AT&T and LG Unveil Shine II Mobile Phone

Topic: Mobile Phones

LG and AT&T have announced that the Shine II will be coming to the AT&T network on November 22nd for $119.99 after a mail-in rebate. The actual price of the device is $169.99 with a new 2-year agreement. The new Shine II offers a slider design with a glossy surface similar to the original Shine handset.

The Shine II has a 2.2-inch mirror LCD and uses stainless steel construction and a streamlined shape. The handset supports Java 2.0 and has a built-in media player with a customizable EQ. Read more

Posted on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Video Calling: The Future of Android?

Topic: Mobile Phones

Since at least the days of the Jetsons, we've expected that video phones would someday be the standard method of communication. While several videophones have launched over the last decade-and-change, none of them have managed to gain any popularity. Skype allows video chatting, and for the last few years webcam equipped notebooks have acted as a sort of poor man's overly-bulky video phone.

Now Saygus has launched an Android smartphone that claims to be the first mobile in America with 2-way video calling. On its own, the Saygus is fairly easy to dismiss as a gimmick. It's got a middling processor and nothing else to set it apart as 'special'. After reading this Android & Me report about Google's Gizmo 5 acquisition, however, things were thrown into stark relief.

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Posted on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:12:50 CST | by Robert Evans

T-Mobile Selling Sidekick Again

Topic: Mobile Phones

Less than a month after the resolution of the terrible Sidekick data disaster of 2009, T-Mobile is back to selling the troubled mobile once more (via PhoneNews). The 2008 Sidekick goes for $49.99 with an Even More plan, while the 2009 Sidekick LX will set you back $149.99 with the same plan. Pretty pricey for a 3G messaging phone.

Despite last month's horrific debacle, the Sidekick still appears to be as popular as ever. All Sidekick models are currently listed as 'out of stock'. Is T-Mo's site having inventory troubles, or are that many people still in love with the Sidekick as a mobile phone?

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Posted on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:46:04 CST | by Robert Evans

Saygus Android Phone is First with 2-way Video Calling

Topic: Mobile Phones

Saygus has announced a new Android-powered smartphone called the Saygus VPhone that claims to be the first device in America with 2-way video calling capability. The handset is expected to be offered as a CDMA handset on Verizon's Open Development Initiative.

The two cameras on the device include a 5MP main camera with autofocus and flash and a VGA forward facing camera for video calling. The handset also has WiFi, USB, and Bluetooth tethering that allows up to eight devices to connect as an access point. Read more

Posted on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

BlackBerry Curve 8520 Hits AT&T

Topic: Mobile Phones

AT&T customers look out, another BlackBerry is making its way to your carrier just in time for the holidays. The Curve 8520 has just been confirmed in an AT&T press release. It will be available soon for $99.99 after a $100 mail in rebate. As a warning, the rebate comes in the form of a $100 AT&T promotion card.

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Posted on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:03:01 CST | by Robert Evans

Xperia X10 Sample Pictures, Video Posted

Topic: Mobile Phones

Ericsson's upcoming Xperia X10 Android smartphone is one of the most hotly anticipated mobiles in development. Between its big, 4" WVGA screen, its 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, and it's 8.1 MP camera, the X10 is one of the most powerful smartphones announced so far. Only the HTC HD2 and the Acer Liquid have comparable specs, and neither of them pack the X10's badass camera.

Today, on the Sony Ericsson Product Blog, we're being treated to a series of photos of downtown Stockholm, taken on the X10. The fellow doing the blog entry warns us that he is unused to the X10, and that the phone is still in the design stage. The final quality of the X10s images will likely be higher than what we're seeing now.

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Posted on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:33:39 CST | by Robert Evans

Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition launched

Topic: Mobile Phones

Nokia today announced the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition, a phone that combines mobile broadcast TV (DVB-H), social networking, music and gaming into one compact 3G device.
The Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition DVB-H tuner allows you to watch TV on the go on a QVGA 2.4" screen.

Other features of the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition include 3.5mm headphone plug, 3.2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom and LED flash and social networking software integration. Read more

Posted on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:31:21 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

ZiiLabs To Make 1 GHz Android Smartphone?

Topic: Mobile Phones

Ah, ZiiLabs, makers of the ill-fated but sexy ZiiEgg. Their first big Android device flopped, because no OEM was willing to buy and brand it. The company isn't going to quit there, though. At the Zii Summit 2009 the company is set to unveil a tablet PC, netbook, portable e-reader, and a "phone with fully featured Android platform".

Android and Me states that this new Android smartphone is likely to pack Zii's latest invention, the ZMS-08 CPU. The ZMS-08 is fair competition for NVIDIA's Tegra processor, as well as the Snapdragon processor.

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Posted on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:28:43 CST | by Robert Evans

Samsung Galaxy Spica I5700 Android Smartphone Now Official

Topic: Mobile Phones

Samsung officially introduced its new Galaxy Spica I5700 smartphone. The handset offers powerful Android features with lots of connectivity and access to Google mobile services. The Spica can access Facebook and MySpace.

The Spica has an 800MHz processor and operates on the HSDPA 3.6Mbps networks and on EDGE/GPRS networks. The handset runs Android 1.5 and has a 3.2-inch HVGA 320 x 480 screen and a 3MP camera. Read more

Posted on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

HTC Hero: $99 At Best Buy Now [Updated]

Topic: Mobile Phones

Deal alert! Deal Alert! Boy Genius reports that several tipsters have informed them of an incredible deal on one of the best Android smartphones on the market. The HTC Hero is apparently now selling for just $99 with a 2-year Sprint contract at Best Buy.

Update: The Sprint HTC Hero is now on sale for $99.99 on the Best Buy site with contract.

There's been no official word yet from Best Buy on this, and Sprint has yet to mention any sort of a price cut or discount. It's possible that an official press release from Best Buy will hit tomorrow, and that the stores selling the Hero now just started their deals a little early. More information should be filtering out soon.

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Posted on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:32:25 CST | by Robert Evans

Droid Speaker Glitch Spotted?

Topic: Mobile Phones

Well, it looks like the very first glitch in the Motorola Droid smartphone has come to light. Engadget reports that a number of Droid users have encountered a very peculiar problem. Every so often, the external speakers on the phone will cut out and die for no apparent reason. So far, all signs point to this being a software issue and not a problem with the Droid's hardware itself.

If you encounter this issue with your Droid, try restarting it. Some users have found that a restart fixes the problem temporarily. A more permanent fix will have to wait for a patch from Motorola. If you can't hold on that long, Moto is replacing all effected handsets.

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Posted on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:05:35 CST | by Robert Evans