Engadget Mobile

Chris Ziegler

Chicago, IL - http://zpower.zieglerc.net

webOS 1.3.1 trickles out to European Pres

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 23rd 2009 at 4:17AM

A Europe with a Yahoo-free webOS isn't a Europe we'd ever want to live in -- it's just not right -- and happily we won't have to, because that shiny new version 1.3.1 that dropped in concert with the Pixi launch a few days ago is on the way to the Old World. Palm's official blog reports that customers on the Pre's official carriers in Ireland, Germany, Spain, and the UK can expect 1.3.1 "soon," and thanks to the magic of over-the-air firmware delivery, users should have little more to do than sit on their rears and wait for the goodness to come to them on a wireless silver platter. In fact, we've heard from one German tipster that the update is already available. Let us know how it treats you, won't you?

HTC HD2s exhibiting camera weirdness?

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 23rd 2009 at 3:03AM

Sure, HD2 owners probably spend the overwhelming majority of their time staring at that jaw-dropping 4.3-inch WVGA display, but you figure that they're probably going to make use of the 5 megapixel cam every once in a while, too -- and therein lies the rub. It seems that a whole bunch of HD2s in the field are having issues with pink auras around the center of the image, which can simply appear to the casual observer as weird white balance in a busy scene; there are intermittent reports that newer devices have squashed the problem, while older units may need to be swapped out to get it fixed. We'll keep an eye on this to see if firmware can magically make this go away, but in the meantime, is anyone out there noticing this on their unit?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

FCC Fridays

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 20th 2009 at 11:59PM

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend ~~a lot of~~ way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we've gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don't need). Enjoy!

Phones
Read - ZTE R220
Read - ZTE S305
Read - ZTE N280
Read - Samsung S5550
Read - Samsung SCH-W799
Read - Samsung i6500U
Read - Samsung SPH-W9300
Read - Samsung SC-01B
Read - Samsung SGH-A687

Peripherals
Read - Huawei E1756A

T-Mobile USA putting out feelers for network partnerships?

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 20th 2009 at 7:41PM

Deutsche Telekom has made little secret this year of the fact that its American wireless unit is on thin ice; whether that's a result of poor coverage, a failure to keep pace technologically, weak spectrum allocation, or a combination thereof is a source of endless debate, but none of it is stopping T-Mobile USA from pushing forward aggressively with a nationwide 21Mbps HSPA+ rollout in 2010. Of course, network buildouts of that magnitude don't come cheap, and hungry investors are still marching on DT's doorstep asking when they might be able to expect black ink. A couple loose-lipped tipsters to German paper Handelsblatt have said that the next step could very well involve a major partnership with another carrier -- as opposed to an outright acquisition like we've heard before -- possibly with Clearwire, MetroPCS, or AT&T. T-Mobile USA has been famously tight-lipped so far on its 4G plans, instead concentrating on building out a solid 3.75G one, which means that its long-term plans are wide open -- partnering with Clearwire would likely mean aligning itself with WiMAX, while both MetroPCS and AT&T have already committed to LTE. Another possibility apparently being thrown around involves bringing in a financial partner (a sugar daddy, if you will) to shore up the carrier's bottom line, but either way, we suspect this'll all end up deciding the carrier's post-21Mbps strategy.

Sony Ericsson confirms WinMo 6.5 isn't coming to the X1

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 19th 2009 at 10:35PM

We can understand not investing in a deprecated product, we really can -- but when you consider the fact that Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X1 is still sold around the world, the fact that its hardware is still thoroughly modern, and the fact that Windows Mobile 6.5 is a trivial boost over 6.1, there's really no excuse for this. Sony Ericsson has gone ahead and made it official that it won't be providing an official 6.5 upgrade for its uber-pricey fallen smartphone that never quite achieved its seemingly stratospheric potential -- and its 6.5-based replacement isn't looking much more promising -- so we imagine this is going to spark a voracious run on hackery to get picture-perfect 6.5 builds working on units in the field. Oh, wait, that already happened! No worries, Sony Ericsson -- looks like we've got this one covered then.

