Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hands-on

AT&T might have lost their iPhone exclusive to Verizon already, but does that mean the company is going to sit there and do nothing but cry their hearts out? No sir, in this fast paced world, it is either you change for the better or be rendered irrelevant by the competition. AT&T certainly does have the resources to bring in other smartphones into their fold to boost their bottom line, with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play being one of them. Here's a quick hands-on of the device, which incidentally is also available on Verizon, bringing similar specifications including a slide-out keyboard, a 4″ FWVGA display at 854 x 480 resolution and a 1GHz processor to deliver all the mobile processing muscle you need.

AT&T intends to stand out from Verizon by putting up a "Stealth Blue" model which will spice things up by quite a bit. So far, initial impressions of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play have been favorable, but it remains to be seen whether the public is ready to embrace it when there are other solid dedicated portable gaming machines around.
source: Ubergizmo

Motorola Droid 3 Smartphone

At last, the new Motorola Droid 3 has officially been announced. While there were several leaks hinting at the new Motorola smartphone's features, they remained merely as speculations up until the official announcement was made. Lo and behold, the speculated features were just about correct.

The new Motorola Droid 3 features a 1GHz dual core processor with 512 RAM, a 4 inch qHD display and an 8MP rear camera. It also supports 1080p playback and runs on the Android Gingerbread OS. The new Motorola Droid 3 Smartphone is available at Verizon for US$460. It costs only US$200 if it comes with a 2-year service contract.
source: Gadget.com

Today's Mobile News in Brief (July 7, 2011)

As reported here on Cell Phones Etc. and across the Web, here's your daily brief on what happened in the world of mobile phones this Thursday, July 7th 2011.

Rogers' First LTE Network Is Live In Ottawa, Aims To Become Fastest In North America

Good news for those of you waiting for Rogers' first LTE network launch in Ottawa, Canada: it happened. Ottawa's LTE debut now puts Rogers firmly at the top of the heap amongst its chief rivals Bell and Telus — at least where speed is concerned. To start, the only device on offer is the Sierra Wireless AirCard 313U, which retails at $79.99 on a three-year deal or $169.99 completely off-contract.

Engadget

Mobile Industry Is Now 2% Of The World's GDP, Analyst Reports

Researchers for the Chetan Sharma Consulting group have put together a 2011 State of the Global Mobile Industry mid-year assessment and have come up with some very interesting results. The entire global mobile market weighs in at about $1.3 trillion or close to 2% of the world's gross domestic product. Of that giant $1.3 trillion pie, about $300 billion is expected to be through data revenues. That means that people are starting to use data at much higher rates and Americans are on the forefront of data usage even as India and China are the fastest growing mobile markets in the world.

ReadWriteWeb

Telus LG Optimus Black And Optimus Chat First Hands-on

In addition to the HTC Status, Telus and LG are launching a couple cool devices in the mix. First the Optimus Black, which is launching with on Android 2.2 with a 1Ghz processor, 512MB RAM, 5MP/2MP cameras back and front, and a partnership with Skype that is hoping to set it apart from the competition. The Optimus Chat is a follow-up to the Optimus One, and as a result is not aimed at the high-end market. Instead, it builds upon the strengths of the original and adds a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It's going to run a 600Mhz processor, 512MB RAM, a 3.2MP camera with Android 2.2 Froyo (upgradeable to 2.3).

MobileSyrup

10 Fascinating Facts About Phone Numbers

You probably dial a few of them every day, but do you ever stop and think about the history behind a phone number? When were the first numbers introduced? How did you end up with a particular area code? We've got the answers to these quandaries and more in our collection of 10 fascinating facts that you might not know about the common phone number.

Mashable

iPhone 6 With New Charging Technology Already In The Works According To Report

Adding on to the paper's earlier report suggesting a redesigned Apple iPhone 5 is about to enter production, The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday added preliminary details surrounding the iPhone 6. The device, which is said to be launching some time in 2012, will feature a "new way of charging the phone," the report claims, though further details were not provided. It is possible that Apple is looking into a charging solution similar to the Touchstone technology found in HP's mobile devices, though this would hardly be "new."

