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Less than 24 hours after the launch of an AT&T-capable Nexus One, it appears that the device is suffering from screen issues.  BGR received their AT&T Nexus One unit in the mail, and in testing it side-by-side with the T-Mobile version, the black levels are completely off.  In other words, the hue is purple and red – not as it should be.

The issue seems to be widespread, so we’re waiting to hear from Google.  Could this be a problem for future (Sprint, Verizon) Nexus Ones?  Is it affecting your buying decision?  Let me know in the comments!

Via BGR
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Today I sit on the couch, blogging with one eye while I watch the opening round of the NCAA tournament with the other eye. Tomorrow? Ditto. But come Monday it’s all about the phones: The PhoneDog gang is headed to the desert to cover CTIA Las Vegas, starting with Monday’s pre-show press gatherings. 

What’s on tap for the mobile tech gathering this year? This week’s edition of Top 5 Thursdays is all about CTIA rumors.

1. Big, Fast Android Phones: Sprint Supersonic and Verizon Incredible

All kinds of sources are all but promising the unveiling of the HTC-made Sprint Supersonic WiMax phone next week, and I’m not about to contradict those reports. Sprint’s holding a press event Tuesday afternoon and you know they’re going to continue to hype their WiMax network like they did with the CES launch of the Overdrive mobile hotspot. Odds are we’ll see what’s more or less an Android version of the HTC HD2 (4.3″ display, Snapdragon processor), but with a dual-mode EV-DO/WiMax radio, launched next week.

Then there’s the HTC Incredible, said to be coming to Verizon in the near-term. Incredible is rumored to be something like a Nexus One (3.7″ display, Snapdragon processor), but with HTC’s Sense Ui and an upgraded camera (8 megapixels). Incredible is rumored to hit Big Red in two weeks, but could show up in Vegas for an early coming out party. It’ll be interesting to see what Incredible does to sales of the VZW-compatible Nexus One should both phones launch at the same time.

2. WiMax, LTE, and HSDPA+

Sprint’s already launched WiMax and is likely to roll out a few new markets along with their first 4G handset (see #1 above) at CTIA. T-Mobile is holding their own presser Tuesday to talk about network upgrades and new products, which likely means some HSDPA+ goodness. Verizon’s been talking up their LTE tests, saying they’re ahead of schedule with their 4G deployment plans – even if they’re still many months away from launch. And just today some rumors started kicking around regarding a possible T-Mobile/Clearwire partnership of some sort – which is odd considering that T-Mo is supposedly committed to LTE as their 4G tech, while Clearwire is in the WiMax game (with Sprint).  Hmm.

At any rate, bigger, faster wireless data pipes will clearly be in the news next week; AT&T, you got anything to say?

3. What’s AT&T Up To?

AT&T executives are involved in two keynote addresses at the show. AT&T’s also hosting their traditional media luncheon. And there’s even chatter about them throwing a party at the show (which they never do). What does it all mean? Is AT&T gearing up for some kind of a media blitz at CTIA, or is this all standard fare stuff with no real promise of interesting devices or service offerings? We already know about iPad and the carrier’s forthcoming role as a premiere partner for Windows Phone 7 Series in the US, and they launched four new “Quick Messaging Devices” earlier this week. So what else could they have up their sleeves? Something good, we hope … 

4. BlackBerry Slider

BlackBerry’s rumored new flagship phone, a vertical slider with a full touchscreen and hard QWERTY board, was recently leaked. Will it show up at CTIA next week? Will it launch on Sprint? Will it be called Storm3 or 9900/9930 or even … “T” ? Most importantly, will this new BlackBerry finally usher in a new OS or at least that new WebKit based Web browser we’re all yearning for?

5. Android Video Phone

This one’s a wildcard, but I’ve been hearing something about an Android-based smartphone with actual, for real, full-frame video chat capabilities. Yes, I mean a phone on a US carrier. I can’t say much, but the device may be launching at CTIA and available later this Summer. Or it might be pushed back for a late Spring/early Summer debut.  We’ll see.

Remember the BlackBerry slider that popped up out of the blue a few weeks back?  According to a RIM parts supplier, it may be coming sooner than we thought.  The CEO of Woojeon & Handan let it slip about the BlackBerry “T,” an upcoming device intended to challenge the iPhone.

“The Canadian company RIM famous for BlackBerry smartphones is releasing a new model next month. Known as the “T,” The new model is an ambitious product aimed at competing against iPhone’s storm of success. Rim will present it (“T”) as its flagship model to compete in global markets such as the U.S. and Europe.” 

