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

Released at CES 2009, the Palm Pre (and Pre Plus, for that matter) are a bit long in the tooth.  What’s more, the Pre and Pixi have a notorious reputation for being somewhat slow.  I love webOS, but am concerned that if they don’t get their act together, it’s going to become obsolete.

Apparently, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang believes the same.  In an interview with Laptop Magazine, he went to bat for webOS:

“But it sure would be an honor to work on webOS. It’s a great operating system. If you look at the first generation of webOS phones, the Palm Pre, the UI is just brilliant. It’s just too slow. So it needs a faster processor. Otherwise, it’s a great operating system.”

A fast processor, combined with a great operating system?  Sounds good to me.  Come up with a revised form factor, and I’m all ears.

Via PreCentral

In case you don’t have the time or desire to read or watch full-length reviews, I’ve summarized my take on the recent wave of smartphones for you. 

Click here for the index of my latest smartphone Quick Takes.

HTC Evo 4G (Sprint) – $199, June 4 

So long as you don’t find it too large or too heavy, which some of you will, Evo 4G is the best smartphone on the market right now. Android 2.1 and HTC Sense are smooth as butter on Evo, and the massive 4.3″ display looks great and makes for the roomiest virtual QWERTY board imaginable. Sprint’s $10/month “Premium Data” surcharge is incredibly annoying, though, considering that 4G isn’t yet available in most of the country.

{Widget type=”youtube” id=”ZuiYfc6v5PA”}

Following up on our previous reports that the BlackBerry Pearl 3G may not be headed to T-Mobile, it looks like the new consumer-friendly ‘Berry actually will be heading to the No. 4 carrier.  T-Mobile users can finally breath a sigh of relief, because the AWS device passed through the FCC today ready for use on T-Mobile in the U.S. as well as WIND and Mobilicity up in Canada.  Both the 14-key and 20-key versions went through, so BlackBerry fans on T-Mobile will have their choice of keyboards when the device finally lands.  AT&T and T-Mobile have yet to acknowledge the devices so we don’t have any info yet on pricing or availability, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated as we learn more.

Today Dell finally made official what we’ve known about for some time.  The Dell Streak (previously Dell Mini 5) will be launching early June on O2 UK (that’s next month/one week away!) and just as Michael Dell said, it will be headed to the US (on AT&T?) later this summer.  The Streak has been surfing the interwebs for a good while now and recently made an appearance on a product roadmap revealed by Engadget.  Though the device is intended to be a 5-inch tablet, it does contain the appropriate hardware to be used as a phone on GSM networks, and with 3G on AT&T – if the FCC is any indication.  Here are a few specs to keep you going, full press release below:

• Android platform complete with Android Market and Dell user interface enhancements
• ARM-based Processor: Qualcomm’s powerful and efficient Snapdragon chipset and software platform with integrated 1GHz processor
• 3G + WiFi + Bluetooth
• UMTS / GPRS / EDGE class 12 GSM radio with link speeds of up to HSDPA 7.2 Mbps* / HSDPA
• 5 MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash. Easy point, shoot, and uploads to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and more
• User accessible Micro SD expandable memory available up to 32 GB*. Store up to 42 movies* or 32,000 photos*, or 16,000 songs* with 32GB* Micro SD

DELL STREAK TABLET ENTICES PEOPLE TO WATCH, SURF, CONNECT, LISTEN, AND PLAY ON 5” OF POWER AND PORTABILITY

· Streak to launch early June in the UK exclusively on O2

· Available at O2 stores, O2.co.uk, The Carphone Warehouse and later next month at Dell.co.uk

· U.S. availability to arrive later this summer

BRACKNELL, UK – May 25, 2010 – Today, Dell released plans for Streak, a 5-inch Android™-based Tablet designed to provide people the best “on-the-go” entertainment, social connection, and navigation experience. Early this June the Dell Streak will be available across the UK at O2 stores, O2.co.uk, The Carphone Warehouse, and later in the month at Dell.co.uk. Pricing and data plans for the UK will be announced by O2 ahead of availability. Later this summer, Dell plans to make Streak available in the U.S.

