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In an aggressive approach to promote mobile WiMAX, Sprint lowered the price of its 3G/4G mobile broadband service to $59.99 monthly.  The price cut was intended to “make it a no brainer for our customers to choose 4G,” spokeswoman Stephanie Vinge told FierceWireless.  She went on to say that the price cut reflects increasing economies of scale as Clearwire launches additional markets across the United States.

With Sprint’s 3G/4G service lowered to $59.99 (thus matching everyone else’s standard 3G mobile broadband plan), it makes sense to consider them for mobile broadband needs.  Sounds like I’ll consider switching my 3G-only Verizon Wireless mobile broadband plan over to Sprint.  With a solid 3G footprint and 4G as an added benefit, it’s quite the deal.  What about you – worth switching, or are you going to wait for the others to roll out LTE?

Via FierceWireless

We hear a lot of buzz about how technology is responsible for anti-social behavior or ADD, or that mobile phones cause cancer, etc. With so much negative press out there, it’s actually heartening to see cellular tech actually do some good.

Case in point: After the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, a Canadian woman stuck under a pile of rubble hailed her own rescue by texting the Foreign Affairs Department in Ottawa. The agency – which was roughly 3,000 miles away! — immediately contacted Canadian diplomats in Haiti, who launched a search for the trapped earthquake victim. Luckily, when they finally managed to locate her, she was still alive.

As for why she chose to text instead of call — well, that’s kind of a mystery. But if I’m ever trapped under rubble, with a voice probably silenced by a throat full of dust and dirt, I’d definitely want multiple ways of sending for help too.

This makes me wonder about touchscreen-only devices. In a calamity, how rugged are they? (It’s not likely she could’ve texted on a virtual keyboard with a shattered display, right?) While I’m not ready to give up my iPhone yet, having a secondary little clamshell with a hardware QWERTY is starting to sound like a good idea. (LG Lotus Elite, anyone?)

Via: ABC, PhoneArena, Gizmodo

Noah goes hands-on with LG’s new Snapdragon-packing, pico projector wearing smartphone, the eXpo for AT&T. This Windows Mobile 6.5 device features a touchscreen and side-sliding QWERTY keyboard, even though that projector isn’t available just yet.

According to the The Korea Times, Apple is already prepping the next-gen iPhone, with a launch that could be as early as April. But — and this important — that early launch date may not be for everyone.

Here’s the scoop: Apparently, this buzz originated from an executive of KT, South Korea’s exclusive  iPhone carrier. He claims that the new handset will debut for bigshot Korean corporate clients in April, but the public won’t get it until June. Now even if that’s the case, the move would still be a surprising one, given Apple’s penchant for big, hotly hyped launch events. And iPhones have historically been debuted for worldwide release in June or July, so wouldn’t this limited release steal some of that thunder?

Maybe not. In the past, the idea of an iPhone launch in advance of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) — which is believed to start June 28 — would’ve been unthinkable. That June 28 rumor was based on a report that a generic “Corporate Event” listing popped up in the Moscone Conference Center’s event calendar. (That type of listing has been a practice of Apple’s in the past.) But now — get this — that listing has since been removed from the conference center’s agenda.

In addition to the early launch date, the exec also asserts that the 4th generation phone will sport an OLED screen and video chat capability, plus a high probability that a removable battery will also be on board. Other claims include a dual core processor, and more powerful graphic chips capable of delivering higher video resolutions and capturing better still images.

We’ve all heard iPhone rumors every year since — well, since even before the device launched. What make these tidbits so interesting is that (1) they’re sourced from an exec with an Apple exclusive carrier and (2) the media’s widely been reporting that Apple needs to do something big to rein in the march of Android. Not only is there a greater number of Android handsets, say analysts, but the devices are getting increasingly faster and offering comparable features to the iPhone (such as Google’s own handset, the Nexus One).