According to CrackBerry, the codename “Talladega” and “Mr. T.” correspond to RIM’s slider device.  To clarify, this is a rumor in the highest sense of the word – suppliers have a long history of running their mouths, and it wouldn’t surprise me if April came and went without a BlackBerry slider device.  What’s more, the CrackBerry crew make an excellent point – the turnaround time between leaked pictures and launch are way too quick given RIM’s past history with such things.  Considering that the Tour/Bold 9650 hasn’t debuted yet, why would a device rumored to run OS 6.0 come out this quickly?

At any rate, does the idea of a sliding ‘Berry tickle your fancy?  Let me know!

Via Engadget, CrackBerry
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If there’s one area where Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint, does exceptionally well, it’s introducing firsts.   First affordable all you can eat plan, first unlimited calls to any wireless carrier, first 4G network.  So, it’s no surprise that the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the next first isn’t far away.

According to the WSJ, Hesse is expected to introduce the HTC Supersonic as the nation’s first 4G capable phone, in a presentation next week at CTIA.  Rumors of the Supersonic started surfacing back in December of last year, followed by leaked images and even a short (albeit uneventful) video.  To date, there hasn’t been much in the way of “official” information regarding the Supersonic, mostly just conjecture and a report from Forbes that we could expect a 4G phone from Sprint this summer.

If WSJ’s tipsters (read: “people familiar with the matter”) are right, and everything goes according to plan, there’s a very good chance that Sprint will be touting the very first (and I’d bet second and third) phone, capable of surfing the web at DSL-like speeds.  Not only will it be a first, but it will be a first for a while.  Verizon, which just finished field testing their 4G network in two test markets, plans on having LTE in 25-30 markets by the end of this year, however, they don’t intend to have a 4G capable phone until mid-2011.  This leads analyst Avi Greengart of Current Analysis to believe that “It’s now or never” for Sprint because “They won’t have an exclusive on the 4G marketing message indefinitely.”

Next week is going to be a crazy week in Geekland – who’s ready for all the exciting announcements? Sound off in the comments!

Via BGR, WSJ

When the news broke about Windows Phone 7 arriving without Copy/Paste feature, it made quite a stink. Analysts were gobsmacked, and fans were confused and ticked off. Why would Microsoft take such a huge leap backwards? 

Well it turns out, they won’t be. Citing well-known Windows blogger, Long Zheng, BGR reports that the Windows platform WILL be offering copy and paste — just not in time for launch. 

Microsoft wanted a more elegant feature that fits the experience of its newest platform. That  translated into some hard hours for the dev team, which did ultimately succeed in figuring out stuff like UI and implementation, but just needed more time to get all that into the codebase. 

The good news is that this shouldn’t delay any interested, but anxious fans from picking up a WP7S device. If you can’t wait for a completed OS to come shrink wrapped with your phone, you’ll be able to get the feature via software update at some time post-purchase. 

Frankly, it would’ve been weird for them forego this. Way back, this was one of the biggest WinMo functions that kept some fence-sitting consumers from the lure of the iPhone, which took years to finally add this to the OS. So thanks for quieting the unrest, Long! There’s only one last question: Any chance that pesky multitasking thing will get addressed too? 

Via: BoyGenius Report, IStartedSomething.com

 

UPDATE: Engadget’s Nilay Patel offers the following clarification on the multitasking issue: 

“…first-party apps like the Zune player and IE can run in the background, and third-party apps are actually left running in a suspended state (Microsoft calls it “dehydrated”) as long as the system doesn’t need any additional resources. If the user cycles back to an app, it’s resumed (“rehydrated”) and life continues merrily along, but if the user opens other apps and the system needs additional resources, the app is killed without any indication or remorse.” 

So there’s sort of a multiple apps operation on board, but it’s not performed in a traditional way. It’s based solely on the demand you’ll place on your handset’s system resources. So if you don’t do a lot of crazy stuff simultaneously, you may not even notice the difference. But for anyone who’s planning on running a dozen programs while listening to music, surfing the Web and downloading apps — I guess Microsoft is just trying to save you — and your device — from yourself. The alternative? Slow, buggy, crash-prone user experience. Or in other words, WinMo 6. 

When the news broke about Windows Phone 7 arriving without Copy/Paste feature, it made quite a stink. Analysts were gobsmacked, and fans were confused and ticked off. Why would Microsoft take such a huge leap backwards? 

