IntoMobile » Carriers

Samsung Convoy is rugged, push-to-talk enabled and available on Verizon

Dusan Belic — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:12:53 +0000

The Samsung Convoy is Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s latest rugged, PTT-enabled device. It’s a clamshell-shaped phone and aside from rocking the MIL-SPEC 810F standard for ruggedness, it’s also 3G-enabled, making sure you can access data services in all temperatures, altitudes and various solar radiation levels. In addition, the Convoy can also withstand shock, dust, vibration, salt fog and humidity.

As for the rest of the specs, there’s a 2-megapixel camera on board, Bluetooth, GPS (sings along VZ Navigator), large 1300mAh battery, and so on. Starting from November 15th, you will be able to grab this tough baby for $49.99 with a 2 year contract, and after a $50 mail-in rebate. In order to enable push-to-talk, prepare to pour out an additional $5 a month for the service.

[Via: MobileBurn]

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Nokia 3711 clamshell is at T-Mobile USA’s portfolio

Dusan Belic — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:09:30 +0000

T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) has a new Nokia (NYSE: NOK) phone in its offering. Nothing too spectacular like the N900, but something more modest, something for an average Joe who don’t want to spend much to get basic calling and texting functionality. It’s the clamshell-shaped Nokia 3711 which prides itself with such usual specs like QVGA screen, 2-megapixel camera, GPS, FM radio, Bluetooth, microSD memory card slot, media player and so on. It’s available for $69.99 on an Even More contract after rebate or $159.99 on Even More Plus plan. T-Mobile’s AWS 3G is also included… The carrier’s website offers more details for those who care.

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

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SingTel increases stake in India’s Bharti Airtel; Thinks about dumping its share in Australia’s Optus

Dusan Belic — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:09:37 +0000

Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) has recently announced that it is paying around $393 million to increase its stake in India’s Bharti Airtel to 31.95%, up from 30.43% currently. The company is buying the shares though its investment arm, Pastel.

In the other SingTel news, the carrier is reportedly considering the sale of a minority stake in its Australian subsidiary, Optus, in a move that could raise anywhere between $4 billion and $5 billion.

However, it is said that the plan is still at an early stage and nothing is expected to happen until late 2010 at the earliest. If this goes through, however, the carrier will use the funds to invest in emerging markets.

“There’s not too much money to be made in Australia; it’s a mature market and competition is very intense,” one source said, adding, “Right now SingTel is thinking of selling a minority stake, but this can change depending on market conditions.”

[Via: CellularNews]

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The Unboxing: Verizon’s HTC Droid Eris

Will Park — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:32:15 +0000

We’ve already had a chance to play with the HTC Droid Eris from Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless, but there’s nothing like a retail package unboxing ceremony to really get up close and personal with a new handset. As the “ying” to the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid’s “yang,” the HTC Droid Eris offers Verizon customers a fully capable Android smartphone at half the price of Moto’s headlining Droid, and it deserves some of our undivided attention.

The HTC Droid Eris is a lot like the HTC Hero from Sprint. Just like the Hero, the Droid Eris packs a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, 5-megapixel auto-focusing camera, 3G data, WiFi, GPS and a microSD card slot. It also runs the Sense UI, HTC’s custom Android homescreen skin, which gives the Droid Eris a bunch of extra HTC widgets to play with – and it doesn’t hurt that Sense UI looks way prettier than the vanilla Android homescreen.

Surprisingly, the HTC Droid Eris isn’t much thinner than the Motorola Droid, which sports a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. That’s not to say that the Droid Eris is a brick, it actually sits really comfortably in the hand. Still, the Eris could stand to lose a couple millimeters around its waist.

The Droid Eris’s 5-megapixel camera is faster and less laggy than the Motorola Droid. It also supports touch-focusing, which gives it a another small but significant leg-up on the Droid. The 3.2-inch display is smaller than would be ideal, but it’s plenty big for day-to-day use. Above all, there’s no sliding mechanism on the Droid Eris, so build quality is top-notch – no jiggling or creaking here.

The Droid Eris is available from Verizon Wireless for $99.99 with new 2-year contract. Or, you might be able to find a better deal here.

