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Hands-on with T-Mobile's revised Shadow

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 11:23PM Featured Story


Windows Mobile Standard devices -- you know, those pre-touchscreen relics -- are getting to be tougher sales by the day. Touch is perceived as a "premium" experience (we're not entirely sold on that) and with boatloads of price pressure in that category, these little guys are liable to get squeezed clean out of the market. The new Shadow, even moreso than the original Shadow before it, definitely belies its Windows Mobile underpinnings with a funky shell that's fit for average consumers who just want a decent looking slider -- never mind a smartphone. The red-to-black gradient rear was totally bangin', but as is all too often the case these days, the glossy top was a brutal canvas for grease, fingerprints, and other unsavory stains that you probably don't want to press against your face. It's a tradeoff, we suppose.

Gallery: Hands-on with T-Mobile's revised Shadow

T-Mobile gets official with Shadow -- yep, just Shadow

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 10:58PM Breaking News


T-Mobile doesn't seem too concerned about the fact that there already is a Shadow -- it's the very phone they're trying to replace here, actually -- but whatever, it's Windows Mobile, it's HTC, and it's finally here. The new model thankfully features WiFi and full support for T-Mobile's UMA-based HotSpot calling service, but spec-wise, it's kinda the same as the outgoing piece (which possibly explains the carried-over name). On-board you'll find a 2 megapixel cam with video capture, microSD support up to 8GB, spin wheel navigation, Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard (read: no touch), a QVGA display, and all the myFaves you can handle. It'll be available in Black Burgundy and White Mint in "the coming weeks."

Hands-on with T-Mobile's Nokia 7510

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 10:53PM Featured Story

Color us impressed (literally). If T-Mobile can manage to subsidize the 7510 down to, say, $50, they're dealing with a serious winner; it's attractive, different from your run-of-the-mill midrange Samsung, and offers that all-important UMA for crazy cheap calling. The phone can be best described as fashion-conscious with a Finnish sensibility, and for us, the formula works. 3G would've sealed the deal, but there's no such thing as the perfect phone, is there?

Gallery: Hands-on with the Nokia 7510 for T-Mobile

T-Mobile announces Nokia 7510 sans Supernova branding

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 10:42PM Breaking News


As expected, the Nokia 7510 has gone official on T-Mobile -- albeit with less "Supernova" branding than we would've figured on. We're not sure why T-Mob decided to drop the naming convention, because it sorta relegates an otherwise-interesting phone to anonymous number-dom, but that's why there are well-compensated marketing folks making these critical decisions, right? It's got WiFi, making it one of the hotter HotSpot-compatible phones currently offered, and features a translucent cover over a fancy OLED display that serves up interesting effects for your entertainment. It's QVGA, it has Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera, myFaves support, and three included changeable faceplates -- Espresso Brown, Fatal Red, and Emerald Green. Look for it in stores in "the coming weeks."

Refreshingly, iPhone apes HTC with AniWeather app

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 8:56PM


All kidding aside, buying an iPhone and saying "gee, I wish this worked a little more like my Touch Diamond" really isn't a totally ridiculous thing to say. The topmost layer of TouchFLO 3D's one of the most refined UIs you can find on any mobile platform, and while we don't really see Apple ganking UI elements from it directly, independent devs are more than happy to do as they please. On that note, check out AniWeather -- now available in the App Store -- which looks suspiciously (nay, delightfully) like TouchFLO's weather widget and features totally wild animations that'll make even the most brutal weather conditions entertaining. What's next, a port of WinMo 6.1's 'Getting Started' app? Faceted replacement covers? Apple contracts with One & Co?

Matias' Tune Blocker alleviates the need to ever push "cancel sync" again

by Jacob Schulman, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 6:41PM


If hitting that "Cancel Sync" button in iTunes is just too terrifying of a task, the Tune Blocker from Matias is here to save your day. For the low price $24.95, you get the three-foot cable which allows you to toggle between data syncing and charging only modes. For another five bucks, you can score another three-feet of mouseless anti-syncing bliss, or you could just take the economical high road and stick to the included cable that comes with your iPod or iPhone out-of-the-box and save your cash for a much more useful purchase later on.

Impossible-to-use Hello Kitty phone taunts you with feigned cuteness

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 6:33PM


We can't picture this thing up against a head, and frankly, we don't want to. The monstrosity you're looking at here is somehow a phone, but in an overzealous attempt to completely destroy it with Hello Kitty branding, it's been formed into that fricking cat head -- a shape that makes absolutely no sense for a phone whatsoever, may we add. We're pretty sure you could make little kids cry on command by pulling this out of a pocket, so even if you can't imagine actually talking into this thing (we certainly can't), maybe it's worth the buy anyway. Just saying.

