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.
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!
Want to load up a completely useless app on your iPhone? What if I told you that you’d have to pay for it? Still interested? Enter FirePlace from ToughTurtle. The app is a virtual fireplace with the added benefit of not actually being a fireplace. There’s no need to start up an actual fire, to tend to it, or even clean up after it. Bonus. You can use it in both portrait and landscape, and the app features lovely audio crackling noises as if you were in front of the real thing. You can even set it to play background music from your iPod library.
Note: OK, perhaps I was a little harsh here. I could see this coming in handy during that geeky/romantic date, or perhaps as a sideshow feature at those family holiday gatherings. Heck, even if you live in a small apartment or condo, with this app you can turn on the fire and enjoy the vibe. Yeah, maybe I was a little harsh. Still, I don’t think I’d spend $1 on it. That’s just me though
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
By Dusan Belic on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 4:55 AM PST In Rumors
File this under “rumors” as I’m hoping there’s no merit to this story. Apparently the most famous maker (and the only serious one as far as I can tell) of the Bluetooth mobile game controller Zeemote has closed its doors.
Investor Michael Fitzgerald of Commonwealth Capital Ventures is the source behind the rumor, though he declined to comment on details. He also said that the company will attempt to sell the Zeemote JS1 controller assets to some company who would appreciate them (we hope).
The problem was in the price of the JS1 and I honestly don’t see many people pouring out £40 for the controller. On the other side, the company tried to bundle its product with some handset models and in that sense we’ve seen various Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) devices being sold in “gaming bundles” that included a Zeemote controller.
As I said, I’m hoping if the worst happens, some smart company will grab the assets and extend Zeemote’s life…
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.
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…
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.