Verizon launches hardcore Casio G'zOne Rock

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 19th 2009 at 7:21PM

It doesn't sound as hardcore as its predecessor, the Boulder -- but Verizon's just-introduced Rock is actually the company's most functional Casio G'zOne model to date. Though it looks quite similar to the outgoing model, the Rock's headlining addition is the so-called Triple Sensor -- something certain G-Shock owners might already be familiar with -- which allows the phone to offer an integrated thermometer, compass, and pedometer. It also features touch-sensitive music controls, a 2 megapixel cam, and -- you guessed it -- mil-spec 810F compliance for resistance to the everyday ails of the world like water, dust, and sun exposure. It'll be available online starting tomorrow for $199.99 on contract after rebate, while stores pick it up a few days later on the 30th.

Motorola Motus spied, snapped by the worst camera in history?

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 19th 2009 at 4:05PM

Given what we've heard and seen so far, we wouldn't say we're "excited" about the upcoming Motorola Motus -- it's just a midrange Android set, after all, and the Droid has taught us that Moto's capable of so much more -- but a spy shot's a spy shot, and we'll take what we can get, right? We can't confirm the authenticity of this positively awful photo spotted on motofan.ru, but it looks roughly like what we'd expect for a 2010-spec Android phone designed to appeal to the masses. The usability of that trick keyboard is an open question -- the Droid has already proven that the company isn't afraid to sacrifice a little usability for +5 points in the thin and sexy departments, so we'll just have to wait and see where this puppy lands.

[Thanks, Vitala]

Office Mobile 2010 hits beta, available now for WinMo 6.5

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 18th 2009 at 9:28PM

Office 2010 is getting a big companion piece for handsets in the form of Office Mobile 2010, which is being made available today in concert with the suite's beta release. It's a pretty major overhaul thanks to comprehensive, WYSIWYG editing capability in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, the addition of SharePoint Workspace Mobile for managing Office documents off your office's servers, and a trick Bluetooth mode for PowerPoint that lets you effectively use your handset as a second screen by showing you your slide notes in real time while running a presentation off your PC. You can grab it now off Windows Marketplace in beta form, but be warned: it's only for 6.5, and we're being told that it won't be back-ported to 6.0 or 6.1 for the retail release.

Sprint pulls piping hot Hero update out of the oven

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 18th 2009 at 5:32PM

We don't have details on exactly what has changed yet, but that minor Android 1.5-based update Sprint had announced it'd be pushing out to the Hero has now launched. The best-case scenario would have the SMS issue -- which causes the phone to stay awake when it shouldn't -- get resolved, but until Sprint hands out a proper changelog, it'll be a matter of testing and guessing. Just a thought: if they've managed to squeeze a proximity sensor into the update, that brings 'em up to the speed with the Droid Eris. Hey, it could happen.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Huawei U8230 (in other words, the one that isn't the Pulse) gets reviewed

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 18th 2009 at 8:55AM

Huawei's on the cusp of making a pretty serious Android push in Europe with the recent introduction of its Pulse on T-Mobile and this little puppy, the U8230, which -- let's be honest, is shaping up to be little more than a Pulse remix for countries where T-Mobile doesn't do business. In fact, it seems to be the same thing from a hardware perspective (right down to the 3.5-inch HVGA display and unfortunate 2.5mm headphone jack), so you can almost look at as a prime application of HTC's classic strategy of re-skinning devices for different carriers and markets around the world. Anyhow, PointGPhone has had a chance to screw around with a proper U8230, coming away with the conclusions you might expect -- it's an interesting play at the right price point, but with that sluggish 528MHz performance, limited on-board storage, and inexplicably missing 3.5mm jack, you might be better off looking elsewhere. Not to say we have an option in the States, anyhow.

Google-branded phone coming early next year?

