Latest Mobile Phone News

It’s been a long and twisted road for Acer’s 7-inch Honeycomb tablet, but after all the starts and stops, we’ve finally got an ETA for the Iconia Tab A100. According to an email sent out to Acer retail partners today, the slab should land in stores sometime in early August with a suggested price tag of $300. The Tegra 2-powered device was originally slated for a mid-May launch, but was reportedly held up by Honeycomb compatibility issues. Also arriving early August, is a pair of new Aspire notebooks: the 15.6-inch 5750Z and the 17.3-inch 7739Z, ringing in at $475 a piece. Both laptops rock 4GB of DDR3 RAM (upgradable to 8GB), 500GB of storage, and Intel Pentium processors. Given the extra three months Acer’s had to get the Iconia Tab A100 to market, that Honeycomb better taste extra sweet when it finally makes its debut.

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To update the Xperia X10, which was formerly running Android 2.1 Eclair, users need to connect the device to their computers and employ the company’s PC Companion software. Over-the-air updates are so far not available. According to Sony Ericsson, the availability of Gingerbread for user devices “is dependent on operator and/or country,” so it cannot provide an “exact date for when the update will be available for you.” Sony Ericsson released the Xperia X10 last year. The device comes with a 4-inch display and 1GHz processor.

It has an 8.1-megapixel camera and the ability to record 720p HD video. Last May, Sony Ericsson announced plans to offer Eclair on the device, but that update didn’t start rolling out to handsets until October. At the time, Sony Ericsson didn’t plan on bringing Gingerbread to the X10. However, the company said in March that it had “listened to our consumers,” and would be bringing the update to the handset, after all. With the addition of Gingerbread, Xperia X10 owners get Facebook integration across the platform’s applications, the ability to use the device as a Wi-Fi hot spot, and tethering.

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The imminent launch of Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab 10.1 is going to be a rather confusing affair, as the hardware maker is planning to launch an unbelievable TWELVE separate memory/radio versions of the new Android tablet. According to the individual listings, you’ll be able to buy black or white versions of the 10.1, with each model also coming in 3G and wi-fi only options. Which means you can have any of the below configurations:

• 16GB, wi-fi only, black
• 16GB, wi-fi only, white
• 16GB, 3G, black
• 16GB, 3G, white
• 32GB, wi-fi only, black
• 32GB, wi-fi only, white
• 32GB, 3G, black
• 32GB, 3G, white
• 64GB, wi-fi only, black
• 64GB, wi-fi only, white
• 64GB, 3G, black
• 64GB, 3G, white

Absolutely insane. A total logistical nightmare for the boys in the warehouse. The August 4th launch date only applies to the cheaper black & white wi-fi only models, which will arrive on that day for £399. The 3G models and the larger capacity variants will launch throughout August, with the top-spec 64GB 3G model costing a whopping £659.99 and arriving on August 23rd.

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Six of AT&T’s Google-powered handsets will soon see a software upgrade to Gingerbread, the latest version of Android for smartphones. Starting on Monday, owners of the Motorola Atrix 4G will be prompted to install the new Android 2.3 software. The software will be delivered over the air only when the phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network. On Monday AT&T said that any post-paid Android device introduced this year is expected to gain the Gingerbread software. Although Google released Android 2.3 in December, handset makers and carriers alike have been slow to push the software. Only recently have new smartphones included Gingerbread out of the box and few have seen an upgrade to the new software. The situation of Android software releases arriving frequently has been a frustrating one: Consumers are buying smartphones without knowing if or when Android updates would arrive.

In May, Google publicly addressed the issues saying it would work with carriers and hardware makers to speed up the process and ensure that new hardware would see firmware updates for at least 18 months. Although I suspect most customers don’t even know which version of Android is on their phone, this illustrates the difference as compared to Apple’s iPhone. Apple produces updates faster and has less reliance on carriers; instead, the company creates the update and begins pushing it directly to handsets immediately upon release. Monday’s software news from AT&T is welcome then, and not just for the Atrix 4G. These other handsets are also planned to see the upgrade to Android 2.3: HTC Inspire 4G, LG Phoenix, Pantech Crossover, as well as Samsung’s Captivate 4G and Infuse 4G. The Inspire 4G looks to be the next phone targeted for a Gingerbread update, with an August release for the software update. Owners of the Captivate may be most appreciate here as the Galaxy S for AT&T’s network is a year old.

Consumers may crave the latest operating system version on their handset, but I’ve been running Gingerbread since January on my Google Nexus One. To be honest, Froyo or Android 2.2, offered far more features and performance gains. I’ve confirmed with AT&T that it is pushing out Android 2.3.4 but have yet to hear if that includes support for Google Talk video calling on smartphones with front-facing cameras; I have a note in to my contacts and will update if I hear back. Regardless of that specific question, AT&T is moving forward with Android updates in a fresh, new public way. And that could eliminate consumer fears that their smartphones will be running outdated software for an indeterminate amount of time.

