End User

The Android You're Looking For: Samsung Captivate Launches on AT&T

Vibrant variant and now comes Competition is hotting up in the Android space, where Samsung is taking on HTC for high-end handset supremacy with its Galaxy S line of Google-ized smartphones. Last week, T-Mobile rolled out its Vibrant variant and now comes Samsung's Captivate for AT&T, which Bonnie Cha from CNet calls "AT&T's most powerful and feature-rich Android device."

As with other handsets from the Galaxy S line, the 3G-enabled Captivate is powered by the Android 2.1 operating system and features a 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor and 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display (with 480 x 800-pixel resolution). In Ginny Miles' review over at PC World, she explains what Super AMOLED is all about:

Super AMOLED technology puts touch sensors on the display itself, as opposed to creating a separate layer (which Samsung's old AMOLED displays had), making it the thinnest display technology on the market. Super AMOLED is fantastic--you really have to see it in person. Colors burst out of the display, and animations appear lively and smooth.

To show off what a graphics powerhouse the Captivate is, check out this benchmarking video from Android Central (where the Captivate screen definitely shines in comparison to the Evo 4G, Droid X and now officially discontinued Nexus One):

Head on over to AmazonWireless, where you can pick up the Captivate for just $99.99 (for new contracts).

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

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

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

Palm Pre and Pixi Come to Verizon in Plus-Sized Versions

After their debut launches on the other CDMA network in the U.S., Palm's webOS-powered smartphones--the Pre (at right) and the Pixi (left)--have now launched on Verizon Wireless as the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus (and Amazon Wireless has them both). And like the original Sprint models, they feature fast 3G connectivity, the Palm Synergy all-in-one view of contacts and messaging, and GPS turn-by-turn navigation (now powered by Verizon's VZ Navigator Service). Additionally, both models have had their internal storage capacities super-sized to 16 GB (hence the Plus monicker), but that's not the most intriguing bonus feature.

Both the Pre Plus and the Pixi Plus can be turned into a Wi-Fi hotspot that can serve Verizon's 3G cellular broadband connectivity to up to six different devices--from laptop to iPod touch to cameras loaded with Wi-Fi-enabled Eye-Fi SD cards. There are other solutions that provide link together cellular broadband connectivity with Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities--such as the 3G Novatel MiFi (available in Verizon and Sprint flavors) and the 3G/4G hybrid Sprint Overdrive, but this is one of the first instances of a mobile phone offering this feature.

And according to David Pogue, it sounds easy peasy:

You download a free app. You open it, name your hot spot, make up a password if you want one, and tap On.

Now nearby neighbors suddenly see the hot spot, and (if they provide the password) can surf it at 3G speeds, just fast enough to watch videos without skipping. Each time someone connects, a note on the Palm’s screen to let you know -- a nice touch.

MobileCrunch also offers a more in-depth look at the feature, and they also come away impressed with its speed and ease of use. The 3G hotspot feature is an additional service that's priced at $40 a month for up to 5 GB of use (with an overage charge of 5 cents per megabyte).

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Cell, Cell, Cell: Sprint Makes the Push to 4G

Just when you were starting to get comfortable with the 3G cellular landscape, it's time to start thinking about moving onto the next new new thing--4G. While Verizon and AT&T are still in the midst of building up their version of 4G connectivity called LTE (which will start rolling out on the two networks starting later this year for Verizon and in 2011 for AT&T), Sprint has a headstart in the 4G game thanks to its merger with 4G WiMAX provider Clearwire (now called Clear). And at CES this year, Sprint unveiled two new 4G-enabled devices that are ready for action--as long as you're in one of the current 27 markets that Sprint offers 4G service (check Sprint's coverage page, and be sure to click the "Sprint Devices with 4G" tab under the Data, Email and Multimedia section).

Getting the most attention was the Sprint Overdrive (seen at left), a hybrid 3G/4G mobile hotspot that connect up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices simultaneously. Because of its dual mobile broadband connectivity, the Overdrive is a good bridge between Sprint's current robust 3G network and its ongoing 4G rollout. The Boy Genius Report is a fan of the device:

Overall, the new device is ridiculously easy to use and speeds are blazing fast. If you travel a lot or are always in areas with no Wi-Fi, you can’t go wrong with the Overdrive, especially with the WiMax speeds.

