HTC is finally getting rid of Windows Mobile in place of the new and improved Google Android mobile platform, Android 1.5 Cupcake, with its HTC Lancaster, billed as "The Consumer Social Messaging Device".
The Lancaster is not HTC's first Android smartphone, but it is its first to be carried by AT&T. To boot, the HTC Lancaster is AT&T's first Android device. It's got most of the usual features you would expect from a modern smartphone, plus a slide-out keyboard and HTC's own unique social messaging interface.
Other big releases coming out from HTC any day now include the HTC Warhawk (aka the Touch Diamond2) and the HTC Fortress (aka the Touch Pro2). And other big upcoming releases from AT&T include the Palm Eos (the WebOS-enabled successor to the Palm Centro), the touchscreen Samsung Infinity, and two from Motorola: the feature-filled Sawgrass with built-in blogging interface, and the Heron, as it turns out another premiere Android smartphone from AT&T.
Verizon Wireless has just announced that they will now be carrying their own version of the much-loved Palm Centro.
Previously only available on Sprint and AT&T networks, the Palm Centro will now be available on the Verizon network, finally giving users the mobile high-speed internet access they’ve been craving. Unlike the AT&T version, the Verizon Palm Centro is compatible with the EV-DO network, giving the device previously unheard-of web and email speeds. And all this at an appealing $99 price point.
The Verizon Palm Centro comes in one color – dark blue. Otherwise it’s the same BlackBerry look-alike as all the other Palm Centros.
The Palm Centro for Verizon Wireless includes a full QWERTY keyboard and a pre-installed GoogleMaps application that can pull up and research data directly from users’ Contacts. And in addition to all the usual email apps that normally come with the Centro, the Centro for Verizon also includes Wireless Sync, Verizon’s own proprietary emailing solution.
Unfortunately, the device will not, however, include support Verizon’s favored V-Cast multimedia solution. (At least not yet.)
Palm says that thanks to this new arrangement with Verizon, it now plans to ship out 2 million units by the end of the year.
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:
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 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
We're all used to the typical promotion where you get a free cell phone in exchange for signing up for a set period of service. So it should come as no surprise that the same phenomenon has begun with the product representing the evolution of the cell phone - the smartphone.
CNET reported today on the Samsung BlackJack II being offered for free on Buy.com for anyone signing up for a two-year AT&T contract. While not the fastest or easiest phone to use, the Samsung BlackJack II nonetheless has some impressive qualities, including:
a GPS
a 2- megapixel camera
and AT&T HSPDA network support
Researching this phenomenon further, I found that Buy.com actually offers several smart phones for free with activation, including:
From here, I checked into how commonly this phenomenon occurred at competing cell phone and smart phone vendors and found that everybody's doing it. In addition to more of the aforementioned brand names, I also found all sorts of other smartphones (such as Sony Ericsson, Nextel, and Nokia) offered for free by all the major carriers:
AT&T (and the former Cingular)
Verizon
T-Mobile
and Sprint
Now there's a way that people on a limited budget can still afford to get a smartphone of their own (though maybe not the latest and greatest model), just by signing up for the wireless service they're going to need to get anyway.
To boot, most of the participating smartphone vendors will even throw in free shipping with the deal.
With such great deals flooding the net, and every phone manufacturer and wireless carrier competing for your hard-earned dollar, we may soon see the day when you never have to pay to obtain a smartphone again.
Starting off the new year with a new ring tone, Consumer Reports Magazine printed as its January 2008 cover story, an in-depth review of the very best (and not so great) smart phones on the market today.
Cited in the report are some of the most promising innovations currently available in cell phone technology, including:
more keyboards - and most especially QWERTY keyboards that allow for the easiest in text messaging (currently the 2nd most common use of cell phones after voice phone calls)
dual-connection phones - able to operate on both a telephone and a Wi-Fi network;
more music features -MP3 players are now expected to be a staple of almost of all cell phones on the market, though only the best allow for functions like stereo sound and digital downloads via Wi-Fi
and better cameras - again, nearly every cell phone nowadays is expected to have at least a 1 megapixel camera built in, but only the best go as high as 5 megapixels and include advanced features like zoom, auto-focus, brightness controls, and high-grade lenses
Exactly a year ago, it was a big surprise to many smart phone users and technology aficcionnados that the RIM Blackberry only rated 7th in that particular Consumer Reports study. And at the time, the Apple iPhone hadn't even come out yet. So now that the Apple iPhone is on the market, how has the Blackberry fared in this year's report?
Alas Research in Motion is still taking a backseat to newer and more popular technology as the Consumer Reports reviewers and editors rated the iPhone superior to all competitors, including the BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry Pearl, due in large part to the iPhones innovative interface and long talk time (8.25 hours). Check out this iPhone vs. Blackberry review to find out how these 2 smart phones stack up against each other.
Check out the cover story in the Consumer Reports, January 2008 issue and read about the latest and most exciting innovations in cell phone technology, as evidenced in products like the iPhone, BlackBerry, HTC Touch, T-Mobile Wing, Palm Centro, and LG Voyager.
