Smartphones

Rumor Mill: Is Microsoft making a Zune smartphone?

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:04:50 -0500

Rumors are circulating of a possible Microsoft smartphone based on the software giant's Zune digital music player. Code-named "Pink," the phone will use technology from Microsoft's acquisition of Danger, the company that brought the Sidekick to T-Mobile.

The phone may be set to debut as early as January at the Consumer Electronics Show or at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, according to a report on CNBC.com. Rumors have swirled for more than a year around whether Microsoft would be readying a Zune-branded phone. Microsoft, as late as June of this year, denied any kind of development of such a phone.

The most obvious competition for the phone would be from Microsoft nemesis Apple and the iPhone 3G. While Microsoft's position in the mobile space has been limited to the widespread use of its Windows Mobile platform, a foray into handset manufacturing would put it squarely into competition with Apple and other phones that double as digital music players.

For more:
- see this article

Related Articles:
Microsoft: No Zune phone in the cards
Microsoft: "We want mass and scale" in mobile

Verizon Wireless launches Samsung Omnia

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:20:30 -0500

Verizon Wireless added another smartphone to its lineup just ahead of the official start of the holiday shopping season.

The carrier launched the CMDA Samsung Omnia, a touchscreen phone running on Windows Mobile with a five-megapixel camera. The phone uses Samsung's Touchwiz user interface and has haptic feedback that provides a little vibration when a selection is made. The phone has an on-screen QWERTY keyboard, runs on Windows Mobile 6.1, the Opera 9.5 web browser and is Wi-Fi capable. The phone is similar in may ways to the Samsung Delve being offered by Alltel, but the five-megapixel camera puts in on par with the Motorola Zn5 being offered by T-Mobile USA.

The Omnia will be available for sale online Nov. 26 and in stores beginning Dec. 8 for $250 after a $70 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract.

For more:
- see this release

Related Articles:
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Verizon launches HTC Touch Pro

Phil Goldstein — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:07:25 -0500

Verizon Wireless is joining the HTC Touch Pro party. The carrier launched the phone today and is selling it for $350 with a two-year service contract and after a $70 mail-in rebate.

Sprint Nextel launched the HTC Touch Pro last month and AT&T Mobility launched a very similar phone, which it calls the HTC Fuze, shortly afterward. Sprint Nextel is selling the phone for $299 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate, and AT&T Mobility is selling the Fuze for $299 after mail-in rebates and a two-year contract. Alltel is selling the phone for $280 to new subscribers with a contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate.

T-Mobile USA is unlikely to join the other carriers in launching the phone, as its premier handset, the G1, is similar in style and function to the Touch Pro, which uses a TouchFLO 3D user interface and has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

For more:
- see this article
-see this release
- see the HTC Touch Pro in FierceWireless' Holiday Handset Guide

Related Articles:
AT&T launches HTC Fuze
Sprint launches HTC Touch Pro

HTC: 1M G1 units to ship in 2008

Phil Goldstein — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:53:28 -0500

HTC CEO Peter Chou increased the forecast for how many T-Mobile G1s it expects to ship in 2008 from 600,000 to 1 million. In addition, Chou said HTC expects to ship up to 3 million Touch Diamond phones by year-end, up from 2 million.

The G1 launched in the United States at the end of October and in the United Kingdom shortly afterward. A European launch is expected in the first quarter of 2009. The phone is facing more competition in an increasingly crowded high-end smartphone marketplace that now not only includes Apple's iPhone 3G but Research In Motion devices, including the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Storm.

For more:
- see this article
- see G1 pictures here

Related Articles:
HTC CEO: 600K G1s sold by end of the year
HTC: up to 2 million Android phones sold by end of '09

Study: smartphone popularity leads to higher customer satisfaction

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:36:32 -0500

A study by J.D. Power found that as more feature-rich smartphones enter the market, customer satisfaction with handsets is rising, despite higher costs for the phones and for service. Release

Verizon, AT&T launch new Samsung phones

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:31:28 -0500

Both Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility launched new Samsung phones, adding to their holiday lineup as the holiday shopping season sets to kick off.

Verizon debuted two global phones, one a high-end smartphone and the other a lower-tier flip phone. The Samsung Saga is a QWERTY-keyboard toting smartphone with quad-band GSM/GPRS capability, an optical mouse, WiFi capability, the Opera browser and Windows Mobile 6.1. It also has a 2 megapixel camera, a microSD slot capable of holding 16GB and stereo Bluetooth. The phone will sell for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after a $70 mail-in rebate and will be available Dec 1.

Verizon also launched the Samsung Renown, a a quad-band flip phone that has all of the basics. The phone has a 2 megapixel camera, visual voicemail and a microSD slot capable of holding 8GB. The phone will retail for $179.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate and will be in stores Dec. 1 and available through business sales channels Nov. 19.