Well it turns out, they won’t be. Citing well-known Windows blogger, Long Zheng, BGR reports that the Windows platform WILL be offering copy and paste — just not in time for launch. 

Microsoft wanted a more elegant feature that fits the experience of its newest platform. That  translated into some hard hours for the dev team, which did ultimately succeed in figuring out stuff like UI and implementation, but just needed more time to get all that into the codebase. 

The good news is that this shouldn’t delay any interested, but anxious fans from picking up a WP7S device. If you can’t wait for a completed OS to come shrink wrapped with your phone, you’ll be able to get the feature via software update at some time post-purchase. 

Frankly, it would’ve been weird for them forego this. Way back, this was one of the biggest WinMo functions that kept some fence-sitting consumers from the lure of the iPhone, which took years to finally add this to the OS. So thanks for quieting the unrest, Long! There’s only one last question: Any chance that pesky multitasking thing will get addressed too? 

Via: BoyGenius Report, IStartedSomething.com

 

UPDATE: Engadget’s Nilay Patel offers the following clarification on the multitasking issue: 

“…first-party apps like the Zune player and IE can run in the background, and third-party apps are actually left running in a suspended state (Microsoft calls it “dehydrated”) as long as the system doesn’t need any additional resources. If the user cycles back to an app, it’s resumed (“rehydrated”) and life continues merrily along, but if the user opens other apps and the system needs additional resources, the app is killed without any indication or remorse.” 

So there’s sort of a multiple apps operation on board, but it’s not performed in a traditional way. It’s based solely on the demand you’ll place on your handset’s system resources. So if you don’t do a lot of crazy stuff simultaneously, you may not even notice the difference. But for anyone who’s planning on running a dozen programs while listening to music, surfing the Web and downloading apps — I guess Microsoft is just trying to save you — and your device — from yourself. The alternative? Slow, buggy, crash-prone user experience. Or in other words, WinMo 6. 

According to the latest statistics, more than half of the apps in the Android Market are free ones, with 53% of the total inventory available gratis.  

Interesting stat, but it may be meaningless to most people — until they take a closer look. I suppose that in some ways, it might mean that Android users have a kind of bonanza on their hands. But the question is — is that really the best thing for the platform? This has been at the heart of multiple posts across the webs: the correlation of mobile applications and the success of a given mobile platform. 

Consulting firm Forecasting and Analyzing Digital Entertainment, LLC (FADE) estimates that close to 99% of the apps that are grabbed from the Android Market are freebies. And, says FADE, when the average Android user did spend money on apps, at least in the first two months of this year, it was usually only 6 cents for games and 50 cents on other kinds. 

Are Android users just cheapskates? Writer Frank McPherson, from Mobile Content Today, doesn’t think so. He points out some issues with the Android Market that might be hindering things, like an inefficient search and discovery process. 

It’s hard to touch on the business of apps without bringing up the Big Kahuna, Apple’s much-publicized App Store. Roughly 25% of iPhone offerings are free, and the typical iPhone user spent about $1 on games and $5 on other apps during January and February 2010. Yes, devs may have to jump through crazy hoops to make it into iTunes, but it seems there’s no shortage of people willing to try. No doubt, everyone’s in it for the promise of the big payday — like Lima Sky. The developers of Doodle Jump recently hit the news for reaching 3 million downloads and generating in excess of more than 2 million dollars in revenue. 

There’s been a lot of talk about how applications are the driving force behind mass smartphone adoption. The reason for that is simple: People like being able to do new and exciting things with their shiny toys. But if the devs can’t make money, will they still flock to a particular platform? (So far, the latest numbers peg Android apps around 30,000.) While there’s a lot of good that can be said about working with an open-source platform, there’s also the complication of fragmentation across different screen sizes and devices. That’s the reason Smule’s Jeff Smith — who developed the wildly successful Ocarina and I Am T-Pain for the iPhone, says he won’t develop for Android. 

Android users: What’s your take on this? Do you mostly stick to freebies? If so, what would it take to get you to spend? (Would an improved discovery process in the Market help?) For any devs in the audience, are you deterred by fragmentation? Or do you guys think all this app talk is just hot air, an overhyped facet that’s only one of several factors in a smartphone’s success? Weigh in. 