And Andrew Berg at Wireless Week gave the Overdrive a workout at the crowded data spectrum of CES and came away pleased:

Just last night, I saw it running video on an iPod touch, while two Microsoft Zunes played a game of wireless checkers, and another guy searched the Internet on a netbook at a pretty good clip. Right now, I have both my netbook and my iPhone connected. While other iPhone users are walking around, holding their phones to the sky, I'm able to at least get e-mails out on the go.

Along with the Overdrive, Sprint also debuted its U301 USB modem (seen at right), which also offers hybrid 3G/4G connectivity for laptops. And as the 4Ginfo site points out, the U301 is Mac compatible (where Sprint's previous U300 hybrid modem was not).

Both the Overdrive and U301 are currently available for order and are shipping (with the Overdrive including a nice Amazon instant discount).

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Cell, Cell, Cell: First CES Rumblings

So far, the Google Nexus One unveiling has been the biggest mobile phone news of this festive CES week, but it's far from the only cell-related news:

• Verizon will be getting both the Palm Pre and Pixi in Plus-sized packages--essentially doubling the storage capacity each one currently sports as currently offered from Sprint (via IntoMobile). An official announcement with release schedule will be happening later today. And it looks like the Pre and Pixi might be going the GSM route over to AT&T later this year as well.

• AT&T will also get into the Android business in 2010 with five planned releases in the first half of the year, including the Dell Mini 3 (currently available in China).

  (image courtesy of Wired's Gadget Lab)

• While not confirmed, one of those Android phones set for AT&T's stable should be the just announced Motorola Backflip, which rejiggers the typical touchscreen/QWERTY keyboard design we've become accustomed to. Instead of hiding sliding out from under the screen, the keyboard folds out from the back (meaning, also, that they keyboard is visible when folded closed).

  Another innovation is the Backtrack trackpad placed on the back of the display and accessible when the phone is flipped open, allowing you to navigate the Backflip's UI (and potentially play games) without getting your fingers in the way of the screen. And speaking of the UI, it utilizes the social networking-centric MotoBlur overlay to the Android 1.5 OS that's found on the current Motorola Cliq. Check out Electronista and MobileBurn for video demos.

• For Windows Mobile fans, Gizmodo reports that T-Mobile has announced the launch later this spring of the HTC HD2 smartphone, which runs the same super-fast 1 GHz Snapdragon processor that's included in the Google Nexus One. It will also sport a 4.3-inch capacitive touch display, Windows Mobile 6.5, and the HTC Sense UI overlay. You can sign up for updates on its release and pricing here.

• And finally... for a bit of profanity-laced NSFW humor, check out this video from Landline TV outlining Google's newest challenger to the iPhone (via IntoMobile). Warning: it does make liberal use of the F-word (and, to borrow from Craig Ferguson, I'm not talking about "fandango").

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

The Google Phone Finally Arrives as The Nexus One

To virtually no one's surprise, Google unveiled its new Android-powered Nexus One smartphone. Oh, excuse me... superphone. Looking similar to the touchscreen Droid Eris (also manufactured by HTC), the Nexus One is a bit slimmer and features a powerful under-the-hood engine in the form of a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Other top line specs include a 3.7-inch touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera, Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth stereo capabilities.

It also runs the Android 2.1 operating system, which, according to Pocket-lint, adds "a few attractive UI changes including a choice of Live Wallpapers, with which you can interact; a change to a five screen homepage with short cuts; the removal of the slideout app menu for a rolling 3D interface and a more responsive on-screen keyboard."

Of course, being a superphone, it runs on 3G networks--but not AT&T's. The cellular radio inside the Nexus One is geared toward T-Mobile's AWS-specific frequencies as well as 900/2100 MHz frequencies found outside the U.S. Thusly, while the GSM Nexus One will run on AT&T, it can only connect to the dial-up-like speeds of its EDGE data network. And the current unlocked version will not work currently on either Verizon Wireless or Sprint in the U.S.

