Phones Review

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• iPhone Still Likely for Verizon in 2010?
• Video: BlackBerry Storm 2 Pre-release Overview
• iPhone data plan price reduction confirmed by AT&T CEO
• Sony Ericsson W205 Walkman now gains Creamy White Jacket
• Nokia Ovi Maps Updated with Maps Payer API
• AT&T Looking to Acquire Leap Wireless?
• Palm Pre Limited to 4 for each Best Buy Store?
• Palm Pre to go with Fry’s Electronics as well
• Sprint Palm Pre gets spotted again in wild with video
• New iPhone 2009: More Rumours And Speculation
• Palm Pre Coming Soon at Best Buy with Hefty Price Tag
• Sony Ericsson Face Recognition Music Selection Patent
• Palm Pre Hands-on review by forum member
• Palm Pre Price Tag: Choose From $199 to $299
• Will new iPhone 2009 come in different models?

iPhone Still Likely for Verizon in 2010? Posted: 22 May 2009 05:41 AM PDT Will Verizon Wireless get the Apple iPhone? Maybe not this year, but according to a report over at WSJ, when at the Reuters Global Technology Summit, Verizon CFO John Killian refused to answer that question stating their strategy is to have multiple devices. When asked further, Killian answered…”We’re going to have a series of introductions this year; we’re not dependent on any one vendor. I don’t want buzz, I want volumes, cash flow, and profitability. I want things that allow us to do that and I think our lineup is allowing us to do that.” However, having said that, the door to the iPhone is still open for 2010 as in a previous interview with WSJ, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg stated it was more likely Apple would work with Verizon once their 4G network is up and running, which has been slated for 2010.

Video: BlackBerry Storm 2 Pre-release Overview Posted: 22 May 2009 05:20 AM PDT Yes folks we have here a video of the unannounced and unofficial BlackBerry Storm 2 smartphone destined for Verizon Wireless. This video is of the BlackBerry Storm 2 in its pre-release form and the hardware shows that the 4 buttons at the bottom of the original version have now gone and are now replaced by on-screen touch sensitive buttons. Spec wish the word is the BlackBerry Storm 2 will have a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash, power button, a lock key, a 3.5mm jack and microUSB port. So far Verizon and RIM haven't confirmed the smartphone but with Verizon popping up on the screen it sort of confirms.

iPhone data plan price reduction confirmed by AT&T CEO Posted: 22 May 2009 04:44 AM PDT According to a report by macrumors, AT&T's Ralph de la Vega has confirmed that AT&T is considering discounting the monthly data plans for the Apple iPhone. De la Vega has said it would be costly to AT&T to cut monthly plan rates for unlimited Web surfing. He also dismissed the possibility of an Apple iPhone without any data plan. Although these new cheaper rates would come with a limit on the amount of data that could be transferred. AT&T makes the bulk of their income via selling add-on data services, and much of the iPhone's success is because of its unlimited data plan.

Sony Ericsson W205 Walkman now gains Creamy White Jacket Posted: 22 May 2009 04:31 AM PDT There is a new Creamy White version of the Sony Ericsson W205 Walkman slider handset on it way and is to be released in limited countries states an article on semcblog. The Sony Ericsson W205 Walkman is a low end handset and was announced back in April. The handset is a slider form factor which features a 1.8 screen, 1.3 megapixel camera, and of course the Walkman player. The W205 also has 5MB of internal memory and support for up to 2GB Memory Stick Micro cards, and is to be released to the public arena sometime in July.

Nokia Ovi Maps Updated with Maps Payer API Posted: 22 May 2009 04:20 AM PDT Nokia has announced a new version of Ovi Maps service and has introduced the Ovi Maps Player API reports gsmarena. The new version of Ovi Maps delivers additional services and features including high resolution terrain and satellite 2D and 3D maps along with 3D landmarks for over 200 cities, night view, fly over's and fly through's, tilting and rotation. The Ovi Maps Player API delivers a simple way to embed video into any website using JavaScript. Other features with Ovi Maps include weather forecasts, real time traffic info, and safety has now all been updated to cover more countries.

AT&T Looking to Acquire Leap Wireless? Posted: 22 May 2009 04:06 AM PDT Before Verizon Wireless bought Alltel, AT&T was the biggest provider in the US wireless industry, and engadget mobile reckons AT&T has been plotting a counterattack ever since. As the word is AT&T is taking a hard look at Leap Wireless who owns the Cricket brand as apparently both these companies have cancelled any appearances at a couple of investment conferences next week. All conjecture at present though but with AT&T presumably wanting that top slot back and the popularity of cheap unlimited plans offered by the likes of Cricket, it is quite possible isn't it.

Palm Pre Limited to 4 for each Best Buy Store? Posted: 22 May 2009 03:21 AM PDT Apparently if you are waiting to purchase a Palm Pre from best Buy on July 6th you'd better be quick off the mark because the BGR is reporting there will be limited stock of the Palm Pre hitting Best Buy stores. Apparently a source has said the whole Best Buy chain will be allocated just 4250 Palm Pre smartphones for launch day which equates to about 4 handsets per store. As for taking your chances with radio Shack, well apparently they too will only have a limited supply and some stores won't even stock the Pre and have been advised to push the Samsung Instinct S30 as an alternative.

