T-Mobile
A Phone Only Michael Phelps Could Appreciate
Aug 18th
All right, picture this: You are going for your morning swim and your phone rings, what do you do? The person with the most common sense answers “Let it go to voicemail.” For the rest of us who can’t fathom the thought of missing a call, I introduce to you the first fully submersible, rugged phone from Motorola, codenamed “Jordan.”
Slated to launch on T-Mobile in November, the IP67 rated device can withstand being submerged in water up to 10 meters, though I doubt it can be under for long periods of time. It can more realistically survive a drop in the pool or being in a pocket when a friend “accidentally” pushes you in.
Imagine what calling home underwater would sound like? Or even cooler try combining this phone with some underwater music, and the morning front stroke doesn’t seem so boring anymore.
[via MobileCrunch, Source BGR]
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T-Mobile Launches G2 Teaser Site, Set to be Carrier’s First HSPA+ Phone
Aug 18th
T-Mobile just posted up the teaser site for their first HSPA+ phone, the G2. Previous leaks of T-Mobile’s roadmap lead us to think that it will be a HTC Android device launching sometime in September. While the people at Engaget seem to think the smokey silhouette above looks like the myTouch HD that has been leaked previously, I think it better resembles another leak, the HTC Blaze. Whatever it is, it’s coming soon and should bring a hot piece of hardware to T-Mobile. While you wait, check out the G2′s teaser site and feel free to sign up for updates if you’re into that sort of thing. Otherwise, we’ll keep you posted.
The Nokia 5250: A successor to the 5230, a bit more attractive.
Aug 10th
The Nokia 5230 touchscreen device has/had been somewhat of a darling to AWS carriers as of recent. Although it never sold exorbitantly, it did give the AWS carriers (T-Mobile in the US and WIND/Mobilicity here in Canada) the ability to sell a discount touchscreen device with or without contract. Bad part is the 5230 was never the best performing device or the most attractive for that matter and to this day Nokia hasn’t released a successor to it.
Today, Engadget posted a picture of what could be the Nokia 5250 launching on T-Mobile. It has much of the same features in a larger housing and similar low end touch screen display. One can expect this device to launch in the near future with T-Mobile followed by a Canadian launch shortly after, with a price tag of $119.99 off-contract.
[via Engadget]
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Android is the best. Or, at least, it’s the most popular. Up 886% year over year.
Aug 2nd
Android is a phenomenon. We know this, I’ve talked about it before, but the proof is in the numbers. And Android is up over 886% since last Q2. It now owns 34% of the US smarthphone market, which isn’t a dent, since RIM only has 32%. And Apple at a staggering 21.7%. How terrible!
But seriously, the reason for its explosive growth is likely the November 2009 release of the Motorola Droid on Verizon, followed by several high-profile devices on Verizon and Sprint. On Verizon, the Droid Incredible, Droid X and the Samsung Fascinate, and on Sprint the EVO 4G, the Epic 4G are all top tier phones. Their specs speak for themselves. On T-Mobile, their only major player has been the MyTouch 3G Slide, which has done very well, and they now have their own Galaxy S variant, the Vibrant. AT&T isn’t floundering, either, after launching their somewhat-crippled Galaxy S version, the Captivate, last month.
Each carrier has done well bringing Android to its customers, but none better than Verizon. The Droid 2 will be launching this month as well on Froyo. Android’s growth won’t be slowing down any time soon, but with great power comes great responsibility. Android 2.2 is being pushed to most recently-released devices such as the EVO 4G, Droid X, Droid, Vibrant and more. While it brings the platform closer to competing directly with the iPhone 4, it does not yet have the polish that iOS displays in all facets of the operating system. Apps crash or freeze, the keyboard often doesn’t register input, and it generally fails to perform flawlessly.
iOS4 has not been without its own problems, but since it is built on the solid framework of iOS 3.1.3, it appears more reliable in daily use.