As if this wasn’t enough to ponder, a spokesperson in Apple’s South Korean unit confirmed that the company is in discussions regarding launch timing for the new iPhone. (Wow, I must be dreaming. I can’t believe Apple’s actually responding to buzz. It’s the overseas unit, but still…)

“With KT, we’ve been in talks with other telecom carriers to gauge the launching timing of 4G iPhones in South Korea. More tech-oriented features will be added to the models,” a representative of Apple’s South Korean office said.

What could this mean for the U.S.? That’s hard to say. Just because it goes on limited release across the globe doesn’t necessarily mean that things will change here at home. (Then again, that Moscone Center reservation suddenly disappearing is kind of suspicious.) One thing’s for sure — If the next iteration of the iPhone does debut in April for Korean bigwigs, chances are good that info on the new device will be all over the webs shortly thereafter. (Especially if any of those bigshots have a techno-nerd for a kid.) So if there’s a grain of truth to this, at minimum, there’s a bright side to look forward to. We could get a real look at the new handset far earlier than what we’re used to.

(Hmmm. My uncle’s a Korean corporate exec in Seoul. Maybe I should ask him what device he’s packing…) 

Via: MacRumors, iSmashPhone

While the Storm, Tour, Pearl, Bold, and Curve 8300 series have either seen enhancements to their product line or are in the process of receiving them, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is one of the few RIM family members that has been relatively quiet over the past few months.

Days ago, UnwiredView reported that a “Curve 8910” had received Bluetooth SIG certification (see picture above), though no pictures were available at the time.  Shortly thereafter, a picture emerged (see below).  When it comes to detecting fake pictures, I’m no expert, but it looks like it has everything that would be expected out of an updated Curve 8900 – RIM’s new trackpad, a revised keyboard, new call icons, and OS 5.0.

More information to come as we get it.

Via UnwiredView, Engadget

CES 2010 Wrap-Up: Noah’s Top 5 Devices

4. Notion Ink Adam E-Reader

Why an E-Reader in my Top 5 CES Devices when it’s not a Kindle? Because this is the E-Reader that’s got Kindle rethinking its long-term future.

Notion Ink’s Adam takes the E-Reader concept and adds enormous value to it by way of Pixel Qi’s dual-mode display technology. People like E-Readers because their E-Ink screens are easier on the eyes than LCD display for long-term reading sessions. But $300 read-only devices are, and will always be, a niche market (even if the niche of “readers” is a fairly big one). Shoehorning everything from HTML Web browsers to Android OS into an E-Ink device adds functionality, but it’s greyscale functionality. And who really wants to browse the Web or watch Leno-vs-Conan video clips in greyscale?

Enter Pixel Qi and their technology that enables a single display panel to shift from an E-Ink-style high contrast greyscale, without backlighting, that’s optimized for displaying book-like text to a full-color LCD meant for computer-esque tasks like Web browsing and photo viewing. The tech isn’t 100% there yet, but it’s far enough along to clearly show a near-term future in which convergence rules and single purpose tablets like Kindle and Nook should be faced with rapidly declining sales figures. Of course Kindle and Nook are backed by two of the largest retailers of books on the planet, so don’t count them out just yet. But I’d bet we’re more likely to see subsequent K’s and N’s with similar dual-mode displays than without them.

Adam takes advantage of that multitasking display, if you will, by backing it with Android 2.0 and NVIDIA’s new Tegra 2 processor. By the time thing thing’s ready to ship, we should be seeing Android 2.1 (at least) and refined software including more and better text input options. And after Adam, don’t you think we’ll see more convergence devices with displays built to adapt to use cases and external conditions like direct sunlight?

As Jon Herrmann put it over on Gizmodo, “The bullet’s in the chamber. E Ink is going to die.” Which is good, because for as nifty a transitional technology as E-Ink is – I mean, has been – a $300 device that pulls off book reading and Web surfing has a lot more value in the global marketplace than a $300 dedicated E-Reader. No matter how many Kindles were gifted for Xmas 2009.

Previous: Palm Pre Plus

Next: Google Nexus One

Yes.  I couldn’t resist the play on words.

