Using a smartphone while shopping to find better deals or to look up product reviews is now pretty mainstream. There are some interesting differences between how Hispanics use their phones while shopping compared to the average U.S. consumer, though. While observing 15 Hispanic smartphone owners in Los Angeles and conducting a nationwide survey of 500 Hispanic smartphone users in late 2011, White Horse and digital advertising agency Sensis noticed that Hispanic users often prefer to shop with friends and family members – a use case that most mobile shopping apps currently ignore. → Read More
I’d wager that only a few of you will remember that Dell sold their own smartphones, and still fewer of you have ever actually owned one.
It should come as no surprise then that Dell, who entered the smartphone market less than two years ago, has announced that they have ceased sales of their last remaining smartphone lines: the Android-powered Venue and the Venue Pro Windows Phone. With those product lines getting the axe, Dell has (for now) put an end to their struggling smartphone business here in the States. → Read More
There has been much debate about what the post-PC era is, when it will arrive, or whether it’s already here. But key pieces of new data, emerging last week, are making the case that we crossed the imaginary line from the “PC” era to the “post-PC” era at the end of 2011. According to analysts at Canalys, two major computing milestones were achieved at the end of this year: smartphone shipments outpaced PCs for the first time ever, and Apple became the world’s largest PC maker, if you count iPads as PCs (as well you should).
Combined, what these numbers tell us is that the post-PC era is happening now. Right now. And maybe we need to think about how we define “PC.” → Read More
With leaks galore and this afternoon’s announcement, there’s not much reason to rehash HTC Rezound deets. So I’ll just cut to the chase and hit you guys with some first impressions. → Read More
Even with Ice Cream Sandwich on the way, Android Gingerbread devices are still as hot as ever. That said, there are way too many Android handsets on the market to parse through each and every one, but that’s why we’re here. We’ve looked through all the latest Android smartphones to give you our brief thoughts on the pick of the litter. These aren’t full-length reviews, but rather a way for you to easily compare what we think to be the most full-featured Android handsets released this month. Hopefully, your shopping research just got way less intensive.
For the glorious and spooky month of October, we’re putting the following handsets on the table: Samsung Galaxy S II (AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint) Motorola Droid RAZR (Verizon, and maybe AT&T), HTC Amaze 4G (T-Mobile), and the Samsung Stratosphere (Verizon). While each of these phones run Android 2.3 Gingerbread, they all have something different they bring to the table, along with varying price tags.
Let’s take a closer look, yes? → Read More
If you remember from a teaser video posted a few days ago, today is a big day. Verizon and Motorola have finally announced the much-anticipated Droid RAZR, the next LTE beast to grace big red’s shelves. Here at the launch event in New York City, we’re hearing four words over and over again: faster, thinner, smarter, and stronger. And that’s exactly how we’d describe the new Droid RAZR. → Read More
While the dual-screen Kyocera Echo didn’t do much to tickle my fancy, a couple dual-screen devices on their way to market, including the Sony S2 tablet, show much more promise.
As far as handsets go, T-Mobile just announced the Android-powered LG DoublePlay (codenamed Flip II) smartphone — a split-keybord QWERTY slider with not one, but two, capacitive touch screens. → Read More
While I would be absolutely thrilled to indulge my Pokemon addiction on my smartphone (officially, anyway), Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has gone and shot down my dreams. According to a post-press conference interview with Nikkei, Iwata has categorically denied that Nintendo will create games for platforms other than their own.
In his own words:
“This is absolutely not under consideration. If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo. Having a hardware development team in-house is a major strength. It’s the duty of management to make use of those strengths.”
→ Read More
Adobe Flash is to the smartphone as an unwanted cousin is to your wedding: necessary, yet painstaking. Apple CEO Steve Jobs seems to hate the software, neglecting to support it on all four models of the iPhone. Google’s done a better job of incorporating Flash support into the Android operating system, but still, most of the time Flash ends up being a battery killer, a security risk, not to mention a total bandwidth hog. That could change very soon though, as Qualcomm and Adobe have announced the development of optimizations for better Flash Player support in mid-level to high-end Android smartphones powered by the Snapdragon family of processors. → Read More
As originally promised last week, the Motorola Droid Pro will be receiving updates starting today to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. According to users, Android 2.3 Gingerbread comes in the form of an OTA update, where the Droid Pro will notify you once the update hits the device. → Read More
Memorial Day isn’t usually a gift-giving holiday, but Amazon’s Memorial Day sale may put you in the mood to treat yourself. Almost 20 4G phones will be listed for free (with a contract, of course) on Amazon’s site on Monday, including some pretty top-of-the-line devices like the HTC Thunderbolt, Samsung Droid Charge, LG Revolution, and Google Nexus S 4G.
Update: See update behind the jump → Read More
Like many of you, I have loved playing games on my phone ever since I got my first Nokia handset that came pre-loaded with Snake. Since then, mobile gaming has reached an entirely new level, and then when the smartphone appeared, a few more levels after that one. Still, no matter which handset you choose, your device is a phone first, and a portable gaming device second, or third, or fourth. → Read More
After ousting previous tablet lead Gianfranco Lanci, Acer has named Jim Wong as head of their Touch Business Group (Touch BG) and PC Global Operations (PCGO). After a series of wildly unsuccessful tablet launches, including the inscrutable Iconia, Lanci resigned. Wong, who led Acer’s IT initiatives, has been with the company for a little over a decade. → Read More
I started a new full time job at about the same time that my 2-year AT&T contract ended. My new job provided me with a Blackberry Bold 9700, to chain me to the corporate teat. I opted not to renew my personal AT&T contract, officially retiring my iPhone 3G, as it didn’t make sense to carry two smartphones. The Blackberry is not a perfect device, but I’m wholeheartedly convinced that it’s a terrific smartphone, whereas the iPhone was a neat little computer that could make phone calls. For the most part, my transition to the Blackberry has been pretty smooth. Say what you will about the perils of “living in the cloud”, but apps like Evernote, Dropbox, PogoPlug, and TripIt have made the bulk of my transition relatively painless. I’ve given all my friends and family my Google Voice number, which rings my Blackberry, so no one really needs to know I’ve even changed platforms. → Read More
Sprint has announced that the Motorola i1 will be available for purchase on July 25 through direct ship sales channels, and will hit retail outlets in early August. As you may recall, the i1 is the first Android smartphone to include Nextel Direct Connect technology and sports a hardened body that meets military specs for shock, dust, and rain. $149 (after $50 rebate) for new customers and eligible upgrades with the standard two year contract. Full press release inside. → Read More
Whereas Sharp decided to cautiously embrace Android, Toshiba still seems to be firmly in the Windows camp. After releasing the “iPhone killer TG01” on WinMo 6.5 last year, the company announced another Windows Mobile-based cell phone in Japan today (Toshiba is one of Microsoft’s official “Mobile Partners”, after all). → Read More
Not to be left out of the deluge of new releases at CES, Dell is giving us a look at their new 5-inch tablet concept and Android-smartphone for AT&T. There’s also some new laptops and things, you know, if you’re into that. → Read More
It took them a while, but now RIM finally is ready to follow Apple and enter the world’s biggest mobile market, China, with the Blackberry. The company issued two press releases in the last days outlining their market entry strategy that’s built upon a strategic partnership with Beijing-based IT service provider Digital China (which is the country’s biggest).
Digital China was chosen by RIM as the official Blackberry distribution partner and is expected to help sell the phones to end consumers and companies through their established sales network for computer systems and IT equipment. → Read More
Short Version: T-Mobile’s 4th Android device has a lot going for it. 5.0 megapixel camera, all the smartphone basics, WiFi, 3G, GPS, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. But it feels kinda cheap, runs Android 1.5, and for $229.99? No thank you. → Read More
The Short Version: I’ve always preferred functionality over looks in my gear. But the Bold 9700 puts a sleek outer cover on a powerful processor. T-Mobile’s first 3G BlackBerry is manufactured by Research In Motion. Perhaps you were expecting something more a bit more post-worthy? RIM’s newest release brings us BlackBerry OS v5. It has all of the standard features you’ve come to know and love, email, SMS, IM, web browsing, etc. The Bold takes all of that and serves it too you on a 624MHz processor. i would say the only weak spot is the web browser. → Read More
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