smartphones

Verizon's DroidLanding Twitter account started back up earlier this week, dropping vague clues and toying with the Star Wars faithful.

Once used to help promote the Droid X ahead of its launch, the DroidLanding account is now a source to leak R2-D2 Droid 2 details. As some of you may know, the special edition of the Droid 2 goes on sale September 30.

So far, two of the eight categories have been unlocked. Thanks to a couple of seriously devoted members of the Rebel Alliance, we can see the new widgets designed for the Droid 2, as well as … Read more

This week we get Android math lesson from Google, Apple and Microsoft, check out four tablets vying to be the iPad killer and get giddy for Angry Birds on Android. Join Justin Eckhouse and guest host Jasmine France for this week's Android Atlas Weekly.

News Stories Google responds to Steve Jobs' comments on activation numbers http://www.androidcentral.com/google-responds-steve-jobs-comments-activation-numbers

Microsoft claims that Google's Android is not free http://www.businessinsider.com/android-costs

First official look at … Read more

As expected, Huawei unveiled an Android 2.2 smartphone Thursday at the IFA trade show in Berlin.

Dubbed the IDEOS (Industrial Design Evolution Operating System), we're looking at an entry-level device with a 2.8-inch (240x320) touch display and 528MHz processor. There's also a 3.2-megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an microSD slot.

Though this certainly isn't the most powerful stuff on the market, Huawei could be forgiven, thanks to the handset's expected $150 to $200 price tag (that's unlocked and in U.S. dollars).

Making high-end Android phones that compete with … Read more

This week we chat about new leaked information about the T-Mobile G2, the Samsung Fascinate, and also a little something that Steve Jobs mentioned about iOS 4.1. We go over a few more new phone announcements, plus the latest reviews.

News First look at T-Mobile's G2 Best Buy announces Samsung Fascinate preorders Verizon pushes Flash 10.1 update to Droid Sony Ericsson UK: Android 2.1 coming to Xperia X10 in September HTC Desire now available through U.S. Cellular iOS 4.1 offers new photo features, bug fixes … Read more

Earlier this week, we got our first official glimpse at the T-Mobile G2 and now we've got even more information about T-Mobile's first HSPA+ smartphone.

The carrier posted additional specs on its T-Mobile Scoop Web site that indicates the smartphone will ship running Android 2.2 with Adobe Flash Player 10.1, and it looks like you'll get the stock Android skin, even though the device is made by HTC. The handset will also offer a set of one-touch quick keys for easy access to Google shortcuts and apps.

However, contrary to early reports, the G2 will … Read more

Windows Phone 7 is one step closer to launch, as Microsoft released its revamped mobile operating system for manufacturing on Wednesday.

With most of the internal engineering done, Windows Phone 7 OS RTM is now available to its OEM (original equipment manufacturers) and service provider partners, so they can complete their work on customizations and hardware in preparation for a holiday release.

Terry Myerson, Microsoft's corporate vice president of Windows Phone Engineering, wrote on the Windows Phone 7 Team Blog that Windows Phone 7 is the company's most thoroughly tested mobile platform, noting that it has run daily automated tests on nearly 10,000 devices with more than 3.5 million hours of stress test passes and 8.5 million hours of fully automated test passes. … Read more

Though we're still waiting to see what comes out of the HP-Palm merger, Palm's still plugging away on WebOS and released some new information about WebOS 2.0 on Tuesday.

The news mostly affects developers, as they can now download a beta version of the WebOS 2.0, but Palm also gave us a glimpse of what's to come and we're pretty excited. The new functions include:

Enhanced multitasking with the ability to stack related cards together for easier access.

Developers can now access the Synergy feature for integrating contacts, calendar, and messages.

A feature called … Read more

If you've been waiting for the Samsung Epic 4G, it can now be yours, as Sprint's second 4G smartphone hits the streets Tuesday.

The Epic 4G will run you $249.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. However, you can also pick up the phone at Best Buy and Radio Shack to get an instant $100 savings and avoid the hassle of a mail-in rebate. Even better, Wal-Mart and Amazon are currently offering the phone for $199.99.

Unlike the other Samsung Galaxy S models, the Epic 4G features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a … Read more

Welcome to the 411, my column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have similar queries, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

Question: I have a question about your 411 article on Android syncing. I have two Gmail accounts, do you know if that is handled well by … Read more