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Twentieth Century Fox is set to allow Android smartphone and tablet users to view the studio’s Blu-ray movies on their gadgets. The move will see movies ‘side loaded’ via an Android application in a launch due in the US, UK, Germany and France this October. The Blu-ray movie to be made available on Android devices is to be “X-Men: First Class” “Given its strong growth as a mobile operating system, the support for Android is an important move for us because it further enhances Blu-ray discs as the best way to get your movies to all your screens,” Fox marketing veep Vincent Marcais told the Financial Times. It’s not known if Fox will make digital copies of movies for sale separately from Blu-ray discs.

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The Droid 3 is a perfectly respectable handset. It’s fast, solid and well made, with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard that’s one of the very best out there, and a good (if slow) camera. The 4-inch screen is large and colourful but do sample it alongside the Nexus S, say, before committing yourself to emailing and surfing on it for a full 2-year contract.The bulky design also smacks of complacency. Where HTC and Samsung are trying to broaden Android’s appeal, the macho Droid 3 is aimed directly at its core constituency of IT professionals and iPhone haters. The risk is that many of those will be happy to wait for the Droid Bionic, unveiled at CES and due to arrive imminently with a larger 4.3-inch screen and that all-important 4G LTE link.It’s far too early yet to write off the Droid range, and the Droid 3 would certainly make a safe choice for anyone who absolutely demands a physical keyboard. But Motorola should take care. One good idea and reliable build quality will only get you so far – today’s handsets need to be genuine all-rounders. Unless keyboards are your thing, this probably isn’t the Droid you’re looking for.

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans Tuesday morning to regulate medical smartphone apps. Recent years have seen an explosion in smartphone apps related to health and medicine–the Associated Press estimates that there are already over 17,000 medical apps on the market. Tuesday’s FDA decision, however, will only regulate a small portion of these. For now the FDA plans to regulate smartphone apps that combine with medical devices that are already regulated by the FDA. In other words, apps pertaining to heart monitors and other medical devices, but your diet planning app will remain unaffected. It’s been a big year for telecommunications regulation with the FCC weighing in on Phone Data and their announcement in January of new Net Neutrality rules but this is the first time the FDA has stepped into this arena. Despite the increased regulation the FDA announcement seems to have garnered positive reaction even in unexpected quarters. The CTIA Wireless association, a wireless industry group, is even in favor of the regulation. Time will tell how and what the FDA will really regulate in the mobile industry but for now both the FDA and the mobile industry seem happy with today’s announcement.

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A new ChangeWave survey found that 48 percent of those looking to buy a new smartphone in the next 90 days plan on getting an iPhone. I’m not surprised. In the research network’s study, 4,163 consumers primarily in the North American smartphone market were asked to reveal their mobile device preferences. With nearly half of the respondents saying they’re going to get iPhones, 32 percent say they favor the Android OS. Only 4 percent said they want a BlackBerry OS device.

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According to data released Monday by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the consumer electronics (CE) industry is on track to surpass $190 billion in overall shipment revenues this year, an increase of 5.6 percent over 2010. That’s more than double the projected United States GDP 2011 growth rate of 2.4 percent. Back in January, the CEA projected that the consumer electronics industry would grow 3.5 percent this year. The primary driver of that blockbuster growth will be smartphones, the CEA says. Smartphone unit sales are set to grow a whopping 45 percent in 2011, climbing to revenue of more than $23 billion. But that’s not to say that every sector is on such a tear. Since 88 percent of U.S. households own at least one digital television, sales of digital displays are expected to decline this year, the CEA says. But network-enabled displays and 3D displays are still expected to be growth segments in 2011.

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The iPhone Dev Team has already jailbroken Apple’s new iOS 4.3.4 release, pushed out to the iPhone, iPad and other devices. The updated iOS version patched a PDF vulnerability which hackers had used to jailbreak iOS 4.3.3; however, redsn0w 0.9.8b3 has been released to handle jailbreaks on 4.3.4, albeit tethered rather than untethered. For the uninitiated, a tethered jailbreak means that should you need to power-cycle your iPhone or other iOS device, you’ll need to have it plugged in via USB to your computer else you will lose the hack. An untethered jailbreak is preferable, because it removes that limitation. The message from the iPhone Dev Team is that most users should stay on iOS 4.3.3 and not update at all; there’s no new functionality to be had, only the security fix. Meanwhile this new jailbreak won’t work on the iPad 2, and is being billed as primarily for the benefit of kernel hackers who want to work on the very latest firmware version. Nonetheless, the road ahead for iOS jailbreakers looks to be trickier than ever. iOS 4.3.4 reportedly also closed off too other loopholes hackers had been using for untethered solutions – an integer overflow-related bug and an incomplete code signing issue. Meanwhile, iOS 5 will reportedly block firmware downgrades using a new signing system.

