There wasn’t one blockbuster piece of news this week but there were multiple stories that could have big repercussions down the line. T-Mobile’s CEO is stepping down, we took a long, hard look at Android 2.2 and the Pearl 3G, Google finally closed its AdMob deal, and, of course, Apple and its iPhone products had some surprises. Read on after the jump for a full breakdown of this week in mobile news.
So long, Dotson
T-Mobile CEO Robert Dotson will be leaving the fourth-largest U.S. carrier in order to spend more time with his family. Well, that’s what he says at least, but we all know that pointing to your family is the easiest out because no one but the biggest of jerks can call you out on it.
Dotson will be leaving in February of 2011 and the carrier is still way behind Sprint Nextel and especially AT&T and Verizon Wireless in terms of subscribers. The company is doing alright with its profits but it is not making the strides it would like with those lucrative, long-term smartphone customers. Maybe the introduction of Project Emerald and the expansion of its HSPA+ network could address the company’s smartphone problems.
Philipp Humm, who is currently the Chief Regional Officer of T-Mobile’s European arm, will take over for Dotson and he was instrumental in the merger between Orange UK and T-Mobile UK. Could the U.S. carrier be in line for a merger of its own? Time will tell, friends, and we’ll be there to let you know what it means to you.
Hi, Froyo
If you’re frothing at the mouth for Android 2.2, check out our blown-out preview of Froyo. The latest firmware brings a ton of new features to the smartphone platform including support for Flash, native tethering and WiFi hotspot, increased overall performance, auto-updating apps, and a host of other things.
How does Froyo taste in real life? Well, our resident Android head Blake put it through the paces and came away very pleased.
While Froyo didn’t give us features as enabling the colored trackball on Nexus One’s, or outsourcing all Google applications to the Android Market, there’s no denying that Android 2.2 OS absolutely delivers. Android is a very powerful operating system on its own, but Froyo just takes it to the next level by providing extensive upgrades, and new features that make using Android that much more enjoyable and flexible enough to meet all your mobile road warrior needs.
Check out the video below for a demonstration of Flash on Android with Froyo and if you have any interest in the little, green robot, read the whole preview piece here.
IntoMobile reviews BlackBerry Pearl 3G
Simon did what he does best with his thorough review of the BlackBerry Pearl 3G, the first smartphone from Research In Motion to sport 802.11n WiFi. The handset has a compact and lovely design, and there will be options to have the 20-key SureType keyboard or a 14-key alphanumeric keyboard. It also has WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and all the messaging goodness you’d expect from a BlackBerry. That sleek style does come with a price though, as the screen can be a bit small to some and the much-vaunted 802.11n didn’t have much of a real-world speed boost.
So, what’s the verdict?
What really got to me by the end of my time with the BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9100 is that it really does provide the fullest BlackBerry experience possible with little to no compromises made for the sake of size … So, who should pick up the BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9100? People who have to juggle a lot of balls, but don’t want to immediately be recognized as an office monkey chained to their BlackBerry.
Check out the video below for a walk through of the hardware and some of the software. Simon goes all out with his BlackBerry reviews, so go ahead and read the whole thing here. Also, be on the lookout for a full review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650 in the next week or so.
Apple iPhone bonanza
Yep, it’s another week, which means we hear another iPhone-to-Verizon rumor from an analyst. This one is no more or less credible than previous rumors and I’ll be happy once WWDC hits in early June to finally confirm or refute all these rumors.
Another rumor has AT&T providing Cadillac insurance plans for that shiny iPhone of yours. This is expected to cost about $14 a month and it will cover theft, damage (including liquid damage), and other bad things. It seems like a steep price to pay though, as it will also include a deductible that will cost at least $100.
We also saw some glimpses of what may be the next-generation iPhone, but this time it was in white! Sure, this could very well be a fake but check out the video below and let us know what you think.
Quick hits
If you know anyone from AdMob, hit them up for drinks this weekend because they will be celebrating that Google finally officially acquired the mobile advertising specialist for about $750 million. This came after the government stepped in to see if it would create an unfair advantage for Google in the nascent mobile ad space.
Microsoft is also playing for keeps with Windows Phone 7, as the software giant expects the platform to ship on more than 30 million devices by the end of next year. That’s a pretty lofty goal considering the iPhone is at about 50 million units sold, but the smartphone market is growing quickly and WP7 is impressive.
Good night and good luck
Well, it’s going to be a good, long weekend for us in the United States but IntoMobile is worldwide, friends, so keep hitting up this spot for the latest in mobile news over the next few days. Next week’s going to be crazy with the build-up to WWDC and the launch of the EVO 4G. Feel free to follow me on Twitter (@marinperez) but definitely follow IntoMobile on Twitter (@IntoMobile) and Facebook. Rest in peace, Gary Coleman.
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