Category: Mobile Tech

Sprint Announces Google Nexus One Coming…Soon

Sprint has announced that it will be offering the Google Nexus One phone, featuring Android 2.1, some time in the future. The company said that it will announce the exact release date “soon” and that pricing has yet to be determined. In today’s press release, Sprint vice president of product development Fared Adib said:

While a pricing plan has not yet been determined for Nexus One, we are confident that it will be consistent with Sprint’s commitment to deliver more value than our competitors and keep pricing simple.

The Nexus One was originally available for T-Mobile, with a Verizon version of the phone promised at a future date. Yesterday I wrote about the phone being available for AT&T. With Sprint’s announcement, Google’s Android 2.1 champion product will be available for all four major carriers in the United States.

Any Sprint customers in the house tempted by the Nexus One?

Google Nexus One Now Available in AT&T 3G Flavor

The Google Nexus One is now available with 3G support for AT&T in America and Rogers in Canada. This opens up Google’s Android 2.1 champion to millions of customers in North America. With a CDMA version passed by the FCC and rumored to be heading to Verizon as early as next week, the Nexus One will finally be in a position to do some damage (real marketing would help too!).

I know that some of you are on AT&T and a few of you are anti-iPhone. Are you interested in the latest version of the Nexus One?

Apple iPad Advertisement Hits the Oscars

I didn’t watch the Academy Awards last night, but a bunch of friends sent me texts and Twitter messages when a new iPad commercial aired during the show. I’ve posted it as a conversation piece and would love to hear your thoughts on it. It definitely has the usual Apple slickness, but does it make any of you want the product more? The iPad is launching on April 3, so expect the media blitz to continue!

Nokia 5230 Nuron for T-Mobile: A Compelling Cheapie Alternative

If you’re looking for a capable phone, but don’t want to shell out big ducks on a Google Nexus One or pay premium service for an Apple iPhone or Motorola Droid then you should consider Nokia 5230 Nuron for T-Mobile. I’m rarely interested in budget phones, but the Nuron offers consumers great value and great capabilities (in addition to a remarkably stupid name). The handset costs $69.99 with a two-year contract or $179.99 unsubsidized. Where it gets really interesting is that it will not require a premium data plan; the $10 a month Web2go option is all you’ll need.

In addition to the a low handset price and inexpensive service, the phone comes with free turn-by-turn GPS navigation and access to Nokia’s Ovi Store. The phone uses a Webkit-based browser, though it’s not as good as the ones found on the iPhone, Android phones, and Palm WebOS phones. The good news is that you can find a browser that’s more to your liking in the Ovi store, as well as a slew of other apps.

The downers include the lack of WiFi, a low-resolution camera, and the…not-quite-so-smooth experience of Symbian. Still, for the price you’re getting a ton of capabilities. Heck, I’m even thinking about going with this phone and spending the money I’d save on a monthly iPad service plan.

Let me know what you think of the Nokia Nuron for T-Mobile and if it interests you!

CDMA Google Nexus One Clears the FCC, Headed to Verizon

Consumer electronics nerds that love the Android 2.1-powered Google Nexus One but aren’t high on T-Mobile have some good news — a CDMA version of the Nexus One has cleared the FCC! When the phone launched, Google said that Verizon would be getting the Nexus One in Spring 2010. It looks like that release date will be met.

Now that the Nexus One will be available on America’s largest mobile network, are any of you interested in picking it up?

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Coffee Talk #88: What Do You Bring on Road Trips?

Before I get too D.I.C.E. happy, I should pack. Since I’m only gone Wednesday through Friday, I’m not bringing my Nintendo DS or Sony PSP. That said, I’m still packing a bunch of consumer electronics devices. In addition to my laptop and a three-pound microphone, I have my trusty BlackBerry, iPhone 3GS, and Kindle. It’s probably overkill, but you never know when a flight is going to be cancelled or delays.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, what you’re giving up for Lent, MLB spring training kicking into full gear, or the ridiculously fruity costumes in men’s figure skating, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As some of you know, I’m headed off to Las Vegas today for the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ annual D.I.C.E. conference. D.I.C.E. is always one of my favorite events of the year. The ridiculous amount of development talent walking through its halls is just…stunning. It’s just crazy that you can walk from the press room to the conference room and bump into dozens of gaming’s top creators.

