T-Mobile G2X copes with glitches, recall claims in dispute

The T-Mobile G2X is out of stock on the carrier's web store, with one TMoNews source claiming this is due to quality issues with the handset. T-Mobile, however, has denied the claim on Twitter and said the dual-core Android phone is facing "inventory constraints" due to "high demand." It claimed that it was working with the phone's maker, LG, to address the shortfall and hoped to have them return to normal in the coming weeks.

The handset's track record regardless of the actual cause of the shortage has been spotty. Technical problems reported by many users have included unplanned reboots, screen light leaks, and lesser control issues.

The phone supports T-Mobile's HSPA+ network and has a 1GHz Tegra 2 processor that gives it much of its speed. It ships with Android 2.2 and gets an eight-megapixel, rear-facing camera capable of recording 1080p videos, a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera, and a four-inch touchscreen.

Electronista

Samsung Galaxy S II coming to US by AT&T, Verizon, Sprint

Plans to bring the Samsung Galaxy S II to the US have been independently supported by an accessory maker's posting of a silicone case. Lining up with USPTO trademarks, the mention from Wireless Xcessories Group has the dual-core Android 2.3 device coming to AT&T as the Attain, the Function at Verizon, and the Within at Sprint. T-Mobile is unusually exempt and may either go without or have a delayed version.

The appearance of one case for three carriers suggests the US version will, unlike the original Galaxy S, carry largely the same design from carrier to carrier. Samsung may either have gained more influence or else decided it was necessary to speed up the launch.

No mention has been made of when these phones would release, but Samsung is holding an event on May 24 that could mark the US debut. A Verizon roadmap has put a "Galaxy 2" on the launch schedule for May and could see the phone available very quickly.

Electronista

US Cellular to launch LTE-based 4G in 2011

US Cellular on Friday leapt on 4G with its own plans for an LTE network. The carrier planned to have at least 25 percent of its network covered by the end of 2011 and would focus on cities that haven't been priorities for Verizon. Some of the first cities would include Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine in Wisconsin; Cedar Rapids, Davenport, and Des Moines in Iowa; Greenville in North Carolina; and both Bangor and Portland in Maine.

Multiple 4G devices would be paired up with the launch, though what these would be wasn't given out. LTE would continue to expand through the course of 2012.

The addition of LTE would make US Cellular one of the earlier adopters of the much faster cellular Internet access in the US. Verizon already has an established network and hopes to be largely done by sometime in 2013. AT&T is due for its first commercial service before the end of 2011. Sprint hasn't given more than minor hints of a 4G switch so far, and T-Mobile is now mostly depending on a buyout by AT&T to get a fast track.

Moving to LTE will eventually let customers on AT&T switch to US Cellular without necessarily having to switch devices, and those on Verizon and other US LTE networks switch without the difficult and sometimes impossible device reactivation process on CDMA. It could eventually allow a

Electronista

Samsung Stride SCH-R330 (U.S. Cellular)

The Samsung Stride is a no-frills flip phone. We like no-frills flip phones. Many offer great ways to save money on your monthly bills, especially when used in conjunction with a separate music player. If it's on a budget-priced regional carrier like U.S. Cellular and you live in the appropriate coverage area, so much the better. But the Stride is too lazy; it feels like a three-year-old cell phone that's still on sale, instead of something new. There are better choices at the U.S. Cellular retail counter.

Design and Call Quality

The Samsung Stride measures 3.7 by 1.9 by 0.7 inches (HWD) and weighs 3.1 ounces. It's made entirely of plastic, though Samsung adds a little flair with its textured, translucent front cover and metal-look red accents. The 1.1-inch, passive-matrix external display offers a retro-looking, 8-bit style LED clock. I like it, but your mileage may vary. The internal 1.9-inch LCD offers 176-by-220-pixel resolution, and looks sharp and bright for a low-end phone. The numeric keypad features large, soft-touch keys that are extremely comfortable to use, despite their somewhat flat look. Five function keys surrounded a hard plastic, rounded, five-way control pad. Dialing numbers and navigating the device were a cinch.