Via: Mobile Content Today, Android Community, TheNextWeb, Mobile Game FAQs, Distimo

 

 

 

My initial selection of the Palm Pre Plus was swayed heavily by webOS and its sophisticated multitasking and notification capabilities. The more I use my Pre Plus, I am finding many other great features worth noting.  First, the most basic feature – its functionality as a phone – and second, the small but growing Palm App Catalog.  

Palm Pre Plus’ Functionality as a Phone

The most fundamental and important smartphone feature for me is the ability to make and receive phone calls.  I can’t believe I have to say that, but in talking to many of my friends and co-workers, call quality isn’t always – surprisingly – a top priority.  As a telecommuter without a landline in my home, my cell phone is a crucial life line and I can’t be worried about issues with reception, dropped calls and clarity. So while I would be thrilled to have an app that makes dinner or picks up my dry cleaning, the near perfect reception and clarity of the Pre Plus on Verizon has kept me from wandering around in search of bars and has never caused me to sound like I am talking underwater or in a bathroom.  

Reception and clarity, however, are only half the story when it comes to a smartphone’s ability to function as a phone.  My smartphone also needs a workable phonebook/contacts feature since there are very few telephone numbers that I can actually recall from memory.  Unfortunately for me, when I made the upgrade, the in-store rep informed me that my phonebook could not be transferred to my Pre Plus because my original cell phone was just that old.  The thought of manually transferring all of the information was daunting.  To my surprise, however, webOS was able to save me a lot of time and effort and did a far better and more comprehensive job of copying my contacts over than I could have.  Within the few minutes that it took to set up my emails and Facebook logins, all of the information from those accounts was automatically synced and appeared in my Pre Plus’ contacts.  webOS was smart enough to even discern duplicates among the accounts and link them together.  Phone numbers, email addresses and Facebook profile pictures all in one convenient location – joy! 

Apps: PhakePhoney

Now that my Pre Plus and I have had some quality time together, I’ve had a chance to play around with some of the apps.  I wanted to go through all of the ones that have impressed me thus far – and maybe even find a grammar and editing app to discuss for those of you that read my last column (EDITOR’S NOTE: Ba-doom-chick!) – but I’ll have to stick to just one this week.  

The app that made the cut is PhakePhoney, since it literally saved my sanity this past weekend.  After a full day of driving around with my toddler in tow, my husband and I were frantically passing my exhausted daughter every object we could find to keep her from completely unraveling in the car.  With our resources of toys, snacks and even empty plastic soda bottles exhausted, the sobs intensified to a near hysterical level.  In my frazzled state, I nervously handed over the one thing I had left; my beautiful, unblemished Pre Plus with PhakePhoney opened up.  The app calls up a colorful, full-screen number pad that looks like a phone.  As a number is pressed, the phone speaks and spells the number aloud. It also has a music button that plays one of ten available songs.  Best of all, there’s a lock feature that prevents a child from leaving the app and accidentally making a call, sending a text or doing anything else. 

PhakePhoney bought my husband and I a few peaceful last minutes to get home safely with our sanity intact, and my daughter was thrilled to be playing with Mommy’s phone.  I am also thankful to say that my Pre Plus survived the ordeal and I will immediately be ordering a heavy-duty case and screen protector in preparation for future meltdowns.

 

Those that keep their chargers plugged into the wall should take note, as AT&T is working on an accessory that pulls no energy when not in use.  Partnering with Superior Communications, the Zero Charger will stop using energy as soon as the device is unplugged.  The company won’t specify which phones it will be marketed towards at this time, but AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said that it was designed for the carrier’s major smartphones.  Given the USB interface, I’m guessing that AT&T will sell the base and additional cables depending on the customer’s needs.

The AT&T Zero charger will be available at AT&T stores and online beginning in May.  Pricing is unknown at this time.  Good step for AT&T!  Will everyone else follow suit?  Time will tell…

Via Gizmodo
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While webOS users around the world have enjoyed GSM versions of the Pre and Pixi, US users haven’t been so lucky.  If you want a Pre (Plus) or a Pixi (Plus), you’re stuck with CDMA.  According to AllThingsD‘s John Paczkowski, AT&T still plans to carry the devices, but Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek is reporting that the launch has been pushed back from the rumored April date to June or July.

Apparently, the issue stems from AT&T having a “long list of technical issues with the Pre and Pixi,” and the company has decreased its initial order size and webOS marketing budget as a result.  Bad news for Palm, and given that they report their quarterly earnings tomorrow evening, it concerns me.  Then again, the release dates, order sizes, and marketing budget numbers are all rumors, so take it with a grain of salt until Palm and/or AT&T confirm them.

