Continue reading Nielsen: Android makes huge gains in US smartphone marketshare, RIM takes a backseat, Apple leads in desirability

Nielsen: Android makes huge gains in US smartphone marketshare, RIM takes a backseat, Apple leads in desirability originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[Thanks, Andy S.]

O2 Germany hooks up lucky LTE testers for free during six-month trial originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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. Interestingly, as far as our tipster knows, the front-facing camera is off the table — but in light of all the buzz around video calling these days, we wouldn’t be surprised if it had been added back.

Perhaps more interesting, though, is some buzz around the display on the Nexus S. You might remember that we noticed it’s concave on the front during its brief reveal at the Web 2.0 summit yesterday, an extraordinarily unusual design element for a full-touch phone. Well, our tipster tells us Samsung’s been shopping this curved display technology to carriers for a while — as early as CES at the beginning of this year behind closed doors — claiming that its research showed such a design improved perceived usability over a perfectly flat display. Sprint bought the line and wanted to get a curved-display model on shelves in time for the holidays this year, but Sammy was apparently unable to deliver product in the volume it was asking for… so that’s where the Nexus S might come into play; seems the Google-branded model could be the first to ship with it. We’re unconvinced that it’d be any better, but our judgment is fully reserved until we’ve got a device in our hands — which hopefully happens sooner rather than later.

[Image via xda-developers]

Note: Commenters are pointing out that the Dell Venue Pro also has a curved display, but it’s a different situation — that’s longitudinally convex glass over a flat display. Here, it’s laterally concave — though we don’t know whether the underlying AMOLED component is curved or not.

Rumors: Samsung Nexus S using fancy curved display Sprint had to pass on, HTC EVO Shift 4G is the Knight? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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. Our respect and admiration if you can correctly guess all the carriers that’ll be getting it, by the way.

Continue reading HTC Wildfire coming to some regional US carriers this year

HTC Wildfire coming to some regional US carriers this year originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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. Sliding landscape loudspeakers, anyone?

HTC director confirms Windows Phone 7 phones launching next month originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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. It’s promising to release a smartphone with such an autostereoscopic screen and 3D camera, just like we always wanted, before New Year’s Day 2011. It certainly wouldn’t be the first 3D phone in the market — Hitachi touted one early last year for Japanese carrier KDDI, and NTT docomo has had a prototype 3D display — but a Sharp spokeswoman said that this 3D smartphone would be going international. The more the merrier, we say. Now, how about some more details and a pretty picture or two, eh Sharp?

Sharp to launch glasses-free 3D smartphone with 3D camera globally this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 01:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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webOS 2.0 coming ‘later this year,’ says HP’s Rubinstein originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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. There’s also a 10.1-inch tablet on the docket; the carrier has already confirmed that Android tablets are in the pipeline, but this could also be a version of the rumored BlackBerry beast. More on this noise as soon as we get it; in the meantime, follow the break for another shot of that Droid 2, won’t you?

[Thanks, RWN]

Continue reading Verizon leaks another Droid 2, getting BlackBerry Storm 3, Curve 3, 10.1-inch tablet later this year?

Verizon leaks another Droid 2, getting BlackBerry Storm 3, Curve 3, 10.1-inch tablet later this year? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 01:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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. On a two-year deal, you’ll get $275 off the compatible laptop of your choice, which compares favorably against all of its competitors — AT&T at $150, Verizon at $200, and Sprint at $250 — while you’ll pay $60 for 5GB of data, $40 for 500MB, or $30 for 250MB (only available without a contract). Sure, you might not attract the glitz, glamor, and curious stares that a high-fashion name brand like Verizon might… but seriously, who are we kidding? Data is data, and if this works well, it sounds like a square deal. Hit up the source link for all the details.

[Thanks, Christian]

Best Buy Connect wireless service is official, offers contract-free plans originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Mobile’s pre-paid MIFI spotted, purchased, unboxed, and photographed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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