Samsung has begun selling their first Android 2.1 smartphone 'Galaxy A (SHW-M100S)' in South Korea. Specs-wise, the handset sports an 800MHz processor, a 3.7-inch 480 x 800 AMOLED Plus touchscreen display, a 5-megapixel camera, an 8GB of internal memory, a microSD card slot, T-DMB, DivX support, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 3.5mm headset jack, a 1500mAh battery and runs on Android 2.1 OS. The Samsung Galaxy A (SHW-M100S) is now available in South Korea via SKT (South Korea's largest mobile carrier).
Boost Mobile has started selling the Sanyo Juno phone for $99.99 with Boost Mobile's $50 monthly unlimited plan. Available in impulsive pink and deep blue, the Sanyo Juno features a 2.2-inch high-res color display, a QWERTY keyboard for quick text messaging, a 1.3MP camera on the back, Bluetooth, speakerphone, and support for IMAP/POP3 and popular mobile email accounts. Additionally, the Juno provides aGPS support for taking advantage of an optional visual turn-by-turn direction service.
Telstra has officially rolled out the HTC Desire in Australia. In case you didn't know, the Android 2.1-powered HTC Desire comes jam packed with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 5-megapixel camera, and a 3.7-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display with Sense UI. You can get the HTC Desire for free, but you have to pay $85 every month with the total minimum cost being $2040 over the life of the contract. The unlocked version is available for just $779. Telstra is the only network carrier in Australia to offer this phone so far. [AndroidSPIN]
You are lucky if you are living in the UK, because LG will launch the Optimus GT540 Android-powered smartphone in that region. Available in black, white, pink and silver, the phone sports a 3-inch HVGA display with a 3-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, A-GPS capability, DivX and Xvid compatibility, a 3.5mm audio jack and a social networking client that allows you to hook up to various sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo. You can also upgrade the phone's storage capacity via a microSD memory card slot.
One of the most frustrating things for smartphone users has to be that battery life notification warning you that you only have 10 or 20% battery life remaining. When I first switched from a Blackberry Pearl to the Droid Eris, I realized just how much battery drain advanced capabilities like web surfing, Youtube and Twitter cause. I used my Blackberry primarily for email because the Web surfing experience was so terrible. As a result, my battery life was stellar. I would routinely get at least two full days with normal (which I now know to be very limited) use. During my first week with an Android device, I wasn't sure if I could live with the poor battery life that i was experiencing. After some soul-searching I decided to stay with Android in spite of the poor battery life because of the rich, vastly superior Web experience. During the next month, I made several discoveries that helped me understand how the advanced functionality that makes these devices so useful affects battery life.
First, I found that by turning GPS off, battery drain was much improved. Because the Droid Eris is an Android 1.5 device, it doesn't have Google Navigation capability and I don't use any other apps that require GPS. I do have a GPS toggle widget on my homescreen for the rare instance that I need it. Unscientifically, I found that by turning GPS off, I save about 20% of my battery's charge throughout a normal day.
Next, I experimented with mobile data. I found that by toggling data off, I could still make calls and send and receive text messages, and my battery would still have a 95% charge at the end of the work day. While no smartphone user would chose to use their phone like this on a daily basis, the ability to turn off data does come in handy when traveling in areas where your carrier's data connectivity is sparse or non-existent. Turning data off to save battery is also handy in situations where you are waiting for an important phone call, but your battery level is very low and you are not near a power source. To be clear, I leave data on at all times, but knowing the effect the data connection has on battery life is valuable.
Finally, while task killer apps get a bad rap from those who assert (correctly) that Android is built to manage apps efficiently, my experience has been that by keeping open apps to a minimum, battery life (and lag) improves. I use the Advanced Task Killer Free app and set system and email-related apps to be ignored (so they don't get closed). At random, periodic intervals throughout the day, I'll kill open tasks. It's quick and painless and even if it doesn't actually help all that much with battery life, the placebo effect is comforting.
Other pointers are fairly obvious, but bear repeating:
Nokia has officially unveiled the new Nokia N8 12-megapixel camera phone that is powered by Symbian^3 OS. This handset features a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display with a 16GB of built-in storage (expandable up to 48GB via microSD card), and a 12MP AutoFocus camera with Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash and a large sensor that rivals those found in compact digital cameras. What makes the Nokia N8 more special is that it can record HD (720p) videos. Available in black, silver, blue, orange and lime, the Nokia N8 will be launched in Q3 of 2010 for €370 ($492). Watch the promo videos after the jump to get more details.
