AT&T sees Q1 2012 approval for T-Mobile acquisition

Because of the size of the deal, AT&T's planned acquisition of T-Mobile for $39 billion must get approval from both the FTC and the Justice Department. Those who oppose or are in favor the deal had until Monday to register their opinion with both agencies. You can be sure that Sprint CEO Dan Hesse had a few choice words to pass along to the government as he has been the most vocal in the industry against the deal.

Now that the deadline to pass along an opinion has passed, AT&T says that it is on target to receive government approval to buy T-Mobile in the first quarter of 2012. AT&T has passed along a second set of data about the deal which was requested by the Justice Department. AT&T General Counsel Wayne Watts told reporters on Tuesday that the governmental agencies have been fair and thorough and that the review has been exactly what the carrier expected. He said, "Here we are the day after those comments are in, and I can tell you I have not been surprised by anything that has happened in that process."AT&T says that it needs to complete the deal to improve service to its customers. The carrier has promised its customers that it will offer next-gen 4G service to 97% of the U.S. population.

For its part, T-Mobile says that it needs to be acquired by a company with deep-pockets like AT&T because its parent company, Deutsche Telekom AG, is unable to keep making the investment necessary to handle T-Mobile customers' never ending increase in data usage. The major complaints against the deal focus on AT&T locking up additional spectrum by buying T-Mobile, and the resultant duopoly with Verizon that could be created when the nation's number one carrier swallows up number four. Sprint, the number three carrier in the U.S., is well behind Verizon in the number of subscribers it serves.

Watts refused to discuss what kind of conditions, if any, that the two agencies might place on AT&T to close the deal. AT&T, he said, is not worried about conditions. He says the company is focusing on getting the deal done.

source: Yahoo

Archos Arnova 7 Android tablet coming for $99

Android tablets are getting cheaper, but this seems a bit crazy. Archos has announced the Arnova 7 tablet, which will retail for just $99. Of course, you'll be getting what you pay for with this tablet.

The Archose Arnova 7 will feature an 800x480 resolution 7" screen, 4 GB of storage, and Android 2.2. It is a barebones tablet with no cameras or GPS, but it will have a USB port and micro SD card slot. Unfortunately, there is no information available on the processor speed or amount of RAM, but we don't expect those to be too impressive. Although, Archos is promising the ability to playback 720p video and even playback for various codecs like avi, mkv, and mov files.

Being a Froyo tablet, it will not have access to Google Apps including Maps, Gmail, and the Android Market. The Arnova 7 will come with AppsLib, which will give users access to a fair amount of apps, but it is quite limited compared to the official Android Market. Given that, games from bigger publishers and paid games may not be available, but the tablet does seem like it could be a good option for consumption as far as reading ebooks, watching movies and browsing the web.

In the end, it will be a tablet that will be as limited as you could expect given the price, but it could be a great option for kids or people looking for the bare minimum. $99 is hard to beat, but the way things are going, we wouldn't be surprised to see an even cheaper tablet soon enough.

source: Arnova via Android Authority

Samsung releases Galaxy Tab 10.1 kernel source

Good news for the developer community! Samsung has released the kernel source for their new Galaxy Tab 10.1, which may not mean much for the average user, at least not yet. Soon though, it's likely we'll be hearing about some fun tweaks for the fancy new Android Honeycomb tablet.

Samsung released the kernel source as part of their commitment to the Open Handset Alliance, and making Android a better place for developers. With this source code, developers will be able to tweak the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with additional features and ultimately will likely lead to a custom ROM for the tab.

The release of the kernel source could also push the Galaxy Tab forward as the tablet of choice for developers looking to create apps for Honeycomb. Samsung already jumped ahead of the Motorola Xoom for developers by being the giveaway at Google I/O this year, and having the full kernel source will allow devs to dig deeper into the system and APIs to create apps optimized for both Honeycomb and specifically the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

source: Android Central

Will the Nokia N9 end up in more than 23 countries?

Last night's introduction of the MeeGo powered Nokia N9 set hearts aflutterin' in many countries, including the U.S. where the initial response was that the device is one sexy handset with the lack of any front-facing buttons at all. With the manufacturer having some problems competing in the U.S. and dropping from its perch as the largest smartphone manufacturer Stateside-a position it had held for the last 14 years-to number three, a launch of the N9 in the U.S. is of vital importance to the manufacturer.

On the Nokia N9 web site is a page that shows you the availability of the phone in various countries. 23 countries are listed, but conspicuous by its absence are some places that you would consider an N9 launch to be a no-brainer like the U.S., the U.K. and India. The absence of the U.S. on the list makes sense only because the manufacturer does not have carrier support in the States for smartphones. As we reported, the Finnish based firm almost had support from AT&T for the Nokia X7, but the manufacturer was not sure that the carrier would be able to strongly back the phone and that deal fell apart. With the sexy N9 wagging tongues in the U.S., Nokia wants an opportunity to align itself with at least one major mobile operator in the States that could offer the phone on a subsidized basis.

India was a latecomer in receiving the Nokia N900 months after other countries did, so it is possible that the country will eventually get the handset. The exclusion of the U.K. is a mystery. Perhaps the list of available countries, which can be found at the source ink, will be updated soon, with more countries added.

