Hasta La Gadget!

Looks like Verizon’s LTE (Long Term Evolution) service might be on track to launch this year, after all. Speaking at a Digital Broadband Migration event at the University of Colorado at Boulder, executive VP and CTO Richard Lynch said the company’s in the final stages of selecting vendor partners, and they’ll be announced at next week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. He also reiterated that service, which they’ve been trialing in conjunction with Vodafone, will co-exist with its current 3G platform. He said all vendors have been told that the they need to be and running this year. Hey fellas, let’s not let Lynch down here.

Filed under: Wireless

Verizon’s LTE vendor partners to be revealed at MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the run-up to Mobile World Congress we’ve been treated to a windfall of hot new phones and technologies. Then there’s Sony Ericsson’s W395 Walkman and C903 Cyber-shot. The W395 is a new Walkman slider with built-in stereo speakers meant for the “youth” market, a market that seemingly hates 3G or storage since the quad-band GSM/EDGE device ships with a measly 1GB memory card. It will, however, be affordable and feature a 2 megapixel camera when it ships in Q1. The C903 Cyber-shot slider already spotted around here a few times brings a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with sliding lens cover as we’ve seen — give the cover a slide and this cameraphone’s ready for duty. The camera features face detection and a Smile Shutter mode that automatically snaps the shutter when a happy face is detected. It also packs a 2.4-inch display, Memory Stick Micro (M2) expansion slot and, get this… it’ll even make phone calls. This worldphone rides quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE for 10 hours of talk or 400 hours of standby with UMTS/HSPA 900/2100 (or 850/1900/2100 in the C903a configuration) frequencies bringing the 3G sometime in Q2. Beautiful devices for what they are — guess we’re just spoiled by all the MWC goods expected in Barcelona from RIM, LG, Samsung, Toshiba, Acer, Android, Palm, Microsoft… you get the idea.

Update: Details on a 5 megapixel C901 candybar were also released sans the Cyber-shot branding and any fanfare even though it’s similarly spec’d to the C903.

Gallery: Sony Ericsson W395 and C903

[Via Phone Arena]

Read — W395 Walkman
Read — C903 Cyber-shot

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Sony Ericsson’s W395 Walkman and C903 Cybershot bring more of the same originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re guessing we’ll hear more about this at MWC, but TI just let loose a press release crowing about Archos’s use of the OMAP3 processor in an upcoming “Internet Media Tablet” that runs on Android and also doubles as a phone. No pictures yet, but the spec sheet makes it sound like a hotrodded Archos 5: five-inch screen, up to a 500GB hard drive, a battery capable of 7 seven hours of video playback, and Flash support, all in a package just 10mm (.39 inches) thick. The underlying OS will be Android, but Archos plans to really beef up the media features — there’s even mention of HD video playback. That sounds seriously sweet — if Archos ditches the current mushy resistive screen in the 5 for a capacitive unit, this could be a knockout Android device when it launches in the third quarter.

[Via Archos Lounge; thanks, Daphné]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Archos to release Android phone / tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rather than waiting for the KM900 to get lost amongst hundreds of other handsets set to vie for attention at Mobile World Congress, LG has decided it best to go ahead and make its newest touchscreen handset official a few days early. The so-called Arena, which will take the crown as LG’s “flagship phone for 2009,” is hoping to wow onlookers with its dynamic 3D S-Class user interface. According to Dr. Skott Ahn, president and CEO of LG Mobile: “The direct, intuitive and dynamic S-Class UI will be unlike anything that has appeared on a mobile phone before.” We’re not quite sure we believe all that just yet, but there’s little doubt this bugger will be keen on multimedia. Other specs include integrated Dolby / DivX technology, support for HSDPA 7.2Mbps, WiFi, Assisted GPS and “far more” amenities that should be uncovered in Barcelona. Excited yet?

[Via UnwiredView, thanks Staska]

Filed under: Cellphones

LG Arena (KM900) pops official, brings along 3D S-Class UI originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that alleged Microsoft MyPhone beta page that popped up on getskybox.com yesterday? It’s back up now and being hosted under the company’s official domain, with everything apparently intact except that tantalizing “Sign In” button. According to a statement from the gang at Redmond, a limited invite-only beta is in the cards, and more details on the syncing service formerly known as SkyBox are coming to Mobile World Congress later this month. As for the beta itself, the wording’s a bit ambiguous here — will we just be getting new details on the trial or will the signup actually launch then? Looks like we’ll find out for sure in just over a week.

Filed under: Cellphones

Microsoft confirms MyPhone, invite-only beta coming to MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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