cell phones

I’m here just 85 miles north of the equator in steamy Singapore, a brief 24 hour door-to-door hop skip and jump from the United States, for the CommunicAsia conference, and I just had a hands-on with the new Samsung Omnia smartphone. The Omnia has a a 3.2-inch touchscreen display and will be hitting Singapore’s Singtel and StarHub carriers (HSDPA, GPRSH) this week, and the rest of Europe later in July, and China in August.

I can easily say the Omnia is the first full-featured Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional phone that I’ve had hands-on with that actually packs enough power under the hood to keep up with the fancy custom-UI overlay called “TouchWiz UI” that Samsung added.

On the home screen, there are about 14 widgets that run along the left side, and Samsung says more will be available. To activate a widget, like the movie player for example, you just finger-slide the widget from its toolbar out onto the mainscreen, and the program launches. Where phones like the HTC Touch struggled and navigation was a bit clunky, the Omnia, at least for the time being, is fluid and quick. Click the link below for more shots, including a spy-shot of the white version.

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T-Mobile just announced a Tony Hawk version of its Sidekick LX handset, which we reviewed back in January. The device is supposed to resemble and feel like the top of a skateboard with grip-tape and eight fake screw heads. I just hope it doesn’t feel too much like real grip-tape, since the last thing I’d want on my phone is sandpaper meant for gripping to shoes.

It’s the first Sidekick with video-recording capabilities, as well as the ability to play back and share the video. T-Mobile claims the device also has an enhanced Web-browsing experience, stereo Bluetooth support, and easier downloads.

The device is slate gray with white and sky blue accents. It features a Tony Hawk–themed interface, which includes a video of him performing tricks and will no doubt get old quite quickly, and a Tony Hawk background. Every time you swivel the screen open, it’s supposed to make “skate themed” sounds. It’s unclear if that means the device says “Dude, gnarly ollie,” or the sound of four wheels hitting pavement, or a snapping femur every time you open it.

My only question is, why does Tony Hawk look so unenthused? Read on for more photos. Read the rest of this entry »

T-Mobile pushed the envelope of unlimited calling plans this morning by announcing the cheapest unlimited family plan. Once a customer has a single $99.99 plan, he or she can add lines to the plan for an additional $49.99 per month, and that includes unlimited calling, SMS, MMS, and IM.

It’s a pretty incredible deal, considering that the previous family plan pricing started at $59.99 for two lines and 700 minutes, and then customers would have to add on their own messaging plans too.

Let’s say you need cell phones for you, your spouse, and your 2.5 kids. That’s a total of five lines. With T-Mobile’s new plan, you’re paying $249.95 for unlimited messaging and calling. AT&T charges $199.99 for the first two lines, and each additional line is $9.99 (max of 5). For the same family, that’s $229.96 for unlimited calling only. But unlimited messaging will cost you $20 per line. That’s a $100 more per month.

Sprint doesn’t offer an unlimited family plan, but Verizon Wireless has three various packages. The Select package is most similar to T-Mobile’s, with unlimited calling and messaging, but it also includes unlimited mobile Web access for $529.95.

Overall, T-Mobile’s deal sounds like a steal if you’ve got a house full of talkative teenagers. Save the extra dough for college tuition, or your midlife crisis.

The Wall Street Journal this morning reported that Verizon Wireless and Vodafone could be the sole proprietors of a new BlackBerry Thunder touchscreen device from RIM.

The Boy Genius Report, which the WSJ authors cite, has been reporting speculations on a touchscreen device from RIM since October 2007 and announced the news on May 13th. Since then, BGR learned that the device will have a full touchscreen display on the front with only 4 physical keys including the long-lived Berry Button, Back button, and Send/End buttons.

It’s hard to imagine what a BlackBerry without a keypad would be like, especially considering that most people turn to RIM for their near-perfect full QWERTY keyboards. If RIM managed to get its hands on a touchscreen version of the crystal-clear display found on the BlackBerry Bold, then color me interested. I’m just hoping RIM doesn’t take the same plastic touchscreen haptic feedback approach that LG and Samsung have chosen for their touch devices.

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This morning AT&T confirmed our sneaking suspicions that it would be the first U.S. carrier to sell the BlackBerry Bold, the latest handset from RIM that was announced this morning.

AT&T is touting itself as the first carrier to offer a BlackBerry with international 3G support, likely because the 3G Curves announced on Verizon Wireless and Sprint last week don’t support HSDPA data connections.

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The Samsung Glyde was announced for Verizon Wireless today. The $249 phone, after a $50 rebate, has a 2.8” haptic touchscreen and a full QWERTY keypad that slides out from under it.

We liked the messaging capabilities of the Samsung Glyde, but were frustrated by its confusing and often unresponsive touchscreen and user interface. The LG Voyager costs $50 more and offers a second display, an onscreen QWERTY keypad, and support for V Cast Mobile TV. And the upcoming Samsung Instinct at least tries to be innovative with its easier-to-customize favorites menu and voice-activated local search, although that phone lacks a physical keyboard.

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Following a decision made by President Raul Castro, Cuba announced this morning that its residents would now be able to own their own cell phones, provided by Cuban telecom provider ETESCA.

Reuters reports that some Cubans have previously had access to cell phones, but only at work or if foreigners created contracts in their own name for Cuban residents.

According to AP, however, there’s a bit of a catch. The Cuban public will have to sign up for prepaid contracts through ETECSA using the Cuban Convertible Peso currency instead of the Cuban peso with which most residents are paid. The Cuban Convertible Peso is worth 24 times more than the standard peso.

Since it has a monopoly on the market, ETECSA will sell its service in Convertible Pesos so that only the wealthy will be able to afford cell phones and, in turn, allow the telecommunications provider to build better networks. At this time, ETECSA likely doesn’t have the capability to support a large inflow of cell phone users, so once the networks are improved, the price can drop to accommodate more of the general public.

AP also reported that “there were no lines of would-be customers mobbing ETECSA outlets as they opened for business.” Perhaps Cubans are waiting on the iPhone.