Joking aside, the Sony Ericsson “Faith” has been spotted, and from the looks of it, it’s running Windows Mobile 6.5.3.  Features are sparse at the moment, but the Faith (part of SE’s GreenHeart line) offers a 2.4-inch QVGA touchscreen to support 6.5.3’s gesture controls.  Given the lukewarm response to Windows Mobile in today’s marketplace, I figured Sony Ericsson had placed all of the eggs in the Android basket.  Could it be a renewed effort to make nice with Microsoft in order to prepare for the launch of Windows Mobile 7?  Engadget and I seem to think so.

The device is said to run European 3G bands – so no Faith in the States at the moment (and hey, it’s just a rumor anyway).  Would you buy it, or does the Android-powered X10 tickle your fancy?

Via Engadget

Verizon Wireless Touch Pro2 and Ozone owners sick of Windows Mobile 6.1 can breathe a sigh of relief, as Windows Mobile 6.5 has come to town.  Detailed instructions for downloading on the Touch Pro2 and the Ozone can be found at PCD’s website (PCD, previously known as UTStarcom, is the company that makes the devices for HTC).  All of your customizations and downloads will be lost when the device is upgraded, so be sure to back up necessary data.

As happy as I am for Windows Mobile customers, I’m not so sure that Windows Mobile 6.5 is relevant.  Sure, it still commands marketshare, but with Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry operating systems all major players, I’d say Windows Mobile 7 needs to hit the market sooner rather than later.

HTC’s original tweet can be found here.  Go get your download on and let us know what you think of the update!

Via BGR

CES 2010 Wrap-Up: Noah’s Top 5 Mobile Stories

4. I’m ready for WiMax overdrive. Is Sprint?

 

Aaron and I both attended Sprint’s way-over-the-top press event launching their Overdrive 3G/4G mobile hotspot. “Iron Chef” Mario Batali cooked at the event, and signed copies of his Italian Grill cookbook were handed out. I’m still not sure why he was there (okay, I am – to get people like me to write about the event), but that dude loves him some chili flakes in his arrabiata. Seriously, I love heat in my food, but his spicy tomato sauce was too much for me.

But I digress. Overdrive is Sprint’s first WiMax product for the mass market. Since Aaron lives in an area – Charlotte, NC – that actually gets Sprint 4G service, he got our review loaner. Since Las Vegas also gets Sprint WiMax, Aaron tried Overdrive out while at CES:

“Utilizing the 4G service in Las Vegas, I found that while the connection was incredibly fast (a noticeable difference over 3G), it disconnected on a regular basis.  I was told that the issue was a result of the CES cell site traffic – we’ll see when I put it through its paces here in Charlotte.”

I love the idea of 4G. I want me some 4G I want to ditch my home cable modem and my 3G USB data stick in favor of an Overdrive I can use at home, on the road, and everywhere in between. At $69.99/month, Sprint’s WiMax is pricier than a home Cable line, but cheaper than Cable plus cellular data. But we ain’t there yet – not when the service is only available in a few dozen locals, not including New York, LA, or (selfishly) the San Francisco Bay Area. Later this year we’ll get us some WiMax coverage, I hope. Though it remains to be seen if Sprint’s WiMax can maintain the early mover advantage it currently holds over Verizon’s forthcoming LTE rollout.

Previous: WebOS hits Verizon

Next: Nokia plays it low-end

 

 

In this business, we receive so many devices to test (particularly during the holidays), that it’s exceptionally challenging to focus on one device in order to provide a more in-depth, “real life” analysis.  Bucking the usual trend of reviewing several devices at once, I was fortunate enough to spend a few weeks with the DROID in one of my more personal “hands-on” tests.  Instead of reviewing it as a casual secondary device, I opted to use it as one of my main devices.  When I say “main” devices, I mean that it was carried around with me for a set number of weeks instead of subjected to tests in my office.  Since there’s a huge push behind the DROID, I wanted to see how it performed under pressure.