AT&T customers, how do you feel?  Excited about the prospect of webOS?

Via Engadget, AllThingsD
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Between my gig here at PhoneDog and Today’s iPhone, I get a tremendous amount of email. (Whenever I dare to take a couple of days off, I usually come back to 400+ messages. I kid you not. That’ll teach me…) 

So suffice it to say, it takes something to grab my attention. Here’s one that stood out (for perhaps all the wrong reasons): 

 

Subj: Thrillist Nation: Use Your Cell To Score With Strangers

From booty texts to racy pics, cell phones are helpful when coordinating lascivious meet-ups with people you already know, but when it comes to random strangers they’ve long been relegated to the pockets of your “flashing trench”…

 

Oh, eeshk. Apparently the masterminds at Thrillist are intrigued about an iPhone app called PinpointsX, or PPX-to-go. The App Store page describes it as “The Ultimate Resource That Points You To Romance.” But Thrillist’s description of “Adult Friend Finder for smartphones” seems more accurate. PPX — which just launched on March 15 — is designed to find people fast hook-ups in their area. It even provides a text/call function for integrated booty calls. 

First users set up an online profile — with stuff like photo, age/weight/body descrip, what they’re looking for, even adult proclivities/interests. Then the app connects to that, and a “Passion Map” pops up that plots nearby matches, complete with profile information. That’s not all — some of the results are pretty scary, including “Professional” users. (If you don’t know what that means, you’re probably too young to use this. Move along.) 

Users can text or call matches they’re interested in, providing the recipient has approved an “Interaction Request.” Then PPX offers suggestions on nearby rendezvous places — from bars (to meet up), hotels (to hook up) and even strip clubs (for what, I don’t even want to know). Afterward, users can log back in and rate their date and/or save them to their “My Fling” list for future reference. 

I’m no prude, but this is just in horrible taste. And yet, I have no doubt this will get plenty of downloads. 

(Man, I can’t get Google Voice on my phone, but I have access to this? Yes I do know why, but that’s still nuts. Then again, who knows when the Apple censorship wagon will boot this booty app as well.) 

 

 

 

 

For iPhone apps, news, reviews and more, check out TodaysiPhone.com

 

I honestly have no idea what’s going on. Literally, I’m so confused that I’m listening to Crosby, Stills & Nash’s “Southern Cross” over and over again, looking for an answer in soft rock harmonies and lyrics like,

“Whatever brought you and me / Cannot be forgotten.”

And I’m still befuddled.

Microsoft went on record this week at MIX10 saying that Windows Phone 7 Series won’t have cut and paste. And now it’s the dreamy guitar interlude again and I’m just lost in a daze.

“And we never failed to fail / It was the easiest thing to do”

What’s funny is that I didn’t intend to built a WP7S post around lame post-hippie song lyrics. But it’s working out kinda well, no?

See, the first lyric and the second lyric both reinforce the idea that Microsoft is really trying to pull an iPhone here, in all kinds of ways both good and bad. To wit:

Lock Down

Microsoft’s going for their version of Apple’s lock-down approach to mobile hardware/software integration. Since MSFT doesn’t actually make hardware, they can’t quite go all-in here, but they’re coming close: WP7S will only work on a handful of hardware “chasis” designs, apps will only be allowed in two resolutions (WVGA and, later on, HVGA) …

One-Tasking

Multitasking? Nope. Speaking of iPhone, it looks like Microsoft will be saving us from ourselves by not allowing true multitasking on WP7S. Funny, because WinMo 6 supports multitasking. But lots of blowhards (me) kinda hate WinMo 6 at this point. So maybe mono-tasking is the new multitasking, after all? I have no idea. I just know that Android and webOS fans – let alone those die-hard Symbian addicts – make fun of iPhoners to no end over the whole multitasking thing. So it makes … sense? … that Microsoft’s brand spanking new state-of-the-future-of-the-art OS won’t support multitasking. What’s great about this is that everyone and their cousin is now betting on iPhone OS 4.0 supporting multitasking when it likely debuts in a few months.

I get that multitasking can lead to severe battery life issues on a cell phone. But when you’re planning your big comeback and everyone’s talking about how multitasking is so modern and so just-what-I-wanted, how can you justify leaving it out altogether? Add some power management, add some clever UI for reminding users to kill background apps … add something! Don’t just cut it out entirely. Weren’t you the ones making fun of iPhone for the past three years for not multitasking? Weren’t you?