The Stride is a dual-band 1xRTT (850/1900 MHz) device with no Wi-Fi. Voice calls sounded good overall, with a clear, balanced tone in the earpiece, plenty of gain, and no background hiss. Callers had few complaints as well, and reception was good. Calls sounded clear through an Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset ($99, 4 stars). The Nuance-powered voice dialing worked perfectly over Bluetooth without training. The speakerphone sounded clear and went loud enough for outdoor use; always a good thing. Battery life was fine at five hours of talk time.

Apps, Multimedia, and Conclusions

Samsung designed what it calls Touchwiz Lite, a stripped-down version of the company's proprietary UI layer, for the Stride. The main menu features twelve small icons arranged in a grid pattern. You get the usual compliment of basic phone tools, like a stopwatch, voice recorder, and a 500-entry phone book. The Novarra Web browser requires several key presses and sluggish page loads before letting you enter a URL. It's fine for displaying WAP pages once you put up with that nonsense. The mobile e-mail client connects to all the major Web portals, but it's sluggish, and this isn't a texting phone anyway.

The Stride's Bluetooth situation is confusing. Samsung and U.S. Cellular stamp "stereo Bluetooth" all over the Stride's marketing materials, but the Stride has no music player, GPS, or other app that could possibly take advantage of this. The 1.3-megapixel camera has no flash or auto-focus. Test photos looked soft and grainy both indoors and out, even in bright sunlight; they'll do in a pinch, but don't buy this phone for its camera. There is 49MB of free internal storage, but no memory card slot; you can only share photos via picture message or Bluetooth.

U.S. Cellular has a pretty diverse lineup these days, though few devices are as inexpensive as the Stride. The LG Wine II UN430 ($39.99, 3.5 stars) remains our Editors' Choice for its sleek styling, larger LCD displays, faster EV-DO data, built-in music player, memory card slot, and excellent voice quality; it's easily worth the extra $30 up front. The Samsung Messager Touch SCH-R630 ($29.99, 3 stars) and the Motorola Grasp (Free, 3.5 stars) are two good choices for heavy texters, with full QWERTY keyboards and (in the case of the Messager Touch) a 2.6-inch touch screen, although neither is as quite as well rounded as the LG Wine II in other respects. Finally, if you can swing a few more bucks per month, the LG Optimus U ($29.99, 4 stars) is a killer budget Android smartphone that lets you run thousands of third-party apps, as well as browse the Web on a higher-resolution, 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen.

Benchmarks

Continuous talk time: 5 hours 0 minutes

PCmag

LG Flare LX165 (Virgin Mobile)

The LG Flare offers good voice quality, Bluetooth, and a lightweight design. If you've got another device for listening to music and snapping photos�say, an iPod touch ($229, 5 stars)�then the LG Flare is a decent way to spend as little as possible on whatever occasional voice calls you need to make or receive. It's a poor choice for a primary cell phone, though, for several reasons.

Design, Call Quality, and Battery Issues

Let's start with the basics. The LG Flare measures 3.5 by 1.9 by 0.8 inches (HWD) and weighs 2.7 ounces. It's made of a mixture of glossy and matte black plastics, and manages to avoid looking or feeling cheap. As with most flip phones, you get two LCDs: an external, 1.1-inch, 96-by-64-pixel screen, and an internal, 1.8-inch, 128-by-160-pixel display. Both are color, although the external one is a dim, passive-matrix LCD.

Seven function keys surround a squarish, five-way control pad. On the home screen, each of the control pad directions offer additional shortcuts to various apps like many other phones, but LG actually labels them on the control pad, which is helpful. The brightly backlit numeric keypad offers soft-touch, raised keys. They're a little stiff, but fine for dialing numbers and texting (the latter providing you don't mind T9, as opposed to a real QWERTY keyboard).

The LG Flare is a single-band, 2G 1xRTT (1900 MHz) device which runs on Sprint's physical network. Voice quality was fine overall, with a bright, if somewhat scratchy sounding tone in the earpiece. There was little background hiss. Callers said I sounded clear as well, and RF reception was fine.

Bluetooth pairing is a total mess. LG split it up into two menus�Tools and Settings�and requires many extra steps and key presses. At least the Flare has Bluetooth, though; the LG 101 ($9.99, 2 stars) omits it entirely. Calls sounded clear through an Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset ($99, 4 stars). Voice dialing works over Bluetooth, but only with preset contact names; you can't dial arbitrary numbers. The speakerphone went surprisingly loud, although it distorted considerably.