In this segment, I’m going to try and focus less on the typical review format (since it’s already been done, for one thing), and place my energy into my biased reasons of why I like and dislike the DROID.  That being said, you may agree with everything I say, some of it, or none of it.  This article is intended to tell you why I would or wouldn’t consider the Motorola DROID, not a list of reviewer specifications, general qualities, and performance numbers.

Here are my thoughts regarding the DROID:

• I absolutely love the 3.7-inch LCD display.  Absolutely stunning and a true pleasure to use, whether I was checking e-mails or browsing the web.  Text looked very crisp, and pictures were stunning.
• I am a fan of the hinge.  Having to slide it up manually instead of relying on a spring-loaded lever makes it feel more durable, in my opinion.
• I love Android 2.0.  I wish HTC’s Sense UI came pre-installed on all Android devices, but I love 2.0’s ability to add multiple Gmail accounts to the app.  I personally have three that I need checked on a regular basis, and it allows me to include them all.  Minus the lack of multitouch support, the DROID’s browser is fantastic, and looks great on the 3.7-inch screen.
• I am amazed by the near-perfect integration with Google services.  As I’ve said before, both myself and PhoneDog use Google services for a variety of things (my e-mail address, BBerryDog’s text hotline, and more), and the integration is second to none.  I’m not a huge fan of the way the Gmail application makes e-mail look (I still have to give BlackBerry points there for simplicity), but it’s a minor dislike.
• The keyboard, while not my favorite, became easier to use as time went on.  I’m not a fan of how it’s off-centered due to the D-pad, or how flat the keys are.  But like most things in the wireless world, if you take the time to learn it instead of putting it down out of frustration 15 minutes after picking it up (which, admittedly, I’ve done before), you might be surprised.
• The DROID’s battery life, as you know from my review, is one of the drawbacks of the device.  Each day that I used it as a “personal” device, it was dead before the day was over.  Yes, less than desirable battery life is to be expected with a smartphone to an extent, but it’s one of the tradeoffs of having a beautiful, large display.  Road warriors may want to test a friend’s before making a purchase (though you have 30 days).

Stay tuned for my next “real life” test – the Nokia N900!

 

CES 2010 Wrap-Up: Noah’s Top 5 Devices

3. Palm Pre Plus (Verizon)

Palm may not have made the huge splash this year that they did when they shocked the world with WebOS and the original Pre at last year’s show, but this year’s Palm CES announcements were still noteworthy. In addition to 3D gaming support and the soon to be released WebOS 1.4 with camcorder functionality amongst its free upgrades, Palm unleashed two WebOS devices as exclusives to the US’ largest carrier, Verizon Wireless.

The Pre Plus will be Palm’s flagship WebOS device when it hits Big Red later this month. With twice the internal storage of the original Pre, more RAM and unconfirmed reports of a faster processor, the new Pre should prove zippier when it comes to handling those new games and video capture tasks. Perhaps more importantly, though, Pre Plus sports a revamped keyboard that’s much more like the Pixi’s QWERTY than that of Pre. That’s a good thing – I found the new keyboard to be much easier and more accurate to type on than the original’s during my hands-on with the phone in Vegas. Pre Plus also comes standard with a Touchstone-compatible induction back cover and will support the new Verizon-only mobile hotspot app that’s also coming to Pixi Plus.

Refined hardware with double the memory? Check. Better QWERTY board? Check. Touchstone-ready back cover? Check. Support for 3D graphics backed by a new SDK for developers? Check. WebOS hitting the US’ largest carrier? Check. WebOS primed for big things in 2010? We’ll see .. 

Previous: LG GW990

Next: Notion Ink Adam

 

Here’s my CES travelogue to go along with Aaron’s, Adriana’s, and John’s thoughts on the show:

I had fun. I worked a lot. I ate a lot. I was tired and glad to get home. I always wear sneakers at these things to avoid blisters and foot issues that so many people get from three ten-plus hour days of walking. 3-D TV is awesome, though I don’t know if it’s actually any good.