BGR
source: Cell Phones Ca

HTC Desire Gingerbread update coming this month

The thrilling story of the Gingerbread update on the HTC Desire will come to an end this month. After announcing the update, then denying it and then announcing it will be made available and then finally revealing that there will be some cutbacks made to the Sense UI in order to fit it on the Desire, HTC today announced on their Facebook page that the update will be made available this month.

According to HTC, the testing on the device has gone well and that they will be able to roll out the update by the end of July. No exact dates were mentioned but considering there are just three more weeks left in this month, you won't have to wait for long as long as HTC stays true to their word.
source: GSM Arena

Samsung Nexus S takes its place onboard final Space Shuttle launch

The last Space Shuttle launch is quite a momentous occasion in itself, made marginally more relevant to us lot thanks to Samsung getting a couple of its Nexus S Android phones onboard – and having the smartphone “certified by NASA” for use on the ISS as well. Here's a little chunk from Samsung's press release:

Nexus S is the first commercial smartphone certified by NASA to fly on the space shuttle and to be cleared for use on the International Space Station. The experiment will use the smartphone-enhanced SPHERES as remotely operated robots to conduct interior survey and inspections of the station, to capture mobile camera images and video, and to study how robots can support future human exploration.

Also, in a particularly mean twist, Samsung got some ladies to hold the phone in front of the launch pad. So the poor girls didn't even get to see the blast off:

No, it's behind you. Two more photos and the full press release below…

Yes, these photographs are the only reason we're mentioning this weird PR event. Here's the full announcement:

Samsung’s Nexus S aboard NASA’s Final Shuttle

Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), a leading mobile phone provider and the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S. 1, and Google™ today announced Nexus™ S is aboard NASA’s final space shuttle. As a leader in technology and innovation, Samsung is pleased to be a part of this moment which will most certainly be marked in history.

“Samsung is proud to have the Nexus S chosen to be aboard NASA’s final space shuttle launch, an event that is historical”

Nexus S from Google is part of research that will equip small, free-flying satellites called Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) used by the astronauts to provide a broader range of capabilities and give better communication between land and sky. Nexus S is the first commercial smartphone certified by NASA to fly on the space shuttle and to be cleared for use on the International Space Station. The experiment will use the smartphone-enhanced SPHERES as remotely operated robots to conduct interior survey and inspections of the station, to capture mobile camera images and video, and to study how robots can support future human exploration.

The addition of Nexus S to the SPHERES will add to the capabilities of each individual satellite while further increasing NASA’s understanding and exploration of space. Lead engineer in the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., DW Wheeler, explains, “By connecting a smartphone, we can immediately make SPHERES more intelligent. With a smartphone, the SPHERES will have a built-in camera to take pictures and video, sensors to help conduct inspections, a powerful computing unit to make calculations, and a Wi-Fi connection that we will use to transfer data in real-time to the space station and mission control.”

“Samsung is proud to have the Nexus S chosen to be aboard NASA’s final space shuttle launch, an event that is historical,” said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile. “The research that is being conducted with SPHERES using the Nexus S will help monitor and communicate from the International Space Station.”
source: Eurodroid

BEST DEALS: Samsung Galaxy S II for £30 per month, on a 12-month contract

…there's also a £99 upfront fee for the phone itself, but that wouldn't all fit in the headline space. Mobiles.co.uk is doing this excellent 12-month Galaxy S II package (scroll down a bit), which includes 400 talk minutes, 1000 SMS messages and a very useful 1GB of mobile data.

You'll be connected via a Talkmobile SIM, a network which, we seem to remember, uses the Vodafone network infrastructure.

Someone will pop up in the comments saying you can get an extra £30 refunded to you if you use the Quidco cashback programme, too. We've still not bothered signing up for that, though, as we're trying to cut down on luxury consumer goods purchases.

