Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement.
With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
After an early unboxing, Motorola (NYSE: MOT)’s little brother in Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s Android rollout has gone public. The HTC droid Eris is bringing a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, 320 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack and HTC’s very slick Sense user interface to the party. I’m still a little boggled as to how the Eris qualifies as a “with Google (NSDQ: GOOG)” experience with all the custom work done on top of Android 1.5, but more power to ‘em. Although not quite as buxom as the Motorola droid, or even HTC’s own Hero, the Eris still offers a lot for $99.99 on contract, and is a great option for folks who want the fancy Android experience while staying on a budget. Keep an eye on the VZ store for the Eris starting tomorrow, or take a closer look at the device over at HTC.
Bell busted out their fresh HSPA devices yesterday, and today we have a similar official announcement from telus (NYSE: TU). Earlier this week, we had a chance to sit down and take a look at the new toys; most of the players you’ll already be familiar with, but here’s a rundown of telus‘ take on each one.
First up we have the Hero, HTC’s Android avenger, jam-packed with their custom Sense user interface. I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t packaged in Sprint (NYSE: S)’s slick, smooth, curve casing, but telus apparently wanted to capture the European flavour by offering something unique to North America, although it’s arguably reminiscent of Rogers (NYSE: RCI)’ HTC Dream in terms of aesthetic. Prodding a little bit about other Android hardware in the future, telussaid that they’re really not interested in vanilla builds – they really want to see some unique experiences with each manufacturer, and I couldn’t agree more. If you’re hoping to see the Hero on another carrier up north, good luck; telus said they’ve nabbed the Canadian exclusive on the Hero, and it sounded indefinite. The price point is also killer: $99.99 on contract, $499.99 off contract.
All of the pictures of the Android-powered droid Eris have been slick and smooth marketing shots, but nothing beats a look at the real device. Since this Eris (code-named Desire once upon a time) is fresh out of the box, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is clearly ready to roll out the droid’s little brother very soon, and likely in tandem with Motorola’s device. We hear the droid Eris will have Wi-Fi, a 5 megapixel camera without flash, HTC’s Sense user interface on top of Android, and possibly costing $99 on contract. Keep an eye on your VZ stores for this one on November 6.
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one slobbering for the HD2, HTC’s monster of a Windows Mobile 6.5 device – we want it here in North America just as much as you do, and now we have a general expectation of Q1 2010 from a joint HTC/Microsoft launch event. If you didn’t catch our hands-on playtime, the HD2 hosts a gigantic 4.3″ WVGA touchscreen, a 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, and HTC’s custom TouchFLO 3D user interface. Between the giant display, slim profile, respectable camera, and WinMo functionality, this will be a choice handset for mobile media junkies. Europe and Taiwan have their units shipping presently, but there was no additional information about North American pricing or carrier availability (although T-Mobile seems likely), so stay tuned.
Rogers has announced holiday availability of the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N86 today, and is using the occasion to take a few potshots at the Bell and telus HSPA launches. Rogers (NYSE: RCI) is claiming their “unparalleled HSPA smartphone lineup underscores Rogers’ network superiority”, and are also milking the LG Eve and xperia X1 for all they’re worth.The N86 is an exceptionally good choice for anyone who’s looking for a mix of simple phone, an outstanding camera, and potential for advanced smartphone functions. The $99.99 on contract price point is also very attractive, but even still, it’s going to be hard to combat the hype Bell and telus (NYSE: TU) are currently commanding. It’s a good thing for Rogers that a holiday launch for wind mobile is looking grim, or they would have even more competition on their hands. If you’re interested in picking up the N86 when it becomes available, be sure to check out our review first, and keep an eye on the Rogers online store.