Now for some photos:

Me with basketball legend Bill Walton at the Lenovo press conference (he’s the tall dude with hair).

Me with NYTimes tech writer David Pogue on the show floor (he’s the taller dude with hair).

Me with Iron Chef Mario Batali at the Sprint Overdrive event. He’s the dude on the platform with slightly more hair.

Me with Aaron (hair), John (hat), and Adriana (girl with hair) en route from somewhere to somewhere else at the show.

$500 million USD monthly, 70% of which goes to developers. Just wow. Go make some apps, eh?

Via: GigaOm

In the days leading up to CES, I can’t count the number of people who wished me luck and said, under their breath, “Man, I wish I were going. I’m jealous.”

To be honest, it really was like a geek’s fantasy land. Car accessories, cool appliances packing processors and OSes, crazy-thin HDTVs (not to mention 3D TVs, which had one Mr. Noah Kravitz riveted) and — of course — mobile devices and accessories. And much much more.

 

A CES Newbie in Wonderland

It wasn’t just the variety of categories and the cool factor of next-generation consumer technologies, but it was also the sheer size of the show. I mean, even as a CES newbie, I knew the show was big. Like everyone else, I’ve been watching all the reports on TV or the internet for years. So I was ready for “big.” But crazy, enormous, huge, multiple convention center–occupyingly massive? Not so much. At one point, I was tempted to knock one dude off his Segway, just so I could give my swollen feet a rest and pilfer a ride from one end of the show to the other. (If anyone’s ever been to Comic Con in New York, let me just say that this is at least four times the size of that, probably more.)

There were pre-show announcements and post-show parties, and in between we got a peek at lots of interesting stuff. First off, eReaders are the new black. Seems like everyone and their Hong Kong factory-running grandmas are coming out with them at different price points. And at one point, I was hypnotized by a robotic mop and duster called Mint, which was capable of swiffering your hardwoods from corner to corner automatically. I hate cleaning, so this one really piqued my interest. (Either that, or I just like Jetsons-inspired gadgets.)

 

The Phones, Good Grief!, the Phones
And of course, there were phones. In fact, the show was like Androidopolis up in there. Is the Backflip an innovative new form factor or a pointless gimmick? (Depends on taste. For me, the latter.) Is Sony Ericsson’s Snapdragon-packing Xperia X10 as cool on the outside as it is on the inside? (Form factor’s nice. They just need to work out the bugs.) What about LG’s new Android phone, the GT540? (Cute-looking phone, but Android’s not quite so sexy on it.) The Nexus One, of course, made a cameo there, as the media huddled around the sleek new handset, oohing and aahing at the live wallpapers.

WebOS fans got some juice at CES as well. Palm and Pixi on Verizon alone is a big deal, but the fact that they’ll both be capable of acting as mobile hotspots for connecting laptops to the web? Sweet! To think, just the news of Pixi getting Wifi and the Pre getting a better keyboard were enough to excite me, but this? That’s like taking a perfectly cooked Filet Mignon and throwing some extra awesome sauce on it.

If anyone ever doubted that this is the year of the touchscreens, a walk through the Las Vegas Convention Center last week would’ve silenced them for good. It seemed like everything had one. Even the little messaging feature phone called the LG Lotus Elite got an external touchscreen.

There were also plenty of handsets that aren’t available in the U.S. — like the LG Chocolate BL40, with its huge 4-inch HD widescreen display — which actually felt a little cruel. Why show us stuff we can’t have? Ah yes, to show off their eye for design and make us drool. That, I guess, is sort of the point of CES.

On my last day, I wandered the iLounge area for hours, making contacts and hoarding products to review for our upcoming network site, TodaysiPhone.com. (I swear, I think 60% of those booths were made up of phone cases. But the others showed off some pretty interesting stuff, so if you’re into iPhone accessories, make sure to check out the new site when it launches.)