Palm Pre to go with Fry’s Electronics as well Posted: 22 May 2009 03:10 AM PDT The word from pre thinking is that a trusted source has revealed that the Palm Pre smartphone will also be with Fry's Electronics, although apparently not on the launch date of the 6th of July. However, Fry's Electrons would carry the Palm Pre a little after the Launch date although as yet there is no word on any price tag or rebates. If true, this does show that Sprint and Palm is looking to make the Palm Pre available with large retailers, and as we already know the Palm Pre will be offered by Best Buy, Radio Shack and Wal-Mart.

Sprint Palm Pre gets spotted again in wild with video Posted: 22 May 2009 02:59 AM PDT Anything Palm Pre is going to capture exposure as there has been a lack of images and videos on the smartphone; especially if those images and videos are of a Palm Pre caught in the wild. So we have here a quick video of the Palm Pre smartphone in someone else's hands other than a Sprint or Palm employee. The guy manages to capture a quick, and I mean quick, shot of the Palm Profile screen where the users can enter the relevant info to sync the Pre with the cloud. The short video is below so hit it up.

New iPhone 2009: More Rumours And Speculation Posted: 22 May 2009 02:46 AM PDT More new iPhone rumours hit the net waves today as John Gruber of Daring Fireball post on what he thinks will come with the next generation iPhone and WWDC. Gruber does seem to have a reputation for getting Apple rumours right, and he reckons a new iPhone model will come at WDC with twice the CPU and possibly twice the RAM, lends some credence to the possibility of video recording but doesn't touch on the possibility of background applications. Gruber states he believes both 16GB and 32GB new iPhone models will be released at some stage in July but doesn't give a specific date. Gruber may be right and then again he may not as with Apple nothing is gospel until they say so.

Palm Pre Coming Soon at Best Buy with Hefty Price Tag Posted: 22 May 2009 02:30 AM PDT Remember that Best Buy banner for the Palm Pre? Well the Palm Pre has show up on Best Buy and carries a price tag of $849.99 and is listed as "coming soon." On the face of it that $849.99 price tag seems somewhat steep, but as we know when the Palm Pre hit on June 6th an instant rebate will bring it down to $199. Although there are some whispers that stocks of the Palm Pre will be in short supply, so if you wish to grab a Palm Pre from Best Buy on the 6th of June you'd better be smart on your feet.

Sony Ericsson Face Recognition Music Selection Patent Posted: 22 May 2009 02:18 AM PDT A recently unearthed Sony Ericsson patent reveals that the cash strapped manufacturer has at some stage been looking into a way of while listening to music on a mobile phone a picture of your face is taken. Software then interprets your mood for said picture and delivers music to suit your mood according to a report on slashgear. Obviously the mobile phone would require some sort of camera on the same side as the phone's display to work, so unless video conferencing takes off I can't see someone forking out extra for this service. Also I can't see Sony Ericsson pursuing this patent in the near future with all their financial problems at the moment. Still it's an unusual idea although seems a bit redundant to me as if your in a down mood you can simply select what sad tracks or happy tracks you wish to hear anyway.

Palm Pre Hands-on review by forum member Posted: 22 May 2009 02:02 AM PDT Finally we have some hands-on info on the new Palm Pre courtesy of a Palm Pre forum member who gained some early hands-on time with the new smartphone. The review says the Palm Pre feels great and solid but is kind of organic? The images of the screen blend well and you don't tell the difference when touching the phone or screen. The slider mechanism is very simple and well balanced. The keyboard wasn't a problem and the webOS seemed responsive although he wouldn't say it was fast. Anyway the reviewer managed to make an extremely short video of their time with the Palm pre which you can view below.

Palm Pre Price Tag: Choose From $199 to $299 Posted: 22 May 2009 01:45 AM PDT Earlier this week the price for the Palm Pre was officially announced and along with that it became aware that the Palm Pre would carry the annoying mail in rebate option. However this annoyance can be avoided simply by shopping around. Purchasing a Palm Pre from Sprint will cost $299 and then you need to mail in for the rebate which will drop the price to $199 which generally takes between 4 to 8 weeks says pcworld. However, if you just shop around and purchase your Palm Pre from the likes of Best Buy or Radio Shack the mail in rebate is apparently deducted immediately at the register and you walk out with your Palm Pre for $199 with no need to wait those 4 to 8 weeks for reimbursement. What route will you be taking?

Will new iPhone 2009 come in different models? Posted: 22 May 2009 01:30 AM PDT Rumours are rife on the subject of a new iPhone 2009 and whisper of maybe multiple iPhone models are on their way to help boost sales, and Fast Company speculates that if various iPhone models do appear, Apple will split the iPhone's "personality" by releasing with different formats. Word is a few hints have come from Apple management which point towards multiple versions. During a talk between Apple and an Oppenheimer analyst, Apple reveals it was looking to expand the iPhone's market share with different models. However, there are suggestions that rather than put out differing hardware the emphasis would be on differing software whereby core hardware would remain the same between models but some would offer enhanced software and others a more simpler software. What do you think; will new iPhone 2009 come in different models?