SmartPhones

Thanks to Amazon.com (of course), consumers can now get their own HTC T-Mobile G1 smartphone, the premier Google phone running on its Android OS, for under $100. Ordinarily selling for $180, Amazon.com is offering the same device for almost half that price--$98.

The catch? It isn't even really a big catch, to be honest. To get the deal, you just have to sign up for a new contract with T-Mobile. So the only people "negatively" affected would be existing T-Mobile customers who won't be eligible for the deal.

Even the monarch of price-slashers--WalMart--can't beat this deal, offering the same device for $150.

And in related news, a software update wil be available soon for the G1 that enables it with the one feature most commonly complained about it lacking--an onscreen keyboard. It seems only natural a touchscreen smartphone would have such a feature, and thankfully, the Android developers didn't take too long to catch on (especially after a 3rd party app maker already beat them to the punch with free app aKeyUI).

Surely this great deal on the G1 must have something to do with the next generation, the G2 (aka the HTC Magic) already coming to market.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Amazon, G1, G2, HTC, HTC Magic, onscreen keyboard, T-Mobile, touchscreen, WalMart

Last week was the 2009 GSMA Mobile World Congress, and here's the lowdown on its high points:

HTC Magic: The second Google Android powered smartphone from HTC and the first from Vodafone, the Magic is smaller than the inaugural Google Phone, the HTC T-Mobile G1 and will first be distributed into hands overseas (U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain). Downsides? It doesn't have a physical keyboard, nor does the touchscreen keyboard operate in landscape mode.

Also unveiled from HTC, the HTC Touch Diamond2, HTC Touch Pro2, and the T-Mobile G2.

Acer M900: The business set will like this latest Windows Mobile smartphone, with its large 3.8" touchscreen, vast messaging capabilities, and--get this!--fingerprint scanner for cutting-edge security.

LG Arena: It was only a matter of time before we saw a 3D interface, and here it is, looking like the onscreen Rubiks Cube of menus.

Nokia E55: With its own take-off of the BlackBerry Sure-Type keypad.

A common thread for a lot of the devices unveiled this year is the built-in 5-megapixel camera--though the ones in the new Nokia N86 and Samsung Omnia HD sport 8 megapixels, and the Sony Ericsson Idou, with its enhanced touchscreen, has 12.1 and a sliding lens cover. So there!

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Acer, Acer M900, Android, Blackberry, Google Android, Google Phone, GSMA, HTC, HTC Magic, LG, LG Arena, Mobile World Congress, Nokia, Nokia E55, Nokia N86, Samsung, Samsung Omnia HD, Sony Ericsson, Sony Ericsson Idou, Sure Type, T-Mobile, T-Mobile G1, T-Mobile G2, Touch Diamond2, Touch Pro2, Vodafone