As long as it continues to be AT&T exclusive, however, the iPhone will never reach the incredible sales heights of Android. Bring it to Verizon, however, and we are playing a different ball game.
Why T-Mobile won’t get the iPhone
Jul 22nd
Common among tech bloggers is a healthy speculation surrounding when the exclusive contract with AT&T will end, and the iPhone will safely land on another carrier. So the latest rumour has the iPhone 4 arriving on T-Mobile later in the year. This parallels the earlier rumours of the popular Apple device going to Verizon.
But the T-Mobile rumour has less legs than the Verizon one, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, AWS band, at 1700MHZ and 2100MHZ (UMTS IV), is not a well-used frequency. In fact, the only places it is widely used in the world are in North America: T-Mobile in the US and WIND/Mobilicity in Canada.
The iPhone 4 is one of the only pentaband 3G phones in existence. That means that it supports 850/900/1800/1900/2100MHZ 3G bands, which covers the majority of the world’s GSM carriers. They purposefully left out the 1700MHZ band making 3G on T-Mobile in the US impossible, even on an unlocked device.
Now why would they decide, after making that business decision to leave that spectrum out, to build a phone with those specifications for a very, very small subsection of North American users? Likely, they won’t. It doesn’t make a lot of business sense, and unless they have enormous financial incentive from T-Mobile, Apple will likely turn down the chance. It would make more sense for them to develop a CDMA device for Verizon, since the market is much larger. And even then, it’s pretty unlikely.
The AWS spectrum is also known for its limited ability to penetrate walls. Couple that with the iPhone 4′s antenna issues and you have a recipe for no service except outdoors. I may be exaggerating, but not really.
But this is just my opinion. I don’t know the inner workings of Apple’s boardroom, nor how Steve Jobs’ mind works. He obviously chose AT&T for a reason back in 2007, and for whatever reason has stuck it out with their spotty service and irate customers.
This Week in Android 4/11-4/17
Jul 17th
It was kind of a slow week for the Android community with the iPhone signal issues and press conference stealing most of the spotlight. Still, we had two highly-anticipated device launches this week–the Motorola Droid X and the Samsung Vibrant. The Droid X and the Samsung Vibrant launched Thursday the 15th for Verizon and T-Mobile respectively, each priced at a dollar short of two benjamins with a two-year agreement. With the launch of the Droid X there was a lot of hubbub surrounding Motorola’s inclusion of an eFuse chip which could potentially halt hackers’ attempts to unlock the bootloader. It still isn’t confirmed that the eFuse will actually brick the phone if it’s meddled with. Even Motorola’s highly-hackable original Droid had the same eFuse chip onboard though it wasn’t implemented to stop modification of the software.
We also got word that the Motorola Droid is nearing its end of life. If the Droid X proves to be too much for Android modders then the Droid may be the last truly open Motorola handset we see. Time will only tell if rooting the Droid X will be a reality, but I have a feeling nothing will stop the Android community from opening up this phone. Check out this week’s Android news after the break.
Will the Droid be Motorola’s last hackable phone?
Motorola Droid, Droid Devour, and BlackBerry Tour End of Life Imminent
T-Mobile Samsung Vibrant Photos Emerge
Jul 14th
Can’t wait till July 21st to feast your eyes on the Samsung Vibrant? Then you’re in luck because we have a couple shots of the to-be-released T-Mobile handset for you. Now the actual device isn’t going to be released for another week but that doesn’t mean we can’t get excited with some leaked photos of it in the wild. As you will recall the phone is part of Samsung’s Galaxy S line and features a 1GHz Hummingbird processor along with Samsung’s Super AMOLED screen of the 4″ variety. If you’re on T-Mobile this is sure to be their next (and one of few) high-end smartphones, so get excited. Hit the break for a shot of the backside of this bad boy.
T-Mobile Motorola Charm Gets Real, Android 2.1 in a Small Package
Jul 7th
Do we really need a BlackBerry-like QWERTY Android handset? Does anyone really intend to do the type of mass communications on an Android device that they readily do on their BB? I suppose there is a certain market for it. And, considering the youthful name (charm bracelet OMG), I am not exactly T-Mo’s target demographic for this phone.
