Hasta La Gadget!

Motorola is set to rival HTC in the ability to crank out Android phones at a breath-taking pace. Motorola has introduced a new phone called Flipout that features a pivoting pop-out keyboard and a compact touchscreen display.

The Flipout will have a 2.8 inch screen, 3 megapixel camera, video recording capability, Wi-Fi and GPS. It will run the Android 2.1 version of the operating system.

The phone will also have the Motoblur Android skin that we have already seen on other Motorola devices such as the Cliq and Backflip. Motoblur aggregates e-mails, messages and status updates from different social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace to present it as a stream of data on a single screen.

With its square form and social networking features, the Flipout seems like a good alternative to Microsoft’s recently launched Kin Two phone. But it is not clear if the device will make it to the U.S. Motorola already has Backflip, a device with a nifty mode that allows its to be placed on the desk like an alarm clock and the Cliq, the first of its phones featuring the Motoblur skin.

Sure, its about giving consumers choice but with the Cliq, Backflip, Devour and Droid already out, is there such a thing as too many phones from a company? Especially when the features start to blur and minor tweaks in hardware design are all that sets one device apart from the other.

The Flipout will launch in the next few weeks in “certain regions around the world,” says Motorola. The company won’t disclose pricing either but that’s likely to depend on the deals it can ink with the wireless service providers.

See Also:

• Motorola Introduces New Android Phone, the Backflip
• Android 2.1 Update for Motorola Droid. At Last
• Wired Review: Motorola Droid
• Wired Review: Motorola Cliq

Photo: Flipout/Motorola

AT&T has announced new data plans for the iPhone, iPad and other smartphones on its network. In addition, the iPhone will get data-tethering when the iPhone OS4 update hits this summer.

The new plans are rather simple. DataPlus gives you 200 MB of data per month for $15 (and you can add an extra 200 MB for another $15). DataPro cuts you from the 5-GB “unlimited” plan to 2 GB and it will cost $25. Get an additional 1 GB for another $10.

To tether your phone and share its data connection with other devices, you’ll need to buy the $20 Tethering plan on top of DataPro.

AT&T is also killing off the $30-per-month (truly) unlimited data plan for the iPad, replacing it with the $25, 2-GB DataPro option.

Before you panic too hard, these new plans, coming into effect June 7th, are for new subscribers only (although you can opt in without renewing your contract). From the press release:

Existing iPad customers who have the $29.99 per month unlimited plan can keep that plan or switch to the new $25 per month plan with 2 GB of data.

If you are a heavy data user, this clearly sucks, and it appears that there is no way you can pay extra for an unlimited plan. [UPDATE: AT&T just e-mailed me to make clear that you can add “as many buckets of 1 GB/$10 as you need beyond the plan’s included 2 GB.” That’s not unlimited, but $10 per GB isn’t a bad rate.]

On the other hand, AT&T says that 98 percent of its smartphone customers average less than 2 GB per month. In this case, the caps may actually improve the accessibility and speed of AT&T’s beleaguered network for the majority of users. The cheaper entry-level prices will also let more people get mobile internet.

To help manage your usage, you’ll get a text message when you “reach 65 percent, 90 percent and 100 percent of the threshold,” and AT&T has apps for Blackberry, iPhone and Android to track consumption.

The real losers here are the content providers. Were you wondering when Hulu would finally get around to making an iPad app? Well, quit worrying. With 2 GB data, you won’t be able to watch more than a few hours a month, anyway.

One more thing. That June 7 launch date is the same day that Steve Jobs makes his keynote address at the 2010 WWDC. Coincidence? I doubt it.

AT&T Announces New Lower-Priced Wireless Data Plans to Make Mobile Internet More Affordable to More People [AT&T]

Illustration: Charlie Sorrel

See Also:

• AT&T Internet Tethering Comes to iPhone OS4 Beta
• Android 2.2 'Froyo' Features USB, Wi-Fi Tethering
• How to Turn on Tethering in iPhone 3.0
• Tether Your AT&T iPhone Right Now

HTC’s next Android-powered missile is a big-ass smartphone called the Evo. Designed to run on Sprint’s 4G network, the Evo is packed with a number of powerful features underneath its beautiful 4.3-inch touchscreen.

To give us a look at the Evo’s guts, repair company iFixit disassembled the smartphone in an exclusive video shoot with Wired.com. Some of the most notable observations include the behemoth 8-megapixel camera sensor, accompanied with a much smaller 1.3-megapixel front-facing cam for video conferencing.