 

Final Thoughts
So in short, there was a lot of great action at the show. And if all there was to this writer’s experience was that I got to see these devices up close, I would’ve been darn happy. But no, two more things happened that elevated this trip from good to gobsmackingly great:

(1) I finally got to meet my crew! Aaron and I are combat buddies, having covered CTIA together, but I’d never met Noah or John in person. And after having worked with them long distance for over a year, it was amazing to rub Noah’s bald head for good luck at the show and gab like childhood friends with John, as we pounded the pavement from one hall to the next. And Aaron, my bud, is as cool as ever. (See? Now if a BlackBerry dude, an Android expert and an iPhone gal can be friends, can’t we all get along?)

(2) And last but not least, I got to meet my hero! As a tech blogger, no one has influenced me more than this man, and I have to admit I was starstruck when I actually got to shake his hand. (I’ll leave this one as a quiz: Can you identify the person below? Your whole geek cred hangs on this.)

So that was my trip in a nutshell. All in all, those few days were amazing. And I’ll need another week to recover from it all. But even on the flight home — as I slept in my crowded plane, with my head sliding against the windows and my knees banging the seat in front of me — I had a huge smile on my face. Thank you, PhoneDog and all you PD readers for making this trip possible. If I could’ve, I would’ve brought every one of you with me. But hopefully the coverage made you feel like you were there, which was the whole point of the trip.

Adriana and her tech journo hero. Can you identify this man?

While at the Consumer Electronics Show, and all the way to this very day, I’ve been asked the same question: Aaron, what was the most interesting thing you saw at CES?

If there’s anything that I picked up from CES 2010, it’s the fact that Android is king.  Thanks in part to the versatility of Android, the OS is being utilized in almost every mainstream electronic appliance on the marketplace.  From upcoming tablet PC’s to netbooks to eBook readers to refrigerators, Android is being implemented as the operating system of choice.  I knew Android was up and coming, but the sheer number of products showcasing Google’s OS was staggering.  Move over Apple, you have a competitor coming up fast, and they have the benefit of diversity.

The rest of the news – on the wireless front, at least – was mostly expected.  Palm announced the Pre Plus and the Pixi Plus, both destined to Verizon Wireless on January 25th.  With a new navigational input pad similar to the Pixi’s, 16 GB of storage space, an improved keyboard and slider mechanism, a Touchstone back installed out of the box, and Wireless Hotspot, the Pre Plus is quite the upgrade.  The Palm Pixi Plus offers Wi-Fi, and that’s about it.  Both are said to sport “upgraded” processors, though I couldn’t get anyone to disclose an official number.

The Motorola Backflip, which appears to be AT&T’s first Android smartphone (I know it’s not announced as of yet, but c’mon AT&T, don’t put the stock Backflip picture in your keynote address unless you want people to make assumptions), sports a unique, albeit mildly irritating design.  I’m sure that many will disagree, but their thoughts will likely change when the phone is mistakenly placed in a puddle of condensation on the table.

Sprint’s Overdrive product was a welcome addition to the marketplace, but nothing earth shattering.  We knew that the carrier was working feverishly on their WiMAX coverage footprint, and the MiFi-esque Overdrive product serves as an attempt to further their marketshare (a good idea, considering no other wireless carrier is offering 4G at this time).  When 4G isn’t available, the unit reverts back to 3G.  Other improvements include a display with connectivity information, signal strength, number of users, and battery life.

On the accessory front, RIM announced the BlackBerry Presenter, which is clearly targeted towards a particular demographic (see video for a demonstration).  Like it sounds, the BlackBerry Presenter allows BES users to play Powerpoint presentations in the board room.  Features include the ability to freeze, activate a blank screen, view speaker notes, and more.

My favorite part about the trip…was meeting my colleagues!
Though few readers knew (until we started discussing it before and during the trip), most of the PhoneDog editors hadn’t met in person, with the exception of Adriana and I during CTIA Fall 2009 in San Diego.  While the technology was the focus of the convention, being able to spend time with the PhoneDog Crew was the greatest perk of the trip.  I can’t say enough positive words about these guys, so I’ll leave it at that.

So, my take – stay tuned, because Android is going to be an industry changer.  Palm is back in the game, landing on the nation’s largest wireless carrier (with rumors of an announcement on AT&T soon).  Motorola has joined the Android bandwagon, and seems to be successful.  What will the future hold?  Considering the increasingly present convergence between the computer and wireless worlds, your guess is as good as mine.

I was very lucky to have had the opportunity to attend CES for the first time this year and was also lucky enough to arrive one day earlier and leave one day later than my colleagues. I thought that would leave me a little Vegas time. I did spin the occasional one-armed bandit before any tech events and I was able to see the BODIES exhibit (for the second time) while waiting for my flight out. What I didn’t realize, when scheduling my time in Las Vegas, was just how much stuff would be packed into our three official work days. CES is huge.

CES is huge not just in terms of the level of participation, number of products, and sheer volume of attendies, but also in how it is arranged physically. Or, should I say geographically? Even if you limit the “real” event to the enourmous collection of booths and anouncements that occur within the walls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the scale is staggering. And while I was there specifically with Android in mind (and therefore kept my eyes and ears open specifially for related products) it seemed to me like Google’s OS had a very strong presense throughout a good chunk of the festivities. It really is everywhere.

Of course we saw the Nexus One and Sony Ericsson’s X10, as well as the anticipated Motorola Backflip, but there were a suprizing number of cool Android products that I was expecting that turned out to be better than I had imagined. I also saw a lot of doohickies that I never even thought to imagine at all. There was LG’s GW620, and GT540, Spring Designs’ Alex e-reader. Android-powered microwave and the Compal Tegra-powered tablet were present as well. All of them cool, but unlikely to be found in my posession. Although Nexus is the most likely next purchase on my list, I’d have to say the most fascinating things I saw at CES occured at a Lenovo press conference.

Lenovo is into the idea of snaping gadgets into shells for the purpose of modular compatability. The IdeaPad – a Linux tablet that pops into a laptop lid to become a Windows computer – is probably the most dramatic example we saw of this concept. But Lenovo’s new OPhone (Android-cased OS) powered LePhone seems more practical an example. This one is ready for a snap-on QWERTY, dashboard cradles, and who knows what else. Oh, and it is sexy. Sadly, this one is slated for China and we may not see an equivalent in the States for some time. I’ll be keeping an out.

I personally enjoyed meeting up with the other PhoneDogs at CES…really for the sake of meeting up with the other PhoneDogs! The tech coverage (and chance to fiddle with electronics) is gravy. I don’t expect to be attending too many more events like it. These things are much easier to cover from my office. Now to catch up on all these notes I have…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CES 2010 Wrap-Up: Noah’s Top 5 Mobile Stories

3. WebOS hits Verizon

Palm Pre Plus – Hands-On @ CES

WebOS is my favorite mobile OS right now, even if it’s not quite as “expandable” as Android or iPhone OS when it comes to apps and accessories. That should change in the coming months thanks to Palm’s developer-friendly CES announcements and the launch of Verizon’s first two WebOS devices: Pre Plus and Pixi Plus.

Palm Pixi Plus – Hands-On @ CES

Pre and Pixi rock on Sprint, but the addition of Big Red more than doubles WebOS’ available install base. Now if only Ralph de la Vega would get his business in order so we could get some GSM WebOS devices happening, as well.

Palm Pre / Pre Plus 3D Gaming Demo @ CES 2010

 

Previous: Tablets! That’s what we want, right?

Next: I’m ready for WiMax overdrive. Is Sprint?

Want a Nexus One?  Sounds great, but be sure to keep it at least 121 days, or you’ll be charged an early termination fee by both Google and T-Mobile.

Billed as an “Equipment Recovery Fee” on Google’s end, canceling a two-year T-Mobile agreement prior to day 121 will cost you $350.  What’s more, this is in addition to any fees charged on T-Mobile’s end.  With their $200 early termination fee, the device will cost you a total of $550 in fees if canceled in the first four months.

