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T-Mobile Launches Samsung Behold 2

Humberto Saabedra — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:56:12 +0000

As expected T-Mobile has launched the Samsung Behold 2 Android device.

The Behold 2 features a 5.0 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash, and video recording, a 3.2-inch AMOLED display at HVGA resolution, Wi-Fi radio, Bluetooth 2.1, and microSDHC expansion slot. The Behold II also features a variant of the TouchWiz UI common on its high-end lineup with a 3D cube as its home screen.

Pricing for the Behold 2 is set at $229.99 on Even More plans with new 2 year agreement and data plan, with pricing on Even More Plus set at $449.99 or 20 payments of $22/month.

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Opera Mobile Announces Mobile 10 Beta for Windows Mobile

Humberto Saabedra — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:07:23 +0000

Opera has announced the free Beta version of Opera Mobile 10 for Windows Mobile devices.

The new beta features tabbed browsing support, the Opera Dragonfly page debugging tool and new adaptive zoom feature, kinetic scrolling and visual tab thumbnails for touch display based devices as well as virtual keyboard support.

The beta is now available from Opera Software

Motorola Droid Autofocus Bug Discovered and Addressed

Humberto Saabedra — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:52:58 +0000

Amongst all of the uproar over a “silent update” that “fixed” the recently released Motorola Droid’s camera autofocus issues this morning, Android developer Dan Morrill has given an even simpler explanation for the seemingly rectified nature of the issue:

“There’s a rounding-error bug in the camera driver’s autofocus routine (which uses a timestamp) that causes autofocus to behave poorly on a 24.5-day cycle. That is, it’ll work for 24.5 days, then have poor performance for 24.5 days, then work again.”

This explains the seemingly inconsistent reviews of the camera functionality across the board before the commercial launch of the device, with the launch resulting in near universal complaints over the camera’s performance.

Verizon is currently working with Motorola on a permanent fix as part of a larger firmware update scheduled for December 11th according to internal documentation.

Microsoft Opens Windows Marketplace for Mobile Web Portal

Humberto Saabedra — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:02:44 +0000

Microsoft has opened a dedicated web portal for the recently launched Windows Marketplace for Mobile app store which allows for app purchases and will automatically synch desktop app purchases on the mobile client once opened on the device.

In related news, Microsoft has also announced changes to the developer portal including a new submission portal and improved piracy protection in the wake of a potentially damaging exploit that allowed for unlimited copies of applications with little effort.

Finally Microsoft has confirmed Marketplace support for Windows Mobile 6.0/6.1, which is due later this month.

Flash 10.1 on Palm Pre in 1st Half of 2010

Humberto Saabedra — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:43:19 +0000

The mobile placeholder page for the Flash plugin provided by Adobe has confirmed a 1H 2010 timeframe for the rollout of Flash support on the Palm Pre.

This follows previously announced plans for a public beta of the plugin last October, but no further details regarding the beta have been available since then.

Google Maps with Navigation Beta Successfully Ported to T-Mobile G1

Humberto Saabedra — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:42:44 +0000

The users over at XDA-Developers have successfully ported the recently introduced Google Maps with Navigation built into the Motorola Droid, with early reviews deeming it a success.

The process for installation is currently being streamlined to be made as simple as possible, with full GPS capabilities being supported.

Verizon Launches HTC DROID Eris

Humberto Saabedra — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:35:14 +0000

Following up the launch of the Motorola DROID, Verizon has also launched the HTC DROID Eris.

As previously reported, the DROID Eris is functionally identical to the Sprint Hero with pricing set at $469.99 Retail/Month-to-Month, $269.99 after a new 1 year agreement and $199.99 after a 2 year, with the $100 mail-in rebate bringing the totals to $169.99 and $99.99 respectively, undercutting the Sprint Hero by $80.

Buy the HTC Droid Eris from Verizon Wireless

Verizon Launches Motorola DROID Online Ahead of Early Opening

Humberto Saabedra — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:05:36 +0000

Verizon has launched the long-awaited Motorola DROID Android smart device after weeks of anticipation.

The complete featureset consists of the 3.7 inch WVGA resolution capacitive touch display, QWERTY keyboard, 550 MHz application processor, microSDHC expansion slot with included 16GB card, 5.0 megapixel camera with dual LED flash, autofocus and DVD resolution video recorder.

Secondary specifications include Bluetooth with stereo audio support, Wi-Fi radio, light sensor accelorometer, proximity sensor, GPS support with transceiver, WebKit based browser with HTML5 and future Flash support scheduled for 2010 along with speakerphone.

The device is now available for $499.99 Retail/Month-to-Month, 269.99 on a 1 year agreement or $299.99 after new 2 year agreement before an additional $100 mail-in rebate, bringing the totals to 269.99 and $199.99 respectively.

Buy the Motorola DROID from Verizon Wireless

T-Mobile Confirms Carrier Billing for Android Market

Humberto Saabedra — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:12:51 +0000

T-Mobile USA CTO Cole Brodman has confirmed that carrier billing will be coming soon for purchases made on the Android Market. While no timeframe has been set for the introduction of the service, this will allow customers the choice to bill purchases to their T-Mobile account instead of having to use a credit card for separate purchase transactions.

In related news, T-Mobile will be launching its own content channel on Android Market where the carrier will recommend selected applications to customers, with the launch expected before the Thanksgiving holiday.

HTC Officially Confirms HTC HD2 US Launch for 2010

Humberto Saabedra — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:23:01 +0000

This morning during a press event in Taiwan, HTC CEO Peter Chou once again confirmed US availability of the HTC HD2 Windows Mobile device, with the launch being made on a “major US carrier” in early 2010.

The device is expected to launch on T-Mobile according to a leaked internal employee slide first reported on last month.

As previously reported, the US launch of the HTC HD2 will mark the availability of the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform to US consumers, having already launched in Europe and Taiwan to favorable reviews due to improvements in application speed and general usability.