AT&T is also getting into the mix, and launched the Samsung Eternity, a MediaFLO phone that has access to AT&T Mobile TV. The HSDPA touchscreen phone has a full QWERTY keyboard, an accelerometer and Samsung's TouchWiz user interface. The phone also has a 3 megapixel camera and GPS with AT&T Navigator. The phone is selling for $149.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. AT&T is also offering new AT&T Mobile TV subscribers a 30-day free trial of the service.

For more:
- see this Verizon release
- see this AT&T release
- see FierceWireless' Holiday Handset Guide

Related Articles:
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HTC launching GSM-WiMAX handset in Russia

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:03:54 -0500

HTC is launching the first handset that will run on both GSM and WiMAX technology in Russia. The handset, the Max 4G, will go on sale Nov. 26 through the carrier Scartel, which markets itself under the Yota brand. Pic, Article

Rumor Mill: Verizon to sell HTC Touch Pro

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:00:44 -0500

Verizon Wireless will be selling the HTC Touch Pro starting Nov. 24, and it will be available in stores Dec. 1 for $350 on a two-year contract and after a $70 mail-in rebate, according to the blog Engadget.

The move would make Verizon the third nationwide U.S. carrier to sell the touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard-sporting smartphone.

For comparison, Sprint Nextel is selling the phone for $299 on a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate, and AT&T Mobility is selling the phone, which it calls the HTC Fuze for the same amount after mail-in rebates and a two-year contract.

For more:
- see this post
- see FierceWireless' Holiday Handset Guide

Related Article:
AT&T launches HTC Fuze
Sprint launches HTC Touch Pro

BlackBerry Storm available Nov. 21 for $199

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:02:03 -0500

There's a Storm coming.

Verizon Wireless announced that its long-awaited smartphone, Research In Motion's BlackBerry Storm, will be available Nov. 21 for $199.99, with a two-year service contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

Speculation around the Storm has swirled for months, most notably about pricing and launch date. The pricing makes it competitive with Apple's iPhone 3G, as the 8GB model also sells for $199 with a two-year contract from AT&T Mobility. The other big player in the market looking to cut into the iPhone's margins is the T-Mobile G1, which sells for $179 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile USA.

For more:
-see this release
-see these Storm pictures

Related Articles:
RIM roundup: Bold out Nov. 4, Storm reportedly Nov. 16
Verizon's launch of Blackberry Storm delayed until November

Sony Ericsson launches $800 Xperia X1

Phil Goldstein — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:25:51 -0500

The wait is over. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is now officially available in the United States, with the phone shipping Nov. 28, or "Black Friday." The price tag: $799.99, unlocked.

The UMTS/HSDPA phone, running on Windows Mobile 6.1 and the Opera 9.5 browser will be available through authorized retailers and is available for pre-orders on the Sony Style website. The blog Boy Genius Report states that the phone will also be available in Best Buy stores beginning Dec. 7.

The phone takes advantage of a touchscreen panel user interface that lets users look at multiple applications at the same time. The phone also has a 3.2 megapixel camera, video-calling capabilities and stereo Bluetooth.

For more:
- see this Xperia slideshow and review from FierceWireless' Mike Dolan
- see this article
- see the official press release with specs

Related Articles:
Hands-on with Sony Ericsson's Xperia
Sony Ericsson's future Xperia phones may not use Windows Mobile

Qualcomm: Snapdragon devices will be available in 2009

Phil Goldstein — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:30:47 -0500

Qualcomm is pushing its new Snapdragon chipset, which is optimized for mobile computing and mobile Internet devices. The company said there are currently 30 devices in development with the chipset--the first coming out in the first half of 2009.

Qualcomm said some of the companies it is currently working with to develop Snapdragon devices include handset makers HTC, LG and Samsung. The chipset will allow handsets to run on Windows Mobile, Google's Android platform and some Linux-based operating systems.

"Many of the customers we are now working with are new to Qualcomm and are looking to Snapdragon to help them succeed in the mobile space," said Luis Pineda, senior vice president of marketing and product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies.

For more:
- see this release

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AT&T launches HTC Fuze

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:02:54 -0500

AT&T Mobility launched the HTC Fuze, the same hardware as the HTC Touch Pro that Sprint Nextel launched, adding another high-end handset to its holiday lineup alongside Apple's iPhone 3G.

The HSDPA phone has a 2.8-inch VGA screen that uses the TouchFLO user interface which allows customers to use gestures to access tabs on the screen. The phone runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 and uses the Opera web browser. It is WiFi capable and has a five-row slideout QWERTY keyboard. The phone also has a 3.2 megapixel camera, access to Cellular Video and later this year will be compatible with Good Mobile Messaging and BlackBerry Connect.

The phone is selling for $299.99 with a two-year service contract and after mail-in rebates.