The Dell Streak is a compact and powerful companion for people who want to expand their ability to access their digital lives on the go, and realize tomorrow’s technology today. The spacious 5-inch screen is ideal for experiencing thousands of Android Market™ widgets, games and applications, all without squinting or compromising portability. Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and available 3G connectivity brings easy access for downloading and listening to music, updating social networking status in real-time, and staying connected to friends and family through e-mail, text, IM, and voice calls.

On-the-go students, mobile professionals, and active families will find Streak’s web-browsing capabilities as natural as a laptop. The 5-inch screen is large enough to present Web pages in their natural form, create a comfortable viewing experience, and make turn-by-turn navigation simple and safe. The Dell Streak leverages Qualcomm’s Snapdragon™ solution with integrated 1GHz processor to combine basic functionality, performance, and benefits of a laptop in a pocket friendly size.

“The Dell Streak hits the sweet spot between traditional smartphones and larger-screen tablets,” said Ron Garriques, president, Dell Communication Solutions Group. “Its unique size provides people new ways to enjoy, connect, and navigate their lives.”

The Dell Streak was designed with the future in mind and will support over-the-air updates including platform upgrades, Adobe Flash 10.1 on Android™ 2.2 later this year, video chat applications and other software innovations.

Dell is a member of the Open Handset Alliance™ (OHA), a group of technology and mobile companies working together to accelerate innovation in mobility. Together, the OHA created Android, the first complete, open, and free mobile platform to provide people a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience.

Key Features:

Integrated Google Maps™ with turn-by-turn navigation, street and satellite views

· A full screen browsing experience with a 5-inch capacitive multi-touch WVGA display

· Easily integrated social media apps: Twitter™, Facebook, YouTube

· High resolution 5 MP camera, VGA front facing camera, removable battery, built-in Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth connectivity options

· 2GB* of internal dedicated storage provides plenty of space to access and download Google Android Market’s many options

· Packaged with cushions made from 100 percent sustainable, compostable bamboo

Specifications:

Android platform complete with Android Market and Dell user interface enhancements

ARM-based Processor: Qualcomm’s powerful and efficient Snapdragon chipset and software platform with integrated 1GHz processor

3G + WiFi + Bluetooth

UMTS / GPRS / EDGE class 12 GSM radio with link speeds of up to HSDPA 7.2 Mbps* / HSDPA

5 MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash. Easy point, shoot, and uploads to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and more

User accessible Micro SD expandable memory available up to 32 GB*. Store up to 42 movies* or 32,000 photos*, or 16,000 songs* with 32GB* Micro SD

Chinese gadget manufacturer Foxconn, best known for making Apple’s iDevices, has been in the news quite a bit lately, and none of it has been good.  The company has often been accused of providing poor working conditions for its employees including verbal abuse, abysmal pay, and being forced to work far more overtime than is legally allowed.  Today, another worker fell off one of Foxconn’s buildings, making him the ninth person to die at the company in 2010.  The CEO of Foxconn, Guo Tai-Ming, spoke out recently and stated that the company is “definitely not a sweatshop,” going on to say that with nearly 900,000 employees around the world, they have a lot to do, but that the situation would be stabilized soon.

Sure, you can drop $549.99 for the myTouch 3G Slide at Best Buy (that’s full retail, in case you were wondering), but for those not looking to spend their life savings, Walmart has opened pre-orders for the Android-powered device.  Though it’s $20 higher than T-Mobile’s price, Walmart’s $199.99 price skips the mail-in rebate.  The remaining question is whether the device will ship in time for the June 2nd launch date.  Anyone planning a purchase?

Via TmoNews

• Video Share Calling for live streaming over the ultra-fast AT&T 3G network
• 3G for accelerated data speeds and simultaneous voice and data capabilities
• Audience® Voice Processor
• Dimensions: 4.01 x 2.05 x 0.86 inches
• Weight: 3.52 ounces
• Battery details: 1300 mAh
• Technology: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA*
• Frequency: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz (GSM/GPRS/EDGE); 850/1900/2100 MHz (UMTS/HSDPA)*
• Display: Internal: 2.2-inch TFT; External: 1.3-inch CSTN
• TTY Compatible

It may not be a smartphone, but it should survive your kids!  Any takers?