Also impressive was the HTC-branded battery (3.7-volt, 1500 mAh rechargeable Li-ion), which contains 23 percent more capacity than an iPhone 3GS, 15 percent more than an HTC Droid Incredible, and 7 percent more than an HTC Nexus One.

The Evo is due in stores June 4, just three days before Apple is expected to announce its fourth-generation iPhone at the Worldwide Developers Conference. Leaked prototypes of the next-gen iPhone revealed a front-facing camera, also presumably designed for video conferencing. The Evo and the fourth-gen iPhone may be the first mobile contenders to spark a battle for video calls.

Check out the video above for a deep dive of iFixit’s dissection, starring iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens.

This episode of the Gadget Lab video podcast was produced by Annaliza Savage, with editing by Michael Lennon and audio engineering by Fernando Cardoso. For more video from Wired.com, go to www.wired.com/video.

See Also:

• HTC EVO 4G $200, on Sale June 4
• EVO 4G Hacked, Rooted Before Arriving in Stores
• Sprint, HTC Unveil First 4G Android Phone

For those who feel there’s not enough choice in e-readers or smartphones, here are some new options. Acer is showing a new e-reader and smartphone that more than anything else add clutter to the category.  The two devices will be shown at Computex, one of the largest trade shows for PC makers held every year in Tapei, Taiwan.

Acer’s new e -reader called LumiRead will have a 6-inch E Ink display, 2 GB flash memory (good for about 1500 books) with the option to add a MicroSD card, and a QWERTY keyboard.

There’s also an ISBN scanner built into the device so users can scan ISBN codes on the books to create their own wish list or search online libraries and book stores.

Like the Alex e-reader or Amazon’s Kindle, Acer’s LumiRead will have a internet browser and connect wirelessly using 3G or Wi-Fi.

Acer has signed agreements with Barnes & Noble and Libri.de, a German internet book retailer to offer e-books. The device will launch in the U.S. in the third quarter and be available in China and Germany towards the end of the year.

Acer isn’t talking price, which will be key to the device’s success. The e-reader market is flooded with Kindle clones and the arrival of yet another device is hardly likely to get consumers’ attention.  The ISBN code-scanning feature aside, the LumiRead feels rather pedestrian and unless Acer can beat Sony’s $170 Pocket Edition e-reader, it is difficult to see how LumiRead can get ahead.

Separately, Acer also announced a new smartphone called Stream. The Android-powered phone will have a3.7-inch touchscreen OLED display, 3G,  Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capability, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor, 512 MB RA and 2 GB of internal memory.

“Acer Stream is a high-end multimedia smartphone, optimized for watching movies, listening to music and enjoying web browsing like at home,” says Acer in a statement. “Perfect for most demanding users who look for the best in entertainment.”

That means HD video recording up to 720p, 5-megapixel camera, a GPS system that allows photos and videos to be geotagged and a HDMI port. The phone will run Android version 2.1 aka ‘Éclair.’

Based on the specs, the Stream sounds a lot like the Nexus One.  It’s likely that Acer will launch the device in Asia and Europe only. After all, the Nexus One and the HTC EVO 4G blow the Stream out of the competition in the U.S.

Acer hasn’t announced telecom carriers or pricing for the Stream.

See Also:

• $150 Kobo eReader: The Real Kindle Killer?
• Plastic Logic Aims New Que E-Reader at Business Users
• Entourage eDGe E-Book Reader
• Acer Plans a Million Chrome OS Netbooks, New E-Reader

Photo: Acer LumiRead/Acer

News outlets may have spoiled the big surprise for Apple’s upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference by publishing early photos and details of the next-generation iPhone. Nonetheless, in a recent e-mail, Steve Jobs promised a customer that “You won’t be disappointed” by the announcements to come.

What else might Apple have in store for the event, which happens June 7 to 11 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center? Before last year’s WWDC, Wired.com accurately predicted the introduction of new iPhones and MacBooks, as well as the release date of the Snow Leopard operating system. So with this year’s WWDC keynote scheduled for June 7, we thought it’d be fun to step up and place our bets once again.

In addition to the obvious new iPhone, we’re predicting something big happening with relation to streaming video. Also, we dismiss recent rumors about Microsoft making an appearance to announce iPhone OS developer tools, and once again we file the possibility of a Verizon iPhone under “unlikely.”

