Smartphones

Dry those tears, dear Sprint user, because you've finally received your invite to the Nexus One party. The carrier announced on Wednesday the upcoming availability of Google's Android "superphone" and promised to release an exact release date and pricing soon.

Like the other models, the Sprint N1 will be sold directly from Google, but Fared Adib, Sprint's vice president of product development, said that a pricing plan has not been determined for the smartphone.

The Nexus One will support Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A network and will feature Android 2.1, a 3.7-inch AMOLED … Read more

AT&T raised the stakes in the fight for the world's toughest phone Wednesday when it announced the new A25is from Airo Wireless. Billed as the word's first "intrinsically safe" smartphone, the A25is won't produce a spark so it's built for people working in potentially explosive environments like process and chemical manufacturing, petrochemicals, the military, utilities, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods manufacturing.

Like the ultra-rugged Sonim XP3 Quest, the candy bar A25is isn't a looker, but it's certified to military specifications for durability. Among other things, Airo promises that it can … Read more

This post was last updated on March 18 at 3:44 p.m. PT with a statement from Verizon Wireless.

Hang tight, Motorola Droid owners; it looks like you're one step closer to getting that Android 2.1 update.

On Wednesday, Verizon Wireless posted details (PDF) about the software upgrade and its lists of enhancements and improvements, which include:

Pinch-to-zoom support in the browser, gallery, and Google Maps.

Support for voice-to-text entry.

Live wallpapers (a la Nexus One)

Support for free Yahoo mail accounts, and e-mail accounts will no longer need to … Read more

Just a few hours after announcing pricing and availability for the HTC HD2, T-Mobile did the same for the Motorola Cliq XT.

The Cliq XT is available now for $129.99 with a two-year contract and a qualifying data plan. It's T-Mobile's fifth Android device and though some might be quick to dismiss the XT as a slight revamp of the Motorola Cliq, we think that's a gross generalization.

The XT offers a sleeker design with a capable onscreen keyboard courtesy of Swype, a more full-featured and connected media player, and, thankfully, better performance than the Motorola Backflip. … Read more

Well, it's about time. T-Mobile made it official on Tuesday evening and finally revealed that the much-awaited HTC HD2 will be available starting March 24 for $199.99 with a two-year contract and qualifying data plan. Alternatively, you can purchase the smartphone with an Even More Plus Plan, which doesn't require an annual contract, for $449.99.

For the price, you are getting tons of extra entertainment features, including both Transformer movies preloaded on the device, Blockbuster's On Demand video download application, Barnes & Noble's eReader app, and up to six months free in-flight Wi-Fi access … Read more

One of the great features of Android is that it offers its users choice. Whether you're downloading apps from outside of the Android Market, swapping out the user experience with a new desktop replacement, or simply choosing a different phone-dialing application, you'll appreciate the platform's flexibility.

Though I might consider the standard Android client to be a better-than-average browser, there are alternatives that add features to improve the mobile experience. Just last week, Opera announced its Mini 5 beta Web browser for Android. With it, and the Dolphin Browser, now I have two fantastic apps fighting for my attention.

I should point out that by downloading any Web client for Android, you're not required to remove the preloaded browser. Like on a PC, you are free to have more than one. As I do with Firefox and Chrome on my desktop, I like to use both Dolphin and Mini 5 for various reasons.

One of the big selling points in Mini 5 (hit the link for our First Look video) is that it compresses data on Opera's servers before it's sent off to you, which results in pages that load considerably faster. This is especially handy for people with slower or touchy data connections. I bounce between T-Mobile's 3G and EDGE connection throughout most of my day, so Opera helps make the transition less noticeable.

When you load the browser, you're presented with nine quick bookmarks called Speed Dials. As I typically don't have too many bookmarks, the ability to store nine pages covers my bases. Opera Link lets me sync my bookmarks and Speed Dial pages to and from my desktop, although I've yet to use the browser on my PC. Other features include pinch zooming, tabs, a handy navigation bar, and download manager.

Released last year, Dolphin Browser also gives users a better mobile Web experience than the standard client. With support for multitouch zooming, sharing links through social-networking services, plus fantastic RSS functionality, and a clean interface, I tend to use Dolphin as my preferred browser. … Read more

The tech industry wants Google to deliver an iPhone "killer," and continues to be disappointed that Google doesn't share that interest.

The reaction to a report issued Tuesday by Flurry Analytics managed to completely overlook some interesting news--the Android-based Motorola Droid outsold the original iPhone over the same period of time following their respective launches--to focus instead on the sales numbers for the Nexus One.

Google has sold an estimated 135,000 Nexus One phones in the 74 days since it arrived, according to Flurry, a time frame chosen for comparison purposes because Apple sold 1 million iPhones in the first 74 days of its existence in 2007.

Given that 135,000 units add up to way fewer than 1 million units, it's easy to label the Nexus One launch a "flop." But that conclusion assumes that Google intended to sell a mass-market phone all along.

We've said it before, but we'll say it again: the Nexus One is not the One True Phone descended from on high to restore order to an iPhone-dominated world. Google is indeed very interested in having its Android operating system become the alternative to the iPhone, but it is not fighting the same fight with the Nexus One that Apple, Palm, Research In Motion, Nokia, and countless others are fighting.

When it launched in January, Google Android chief Andy Rubin told GigaOm that he expected the company would sell 150,000 Nexus Ones. He didn't specify a time frame, but he didn't say "74 days" either. So it's just as easy to make the argument that the Nexus One is actually a huge success based on the Flurry numbers and Google's own expectations.

That would also be a stretch, to be sure. The reality is that selling the Nexus One is a very complicated dance.… Read more

Though sales of the Nexus One aren't exactly booming, perhaps the addition of the AT&T and Rogers Wireless models of the Android smartphone might give Google a boost. That's right: available immediately, you can now get a version of the Nexus One that is compatible with AT&T's and Rogers' 3G networks (850/1900/2100MHz). Aside from the different 3G bands, the handset looks to be the same as the T-Mobile/unlocked version we reviewed back in January. The Nexus One is available directly from Google for $529 without a contract.

Well, that was fast. Just last week we speculated that Opera Software would release the final versions of their latest beta Web browsers in time for the CTIA cell phone conference in late March. Instead, Opera released them  a week earlier than we predicted.  Tuesday morning, Opera turned its Mini 5 beta 2 and Mobile 10 beta into the company's latest stable versions of its mobile Web browsers.

For those who have been following along, the newly finalized Opera Mobile 10 and Opera Mini 5 hew close to the beta versions. They don't receive any new … Read more