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 18th 2009 at 4:47AM

We've been hearing talk of thoroughly Google-branded phones since before Android was announced -- and if you want to get really technical about it, you could argue that it's already happened twice in the form of the Dev Phone 1 and the Ion. Thing is, those are strictly developer-oriented one-offs based on existing models, and TechCrunch is reporting in a rather authoritative tone today that Google's just about to launch a consumer phone all its own designed to in-house, no-compromise specifications with signs suggesting that either Samsung or LG would be responsible for OEM duties. Allegedly, the device was supposed to be at retail in time for the holidays but ended up getting pushed back into early 2010, at which point we can expect a big marketing push -- but the question is, why? Google had a heavy hand in the design and development of the chunky, geeky HTC Dream, so we already know they're probably better off leaving the details of the industrial design to the guys who've been doing this for a while -- and with strong new partnerships with Verizon and Motorola just now bearing fruit, it's safe to say that Big Red wouldn't be a launch partner. Our most interesting theory here is that AT&T -- which has gone totally radio-silent for all things Android in the past six months -- is responding to the probable impending loss of its iPhone exclusivity by scoring a coup on a gorgeous, aspirational device with the Google logo all over it. Given the time frame that TC's suggesting, it sounds like we wouldn't have to wait long to find out what's what.

Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition is... a 5330 with mobile TV

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 17th 2009 at 2:08PM

It's not often that you see an existing handset remixed with entirely different kinds of radios built in, so color us a bit surprised this week to see Nokia announce a new version of the 5330 slider this week sporting DVB-H mobile TV tuning compatibility. Knowing what we know of DVB-H, its presence signifies that a North American release is a straight-up no-go, which is actually a bit of a shame -- it's a slick-looking Series 40 handset with a 3.2 megapixel cam and 3.5mm headphone jack for €155 (about $230) without a hint of contract or subsidy. Then again, just how badly do we want to watch football on a 2.4-inch display?

T-Mobile cautiously resumes Sidekick sales at lower prices

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 17th 2009 at 5:08AM

After a protracted "let's be absolutely certain we're in the clear" period, T-Mobile has gone ahead and lifted its self-imposed moratorium on Sidekick sales following that little meltdown you may have heard about. Oh, and there's a bonus, too: they're a little cheaper this time around. The Sidekick 2008 has dropped to $49.99 on contract while the top-of-the-line LX 2009 has shed $25 down to $149.99 on contract, so if you were looking for an excuse to live dangerously with your precious address book, this might be as good of a reason as any. Then again, what are the odds of lightning striking twice?

Read - Sidekick 2008
Read - Sidekick LX 2009

Simple Mobile springs to life with $40 unlimited voice plan?

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 17th 2009 at 1:54AM

The once-burgeoning MVNO industry may be down, but it's not out -- apparently -- on news today that newcomer Simple Mobile is planning to offer GSM-based contract-free plans ranging from $40 for unlimited voice to $50 for unlimited voice and text plus a meager 20MB of data per month (you can upgrade to 40MB for another $5 a month). In theory, it sounds brilliant -- all-you-can-eat minutes, no contracts, bring your own phone (if you don't want one of the six snoozers they offer directly) -- but we can't find a way to sign up for the service, so this might devolve into another Zer01-esque debacle unless we actually hear of people using and enjoying it. It's clearly not for data-heavy folks, but if this pans out, we can see it stealing some business from the regional value leaders like Cricket at the very least.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Windows Marketplace trickles down to WinMo 6.0 and 6.1

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 16th 2009 at 3:22PM

Now that the 6.5 fat cats like the Imagio and Pure have had their fun for a few weeks, it's high time that the love start to trickle down to older upgrade-less devices, and as promised, Microsoft's now obliging with a Windows Marketplace download that'll work on phones running Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1. As far as we can tell, there aren't any material differences in this version, and Microsoft is quick to remind everyone that you don't need the download if you're running 6.5 -- so while you patiently wait for an upgrade, owners, you may as well get a taste for the good stuff now.

[Thanks, Chris]