The Next iPhone

Gizmodo and a Vietnamese blog appear to have spilled all the beans about the next-gen iPhone: an aluminum chassis, a thinner case, a front-facing camera, a higher-resolution screen and a camera flash.

It’s important to note that Apple legal confirmed in an unsealed affidavit that Gizmodo’s prototype represented the fourth-generation iPhone, so there’s no longer need to speculate about whether this really is Apple’s next smartphone: It is.

However, both Gizmodo and the Vietnamese blog were unable to demonstrate their prototypes actually doing anything, so plenty of questions still remain.

We think the highlight feature of the 4G iPhone will be the front-facing video camera. How will video conferencing with a front-facing camera work in terms of bandwidth? AT&T has acknowledged its 3G network is overloaded by traffic coming from smartphones (especially iPhones), and plenty of people have issues just making phone calls or surfing the web.

Also, think beyond 4G iPhone owners video-conferencing with other 4G iPhone owners. We predict 4G iPhone owners will be able to video chat with iChat users with webcams on their Macs. Corroborating our theory, already there are clues in developer releases of iPhone OS 4.0 that there will be iChat support in the next iPhone.

Meanwhile, it’s quite possible that Apple will have something to say about one-way video streaming. Perhaps Apple will finally put to use its massive data center, which could provide the bandwidth required for ubiquitous video feeds of movies, short video clips and more. We speculated in December that streaming video may eventually play a key role in Apple’s future of personal media. After all, Apple’s acquisition of Lala suggests the company is interested in turning iTunes into a streaming music service, and adding live video would turn iTunes into a personal media hub.

One big question remaining is the back of the iPhone. Neither Gizmodo nor the Vietnamese blog were able to confirm the exact material, but they described it as a glasslike plastic. Here’s the kicker: An analyst said in January that he’d heard Apple’s next iPhone would feature a touch-sensitive housing similar to that seen on Apple’s multitouch Magic Mouse. We’re willing to guess the next iPhone’s back will detect multitouch gestures so you can control core features such as the music player while the device is still inside your pocket.

We would expect the next iPhone to ship sometime in June. (Apple announced its iPhone 3GS during WWDC on June 8, 2009 and began shipping it 11 days later.) A likely name? Engadget has heard iPhone HD, and we’re into it.

iPhone OS 4

Apple already previewed iPhone OS 4 in March, but only a few key features — multitasking, universal e-mail and the ability to create folders, among others — were highlighted. Expect the full story at WWDC. The latest beta releases have already revealed clues about unannounced features, such as a new widget interface for the iPhone’s music player, tethering for AT&T customers, and file sharing with your PC.

In addition to getting the full details on iPhone OS 4, expect a release date — possibly as soon as the day of the keynote. Apple has said iPhone OS 4 is due for release in the summer for iPhones and iPod Touch devices, and in the fall for the iPad.

(Do note if you own an original iPhone or first-generation iPod Touch, you’re out of luck: iPhone OS 4 will only be compatible with the second- and third-generation models of each device — and presumably the next-gen iPhone, too, of course.)

No Steve Ballmer or Silverlight

Developers and analysts are buzzing about a rumor that Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer will take the stage at WWDC to announce its own third-party developer tools (possibly Silverlight) for making iPhone and iPad apps. That sentence already sounds ludicrous considering that Jobs, in an open letter explaining why Flash isn’t allowed on the iPhone OS, made it crystal clear he didn’t want meta platforms participating because they would result in sub-par apps.

Wired.com phoned the analyst who made that prediction, Trip Chowdry, and he told us that he based his prediction on speculation from mobile developers, not hard evidence.

Indeed, Microsoft announced on Twitter that Ballmer was not making an appearance at WWDC, so consider the “rumor” debunked.

No Verizon iPhone

Along with angry AT&T customers, Verizon subscribers aching for an iPhone have been hopeful that Apple will share its next iPhone with Verizon. Don’t bet on it happening at WWDC. The most credible rumor report, published by The Wall Street Journal, claims a CDMA iPhone is scheduled for mass production in September. Expect a Verizon iPhone no sooner than then, though we would lean toward the conservative side in guessing that such a device won’t see the light of day until 2011.

Updated to correct an error about iPhone OS 4 compatibility.

See Also:

• WWDC 2010
• Apple Rumor Watch Part Infinity: Cloud-Based iTunes on June 7
• Apple’s Next Revolutionary Product: iTunes
• Apple’s Next Media Frontier Will Be Streaming Video

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com