Samsung, Sprint Launch the Intrepid

Samsung_Intrepid.jpgSprint and Samsung have launched the Intrepid, a Windows Mobile 6.5 world smartphone that hooks into Sprint’s EV-DO Rev A data network here in the states and GSM networks overseas.

Aside from the new OS, the Samsung Intrepid is fairly pedestrian. It’s a rather modest update to its mediocre predecessor, the Samsung Ace–and has nothing on today’s powerful Windows Mobile 6.5 handset introductions like the HTC Imagio (on Verizon) and HTC Pure (on AT&T).

The Intrepid features a 2.5-inch touch screen with a now old-hat 320-by-240-pixel resolution and a hardware QWERTY keyboard. There’s a 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS, a microSD card slot, quick access to social networking sites (including Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter), and built-in Wi-Fi.

The Intrepid also features Sprint’s usual bevy of streamed multimedia services, including Sprint TV, Sprint NFL Mobile Live, and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile. It will hit stores and Sprint’s Web site on Sunday, October 11th for a rather high $149.99 with a two-year service agreement and after various rebates.

Samsung, T-Mobile Announce Behold II Smartphone

Samsung_Behold_II.jpgSamsung and T-Mobile have unveiled the Behold II, a totally revamped successor to the Behold that catapults the device straight into smartphone land.

The Behold II now runs the open-source Google Android operating system. It also features Samsung’s next-generation TouchWiz user interface overlay.

Q*bert fans will love the new cube motif, with direct shortcuts to music, photos, videos, YouTube, the Web, and Amazon MP3 downloads from the home screen. Users can also drag and drop widgets and set up three different workspaces for frequent tasks.

The Behold II includes a 3.2-inch AMOLED touch screen; built-in Google Maps, Search, and Gmail; a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus; assisted GPS; and support for T-Mobile’s high-speed 3G data network.

No word yet on a price or a release date.

HTC, Verizon Launch Imagio Smartphone

HTC_Imagio.jpgHTC and Verizon Wireless have unveiled the Imagio, a Windows Mobile 6.5 (!) smartphone with a 3.6-inch, 800-by-480-pixel touch screen.

Significantly, it’s also Verizon’s first smartphone to support V CAST Mobile TV, Verizon’s broadcast service that requires a dedicated TV tuner in the handset.

In addition, the Imagio is a true world phone with quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 + 2100 MHz HSPA) and dual-band EV-DO Rev A (800/1900 MHz) device. It includes Wi-Fi, a standard-size 3.5mm headphone jack, an on-screen QWERTY keyboard, and HTC’s TouchFLO 3D interface.

Look for the Imagio online at www.verizonwireless.com beginning October 6th, and in stores on October 20th, for $199 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a two-year agreement. Could the Imagio be relief for anyone frustrated with Verizon’s poor smartphone lineup? Stay tuned.

Samsung Unveils Two 1GHz CPUs for Mobile Devices

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Samsung has unveiled two 1GHz ARM CORTEX-A8-based application processors for mobile devices. The SP5C110 is intended for small form factor gadgets like smartphones, while the S5PV210 is meant for netbooks.

Both low-power, 45-nanometer processors last longer on standard size batteries. Each one includes 32KB data and 32KB instruction caches along with a 512KB L2 cache, which the company said enables real-time Web browsing and smooth UI response.

Both chips also come with built-in 3D graphics engines for gaming, and 1080p HD codec engines for playing or recording high definition video at 30 frames per second. There’s also an on-board HDMI 1.3 interface for output to an external display.

The CPUs will be available in sample sizes for manufacturers in December 2009; expect to see actual consumer products using these chips sometime next year. (Via Phone Scoop)

Elektrobit Upgrades MID Reference Design

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Elektrobit (EB) has unveiled an upgrade to its Mobile Internet Device (MID) reference design. EB doesn’t build devices; instead, it works with companies like Intel and Ericsson to come up with product designs.

The new MID includes an upgraded user interface and application framework that’s designed for multitasking and personalization–including the use of 3D, plasma desktop, and haptics for manipulating objects on the screen. As before, EB’s MID is “pocketable,” meaning that it’s larger than a cell phone at 5.3 by 2.8 by 0.6 inches (HWD) and contains a 4-inch touch screen.

Will this make the MID more popular here in the U.S.? I have my doubts. With the advent of the modern smartphone (iPhone, Palm Pre, BlackBerry Tour) and the $300 netbook, the space between ’em in the marketplace is getting pretty small.

Last year, the company unveiled its Satellite-Terrestrial Reference Design to bring bulky satellite phones into the smartphone age.