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It was a busy week of new reviews, so it was only today that we had time to peruse the Federal Communications Commission’s database of new phones. The list was long, but we pulled together the highlights below. Sony Ericsson and RIM had a lot to offer, with two handsets each. We saw the Xperia Ray, which Sony Ericsson announced last month, and a BlackBerry Torch 2. LG also came through with the MS910 Bryce for MetroPCS, and Huawei offered the Sonic for T-Mobile, which would be the company’s fist model for a major U.S. carrier. Because the FCC has to certify every phone sold in the United States, not to mention test its SAR rating, the agency’s online database offers a lot of sneak peeks to those who dig. And to save you the trouble, CNET has combed through the database for you.

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Apple is gearing up its production of iPhone 5 for a possible September launch. Added to this, Apple’s projection of selling 25 million iPhones by the end of 2011 coincides with the expectation that the release is round the corner. What are the features of the next iPhone is a question that has given rise to a vast range of speculations. Over the last few months, several iPhone successor features were discussed by tech websites and in the blogosphere. Some rumors were supported by image leaks, sources from manufacturing partners while other features were thought based on what competitors offer. However, it is more or less confirmed that iPhone 5 will run on Apple’s latest mobile operating system iOS 5 and will have a superior ecosystem comprising of iCloud. Meanwhile, Apple has a complete ecosystem as its app store has 425,000 apps. Recently, Apple announced that its App Store has topped the 15 billion download mark. As a result, if Apple adds the following features then it may effectively outclass a flurry of competing Android devices that is expected near-term.

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Motorola is beginning to roll out Android Honeycomb 3.2 for its Xoom tablet. The Google update includes a couple of key enhancements that will also roll out to other Android tablets in the near future. The update will introduce a new viewing mode, referred to as “zoom to fill,” and fully enable SD card slots. Motorola will be the first tablet vendor to get this update. Imagine viewing your app at the size of a phone screen then zooming in about 200 percent. Stretch-to-fill is the standard layout resizing, while zoom-to-fill screen is the new screen compatibility mode, according to the blog.

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The popularity of dual SIM handsets in India has resulted several manufacturers to launch dual SIM handsets in the country. TechCom India, a renowned manufacturer of IT peripherals and consumer electronics in India has ventured into the mobile market of Rajasthan with a couple of dual SIM handsets namely T35 and T65. With these dual SIM handsets, the total number of phones from Tech-Com has increased from 7 to 9. T35 features a 4.6 cm LCD screen along with a 1.3 MP camera. The device is integrated with features such as video player, GPRS, FM radio and a video recorder. It is powered by a 1500mAH battery and the cell phone is also equipped with a torch. The T65 is a multimedia phone which boasts of a 6.1 cm QVGA LCD screen. T65 offers a robust storage of data. The phone comes with an integrated data card of 4GB. The memory can be expanded up to 16GB and is powered by an 1800mAH battery. It also boasts of a FM radio, torch and a Bluetooth. According the company officials it sees immense potential in the Rajasthan market and it plans to set up more than 40 distributors in the state.

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Apple is suing HTC, claiming patent violations. HTC is suing Apple claiming the same thing. Microsoft is joining Apple in suing Motorola. Microsoft has already sued HTC and has been granted a $15 per phone licensing fee. Microsoft and Apple are suing Samsung. Meanwhile, Oracle is suing everybody who makes an Android phone.  The reason the non-Android phone makers are suing the Android phone makers is because they formed a consortium to buy a bunch of patents from Nortel when it went bankrupt. Because Nortel has been a phone manufacturer for decades, their patents cover some of the most basic technology in telephony. By acquiring this technology, the non-Android makers have apparently decided to use these patents as a sort of smartphone nuclear weapon. The idea seems to be that if you bury Android makers under enough patent lawsuits, it won’t matter if you can prove that your patent is relevant, because you can kill the weaker party through sheer tonnage of litigation documents. As Clint Boulton pointed out in his story this could be collusion in a very big way. All of the major non-Android makers were part of this consortium, including of course Microsoft and Apple, but also including RIM, Sony, EMC and Ericsson. If this looks like the big guys ganging up on the little guy (although it’s hard to think of Google as a little guy), that’s what it is. And it may turn out that this unholy alliance is illegal.

The American Antitrust Institute has already asked the US Department of Justice to intervene and to investigate whether this alliance is lawful. The AAI clearly thinks it’s not, and points out that the consortium, which called itself Rockstar Bidco, bid five times as much as Google’s opening bid for these patents. The AAI also noted that the DoJ failed to follow procedure by ending the waiting period for these patent buys to clear earlier than they were supposed to. The problem is, unless Google can get a judge to issue an injunction on these suits until the anti-trust question is settled, the Rockstar members can simply continue to pile one lawsuit on another in an attempt to smother Google in paper to accomplish what apparently the members haven’t been able to do in the marketplace. It doesn’t matter that Google is a big company with plenty of lawyers. What matters is that the Rockstar members will seek a stay on further sales of Android phones and that will put Google in a fight that will consume resources and could interfere with the sale of Android-based phones.

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