Before I get too D.I.C.E. happy, I should pack. Since I’m only gone Wednesday through Friday, I’m not bringing my Nintendo DS or Sony PSP. That said, I’m still packing a bunch of consumer electronics devices. In addition to my laptop and a three-pound microphone, I have my trusty BlackBerry, iPhone 3GS, and Kindle. It’s probably overkill, but you never know when a flight is going to be cancelled or delays.

I wanted to see what you guys and dolls bring with you on the road. Do you go heavy on portable gaming? Do you prefer music and video devices? Or is it all of the above?

Windows Phone 7: More Evidence That AT&T Will Lose iPhone?

It’s looking more and more like AT&T will lose its vaunted iPhone exclusivity sooner rather than later. At CES 2010, the company threw its support behind Google Android and Palm WebOS. At Mobile World Congress, AT&T was anointed Microsoft’s “premier partner” for Windows Phone 7 Series devices. By the end of 2010, AT&T should have a wide variety of devices that will appeal to tech enthusiasts.

Like I said earlier in the year, AT&T is preparing for life without iPhone (exclusivity). I’m hoping all these signs are pointing to the obvious and that the wonderful iPhone will be free of the filthy shackles of AT&T’s network soon. Ah…the dream.

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Upcoming BlackBerry Browser is Fast and Accurate

RIM’s BlackBerry phones are wonderful for email and messaging, but the stock browser on all BlackBerries sucks. Third-party offerings like Bolt and Opera Mini are better, but still not as good as WebKit-based browsers found on Android, iPhone, and WebOS models. Today at Mobile World Congress RIM showed that it is working hard to replace its crappy browser with one that’s actually good. According to Engadget Mobile:

The early build shown off on-screen looks pretty solid, rendering Amazon.com quickly and scoring a full 100/100 on the Acid3 test.

The browser is WebKit based and a result of RIM’s acquisition of Torch Mobile. I’ve pretty much written off BlackBerry OS, but this browser is giving me second thoughts. Hopefully it arrives faster than RIM’s software updates.

Any BB users out there psyched for this browser?

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Symbian^3 UI Preview Shown–Too Little, Too Late?

While Microsoft has been getting the lion’s share of attention at Mobile World Congress for Windows Phone 7 Series, The Symbian Foundation has been trying to garner buzz by previewing its upcoming Symbian^3 OS. The video above is a “design preview” of Symbian^3 from Nokia and the Foundation. Here’s a snippet from Nokia’s blog:

The Symbian Foundation today unveiled the first release of Symbian^3 which they expect to be code complete by the end of next month. This release features a wide range of enhancements including more advanced usability, faster networking and graphics acceleration in 2D and 3D for games and apps. The first devices running the new platform are expected to ship as early as Q3 this year.

Although Symbian is still the global smartphone OS leader, it is rapidly losing ground to modern operating systems like Apple’s iPhone OS and Google’s Android. Those two products along with Palm’s WebOS make Symbian S60 look extremely primative. While Symbian^3 (in preview mode) appears to be modern and promising, it also looks like an oh-crap-we-have-to-catch-up effort.

What do you think of Symbian^3? Will it help Nokia compete this decade and regain some of its dominance? Or is it too little, too late?

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Today’s Poll: What’s Your Next Mobile OS?

Microsoft made a big splash today with Windows Phone 7 Series. It adds another combatant to the extremely interesting mobile-phone market. I wanted to see which OS interests you the most. I realized a few seconds ago that I forgot all about RIM’s BlackBerry OS, but after a few minutes of thought, I realized that it was probably the right move. BlackBerry OS 5 is not a modern OS and isn’t really comparable to the others in the poll.

Anyway, take the poll and share your thoughts (please)!

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