Battery life was terrible at just 2 hours and 23 minutes of talk time. That's awful. But given the Flare's prepaid leanings and several days of actual standby time, it may not be a deal-breaker for an occasional-use phone. Oddly, the Flare uses a proprietary charging connector that I thought had disappeared several years ago. Be careful not to lose the bundled AC adapter, especially since you'll need it so often.

Plans, Apps, and Conclusions

Virgin Mobile's payLo plans for the LG Flare are quite inexpensive. A 1500-minute, one-month plan that includes 500 text messages and a paltry 10MB of Web access costs $30. You can also get a 400-minute plan for $20, or pay 10 cents per minute and 15 cents per text message. You activate the phone via a serial number, either through the phone (if you're topping off an existing number) or through Virgin Mobile's Web site (if you're starting from scratch). We wish each plan didn't expire after one month, but otherwise, they're solid deals.

The Flare's main menu consists of nine icons arranged in a grid pattern. You can send texts and picture messages, but text messages aren't threaded. The sluggish OpenWave browser loads WAP pages slowly. They're readable in a pinch if you want to check the latest news or sports scores, but that's about it; I couldn't get Facebook's WAP page to load without server errors. You can buy ringtones, wallpapers, and basic games from the browser-based VirginXL portal. LG and Virgin Mobile claim the Flare has GPS, but I couldn't find navigation or even basic mapping apps. You can check or top up your account from the phone, though using Virgin Mobile's Web site on a PC was much faster.

Multimedia functionality is non-existent. There's no camera, camcorder, music player, video player, or memory card slot. There's just 7MB of free internal memory, which I suppose is enough to store a few extra ringtones if they're not too long. The non-standard 2.5mm headphone jack only works with mono, wired earbuds.

As a phone for occasional calls and texting, the LG Flare gets the job done. I'd probably choose it over the LG 101, thanks to the Flare's superior voice quality and Bluetooth compatibility, even if the Bluetooth here is unnecessarily fussy to set up. The Samsung Mantra SPH-M340 (3 stars, $19.99) is pretty similar; it adds longer battery life, a cheap camera, and looks a bit different. It's otherwise functionally equivalent to the Flare, but gets a better rating because of its adequate battery life. Our Editors' Choice on Virgin Mobile remains the LG Rumor Touch ($99, 4 stars), which requires a regular monthly plan. But if you have the extra cash, it adds a QWERTY keyboard, touch screen, and music and video players, and is far more suited to being your primary cell phone.

Benchmarks

Continuous talk time: 2 hours 23 minutes

PCmag

Samsung Mantra SPH-M340 (Virgin Mobile)

Pros : Simple. Cheap. Inexpensive prepaid plans.

Cons : Very poor camera. Tiny external display. No music, video, or camcorder.

Bottom Line : The Samsung Mantra SPH-M340 is a cheap, decent option for voice calls on Virgin Mobile, but not much else.

At $19.99, the Samsung Mantra SPH-M340 is a very cheap cell phone for Virgin Mobile's equally cheap PayLo prepaid plan. You don't get much for your money, but then again, you aren't really paying much to begin with. If you only need to make calls and are looking for a simple, inexpensive device, the Mantra will do. But if you're looking for anything more than that, you're better off looking elsewhere.

Design, Call Quality, and Bluetooth
The Mantra looks sleek for a basic flip phone. The front and sides are clad mostly in shiny black plastic, while the back is a rubberized grey. It measures 3.8 by 1.9 by .7 inches (HWD) when closed, and opens up to a comfortable 6.9 inches. The hinge is sturdy, and the phone feels solid overall. There's a postage stamp-sized external color LCD which displays battery life, date, messages, reception, ringer, and time. It's useful, but a little too small. Opening the phone reveals a 2-inch, 128-by-160 pixel LCD; it definitely looks low res, but there isn't much to see here anyway. The keypad features large, well-separated keys, and the control pad is simple and easy to use. Texting wasn't a problem, nor was finding my way around the phone's extremely basic UI.

quality was excellent over an Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset ($99, 4 stars) and the Nuance-powered voice dialing worked just fine without training. Battery life was average at 5 hours and 27 minutes.

