SmartPhones

Despite all the iPhone 3G, the Samsung Blackjack II got the top rating in Consumer Reports’ 2009 issue which, among other features, looks back at the best smartphones of 2008.

The media-darling iPhone and the equally hype-laden T-Mobile G1 (the HTC Google Android smartphone) didn’t even make the Top 5, instead tying with one another for 6th.

The remaining Top 5 behind the Samsung Blackjack II were:
2.  T-Mobile Wing
1. Motorola Q9C
2. T-Mobile Shadow
3. BlackBerry Pearl Flip

There is, however, a HUGE caveat to this list, albeit not one that affects the iPhone’s status any (or the HTC G-1’s for that matter), that being that the following contenders were released too late in the year to be considered in the running:
• BlackBery Bold
• BlackBerry Storm
• HTC Touch Pro and all its variants

Surely, that would have made a big difference to the results.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Android, BlackBerry Bold, Blackberry Pearl Flip, BlackBerry Storm, Blackjack, Blackjack II, Consumer Reports, G-1, G1, Google Phone, HTC, HTC Touch Pro, iphone, iphone 3g, Motorola, Q9C, Samsung, Shadow, T-Mobile, Wing

Targeting mobile professional users, AT&T rolled out the HTC Fuze, essentially the HTC Touch Pro with a few slight differences:

• Radio – both support basic EDGE connectivity, but for 3G:
o HTC Touch Pro uses HSDPA/WCDMA
o HTC Fuze uses UMTS/HSDPA

This simple difference means that, unlike TouchPro users, Fuze users can connect from nearly anywhere on the planet.

Also unlike the Touch Pro, the HTC Fuze lacks a TV out socket.

Just like the HTC Touch Pro, however, the HTC Fuze does include:

• slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• 3.2 megapixel digital camera
• GPS
• WiFi
• Streaming XM satelite radio

The HTC Fuze hits stores on December 1 but eager buyers can purcahse the device by telephone as early as November 24. Regardless of the purcahse date or method, the device will cost:

• $500 with NO contract
• $350 with a 2-year AT&T contract (the device is also supported by Sprint)
• $300 with a mail-in rebate

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: AT&T, HTC, HTC Fuze, HTC Touch Pro

Motorola sure is busy. Fresh off announcing the latest in the Motorola Q series, the MOTO Q11, a pared-down, budget smartphone, both in features and price, the same company has now anounced that it is working on its own Google Phone.

Following fast on the heels of HTC, the first company to release a smartphone running on the new Google mobile OS, Google Android, with its HTC G1, Motorola is looking to market more on Google's mastery of the web with the heavy integration of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace into the device.

The Motorola Google phone will be similar to the HTC G1 in a number of ways, not least of which is that they'll both have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a touch screen both. The Motorola Google phone, however, will reportedly cost just $150, $30 cheaper than the HTC G1.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Android, Facebook, Google, Google Android, HTC, HTC G-1, HTC G1, Motorla Google Phone, Motorola, MySpace

Adding to a long list that includes the HTC Touch Dual, HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Cruise, and HTC Touch Pro, today top smartphone maker HTC unveiled 3 new handsets:

• HTC Touch HD: Hands-down HTC's best multimedia phone yet. Sporting a 3.8" VGA screen with a 800 x 480 pixel resolution and featuring a 5 megapixel digital camera, this unit boasts startling picture clarity and color saturation, an eye-candy treat for video and photo enthusiasts, an integrated RSS-feed reader for staying up to speed on all the latest news and blogs, and an FM Transmitter for staying tuned to your favorite audio broadcasts.
• HTC Touch 3G: In short, a faster HTC Touch. Bringing 3G network speeds to the already versatile HTC Touch, sure to be a real pleaser with the conveinece-addicted hustle-and-bustle crowd.
• HTC Touch Viva: A "budget" entry in the HTC product lineup, with the Viva, HTC offers the same essential elements as the original HTC Touch only without HSDPA support and a lower-res 2-megapixel camera

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: 3G, HTC, HTC Touch, HTC Touch 3G, HTC Touch Cruise, HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Dual, HTC Touch HD, HTC Touch Pro, HTC Touch Viva

In this face of broad-sweeping success with their HTC Touch Pro and HTC Touch Diamond series handsets, the smartphone maker has announced that they are still on course to release their first (and possibly the first) Google Android OS powered device by the fourth quarter of this year.

Expected to be called the HTC Dream, the new smartphone from HTC flies in the face of recent rumors about possible delays in the launching of any Google Android powered smartphone.

Promised to bear both a large touchscreen and a complete, slide-out or swivel-out QWERTY keyboard, the HTC Dream will be about 5” long and 3” wide with controls for online navigation placed on the handset itself, beneath the touchscreen.

The HTC Dream is readying to face its biggest competition, at least initially, from Samsung, which seems poised to put out the 2nd Google Android smartphone to be scheduled for release (with Motorola not far behind).

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Google, Google Android, HTC, HTC Dream, HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro, Motorola, QWERTY, Samsung, touchscreen

Recently this blog reported on results of a study that showed the RIM Blackberry OS to be the "best" smartphone OS among industry analysts. However, according to an informal survey conducted by internet technology review stalwart CNet, the preferred smartphone operating system among consumers (or at least, CNet readers) is Windows Mobile.

Smartphones running Windows Mobile include the Samsung Blackjack, the Motorola Q (the top two tier-1 smartphones), as well as many manufactured by HTC, including the widely-popular HTC Tilt.