Appopriately enough, iTunes just shuffled me over to Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage / Eclipse.” Seriously.

“The lunatic is on the grass  … Got to keep the loonies on the path”

Copy and Nothing and You’ll LIke It

Cut and paste? Nada. Again, everyone laughed at Apple and their fanboygirls over this one up until iPhone OS 3.0. So now that people are used to being able to do things like copy and paste URLs, confirmation codes, and other text on their smartphones, Microsoft apparently thinks it’s de rigeur. Or something. Because they’re not supporting it in WP7S. They’ll add in some kind of gloss-over tech for detecting addresses and phone numbers, but not tried-and-true copy-and-paste.

“You lock the door and throw away the key / There’s someone in my head but it’s not me”

So right, Microsoft does the right thing in scrapping their outdated mobile OS in favor of a totally new one that, on first glance, actually looks fresh and cool and worth a look even if it is half a year away from shipping. And they tease everyone at MWC in saying that they’ll reveal more about the future of mobile awesomeness at MIX in a month. And now here’s MIX and Ballmer and The Boys let loose with all kinds of neato looking apps and Silverlight and an SDK and XNA-based games that share lots of stuff with XBox and look, there’s Netflix on a phone! And, OMGPonies! And it’s all so awesome, and I can’t wait, and, and, and … 

No multitasking.

No cut and paste.

It’s like Microsoft took a UI step forward and two Functionality steps back.

“There is no dark side of the moon, really / As a matter of fact, it’s all dark”

I’m going to play some more CSN and sit on the floor, shut my eyes, hug my knees to my chest and just rock back and forth until it all goes away. Sigh.

I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing like a little mid-afternoon rumor to tickle my fancy.  The gang at BGR received intel today regarding a Verizon Wireless early upgrade program.  It’s taking place in select regions across the US, and while there are restrictions, it offers certain customers the ability to upgrade to a smartphone.  Obviously, the plan is to get basic and featurephone users to upgrade into a smartphone (and subsequently, a $30 monthly data plan), but for those that already wanted to upgrade, this might be the perfect opportunity.  Like anything in this world, there are stipulations:

• User can not already have a 3G smartphone
• User will not be eligible for another upgrade for at least 12 months
• Eligibility and NE2 dates will be extended 20 months
• Customers can’t already be eligible for a standard upgrade
• Can only upgrade once during period
• Can’t be combined with other offers
• Unlimited ($29.99 minimum) data plan required
• New two-year agreement must be signed

According to the source, the promotion is for Sam’s Club and Target kiosks only (which makes sense, given the “eROES” moniker in the document – eROES is the Verizon lookup tool that indirect locations use).  Rumored markets eligible for the promotion include Northern California, Central Texas, Upstate New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

For those in the test/launch markets, how does it sound?  Are you going to upgrade to a smartphone, or hold off for a while?

Via BGR
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I have to wonder if Eric Schmidt woke up yesterday morning and said “aw, heck, why not….let’s give the Nexus One to AT&T and Sprint as well.”  Less than 24 hours after an unlocked, unsubsidized Nexus One hit Google’s website with AT&T 3G support, the announcement came today that Sprint would be joining the group.  Sprint will be announcing a release date and price “soon.”

Check out the press release below.  Sprint users, you’re getting ready to get access to the Nexus One boat (and Android 2.1, at that)!  Who’s excited?

Nexus One from Google Coming to Sprint; Availability Date Announced Soon
 
Nexus One is planned for the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network with twice the network coverage of AT&T and ten times the network coverage of T-Mobile, both by square miles; Expands Sprint’s Android portfolio
 
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., – March 17, 2010 – Nexus One, the first wireless phone sold through Google’s web store, is planned for Sprint’s 3G Mobile Broadband Network.  Sprint (NYSE:S) will announce pricing and an exact availability date soon. Nexus One will benefit from Sprint’s 3G network with twice the coverage of AT&T and 10 times the coverage of T-Mobile, both based on square miles.1
      
Sprint currently has America’s largest voice calling area of any carrier reaching more than 307 million people in the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands with a Sprint phone and plan that includes roaming. PC World recently said no one has a more reliable network than Sprint in a 13 city 3G performance test.2 Customers can check the quality of network coverage with street level mapping at sprint.com/coverage.
 