Virgin Mobile's payLo plans for the LG 101 are quite inexpensive. A 1500-minute, one-month plan that includes 500 text messages and (a rather measly) 10MB of Web access costs $30. You can also get a 400-minute plan for $20, or pay 10 cents per minute and 15 cents per text message. You activate the phone via a serial number, either through the phone (if you're topping off an existing number) or through Virgin Mobile's Web site (if you're starting from scratch). We'd like it better if each plan didn't expire after one month, though.

Features, Camera, and Conclusions
The main menu consists of nine large icons arranged in a grid. There are links to your contacts, messaging, the Web, and a number of other basic functions. All of the usual low-end phone apps are in place as well, including an alarm clock, calculator, notepad, tip calculator, world clock, and voice memo function.

The e-mail client works fine, but it only supports a limited variety of accounts, with AOL and Yahoo being the two most popular. Gmail is missing. The IM client also works well, but only supports AIM or Yahoo Messenger accounts. Virgin offers direct links to custom WAP pages for Facebook and MySpace directly from the Messaging menu. The pages load relatively quickly, though it all looks rather poor on the phone's limited display.

The Openwave 7.2 browser did a decent job delivering WAP pages. It can't handle desktop Web pages. Since there's just 4.5MB of free internal memory on the phone, the amount of personalization you can do is limited. You can choose from various preloaded themes, wallpapers, and ringtones, or download additional ones through Virgin, but that's it. There's no music player, video playback, or camcorder. There's a mono 2.5mm headphone jack for hands-free headphones.

The 640-by-480, VGA camera is just plain bad. Photos taken had decent lighting, but were otherwise lacking in detail and basically blurred beyond recognition. They look bad on the phone's screen, and even worse off of it. There's no good way to get images off the phone, other than uploading them online or sending them via picture message or e-mail. But it's really not worth the trouble.

Virgin's PayLo lineup doesn't have any great phones; it's really all about the cheap minutes. With that in mind, if all you plan to do is talk, the Samsung Mantra SPH-M340 is a fine phone with which to do it. For much better hardware, you'll have to go to Virgin's more mainstream monthly plans. Our Editors' Choice on Virgin Mobile is the LG Rumor Touch ($99.99, 4 stars), which offers a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a touch screen, and plenty of multimedia power. But it's larger and more expensive at $99.99, and it doesn't use Virgin Mobile's cheapest payLo plans like the LG 101 ($14.99, 2 stars) and LG Flare.

Benchmarks
Continuous talk time: 5 hours 27 minutes

PCmag

Google Nexus S overclocked to 1.2GHz

A user-developed tweak to the Samsung Nexus S firmware is capable of overclocking the handset's processor by approximately 20 percent. The Nexus S' chip normally runs at 1GHz, but a new kernel based on the Bionix NS1 mod ups the processor to 1.2GHz. Google's decision to keep the bootloader unlocked lets users make the change relatively easily.


The hack does have some flaws, notably lack of Bluetooth support, and involves the chance that the processor will be damaged. As with most custom firmware or non-stock hardware changes, the developers note that the 1.2GHz overclock is done at the user's own risk

source

Nokia N900 gets a Gingerbread port, Nexus One stares in disbelief

Add the Nokia N900 to the short list of devices running the latest iteration of the Android OS � 2.3 Gingerbread. The last of the Maemo kind just got an unofficial ROM that, while not perfectly stable, proves that a relationship between those two is possible.

The Nokia N900 Gingerbread port comes courtesy of Alexey Roslyakov, a Russian coder, better known under the nickname DrunkDebbuger. He says a publicly available experimental release should come before the year's end, which means in less than a week. Of course it�s not completely functional at this stage, but cellular data, Wi-Fi and sound are a go and naturally support for the rest of the hardware is being added as we speak.


If being an alpha tester isn�t much to your liking, you can try the stable Android 2.2.1 Froyo release for your N900. Roslyakov says it should be available for Christmas.

The final bit of good news is that there will be some kind of Android release for the Nokia N900 in time for the old calendar Christmas (7 January).