Via AT&T

AT&T and Samsung Mobile Announce Upcoming Availabilty of the Samsung Rugby(R) II

Next Generation Rugged Phone Runs on AT&T’s Push to Talk Network

Dallas, Texas, May 25, 2010

AT&T* and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the  No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S.**, today announced the upcoming availability of the Samsung Rugby® II, the next generation Push to Talk device with a durable, military-grade design that can stand up to the harshest of elements.  Available exclusively for AT&T customers, the Rugby II will be compatible with AT&T’s High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 Mbps technology, which provides a considerable speed boost to the nation’s fastest 3G network when paired with expanded backhaul.

The Rugby II, available in a grey, rugged clamshell design, features improved noise suppression and an external speaker making it easier to communicate regardless of the environment. In addition, the Rugby II is also certified to military standard MIL-STD-810G to withstand dust, shock, vibration, rain, humidity, solar radiation, altitude and temperature extremes, ideal for use even in the toughest of environments.

“The Samsung Rugby II offers our customers a sturdy phone that can withstand some of the roughest environments,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “This is a no-nonsense, durable device with easy-to-use features like Push-to-Talk and a one-touch button to keep you in touch with your contacts while backed by the nation’s fastest 3G network.”

With advanced aGPS capabilities, users can stay on the right track. The Rugby II features AT&T Navigator, which offers voice-guided and visual turn-by-turn GPS driving directions with automatic reroute, full-color maps, and real-time traffic alerts, as well as AT&T Family Map, which gives families the ability to track a child’s location from a PC or cell phone and request location updates at any time. The Rugby II also includes access to aGPS applications, including Loopt, Trimble Outdoors, AllSport GPS and Where.

The Rugby II enables AT&T’s Mobile Resource Management applications, TeleNav Track™ and Xora GPS Timetrack from AT&T, and is great for transportation, distribution, construction, field service, maintenance, landscaping, and other businesses and government agencies looking to increase visibility of their field operations, monitor track location and activities of their employees, and improve responsiveness and productivity. 

In addition to a robust design, the Rugby II includes large external speakers, which allow for ease of use with AT&T’s Push to Talk service , which covers 97% of the U.S. population.  Push to Talk gives customers the ability to pull an entire work group into a wireless call from a PTT session and the ability to set one’s own status to available, unavailable, do not disturb and more.  Push to Talk is available to AT&T customers for just $5 per month on Nation Plan lines.

“Following the success of the Rugby, Samsung is introducing the Rugby II, a rugged and durable device with an enhanced external speaker and new aGPS applications,” said Omar Khan, chief strategy officer, Samsung Mobile. “This device allows a workforce to stay in touch with the push of a button and its design can withstand everyday wear and tear.”

Rugby II is equipped with one of the world’s most intelligent voice processor from Audience to enhance voice and suppress noise for clear communications nearly anywhere.  Like the human ear, the chip isolates your voice, and filters out all the unwanted background noise, for unsurpassed mobile call clarity without the noise from a busy street, loud public places, nearby conversations or even sirens going by. 

The Samsung Rugby II also includes AT&T Video Share, Mobile Video and AT&T Mobile Music to keep you entertained on and off the job. Additional features of the Rugby II included a 2.0 megapixel camera with video recording, Bluetooth® technology and a microSD™ memory card slot. The Rugby II also includes dual-band 3G connectivity and quad-band GSM technology, which allows AT&T customers to make calls in more than 220 countries and download data in more than 195.

Pricing and Availability

The Samsung Rugby II will be available on June 6 at AT&T retail locations nationwide or at http://www.att.com/wireless for $129.99 after $50 mail-in rebate.  (Pay $179.99 and after mail-in rebate receive $50 AT&T Promotion Card.  Two-year agreement required.)

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com.  For more information on the Samsung Rugby II, visit www.att.com/SamsungRugbyII.