Unfortunately, the Eris runs Android 1.5 OS. The Motorola Droid features Android 2.0 OS, which has the Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps Navigation app pre-installed. Android 1.5 isn’t bad, especially with HTC’s Sense UI riding on top, but it’s no Android 2.0.

Anyway, acquaint yourself with the Droid Eris below!

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Verizon to pick up the iPhone in Q3 2010?

Will Park — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:09:37 +0000

Previously leaked image of a rumored 2.8-inch iPhone touch panel

AT&T (NYSE: T)’s iPhone exclusivity deal, by most accounts, will come to an end in mid-2010. When that happens, iPhone fans hesitant to leave Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s network might finally have a chance to put a Verizon iPhone in their pockets. In fact, according to a new report from OTR Global proves accurate, the iPhone might very well hit the Verizon Wireless network in the third quarter of 2010.

Word on the street has Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) putting in orders to build a batch of iPhones equipped with a new hybrid UMTS/CDMA chip capable of surfing Verizon’s CDMA network as well as the 3G UMTS networks already used by carriers like AT&T. Apple is said to have tapped Asustek subsidiary Pegatron to manufacture the new iPhone, rather than current iPhone manufacturer Hon Hai.

There’s also talk of the hybrid iPhone sporting a smaller 2.8-inch touchscreen. We’d previously seen leak photos showing the 2.8-inch touchscreen panel sitting next to the 3.5-inch panel used on all current iPhone iterations, but we’ve yet to see a smaller-screened iPhone come out of Apple’s R&D labs. Will the rumored hybrid iPhone be the first to hit market with a smaller touchscreen?

At this point, nothing is confirmed. But, with a little luck, we might see Verizon picking up the iPhone in the second half of next year. It’ll be interesting to see how that affects AT&T’s business next year.

The question is – will the prospect of a Verizon iPhone keep you from pulling the trigger on another AT&T iPhone or Verizon’s Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid?

[Via: AppleInsider]

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Deal Alert: $99 Motorola Droid, FREE HTC Droid Eris from Wirefly.com

Will Park — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:46:08 +0000

If you’ve been resisting the urge to run out and buy a Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid at a Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless store, we’ve got some good news for you. Wirlefly.com is rewarding your patience with a seriously hot deal on a brand new Droid. How hot, you ask? Wirefly is offering the Droid for $99.99 with new 2-year contract (or contract extension). They also have the HTC Droid Eris on deck for FREE, if the HTC Sense UI is more your style.

For about $100, Wirefly.com will ship a newly activated Droid to your door. There’s no mail-in rebate to deal with and FedEx shipping is included, free of charge. The promotional ad makes it look like the $100 Droid requires new activation on Verizon’s $59.99 monthly rate plan, so we went through the checkout process with Verizon’s lowest-tier $39.99/month rate plan selected. We stopped short of processing payment information, but everything looked good to go with the cheaper rate plan.

The FREE HTC Droid Eris offer seems to be more limited. You’ll have to have an existing Verizon Wireless account and be willing to extend your contract for another two years. And, it seems the contract extension only applies to rate plans of $59.99 or more. On the upside, shipping is free via FedEx.

If you can wait a couple days for your new Droid hardware, you’re going to have a hard time beating these two deals.

$100 Motorola Droid
FREE HTC Droid Eris

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MetroPCS adds Huawei M750 all-touchscreen phone

Dusan Belic — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:00:28 +0000

MetroPCS (NYSE: PCS) has a new entry-level all-touchscreen device in its portfolio. It’s the Huawei M750, which interested users could grab for $200. Specs wise, there’s a 1.3-megapixel camera on board, Bluetooth support, media player and a microSD memory card slot. In addition, the carrier emphasizes the “intuitive touch user interface,” but we don’t actually have any details about it.

In a nutshell, the Huawei M750 is a device made for those people who really dig the “touch” but don’t want to pay a small fortune or sign any contracts to grab such a phone.