The Nokia N9 is expected to be launched at the end of the third quarter at a price range in the area of $600-750 which makes it imperative for Nokia to find a carrier it can partner with if the N9 is to make some noise in the U.S.

A list of countries that will get the Nokia N9 leaves out the U.S., the U.K. and India

source: Thehandheldblog via FoneArena

AT&T announces its new $50 prepaid unlimited talk, text, & web plan

Setting its eye on the always competitive prepaid market, which has been dominated heavily by the likes of MetroPCS, Cricket, and Boost Mobile, national carrier AT&T Wireless has just announced its new $50 unlimited plan to compete against its stacked rivals.

Starting June 26th, AT&T’s $50 per month unlimited talk, text, and web nationwide GoPhone plan will be available to consumers, which constitutes a savings of more than 20 percent. Additionally, the plan also provides unlimited text and instant messaging to Canada, Mexico, and 100 additional countries. Specifically, this new plan option is open to new and existing GoPhone customers who happen to own feature phones. However, you can still get the same unlimited plan if you boast a smartphone – but you’ll need to select one of three data package options that range from $5 to $25.

Lastly, AT&T will also be bringing along the messaging oriented $59.99 Pantech P7040p on the same day that their new prepaid unlimited plan is launched.

source: AT&T

RIM starts laying off employees

As we reported, when RIM recently announced Q1 earnings the company said it would be laying off an unspecified number of employees. This process started Tuesday as some RIM employees were given their layoff notice. The company employs 17,500  people around the world including 9,000 in the Waterloo, Canada area.

RIM's stock has dropped 27% since the earnings announcement. Over the last 52 weeks, the stock has been as high as $70 and as low as $25.82. One of the major problems facing the BlackBerry maker is that the phone RIM is counting on to compete with Apple and Android, the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930, is now set for September. With no new handsets expected out this summer, RIM needs to balance payroll with revenue which is what the layoffs are trying to accomplish. There is no word on when-or even if-some of the laid off workers will be returning to RIM.

source: Reuters

Verizon is bringing its 4G LTE network to six new cities starting on July 21

Obviously, there are some Verizon Wireless customers out there who might be hesitant about picking up any one of the carrier’s highly prized 4G LTE enabled smartphones – even more when they’re not located in an area with LTE coverage.

Luckily, Big Red is constantly spreading its network across the country, and with that in mind, 6 new cities will be getting the green light starting on July 21. Specifically, 4G LTE will now blanket Huntsville, Alabama; Augusta, Georgia; Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; Greater Springfield, Massachusetts; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; and Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, North Carolina.

So if you happen to live in any of those mentioned areas, feel free about upgrading to any of Verizon’s 4G LTE smartphones sometime soon – mainly because you’ll be benefiting a lot in the near future. If not, you can always hold out for the very next big thing.

source: Verizon via Android Central

Wirefly makes it easy to own the 4G LTE equipped LG Revolution at $100 on-contract

Clearly there is an unprecedented premium attached to Verizon’s stable of 4G LTE smartphones, which is evident by the $250 and up price points seen with them, but Wirefly is making it easy for customers to move into the next-generation data network without emptying out their pockets completely.

The popular online retailer in fact has the latest member in Verizon’s 4G LTE camp, the LG Revolution, priced a lot more affordably at $99.99 with a 2-year contract for new customers. Compared to the $250 cost that Big Red is asking for the handset through them, Wirefly’s offering is indeed attractive – as long as you can commit to all the fine print associated with the deal. Even better, is the fact that the great pricing is extended to existing customers with qualified upgrades.

Not only do they beat Verizon at their own game in terms of pricing, but Wirefly even throws in free FedEx shipping to keep the damage to you at a minimum. At $100, there is no denying the beauty that the handset is radiating from all angles.

source: Wirefly via BGR

Sprint Premier customers get first dibs on buying the HTC EVO 3D; available now

It pays to be a loyal customer, and we’d bet that Sprint Premier customers can attest to that saying – mainly because they have first dibs on picking up the HTC EVO 3D.

These special and privileged customers can pick up the 3D packing Android smartphone right now for the usual 2-year contract price of $199.99. Being able to buy one a few days before it’s released to the general public is indeed sweet, but even more when you can hopefully show it off to envious friends before they can get their hands on one. Even though Sprint Premier customers can buy one online right now, there is no concrete word if orders are being shipped prior to its June 24th official release date.

Regardless of that, it shouldn’t be long before everyone around the country will be experiencing the whole 3D craze with the HTC EVO 3D.

source: Engadget

Sprint will begin selling the Wi-Fi only Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 starting June 24

Continuing to stock up on tablets, Sprint just announced that they will begin selling the Wi-Fi only version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 starting on June 24th – though, you can pick it up initially through direct ship sales channels, web sales, telesales, and Sprint Business sales. However, you’ll need to wait until July 24th to purchase one in Sprint retail stores.