It seems that all N900 owners have made Santa�s Good kid book this year.

source

Sony Ericsson handset with 16MP camera spotted at FCC

An upcoming Sony Ericsson handset, significant because it promises to bring with it a 16.4-megapixel camera, the highest resolution in the industry, has been spotted undergoing testing at the FCC. Called the Cyber-shot S006, the handset would be the first to use Sony's advanced Exmor R sensor. The phone otherwise has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 3.3-inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. It's also waterproof.

The Exmor R sensor is back-illuminated so it has strong low-light performance, with ISO settings as high as 12,800. The sensor is a 1/2.8-inch example, which is smaller than the 1/1.83-inch sensor found in the Nokia N8 but may not lose as much image quality through its new technology.


The handset will arrive at Japan's KDDI this spring. KDDI handsets can roam on Sprint's network, so the S006 should work in North America, though no details about the handset coming stateside are known. It should be available in gold, pink and blue at KDDI, though the FCC handset is black.

source

Sony Ericsson W205 Black Deals - Awesome offers with relevant plans with O2 and Orange

Sony Ericsson W205 Black deals are very good wit the O2 mobile phone network in which you will have the 100 monthly minutes with any of the service provider like the three, T-Mobile, O2, Virgin, Vodafone etc. The Unlimited messages which you will have with this can be of any of format of your choice like the multimedia, text etc. You can also have the Sony Ericsson W205 for free with this tariff along with 16 months of free line rental  The monthly cost that you have to pay as the mobile phone bill is �15.00 with the Contract period of 24 months.

The O2 mobile phone network is offering one more tariff with the Sony Ericsson W205 Black deals in which 300 monthly minutes are there with any of the mobile phone network , Unlimited text and free mobile phone. You can also pay the 14 months of line rental for free and after this period its �30.00 per month with the Contract period of 18 months.
The Sony Ericsson W205 Black deals are also very awesome with the Orange Racoon in which you can have the 400 monthly minutes with any of the mobile phone network, 300 monthly text, free handset and 23 months of free line rental . The Monthly cost as the mobile phone bill is �25.00 with the Contract period of 24 months.

For less Contract period you can go with the Orange Panther in which you can have the 600 monthly minutes with any of the mobile phone network and is with the Unlimited text, 750 MB of Internet allowances and you can also have the mobile phone for free with this also. You can have the thorough details about any of the Sony Ericsson W205 Black deals, through our website 3 Mobile Shop and can also have the information about the mobile phone also. The Sony Ericsson W205 Black can also be used as the pay as you go mobile phones in which you can credit your mobile phone account from any of the Online or the Offline store of your choice.

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HTC Desire Z Review

Android users who need a physical landscape QWERTY keypad don't have many high-end devices to choose from. This is why the HTC Desire Z is an important product for the company as it gives such users a choice aside from the Motorola Milestone. It is available now in Asia for S$868.

Design
One of the biggest draws of the Z is its slideout QWERTY keypad. The first Android phone from HTC to have such a feature was the T-Mobile G1 (or HTC Dream), which was also the very first commercially available Android handset. It's been a long wait for those who absolutely can't do without physical keys.

We tried out the keypad and found it to work well. Individual keys are raised with a rounded finish and we were able to distinguish between different letters by touch alone. Aside from the standard letters and punctuation keys, HTC also added two shortcuts that let you get to your favorite applications quickly.

The hinge mechanism found on the Desire Z doesn't make a simple sliding motion. When pushed, the screen raises slightly before folding back down into an opened position. This gives a certain "snap" to the action, which can be rather odd initially, but is strangely gratifying. This design also allowed HTC to make the bottom edge of the screen sit a little lower than a conventional slider. The advantage to this is that the top row of keys is less obstructed by the display portion of the phone.

We liked the aluminum material used for the Desire Z. It felt solid throughout though some may find the device a tad heavy at 180g. Like newer batches of the HTC Desire, the Desire Z utilizes a 3.7-inch WVGA (480 x 800-pixel) Super LCD panel. This looked good with sharp images and crisp text.

The Desire Z comes with four touch-sensitive shortcut buttons below the screen. We prefer physical buttons to this implementation as the likelihood of performing an action accidentally is higher with touch-sensitive keys.

