May 2008

We previously reported that the Sprint Unlimited Plan would be required to use the upcoming iPhone-killing Samsung Instinct launching on Sprint in June, but the bad news continues.  Today Sprint announced that the Unlimited Plans would be required with their new device, ending all rumors that those of you using SERO plans and similar would be able to join in the fun.  According to ComputerWorld.com, they have confirmed our earlier predictions that the Samsung Instinct would release June 20, 2008 and at the same time adding in some additional details.  There are two options for the Samsung Instinct, either opt for the $69.99 Unlimited Plan or the more expensive $99.99/month plan.  With stock prices so low and $100 million in advertising going towards this much anticipated launch, we can’t help but be disappointed by the latest move by Sprint.

In case you have never heard about the $69.99 unlimited plan, it is unlimited for everything except voice minutes.  The voice minutes are limited to 450 minutes with the standard 7pm nights and weekends being unlimited.  At this point, we are just disappointed by the news from Sprint and praying that a PR campaign comes through to clarify their announcements today and rectifies the problem immediately.  It looks like everyone on those SERO plans is going to need to find a good corporate discount.

So with the above scenarios your minutes are pretty much the same with 500 or 450 and the 7pm nights and weekends are unlimited.  The big difference here is the final cost which is about $20/month if you factor in the additional cost of adding visual voice mail as a feature and unlimited GPS navigation (Sprint Navigation).  The only way that makes sense if in fact SERO plans are not eligible for the Samsung Instinct is to get a solid corporate discount of around 25%.  With the 25% off you are looking at $69.99 - 25% = $52.49/month.  Not a bad price if you were going to end up paying $49.98 on the SERO plan with the added features.

The Philips X800 is a touch screen cell phone in typical candybar style, but the details are very limited at this point.  What we can tell you from the FCC filings is that the X800 has a tremendous amount of Chinese support and this is swaying our view on whether or not we will actually see the Philips X800 hit the US market.  While a FCC filing is a positive thing, in this case it seems that we may not see the fruits of the digging on the FCC’s website this time around.  On the positive side here, the menus in the user manual show a very finger friendly interface and there are only 2 physical buttons on the device: send/end keys.  On the negative side, only a 2.0 megapixel camera is listed and a standard microSD slot instead of the superior SDHC big brother.  The last bit of information packed in the FCC filing is the inclusion of Bluetooth 2.0 which is pretty much a mandatory requirement in today’s cell phone industry and with a growing number of states making it illegal to drive and talk on the phone without a headset.  If the Philips X800 is still sparking some interest or you just must uncover some additional details, feel free to take a peak at the FCC filing link below.

FCC Philips X800 Filing Link

While the world is not in desperate need of more GPS-enabled devices, Gigabyte believes the UK could use a few more and has announced the GSmart MW700 and GSmart MS800.  Both devices are being targeted at business users with slim and sophisticated design.  While both devices look similar, the specs tell a much different story.  The GSmart MW700 is an EDGE supporting device labeled as a PDA phone while the MS800 is a 3.5G PDA Phone with front-facing camera aimed at the gadget guru.  The big changes you will see on these devices is that they come pre-installed with the new GSmart UI: Smart Touch.  By including the Smart Touch GSmart UI, the UK will be one of the first markets to experience this new interface developed by GSmart.

What makes the Smart Touch interface different from other Touch UI’s available is that it is customizable, finger friendly and user friendly with simple and classical layouts.  As far as customization, the shortcut bar can be modified according to the user’s preferences whether adding or deleting unwanted icons, it only takes one finger.  The MW700 will sell between ￡279 and ￡299 while the MS800 will sell between ￡359 and ￡379 at launch date.

Along with the announcement for both devices, GSmart is holding a creative CF competition where you can win a GSmart device simply by participating in the contest and showing your creativity.  To enter the competition simply visit: http://www.gigabytecm.com/GSmartCF/UK/index.aspx

 

The Sprint/Nextel camp has been getting their ‘chirp’ on for years, but Verizon has been slow to the Push-To-Talk (PTT) services of late.  Today Verizon’s PTT network is getting a whole lot clearer thanks to some leaked details on the upcoming PTT capable Motorola Adventure 750 in the flyer below.  The Motorola Adventure 750 will be one of two PTT devices launching on Verizon this year, the other being the Motorola VU30.  Of the two device, the 750 is our personal favorite, thanks to a build quality that meets 810F military standards; shock-proof, dust-proof, vibration-proof and able to withstand extreme temperatures on either end of that barometer.

