Mobile Miscellany: week of January 7th, 2013

Mobile Miscellany week of January 7th, 2013

If you didn’t get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we’ve opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, both Nokia and Microsoft discussed strategy for the coming year and Verizon’s CEO shared his thoughts on the end of subsidies. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the “best of the rest” for this week of January 7th, 2013.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of December 31st, 2012

Mobile Miscellany week of December 31st, 2012

If you didn’t get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we’ve opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, two of the best cameraphones out there were pitted against one another in a shootout rematch and a very handy widget was added to the latest nightly builds of CyanogenMod. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the “best of the rest” for this week of December 31st, 2012.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of December 17th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany week of December 17th, 2012

If you didn’t get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we’ve opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, we have a super-sized dose of news for Nokia and Windows Phone users, along with the latest rumblings on the mobile network front. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the “best of the rest” for this week of December 17th, 2012.

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IRL: Epson R1800, Babbel for iPad and the Nokia Lumia 920 on Rogers

Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we’re using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.

This week we’ve got Darren learning a little Spanish through Babbel and Jon, the man of many Canadian phones, testing the Lumia 920 on Rogers’ LTE network. And, on a slightly more nostalgic note, Billy delivers a eulogy of sorts for the Epson photo printer that got him through years of graphic design school.

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Nokia Lumia 920T for China Mobile brings TD-SCDMA to Windows Phone

Nokia Lumia 920T for China Mobile brings TD-SCDMA to Windows Phone

Nokia just announced plans to launch a TD-SCDMA version of its Lumia 920 Windows Phone 8 flagship. The handset, designated Lumia 920T, will be available on China Mobile by the end of the year for RMB 4599 (about $739) in a choice of four colors (black, white, yellow and red). It’s the first Windows Phone to support the country’s TD-SCDMA standard and the first Windows Phone 8 device available in China.

Spec-wise, the Lumia 920T is almost identical to its western sibling. Other than packing a different radio, it features the same 4.5-inch 1280×768-pixel PureMotion HD+ display, optically image-stabilized 8.7-megapixel f/2.0 Carl Zeiss autofocus camera, and 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor (plus 1GB RAM). There’s no word on storage capacity, but the handset presumably matches the original with 32GB on board.

The Lumia 920T integrates with local Internet services such as Sina, Sohu, Tencent, Baidu and Renren and provides access to both the Chinese Marketplace (50,000 apps) and Mobile Market (China Mobile’s app store). It also offers NFC deals on location-based service Jiepang (in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou). Furthermore, Nokia and Air China are making wireless chargers available in VIP lounges at Beijing airport. Hit the break for the full PR.

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Swisscom rolls out first LTE in Switzerland on November 29th

Swisscom rolls out first LTE in Switzerland on November 29th

The European LTE landscape is unfortunately a fragmented one that favors large countries with large carriers. We can chalk up at least one victory for the smaller nation states, however: Switzerland is getting its first LTE network on November 29th. The country’s main provider, Swisscom, is launching initial 4G coverage in 26 cities and regions using the LTE-equipped HTC One X (One XL abroad), quickly following up with the early December availability of the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II and Nokia Lumia 920. A Huawei USB stick and a ZTE hotspot will also be on tap. Customers won’t need to spring for a new plan to use the new network on a basic level, although Swisscom’s uncommon speed-based phone plans mean they’ll be paying a stiff 169 francs ($181) per month to max out the 4G network. We imagine at least some will bite if it means speedy data in Zurich.

[Thanks, Joël]

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Source: Swisscom

Microsoft selling four times as many Windows Phones as a year ago, won’t say what that means

Microsoft selling four times as many Windows Phones as last year, won't say what that means

It’s no secret that Windows Phone sales have been in the doldrums for much of the platform’s existence. If we believe Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer’s talk at the annual company shareholder meeting, however, the mobile OS has turned a corner. He tells investors that Windows Phone sales are about four times what they were at the same point last year, and that demand has been strong enough for initial sellouts in “many countries;” that may be an allusion to reported Lumia 920 shortages in Germany and Nokia’s native Finland, among other regions. Ballmer is quick to point to more competitive hardware as triggering the sales spike. The news is certainly positive on the whole, although we’d warn that Microsoft is pulling an Amazon — that is, declining to offer the shipment numbers that would give its grandiose claims some context. It’s easy to tout record growth when you’re starting from a small point, so we’ll refrain from calling Windows Phone the Comeback Kid until market share estimates show otherwise.

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Source: Bloomberg

JBL Power Up speaker and wireless charger combo now shipping, whimsically priced around $250

JBL Power Up Bluetooth speaker and wireless Lumia charger now shipping

The fruit of JBL‘s partnership with Espoo, the Power Up wireless speaker and induction charger, has just landed at AT&T and Verizon. Aside from receiving your beats over Bluetooth, the 2 x 10-watt speaker can also charge Qi-compatible devices like the Lumia 920 and the Nexus 4. It uses TI’s latest power chip for an enlarged charging area, and packs NFC for quick pairing. Unlike TDK’s more portable option, the Power Up retains its power cable, but it does come in cheaper than its rival at $250. (Or, for some reason, $300 if you buy it at AT&T.)

[Thanks, Brandon]

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JBL Power Up speaker and wireless charger combo now shipping, whimsically priced around $250 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 08:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAT&T, Verizon, Nokia (full specs)  | Email this | Comments

Nokia Lumia 920 for AT&T: what’s different?

Nokia Lumia 920 for AT&T what's different

A few days ago we reviewed the global version of Nokia’s Lumia 920 flagship running Windows Phone 8. The handset’s been available for purchase on AT&T since last Friday with a few carrier-specific tweaks, such as compatible LTE bands. It’s aggressively priced at $100 with a two-year agreement — this includes 32GB of built-in storage, a free Nokia wireless charging plate (while supplies last) and the same camera magic as its global sibling. It’s a phone that would otherwise cost about £445 ($710) unsubsidized and unlocked. Nokia’s Lumia 920 for AT&T comes in a choice of high-gloss (red, yellow or white) and matte (cyan or black) finishes. Despite the global and AT&T models being virtually identical, there are minor differences worth noting. Join us after the break for the details.

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Nokia Lumia 920 for AT&T: what’s different? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Get your Windows Phone 8 from AT&T starting today

PSA Get your Windows Phone 8 from AT&T starting today

Now that we’ve got the dates and prices sorted, all you need to do is get yourself to the nearest AT&T store (or one of those source links below) today to pick up either of Nokia’s Windows Phone 8 handsets (Lumia 920 for $100, or the Lumia 820 for $50) or HTC’s Windows Phone 8X, priced along the same lines as Nokia’s bigger smartphone. Not a fan of Ma Bell? Then you’ll can wait it out with Verizon, which starts taking preorders for both the Lumia 822 and 8X from today.

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PSA: Get your Windows Phone 8 from AT&T starting today originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAT&T (Lumia 920), (Windows Phone 8X), (Lumia 820)  | Email this | Comments