Hasta La Gadget!

Keeping frighteningly close tabs on the current locations of your friends, enemies, ex-lovers, bookies, and dealers is one of the hotter trends in the mobile space these days with products like Loopt, Whrrl, and Helio’s Buddy Beacon making location-based contact tracking a breeze. Now that Google’s getting into the game, though, that business model might start to dry up for everyone else — especially considering that its so-called Latitude tech will be built into Android going forward and available for every other platform that supports Google Maps. T-Mobile has announced that Latitude will be built into the G1 starting with the RC33 maintenance release that’s getting rolled out to customers this week — and yes, granted, it’s not Cupcake, but at least we have some new functionality to toy around with. And yes, we promise we won’t mention virtual keyboards in this post… er, dangit. Video of Latitude in action after the break.

Continue reading T-Mobile G1’s RC33 update includes Google Latitude

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Handhelds

T-Mobile G1’s RC33 update includes Google Latitude originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If Danger’s going to switch up its Hiptop platform strategy in the era of Microsoft ownership, you think that it might be to… oh, we don’t know, something even remotely Microsoft-related. Granted, shoehorning Windows Mobile 6.1 onto a Sidekick LX sounds like a match made in hell, but at the very least, they could start with a Windows CE base and attach a bunch of Danger-specific stuff with wood glue until the end result looked familiar to users. Alas, Hiptop3 is reporting its own sources in combination with some telling open job positions and notes from Danger employees to suggest that the upcoming Sidekick LX 2009 — possibly to be known as the Sidekick Blade — will actually feature an entirely new kernel based on NetBSD. Our only guess is that this fancy little project started well before the acquisition completed, and in the interest of getting a thoroughly modern, 3G- and GPS-equipped Sidekick into the market as quickly as possible, maybe Redmond begrudgingly greenlighted the remainder of the project. Good on you, Microsoft.

Filed under: Cellphones

Sidekick LX 2009 running Wind… er, NetBSD? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 05:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In an interview with FierceWireless, T-Mobile USA’s senior VP of engineering and operations (and newly-minted chairman of 3G Americas’ board) Neville Ray has slipped a couple juicy morsels in the process of talking up his carrier’s ongoing 3G rollout. Besides mentioning that T-Mobile wants to double its 3G footprint in 2009, Ray says that “we will be launching more G series phones and other products… in the coming weeks and months.” If we had to guess, this probably (hopefully) has something to do with that HTC Sapphire we’ve seen floating around lately. What’s more, you’ll see T-Mobile start to ramp up peripheral support this year — gotta monetize that multi-billion-dollar network somehow — with a modem launch. All told, these guys still have a long way to catch up in the 3G race with Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint — but if you want bleeding-edge Android stuff, looks like they’ll continue to be your best bet for a while.

[Via TmoNews]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

T-Mobile dude promises more ‘G series’ phones this year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Along with the Pearl, the Curve series represents the kinder, gentler side of BlackBerry; it’s the side that appeals to consumers without sacrificing power, and from time to time, it’s the side that’s even been known to show some sex appeal. The Curve 8900 really takes that sex appeal to the next level, delivering one of the most drop-dead gorgeous phones ever to grace a corporate boardroom — and it just so happens that T-Mobile USA’s the first American carrier to deliver it, so we’ve taken the opportunity to put it through its paces. Does it out-Bold the Bold? Head on over to Engadget Mobile for the full rundown.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8900 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile has launched two new phones this morning: the Nokia 7510 and the revised T-Mobile Shadow (pictured). The Nokia 7510 is a flip phone with a hidden external display that can show different designs when backlit. The handset is available with three face plates: expresso brown, fatal red, and emerald green. It features a 2-megapixel camera, a music and video player, and a microSD slot. The 7510 also works with T-Mobile’s Unlimited Hotspot Calling service. It’s available now for $49.99 with a two-year contract.

The 2009 version of the Shadow, meanwhile, is a mildly refreshed version of the mediocre T-Mobile Shadow. The HTC-manufactured handset runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and features a quad-band GSM radio (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), Wi-Fi, and UMA support for T-Mobile’s Unlimited Hotspot Calling service. There’s a navigation wheel and a pseudo-QWERTY, 20-key keyboard that slides out. The Shadow also includes a 2.2-inch QVGA (320-by-240-pixel) touchscreen LCD, a 2-megapixel camera, and a microSD slot. It’s available now in black burgundy or white mint for $149.99 with a two-year contract and appropriate data plan.