Google will be selling the phone unlocked through its own portal for $530 (where you can add some personalized engraving to the back; see image at right) and it will also be available as a subsidized phone through T-Mobile first for $180. It will be added later in the spring to Verizon Wireless in the U.S. (via a special CDMA version of the Nexus One) as well as Vodafone in Europe (specific launch dates and pricing were not announced today). Of course, for those Verizon customers who can't wait for the latest in Android goodness, there's always the Motorola Droid, which will be getting an update to the 2.1 operating system soon.

Walt Mossberg has had his hands on a Nexus One for a couple weeks now, and he posts his first positive impressions over at All Things Digital:

The Nexus One finally has the right combination of hardware and software to give Android a champion that might attract more people away from their iconic iPhones and BlackBerrys. It has a larger screen than Apple’s phone, and is a bit thinner, narrower and lighter—if a tad longer. And it boasts a better camera and longer talk time between battery charges.

Also, because it will be available on the large, well-regarded Verizon 3G network, the Nexus One could tempt American iPhone users, tired of problems with AT&T, to switch.

A side note: While it's true that I'm an Apple guy to the core (to the point where I get quite chuffed hearing my toddler announce that "the iPhone wins the race" in his imagined gadget races), there's something to be said for Apple's secrecy-fueled flair for the dramatic and its stagecraft when presenting new releases. I followed this morning's official rollout of the Google Nexus One smartphone via Gizmodo and others, and was rather surprised at how lo-fi their presentation looked.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

The Droid You Are Looking For: Droid Knocks the iPhone from Time's Top Spot

Earlier this week, Time Magazine announced their yearly Top Ten lists, and at the head of the gadget pack was quite a surprise. The Motorola/Verizon Droid was crowned as Top Gadget of the Year—no small feat—while the iPhone languished in the 4th place position. Thankfully, the editors Lev Grossman and Peter Ha, give us a little light into their reasoning:

The Droid is a hefty beast, a metal behemoth without the gloss and finish of the iPhone, but you don't miss it. The Droid's touchscreen is phenomenally sharp and vivid, it has an actual physical (not great, but good enough) keyboard, and best of all, the Droid is on Verizon's best-of-breed 3G network. It's Android's first credible challenge to the iPhone.

How did the Droid de-throne the iPhone? Well, while much of the whole “iPhone killer” press is just clever media chatter, there’s something exciting about seeing a real competitor to the market that's important to recognize. Since 2007, when the iPhone was first made available to the public, cell phone and smartphone manufacturers have also been scrambling to come up with something to compete. It's never been a matter of getting the technology, necessarily; it's been a matter of getting the whole package right, and impressing its viability upon the public. Still, very few have risen to the challenge, and certainly none have attracted the loyalty Apple seemingly had on day one.

But for the last half of the decade, while people were tripping over themselves and pledging their first born children to get iPhones, Android has steadily gained in reputation and promise. The first release of an Android phone, the G1 by T-Mobile, was a bit lackluster. Chalk it up to T-Mobile service and, in general, the clunky design. And, as CNET observed, even the new, second-generation Android phone MyTouch still leaves much to be desired with a variety of gaps in its design including the lack of "standard 3.5 millimeter headset jack, a file manager, and camera-editing options".

So with T-Mobile still lagging behind, the buzz about a true "iPhone killer" (sometimes I feel like they're talking about Highlanders and not cell phones) has been feverishly pointing toward the new Motorola Droid, partnering with Verizon Wireless. And the editors at Time may be right, albeit a little premature in their ruling.

While their marketing strategy is certainly nowhere near as slick as the Apple approach, Droid has cleverly combined a powerful name in the cell phone game, Motorola, with a certain geeky trendiness that’s likely to appeal to a larger audience. Before the iPhone, nothing was more visible than the Motorola RAZR. Forget if the interface was horrible, it came in silver and pink and just looked like it might have fallen off of a spaceship. (I lusted after one until I finally caved and bought one, only to be so disappointed with the UI that I abandoned it for my old phone)

But now there’s no worry about bad interface since the sleek Droids use Android 2.0. And for the many customers frustrated with AT&T and T-Mobile, combining forces with Verizon wireless is a stroke of genius. It may just prove to be that alchemical mix needed to rattle the Apple from the tree. Or at least make the tree rock enough to get them worried.