Technology: GSM
Announced Carrier: AT&T
Announced Release Date: June 6, 2010

The Rugby II is a ruggedized device that offers push-to-talk capabilities behind it’s military standard certifications (MIL-STD810G).  Other key features include a 2MP camera with video capture, MobiTV, AT&T radio, 19.2 MHz processor speed, and internal memory of 70MB.   

The Rugby II is now the third device behind the Palm Pixi Plus, and LG Vu Plus announced by AT&T with a June 6th launch date.

Alright, so it’s one thing to leave your highly confidential unreleased phone in a bar after a night of drinking because its your birthday and you want to forget your woes, but leaving it in a Gym?  What, you worked out so hard you became euphoric and it slipped your mind?  That’s what Gizmodo is saying happened with the latest yet-to-be-released device they’ve uncovered.  The device in question is what we’ve been referring to as the Motorola DROID Shadow.  It has also been known as the Nexus Two in the past and is said to have the following specs:

• 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen
• 8MP Camera with autofocus
• microSD up to 32GB
• Android 2.2 
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1

According to the story, the gym employee who (was snooping around) found the device confirmed that it comes with 16GB of internal storage, a Snapdragon processor, HDMI port, 8MP camera and 4.3 inch touchscreen.  So far it’s looking like the information above is lining right up.  As you might expect the device mysteriously became locked not long after the gym employee found it, but he managed to scope out a text message that somehow confirmed it was an unreleased device before that happened.

I’m not really sure what to think of all these people “leaving behind” their secretive devices, so why don’t you just tell me what to think in the comments!

Via Gizmodo

June is set to be an exciting month for wireless technology enthusiasts.  Between the release of the HTC EVO 4G and the expected announcement of the next generation iPhone, who can be blamed for getting a little giddy?  And though the two aforementioned phones will be launched on Sprint and AT&T respectively, T-Mobile also has a few tricks up its sleeve.  We already know that the MyTouch 3G Slide is launching on June 2nd, but thanks to an Engadget tipster, it would appear the MT3G Slide won’t be launching alone.  

The Garmin-Asus Garminphone – which we already expected to launch in June for $200 – is now appearing in the above image as “Available 6/02/10.”  The Garminfone is expected to be launched with Android 1.6 (unfortunately), a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen, 3-megapixel autofocus camera with digital zoom, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, microSD expansion up to 32GB and as you might expect, a slew of navigations features like turn-by-turn directions as well as other pre-installed travel apps.

It may not be the hottest device to hit the streets, but there’s no question this phone will definitely have a market in frequent travelers and men who don’t want to stop for directions.  What do you think of the Garminfone?  Fell free to drop your thoughts in the comments!

Via Engadget

There’s a lot going on in the iPhone world these days.  We’ve seen no shortage of next-gen iPhone leaks, and we’ve just recently heard that the 8GB iPhone 3G is getting close to the end of its life.  According to MSNBC, today Wal-Mart has said they will be selling the 16GB iPhone 3GS for $97 with a two-year AT&T contract.  The new price is supposed to go in effect Tuesday May 25, 2010 (that’s tomorrow if you weren’t sure).  Obviously, this adds to the on-going speculation that a new iPhone will be ushered in within the coming weeks, only to be made official sometime around 10:00am CST (that’s Cupertino standard time if you were curious) on June 7th at the opening keynote of WWDC.

Anyone plan on heading down to Wal-Mart tomorrow, or would you prefer to wait for the next-gen goodness?  Give us a shout in the comments!

Via MSNBC

T-Mobile sent out a press release today announcing that they have continued to build out their HSPA+ network that provides download speeds up to 21 Mbps.  As of today, T-Mobile customers in the northeast United States have access to the super fast download and upload speeds, including everyone in Upstate New York (Buffalo, Albany, Rochester, Syracuse), Connecticut (Hartford, New Haven, Milford, and Stamford), and Providence, Rhode Island.  The new network expansion has also been lit up in Memphis, Tennessee and Las Vegas, Nevada.  In addition to all of these expansions, T-Mobile has continued to strengthen their high-speed HSPA+ network in the New York City metropolitan area.  Lastly, T-Mobile has stated that they have plans to continue to flip the high speed switch in Boston and Washington D.C. in the next few weeks, and they will continue to expand their HSPA+ footprint in the coming months to cover 100 major metropolitan areas in the U.S.  Are any of you in one of the areas that just received T-Mobile’s HSPA+ speeds?  Tell us your experiences below!

