Nielsen: Android makes huge gains in US smartphone marketshare, RIM takes a backseat, Apple leads in desirability
Nielsen 's just released a report finding that 29.7 percent of mobile users in the United States now own a smartphone. Of that 29.7 percent (as you can see in the pie chart above), 27.9 percent of them have iPhones, 27.4 percent own BlackBerrys, and 22.7 percent have an Android device.
Categories: Android, BlackBerry, Mobile Phone Tags: BlackBerry, market, massive, palm, percentages, shift, source, united-states, users, windoesphone, windows-mobile, year
O2 Germany hooks up lucky LTE testers for free during six-month trial
Network trials occasionally benefit from real-world testing -- and nothing is better at real-world testing than...
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: engadget-mobile, entry, its-customers, mobile, munich, normalcy, real, shoot-as-high, year
Rumors: Samsung Nexus S using fancy curved display Sprint had to pass on, HTC EVO Shift 4G is the Knight?
We've been fed some information by an established tipster today that paints an interesting picture of what sort of Android gear Sprint will -- and won't -- be getting next. First, we're told that the EVO Shift 4G trademark HTC recently filed for is the device known as the Knight , a downsized EVO 4G with a four-row sliding keyboard and a larger battery.
Categories: Android, htc, Mobile Phone Tags: convex, developers, evo 4g shift, evoshift4g, exclusive, htcknight, keyboard, nexus s, nexus's, superamoled, tipster, year
HTC Wildfire coming to some regional US carriers this year
We didn't really see this coming, but HTC has teamed up with "multiple regional North American carriers" to deliver its Wildfire stateside, a low-end Android device that might appeal to folks who aren't looking for Desire HD -class performance but still appreciate HTC's design sensibility (of course, the Desire HD isn't an option in America period , but we digress). The company hasn't named partners, but it'll launch with Android 2.1 beginning this quarter -- hopefully with a Froyo update in the pipeline, though there's no commitment in the press release, which you can find after the break.
Categories: Android, htc, Mobile Phone Tags: admiration, america, carriers, design, engadget-mobile, mobile, north, pipeline, press, some-regional, wildfire, year
HTC director confirms Windows Phone 7 phones launching next month
It's unclear whether the dude was speaking out of turn, but an HTC regional director responsible for North Africa and the Middle East has gone on record with gulfnews saying on no uncertain terms that the company "will be launching Windows Phone 7 handsets next month." Of course, that lines up nicely with just about everything we've been hearing lately -- not to mention the torrent of HTC-specific leaks we've seen -- and if true, it gives Microsoft a pretty generous buffer ahead of its holiday 2010 guidance for the platform's commercial release. He goes on to say that HTC will be releasing "around five more models by end of the year," though it's not clear how that mix will fall between Android, Windows Phone 7, and possibly even Brew MP ; the Desire HD and Desire Z seem like a nice way to close out the year on the Android side of things if you ask us, which leaves plenty of room for awesome WinPho hardware
Categories: Android, htc, Mobile Phone Tags: director, east, engadget, entry, leaks, north, phone, result, windows, winpho 7, year
Sharp to launch glasses-free 3D smartphone with 3D camera globally this year
Can't say we didn't see this coming. After wooing us with a number of glasses-free 3D displays -- including the one that gives Nintendo 3DS its magic -- and 3D HD cameras for mobile devices, the company has finally laid down the gauntlet
Categories: Mobile Phone, nintendo Tags: always-wanted, coming, devices, gauntlet, glasses, magic, nintendo3ds, picture-or-two, pretty-picture, prototype, sharp, spokeswoman, stereoscopic 3d, year
webOS 2.0 coming ‘later this year,’ says HP’s Rubinstein
HP's Jon Rubinstein -- formerly of Palm CEO fame, of course -- just mentioned in an interview with Fortune that webOS 2.0 is on track for "later this year." Considering that 2010 is more than half over, that doesn't leave a whole heck of a lot of time -- but with a mix of presumed kick-ass HP hardware in the pipeline running webOS, we imagine this should all dovetail nicely. On a related note, Rubinstein again drove home the point that they're developing new hardware "aggressively," so let's hope we finally see a Pre 2, a Palmpad , or heck, a frickin' LifeDrive 2 in the next few months
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: breakingnews, coming, developing-new, fame, fortune, frickin, heck, home-the-point, palm, pipeline, the-pipeline, webos2.0, year
Verizon leaks another Droid 2, getting BlackBerry Storm 3, Curve 3, 10.1-inch tablet later this year?
Now that the Droid 2 has officially reached "leaking like a sieve" status, we thought we'd toss you another couple shots of the Droid X's QWERTY-equipped cousin, which we're being told is locked for an August release on Verizon. If you're more of the BlackBerry type, though, we've got some news for you, too: our source is telling us that both a Curve 3 and Storm 3 are "possible" for the holidays this year. If we had to guess, the Curve 3 is likely a variant of this 9300 we've been seeing lately, whereas the Storm 3 could be a version of the 9800 slider or an entirely new keyboardless slate.
Categories: Android, BlackBerry, Mobile Phone, Other Tags: another-couple, BlackBerry, curve 3, curve3, droid, entry, motorola, source, storm, verizonwireless, year
Best Buy Connect wireless service is official, offers contract-free plans
We'll admit that we never took Best Buy as the kind of company to sell its own wireless service, but you know what Best Buy does sell? Laptops with unlocked WWAN modems, and to that end, the retailer's Best Buy Connect offering seems to be a pretty attractive one. Monthly plan pricing is about what you'd expect from anyone else, and you'll be able to choose between two-year, one-year, and contract-free packages for the same price -- the only difference is how much subsidy they'll throw in for you upfront
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: Best Buy, buy, christian, compatible, connect, laptop, Modem, mvno, subsidy, year
Virgin Mobile’s pre-paid MIFI spotted, purchased, unboxed, and photographed
Sure, Virgin Mobile's MIFI isn't due out until Monday -- but that hasn't stopped one lucky shopper from finding one on the shelves of his local Best Buy yesterday.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: buy, entry, initials, mobile, novatel, pre-paid, prepaid data, sprint, the-initials, virgonmobile, year