[Via: PhoneScoop]

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Google promotes the Moto Droid on its homepage

Dusan Belic — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:59:19 +0000

We do know Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and Google (NSDQ: GOOG) have worked together on the Droid, but still we haven’t thought we’ll see the search giant promoting the smartphone on its homepage, which is known for not carrying any ads at all. There are no doubts in my mind, Google bets heavily on Android and I’m guessing this is their way to show the true iPhone killer is now available, sporting the latest version of Google’s mobile OS – Android 2.0. We’re also unaware whether some cash was exchanged in the process, and considering Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has spent a small fortune for Droid promotion, that also sounds like a viable option.

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

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Motorola Milestone coming to Brazil, too

Dusan Belic — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:58:00 +0000

Motorola (NYSE: MOT) announced that “B” of the BRIC countries will get their Android 2.0-powered Droid. We’re talking about Brazil, of course, and since the carrier is TIM, it’s the GSM version of the phone called Milestone that will be available to interested users. The price is unknown and but the good news is that the version TIM will sell comes with the multi-touch display, which is very useful for zooming all around the web, maps and so on.

Again you know the specs, but let me shortly repeat them nonetheless – the display measures 3.7 inches, there’s a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, HSPA connectivity, GPS, WiFi, 3.5mm headset jack and a 1400 mAh battery.

[Via: Unwired View]

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Alltel adds Samsung DoubleTake, low-end QWERTY phone

Dusan Belic — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:51:44 +0000

Alltel has a new device for young but heavy texters. It’s the Samsung DoubleTake which prides itself with a sliding QWERTY keyboard, 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and so on. In a word, nothing special, yet enough for $39.99. That’s of course the price with at least 1-year service contract on a qualifying rate plan and after a $50 mail-in rebate. As for the color options, there are two versions – bold red and sleek charcoal gray, which seem designed for girls and boys, respectively… I guess. Alltel’s website has additional details for those who care.

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Sprint offers Dell Inspiron Mini 10, too

Dusan Belic — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:50:37 +0000

Sprint (NYSE: S) is the latest operator to offer Dell’s netbook – Inspiron Mini 10. The carrier is asking $199.99 for the computer on a Mobile Broadband plan and a two-year service agreement, after a $100 mail-in rebate. Of course, the netbook comes with built-in EV-DO Rev. A modem which should provide average upload speeds of 350-500 kbps and download speeds of between 600 kbps and 1.4 mbps.

As you probably know, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 comes with a 10.1-inch screen, WiFi, 160 GB hard drive, 1.3-megapixel camera, Windows XP Home, Intel Atom CPU, card reader and Bluetooth…

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Proof that Motorola Droid Hype was built by the media

Stefan Constantinescu — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:15:49 +0000

Read this Tech Crunch piece in its entirety.

I walked up the Verizon (NYSE: VZ) store no later than 6:20 AM, forty minutes before the 7:00 AM opening time (three hours earlier than usual in light of the big day). But no sooner had I arrived than I began to question my still-groggy mental state. The Verizon sign was directly above my head. There were five or six employees buzzing around the well-lit store, two of whom were decked out in bizarre Droid-branded outfits, complete with black leather vests. But the street could not have been more empty.

The door cracked open. One of the employees, perhaps concerned by my confused expression or excited that someone had actually shown up, had come to talk to me.

A few minutes later I was joined by two new Droid fans. Unfortunately, my excitement over my new friends was rather shortlived — the newcomers turned down my offer of free TechCrunch T-shirts, and informed me that they weren’t actually waiting in line, but had come to witness it for themselves too. As it turned out, they were members of the Android team, who were also apparently let down by the sad turn out.

Droid. Does. Fail.

Update: Some further clarification as to why I posted the above snippet from Tech Crunch. Remember the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre? Remember how everyone fell in love with it in January, and we all eagerly waited for it to come out? First in the USA on Sprint (NYSE: S), then in Germany and the UK on O2 (NYSE: TEF). Look where the Palm Pre is now in November. Hell, look where Palm is right now. The amount of attention the Palm Pre received was outstanding, yet how many Palm Pres do you see out in the wild?

There is no doubt that the Droid is an awesome device. Everyone who has reviewed one has said that it’s the best version of Android to date. The camera sucks, but the polished UI, and let us not forget Google Maps Navigation, are compelling enough reasons to say that the Droid is better than the iPhone. But what actually happened? All the press, from hyper enthusiast gadget sites like us, Engadget and Gizmodo, to main stream coverage from places such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, all amounted to nothing.