True to the company’s motto, should our tipster be correct, the company has been working on something “quietly brilliant” for AT&T. 

One of our connects that works for AT&T has pinged us to let us know about an upcoming Android device.  Dubbed the HTC Aria, it will be unveiled at an event on June 7th (which oddly enough, coincides with WWDC).  Details are sparse, but we’ve been told that the unit will be running Android 2.1 with HTC’s Sense UI. 

Our guess?  Verizon has the DROID Incredible, Sprint has the EVO 4G, and T-Mobile has the Nexus One, so it’s time for AT&T to get something cool.  Besides, AT&T has already confessed to five Android devices (including at least one from HTC), so it falls right in line.

Stay tuned for pictures and additional specifications as we receive them!

Want to unlock your AT&T phone to use on another carrier or overseas?  As of today, you finally have that opportunity.  Boy Genius Report has said that as part of a class action lawsuit, AT&T has agreed to unlock your device as long as you fit into their criteria.  Pre-paid customers must provide a proof-of-purchase for the device and post-paid customers must have an account with at least 90 days of “active service” and be in good standing with the carrier.  There is one other catch: You won’t be able to unlock the BlackBerry Bold 9000 or the iPhone.  AT&T says that they will not unlock a device that they have an exclusivity period of 10 months or more on, which means that owners of two of their biggest phones are out of luck.  This doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering that they don’t want people buying iPhones and then bolting for another carrier, but it must be good news for some of you AT&T subscribers out there.  So, are any of you looking to take advantage of this and have your phone unlocked?  Tell us!

The BlackBerry Bold 9800 slider seems to be stealing all of the headlines away from Froyo, the new iPhone, and just about every other device today.  This time we’ve got a nearly four minute video of the phone showing several new features of BlackBerry OS 6 in action, including using mobile YouTube.  The OS does seem slightly buggy, but hopefully those issues will be ironed out by the 9800’s alleged release next month.  An important piece of the video comes right at the beginning when the user starts up the device and we are shown an AT&T splash screen, confirming that the Bold 9800 is fated to compete with the new iPhone on AT&T next month.  Has this video made you more excited for the Bold 9800 slider?

{Widget type=”youtube” id=”9VW-EnRz_fY”}

In a move that makes complete sense (given that the next-generation iPhone is right around the corner), BGR is reporting that Apple has stopped shipments of the iPhone 3G 8 GB.  The $99 sensation is likely to be replaced by the iPhone 3GS upon release of the iPhone HD/4G, but it’s interesting nonetheless.  For those interested in the 3G, be sure to pick it up before it’s too late!

Via BGR

At a Developer Day event in South Africa today, Samsung tried to emulate Google by giving every attendee a free Samsung Wave to help stimulate interest in their Bada OS.  Sure, it may not be an EVO 4G, but it is sure to get some people interested in developing for their platform.  At the event, Samsung also revealed some details on their upcoming application store for Bada:

Technology: GSM
Announced Carrier: AT&T
Announced Release Date: June 6, 2010

The LG Vu Plus upgrades from it’s original model design by adding a 4 row full slide-out QWERTY keyboard to the 3″ touchscreen.  Other key features include support for FLO TV, 7.2 HSPA 3G connectivity, and a 3MP camera with video capture.

While LG is still producing Windows Mobile 6 devices, they’re also gearing up for the release of Windows Phone 7 by sending the LG Panther (GW910) to developers.  Innovative Singapore received two of the phones and have been putting them through the paces ever since.  Overall, they say that while the device is feature-complete and very responsive, everything is still very much in the prototype stage, including the packaging.  New builds of the OS on the phone are being sent out almost every other night, Innovative Singapore says, so it sounds like things are progressing nicely for Windows Phone 7.  Are you looking forward to picking up a WP7 device when it launches later this year?  Share your opinion with us!