So, yeah, because this was a short week with a major U.S. holiday at the beginning, it wasn’t the biggest week for mobile news. Still, we saw the introduction of a new Android handset from Motorola, rumblings that the first HSPA+ phone will be coming soon and we found a way to waste even more of our free time with Hulu Plus. Without further ado, let’s dive into this week in hot mobile scoops.
They’re always after me lucky Charm
Motorola seems to have a clear strategy: pack Android into as many funky form factors as possible. We saw the wacky Backflip fail to impress but the upcoming Motorola Charm has a certain something that makes it appealing to me.
Sure, at 2.8-inches (320 X 240), the screen is going to be cramped with MotoBlur enhancements but I think it’s about time we had an Android phone with a portrait QWERTY keyboard. It will also retain that weird touchpad on the back, as well as a 3-megapixel camera, microSD slot, WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth.
This handset looks like one of those so-called quick-messaging devices you see teens texting away on but Android 2.1 means it will be a highly-capable smartphone. In fact, we’ve heard rumbling that T-Mobile may give the Motorola Charm away for free with a new, two-year contract. You could do a lot worse than the Motorola Charm at that price, I think.
We heard rumors this week that T-Mobile will be launching the first HSPA+ smartphone this September and the device should be made by HTC and run Android. Why is this important? Well, friends, this is a technology that could potentially get 42 Mbps download speeds.
After years of lagging behind the competition, T-Mobile is making a big push with its 3G network based on HSPA+ technology. The company is already delivering theoretical speeds of 21 Mbps in multiple cities and it plans to move this nationwide soon. There are even indications that it could try and double those speeds by next year.
Sprint is getting a lot of mileage out of the HTC EVO 4G being the first “4G” phone. I really like the EVO but Sprint’s 4G network is delivering about 10 Mbps on the go and I could easily see a T-Mobile attack add saying its 3G network outpaces (or equals) Sprint’s advanced mobile data network.
We’re huge fans of Hulu at IntoMobile so we were jumping with joy when we heard about Hulu Plus, we were anxious to test it out on the iPad and iPhone.
How did it turn out? Well, you can read the full post for more details, but here’s the meat:
So, is Hulu+ worth the extra cost? We say yes. Being able to watch TV on your iPhone or iPad is great for killing time. If you’re a heavy Hulu user who’s shunned TV in favor of internet streaming and/or you’re an HD snob and nothing less than 720p is fit for your eyes, then yes, the $10 a month is totally worth it. Of course, you should watch the video for yourself and make your own decision.
I’m still not sold about this as a complete cable replacement system because I watch too much news and live sports, but it’s a step in the right direction, I believe. Don’t trust my words, check out the demonstration video below.
Seize the day, friends
As exciting as this week was, next week should be even better as it kicks off with the MobileBeat conference. Some of the team will also be updating throughout the weekend but I’ll be trying to catch some rays here in sunny San Diego.
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I bet you thought I’d make a LeBron reference. Nope. Not going to happen.