Smartphones

Are cell phone chargers juicing you?

Recently, AT&T announced an eco-friendly cell phone charger called the AT&T Zero Charger.

The allure of this device is it automatically shuts down when not in use, offering what AT&T claims is "zero vampire draw" from the wall outlet. Vampire draw is a term for the power that devices draw out of outlets they are plugged into while they are turned off. AT&T's charger will be USB-compatible, making it practical for many of the phones on the market today.

Sure, a zero-draw charger sounds helpful. With that said, we … Read more

Leaked: BlackBerry OS 6.0 images, details

It may not be as dramatic a discovery as the likely iPhone 4.0 prototype in the San Francisco Bay Area that inundated tech headlines this week, but RIM is getting a taste of the premature spotlight as details of the latest operating system for BlackBerry smartphones circulate around the blogosphere.

Boy Genius Report said it got its hands on a BlackBerry smartphone running the OS 6.0 from a secret source at AT&T and wasted little time detailing some of the features within. When asked, RIM's representatives declined to comment on the disclosed information.

The OS … Read more

Verizon releases software update for Moto Devour

Easy there, Motorola Devour owners. This isn't the Android 2.1 update you're probably hoping for but there is a software update in your future.

Verizon has begun rolling out software version CALAND_X_01.15.08P to the smartphone, which brings a number of fixes to improve performance and feature enhancements. These include:

Improved stability in the browser, contacts, and V Cast Music appsFaster response time when using the Menu, Home, and Back keys Better call performance Easier removal of POP3 e-mail account and enhanced Exchange Calendar view to include meeting titles.

You can find a full list of … Read more

HTC Desire coming to U.S. Cellular

We missed this little nugget earlier in the week, but we still think U.S. Cellular customers will find it of interest.

Using its Facebook page to announce the news, the carrier revealed that it will offer the HTC Desire this summer after the device has gone through testing. The Desire, which was introduced at Mobile World Congress 2010, is an Android 2.1 smartphone similar to the Nexus One but with HTC Sense.

In addition to the Desire, U.S. Cellular also teased that it would offer another yet-to-be-named Android device in the future. What could it be?

(Source: … Read more

Will Motorola usher in 3D handsets?

A handful of pictures arrived online early this week with what appears to be two new Motorola handsets. Looking very similar to the Motorola Krave ZN4 found on Verizon, these phones are yet another unique design from Motorola.

By all appearances, both models appear to be ready for production, however, we don't yet know how well the operating system works. On a related note, we can see that at least one design has MotoBlur and possibly Android 2.1 under the hood.

We haven't come across anything in terms of specs yet, so your guess is as good … Read more

Android-powered Garminfone navigating to T-Mobile this spring

On Tuesday night, T-Mobile revealed the identity of its newest Google Android device and it's not exactly the device we were expecting to see.

Instead of the rumored T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Slide, the carrier introduced the Garminfone, a rebranded version of the Garmin-Asus Nuvifone A50, which was first announced at Mobile World Congress 2010. At that time, Garmin said it did not know whether the GPS-enabled smartphone would make it to North America, but T-Mobile will, in fact, be the first to launch the device worldwide when it comes out later this spring.

With Garmin behind the wheel, obviously … Read more

Ford brings Pandora, Twitter to Fiesta

Earlier this year, at  CES and the Detroit auto show, Ford gave us demonstrations of Sync's new mobile app capability. Taking it to production stage, Ford announced that this new Sync feature, called AppLink, will make its debut in the all-new Ford Fiesta, entering showrooms this summer.

Initially, AppLink will work with Pandora, Stitcher, and OpenBeak on BlackBerry and Android smartphones. Pandora offers customizable Internet radio stations; Stitcher compiles and plays podcasts and other Internet audio; and OpenBeak is a twitter app. AppLink lets you control these apps using the car's radio controls.

During our demonstrations of … Read more

Fresh batch of myTouch 3G Slide details arrive

With roughly a month to go before its expected launch, the myTouch 3G Slide rumors and leaks have kicked into high gear.

A fresh batch of details found its way online over the weekend thanks to a source at Android and Me. Apparently T-Mobile and HTC recently gave out several hundred of these handsets to T-Mobile employees for testing and feedback. This source was among one of those lucky folks and was only too happy to provide details about the phone.

As it sounds, the myTouch 3G Slide should bridge the gap between older handsets like the G1 and myTouch 3G … Read more

Sprint's Hero getting Android 2.1 in early May

If a pair of recently leaked photos are correct, Sprint's HTC Hero may only be a few short weeks away from getting the Android 2.1 update. The images show screens from an internal Sprint system that indicate that "the much-anticipated Android 2.1 software is coming in early May."

Indeed, it's been a long wait for many Hero users. We can trace the start of the rumors as far back as December when Sprint said they'd have an upgrade in the first half 2010.

Sprint remained largely mum on the rumors until earlier this … Read more