It's no argument that the iPhone has forever changed the way that we think about and use our cell phones. But while it's dominated the market for the last few years, it's also done something else rather remarkable: it upped the ante. It’s exciting to see the innovation in other companies finally taking shape and to speculate about what the next decade may bring. Seeing how far Android has come in so few years is certainly refreshing. 

Cell, Cell, Cell: Garmin nüvifone G60

As we march forward to the holidays, the Big 4 cellular carriers are throwing loads of new mobile phones into the marketplace in hopes of enticing you to bring one home. Now, you could be forgiven if you thought your choices boiled down to just four models--iPhone, DROID, Palm Pre or Motorola CLIQ--since marketing dollars have focused our attention on those. Thusly, over the next few weeks we'll be highlighting some of the newer releases that offer interesting features or great prices in an effort to ensure that they don't completely slip through the cracks.

Garmin nüvifone G60

The first phone from GPS giant Garmin was announced last February, the nüvifone G60 was just picked up by AT&T in October and landed in the midst of a very competitive GPS market landscape. Much like the organizer functionality of the standalone PDA of old, GPS navigation capabilities are moving quickly to the mobile phone arena with services provided by cell carriers as well as dedicated software for smartphone platforms such as the iPhone, which has been attracting big names like TomTom to Navigon and Magellan.

But Garmin's holding fast to offering its own GPS-centric device, and the nüvifone G60 offers most of the trappings of a late Oughts smartphone, including touchscreen interface (based on Linux), Wi-Fi networking and HSDPA 3G cellular connectivity (for both U.S. and foreign networks). But at its heart it's really a Garmin nüvi GPS device, and that's not such a bad thing. While some reviewers have dinged the device for its underpowered web browser, lack of third-party apps and shorter-than-expected battery life, others have also noted that the nüvifone G60 offers the "best navigation experience you'll find on a phone" (so says Engadget). And MobileBurn notes:

Just as the original Apple iPhone was considered by many to have been a great iPod with a phone tossed in it, the Garmin nuvifone G60 is something along those lines. It is a great GPS navigation device, and an OK phone. It does most of the things a modern phone needs to be able to do, and well enough to matter.

Michael Oryl from MobileBurn also offers a video hands-on look at the device (with the second part available on YouTube):

The nüvifone G60 is currently available at the AmazonWireless store for just $99 for new customers (current AT&T customers can also upgrade to the G60 at a pretty good price as well).

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Wirelessly Charge Your Mobile Phone with Powermat

My wife has never been good at remembering to charge her mobile phone, and after she got an iPhone 3GS this summer I tried to help her figure out a strategy that would make it easy to both store and charge it. We found a decently priced Apple dock on the used market (it typically retails for an exorbitant $29) and that seemed to work for awhile. At least until she wrapped a silicone case (from Switcheasy--nicely colorful and affordable) around the iPhone, after which she stopped using the dock as she found it to be too much trouble to slip the silicone cover off the iPhone. Thusly, we're back to a continually non-juiced iPhone.

Which makes the Powermat wireless charging device an intriguing possibility for our household. The Powermat charging pad allows you to simply place a mobile phone or other portable device on a charging mat to juice it up. Well, for maximum convenience, you do need a bit more than just one of the Powermat charging pads (one for home/office, the other portable). In order for it receive a charge, your iPhone or BlackBerry needs to be outfitted with a case (for the former, at left) or a battery door (for the latter, at right) to receive the electrical charge from the Powermat pad.

Both the home and folding portable version of the Powermat charging pads can charge up to three devices at a time, and they come with a "charging cube" universal receiver (seen below) that includes tips that fit a wide range of mobile phones and PSPs (including BlackBerry and iPhone, so you don't have to invest in the optional case or battery door). And in addition to the convenience of wireless charging, the Powermat is also rather energy efficient, terminating the transmission of power once a device is at full charge to save energy as well as protect the device from over-charging.

The company is also marketing itself with some rather funny ads:

Amazon is offering all of the Powermat charging pads and accessories for ordering, and they'll start shipping on October 25.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz