Jul 13

BlackBerry 6 Sneak Peek Reveals New Features

Posted in: BlackBerry, Today's Chili
BlackBerry 6.jpg
The BlackBerry platform looks to be taking a large step forward this summer with the release of BlackBerry 6. Sneak peeks are starting to show up on the company’s blog and in a YouTube video that was released this week.
Highlights include a completely redesigned home screen, universal search, and context-sensitive menus. A new Social Feeds app integrates information from social networking sites into one coherent stream, when you’re ready to share the latest personal news you can update several networks at once with simultaneous postings.
Other new features include an updated BlackBerry Browser that is powered by WebKit and offers support for pinch/zoom, BlackBerry Messenger, an integrated RSS reader, and an enhanced media interface.
Full details have not yet been announced, but the company is planning to release BlackBerry 6 this summer. You can see the YouTube video after the break.
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Jul 08

OtterBox Launches Six Commuter and Defender Cases

Posted in: case, Today's Chili

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You’ve got to keep that investment safe. Smartphone are expensive, and so easy to drop. The only thing you can do is buy a good sturdy case. Helping out is OtterBox, which now offers the Commuter case for the LG Ally, LG GW620, HTC Imagio, Nokia X6, and Samsung Moment. The Commuter series is a mix of substance and style. A silicone skin wraps the device for shock absorption, and a tough polycarbonate shell snaps around that.

The Defender series has been expanded to cover the HTC Hero. The Defender is extra rugged, and also includes silicone and polycarbonate layers. This case comes with a ratcheting belt clip. The Commuter cases list for $34.95 and the Defender for $49.95.

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Jul 08

Samsung Captivate for ATT Launching July 18 for $199.99

Posted in: att, samsung, Today's Chili

AT&T_Captivate_front1.jpg

Samsung and AT&T announced Thursday that their Android-based Samsung Captivate smartphone will be available starting July 18.

The phone will cost $199.99 with a two-year contract and a minimum $15 data plan.

The Captivate was announced in late June and is part of Samsung’s Galaxy S line. It will launch with Android 2.1 and includes a Samsung Hummingbird processor, a super AMOLED screen, a 5-megapixel camera, an accelerometer and a gyroscope for 3D motion sensing, 16GB of built-in storage, HD video recording, and surround sound.

For more details on the Captivate, see PCMag’s hands-on with the device.

Other phones in the Galaxy S lineup include the Samsung Vibrant for T-Mobile, and the Samsung Fascinate for Verizon Wireless. The Vibrant comes out on July 21 and will also cost $199.99. Pricing and availability for the Fascinate has not yet been announced.

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Jul 08

Microsoft KIN Sales May Have Passed 8K, Facebook App Says

Posted in: Microsoft, Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless

MS kin.jpg

With the death of the Microsoft KIN – and the chum-churning internecine Shark Week that’s going on within Microsoft over blame and layoffs – there’s been a lot of debate on the Internet about exactly how many KINs have been sold.
Apple partisan John Gruber at DaringFireball.net sparked controversy yesterday by claiming that only 503 have been sold, but you need to look at his number with some skepticism. Gruber provides absolutely zero evidence for his claim. In fact, he says he “can’t vouch” for that 503 number.
A more solid number comes from PocketNow.com, which took a look at the KIN’s proprietary Facebook app and saw that 8810 KINs are currently active. The KIN Facebook app can only be used on KIN devices, so that’s presumably an accurate number – though it would also include review units, testers, and other not-for-sale devices.
That said, it’s looking like the number of KINs sold is closer to 8810 than to 503. In any case, it’s still a really pathetic failure on Microsoft’s and Verizon’s part.
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Jul 08

Sprint Samsung Intercept Available Soon for $99

Posted in: Android, samsung, Sprint, Today's Chili
Samsung Intercept.jpg
The newest Android device from Sprint is the Samsung Intercept. It features a 3.2-inch touch display and has a physical QWERTY keyboard slider located underneath the screen. An optical joystick offers enhanced navigation. The 3.2-megapixel camera captures still photos and video, and offers one-touch uploads to social networking sites. The included microSD card slot supports memory expansion cards up to 32GB in capacity. The phone also has an integrated GPS, Wi-Fi wireless networking, and stereo Bluetooth.
The device is powered by Android 2.1 and includes all of the Google Mobile services such as GMail, Google Maps, Google Search, and YouTube. Additional apps can be downloaded from the Android Market. NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, Sprint Football Live, and Sprint TV are also included, as well as a Microsoft Office document viewer and an MP3 player.
The Samsung Intecept will be available directly from Sprint on July 11 for $99 after a $100 mail-in rebate, with a new two-year service agreement. The phone comes in a choice of two colors: Gray Steel and Satin Pink.
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Jul 07

Nokia Asks Russian Cops to Help Get Phone Back from Blogger

Posted in: nokia, Smartphones, Today's Chili

Nokia N8.jpgIn an odd parallel to the case of the Gizmodo blogger who obtained a lost (or stolen) Apple iPhone 4, Nokia has asked Russian police to help it find an unreleased N8 phone that Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin has written about.

In a blog post earlier this year, Murtazin wrote about the Nokia N8, an unreleased phone that (via translation) Murtazin called possibly the “disappointment of the year”. The post also included pictures of the phone, which Nokia cited as evidence that Murtazin had one in his possession.

Murtazin writes for Mobile-Review.com, but also apparently is a consultant for other mobile-phone companies, which worried Nokia.

“With regard to the idea that this action is in any way related to Mr.
Murtazin’s recent criticisms of the company, we have to emphasise that
Nokia takes all matters relating to the security of its products,
confidential and proprietary information and intellectual property very
seriously,” Nokia wrote in a blog post on Wednesday. “We have asked Mr. Murtazin for the return of all Nokia
property in his possession. As he has declined to reply, we asked the
Russian authorities to assist us. To be clear, we have no issue with
individuals voicing their opinions about our company and our products.
At Nokia, we pride ourselves on being an open and transparent company.
However, the protection of our intellectual property is something we
take very seriously.”

Murtazin, for his part, professed ignorance of exactly what piece of property Nokia wanted returned. “In particular, the
last letter from Nokia which I received, indeed, was the return of
certain property, which was not specified,” he said, via a translated blog post.“I asked to clarify what Nokia believes the property
of the company and asked a number of other issues. No answer so far.”

Credit to Computerworld and AllThingsD.

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Jul 07

Just5 Offers Cells for the Oldsters

Posted in: Phones, Today's Chili

Just5.jpgWatch out Jitterbug, there’s a new big button cell phone in town. While phones from Just5 were introduced at the CTIA show in Las Vegas, they’re now hitting the market. Just5 phones are designed for ease of use, reliability, and access to emergency services. The company offers one basic model, although in five different colors. It includes a “speaking keypad” that confirms which buttons are pressed, an amplified speaker, an FM radio that works without a headset, a flashlight, and a keyboard locking switch.

A large SOS button on the back activates a siren and then texts an urgent message to the phone’s five preset numbers. It then dials them one-by-one and switches to loudspeaker mode when someone answers. These are GSM phones, so they work with AT&T and T-Mobile. The list price is $119.99.

Small regional carriers such as Cellular One are currectly selling a suspiciously similar model called the SnapFon EZ-ONE but we’re not sure these are the same phone.

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Jul 07

T-Mobile Announces the Exclusive Motorola Charm

Posted in: Android, motorola, t-mobile, Today's Chili
Motorola CHARM.jpg
The latest Android smartphone to hit the T-Mobile network is the Motorola Charm. It features Android 2.1 plus the latest version of MotoBlur, which integrates contacts, messages, and photos from social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter with GMail and Google Contacts into easy-to-follow streams of information. Advanced filters allow the user to choose what information they want to stream to the Happenings and Messages widgets, and can also customize as many as seven different home screen panels to organize their email and social networks.
All of the Android Google services are included, such as Google Search, Google Maps, and Android Market. Corporate push email is also supported. The Charm also includes access to the Moto Phone Portal, which allows users to access and edit the data on their phone from any Internet-connected computer through a USB or Wi-Fi connection.
Additional features include a 2.8-inch touch screen, a physical QWERTY keyboard, and a Backtrack navigation area on the back of the display that is designed to work like a laptop touch panel for enhanced navigation. A 3-megapixel camera with Kodak Perfect Touch promises brighter photos, which can then be uploaded to Facebook, MySpace, PhotoBucket, and Picasa at the touch of a button.harm
Exact pricing and availability information has not yet been released, At this time, the Motorola Charm is expected to be exclusive to T-Mobile and should be releasing this summer.
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Jul 06

How Are We Using Our Smartphones?

Posted in: iPhone, Smartphones, Today's Chili

Complete.jpg

Marketing company Compete has just unveiled the results of its first-quarter Smartphone Intelligence Survey, and the data might surprise you (although probably not). The study looked at how people were using their iPhones, BlackBerrys, Android devices, and other smartphones.

Smartphone owners increasingly rely on their phones to search for retailers, with one-third calling or stopping into a local business after finding it by using a local search application. In Q1, nearly a third of Android and iPhone owners discovered at least two new businesses they weren’t aware of by using a local search app.

The study also found that mobile gaming is most popular with iPhone owners. In all, 51 percent of iPhone owners have five or more games on their phones. Contrast that to 46 percent of BlackBerry owners who have no games at all Sad.

Check out the Complete blog for more results.  

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Jul 06

Time Warner Cable Debuts Clearwire 4G Hotspot

Posted in: Sprint, Today's Chili

IntelliGo_2.jpgTime Warner Cable said Tuesday that it launched a new dual-mode mobile hotspot device, known as the IntelliGo, which will be compatible with the Time Warner Cable
4G mobile network from Clearwire and Sprint’s 3G network.

The IntelliGo (also known as the Sierra Wireless AirCard W801 Mobile Hotspot) serves as a mobile hotspot, with the ability to either plug it in or run it off batteries for up to four hours; it can also be charged via USB.

The IntelliGo includes an LCD screen that can display battery life and Internet connection settings, plus a MicroSD slot that can hold up to 16 Gbyte cards for shared local storage. Wi-Fi range is about 150 feet, and the hotspot can connect up to five devices.

Time Warner Cable 4G Network featuring Road Runner Mobile is
available
in Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, Texas; Charlotte, Raleigh and
Greensboro, N.C.; Honolulu and Maui, Hawaii; and Kansas City, MO.
Road
Runner Mobile customers will also be able to access the 4G network
in
additional cities outside the Time Warner Cable footprint
including
Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and

Seattle. Additional 4G networks planned for launch in 2010 include
New
York, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Boston, Washington, D.C., San
Francisco and
Los Angeles.

“The device costs $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year contract,” a TWC spokesman said in an email. “The Road Runner Mobile service pricing varies slightly by region, but on average it costs $55 per month for unlimited 4G and 3G access to current Time Warner Cable subscribers. “

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