smartphones

BlackBerry Bold software update brings visual voicemail, more

On Tuesday afternoon, AT&T will release a software update for the RIM BlackBerry Bold that will bring several enhancements to the smartphone. Such improvements include the ability to manually choose between a 2G or 3G connection and added support for AT&T's visual voicemail service. In addition, you'll get download icons for MobiTV, Mobile Banking, Tetris, and Scrabble, as well as some other "general handset optimizations."

BlackBerry Bold owners can get the software update several ways. You can download it over the air by going to the Options menu on your device, selecting … Read more

Mobile phones are enough for Japan's Net users

It's no secret that Japan has better mobile phones than the rest of the world. The country has also had access to better phone-based Internet services since the launch of NTT DoCoMo's i-mode service all the way back in 1998.

Recent data from japan.internet.com (translated by whatjapanthinks.com) suggests that Japan's mobile phones offer users enough functionality that 49 percent of the respondents to a recent survey say a "mobile phone is enough" when asked what kind of mobile device they would most like to carry.

Mobile phone is enough 49.2 percent Smartphone 22 percent Netbook 16.3 percent Notebook computer 8.9 percent MID/UMPC 0.3 percent Other 0.3 percent Don't want to carry anything 3 percent

In addition to the wealth of services and games, with the character-based typing you really don't need an iPhone or other smartphone unless you need to access corporate e-mail. While this can also be delivered directly to mobile phones, in my experience most companies don't allow access unless it's through a VPN. … Read more

Report: AT&T to require smartphone data plans

AT&T customers buying or upgrading to a smartphone must subscribe to a data plan starting September 6, according to reports.

Existing smartphone customers sans a data plan will be grandfathered in.

Boy Genius Report first noted the change Friday, citing internal e-mails. BusinessWeek and Information Week later confirmed the change with AT&T.

According to Information Week, here is AT&T's statement:

Smartphone users tend to consume a higher amount of data services, like advanced e-mail, mobile Web, applications and more. Being able to take full advantage of these features without having to worry about … Read more

Nokia considers entering Netbook market

Nokia, the world's largest maker of cell phones, could be preparing to enter the crowded Netbook market.

According to the Economic Times, Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo told reporters at a press event Wednesday in India, that "the PC and the mobile will continue to come closer and merge." He said Nokia sees a lot of opportunity in this convergence and he added that the company is "looking at the Netbook market to see what kind of opportunity is there."

It shouldn't come as a big surprise that Nokia might push further into the computing … Read more

Palm accepting submissions for App Catalog e-commerce beta program

In preparation for a mid-September launch of the Palm App Catalog e-commerce beta program, Palm announced on Tuesday that it is now accepting applications from developers who want to charge a one-time fee for their WebOS apps.

Developers can actually submit both free and paid applications via e-mail and if accepted into the beta program, they will have the opportunity to have their apps featured in the Palm App Catalog ahead of the next round of releases (speaking of which, when will the next round be, hmm, Palm?) and be among the first to be paid for downloaded apps.

Apps … Read more

North American GSM Palm Pre gets Wi-Fi certification

We know that Sprint has the exclusive on the Palm Pre through 2009, but that never stops the rumor mill from kicking up stories about a Verizon Pre or a GSM version of the smartphone. Both, of course, aren't so much rumors but rather a matter of timing, and it looks like a GSM Palm Pre for North America is one step closer to reality after getting Wi-Fi certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance.

On Friday afternoon, Precentral.net got a tip from one of its readers that shows the Wi-Fi Interoperability Certificate (PDF) for the Palm Pre with the … Read more

Dell shows prototype at China Mobile platform launch

China Mobile introduced a new mobile platform Monday, and one of the presenting partners on hand has raised a few eyebrows.

Details of a Dell phone, reportedly called the Mini 3i, began to circulate on the Web almost immediately after being presented at the event, but Dell says it has not yet announced any smartphone for the China market.

"Dell was there supporting China Mobile as a development partner. We did not confirm or announce anything," said Dell spokesman Matt Parretta.

There was, however, a "proof of concept mobile device prototype" shown off at the event, … Read more

Samsung releases SDK for its TouchWiz phones

On Monday, Samsung released its Mobile Widget SDK, giving developers the opportunity to create new widgets for the company's various TouchWiz phones, such as the upcoming Samsung Omnia II for Verizon Wireless.

The SDK is built on the Eclipse platform and includes developer tools for various platforms, such as Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Java, education resources, and guidelines on application distribution and marketing. Developers will also have 24-7 access to Samsung's Virtual Device Lab, where they can remotely test their applications on all current Samsung phones.

Once developers have finished their widgets, they'll be given the opportunity … Read more

Modern power moms flock to smartphones

Smartphones may have started as productivity tools for top executives, but they're quickly finding their way into the hands and purses of "power moms," a.k.a. the CEO of the household.

As smartphones become easier to use and in many ways more useful, more women, including busy moms, are buying them to leverage all kinds of digital applications to stay organized and to connect with their families, friends, and social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter. They're also using these Internet-enabled devices to get things done like paying the bills, ordering groceries, downloading coupons, and … Read more