Nokia N9, E7, C7, or whatever it’s called gets caught on video
The mechanism that opens and closes the articulated display is pretty neat -- but otherwise, there isn't much from Negri Electronics ' video of its mysteriously-obtained Nokia prototype that is likely to raise many eyebrows. The phone -- labeled "C0" but more likely a member of the Nseries or Eseries -- gets poked and prodded over the course of four-odd minutes, revealing a number of ports protected with plastic flaps (micro HDMI included, it seems) along with a good, close look at that expansive QWERTY keyboard. Performance looks reasonable but not mind-blowing -- and we don't want to pass judgment on a software build that's likely got months of work left before retail -- so this could be a reasonable option for N97 and N97 Mini owners looking for an upgrade with a capacitive display and some ultra-mild UI rework.
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: entry, hdmi, judgment, odd, owners, owners-looking, pass-judgment, performance, prototype, result, software-build, symbian3
AT&T says New York 850MHz 3G upgrade is complete, voice quality improved 47 percent
AT&T's service in New York City has long been decried as some of the worst in the nation -- we've heard people claim 30 percent of iPhone calls drop on average -- but hopefully things are about to get a lot better, as Ma Bell's just finished its 850MHz 3G upgrade in the city. That means the carrier should have more capacity in all five boroughs, and we're told voice quality has improved 47 percent since last quarter
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: 850 mhz, body, carrier-should, city, entry, heard-people, nation, new-york-city, newyorkcity, nyc, result, rollout, spectrum, voice quality
Microsoft says Kin software update is scheduled for mid-summer
We'd already heard some talk that Microsoft's Kin One and Kin Two phones might be in store for an update , and it looks like the phones will indeed be getting one sooner rather than later. While it remains to be seen if it will include those rumored IM improvements, a Kin support moderator has confirmed on the Microsoft Answers forum that an update is scheduled for "mid-summer," and that it will address "many" of the concerns laid out in the post that prompted the response. That included complaints about battery issues, a suggestion for improvements to the Twitter client (including replies and re-tweets), and a plea for YouTube support
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: engadget, firmware-update, kintwo, microsoft, microsoftkin, response, result, software-update, twitter
White House throws its weight behind wireless broadband, wants 500MHz of spectrum reallocated
Ask, and ye shall receive, FCC: hot off Julius Genachowski's National Broadband Plan asking for 500MHz of additional spectrum to keep up with anticipated demand over the coming years, the White House appears to be totally on board with an Obama-penned memorandum out today demanding that federal agencies under his control get on board, while also "strongly encouraging" independent agencies to do the same. This isn't some open-ended, pie-in-the-sky deal, either; the 500MHz needs to be turned loose in the next ten years, and the president wants a plan on his desk -- penned with the help of the FCC -- by October 1 of this year on exactly how to make that happen. It's looking more and more like at least some privately-held spectrum is going to need to be reallocated involuntarily, but there's a lot of underused and unused airspace out there right now, so it'll be interesting to see if these guys can comply with the order in a drama-free manner.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: airspace, engadget, fcc, like-at-least, manner, memorandum, over-the-coming, spectrum, underused, white, wireless
HTC EVO 4G gets an OTA software update
We don't know exactly what's included, but Sprint's sending out that rumored over-the-air Android software update to HTC EVO 4G devices this morning. It's labeled as version 1.47.651.1, and it's just 21.43MB, so we're guessing it's just mostly bug fixes, but word on the street was that it would "enhance" WiFi, so there's a chance it could enable the EVO's 802.11n support , and we're also hoping for some improved battery life. We'll update you once we see some release notes, but in the meantime let us know how it goes, yeah?
Categories: Android, htc, Mobile Phone Tags: 802-11n-support, battery, evo, evo4g, fixes, htc, sending-out, software-update, sprint, sprintevo4g, street, the-meantime, update
Nokia muses on grip styles, says you can hold your phone ‘any way you like’
If there's one company in the world who knows more about gripping phones than anyone else, it's Nokia -- you know, the creator and sole proprietor of sidetalkin' . So on that note, you might want to sit up and pay attention to this little piece over on Nokia Conversations detailing four popular grip styles that won't kill your signal, including the four-edge -- a work of art that we've attempted to demonstrate for you with limited success in the picture above. We totally buy the claim that this particular grip causes zero signal degradation in virtually any cellphone ever launched (the curious stares you get are just a bonus), but Nokia goes on to boast that "realistically, you're free to hold your Nokia device any way you like...
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: art, conversations, detailing-four, engadget, Grip, loss, muses-on-grip, nokia, phenomenon, phone, phone-antennas, signal, stares
Best Buy Connect mobile broadband service launching soon
We've been hearing wind of a new mobile broadband service coming next month from Best Buy for a few days now, and it looks like the company went ahead and spilled the beans in its own Sunday flyer. The service offers a variety of tiers ranging from a contract-free 250MB per month for $30 all the way up to 5GB monthly on a 24 month contract for $60 a month.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: 250mb, activation, after-the-break, Best Buy, bestbuy, bestbuyconnect, connect, country, engadget, entry, gobi, sprint, tiers, Wirelessly
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: iphone 4, iphone4, launch, mobile, retail, sales-through, saturday, sold, the-mobile
TxTStopper announces cellphone jammer for your car, Microsoft too busy texting and driving to notice
Texting while driving is some pretty dangerous bloodsport. Knowing that still isn't going to change the behavior of an insolent teen
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: consumer-fears, engadget, messaging, morning, promoting-its, result, smartphones, windowslivemessenger
The Fingerist finds fame, retail opportunities in Japan (video)
Japan tends to be on the weird side of any coin, and The Fingerist does nothing to undermine that reputation. This accessory for the iPhone and iPod touch was conceived at a "mutton BBQ restaurant" when one dude said to another that he needed an amp for his guitar app. Lo and behold, after an apparently successful CES appearance, the axe-imitating speaker thingie -- replete with a guitar strap and line-out to jack into real amplifiers -- is now on sale for
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: accessory, air guitar, controller, fingerist, guitar amp, iphone, japan, odd, touchscreens