Link via HDUK and reader k0zmik.
source: Eurodroid

Verizon HTC ThunderBolt and Motorola Droid X2 now only $99.99 with contract at Wirefly

If you're looking for great deals on Android-powered smartphones that can be used on Verizon's network, look no further. Wirefly now has you covered offering two of the latest Android devices at severely cut prices.

First up, there's the HTC ThunderBolt. This 4G LTE-capable phone, the first handset released by Verizon with that connectivity option, is selling at Big Red for $249.99 if you're willing to sign a new two-year contract. But this superphone has been available at Amazon for just $99.99 for quite a while, and now Wirefly has joined Amazon in offering the ThunderBolt for just a cent below $100. That's a $150 saving compared to buying direct from Verizon, so if you want a 4G LTE smartphone, perhaps you should make your way to Wirefly now and get a ThunderBolt.

The Motorola Droid X2 is the successor to last year's very popular Droid X, and it's been priced by Verizon at the now-standard $199.99, again with a new two-year contract requirement. But if you want a Droid X2 you can save half of that amount, because Wirefly now has it on sale also for just $99.99. Yes, a service agreement is still a must, but that's a pretty neat $100 saved nevertheless. If the Droid X2 interests you, Wirefly is waiting for your order.

Amzon Wireless Products:
HTC ThunderBolt now for only $99.99,
Motorola Droid X2 now for only $99.99
source: Unwired View

Samsung Galaxy Gio will be available at Bell in Canada in August

In Canada, Bell is getting ready to launch yet another Android-powered smartphone, to add to its already quite impressive portfolio of devices running Google's mobile operating system. The Samsung Galaxy Gio will become available at Bell Mobility sometime during August, MobileSyrup reports.

The Galaxy Gio was announced in January, alongside other low-to-midrange devices such as the Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Fit, and Galaxy Mini. In Samsung's lineup, the Gio fits in right below the Ace, and above the Mini and Fit. The Galaxy Gio has a 3.2-inch 320×480 capacitive touchscreen, an 800 MHz processor, a 3.2 MP autofocus camera with video recording, 158 MB of internal storage space, microSD card support, 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 1350 mAh battery.

The Galaxy Gio has been running Android 2.2 Froyo since it was released, but an update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread was promised by Samsung, and according to the leaked image you can see above, it looks like Bell will launch the Gio with Gingerbread on board. That's good news for those in Canada who are after a decent midrange Android smartphone.
source: Unwired View

Huawei UMG587 passes through the FCC on its way to become the T-Mobile Sonic

Huawei and T-Mobile have a rather long history. The carrier has, in the past, launched many Huawei-made devices under its own brand, and it looks like it's getting ready for yet another one.

The Huawei Sonic has passed through the FCC recently. The Huawei Sonic is an inexpensive Android-powered smartphone that has NFC built-in. It has first been spotted in Turkey last month, where it was going to be launched by Turkcell as the T20.

And now it seems that the Sonic is on its way to the US of A, since it has passed through the FCC bearing the name T-Mobile Sonic (see above). That's probably all the confirmation you need that this phone is going to be sold by the magenta carrier at some point in the future.

The Sonic is expected to run Android 2.3 Gingerbread when it launches, which is a feat not many higher-end handsets can boast. It will also come with 42 Mbps HSPA+ (what T-Mobile calls '4G').

The Sonic may also make its way to AT&T in the future, since it has the 3G (umm, sorry, 4G) bands to do just that. Let's wait and see what happens.
source: Unwired View

Samsung i727 spotted in the wild

The folks over at Pocketnow managed to land their hands on a couple of photographs of what is said to be the AT&T-bound Samsung SGH-i727. They stitched the pictures together with Photoshop, giving us a photograph of a skewed looking phone. If you ignore the problems with perspective, it does look like the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy S.

The phone is said to be still a few months away from launch - it doesn't have any Bluetooth SIG or records in the FCC database. But it's expected to be a mid-ranged handset when it is released (presumably on AT&T's network). No word on what the device will be called, but it doesn't look like it's going to make any waves when it drops. Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted when we find out more.
source: Ubergizmo