End User

The Android You're Looking For: New HTC Aria Available for a Song

If you've even just been dipping your toes into the waters of the gadgetosphere, you'd think that the iPhone 4 was the only show in town. But AT&T, the iPhone's carrier, is also currently launching its second phone based on Google's Android OS--the HTC Aria. And if you've been feeling that the iPhone 4 is a bit rich for your wallet (at $200 for the 16 GB base model), the Aria might be just the ticket for smartphone goodness.

Running the Android 2.1 OS, the Aria surprisingly include the free Google Maps Navigation Beta for free turn-by-turn voice direction--a direct competitor to the AT&T Navigator monthly subscription service. It also features HTC's widget-happy Sense overlay, a 3.2-inch touchscreen, a (tiny) optical joystick, and 5-megapixel camera/camcorder as well as some of the other standards in the smartphone arena--Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth stereo music streaming, and microSD memory expansion.

And right now, the Aria can be had for a song over at AmazonWireless--just a penny for new accounts (and 2-year contract) or just $50.01 for those AT&T customers choosing to upgrade their phone.

Check out this review by Lisa Gade over at MobileTechReview, as well as watch her walk-through video below:

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

The Android You're Looking For: T-Mobile Debuts myTouch 3G Slide

T-Mobile today launched the myTouch 3G Slide, the successor to its popular mid-range Android touchscreen phone, the myTouch 3G. Aside from the added Slide nomenclature--which refers to the newbie's slide-out QWERTY keyboard--the myTouch 3G Slide is also updated with the latest version of the Android operating system (2.1) and a 5-megapixel camera (up from 3.2).

For a look at the myTouch 3G Slide and how it stacks up to its predecessor as well as the Motorola Droid, check out this YouTube clip:

Additionally, T-Mobile announced today that it was debuting its 4G-like HSPA+ network in 15 new cities (including Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Tampa, Orlando, and Pittsburgh). With HSPA+, T-Mobile claims its network provides download speeds comparable to that of Sprint's 4G network--with download speeds around 5Mbps to 8Mbps. And while Big Pink doesn't have any handsets that are HSPA+ compatible, Marguerite Reardon at CNet's Signal Strength blog notes that T-Mobile says that the new network should benefit its line of 3G phones:

That said, T-Mobile executives claim the network upgrade (particularly fiber links added to its backhaul, which is in place to ensure enough capacity for HSPA+) is also helping to boost capacity for existing 3G cell phones. This means that a handful of 3G phones, such as HTC's MyTouch, MyTouch Slide and G1, Motorola's Cliq, and Google's Nexus One, could see a speed boost in HSPA+ markets.

Starting today, the myTouch 3G Slide is available in red, black, and white.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

The Android You're Looking For: Garminfone Ups GPS Ante

The convergence of GPS navigation and smartphones is pretty much complete these days, what with a plethora of choices available across the spectrum of cell phones (smart or otherwise) via apps, add-ons, Google Maps, and cellular provider services (such at AT&T Navigator or Verizon's VZ Navigator). But if you're someone who needs navigation capabilities even when you don't have cellular connectivity, and are looking to streamline to one device (instead of carrying both a smartphone and a GPS receiver), the new Garminfone might be just the ticket.

The successor to the rather lackluster Nuvifone (the original Garmin/Asus navigation handset for AT&T), the Garminfone for T-Mobile has been enhanced with the Android operating system (version 1.6 Cupcake) that allows you access to a wider variety of apps as well as a sleeker design (and CNet calls it a "complete package" of cell phone and GPS device). Like HTC does with its Sense overlay, Asus and Garmin provide a UI overlay that makes navigation more prominent on the home screen, but also includes a widget app on the right side of the screen that can take you to five customizable home screens.

But for this Android phone, the big draw of the Garminfone is its Garmin navigation software and built-in maps. From The Boy Genius Report:

(With) 2 GB-worth of maps locally, you’ll always have location information available regardless of signal, and with a myriad of GPS and location sensors, the Garminfone can get a lock relatively quickly. The maps include points of interest, and extra custom software allows you to plan routes and track logs. The big draw here is that the maps are pre-loaded onto the Garminfone, which means you’ll be able to navigate yourself without having to rely on a wireless data connection...

In addition to apps available via the Android Market, Garmin includes several of its own apps (referred to as Connected Services) that provide local gas prices, real-time traffic, flight status, and a way to navigate via geo-tagged photos. Other features include a 3.5-inch touchscreen display, 3-megapixel auto-focus camera, and microSD memory expansion. T-Mobile also kicks in a 2 GB microSD card as well as the dash mount car kit (pictured at right)

It's available for shipping right now for as low as $129.99 for new accounts via the AmazonWireless store. $199.99 for T-Mobile new customers $129.99 for new individual accounts via the AmazonWireless store.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

HTC EVO 4G Selling Well in First Week

While the launch of Apple's 4th generation iPhone has been the focus of the gadgerati this week, the iPhone's newest, hottest competitor has been enjoying a very solid week of sales and reviews. The HTC EVO 4G, Sprint's first WiMAX capable handset, sold very well on its launch (though maybe not as well as Sprint initially crowed), with estimates of 150,000 in its first weekend (it was released last Friday, June 4). But despite the sales numbers downgrade, the fact remains that HTC EVO 4G is currently sold out across the country.

