Cell Phones / Accessories

In case you hadn’t noticed, Google’s Android OS has a lot of momentum right now. With eight Android smart phones available in the U.S. this holiday season—most of them new–there’s a lot of excitement around this open and highly customizable platform. But there’s a difference between the stock Android interface on devices like the new Motorola Droid ($299.99), and others like the HTC Hero and Droid Eris (Sprint and Verizon) and Motorola CLIQ (T-Mobile).

That difference is a custom user interface that delivers more screens for you to customize and smarter ways of managing contacts and tapping into your social networking feeds. HTC calls its experience Sense, while Motorola dubs its service Motoblur. But what kinds of features do these skins on steroids offer, and how do they compare to the stock Android 2.0 OS? Read on to find out:

The holiday shopping season is upon us once again and that means it’s time for our Gadget Gift Guide, the only resource you’ll need to find the perfect presents for your tech-loving friends and family. Or, just shop for yourself (everyone does).

We broke down our top cell phone picks by carrier and by budget to help you find the perfect match:

AT&T Phones — Though the iPhone is still AT&T’s star player, the Nokia Surge offers a full QWERTY keyboard, access to the Web and e-mail, plus quick access to Facebook and Twitter for under $30.

Click here for our Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon picks.

Everyone loves the idea of a watch phone, but the reality of smart phone watches has been far different from our Dick Tracy fantasies. We’ve seen a couple of wrist devices demoed, including the Kempler & Strauss WatchPhone, but they all have a fundamental problem. Their screens are too small to display a serious smart phone operating system like BlackBerry OS, Android, or Windows Mobile. On the other hand, having to whip your BlackBerry out of your pocket every time you receive an e-mail or an IM can be a pain. What if you could wear a watch that comunicates with your BlackBerry and displays a list of messages right on your wrist?

CrackBerry has posted some pictures and details about a rumored BlackBerry watch accessory that will work together with your BlackBerry to show message previews and alerts. CrackBerry says the phone will feature an OLED screen and be called the inPulse smartwatch.No details are available about pricing or availability as this is just a rumor. Still, we hope RIM is really working on this device as it would be a welcome accessory for BlackBerry addicts everywhere.

via Crackberry and Engadget

The Cliq isn’t just the third Android phone in T-Mobile’s lineup. This device represents Motorola’s first major step in its effort to make a comeback with consumers. And if this phone is a sign of things to come, we think Motorola is definitely on the right path. Thanks to a highly customizable user interface and an ambitious Motoblur service, which puts all your social networks—such as Twitter and Facebook—front and center, the Cliq is an excellent smart phone. Add in a 5-megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a comfortable keyboard (not to mention tight integration with Google’s services), and you have a device that runs circles around the myTouch 3G.

Read our full review >>

It’s really more like a do-over than a sequel. While the original BlackBerry Storm suffered from sluggish performance, glitchy software, and a maddening touchscreen keyboard, the Storm2 fixes nearly everything we criticized about the earlier device. It’s faster (especially when surfing the Web), more stable, and typing is more accurate and feels less like a chore. Plus, RIM has added Wi-Fi connectivity, and doubled the amount of onboard memory. But just because the Storm2 is better than its predecessor doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better than the competition.

Read our full review here »

Where there are cell phones for show, accessories aren’t usually far away. But at this fall’s CTIA, I’ve seen shockingly few headsets (I think, in general, apps might be the new accessory). In fact, the only earpiece I’ve seen is by LG, whose HBM-570, announced earlier this week, is on display.

And it’s interesting looking. Not like the Aliph Jawbone, which is made of medical-grade plastic, but instead, with a brushed metal, thumb-sized body and glowing blue LED that takes up a third of the headset. I can’t decide if I would wear it, but I appreciate the design nonetheless. I prefer it in silver, as pictured, but you can get it in three other colors, including purple, pink, and black.

The other interesting thing: the price. At $69.99 it’s one of the few mid-range headsets left (for the most part, the category has splintered into budget headsets, selling for well under $50 at retail, and high-end headsets with suggested prices of $100 or more). So, while it has a higher suggested price than any budget headset, it’s inexpensive for a headset that offers both noise and echo cancellation. It’s the budget of premium headsets

The headset supports Bluetooth 2.1, which is designed to pair with devices more easily than previous generations of Bluetooth. It also claims a fairly average talk time of 5 hours.

If Samsung’s Moment, announced today, offers too little touch for you, take the plunge with the Omnia II, an all-touch phone with a 3.7-inch AMOLED display. We reported on this phone over the summer, but this is the first time we’ve seen it in person.

Unlike the Moment, which features Android’s stock UI, the Omnia II has Samsung’s TouchWiz UI layered over Windows Mobile 6.1. Up close, the colorful interface seems the perfect complement to the bright, vibrant AMOLED display. In person, the touchscreen felt responsive; we could change screens even with a light tap.

One thing I can’t understand: if Verizon and Samsung waited all these months to release it, why load Windows Mobile 6.1 on it when 6.5 is already out? An outdated OS on such a sleek, fast phone seems like a shame, especially when the new version offers a prettier interface (if not much else, depending on who you ask).

Want to see it in action? Check out our video walk-through below.

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Yesterday HTC launched the HD2, its top tier Windows Mobile 6.5 device. But what makes this device stand out against all other Windows Phones is what HTC added to it. Microsoft provided the Windows Mobile 6.5 canvas, and HTC painted fine art on top of it.

Under the hood, HTC added OS support for multi-touch, which allows the HD2 to use a capacitive screen. That means you can zoom around Web pages, photos, and more by pinching or pulling your fingers. This is a feature Microsoft should have added native support for.

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AT&T announced that they will now allow VoIP apps such as Skype and Vonage to operate over their 3G networks. This means that iPhone users will finally have the full functionality of their VoIP services even when not near a Wi-Fi connection.

Though it’s not official, it seems pretty clear to those who’ve been following the AT&T/Apple/Google/FCC story for the past few months that this move is likely in direct response to the FCC taking a closer look at what the wireless carrier is and is not allowing to go on over its network and whether these decisions constitute a reason for the government to be concerned.

Now that VoIP has the green light over 3G, how long do you think before we get the official announcement that the Google Voice app has been approved?

As much as this makes VoIP services happy, it may make AT&T wireless users unhappy. The carrier’s 3G network is already overtaxed in some areas. Will it get worse when people start doing more than just surfing the Web or updating Twitter?

It’s a big day for Microsoft: today is packed with announcements from manufacturers that are introducing its new Windows Mobile 6.5 “Windows Phone” operating system.

Sprint today introduced the Samsung Intrepid, a Windows Mobile 6.5 device that sports  2.5 inch 320 x 240 resolution touch screen, Wi-Fi, a full QWERTY keyboard, and a 3.2MP camera.

With a similar, albeit less attractive, design to the Samsung Jack now on AT&T, this could be a popular phone for QWERTY fans looking to jump on the Windows Phone bandwagon.

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