No big lines, no big parade, nada, zip. Think we’re going to be talking about the Droid in 6 months? No. We’ll be up to our eye balls in Android 2.0 devices, and in 6 months we may even see a new, better, more hyped up version of Android from either HTC or Motorola (NYSE: MOT).

The reason I posted the snippet above was to point out, and make fun of, people who said the Droid was going to change the status quo. Android is still not awesome enough to be accepted by the masses, but it’s getting there.

Update 2: One more thing, how long do you think it will take for Motorola, or Verizon, to issue a press release saying 1 million units have been sold? How many do you think will be sold over the weekend?

Update 3 (Monday morning): Looks like TechCrunch changed their mind, apparently the Droid is selling well. The CTO at Pandora said downloads for his application tripled.

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Droid Day: Where to Get a Motorola DROID and for How Much

Simon Sage — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:59:04 +0000

Droid Day has arrived, and there are a lot of people waiting in line to pick up their shiny new Verizon Motorola droid. If you don’t feel like taking to the battlefield, here are some handy links to help you order one online, but even if you’re intent on picking one up today, maybe there’s a brick and mortar store in the list you haven’t checked yet…

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) – $149.99 if upgrading
Wal Mart – $149.99
Best Buy – $199.99
Wirefly -$149.99
LetsTalk – $149.99
Sears – $149.99

Anywhere else y’all have managed to find the droids you were looking for?

P.S.: Most online retailers are providing the $100 mail-in rebate instantly, but be sure to double-check with a live agent to make sure you know what the deal is.

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Dell Mini 3iX hits the FCC with WiFi and US 3G

Will Park — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:26:04 +0000

We recently saw the Dell 3ix pop up in Brazil with WiFi and support for wireless frequencies used in the US, indicating that Dell’s Android handset would make it to The States. Today, we have confirmation that the Dell Mini 3iX is indeed headed to AT&T (NYSE: T) (likely in Q1 2010). The FCC has just given its blessing to Dell’s first Android phone, complete with 3G support on the 850Mhz and 1900Mhz frequencies used by AT&T.

The Chinese Dell Mini 3i lacks WiFi to comply with China’s oh-so-reasonable censorship laws, but we’re happy to say the US-bound Mini 3iX will have full WiFi support. It’ll be running a vanilla Android build of some sort (hopefully Android 2.0 “Eclair”) and will feature a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 3-megapixel camera, GPS, 3G data and a microSD card slot.

As for pricing, we’ll have to wait and see. With Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s Droid and Droid Eris launched today, T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)’s Behold II on the way, and Sprint (NYSE: S)’s HTC Hero already on market, the Dell Mini 3iX has some stiff competition. Hopefully that will mean a cheaper price point.

[Via: UnwiredView]

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Verizon offers Internet tethering on Motorola Droid, for a price

Will Park — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:19:31 +0000

There’s more to the Droid than its high-end spec-sheet and Android 2.0 OS. Turns out, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless is going to let Droid owners use their new smartphone as a 3G modem. But, it’ll cost ‘ya.

In return for allowing you to connect your laptop to your Droid and use its 3G data connection to hop online (tethering), Verizon will ask that you hand over an additional $30 per month – that’s on top of the $30/month data plan that gives you 5GB of data per monthly billing cycle. The tethering option basically doubles the cost ($60) of the Droid data plan, which gives you a total 10GB of data allowance.

The cost might be a bit prohibitive, but at least it’s an option on the Droid. Unlike some other smartphones that we won’t mention by name.

[Via: EngadgetMobile]

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The DROID is live!

Will Park — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:55:13 +0000

The Motorola Droid is live on Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless! Following weeks of hype and impressive TV ads, the highly anticipated Android phone from Motorola (NYSE: MOT) has landed on US shores. Verizon Wireless stores across the country opened for business bright and early this morning to accommodate the masses of Droid hopefuls yearning to be the first of their friends with Verizon’s new smartphone. The midnight launch in Manhattan saw something like 100 people waiting in line for a Droid. The store in Palo Alto, California, said they had a line of about 10 people when they swung their doors open at 7am, and has since been seeing a steady flow of customers coming in with Droid on the brain.