The big deal about the HTC EVO 4G is that trailing spec in its title--connectivity to Sprint's new 4G network as well as Sprint's more mature 3G EV-DO network. And that latter fact is important as 4G coverage isn't very wide at this moment in time, with Sprint currently providing 4G service to 33 markets (according to this press release) ranging from Philadelphia to Raleigh in the east to Chicago and Dallas in the midwest and Portland and Seattle on the west coast. The presser also notes that 4G coverage will be coming to cities such as Boston, Miami, LA, and San Francisco in 2010 (check out the coverage tab on this Sprint 4G page to see currently available coverage). If your market doesn't have 4G, you'll automatically run on Sprint's 3G network.

And that's not too much of a sacrifice, what with the phone offering an extra-large 4.3-inch screen, Android 2.1 OS features, a nicely nimble 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, 8-megapixel camera, and the ability to use the HTC EVO 4G as a Wi-Fi hotspot--enabling you to connect up to 8 devices (laptop, iPod touch, etc.) to share the handset's 3G/4G cellular connectivity.

Much has been discussed about the iPhone 4's new FaceTime video chat feature, but the HTC EVO 4G also includes this capability thanks to its forward-facing 1.3-megapixel camera and partnership with the Qik mobile video service. And unlike Apple's FaceTime, the HTC EVO 4G allows you to make video calls via a 3G/4G cellular connection as well as Wi-Fi (the iPhone 4 is limited to Wi-Fi only). Qik is offering HTC EVO 4G owners free unlimited Qik-to-Qik video chat at up to VGA quality, but it's also offering a $4.99 monthly service that provides higher quality video resolution (see this Qik blog post for more details on features and pricing).

For more on the HTC EVO 4G, check out this review by Lisa Gade over at Mobile Tech Review (one of my favorite review sites) as well as her hands-on video review below (the quality of the ESPN clip over 4G is pretty astounding).

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Just Dance with Lady Gaga's Fashionable Headphones

Chalk up another example of our brave new splintered media world where that old marketing chestnut "as seen on TV" gets winnowed down to "as seen in the music video." Case in point, Lady Gaga's recent video for Telephone also served as a marketing opportunity for her new in-ear headphones created in conjunction with Monster Cable's Beats by Dr. Dre (as seen below left, along with a shout-out to Dr. Dre with the Beats logo on the laptop).

Lady Gaga's Heartbeats headphones borrow many of the features found in the popular Beats by Dr. Dre Tour in-ear headphones, including the unique flat, tangle-less cable, multiple eartips for getting the best fit (and sound), and nicely resonant audio with deep bass.

As they've been created with Lady Gaga's input, they're definitely more fashionable than your typical in-ear headphone. The exterior of each headphone has a reflective triangle shape (that comes in red, black and chrome) that looks more like an earring at first glance. As noted in the NYTimes' style-focused T Magazine blog back when the Heartbeats launched last October, the design comes straight from the Lady herself:

"I've been obsessing over triangles on tour, and we've made lots of clothing and stage sets out of triangles," Gaga says. "I was also reminded of these studded leather jackets that my friends and I wore in New York, so it's really a complete representation of who I am."

And they're not just for women:

"I really did design these headphones with my fans in mind," she says. "I think that there is no sexual preference to fashion and those kinds of stereotypes are lazy. … We should celebrate who we are and what we love, and everyone has the freedom to choose how to express themselves."

But how do they sound? Chip Chick's review is pretty positive, save for one aural area:

When listening to different bitrates, the Hearbeats were pretty neutral and the sound quality throughout was balanced and liquid. The standout was how the highs performed which was very good. You could hear flutes, cymbals, and electronic instruments very well at a higher pitch that was crisp and clear. One dim spot is the bass reproduction... surprisingly, low bass and low end detail is not very strong on output.

The Big Picture Big Sound review blog is also happy with the noise isolation and cord design:

As long as you get a proper seal in your ear, the Heartbeats' design isolates you from outside noise very well. I have yet to try them on-board an airplane, but on a train or walking down the street, the outside world becomes less of a distraction from your music. This is nice as it allows you to keep the volume levels lower without sacrificing audibility. Meanwhile the earphones' flat cord design can minimize the microphonic effect that you can get on some in ear-canal earphones when you tap on or rub the cord. That flat cord is also tangle-free, which comes in handy if you hurriedly throw these into a pocket or bag without carefully winding them up

As for fit, CNet notes that "where the Dr. Dre Tour earphones were for exceptionally deep ear canals, (the Heartbeats) appear to be for very shallow ones.

So get your groove on summergirls and summerboys while strutting some style with Lady Gaga's Heartbeats, now available in red, black and chrome.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz