Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Sprint, EV-DO, CDMA

If the idea of a sub-$200 3G touchscreen fashion phone sounds vaguely familiar, trust us, it’s not just your noggin playing tricks on you. Sprint is apparently circulating documentation internally revealing that the Samsung Instinct will run $199.99 on contract after rebates, a move that doesn’t really come as surprise; Sprint itself has worked overtime trying to play up the Instinct versus iPhone angle, after all, and it’s entirely plausible that the carrier was holding out for Apple’s announcement before settling on a price. Sprint will also be requiring that users sign up for an “Everything” plan when taking delivery of their Instinct, a move that smacks of AT&T’s marriage of the iPhone to specific plans. The Instinct gets the jump on Apple’s hardware by a few days thanks to a June 20 launch, so it’ll be interesting to see just how much Cupertino thunder Samsung can steal here.

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Via Engadgetmobile

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Filed under: Handsets, Others, Linux, GSM

The FreeRunner is FreeRunning a tiny late on its way into devs’ hands, but that’s not stopping OpenMoko from shipping out a few units early to VIPs, apparently. Monochrome Mentality was the lucky recipient recently of one of the very first FreeRunners served piping hot off the assembly line, and the impressions are generally positive. Buyers will notice the spit and polish the second they lay eyes on the box the FreeRunner comes in, a sign that OpenMoko’s trying to move their open-source model away (well, not necessarily away) from the hardcore geeks and toward a broader consumer market. WiFi and motion sensors are the hallmark features the FreeRunner boasts over its Neo1973 predecessor, but visually, the new model takes a more subdued approach with black rings replacing the silver ones. Minor modifications include programmable LEDs embedded in the buttons, host mode support for the USB port (pretty cool!), and a whole pile of accessories in the box — a good thing, considering the $399 price tag.

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Filed under: Handsets, Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson’s Cyber-shot C905 only just broke cover yesterday, and it’s still yet to get official, but it looks like shots and specs of it are already starting to crop up at a pretty steady clip. In addition to giving us a glimpse at the sliver version, this latest batch of pics (available at the link below) also helpfully includes size comparisons to a couple of other phones, and shots of the C905 from various angles. As we had heard before, this one comes packing an impressive 8.1-megapixel camera, which will also capture VGA video, along with a QVGA screen (apparently 2.4-inches), GPS, Bluetooth, and HSDPA support. Still no firm word on a price just yet, but the speculation seems to be it’ll land around the €500 mark (or $770), or presumably less if you’re willing to jump through the usual contract hoops.

[Via Engadget en Español]

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Filed under: Handsets, Apple

Apple’s always been known for its amusingly-conservative disclaimers (you can’t use iTunes to “design a nuclear weapon,” for example) and it looks like the products-liability team at the Fruit has had their way with the iPhone SDK agreement as well, inserting a provision specifically prohibiting developers from creating apps “marketed for real time route guidance; automatic or autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management; or emergency or life-saving purposes.” Yep, that’s right — no real-time route guidance (or, uh, fleet management) granted. That’d be a massive bummer — except, of course, that TomTom has already come out and stated that its app is ready to go on the iPhone. Assuming TomTom used the SDK and not the jailbreak toolchain, we’d bet that Apple is just covering its ass here and that it’s worked out an agreement with TomTom to pass along any liability — you can bet Steve doesn’t want to get sued when iPhone users begin careening into sandpiles and into oncoming trains. We’ll see for sure when the App Store finally launches, though — until then, it’s all just cheap speculation.

Update: Astute commenter Austin points out that these terms are copied nearly word-for-word from the Google Maps API terms — which means that TomTom and others are probably free to use their own maps to do real-time guidance.

[Via BoingBoing Gadgets]

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Filed under: Handsets, Apple

Apple’s always been known for its amusingly-conservative disclaimers (you can’t use iTunes to “design a nuclear weapon,” for example) and it looks like the products-liability team at the Fruit has had their way with the iPhone SDK agreement as well, inserting a provision specifically prohibiting developers from creating apps “marketed for real time route guidance; automatic or autonomous control of automobiles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management; or emergency or life-saving purposes.” Yep, that’s right — no real-time route guidance (or, uh, fleet management) granted. That’d be a massive bummer — except, of course, that TomTom has already come out and said that its app is ready to go on the iPhone. Assuming TomTom used the SDK and not the jailbreak toolchain, we’d bet that Apple is just covering its ass here and that it’s worked out an agreement with TomTom to pass along any liability — you can bet Steve doesn’t want to get sued when iPhone users start careening into sandpiles and into oncoming trains. We’ll see for sure when the App Store finally launches, though — until then, it’s all just cheap speculation.

Update: Astute commenter Austin points out that these terms are copied almost word-for-word from the Google Maps API terms — which means that TomTom and others are probably free to use their own maps to do real-time guidance.

[Via BoingBoing Gadgets]

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Okay, the new 3G iPhone is one the way. Here’s a full “preview” review from The Gadget Guru. This video is definitely NOT a Fanboy Review as both the Pros and Cons of the Apple’s new iPhone are included in this review. It’s a must see!

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Filed under: Handsets, LG, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, CDMA

So, what do you do after announcing your intentions to spend nearly $30 billion on America’s fifth largest carrier? Why, you announce a trio of new phones for the summertime, that’s what. Verizon Wireless is trumpeting the launch of the Dare (pictured), Decoy and Chocolate 3, all of which are being provided by LG. As for the Dare, you’ll find 3G, V CAST, VZ Navigator and a 3.2-megapixel camera, while the Decoy becomes the world’s first handset with a Bluetooth headset integrated into its body. Finally, the Chocolate 3 goes all flip-phone on us and includes an FM transmitter, twin speakers, 1GB of internal storage, 2-megapixel camera and V CAST support. Unfortunately, VZW hasn’t dished out official details on pricing just yet, but you can find out for sure when they go on sale later this month, June 16th and sometime in July (in order of mention).

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See if you can make sense of this quote from a TomTom spokesperson: Our navigation system runs on the iPhone already. Does that mean TomTom has an application in development for the iPhone App Store? If so, when will it be released? If not, then what exactly was TomTom talking about? My guess, that TomTom didn’t want […]

See if you can make sense of this quote from a TomTom spokesperson:

Our navigation system runs on the iPhone already.

Does that mean TomTom has an application in development for the iPhone App Store? If so, when will it be released? If not, then what exactly was TomTom talking about? My guess, that TomTom didn’t want o seem “hurt” by the inclusion of a GPS chip inside the iPhone 3G. Its software will work just as well on the iPhone as it does on its stand-alone units. Something to that effect.

Via [crunchgear]

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Filed under: Handsets, Software, ATT, Apple, OS X

As the dust settles on the iPhone 3G / WWDC blowout, we’ve sifted through the debris and discovered a few eyebrow-raising tidbits you might be interested to know. The first of which is news that the next firmware update (2.0) could be headed to devices as early as June 27th, at least according to Apple’s Australian iPod touch features page, which touts the arrival of the app store later this month. Meanwhile, Apple’s cash cow won’t get those OTA iTunes music downloads that were being heavily speculated on in May. Word on the street is that record labels are — wait for it — still holding out for those upped premiums, or that AT&T wants a cut of the action, which Apple is reluctant to hand over. Of course, AT&T wanting their share of that revenue makes good sense when you realize that the telco is taking a major hit on the sale of these devices — a hit which will stall profits until 2010. Perhaps that explains the new rules about activation; according to a report from Reuters, the company will penalize customers who purchase a phone but don’t activate within 30 days, which falls in line with their aggressive new push to lock users into a contract… which looks exactly like the old cellphone business model. On a lighter note, iLounge has some real-world spy shots of the device’s shell, which they claim smudges like it’s going out of style, though it might be joined by a Product (RED) variation later this year. Enjoy!

Update: Apparently Apple reps have confirmed that there won’t be any early firmware updates for the masses, and that they’re still on schedule for July 11th. The Australian site has since updated its info — so put the champagne back on ice.

[Thanks, Dan and Danny]

Read - Australian iPod touch features page
Read - No Over-The-Air 3G Music Downloads For New iPhone; Labels Holding Out For Higher Price Per Track?
Read - iPhone to cut into AT&T earnings until 2010
Read - Real World Photos: Inside + Outside iPhone 3G’s New Shell

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Filed under: Handsets, Software, ATT, Apple, OS X

As the dust settles on the iPhone 3G / WWDC blowout, we’ve sifted through the debris and discovered a few eyebrow-raising tidbits you might be interested to know. The first of which is news that the next firmware update (2.0) could be headed to devices as early as June 27th, at least according to Apple’s Australian iPod touch features page, which touts the arrival of the app store later this month. Meanwhile, Apple’s cash cow won’t get those OTA iTunes music downloads that were being heavily speculated on in Might. Word on the street is that record labels are — wait for it — still holding out for those upped premiums, or that AT&T wants a cut of the action, which Apple is reluctant to hand over. Of course, AT&T wanting their share of that revenue makes good sense when you realize that the telco is taking a major hit on the sale of these devices — a hit which will stall profits until 2010. Perhaps that explains the new rules about activation; according to a report from Reuters, the company will penalize customers who buy a phone but don’t activate within 30 days, which falls in line with their aggressive new push to lock users into a contract… which looks exactly like the old cellphone business model. On a lighter note, iLounge has some real-world spy shots of the device’s shell, which they claim smudges like it’s going out of style, though it might be joined by a Product (RED) variation later this year. Enjoy!

[Thanks, Dan and Danny]

Read - Australian iPod touch features page
Read - No Over-The-Air 3G Music Downloads For New iPhone; Labels Holding Out For Higher Price Per Track?
Read - iPhone to cut into AT&T earnings until 2010
Read - Real World Photos: Inside + Outside iPhone 3G’s New Shell

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Via Engadgetmobile

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