The Buzz on new Cell Phones

Yes, we’ve seen this puppy before — but last time, we’d merely heard it was running Android. This time around, we’ve got a little more confirmation that the so-called Zeppelin from Moto is sporting Google code (allegedly Cupcake, sadly) with a dash of Blur added in for good measure. Gizmodo Brazil — which scored some time with a prototype — suggests that this’ll see duty on the lower end of Motorola’s smartphone lineup, and we tend to agree considering the HVGA display that takes up far less space than it could if Moto had wanted to go for broke. A keyboardless companion to the CLIQ / DEXT, perhaps? Carriers are an open question here, but we’ve heard rumblings of interest on T-Mobile USA’s part; the site says it’ll hit streets in March, so we shouldn’t have long to wait to find out.

All credits and information was found on engadget.com

Here’s the thing about Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Pureness: once you get past the translucent display, there’s not much to it. Seriously — it doesn’t have 3G, a camera, hunks of precious metal, or even a fancy name to flaunt like Vertu, Dior, or Versace; it’s just a low-end phone from a mass-market manufacturer that can’t do much other than make calls. We suppose that’s why it was so easy for a Shenzhen KIRFer to pop out this near-perfect duplicate of the Pureness — the Somy X5 — in no time. Heck, it’s even got support for two SIMs, or exactly twice as many as you’ll find on the $1,000 genuine article — which, if you’re keeping track, is over twelve times the bargain-basement sticker on the Somy here at RMB 550 ($81). Anyhow, looks like it’s back to that search for a faithful Aura replica, eh?

All credits and information was found on engadget.com

We’re sure just about every company on the map has an opinion on Apple’s new device, but a few big wigs have taken time out of their busy schedules to weigh in on the device. These are their stories.

* Nokia’s Mark Squires, Head of Social Media, was mainly confused by Apple’s statement that it’s the biggest mobile device manufacturer, surpassing Nokia in combined revenue on media players, phones and laptops. Mark argues that the accepted definition for “mobile devices” excludes laptops, and goes on to mention the undisputed fact that Nokia’s still number one when it comes to number of devices sold.
* Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, meanwhile, says that mobile devices aren’t a priority for his company yet. They’re fighting the good fight of the large screen, and once they feel comfortable in their various efforts there, then they’ll move on to small screens. Netflix hasn’t done or submitted an iPhone application, but Hastings did mention that he was optimistic that if Netflix did get into the game, the app would be approved for the App Store, and that it would run on both the iPhone and iPad.
* Satura Iwata, president and CEO of Nintendo, took a much more directly critical approach to the device, calling it a “bigger iPod Touch,” and that Apple delivered “no surprises.” In the same interview he expressed skepticism as to the value of bringing a high definition Wii on the market, as well as expressing doubts about 3D glasses-based gaming. Iwata is clearly a tough man to please.
* Perhaps most threatened by the iPad is Russ Wilcox, CEO of E-Ink. He says dedicated e-readers will outsell iPads due to “simple economics,” and that the iPad is “great entertainment device,” but it’s “not the world’s best reading device.” His criticisms, mostly in juxtaposition to Kindle-style devices, abound, including price, weight, backlight and so on. He’s right on the money about the shortfalls of a straightforward comparison, but we wonder if consumers will feel the same?

Nothing too salacious, unfortunately, and most of the points raised are pretty spot-on — though we do wish Reed Hastings would rethink his priorities just a smidgen and get Netflix onto mobile devices sooner than later. We’re needy like that.

All credits and information was found on boygeniureport.com

A few weeks ago we heard rumors that the Motorola Shadow could earn the distinction of Nexus Two. Today Motorola confirmed that they are working with Google on a new phone to be sold directly to consumers.

There’s no telling if the Droidesque Shadow is the device in question, or if Motorola’s will even be Google’s next flagship device, but during an earnings call today Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha confirmed that the company is working on a “direct to consumer device with Google.”

Jha didn’t offer any details on the forthcoming phone, but his statement serves as confirmation of two things: Google’s Nexus One wasn’t a one-off experiment and Motorola is involved in one of its successors.

All credits and information was found on engadget.com

With the announcement that the iPad would continue Apple’s often-rocky relationship with AT&T to serve up wide-area data, we wanted to know: exactly what does an iPad cost you over the course of a couple years? Granted, the iPad doesn’t support voice calling — nor does it require a contract, unlike the iPhone — but for anyone who uses an iPhone primarily for browsing and gaming, this could make for a serviceable alternative that saves money over the long term. Follow the break for the full rundown.

All credits and information was found on engadget.com

The 32GB Nokia X6 just got a complementary 16GB counterpart. It lacks the awkwardly named “Comes With Music” feature of its big brother, but keeps the 3.2-inch capacitive screen and is compatible with (newly free) Ovi maps navigation.

Other specs? Why, of course! The 16GB X6 has pretty sick battery life, with 18 hours of standby and 35 hours of music playback. It’s also got a 5-megapixel camera that also shoots video, TV-out, and comes pre-loaded with games from EA and Gameloft.

No word on pricing yet, unfortunately, which is really the thing that’ll determine whether it’s worth a closer look. With a release in just a few months, expect more details to emerge soon along those lines.

All credits and information was found on gizmodo.com

How long does it take for a smartphone to go from two hundred bucks on contract all the way down to a big, fat goose egg? If you’re Bell — and the phone is the Palm Pre — the answer is right around five months, apparently. Following its August release and a couple of mid-course pricing corrections, Bell’s now making Palm’s first webOS-based device available for free just as long as you’re willing to commit to three years at a minimum spend of CAD $50 (about $47) a month. The move likely comes on the announcement of the Pre Plus, perhaps as a preemptive strike against any of its competitors planning on carrying it — and if we were Sprint right now, we’d be paying very, very close attention to these guys.

All credits and information was found on engadget.com

T-Mobile U.S. may have the Nexus One but T-Mobile UK is reportedly getting the HTC Bravo, a multi-touch packing, optical trackpad-toting variant of the Nexus One. Similar to the Nexus One, the Bravo will feature a 3.7 inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Wi-Fi, GPS, HSDPA and 5 megapixel camera. It is expected to launch with T-Mobile UK in mid-March and will be free with a two-year tariff of €35 ($49USD) or more per month. No double termination fees apply.

All credits and information was found on boygeniusreport.com

We get the impression that Sony Ericsson didn’t intend for this release to go out quite yet, but for what it’s worth, we’ve now got official word that the rumored Kurara is the real deal — and it’ll be known as “Vivaz.” Yes, Vivaz. Okay, now that you’ve had a moment to recover, let’s take a look at the specs: S60 5th Edition (we’re surprised they don’t refer to it as a Symbian build in the release, but whatevs), 8.1 megapixel autofocus cam with image stabilization, face detection, and 720p video capture, FM radio, AGPS, WiFi, TV-out at VGA resolution, and a 3.2-inch WVGA (or 640 x 360… the PR lists both) display. It’ll be available in four colors — Moon Silver, Cosmic Black, Galaxy Blue, and Venus Ruby — when it launches this quarter in both North American and global 3G variants with quadband EDGE. If you can get over the name, you love Symbian, and the Satio isn’t for you, this might be your new objet d’envy for the first few months of the year. Follow the break for a hip-looking Sony Ericsson dude showing off the goods.

All credits and information was found on engadget.com

Either Apple isn’t operating on the Gregorian calender, or these updates are just straight-up late. Either way, we’re pretty stoked to see the suits in Cupertino finally wise up and allow Microsoft’s best OS ever to work on its machines, as it has today issued new Boot Camp software (v3.1) for both 32-bit and 64-bit users of Windows 7. The updates add native support for Win7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate, and in case that wasn’t enough, they also fix “issues” with the Apple trackpad and add support for Apple’s wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse. You’ll also find model-specific drivers floating around to add even more support, and the Boot Camp Utility for Windows 7 Upgrade is said to “safely unmount the read-only Macintosh volume on Windows Vista” when upgrading from Vista to Windows 7. Hit those links below for all the bits and bytes that you’ve been so desperately waiting for.

All credits and information was found on engadget.com