smartphones

Last week, several blog sites, including Engadget Mobile, reported the appearance of the Palm Treo Pro on Sprint's Web site, but as soon as it appeared, it disappeared.

While this may be a case of someone getting a little too trigger-happy, the idea of a Sprint Treo Pro is certainly not a fluke, and in fact, the smartphone is now up on Best Buy's Web site.

The Windows Mobile smartphone is advertised for a whopping $699.99 (though we suspect and certainly hope the price will drop with a service agreement) and is currently listed as backordered. Up … Read more

When the T-Mobile G1 first went on sale back in October, the only way you could get the device in stores was if you lived in one of the carrier's 3G markets. Sure, you could have purchased one online, but there was no way to actually go in and check out the goods before buying. Now that's all about to change.

Starting on Saturday, January 24, T-Mobile will offer the Google Android smartphone at all of its retail stores and eligible retail partner locations nationwide, whether you live in a 3G market or not. Currently, the T-Mobile G1 … Read more

Much has been made of President Barack Obama's desire to keep his beloved BlackBerry as a communications device. On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that, thanks to a "compromise," his boss will be able to keep a security-enhanced BlackBerry and use it for e-mail.

What's unclear is whether the device he will use is a BlackBerry made by Research In Motion, or a similar smartphone. The one that keeps getting pointed to as an option is the Sectera Edge, made by General Dynamics. It's the only such device in the category … Read more

Nokia has yet to announce its Nokia E75 smartphone, but there's mounting evidence that the device will soon become an official member of the family, perhaps at GSMA Mobile World Congress in February.

CNET Asia first reported on some leaked video (which has now been taken down) of the Symbian handset, as well as the Nokia E72, back in September 2008, but on Friday, the buzz kicked up again after the Swedish site Daily Mobile posted some pretty legitimate-looking photos of the E75.

The Nokia E75 looks to be similar in design to the HTC S743 in that it … Read more

Apple made it clear on its earnings call it won't tolerate any pilfering of its iPhone intellectual property. It was less direct, however, on who that is directed at.

But Palm, with its recently introduced Palm Pre, apparently is willing to play the game of corporate posturing, as well.

A Palm representative, according to an interview with AllThingsD, noted the company is comfortable with its innovation and has no problem defending its developments.

Said the Palm rep:

If faced with legal action, we are confident that we have the tools necessary to defend ourselves.

Anyone want to keep watch … Read more

The global recession is hitting the handset market hard, as the biggest supplier in the market, Nokia, is seeing its sales plunge.

The Finnish handset maker said Thursday that fourth-quarter sales dropped 19 percent to $16.5 billion compared with the same period a year earlier. And its profit fell about 69 percent.

Nokia had warned investors in November and December that sales volumes were going to be lower than expected, but the magnitude of the decline still came as a big surprise to most investors.

Sales were hit not just at the high end, but also at the low … Read more

On Thursday, HTC revealed a revamped version of its HTC Touch Cruise smartphone, complete with an updated look and souped-up geotagging software called HTC Footprints.

The new Touch Cruise replaces the original model, which debuted in January 2008, and expands on the capabilities of the GPS-centric smartphone with HTC Footprints. The application not only lets you geotag photos that you take using the device's 3.2-megapixel camera, but you can also add notes and audio clips to these digital "postcards."

In addition, Footprints will automatically name each postcard with its general location or area, so you have … Read more

HTC and T-Mobile are readying a new version of the G1 Android phone, according to the gadget blog Gizmodo.

On Wednesday, Gizmodo posted pictures of what is supposed to be the new Android "G2," which the blog says is expected in May. The new device is much thinner than the previous G1 because its slide keyboard is gone. Instead, HTC has taken a page out of the Apple iPhone playbook and will only offer a virtual keypad.

Pictures of the new G2 also show that it will have a 3.2 megapixel camera. The new phone will operate … Read more

Q: If you had to pick a walking-tour-guide GPS for a first-timer walking in New York City, but wanted to use a basic GPS auto navigation system, what would you buy? Are crossover systems any good? We are visiting NYC for Valentines Day weekend and don't want to get lost! --Bill via e-mail

A: Bill, I've found that crossover GPS units aren't exactly what they advertise. These portable navigation devices, such as the Magellan CrossoverGPS and Garmin Nuvi 500, try to be all-in-one GPS solutions for drivers, boaters, and outdoor enthusiasts. However, it's been my experience … Read more