent these establishments. Users can add a “To-Do” list to use privately or add “Tips” to venues that others can read, which will pop up on your screen when you’ve checked-in nearby.

Foursquare was developed by Dennis Crowley of New York City who designed the original location-based service Dodgeball, which was purchased by Google and subsequently dismantled. Dennis and his team added an competitive edge to this version introducing a point system and badges earned by checking in to special spots either once or a number of times. For example, you earn a “School Night” Badge for checking in anywhere after 3AM on a weekday or the “Photogenic” Badge by checking in at three different venues that feature photo booths. Each city has their own badges and many are specially designed for network-friendly events such as Austin’s SXSW festival. Location-aware services are proving quite popular as social media becomes mainstream. Foursquare has also joined forces with giant companies such as Bravo, Lucky Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and most recently, The History Channel. By following these companies on foursquare, you will find new badges to unlock along with editorial tips on locations.

Proven to be a big shot in the social networking explosion, Foursquare is following in Twitter and Facebook’s footsteps as the demand to connect grows. The free iPhone app is easy to use and navigate with frequent updates from the App Store.

Noah’s multi-part look at HTC’s Evo 4G for Sprint. In this installment: The hardware.

Palm has been struggling to move handsets as of late, but they are definitely pushing for developer support to create apps that will sell Pres and Pixis.  In order to try to bring some of the iPhone’s killer apps to webOS, Palm has decided to host a “San Francisco PDK Party” on June 9th, which just so happens to be right in the middle of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, where Apple is expected to announce the next-gen iPhone.  Since webOS apps can be ported from the iPhone in a “matter of days,” the event is a well-timed move by Palm.  If they are able to get devs to actually attend, I could see some of them porting their applications to webOS if the process really does only take a few days.  We’ll find out what happens with both WWDC and Palm’s PDK party in less than two weeks, so stay tuned!

Via Pre Central