Korean giant Samsung today introduced their latest handsets in Germany in the form of the Samsung Star S5230 FIFA World Cup "Fan Package" and Samsung Star S5230 LaFleur. The "Fan Package" edition is white, while the LaFleur edition is red with a floral pattern on its case. These handset come jam packed with a 3-inch WQVGA display, an accelerometer, Bluetooth, HTML browser, a 3.2MP camera and a MicroSD card support. The Samsung Star "Fan Package" and the Samsung Star LaFleur will be released in Germany in May 2010 for €245 or around $327 each.
TCT Mobiles in collaboration with ICE have launched their latest QWERTY flip phone for the Indian market. Known as the Alcatel ICE3, this stylish clamshell phone boasts a 2.4-inch 240 x 320 TFT display, a 2MP camera with video recording, a full QWERTY keyboard, an 80MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot (up to 8GB), an MP3 player, an FM radio, WAP 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, a USB 2.0 port and supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE network. Available in dark chrome and pink chrome color options, the Alcatel ICE3 is sold for Rs. 7000 (about $158).
Droid Incredible Rated 4.25 out of 5 by Wireless and Mobile NewsAll the reviews praised the HTC Sense user-interface add-on to Android 2.1 that integrates social networking updates (although you can only get hourly Facebook updates and Twitter every 5 minutes). HTC Sense offers quick "Leap" to access widgets, puts text messages in a list, gathers contacts and puts friends into a "cool" Friend Stream. The HTC onscreen keyboard is bigger and easier than the standard Android keyboard.
Android 2.1 itself has some incredible features, voice navigation on Google Maps, voice to text form filling and animated wallpaper. All the reviewers agreed that the Droid Incredible is the best and fastest Verizon smartphone now. It is definitely worth a test drive if you need all the bells and whistles along with and added HTC Sense that makes a lot of sense.
The Droid Incredible goes on sale on April 29, Verizon is already taking preorders online. Pricing will be $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Don't forget to use the Instant Phone Rebate Only Available with Online Purchase coupon-link to avoid waiting for a rebate. We don't know yet if the Droid Incredible will qualify for Verizon buy one 3G smartphone get one free deals.
An added bonus of theDroid Incredible is that it works with Verizon's free NFL Mobile and Skype mobile.
The Droid Incredible was formerly called the HTC Incredible. The Droid Incredible is part of slew of super phones that will be launched in the next few months. New super phones coming include the BlackBerry Bold 9650, HTC EVO 4G , KIN One, and Kin Two. The next iPhone is scheduled to launch on June 22. Vote for Wireless and Mobile News for best Wirefly Cell Phone News Blog and feel better knowing that winnings will be given to charity.Bonnie Cha at CNET rated the Droid Incredible 4 out of 5 for fast 3G, HTC Sense, 8 megapixeil camera, 8 gigabytes of memory, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. She doesn't like that on the Verizon doesn't allow for data and voice access at the same time and the multimedia capabilities. She called the Droid Incredible Verizon's top smartphone that lives up to its name. The 3.7 inch WVGA touchscreen (480x800) is beautiful and responsive but hard to read in direct sunlight. The HTC onscreen keyboard was easy to use and larger than the standard Android keyboard. The optical joystick, works like a trackpad, due to its small size can be awkward. The HTC Sense UI improves on Android functions and integrates social networking, email, calendar and allows for groups. The Droid Incredible comes loaded with a Peep Twitter app and Footprints for geotagging photo. The WebKit browser has Flash Lite. The 8 mp camera with flash takes great photos. Call quality was good. Over all general performance was great making the Droid Incredible the fastest smartphone tested to date even with 6 apps open at the same time.
Sascha Segan at PCMag rated the Droid Incredible 4.5 out of 5. He called it amazing and the most powerful smartphone on the market today, and named it Edtor's Choice. He liked the design with a sculpted back and red, but would have liked a dedicated camera button. The fast 1 GHz Snapdragon processor makes it fast and smooth. It had good voice reception. He loved HTC Sense that improves everything Android, homescreen, contacts, email and social networking. The HTC Sense address book is better than standard Android. Gmail and MS Exchange push to the phone, but he was frustrated by Twitter which could only be updated every 5 minutes and Facebook had only hourly updates. Music and FM radio sounded clear. The camera worked best in daylight while video recording was impressive. He called the Droid Incredible the best Verizon smartphone and second best smartphone in America(Nexus One.)
Marc Flores at LaptopMag rated the Droid Incredible 4 out of 5. He calls the Droid Incredible the Verizon's best Android smartphone, light, sweet and gorgeous. The optical joystick worked well, but was awkward for some gestures that didn't register. He found the auto-brightness on the display adjusted to light well except for direct sunlight. The touchscreen is responsive. The onscreen keyboard was flew quickly. He liked the "Leap" feature to leap through screens and decks. Friends Stream is "cool." The processor was fast with no lags. Web browsing was fast and smooth, you can pinch to zoom and double tap to zoom. Text messages and voice mail can be viewed in list. Google maps is integrated and voice search/navigation worked well. The camera and video quality was impressive. There were some problems with voice quality.