The crowds aren’t bad right now. VZW stores are staffed and ready to serve. It’s not clear how Verizon Wireless will keep up with Droid demand over the weekend, but if it were us, we wouldn’t risk not getting into a store ASAP.

[Update]
Just a quick reminder for all you in NYC considering a Droid purchase today: Verizon Wireless is celebrating its Droid launch with a secret Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert in Manhattan. Droid customers get free tickets today!

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SmarTone-Vodafone Announces Launch of HSPA+ Network in Hong Kong

James Falconer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:07:15 +0000

Gotta love it when carriers update their networks for a faster and better mobile experience. Case-in-point today comes Hong Kong’s SmarTone-Vodafone (NYSE: VOD). They’ve announced the launch of their HSPA+ network upgrade. The upgrade (in theory) brings peak network speeds of 21 Mbps.

Douglas Li, CEO of SmarTone-Vodafone commented on the upgrade:

“SmarTone-Vodafone will continue upgrading network speeds to 28 Mbps and 42 Mbps next year, paving the way for 80 Mbps and even higher speeds with implementation of LTE…We are firmly committed to delivering best-in-market broadband services and customers will love the difference.”

Besides the groovy network upgrade, SmarTone-Vodafone has introduced 3 new mobile broadband price plans as well. The new plans are designed to meet customers’ different needs. The new ‘Power 3′ plan provides usable speeds of 2.3 Mbps, the ‘Power 7′ offers 2.6 Mbps, and the ‘Power 21′ plan brings speeds of 2-14 Mbps. Depending on your requirements and needs, it looks like SmarTone-Vodafone has a plan tailored for folks in Hong Kong.

[Via: Cellular-News]

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Nokia 2720 ‘Fold’ Coming Soon to Fido

James Falconer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:55:17 +0000

Fido customers that have been waiting for a new stylish and compact flip device may not have to wait that much longer for the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 2720 ‘Fold’. In a little promo image (above) you’ll notice a ‘coming soon’ starburst slapped right on top of the 2720. If you’re looking for a solid, compact flip device, the 2720 fits the bill. Great to have when you need to have a small device you can just tuck away in your pocket.

The 2720 features a 1.3MP camera with video, FM radio, Bluetooth, MP3 player, and 2.5mm audio jack. Pretty basic for sure.

The Nokia 2720 will go for free on a 2-year contract, or $125 contract-free or prepaid. I’ll keep an eye on the Fido site for more information as it becomes available.

[Via: MobileSyrup]

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AT&T To Launch White BlackBerry Curve 8900?

James Falconer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:18:48 +0000

So, not only do we have the new Storm2, the Bold 9700 and the Tour 9630 to gobble up on the market these days… It’s looking like AT&T (NYSE: T) may be slapping a new coat of paint on the Curve 8900 to push it out the door. Earlier this morning via BGR, I noticed said White BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Curve 8900. Of course, no pricing or launch details were made available, but what do you think? The 8900 is a solid device, would you pick one up in the new white livery when it becomes available? Or are the new offerings from RIM simply to good to go back to that ‘old’ 8900?

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TELUS BlackBerry Storm2 Shows up in Black’s Online Store

Simon Sage — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:10:51 +0000

Well, it didn’t take long for telus (NYSE: TU)‘ acquisition of Black’s Photography to prove useful for blogworthy information. The BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Storm2, which has yet to make an official appearance anywhere in Canada, can be seen plain as day in the Black’s online catalog. This is one example of how telus will continue supporting the ol’ faithful EV-DO network, and isn’t just throwing everything behind their recently-launched HSPA service. If you haven’t tried out the BlackBerry 9550, take a look at our review; the long and short of it is that the Storm2 cleans up the SurePress clicking touchscreen so it sucks considerably less than the first Storm, throws in Wi-Fi, and OS 5.0 (which entails a lot of user interface improvements). We’re looking forward to seeing this one in Canada soon, even though telus still has a few other exciting handsets to announce in the next couple of weeks.

[via Cell Phones Etc.]

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