Bell has today gone ahead and flipped the switch on their brand new HSPA network. Coupled with telus (NYSE: TU) launching their own tomorrow, Rogers (NYSE: RCI) will no longer have a lockdown on hot GSM handsets like the iPhone, and Canadians will get some much-needed choice in service providers. The only devices Bell was forthcoming about before today’s announcement were an HSPA+ internet stick, and MiFi mobile hotspot, but they have really opened up both barrels with their full HSPA family. Earlier today, you might have heard about the Bell BlackBerry Bold 9700, but there’s also the original Bold 9000 for $249.95 on contract, the LG Xenon (simple, full-QWERTY slider; $89.95 on contract), the Nokia 2730 (standard candybar; $29.95 on contract), the Samsung omnia II (touchscreen slate running Windows Mobile with TouchWiz 2.0; $199.95 on contract), Samsung Impact (A.K.A Highlight, touchscreen slate with voice and motion-controlled UI; $79.95 on contract), and of course, the beloved iPhone 3GS.
On top of devices, Bell is also announcing a new HSPA video calling service available on the omnia II and Xenon that not only works with other capable phones, but also through a Facebook app. Overall, this is a huge step for Bell and Canadian wireless overall, and it’s not over yet – we’ll be hearing more about telus‘ HSPA grand opening tomorrow. For a closer look at Bell’s full lineup, check their online store, or their HSPA landing page for more info on the new network.
Imagine, if you will, a squadron of stealth bombers on a grim mission to bomb their homeland with sexy, sexy, smartphones. That is the extremely awesome premise of Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s upcoming Motorola (NYSE: MOT) droid commercial, seen here. Enjoy!
I was pretty sure the undead season had come and gone, but the tormented spirit of the far-fetched mobile companion idea has reared its ugly head once more in the form of fresh BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) drivers for the Celio redfly. Now, should you somehow become inclined, it’s now possible to plug your BlackBerry into this laptop-esque accessory (via USB or Bluetooth) and experience your smartphone on a bigger screen with a full keyboard and trackpad. If that sounds disturbingly familiar, it’s because you’re remembering the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Foleo, a project that was canned for fairly obvious reasons. Dusan still has a lot of hope for the idea, but I still don’t understand why I just wouldn’t invest a comparable amount of cash in a netbook or UMPC. In any case, if you’re thinking of picking up a redfly, they have one model going for $199 and another more buxom one for $249 over here. If you already have one, drivers for the BlackBerry 8900 Curve, Bold 9000, and Storm 9630 can be picked up from m.celiocorp.com/install on your mobile.
Sound the air raid sirens, duck under your desks, T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)’s wireless network is undergoing a pretty hardcore service interruption. From their Twitter account:
All – We’re aware of the current service disruption. Our rapid response teams have been mobilized to restore service as quickly as possible. We will provide further updates as more information is available.
Hoboy. Those T-Mobile customers out there, feel free to leave a comment with your own technical problems, how long they’ve lasted, where you’re located, and if/when service has been restored. We’ll update this post as soon as we hear more about the issue.
Some snooping around Motorola (NYSE: MOT)’s internal product page for the recently-unveiled droid has revealed hints of a tablet version (alongside the vanilla UMTS model) coming to T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) as the Sholes. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen some name-shuffling with the droid, and considering Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has an iron grip on the “droid Does” campaign, it makes sense T-Mobile would want to stay differentiated (or Moto might just be sticking with the original codename). Besides that, we don’t know if or for how long VZ has exclusivity of this hot handset and its apparently upcoming tablet brother, but based on earlier rumours, we could be seeing the tablet as early as Q1 2010, and the regular Sholes before the new year.
Bell busted out their fresh HSPA devices yesterday, and today we have a similar official announcement from 
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one slobbering for the HD2, HTC’s monster of a Windows Mobile 6.5 device – we want it here in North America just as much as you do, and now we have a general expectation of Q1 2010 from a joint 
Rogers has announced holiday availability of the Nokia (
Bell has today gone ahead and flipped the switch on their brand new HSPA network. Coupled with 
I was pretty sure the undead season had come and gone, but the tormented spirit of the far-fetched mobile companion idea has reared its ugly head once more in the form of fresh BlackBerry (