“Nexus One is a powerful device that belongs on a powerful network. This is another step in our continued partnership of innovation with Google,” said Fared Adib, Sprint vice president of product development. “Sprint customers already have the option of two amazing Android devices with Samsung Moment™ and HTC Hero™. It is a natural fit for us to add Nexus One to the list of choices available for Sprint customers who want the best value in wireless with the best in Android.”

Google’s online consumer channel was created to provide an efficient way to connect online users with selected Android phones. Nexus One will not be available in any Sprint retail channels. It will be available directly from Google at google.com/phone. The online experience of Google’s web store is designed with a focus on simplicity allowing consumers to match a phone with the service plan that best meets their needs.

“While a pricing plan has not yet been determined for Nexus One, we are confident that it will be consistent with Sprint’s commitment to deliver more value than our competitors and keep pricing simple,” Adib said. “Right now, our Sprint Everything Data 450 plan with Any Mobile, Anytime(SM) gives customers unlimited calling with any mobile phone in America, unlimited text and unlimited Web for just $69.99 per month – the same price AT&T and Verizon charge for just unlimited talk. Our Everything Data plans include unlimited GPS Navigation at no extra charge and annual phone upgrades with Sprint Premier.”
 
Nexus One runs on Android 2.1, a version of the platform’s Eclair software, which offers advanced applications and features including:

Google Maps Navigation: offering turn-by-turn driving directions with voice output.
Email: multiple Gmail accounts; universal inbox and Exchange support.
Phone book: aggregate contacts from multiple sources, including Facebook®.
Quick Contacts: easily switch between communication and social applications.
Android Market: access to more than 30,000 applications.
Hardware features of Nexus One include:
Display: 3.7″ AMOLED 480×800 WVGA display
Thinness: 11.5mm; Weight: 130g
Processor/Speed: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 3G QSD8250 chipset, delivering speeds up to 1GHz
Camera: 5 megapixel auto focus with flash and geo tagging
Onboard memory: 512MB Flash, 512MB RAM
Expandable memory: 4GB removable SD Card (expandable to 32GB)
Noise Suppression: Dynamic noise suppression from Audience, Inc.
Ports: 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with four contacts for inline voice and remote control
Battery: Removable 1400 mAh
Personalized laser engraving: Up to 50 characters on the back of the phone
Trackball: Tri-color notification LED, alerts when new emails, chats, text messages arrive
 
In addition, Nexus One offers new functionality and software enhancements including:

Enter text without typing.
Use a voice-enabled keyboard for all text fields: speak a text message, instant message, tweet, Facebook update, or complete an email.
Tell your phone what you want it to do.
Search Google, call contacts, or get driving directions by just speaking into your phone.
Take personalization to the next level.
Dynamic, interactive, live wallpapers react to the touch of a finger.
More widgets and five home screen panels allow for further device customization.
Capture camera-quality pictures and video with your device.
5 megapixel camera includes LED flash, auto focus, zoom, white balance and color effects.
View pictures and Picasa Web Albums in the new 3D Gallery.
Record Hi-Res MPEG4 video, and then upload to YouTube with one click.
Read your voicemail messages.
Get transcribed voicemail with Google Voice integration, without changing your number.
For more information on Nexus One, please visit www.Google.com/phone. Follow Sprint on Twitter @sprint to keep up with news on Nexus One for Sprint’s 3G Mobile Broadband Network.
 
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving more than 48 million customers at the end of the fourth quarter of 2009 and the first and only 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The company’s customer-focused strategy has led to improved first call resolution and customer care satisfaction scores. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
 
Google, Nexus One, Android, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Voice, Picasa Web Albums, YouTube are trademarks of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.
Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.
 
Coverage comparisons based on publicly available information as of 1/01/10 inclusive of Sprint roaming partners.
 
PC World’s test included Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in 13 major cities in all regions of the country during December 2009 and January 2010. In all, roughly 9,000 individual tests of Sprint’s 3G service were conducted from 280 testing locations. Testing sessions were one minute in duration per location, and network performance can be highly variable from neighborhood to neighborhood. In laptop-based tests, Sprint tied with another carrier for first in 3G network reliability.

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Live from the HTC T-Mobile HD2 launch party in NYC, March 16, 2010. Hands-on with the HD2 and its massive 4.3″ capacitive touch display.

