Smartphones

More and more signs are pointing to the HTC Evo Shift 4G's imminent release. The Android-based smartphone has already received FCC approval, then there was the Radio Shack advert, and now Wal-Mart has gone ahead an published a full product page on its Web site.

The page provides numerous images (see below) and a full list of specs, though it looks like it needs a bit of editing since it notes both a 3.7-inch display and 4.3-inch screen. Based on Wal-Mart's information, the Sprint-bound Epic Shift 4G will run Android 2.2 and feature an 8-megapixel camera, WiMax, and 1GB of internal memory with an 8GB microSD card preinstalled.

Pricing and availability date were not published by Wal-Mart, but Radio Shack's ad listed the phone as being available on January 9 for $149.99.… Read more

TV maker Vizio is entering the smartphone and tablet business.

The company said today it will launch the Via Phone and Via Tablet, both of which will feature Google's Android operating system, Vizio's Via Plus technology to offer a unified interface across different devices, and an infrared blaster with a universal remote control app that can control Vizio TVs and other devices.

With a 1GHz processor and a 4-inch high-resolution touch screen, the Via Phone will offer 801.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, a MicroSD card slot, and HDMI output to play video on an TV. The phone … Read more

Two European standardization bodies have agreed to make micro-USB the standard interface port for smartphones in Europe.

Though Apple currently uses its proprietary 30-pin dock connector for transferring data and charging its iPhone, iPad, and iPods, CEN-CENELEC and ETSI announced yesterday they have agreed that an adapter is suitable for compliance.

The commission "made available the harmonized standards needed for the manufacture of data-enabled mobile phones compatible with a new common charger. This is the most recent development in the process toward a global common mobile phone charger initiated by the European Commission."

Apple, along with mobile phone … Read more

Next week at CES T-Mobile and Motorola may unveil the successor to their 2009 handset, the Cliq.

A handful of images of the Cliq 2 made their way onto Cell Phone Signal's site yesterday. The photos show a device that looks nearly identical to its predecessor outside of a redesigned keyboard and a shinier bezel around the screen.

As you can see from the pictures, the phone will run Motorola's custom MotoBlur user interface, although the version of Android isn't certain. I would certainly hope for at least 2.2 Froyo, but wouldn't be surprised if … Read more

Apple will introduce an iPhone powered by the Verizon network "sometime after the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January." That's according to Bloomberg Businessweek, citing "a person familiar with Apple's plans."

Although we've heard countless similar reports and rumors in the past, there's mounting evidence that 2011 will be the year iPhone customers finally get a carrier option other than AT&T.

For starters, the Businessweek story comes on the heels of a DigiTimes report indicating Apple plans to ship 5 million to 6 million CDMA iPhones in … Read more

Seeing that it's already received the FCC's blessing, the HTC Evo Shift 4G is hardly a secret, but in the days leading up to the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show more details are leaking out about the Andorid smartphone.

Android Central yesterday intercepted an upcoming Radio Shack newspaper ad that points to a Sunday, January 9, release date for the Evo Shift 4G. You don't need a calendar to know that such a date makes sense. It's the last day of CES, after all, which would give HTC and Sprint the time to formally announce the handset … Read more

When Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg take the stage January 6 for a CES keynote, it's expected that he'll show off a broad range of LTE products and services. Both the dual-core LG smarpthone and the Motorola Honeycomb tablet should make an appearance, and we also look for the 4G LTE-ready HTC Thunderbolt.

Previously known by other code names (Mecha and Droid Incredible HD), the Thunderbolt will be the third 4G "first" from the manufacturer, following the Evo 4G (Sprint's first 4G phone) and the G2 (T-Mobile's first 4G handset). The Thunderbolt moniker makes sense … Read more

Sprint customers with the BlackBerry Bold 9650 and Curve 3G 9330 are getting an early Christmas gift with the BlackBerry OS 6 update.

The update will arrive over the air, but if you absolutely musk peek you can go to RIM's desktop manager, connect your handset, and download it manually.

BlackBerry OS 6 first appeared last August in the RIM BlackBerry Torch. As the company's first major revamp in the years, OS 6 brought some much-needed additions, including a better browser, an enhanced multimedia experience, and an improved user interface. Nothing was particularly groundbreaking--indeed, RIM is still playing … Read more

Oh, HTC, how you tease. The Taiwanese handset manufacturer posted a teaser site early this morning, dropping some clues as to what it might reveal at CES 2011.

On the site, HTC shows off three devices: the HTC Evo 4G, which was the first 4G handset in the U.S., the T-Mobile G2, T-Mobile's first 4G smartphone, and a third cloaked device that promises to be another 4G first and is set to debut on January 6.

Coincidentally, Verizon is scheduled to hold a press conference on the same day and has already confirmed that it will be demoing … Read more