For more:
- see this release
- see this pic of the Fuze
- see FierceWireless' Holiday Handset Guide

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iPhone 3G passes RAZR as top-selling phone

Phil Goldstein — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:03:52 -0500

The iPhone 3G replaced the Motorola RAZR as the top-selling consumer handset in the United States, displacing the RAZR from the top spot for the first time in three years, according to the NDP Group.

The other phones that rounded out the top five selling phones in the third quarter were Research In Motion's Blackberry Curve (pic), the LG Rumor (pic) and the LG enV2 (pic). NPD found that despite the average selling price of phones rising 6 percent to $88, the sale of consumer handsets fell 15 percent year-on-year to 32 million units in the quarter.

"We had seen[the iPhone's] popularity rise since the launch of the 3G model at lower prices," said Ross Rubin, the director of industry analysis for NPD. "However, for it to be a device that's selling for a significant premium over the price of average handsets, and to be available only at one of the major carriers in the U.S. is exceptional."

For more:
-see this release
-see FierceWireless' Holiday Handset Guide

Related Articles:
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Huawei to make Symbian, Android smartphones in 2009

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:36:06 -0500

Huawei will enter into the smartphone market in the first half of 2009, and plans on producing devices running on the Symbian OS and Google's Android platform.

The Chinese equipment maker did not disclose details on the models it plans to produce or even how many phones it will be launching, but confirmed it would be working with Symbian and Android.

"Windows Mobile is already well supported by a number of software developers, but with Android and Symbian we can demonstrate our own customisable software and services," James Chen, director of marketing at Huawei Terminals Business, said at a briefing in Shenzhen this week.

Huawei has said it plans on launching in North America in the next five years.

For more:
- see this article

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Apple passed RIM in smartphone market in Q3

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:39:21 -0500

When Apple announced that it had sold 6.9 million iPhones in its fiscal fourth quarter, Apple CEO Steve Jobs proclaimed that his company had passed Research In Motion in units shipped in the quarter. Research firm Canalys has confirmed that, as Apple became the second biggest player in the smartphone market and took 17.3 percent of the market, compared to RIM's 15.2 percent. Report

Data services help mobile providers weather bad economy

Jim Barthold — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:32:06 -0400

Maybe people are using their cell phones to learn how much money their 401(k) has lost. Maybe they're checking email or the weather. Whatever the reason, data services are big business for wireless carriers-so big, in fact, that they're helping Verizon and AT&T weather an economic climate that's swamping many others.

Shiny new devices, led by Apple's iPhone, are keeping carriers in the black while the rest of the country goes red. Verizon Wireless expects to join the party soon with the BlackBerry Storm which is already creating a stir.

Lest anyone get too giddy about the ability of mobile providers to weather an economic maelstrom with new devices alone, it's quite possible, likely even, that the biggest gains are coming at the expense of the numbers three and four providers, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile, who are bleeding subscribers who are finding new homes, and devices, with Verizon Wireless and AT&T.

For more:
- see this article

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iGR reports 9.2 million smartphone sales in 3Q

Sue Marek — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:12:25 -0400

Research firm iGR has launched a new quarterly smartphone tracker report that combines end user surveys, industry metrics and channel research to determine quarterly smartphone sales. Iain Gillott, founder of iGR, says that the company also will be looking at the operating system and brand preference. The firm reports today that 9.2 million smartphones were sold in third quarter. Release

AT&T launches Epix smartphone with built-in optical mouse

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:08:26 -0400

It's no cat and mouse game for AT&T Mobility.

The carrier today launched a new touchscreen smartphone from Samsung, the Epix, that it says is the first smartphone with a built-in optical mouse.

The HSPA phone, which runs on Windows Mobile 6.1, has an optical mouse sensor between the right and left soft keys that users can use for navigation by sweeping their finger over it. The mouse can also be switched into traditional four-way navigation. The phone also has a full Qwerty keyboard, a 2 megapixel camera, WiFi capabilities, built in GPS through AT&T Navigator and a microSD slot capable of storing up to 32GB of data.

The phone will be sold for $199.99 with a two-year service contract after a mail-in rebate.

For more:
- see these pictures of the new Samsung Epix
- see this release

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Nokia says 'no' to RIM client for E71

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:53:54 -0400

Nokia said that it is not considering a Research In Motion BlackBerry email client for its top-of-the-line E71 smartphone, according to a report in Unstrung. Nokia shot down the idea, despite the fact that it runs a RIM client on many of its other phones.

"We don't have any current plans to have a Blackberry client on the E71," said a Nokia spokesman. "We can't say it's never going to happen, but there aren't any plans now."

For its part, RIM said it would continue to work with smartphone manufacturers, including Nokia, to bring the BlackBerry Connect client to smartphones.

For more:
- see this article

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Despite economy, smartphone market remains resilient

Phil Goldstein — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:25:08 -0400

The economy may have lost 159,000 jobs in September, but the smartphone market remains upbeat, according to a survey by ChangeWave Research. It found 12 percent of those polled planned on buying a smartphone in the next 90 days. Article