Based on pure market share alone, the study of 130 users showed Windows Mobile at 42.3%, RIM Blackberry at 19.2%, Apple OS X at 17.7%, and Symbian and Palm OS at 10%. Those are the stats for operating systems. As for smartphone manufacturers, RIM and HTC both took the lead, tying with a 19.2% market share each, Apple following close behind with 17.7%, Motorola at third with 11.5%, Palm at 10%, and all the rest (Nokia, Samsung, etc.) taking the remaining 22.3%.

Interestingly enough, the praise for Windows Mobile was balanced out (read: marred or tainted), however, by half of the respondents reporting complaints of the very same OS. Finally, a whopping 66% of CNet readers responding the survey said they would be likely to consider purchasing an Apple iPhone as their next smartphone, three times more than those who said they'd opt for the second place contender, the Blackberry.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: apple, Blackberry, CNET, HTC, HTC Tilt, iphone, Microsoft, Motorola, Motorola Q, Nokia, Palm, RIM, Samsung, Symbian, Windows Mobile

For sheer quality and durability it may be argued that Nokia makes the best smartphones around. And for software functionality and versatility none is more revered than Microsoft. So it's no wonder that the two industry leaders would eventually bring together their winning expertise into a single offering. In fact, one only wonders what took them so long.

HTC and Motorola customers already enjoy the PC performance that the Windows Mobile OS gives their smartphones, not least of which is access to mobile versions of the Microsoft Office suite of applications. Now Microsoft is aiming to put their coveted OS into a Nokia N-Series smartphone. About time!

Following on the heels of the most recent convert to the WinMo family, Samsung, with its T-Mobile Shadow. And if Samsung can diverge from its Symbian loyalty, so can fellow Symbianite Nokia, right?

It likely won't happen until after Windows Mobile 7 or Windows Mobile 8 hits the market, but one thing seems certain - it will happen.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: HTC, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Motorola, Nokia, Nokia N-Series, PC, Samsung, Symbian, T-Mobile, T-Mobile Shadow, Windows Mobile

This week Barcelona, Spain hosted the 2008 GSMA Mobile World Congress. One of the highlights of the international conference, as always, was the unveiling of several new smartphones, among the top contenders for leading spots in this year's marketplace, the following:

• the HTC P3470 - a GSM mobile phone running Windows Mobile 6 with the TomTom Navigator 6 built in;
• the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 - a touch screen smartphone with 100 adjustable panels poised to become the iPhone biggest competitor this year;

Also announced was the first mobile phone processor from Nvidia, world leading maker of visual computing, graphics processor technologies. The new technology, dubbed APX 2500, is - as you might expect - designed for handheld devices with multimedia capabilities.

Stay tuned here throughout the year for reviews of the above-mentioned products and many more of the latest and greatest new releases debuted at the event.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: 2008 Mobile World Congress, apple, APX 2500, Barcelona, GSM, HTC, HTC P3470, iphone, Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress 2008, Nvidia, Nvidia APX 2500, Sony, Sony Ericsson, Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, Spain, Windows Mobile, Windows Mobile 6, Xperia X1

Which smartphone should you buy for 2008? Well, before you decide, take a look over on PCMag.com and read their latest roundup where the pros and cons of the following four leading smartphone operating systems out today are compared and contrasted:

• BlackBerry OS 4.3
• Palm OS 5.4
• Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition
• Windows Mobile 6.0

According to this handy cheat sheet to the best of the best of smart phones operating systems on the market, the cream of the current crop of smartphones running each of the four OSs examined is also listed and described, such as:

• the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8320 - with unlimited WiFi
• the Palm Centro - a Palm Treo stuffed into a smaller and cheaper package
• the Nokia E61i - PC Mag's Editor's Choice for the top unlocked keyboard smartphone
• the AT&T Tilt/HTC 8925 - a combination of the some of the best mobile office and consumer entertainment features in one package

What was the winner? The BlackBerry OS. Find out why, and the good word on all the best of today's breed of smartphones and smartphone operating systems at PCMag.com

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: AT&T, AT&T Tilt, Blackberry Curve, BlackBerry Curve 8320, BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry OS 4.3, consumer entertainment, HTC, HTC 8925, mobile office, Nokia, Nokia E61i, operating system, OS, Palm, Palm Centro, Palm OS, Palm OS 5.4, Palm Treo, PC Mag, PC Magazine, PCMag, RIM, RIM BlackBerry, Symbian, Symbian Series 60, Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition, unlocked keyboard, Wi-Fi, Wifi, Window Mobiel 6.0, Windows, Windows Mobile

Recently, Gear Diary posted an in-depth article comparing and contrasting the HTC Touch and the HTC Touch Dial.

Among the common traits both smartphones share are:

• TouchFLO touchscreen technology
• flush-mounted screens
• an ergonomic body with a rubber grip for comfort
• a minimalist design with just a D-pad and two-buttons below the screen

From there, the two smartphones start to diverge. For starters, the HTC Touch Dual has a longer and narrower face while the HTC Touch has a shorter and wider face. Which is thinner? Surprisingly, the HTC Touch, despite that the HTC Touch Dual looks thinner.

Beyond look and feel, quite likely the greatest difference between the two devices is the slide-out numeric keypad that comes only as part of the HTC Touch Dual.

Currently, however, the HTC Touch is the only one of the two available for U.S. users, with both smartphones out in European GSM models. Service on the CDMA US model of the HTC Touch is with Sprint.

Check out the entire comparison and view extensive full-color photos of both HTC smartphones, at Gear Diary.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: CDMA, Gear Diary, GearDiary, GSM, HTC, HTC Touch, HTC Touch Dual, smart phone, smartphone, Sprint