What we do know is this: it sports Android 2.1 on a 2.8″ touchscreen with an updated (and hopefully more useful) MOTOBLUR skin atop the vanilla Eclair experience. On the rear is a trackpad for scrolling, similar to the one found on the Backflip. It is a feature, while totally unnecessary for the enjoyment of the device, I found very useful. It aides in one-hand usability of the phone, and on a screen this small, will prove to be quite useful when scrolling through large swathes of text. Though I certainly wouldn’t want to read an eBook on this thing.
Other features include a 3MP camera, Adobe Flash Lite (read: not really Flash), and something called CrystalTalk PLUS, which is essentially a second microphone used for noise cancellation to enhance call volume and clarity.
The thing looks promising, if a little gimicky. I can’t imagine a lot of people over the age of 15 purchasing this, but T-Mo knows that, for back to school, at $0 on contract, it’ll be quite attractive to the Eclipse crowd.
Full press release after the break:
Libertyville, Ill. — July 7, 2010 —Motorola (NYSE: MOT) today announced the upcoming availability of Motorola CHARM™, a touch screen smartphone that packs a social networking punch with Android™ 2.1, MOTOBLURTM enhancements, a compact design and a BACKTRACK™ feature that makes screen navigation even more intuitive.
Motorola CHARM is expected to be available this summer exclusively in the U.S. for customers of T-Mobile USA, Inc.
“Motorola strives to provide an increased customizable user experience, which is enabled by our latest enhancements to MOTOBLUR and featured on the new Motorola CHARM,” said Jean Pierre Le Cannellier, vice president, Americas Marketing, Motorola Mobile Devices. “Combine that with a compact design, easy handling and all the features you would expect from a smartphone, and we believe that CHARM with MOTOBLUR adds the social ability and workability consumers are looking for.”
Motorola CHARM provides consumers all the features of a smartphone with the intuitive navigation of a 2.8 inch touch screen – all in a compact, pocketable design that makes messaging a snap using the combination of a full QWERTY keyboard and touch screen. The BACKTRACK navigation pad, located on the back of the smartphone directly behind the home screen, is similar to a laptop touch panel and enables an unobstructed view of the Web, texts, e-mails and news feeds. Plus, with Android 2.1 and enhanced MOTOBLUR features, CHARM offers new customization and filtering options.
“Being social with friends and family comes naturally for T-Mobile customers, and we think mobilizing their social experiences should be effortless,” said Saj Sahay, director of product management, T-Mobile USA. “With the new Motorola CHARM and enhancements to the Android and MOTOBLUR experience, we’re bringing more social skills to our broad portfolio of Android-powered smartphones.”
Motorola CHARM will be the first device in the U.S. to feature an enhanced version of MOTOBLUR built on Android 2.1, which syncs contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more in easy to manage streams — from sources such as Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter™, Gmail™, work and personal e-mail. MOTOBLUR now allows for even greater customization, providing users more options to follow who and what really matters.
MOTOBLUR filters can be selected from a single social networking account, contacts, group or messaging account so that users can select only the information they want to stream live to the Happenings and Messages widgets. Users can move and resize pre-loaded home screen widgets to personalize up to seven home screen panels for an even more custom experience. Lastly, consumers can manage their phone’s battery consumption by selecting different power modes to conserve battery.
Contacts in MOTOBLUR are automatically synced to the phone from personal and work e-mail and social network accounts. MOTOBLUR will continue to provide convenience and peace of mind, as lost devices can be located from a secure personal information portal and even remotely erased if necessary. In addition, one user name and password brings back contacts, messages and connectivity to previously configured networks and e-mail providers.
Last, but not least, Moto Phone Portal enables you to access and manage your phone’s data from any browser through a USB or Wi-Fi connection. Edit content and view important phone information while at home or on-the-go. Leave pictures on a friend’s PC, share a video at the local Internet café or share a presentation during an important business meeting.