So, to recap, here’s the full termination fee schedule:

• Cancel within the first four months: $550 ($350 from Google, $200 from T-Mobile)
• Cancel between four months and eighteen months: $200 (T-Mobile only)
• Cancel between eighteen months and twenty-one months: $100 (T-Mobile only)
• Cancel between twenty-one months and the end of the contract: $50 (T-Mobile only)

Something sounds a bit fishy here.  Assuming the typical deal is in place, T-Mobile pays Google for each Nexus One sold on a two-year agreement.  If the subscriber cancels before a set date (I’m assuming 120 days in this case), T-Mobile recoups the money paid to Google (known as a “chargeback”).  So, while one company does stand to lose money (and should be free to charge a reasonable termination fee), both demanding a payment seems a bit off.

Verizon’s “Advanced Devices” ETF, Google/T-Mobile’s $550 combo…is this on track to become the next industry trend?

Via Engadget

 

CES 2010 Wrap-Up: Noah’s Top 5 Devices

2. LG GW990 Intel-Based Superphone

If Google’s calling their Snapdragon-based Nexus One a “superphone,” then LG has the right to call their Intel Atom-packing GW990 darn near anything they want. The GW990, with its 4.8″ widescreen display and Ultra Low Voltage Intel Moorestown processor, won’t hit the market until later this year, and isn’t, in its current incarnation, the most practical device for sticking in your pocket and using for a daily diet of calls and texts. But man, is it nifty.

We got a back-room demo of the GW990 in action, and most of what we saw was meant to show off how much it can do, and how much it can do all at the same time. First we saw high-def video being played at full 1024 x 480 resolution. Then we saw the video shrunk into a half-sized window to make room for a newly-launched SMS window next to it. Then we saw both of those windows minimized a tad more to make way for the launching of a calendar app. Three apps running side by side by side without a hitch – nary an audiovisual stutter was to be seen or heard the whole way through.

LG said the GW990 – or other devices like it – could run Android or another Linux-based platform when it launches later this year (if i understood them correctly, anyway). The demo we saw used LG’s own S-Class UI, which looked great but doesn’t quite have the marketability of, say, “The world’s fastest Android phone.” Snapdragons beware: ULV Atoms are coming to town. The jury’s still out on what mobile processor will wind up yielding the best combination of performance, portability and battery life, but in Vegas last week all eyes were on that Intel-based LG GW990.

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CES 2010 Wrap-Up: Noah’s Top 5 Mobile Stories

2. Tablets! That’s what we want, right?

I spent a lot of time talking with Aaron, Adriana and John about whether or not the market actually wants – let alone needs – tablet computers. Either way, we’re going to have them foisted upon us in record numbers this year. Without even mentioning the Apple tablet that the blogs and stock traders are so excited about, we saw a ton of tablets and tablet concepts at CES. Many of them ran either Android or another Linux-based OS. A good handful of them were built on NVIDIA’s new Tegra 2 chipset. All of them promised light weight, all-day battery life, and drool-worthy multimedia performance. 

Two tablets, in particular, are on my “keep an eye on it” list right now:

 

ICD’s Verizon-bound Ultra LTE Tablet

This 7″ touchscreen slate was being shown in prototype form, and is slated for release on Verizon when the carrier begins rolling out its LTE (4G) network later this year. Built around Tegra 2 and a Motorola LTE radio, the device should be able to handle Hi-Def video including 1080p output via HDMI, and of course be suitable for all sorts of on-the-go Internet tasks.

 

Notion Ink’s Adam E-Reader/Tablet

(Image Via: Gizmodo)

Also shown in prototype form, Adam uses Pixel Qi’s awesome new display technology that an shift from E Ink to LCD in a few blinks of an eye. I know plenty of readers who love their Kindles, but a greyscale only device seems so mono-purpose to me in today’s age of convergence. Enter Pixel Qi’s 10.1″ transflective screen, which has one mode that looks much like E Ink (for reading) and another that’s a backlit color LCD (for everything else). Adam runs Android 2.0 and, yes, has Tegra 2 inside.

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