Beyond the durability is a mid-range level of features which include a 2.2 inch QVGA display and a 2.0 megapixel camera.  In addition to the internal 2.2 inch QVGA display is an exterior screen which is much smaller, but that is to be expected when your device must meet such difficult conditions.  As usual with almost all Verizon cell phones is support for VZ Navigator and VCast Music & Video Services so you will not be left out when it comes to multimedia or travel.  When it comes to web browsing, the Motorola Adventure 750 comes equipped with a WAP browser which will be able to handle basic browsing, but don’t get your hopes up when it comes to embedded flash or advanced Javascript.  Speakerphone and Bluetooth 2.0 are also standard on the 750 which is of little surprise since PTT devices live off of that ever-annoying speakerphone chit-chat that we cannot stand.

The only details left to unfold with the Motorola Adventure 750 are the release date, but seeing as Verizon’s PTT network has not launched yet, we are expecting a late 2008 launch for this rugged device.  A few items that were left out of the details that have us puzzled are internal memory which was not listed, but support for microSD cards is included so that should cover most user’s needs.

Go ahead and file this one under Hot Deal of the Day, the At&t Tilt Smartphone is currently only $299 over at Newegg.com.  The only catch is that the item is open box, but at this price tag without a contract extension it beats any deal you can find on eBay for a similar device.  Keep in mind that buying off eBay rarely guarantees a mint condition device and from our past experiences with Newegg open box deals, the quality is excellent.  To sweeten the deal a little more, Newegg is offering $1.00 shipping with delivery available in the continental United States (sorry Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico).  If you have been holding out to take the leap into smartphone bliss, the At&t Tilt is as good of a reason as any to make the plunge.

In case you were wondering, here is the open-box return policy at Newegg:

Open-Box Items

        * Return for refund within: 15 days

        * Return for replacement within: non-replaceable

    This is our Detailed Open Box Item Return Policy. Newegg.com often sells items that are listed as “open-box.” Because these items are sold at greatly reduced prices, they bear this limited 15-day refund-only return policy through Newegg.com. Such items can only be returned within 15 days of the applicable invoice date. Newegg.com cannot provide replacement service for these items, as their stock is limited. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of these items is with the buyer. These items have been tested for functionality, but may have superficial physical defects including (but not limited to) scratches, dings or dents. Should these items prove defective following their purchase, the buyer (not the manufacturer, distributor, or Newegg.com) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing or repairs, unless otherwise required by law. These items are not covered by any 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

    If you purchase an Open-Box product you will receive an OEM BAREBONE item, meaning you will only receive the item itself. Accessories are NOT INCLUDED with Open-Box products, even if the missing accessory is required for the item to function properly.

An official photo is one thing, but live shots are what really sells a device and as we like to call them, the “money shot”.  Today, the Nokia 7310 Classic live shots have hit the Internet thanks to pconline.com.cn who released several exclusive live shots of this sexy little candybar-style phone.  Our first impressions of the picture are that the 7310 Classic is sexy, slim and after our S40 hearts.  With measurements of only 106.5 x 45.4 x 11.95 mm, you should have no problem fitting this phone in your pocket.  On the negative, there is only a 2 megapixel camera and the screen is 2.0 inches, but QVGA resolution.  The 7310 comes equipped with a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack so music enthusiasts should have no problem connecting their favorite set of headphones and with A2DP Bluetooth support wireless fans will also get their fix.  Nokia Classic fans will probably notice that the 7310 looks awfully similar to the 6300 Classic and for good reason, but the 7310 takes a spin on things by adding a thick border to the design.  With a price tag of only $260 sans-contract, there really aren’t many reasons why you wouldn’t want to take a look at the Nokia 7310 Classic if you are in the market for a candybar-style cell phone.

Nokia 7310 Classic Specs:

 

• 106.5 x 45.4 x 11.95 mm
• 2 inch QVGA display 262k colors
• 2.0 megapixel camera (sorry no 5 megapixel love here)
• 3.5 mm headphone jack
• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support
• USB connectivity
• Price: $260 USD

 

They mystery has begun for the upcoming Sony Ericsson event being held June 17th.  While the flyer is written in Dutch and we haven’t brushed up on translation skills in quite some time, a few key details are easily confirmed from the flyer.  The first of which is that the event will showcase the latest in Sony Ericsson mobile phones and accessories.  Clearly, the Sony Ericsson Paris is the device we are most interested in and hopefully after this event we will have all the essential details on a launch date and pricing.  The second piece of information contained in the flyer is that the event with create exciting new mobile experiences which we would guess has to do with Sony Ericsson’s venture into the gaming world and possibly a new operating system.  While all of this is speculation, with less than a month to go the rumors should continue to build for this very mysterious event.  Below is a rough translation of the entire flyer compliments of our friends over at PhoneMag:

 

Sony Ericsson creates again this year for new highlights. Would you like to June 17 next an exclusive preview of the latest Sony Ericsson mobile phones and accessories? Then put this date in your calendar!

