Smartphones

BARCELONA, Spain--On Monday, Motorola introduced its eighth Google Android device, the Motorola Cliq XT/Quench, at Mobile World Congress 2010. In other parts of the world, the device will go by the name of Quench but in the States, it will be called the Cliq XT and will launch with T-Mobile in March.

As with the original Motorola Cliq, the Cliq XT will use Motoblur software and has a 3.1-inch, 320x480 touch screen with pinch-and-zoom capabilities. It also supports Swype technology, which allows you to enter text my dragging your fingers across the keyboard, rather than pecking at individual … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--On Sunday, the Samsung Wave made its splashy debut during a rather lavish press conference hosted by Samsung on the eve of Mobile World Congress 2010 here in Barcelona.

Complete with dancers and aerial ballet (not to mention drowning us in every wave metaphor one could ever think of), the event gave us a chance to check out the Samsung's first Bada phone. Bada, which means ocean in Korean and is meant to represent the "limitless variety" of the platform, is the company's own mobile operating system that is designed to bring the smartphone experience … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Microsoft is expected to show off the long-awaited Windows Mobile 7 operating system for smartphones at Mobile World Congress, as the company attempts to resurrect itself in this arena and better compete against rivals Apple and Google.

The operating system will be demonstrated during Microsoft's press conference here Monday, according to several reports. News of Microsoft's plans to talk about Windows Mobile 7 at MWC had been reported by CNET's Ina Fried in late January.

Details about the new operating system are still light, but The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that the user interface will … Read more

Good old Wi-Fi could be the fix to an impending explosion of data on wireless networks.

Nearly three years after Apple introduced the game-changing iPhone, wireless operators around the globe are feeling the effects of the wireless data tsunami that is well under way. Even networks that don't support the iPhone are feeling the pinch as a generation of new wireless devices offering bandwidth-hungry Web applications are hitting networks.

The result, as many iPhone users in New York City and San Francisco will tell you, is a network that drops calls and offers wireless Net surfing at the speed of a turtle.… Read more

Everyone, calm down. Rumors of the death of the Palm Pre and Pre Plus are not true.

The rumors started spreading like wildfire earlier Thursday when a report by OTR Global said three different sources confirmed that Palm suspended all future orders of the Pre and Pre Plus.

In the memo, a "key source" was reported as saying, "The decision is very sudden, and Foxconn was told to reduce all February Pre forecast to zero on Wednesday and nobody knows whether shipment will resume in March." Well, perhaps if someone had bothered to take a second … Read more

Looks like we've got another case of someone pulling the trigger a little too early. After posting a Facebook update on Monday stating that an Android 2.1 update would be coming to Droid owners this week, Motorola is now backtracking and saying that it's coming soon.

The bad news came when a Motorola Owners' Forum manager said on Wednesday that the company "jumped the gun" on posting details of the update, which have now been removed from the forum and Moto support site. Motorola didn't have any more to say, other than a rollout … Read more

Much like last year, Garmin-Asus got a head start on Mobile World Congress 2010 and introduced two new additions to its line of GPS-enabled smartphones, the Nuvifone M10 and the Nuvifone A50.

Promised since 2009, the Garmin-Asus Nuvifone A50 is the company's first Google Android device and features all the usual Google and Android services, including Google search by voice, Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, and Android Market. In addition, the A50 offers Microsoft Exchange support for e-mail, calendar, and contacts.

Of course, as a Garmin device, the handset will ship with the company's navigation software, complete with maps, … Read more

It seems just like yesterday that we unpacked our bags from Las Vegas and CES, but here we are again, gearing up to head off to Barcelona (I know, it's a rough life we lead) for Mobile World Congress 2010. The show is put on by the GSM Association (GSMA) and brings together handset manufacturers, mobile operators, software companies, and many more wireless industry experts from around the world where they can showcase their new products and services as well as discuss and learn about the latest mobile trends and technologies.

At last year's event, we saw new devices from most of the major players, including Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson, and LG, and even some fresh faces, such as Acer. Touch-screen phones were (and still are) all the rage; being green meant more than shipping a phone in a recyclable box; and phones took another step toward being that all-in-one gadget in your life. We also saw the debut of Windows Mobile 6.5 and the surging trend of app stores and 4G and LTE. The show never fails to produce exciting product launches and often sets the tone for the rest of the year. So what's in store for MWC and 2010? Plenty. … Read more

On Wednesday, T-Mobile announced a new version of the myTouch 3G that brings additional features, such as a 3.5mm headphone jack, more preloaded apps, and Swype technology. It will replace the original model but still carry the same name and price tag of $149.99 with a two-year contract.

Like the recently released limited-edition Fender myTouch 3G, the revamped smartphone is equipped with a 3.5mm jack so you'll no longer have to use an audio adapter to plug in your headphones. In addition, the smartphone has an updated music player, ships with an 8GB microSD card, and … Read more