Below these shortcuts is an optical navigation pad that can be depressed to select items. This worked well though some may find it unnecessary because most tasks can be completed by tapping on the screen.

A power button and 3.5mm audio connector are found on the top of the device, while volume controls and the micro-USB port are located on the left side.

Features
Connectivity-wise, this Android smartphone comes with all the options you would want in a modern smartphone including HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and A-GPS for satellite navigation.

The Desire Z will come with HTC's latest version of Sense and a suite of online services managed via the Web site HTCSense.com. Read our review of the Desire HD to find out more. In a nutshell, the new version of Sense adds useful apps such as free turn-by-turn navigation, while the HTCSense.com provides some security features that may be useful when you lose your phone.

On the back of the Desire Z is a 5-megapixel camera capable of shooting 720p high-definition video clips. There is also an LED flash for lighting up subjects and onscreen creative controls for more interesting shots. Photos and videos taken are of good quality. Click here to see some of our samples.

Performance
Equipped with the new 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 processor, the Desire Z may seem underpowered since 1GHz chips in smartphones are getting more common. However, that doesn't tell the full story. This processor also comes with the improved Adreno 205 graphics, which, like the Desire HD, was able to churn out better frame rates compared with the original Desire. We witnessed a performance on par with the Samsung Galaxy S using the Neocore for Android benchmark app.

During our review period, the Desire Z felt snappy when performing most tasks. In day-to-day usage, it didn't feel any slower than a phone using a 1GHz processor. We did not experience any dropped calls and found voice quality to be good. Take note that you cannot make video calls as HTC did not add this feature to the phone application. Furthermore, it doesn't have a front-facing camera to facilitate such a use.

The 1,300mAh battery gave us slightly over one day of use with two email accounts on push and social-networking services on two-hourly syncs. This wasn't great but is common among most high-end smartphones. Those who make voice calls frequently should have a charger or extra battery handy during the day.
Conclusion
Aside from the Motorola Milestone, there has not been any QWERTY-enabled Android devices in Asia Pacific catering to the high-end market. The Desire Z should fill that gap nicely, with its greatest competitor being the upcoming Motorola Milestone 2. There's currently no word as to whether HTC will update the software to the latest Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). However, that doesn't take away from the fact that this is a competent Android smartphone for those who must have physical keys. Those who need something more basic do have lots of other choices including various models from Motorola and the Xperia X10 mini pro from Sony Ericsson.

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LG Optimus 2X Review

LG Optimus 2X, the world�s first smartphone with a dual-core processor. Along with more powerful multimedia features, the LG Optimus 2X�s high-performance Tegra 2 processor makes for faster, smoother web browsing and applications and lets users multitask with virtually no screen lag.

�Dual-core technology is the next leap forward in mobile technology so this is no small achievement to be the first to offer a smartphone utilizing this technology,� said Dr. Jong-seok Park, CEO and President of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. �With unique features such as HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) mirroring and exceptional graphics performance, the LG Optimus 2X is proof of LG�s commitment to high-end smartphones in 2011.�


LG Optimus 2X Review
Developed by graphics processor powerhouse NVIDIA, the dual-core Tegra 2 system-on-a-chip found in the LG Optimus 2X runs at a clock speed of 1GHz and boasts low power consumption and high performance for playing video and audio. Users will experience faster web browsing and smoother gameplay compared with single-core processors running at the same speed as well as instantaneous touch response and seamless multitasking between applications.

LG Optimus 2X Specs
The LG Optimus 2X offers 1080p HD video playback and recording with HDMI mirroring that expands content on external displays to full HD quality. The LG Optimus 2X can connect wirelessly to any DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) compatible digital device such as HD TVs for a console-like gaming experience taking full advantage of the phone�s HDMI mirroring, accelerometer and gyro sensor. The smartphone also includes both rear- and front-facing cameras, microSD memory expandability, Micro-USB port and a hefty 1500mAh battery.