HTC Incredible Specifications: (Specs)
CPU speed 1 GHz
PlatformAndroid 2.1 (Éclair) with HTC Sense
Memory ROM: 512 MBRAM: 576 MB
Dimensions (LxWxT) 4.63 x 2.30 x 0.47 inches (117.5 x 58.5 x 11.9 mm)
Weight 4.6 ounces (130 grams) with battery
Display 3.7-inch AMOLED touch-sensitive screen with 480 X 800 WVGA resolution
NetworkDual-band (800 and 1900 MHz)
CDMA2000 1xRTT/1xEVDO/1xEVDO rev. A and IS-95A/B voice or data with up to 1.8 Mbps uplink and 3.1 Mbps downlink speeds
(Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.)
Onscreen navigation
Optical joystick
GPS- Internal GPS antenna
Sensors- G-Sensor, Digital compass, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor.
Connectivity
Bluetooth® 2.1 with FTP/OPP for file transfer, A2DP for wireless stereo headsets, and PBAP for phonebook access from the car kit
Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
3.5 mm stereo audio jack
micro-USB (12-pin micro-USB 2.0)
Camera
8 megapixel color camera with auto focus and flash
Audio supported formats: Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma
Recording: .amr
Video supported formats: Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv, Recording: .3gp
Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, Capacity: 1300 mAh, Talk time: Up to 313 minutes
Standby time: Up to 146 hours,
(The above are subject to network and phone usage.)
Expansion slot: microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
AC adapter: Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz
DC output: 5V and 1A
Special features: Friend Stream
Specifications are subject to change without prior notice
BlackBerry announced that the BlackBerry Bold 9650 will be sold in the United States beginning in May. The BlackBerry Bold 9650is considered an update to the BlackBerry Tour and at one point was going to be named the BlackBerry Tour2, there were rumors of an earlier launch but it was pulled for improvements. We suspected that it would be announced at WES and today at WES it was officially revealed.
The BlackBerry Bold 9650 has a QWERTY keyboard, 512 Flash memory which is double previous model, microSDHC (expandable to 32 Gb, 2 gigabytes included) 3.2 Megapixel camera, 3.5 mm audio jack, 480 x 360 245ppi display, Bluetooth, GPS, voice dialing, and speaker phone. The model has a keyboard similar to the BlackBerry Tour 9630 with the trackball replaced by a trackpad.
The BlackBerry Bold 9650 supports CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A networks and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS networks making it world phone that can be used in many countries.
The BlackBerry Bold 9650 comes with BlackBerry Media Sync for syncing photos, iTunes and Windows Media Player. It looks like it has built-in asy mobile access to Facebook, MySpace and Flickr and IM.
The BlackBerry Bold 9650 has a full HTML web browser thatcan streaming audio and video via RTSP. It will upgradable to the new WebKit Browser and BlackBerry OS 6.0 later this year.
At WES, BlackBerry announced their new pearl of power the with the BlackBerry Pearl 3G, the smallest BlackBerry, weighing 3.3 ounces, and the first to support 802.11n WiFi. It has all the horse power of a BlackBerry Bold 9700 in a smaller package.The BlackBerry Pearl 3G has support for tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks, will come in two keyboard styles SureType 20-key layout and one with the 14-key phone keyboard. An added bonus is that it has easier SIM card removal when the case is open.
Features of the BlackBerry Pearl 3G include GPS, optical trackpad, dedicated volume and media keys for added convenience, a 3.2 MP camera with flash for quality pictures on the go, support for up to 32 GB of microSDHD storage and 360x400 sharp-resolution display (238 ppi) Enhanced phone features, including voice activated dialing, speakerphone and Bluetooth (2.1) with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets and car kits.
The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone will be available in two models and several lustrous colors. The BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9100 model features a 20-key condensed QWERTY keyboard and the BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 model features a 14-key traditional phone keyboard. Both models include SureType oftware that can complete words as the user types, making texting fast and accurate.
Twitter announced that it has acquired Cloudhopper, a messaging infrastructure company that enables Twitter to connect directly to mobile carrier networks in countries all over the planet
Samsung B5722 is one of Samsung's latest offerings to the Indian market. The Samsung B5722 is Samsung's first TouchScreen mobile phone with Dual SIM. Looks wise, Samsung B5722 Dual SIM Touchscreeen mobile phone is one of the most stylish models yet from the Samsung stable. Samsung B5722 is not lacking on power or connectivity either. The Samsung B5722 combines some really useful features as listed below:
LAVA International has unveiled its new handset A9, loaded with advanced multimedia features and latest technologies. LAVA has entered the arena of mobile phones with handsets which have ability to stand out of the crowd.