I-Mate Dumps Everyone Overboard, Closes Up Shop

I-Mate_810F.jpgIn a survey of cell phone manufacturers, i-mate wouldn’t have been near the top of anyone’s list. For years, the company spouted mediocre, unlocked Windows Mobile-powered smartphones targeted sort of at enterprise customers, and sort of… at anyone, really. Once, I asked an i-mate senior PR person at a press event in 2007 to explain their different smartphone model lines to me, and who each one was targeted for. I literally received a shrug and an “I’ll get back to you with a real answer.” (They never did.)

Now Engadget is reporting that i-mate, after dumping its U.S. operations several months ago, is now closing up shop completely. That means any (of the three or four) fans of the i-mate JAQ can no longer look forward to new models from the UAE-based company.

The report said that i-mate has already been delisted from stock markets around the world, and that retailers waiting for shipments of the upcoming 810F will now be left holding the (empty) bag. This follows i-Mate CEO Jim Morrison’s challenge back in February of this year: “To all those crap journalists on their Web sites who say, i-Mate’s dead, no, we’re ****ing not.” Oh well.

Is Motorola Getting Cranky at Verizon Over Android?

Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha told a financial analysts’ conference today that he’s in talks with carriers other than T-Mobile to sell the new Android-powered Cliq phone, according to the Dow Jones newswires.

This isn’t a surprise – all cell-phone manufacturers are always in talks with all the carriers about everything, and if they aren’t in talks, they want to be in talks.

But the timing and context of this announcement are very interesting indeed. When Motorola announced the Cliq last week, many observers thought they would announce two Android phones. The two phones were supposed to be the T-Mobile Cliq and a long-awaited Motorola Android phone for Verizon Wireless that pretty much everyone in the industry knows is coming.

Palm Takes Pixi to NY Fashion Week

palmsmall.jpgFollowing their ill-timed introduction of the cute Palm Pixi smartphone, Palm decided to bring their new little WebOS phone and its five California-designed “artist backs” to New York Fashion Week at Bryant Park.

Palm’s presence at Fashion Week is a marvelously-designed little booth that looks like the inside of one of the “artist backs,” with five Pixis (Pixies?) on display and two Palm folks walking around doing demos. When I hung out there for a little while, the place wasn’t empty, but it wasn’t as busy as the McCafe next door where they were giving away free coffee.

The overlap between Pixi and Fashion Week is more than just the artist backs; people in the fashion industry tend to be both messaging-obsessed and UI-focused, and the Pixi shares both of those obsessions. Bringing the Pixi to the giant tent at Bryant Park is Palm’s attempt to pry an industry free of their BlackBerries and iPhones.

I did get to see one Pixi feature I hadn’t played with before – a simple, addictive air hockey game. WebOS is desperately short on games, and I’m hoping we’ll see many more soon.

Whats Up With Verizons Pathetic Smartphone Lineup?

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Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Let me start with a Tweet:
“T-Mobile heart Android. Sprint heart WebOS. AT&T heart OS X. Verizon heart cellular base stations.”
Motorola’s launch of the Cliq today with T-Mobile (shown at left) stymied various tech pundits who were expecting to see an Android phone for Verizon Wireless, and officially pushed Verizon’s smartphone lineup over the edge into “absurdly pathetic.”
The nation’s number-one carrier, Verizon isn’t complaining. They’re gaining customers, making money and winning awards based on their top-notch network, which has only gotten better with their recent purchase of Alltel. Verizon has also been bringing some interesting, exclusive feature-phones to market, including the LG EnV Touch, Samsung Alias 2, and the new Nokia Twist and Samsung Rogue.
But as Sprint solidifies their WebOS dominance with the Palm Pixi, T-Mobile crushes on Android with the Motorola Cliq and two HTC phones, and AT&T keeps riding high with the iPhone, Verizon’s lineup of actual smartphones looks pathetic. Their hottest new handsets are the workaday BlackBerry Tour and HTC Touch Pro2, which aren’t awful, but neither are they exclusive; the Tour is available on Sprint and the Touch Pro2 arrived first on two other carriers.
So what’s behind Verizon’s weak showing in the smartphone arena? I’ve got some possibilities; give me your own.

Hands-On Photos and Video of the Palm Pixi

It’s a big week for Palm – really. Not only did they release the Pixi, their second WebOS phone, they rolled out a bunch of new apps into their App Catalog. Many more apps are coming soon, according to Palm product manager Phil McClendon.

We spent some quality time with the Pixi and came up with a full hands-on story, an 18-image slideshow of the new features (including the Pixi’s Facebook app) and this video showing the new features. Check them out; the Pixi won’t be available for a few months.