The latest innovative products this day and see if you like to try. Sony Ericsson shows how the brand continues to challenge consumers by creating exciting new mobile experiences. - From the flyer

 

That about wraps this one up, if anyone has a better translation they would like to contribute I am sure the Sony Ericsson fanatics out there would have no problem hearing from you.  In the meantime we will go ahead and set our calendars for June 17th which should be the official announcement for the Sony Ericsson Paris.

Everyday we get countless amounts of questions regarding cell phones and today we are going to answer the most common question; should I upgrade to the new 3g iPhone 2.0 coming out this June or stick with the original? Well to answer the question as simple as possible, yes. Honestly Apple has almost answered this question for potential buyers and existing owners with the lack of inventory and availability in both the US and Europe. Currently we are seeing iPhones selling for as much as $700 which faintly reminds us of the outrageous iPhone prices of iDay last June when the iPhone was first launched. Now for T-mobile subscribers and hopefully unlocked iPhone owners, the answer to this question might have a slightly different answer.

Clearly the main focus of the update to the iPhone will be the inclusion of 3g connectivity, but T-mobile USA uses the 1700MHz 3g band which will not be supported on the 3g iPhone.  The other factor contributing to the decision is that the new iPhone has not been unlocked, although unlockers are already capable of handling the new iPhone 2.0 Software which will be pre-loaded on the 3g iPhone.  So why upgrade to the 3g iPhone if you have T-mobile?  At this point there are not many reasons to do so, since ZiPhone is a solid unlocking, jailbreaking and activation bypass tool which gets the job done for all current generation iPhones running firmware 1.1.4 and prior.  If you want the safe bet, you can always stick with the current generation iPhone and then sell it unlocked once the 3g iPhone is released.  Our thoughts are that the best road to venture is to give the unlockers some time and confirm that ZiPhone will work on the 3g iPhone and then make that purchase since you will be paying the same $399 as the original.

So what will be different in the 3g iPhone versus the original iPhone?  Besides data speeds there are few details leaking any other prominent features.  What we can tell you is that first generation Apple products are always less stable and buggy than their future generations so this could be a big factor in your purchasing decision.  On the back burner, At&t has recently completed most of their HSPA network upgrade which would make it possible for the 3g iPhone to complete video calling so it is possible that we will see a front-facing camera on the new iPhone.  As far as dimensions go, the leaked icons for the iPhone in the new iPhone SDK and the MacOS X update hint that the bezel will be narrower, but no major size modifications are expected.

The real questions left to be unanswered are whether the 3g iPhone will sport an improved camera, since 2.0 megapixels is not cutting it these days and we really want to see 3.0+ if possible.  The existing 624MHz processor is plenty fast and we have no complaints on the multi-touch or computing speed of the existing iPhone since it has speedy performance and equally impressive battery life.  It will be interesting to see if Apple is able to maintain the battery life of the existing iPhone since more speed equals less battery, but we expect the settings option to disable 3g Internet to be the path of max battery life.

Overall, the 3g iPhone is still expected to be announced on June 9, 2008 at the WWDC and until then you can expect more and more rumors to break.  We would also expect an equal number of “possible” 3g iPhone images to continue to surface and we will leave you with one of the first “rumor” shots.

Yesterday’s news on the Helio Ocean 2 has inspired us to create a little side by side shot comparing both the original Helio Ocean to the upcoming Ocean 2. With a release date this Summer, our favorite MVNO network could be launching its most successful device to date thanks to an improved camera, 1GB of internal storage and support for the latest SDHC microSD expansion cards.  The biggest question is whether or not upgrading to the new Helio Ocean 2 will be worth your while and the answer is yes.  Now without further adieu here is the nitty gritty spec comparison based upon the latest FCC filings.  Please keep in mind that these specs are not confirmed at this point, but we are rarely disappointed by details in FCC documents so you can almost consider these details as fact.