Additional features on Motorola CHARM include:
- Adobe® Flash® enabled Web browsing experience to view most of today’s content-rich sites
- Full suite of Google™ services including: Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and access to thousands of apps on Android Market™
- Pinch to zoom functionality and two-finger swipe to easily surf the Web and sort through photos
- Capture sharp photos with a 3MP camera and KODAK PERFECT TOUCH technology for better, brighter pictures
- One-touch social media uploads to Facebook®, MySpace, PicasaTM and PhotoBucket®
- CrystalTalkTM PLUS for enhanced audio and call quality with a second microphone for increased voice quality while filtering out background noise
- Corporate email pushed immediately to the device for instant inbox updates
Availability
Motorola CHARM with MOTOBLUR is expected to be available exclusively to T-Mobile USA customers this summer. For more information on Motorola CHARM with MOTOBLUR, please visithere.
AT&T’s Free Unlock Codes Are Mostly Irrelevant
May 27th
I suppose the Blackberry Bold 9000 is included in this as well, it’s not an exclusive iPhone thing (although that’s what most news sites are focusing on). This sudden change is the result of a class action lawsuit. The official terms are as follows:
1) Customers with postpaid accounts who have completed a minimum of 90 days of active service and are in good standing and current in their payments.
(2) Customers with prepaid accounts who have provided a detailed receipt or other proof of purchase of the handset.
(3) Customers who own handsets for which AT&T has an exclusive sales arrangement with a manufacturer of less than 10 months will have to wait until the 10-month period expires before they can receive an unlocking codes
While it’s annoying that these two phones cannot be unlocked, the argument is mostly irrelevant. The only other carrier choice is T-Mobile, and the 3G bands are on different frequencies. I’d be willing to wager that most consumers would not be willing to move from AT&T to a smaller network and “no 3G,” even if it means getting less dropped calls (which is a problem based on locality). The dumbphones that this settlement is intended to cover are easier to move between the two networks.
T-Mobile Thinks Your Family Will Love The myTouch 3G Slide
May 26th
Say Hello to T-Mobile’s new bread and butter, the Android powered myTouch 3G Slide. It is hopefully positioned to win back the market that was lost during Microsoft/Danger fiasco of last year, when its servers crashed and consumer mayhem ensued. The above chart confirms what we posted last week of a June 2nd roll-out date. Hit the break for some more highlights of the slide
- The carrier’s Florida region has sold the most myTouch devices to date (47,262), but when you take a look at individual markets, Kansas City East has pushed the most with 6,911.
- The Slide is being billed as the “first phone truly designed for Family customers.“
- As with the original myTouch 3G, T-Mobile will be aggressively pushing a full suite of branded and customized accessories for the Slide. In fact, it’s asking reps to shoot for three or more accessories sold “out the door” with every phone.
- You’ll see a ton of Slide advertising, both in-store and out on the town. A ton of it.
- 4,000 T-Mobile employees are being designated as myTouch “Champions,” including 2,200 in retail stores. These folks will know everything about the phone and work to “foster myTouch fanatics.” Careful what you wish for, guys!
- Long-lead press (meaning print magazines, primarily) have been clued in to the phone since way back in March. Lucky devils.
- The official launch is June 2, but it’s a rolling launch — there won’t be demo devices in the field until the 7th, for instance, and the ad campaign doesn’t kick off until the 16th.
- June 19 is designated in all caps: “STAY TUNED — THIS WILL BE BIG.” We don’t know what this is all about; an upgrade to Android 2.2, perhaps? Yet another new myTouch model?
- Overall, T-Mobile’s looking for 8 percent of its sold devices (its “handset mix”) to be myTouch 3G Slides. Seems reasonable.
The big question that remains is will the myTouch 3G win back the customers who may have already ditched town for the Kin? Or could this be the sure hit that T-Mobile needs? Let us know what you think!
[via Engadget]
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