smartphones

A French fellow who goes by the handle Crazy Nawak e-mailed me some concept photos for a "multi-OS" smartphone from HTC that would allow you to switch between two operating systems. HTC already has the old HTC Touch Dual, but the "dual' in that phone stood for the combination of a slide-out keypad and a touch screen.

This fantasy model has a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and runs both Windows Mobile 7 and Android 2.2 (see more photos here). Of course, plenty of people out there have already hacked Windows Mobile phones to run … Read more

Android continues to gobble up more smartphone customers, according to the new stats from market researcher ComScore.

Looking at the three months ending August, Android's market share rose to 19.6 percent in the U.S.--a gain of 6.6 points from the prior three months. Though Google's smartphone platform is still third among the top five, it was the only one to show growth in market share for the period.

Among the other major players, RIM was the leading smartphone platform with 37.6 percent of U.S. subscribers. Apple was next in line with 24.… Read more

As promised, U.S. Cellular is delivering a Samsung Galaxy S device this fall, and it will arrive on October 27 under the name Samsung Mesmerize.

The Mesmerize will cost $199.99 after an $80 mail-in rebate and largely resembles Verizon's Samsung Fascinate in design. Like the rest of the Galaxy S series, the smartphone features a 4-inch Super AMOLED touch screen, 1GHz Hummingbird processor, Android 2.1, a 5-megapixel camera with HD video capture, and Samsung's Media Hub video store.

The Mesmerize will also come preloaded with Swype and a number of U.S. Cellular services, including … Read more

T-Mobile and Motorola are pushing out an update to the Motorola Cliq XT this week that is designed to improve the overall performance of the device.

While it's not the Android 2.1 update users have been pining for, it's recommended nonetheless. The 1.32.20 release is said to significantly improve common requests such as answering calls, opening apps, and downloading attachments from e-mails.

Other features include enhanced Bluetooth connectivity, updates to the Swype keyboard, and a fix for errors received in certain messaging scenarios.

The update to Android 2.1 is still scheduled for late Q3/… Read more

A software update is now available for the RIM BlackBerry Torch, and it should bring improvements to the overall performance of the smartphone.

The update (Release bundle v6.0.0.695, Platform v6.4.0.105/Application v6.0.0.246) will pushed out to users over the next week and a half and includes the following enhancements:

Quicker page loading and panning in the Web browser

Improved responsiveness after unlocking the phone

Faster launching, switching, and exiting of applications

Smoother transitions when switching between home screen panels

Faster rendering of thumbnails in the photo gallery

Smoother … Read more

Verizon Wireless is in San Francisco for CTIA Fall 2010 to discuss its LTE strategy, but a new report has surfaced to reignite rumors of a Verizon-bound iPhone.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is beginning preparations to mass produce a CDMA--the wireless technology used by Verizon, as well as Sprint--iPhone by the end of the year, which would allow Big Red to start offering the smartphone in early 2011.

Sources say that the CDMA iPhone would feature a similar design to the iPhone 4, but also said Apple is developing a fifth-generation iPhone with a different design.

Though … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO - A recent leak of training documents and screenshots created a swirl of rumors that T-Mobile would make Wi-Fi calling available on its Android phones, and now we have official confirmation from the carrier itself.

On the opening day of CTIA Fall 2010, T-Mobile announced that it will offer its Wi-Fi Calling service on a selection of Android smartphones, including the upcoming T-Mobile MyTouch and Motorola Defy, which will allow you to make calls and send text messages over a Wi-Fi network.

Powered by Kineto's Smart Wi-Fi application, the service is ready to use out of the … Read more

As people increasingly use their smartphones both for work and for pleasure, Symantec is now offering a range of tools designed to better protect mobile devices, no matter where or how they're used.

The security company today unveiled several updates to its mobile strategy to help companies, consumers, and carriers all better secure and manage smartphones, tablets, and other portable gadgets.

On the business front, companies face strong challenges in securing the mobile phones on their networks, especially as more employees try to use their own personal gadgets on the job. Many can't support the increasing array of … Read more

On Tuesday, AT&T announced the upcoming availability of three new Android handsets from Motorola--the Motorola Bravo, Flipout, and Flipside--pretty much doubling its Android offering in one fell swoop.

Ranging in price from $79.99 to $129.99, the trio will ship running Android 2.1 with Motoblur and feature Wi-Fi. However, each one offers a distinct design and caters to a slightly different audience.

Motorola Bravo: With features like an 800MHz processor, DLNA support, and a 3-megapixel camera, the Bravo is the higher-end device of the bunch. It sports a 3.7-inch WVGA capacitive touch screen with multitouch … Read more