Hasta La Gadget!

The Canalys numbers are out, and with Android coming off an 886 percent jump reported at the end of the second quarter we were expecting something big. So, here it is: Android is up 1,309 percent worldwide from this time last year, taking over 43.6 percent of the US smartphone market in the third quarter. In terms of mobile operating systems that makes it the dominant player in America, but with Apple capturing 26.2 percent it now jumps into the lead when it comes to hardware, beating out RIM’s 24.2 percent. That’s a swap from last quarter, where BlackBerries beat iPhones 32 to 21.7 percent, and worldwide things are looking the same: Apple at 17 percent compared to RIM’s 15. However around the globe it’s Nokia and the Symbian Foundation still dominating the stage as the leading smart phone OS vendor, owning 33 percent of the market compared to 38 last quarter, while Microsoft sits at a lowly 3 percent. With WP7 ready to rock the world, and Ballmer ready to release the advertising hounds, that’s a figure we’ll be keeping a close eye on for the next few quarters.

Update: NPD has posted its third quarter smartphone market share and Mobile Phone Track reports; they basically back up Canalys’ report, though NPD gives both Apple and RIM slightly less market share. Interestingly, RIM’s BlackBerry Curve 8500 series is identified as the second-best selling phone in the US in the quarter, while the lowly LG Cosmos for Verizon takes third. Weird, huh?

Canalys: iPhone becomes most popular smartphone in the US, Android continues as most popular OS originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Canalys  | Email this | Comments

Even though we’ve seen a torrent of Windows Phone 7 devices, we couldn’t leave you hanging on a review of the Samsung Focus. In the last few days, a flurry of new Microsoft-powered devices have hit the market, boasting slight differences, but all looking and acting largely the same. We’ve taken a deep dive on the operating system itself, the Omnia 7, Optimus 7, Mozart, HD7, and Surround (phew!) — now it’s time to focus on the, er… Focus. The device itself has a lot in common with its European brother, the Omnia 7, boasting the same 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 8GB of internal storage, 1GHz CPU, and 5 megapixel camera. The device will soon go on sale in America for $199.99 on AT&T’s network — in fact, it’s the only Windows Phone 7 device you’ll be able to buy on the network when they go public on November 8th. But is it really worth your hard earned cash when there are so many other options in the market? Read on for the full Engadget review to find out!

Update: Just a note, the HD7 will also be available (for T-Mobile) on November 8th and we’ve updated the above information to reflect that.

Update 2: We had the numbers wrong on the RAM / ROM. It’s 512MB and 1GB, respectively.

This review is primarily of the Samsung Focus hardware. Check out our full review of Windows Phone 7 for our thoughts on the OS.

Continue reading Samsung Focus review

Samsung Focus review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

It may have “Windows” in the branding, but Windows Phone 7 is not the desktop PC experience shoehorned into a cellphone. Microsoft tried that with Windows Mobile… and we all know how that turned out. Today, eight months after the Windows Phone 7 OS unveiling in Barcelona, we’re finally seeing the official launch of the retail hardware: nine new WP7 handsets, some available October 21 in select European and Asian markets and others from early November in the US. The phones will find their way to over 60 cellphone operators in more than 30 countries this year. Microsoft tapped Dell, HTC, LG, and Samsung to deliver the Snapdragon-based handsets with a carrier list that includes AT&T, T-Mobile USA, Vodafone, TELUS, América Móvil, Deutsche Telekom AG, Movistar, O2, Orange, SFR, SingTel, and Telstra. And that’s just for the first wave — Microsoft has even more handsets coming in 2011 including the first for Sprint and Verizon in the US. Here’s the lineup of 480 x 800 pixel (WVGA) phones announced today:

• HTC 7 Surround — The 3.8-inch T8788 with slideout speaker for AT&T and Telus
• HTC HD7 — Schubert comes of age as a 4.3-inch HD2 cousin for T-Mobile and beyond
• HTC 7 Trophy — the 3.8-inch Spark headed to international carriers
• HTC 7 Mozart — another heavily leaked int’l player with 3.7-inch display
• Dell Venue Pro — 4.1-inch portrait QWERTY slider for T-Mobile we broke as Lightning
• Samsung Focus — AT&T’s 4-inch Super AMOLED slate we broke as Cetus
• Samsung Omnia 7 — the i8700 is a 4-inch Super AMOLED jobbie for Europe
• LG Optimus 7/7Q — the E900 is the official 3.8-inch global workhorse
• LG Quantum — AT&T’s 3.5-inch landscape slider first seen as the C900

• HTC 7 Pro — a 3.6-inch QWERTY slider for Sprint (2011)

“Glance and Go,” is the slogan Microsoft is using to differentiate itself from an already crowded smartphone market. Something we’ve already seen alluded to in that leaked AT&T ad. As Ballmer notes, “Microsoft and its partners are delivering a different kind of mobile phone and experience – one that makes everyday tasks faster by getting more done in fewer steps and providing timely information in a ‘glance and go’ format.” He’s referring to WP7’s customizable Live Tiles, of course. Xbox Live integration is another biggie with EA Games just announcing its first Xbox Live-enabled wares coming to Windows Phone 7 in the fall including “Need for Speed Undercover,” “Tetris,” “Monopoly,” and “The Sims 3.” The other big differentiators are the slick Metro UI, integrated support for Zune media and Zune Pass subscriptions, Bing search and maps, Windows Live including the free Find My Phone service, and Microsoft Office Mobile.

Now quit stalling and jump past the break for the full list of handsets per carrier and country.

Update: Added the official WP7 overview videos after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft announces ten Windows Phone 7 handsets for 30 countries: October 21 in Europe and Asia, 8 November in US (Update: Video!)

Microsoft announces ten Windows Phone 7 handsets for 30 countries: October 21 in Europe and Asia, 8 November in US (Update: Video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 09:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Well hello there giant Windows Phone 7 handsets. This interactive sidewalk display was just unveiled at the Telstra store in Melbourne Australia. On the left we’ve got what looks to be the HTC Mozart already rumored for Telstra. The device on the right, though, is a previously unseen LG Windows Phone 7 device. Best of all is the “coming 21-10-10” text in the fine print that matches up nicely with the rumored European launch date. Don’t worry, in a few hours we’ll have all the details nice and official like.

[Thanks, Jason B.]

HTC Mozart and mystery LG Windows Phone 7 device appear in Telstra storefront, coming ’21-10-10′ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 05:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Verizon rolls out FiOS on Demand app for Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AppBrain  |  Verizon Flex View  | Email this | Comments