LG Optimus 2X Release Date
The LG Optimus 2X will be available in Korea in Jan 2011 with countries in Europe and Asia to follow. The phone will initially be released with Android 2.2 (Froyo) and will be upgradeable to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). The upgrade schedule for LG Optimus 2X will be announced in local markets in due course.

source

HTC A7373 set to be launched on January 9, 2011

This one is getting seriously interesting. A leaked screenshot showing projected launch dates for a few Sprint devices tells us that a mysterious handset branded "HTC A7373" is set for January 9, 2011 release.

Now, a research points that the HTC Desire Z is officially called "HTC A7373 Desire Z" in Russia. This leads us to two logical conclusions - first, Sprint has decided to release a spin-off of the HTC Desire Z (T-Mobile already did so with the release of the G2 and Verizon is about to do the same with the launch of the highly-anticipated HTC Merge) and if everything goes according to the plan, we'll see this handset on January 9 next year. However, there is a second, even more interesting possibility - that this is the long-awaited HTC Shift 4G, which is actually something of a hybrid between the HTC Desire Z and a small-scale version of the HTC EVO 4G.


Sadly, not enough information and images are available to make a definite conclusion, but January 9 is just around the corner. And it's almost certain that a few more leaks will occur before this phone's actual release, so stay tuned for more info on the subject.

source: Android Central

Luxury edition of the Samsung Galaxy Tab comes with a leather case & Bluetooth headset

Just about anyone can get their hands on the Samsung Galaxy Tab by shelling out some serious cash, but for those who want something extra with their purchase, they can consider buying a special edition version of the highly prized Android powered tablet.

In the presence of many upper-class consumers at the yearly Millionaire Fair, Samsung introduced their limited Luxury edition of the Galaxy Tab � which isn't drastically different to separate it from other variants available. In fact, the only thing you'll find packaged with the Luxury edition is a Bluetooth headset and a leather case � and that's it!


Yeah, we know what you're thinking, but those are the only new things you'll find about it. You'd better think fast on your feet if you want this one because it's only going to be sold between December 15, 2010 to January 31, 2011 for 749 euros ($992).

source: Samsung Hub

Motorola DEFY plagued by faulty earpieces, warranty will cover

The Motorola DEFY has been through it all � the rugged handset took a dive, then it was tortured with waterboarding, we bathed it and it survived too. But a growing number of users reported that it fails in another area and that is its earspeaker. Motorola still hasn't come up with an official statement on the matter, but most reports hint to a manufacturing issue. This is no good news as it would mean that no easy software fix will come to save the day. As troubling as this is for Motorola DEFY owners, the issue is still covered with warranty, but it can take several days up to weeks to get your device fixed.

The phone started selling earlier in Germany and that helps to understand why most of the defective speaker reports come from there. Most users report that the earpiece stops functioning within the first couple of days of use, but calls could still be made using the loud speaker.


Some reporters claim that the company has already produced the planned quantity of Motorola DEFY units for Europe for 2010. It would be a pity to find out that the issue affects all of those devices. On our part, we were charmed by the combination of good software and toughness the phone offers. But it might be wiser to hold on getting it now and wait for that official response by Moto. In the meantime, check out our in-depth review of the Motorola DEFY and see if it is worth the risk.

source: Motorola Forum

Pantech P8000 passes FCC approval, looks reserved for AT&T

A brand new and unannounced Pantech phone made a visit to the FCC and judging from its connectivity it looks bound to the nation's second largest carrier, AT&T. The Pantech P8000 supports GSM/EDGE 850/1900 and WCDMA 850/1900 networks, which match those of AT&T. In addition, the phone might run Android as it is also referred to as a �Pantech Android Smart Phone� in a listing at the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. The commission filing however did not release any details about Android on board.

The Pantech P8000 might get the moniker MOON, but it would be hard for the device to make an eclipse in the Android field. The FCC picture of the phone shows its bar-styled form and a rear-facing camera. Our guess would put this phone in the low to mid-end segment of AT&T smartphones (if indeed it is a smartphone), where it would have to face tough competition from discounted HTC and Palm handsets.

Source: Phone Scoop

Affordable Huawei Ascend goes on sale through MetroPCS for $179

Owning an Android powered smartphone can't get any easier nowadays thanks to MetroPCS with their aggressive stance on offering some decent devices that won't break the bank.