Sprint is offering a new online tool that consumers will be able to use to test out phones before they purchase them.  DemoAnywhere is an online web app that has features such as interactive tutorials, videos, images, troubleshooting information and users guides.  The service is also intended to help existing customers learn more about how to use their phones and enhance Sprint’s customer service.

Currently, there are 34 phones that have tutorials associated with them and Sprint customer service representatives will be able to use these tutorials to guide customers through the steps of various scenarios.  I decided to give the “Set home page” tutorial a try on the HTC Hero.  There are 12 steps in all for this tutorial, and I ran into a minor problem by step seven (perhaps a bug, perhaps user error).  I tried everything I could think of, including using different browsers, and ran into the same problem – inability to advance to the next step – in every one.  Fortunately, you can manually advance by clicking the next step on the menu to the left – when I did, it showed me the next steps. 

Overall, this is a pretty cool feature and I hope it helps users to become more knowledgeable about their devices.  Clearly it still needs some work here and there, but I’m sure it will add value in the long run.  To try it out for yourself, head on over to sprint.com/learn, and be sure to report back on how it went!

Via BGR

HTC and T-Mobile threw down in NYC last night to celebrate the launch of the US version of the HD2. Kristi made it to the soiree and has some hands-on impressions of the phone (and the party) coming soon. Video of the device in action is, of course, on the way as well.

HD2 will be available starting March 24 for $199.99 with a two year contract from T-Mobile, and the carrier is touting the device as being “Larger Than Life” thanks to its whopping 4.3″ capacitive touch display. The official press release talks up the device as coming “ready with access to millions of eBooks, movies, television programs and more,” and I think I see a few Barnes and Noble, Blockbuster and mobiTV logos in the photos Kristi sent from the shindig. Along, of course, with shots of live bands and what looks to have been a larger than life bar.

More photos below. Video coming soon!

It’s no secret that Google and China have been undergoing negotiations (if you want to call it that) regarding censorship on the internet for some time now.  Until early this year, Google was catching fire for adhering to China’s policy on the censoring of certain search term results.  There have been conflicting reports as to whether or not Google expects to stay in the communist country, however, I think it’s clear at this point if they stay it won’t be in the same form as it once was.

The status quo changed in January when Google (among others – supposedly) received cyber attacks aimed at accessing specific Gmail accounts.  Since then, China hasn’t budged on the censorship issue, and Google has been looking for ways around it.  One of the more immediate problems with Google leaving China altogether is that many Chinese companies rely on Google’s custom search box for their website.  An immediate withdrawal from China would leave many of these businesses temporarily down, at least in some part, until an alternative is found.

At this point if Google decides to stay, it looks like they will be working with individual government entities as well as individual businesses to help power their search, and let them be the ultimate judge of what gets filtered.  This suggests, however, that a site whose sole purpose is to provide a search engine for your daily needs (read: Google.cn) will most likely cease to exist.  But it seems Google still sees value in the aforementioned business model, otherwise I imagine they would have packed their bags by now.

Another Google entity that could be affected by the decision is Android, and it’s possible we’ve already seen the first hint of this by way of Motorola selecting Bing as its search engine of choice for Android in China.  Google had intended to launch Android this past January, but the ongoing debacle has since put a halt on the release of certain phones along with the cancellation of a developer event.  It has been reported that Google has a 36% market share in China (that’s pretty darn big!), so if they decide to leave, they’ll be making a huge statement. 

The clock is ticking folks, and the answers are not far away.  What do you think Google should do?  Sound off below!

Via BGR, Engadget, CNET, Gizmodo, ars technica

Carrier: T-Mobile
Retail Price: $329.99
Phone Price: $129.99
Hot Features: Soft Touch Navigation Pad, MOTOBLUR

PhoneDog just can’t cram every bit of analysis, in-depth coverage, and tip/trick/how-to goodness onto our home page. So we’ve built a few more home pages to hold it all.  Whether it’s Android, BlackBerry, or iPhone that makes you tick, we’ve got the goods.

Here’s what’s going on right now on PhoneDog Media’s network sites: Today’s iPhone, BBerryDog and DroidDog.

iPad opens for pre-orders!  (Ordered mine.  What about you?)

New gestures coming for iPhone 4G?

From CrackBerry to iCrack: Stanford students are crazy about their iPhones

BlackBerry, top dog in marketshare

OS 5.0.0.548 found online for Tour 9630

RIM confirms plans to build plant in Brazil

Nexus One with Sense for Verizon

Get better battery life on your Nexus One

The DroidDog Daily 3/10/2010

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