Posts in Mobile Phones
Report: AT&T ready with no-contract iPhone offer
Tom Krazit | Mar 19, 2009
Would you pay US$599 for an iPhone without a contract?
The Boy Genius Report has a report out Wednesday that AT&T plans to offer iPhone 3Gs at US$599 or US$699 without requiring the customer to sign a new two-year agreement, starting next week. When the iPhone 3G launched last year, AT&T said it would offer such an option, but never pulled the trigger.
An AT&T representative declined to comment on the report.
Update:
AT&T has confirmed that it will offer iPhones without a two-year contract for US$599 or US$699 next Thursday. These phones, however, will still be locked to the AT&T network. Apple didn't say if a similar offer will be available at its retail outlets.The move would seem designed to rid AT&T of iPhone inventory ahead of the launch of a new product later this summer, as most of us are expecting. Apple didn't allude to any new hardware during its iPhone 3.0 event on Tuesday, but there have been a few signs, and the company has noted that iPhone releases seem to be falling into a yearly schedule around June or July.
iPhones sales soared after Apple and AT&T cut the starting price to US$199 last year, but there are definitely some people who would like an iPhone free from AT&T and a two-year commitment to paying a monthly wireless bill, even if it costs them more up front.
Would you buy a US$599 8GB iPhone if it meant you didn't have to sign a two-year contract?
Via CNET News
Sony Ericsson's MS500 wireless speakers: The new boombox?
Bonnie Cha | Mar 18, 2009
Sony Ericsson's MS500 is the company's first outdoor Bluetooth speaker system.
(Credit: Sony Ericsson)
They're a far cry from the classic boombox and they don't carry that bit of nostalgia of the good 'ol days (shoot, am I dating myself here?), but Sony Ericsson's new Bluetooth speakers will certainly turn heads and achieve the same goal of broadcasting your music wherever you go.
The Sony Ericsson Outdoor Wireless Speaker MS500 is the company's first outdoor Bluetooth speaker system and is powered by two AA batteries so you can bring it with you anywhere and stream music for up to five hours.
Read more »
Samsung's WM6.5 Omnia HD and Android phone
John Chan | Mar 18, 2009
The Omnia HD and new Android phone are the first and second devices in the Multimedia column, respectively. (Credit: All About Phones)
When the Omnia HD was announced during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, last month, it came as a surprise that Samsung was putting the touchscreen Symbian OS on it, and not Windows Mobile (WM). According to a report from a dealer event in Norway, that may not be the whole story--there may actually be a WM version of the Omnia HD.
(Credit: All About Phones)
Few other details were given, but according to All About Phones, Samsung said it will be putting the upcoming WM6.5 on the Omnia HD. This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise as we are accustomed to the Korean company maxing out the specifications on its high-end phones and the only thing really lacking on the current Omnia SGH-i900 is a high-resolution display. Furthermore, the T*Omnia, a WM phone launched only in Samsung's home country, already has a WVGA (800 x 480) screen.
Another juicy tidbit from the same source was a blurry image (shown on right) of Samsung's upcoming Android device. It reportedly looks like the eco-friendly Blue Earth concept phone and is expected to have a large amount of internal memory as well as a 5-megapixel camera. Unfortunately, no release dates were given for either device.
Via Unwired View
Samsung Xplorer for the active you
Damian Koh | Mar 18, 2009
(Credit: Samsung)
The Xplorer B2100 isn't Samsung's only toughie, the company having launched heavy-duty phones like the M110 in 2007 and the B2700 last year.
Due out in Europe next month, the Xplorer features an anti-shock urethane chassis and is compliant with military standard 810F which brings the Xplorer to the same level of ruggedness as the Sonim XP3 that claims to be the "world's toughest phone". More specifically, the Samsung can withstand extreme temperatures, varied weather conditions, physical abuse and will outlast you underwater.
If you're not the outdoorsy type or keep a death-defying lifestyle like us, the Xplorer also comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera, FM radio, built-in flash light, noise cancellation and onboard speakers. No word on when or if it'll be available in Asia Pacific, so you'll probably have to ship it in from Europe if you want one when it launches in April.
One more picture after the break.
Read more »
HTC to ship at least three Android devices in 2009
Bonnie Cha | Mar 18, 2009
GSMA 2009 was clearly a snoozer, in terms of Google Android news, but with the CTIA Spring 2009 just a couple of weeks away, there's hope for some announcements at the show. While we can't say for sure, here's something that might interest you.
According to HTC Chief Executive Peter Chou, the smartphone manufacturer plans to release at least three Android devices in 2009. Keep in mind, this number includes the HTC Magic, which was announced at GSMA for the European market, so we're looking at a minimum of two more.
This information came to light at the Merrill Lynch technology conference in Taipei, Taiwan, when a reporter asked Chou if there was any truth to the rumor that HTC would ship five Android smartphones this year. Although he answered that the manufacturer would release "at least" three, he declined to comment any further.
With Samsung, Garmin, Sony Ericsson, and several other companies also working on Google Android devices for 2009, it looks like we're in for a busy and exciting second half of the year.
(Source: PC World via Engadget Mobile)
Via CNET News
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