Today, customers can now pick up the Huawei Ascend for the no-contract price of only $179 � which of course offers the essential core Android experience. Some of its features include a 3.5� display, 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and runs Android 2.1. Sure it might not be sporting the latest build of Android, but it's still nonetheless more than acceptable for a device that doesn't require you to be tethered to a lengthy contract.


So if you tire of meddling with the predominantly messaging phones that MetroPCS has to offer, the Huawei Ascend is an inexpensive solution that should prove itself to be a versatile smartphone. You can buy one either through MetroPCS retail stores across the country or online.

Source: MetroPcs

Infinity Blade is Available on iOS now?

Do you like an adventure role play game? This type of game is extremely interesting. Infinity Blade is another great game which is some how similar to World of Warcraft which you gain control of your player. You can kill your enemies by attack and cast spells.


You gonna have to spend $5.99 for this application. Interesting? Hit iTune to get it now.

Source: GADGETOZ

Gigabyte to launch GSmart Rola - a Dual-SIM with Froyo in Q1

Gigabyte is preparing to launch a dual-SIM smartphone running on Android v2.2 Froyo. It's called GSmart Rola and it will launch on the bargain 175 euro in the beginning of 2011.

After the decent dual-SIM GSmart S1205 running on Windows Mobile 6.5, Gigabyte is ready to take their dual-SIM business over at the Android camp. The GSmart Rola runs Android v2.2 Froyo but packs barely decent specs - a 3.2-inch resistive WQVGA touchscreen, a 528MHz processor, 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM, a 3 megapixel fixed-focus snapper and a microSD slot.


The Rola's connectivity however has everything covered - Wi-Fi, quad-band GSM, 3G with HSDPA support, GPS (with aGPS support and digital compass), Bluetooth and even FM radio. We suppose the 3G would be available only on one of the SIMs though.

Gigabyte GSmart Rola will launch in Q1 2011 in selected regions with an expected retail pricetag of 175 euro.

Source: GSMArena

BlackBerry Bold 9780 Review

BlackBerry Bold 9780 smartphone is the newest addition to the BlackBerry Bold series of smartphones. Featuring a premium and iconic design with an incredibly easy-to-use keyboard and optical trackpad, the BlackBerry Bold 9780 is elegantly styled and packed with advanced communications and multimedia features. It is also the first BlackBerry Bold smartphone to come with the new BlackBerry 6 operating system.

BlackBerry Bold 9780 AT&T
�We are very excited to introduce the BlackBerry Bold 9780 featuring the new BlackBerry 6 operating system,� said Carlo Chiarello, Vice President, Product Management at Research In Motion. �This new model builds on the highly refined mobile experience that BlackBerry Bold users already know and love and delivers a wide range of enhancements including a rich new user interface, a fast and powerful WebKit-based browser, broadly improved communications and multimedia capabilities, an incredibly useful Universal Search feature and a high quality 5MP camera.�


BlackBerry Bold 9780 Specs
The BlackBerry Bold 9780 is a compact and stylish smartphone that offers a compelling blend of features, performance and design. It supports 3G networks around the world, includes Wi-Fi with support for carrier supported Wi-Fi calling (UMA where available) and GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging. It comes with a 5 MP camera with a full complement of high-end features including continuous auto focus, scene modes, image stabilization, flash and video recording. The BlackBerry Bold 9780 also includes 512 MB Flash memory and an expandable memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB of additional storage.

BlackBerry 6 is a new operating system that retains the familiar and trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a fresh, approachable and engaging experience that�s powerful and easy to use. It integrates a new and rich WebKit-based browser that renders HTML web pages quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. The browser offers fluid navigation using the handset�s optical trackpad, includes tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously and provides a zoom feature that can intelligently auto-wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page�s key elements for easier viewing.

Additional features of BlackBerry 6 include expanded messaging capabilities with intuitive features to simplify the management of social networking and RSS feeds (Social Feeds), and integrated access to BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and various instant messaging applications on the BlackBerry Bold 9780 smartphone. Its enhanced multimedia experience rivals the best in the industry and includes a dedicated YouTube app. It also features redesigned Music and Pictures applications and a new universal search feature that allows users to more effectively search for content on the smartphone as well as extend their search to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World.

source