[Via PMP Today, thanks Daisy and Brian]

Nokia N810 WiMAX reaches 'end of life'

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 5:46PM Breaking News


Well, that certainly was a quick little experiment, wasn't it? Just months after quietly becoming available, Nokia has just as quietly slapped an "end of life" label on the N810 WiMAX Edition, officially ending Nokia's consumer-level support for the wireless standard -- for the time being, anyhow. Though we've been able to confirm that the discontinuation is official, no word was given as to why it fell off the market so quickly -- Nokia inststs that it was a "natural" end of life -- but if we had to take a stab at it, we'd guess the Baltimore-only availability had something to do with it.

[Via MobileBurn]

Logic Wireless' Logic Bolt makes luminous appearance at CES

by Sean Cooper, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 4:45PM


Logic Wireless, a new startup has jumped right into the CES mobile fray with this, the mini projecting Logic Bolt. Logic Wireless assumed all rights to this device from ChinaKing -- which we saw early in the summer of 2008 -- and have tuned it up and have it here at the show. Featuring a quad-band GSM chipset, 3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, projected display size of 36 to 64 inches, and a rated talk time of 2 to 3 hours. Video can apparently blast on for two hours or more using content on the phone or VGA input from other devices. Logic Wireless aims to ship a dual-mode GSM / CDMA set with live video conferencing, four times brighter projector, and Windows Mobile supplanting the current Java OS sometime in the future. For a suggested $100 on-contract price or $600 off, we're thinking if they can make this happen, we're definitely going to be picking one up.

[Via Gearlog]

Court blocks Sprint from offering service in iPCS areas

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 4:26PM


It didn't manage to block the Sprint / Clearwire merger, but iPCS is still scoring little victories for itself in its continued fight with Sprint over alleged violations of the exclusivity agreement it's had in place with the (much, much larger) carrier for nearly a decade. An Illinois court has now ruled that Sprint can't offer service in areas where iPCS has a presence, while Sprint's partners have their fate decided in the hallowed halls of justice starting March 30. iPCS covers seven states, so it's actually a pretty big blow to Sprint to have the footprint ganked from their icy clutches; guess they'll just have to make it up with Android-powered sub wins.

[Via Phone Scoop]

HTC said to be dipping into Ericsson's silicon for 3.5G chipsets

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 3:40PM


Digitimes claims that HTC intends to launch a 10-strong mix of WinMo and Android handsets in 2009 -- sounds about right, if we had to guess -- and not all of 'em will be Qualcomm powered. Apparently, HTC's HSPA devices will employ guts from Ericsson's Mobile Platforms group, and as lucrative contracts go, the HTC's chipset contract going into a serious Android year has to be at or near the top. Funny how HTC makes the X1 for Sony Ericsson and Ericsson makes chips for HTC, but business is business, eh?

[Via wmpoweruser.com]

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic comes to the UK on January 23

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 2:26PM


Half of the would-be buyers are probably holding out for the N97 at this point, but for what it's worth, the first S60 5th Edition device is ready to rock in the UK this month. Starting January 23, 5800 XpressMusics will be shipping for £249 (about $377) -- while Moscow residents are already totally over with it and onto the next great thing, by the way, and North Americans can keep right on lusting for a few more months. Love that launch stagger.

[Via All About Symbian]

SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone demoed on video, coming in Q1

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 1:40PM


No surprises here, but Sling Media has created a new SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone portal on its website in order to accomplish two important tasks. 1) To announce that it will indeed be submitted to Apple for certification this quarter and 2) to show off a new video of the software in action. If you just can't wait, head to the read link and mash play.

Virgin Mobile: bad economy is just what we needed

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 1:14PM

Scant few companies prefer a crappy economy in which to do business, but Virgin's latest financials suggest that this kind of operating environment might just be the sweet spot. 'Course, Virgin's US offerings are all about "value" -- prepaid and all -- and it seems that the Sprint-based MVNO is getting mad play from that angle, reporting close to a quarter million net adds in the fourth quarter of '08. For the record, that compares with forecasts of 60 to 100K -- and yes, granted, they closed on the Helio deal in the quarter, but beating estimates is always awesome.

[Via mocoNews]

LG's CTO flaunts GD910, we get it on video

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 12:34PM


LG finally figured out how to do a watch phone that doesn't make us physically ill, and fortunately, the company's CTO happened to be sporting one at the press conference today. Head on over to Engadget to check out the very device that -- let's face it -- will probably be on your wrist later this year.
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