Similar to their roll out of the Motorola XOOM and BlackBerry PlayBook, there will be no 3G, 4G, or any cellular connectivity with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. In fact, it’s essentially the same model that you can pick up at Best Buy right now. Carrying a price tag of $499.99 for the 16GB version, there is not word if they’ll be carrying the 32GB model as well.

Despite not offering any sort of cellular connectivity, its price point is probably more akin to the desires of consumers all around. Still, Sprint mentions that the razor thin tablet would go nicely with their Overdrive Pro 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot to keep you connected at all times.

source: Sprint

iPhone 4 orders reduced by 10% in anticipation of the next iPhone, which might launch September 7th

Taiwanese PCB component suppliers say their orders have been reduced by 10% on average for their orders placed by Apple. Sales of the iPhone 4 remain strong, as we saw in the last quarterly earnings report so the reduction in orders might possibly be in preparation for the next iPhone launch, slowly phasing down the current generation, knowing that people will hold on their purchases in anticipation of the iPhone 4S or iPhone 5, or whatever the next iPhone gets named.

If tradition is followed by Apple, the usual iPod refresh event it schedules in the fall, could be replaced with an iOS 5/iPhone 5 launch fanfare. The iPod-related stuff will then play second fiddle, or, seeing how there was no mention of a new iPod model in the iOS 5 code, might be sidestepped altogether. These events are usually taking place on the first Tuesday or Wednesday after Labor Day, with Wednesday taking precedence, so we might indeed see a joint iPhone 5/iOS 5 launch on September 7, to give Apple a headstart before Google's next Nexus phone.

source: RedmondPie & CNETUK

The browser wars have a new winner after major updates to platforms

Just a couple of months ago, Microsoft bragged with the performance of its IE9 browser after it blew competition out of the water in a browser benchmark fight plotted by Redmond itself. But two months later, iOS 5 is official, and we have a whole new ball game. Running Mobile Safari on an iPhone 4 updated to a beta of iOS 5 shows that there's a new winner in the browser battle.

Safari scored a whopping 31fps despite the fact that it runs on a handset with a higher resolution, dwarfing the 26fps result on the WP7 handset and the 15fps on Android. The iPhone 4 sports a screen rendering 640x960 pixels in comparison to the respective Windows Phone device which only had to support 480x800 pixels. Initially, Microsoft's browser claimed to succeed due to its hardware accelerated HTML5, but while Redmond's new platform is about to use new hardware, the iPhone 4 manages to outscore with its year-old silicon.

Judging by the beta, it appears that Apple has managed to beat Microsoft at its own benchmark and while both the Mango and iOS 5 updates are expected this fall, we can't help but wonder how will the next generation of handsets coming with them look like.

source: 9to5Mac

Huawei M886 Glory runs Gingerbread on a 1.4GHz chip, coming to Cricket for $299

Huawei partnering with Cricket Wireless might not sound like a team bringing earthshattering news, but for the budget-savvy consumer they just did – the Huawei M886 Glory is an Android handset running on a 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8655T chip all for the unmatched price tag of $299off contract. Did we mention the 4-inch screen with cream of the crop resolution of 480x854 pixels, adornished with an 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with flash and the promise for swift update to the upcoming Android Ice Cream Sandwich? Currently, the Huawei Glory runs Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread.

It's not only saving a buck as previously with Huawei, mostly known for the Ascend stateside, but now you get the respective performance as well. The Huawei Glory cracked the benchmarks scoring 60fps in the Neocore graphical test, but while its processor stretches a muscle, outside it looks humble with a plastic body. PCMag, who first got a hold of the device, reports that the material feels like “quality plastic,” with an interesting twist as the first white layer is used as base, then covered with a transparent one contributing to a 3D-like effect. At 0.38” (9.7mm) of thickness, the device is not the slimmest one out there, but not excessively thick either. 

The phone is reported to be “very, very fast,” but that doesn't mean that you'd have to worry about battery life as Huawei has included a capable 1900mAh juicer. The Chinese company has done some slight improvements over the vanilla Gingerbread adding a cube-like 3D transitions in the home screen along with a custom music player, but the interface overlay isn't too heavy. The pictures below are of a pre-production unit, so there might be slight changes in the final one. Already excited? This is expected to hit shelves in late-2011, so you'll need to wait for a while, but in the meantime feel free to share your thoughts about Cricket's Huawei Glory in the comments below.

source: PCMag

Review of Samsung Trender

Introduction:

Last summer the Samsung Seek brought touchscreens to the entry level market, now Samsung and Sprint are back with a follow-up. The Samsung Trender remains essentially the same as the Seek, but adds some nice upgrades like a larger screen and a more contemporary design. Features include a 3.5mm headset jack, Bluetooth and a 1.3 megapixel camera. The Trender comes with a microUSB wall charger, but no memory card.

Review of Motorola XPRT

Introduction:

While the Motorola XPRT isn’t exactly a new device (it debuted on Verizon as the DROID Pro back in November of last year,) it should be a welcome addition to Sprint business users. The XPRT is an Android 2.2 world phone with a portrait keyboard that aims squarely for BlackBerry users. Motorola touts a host of enterprise-level security features for the XPRT, and other features include a 5 megapixel camera, 1GHz processor and 1GB of built-in memory.  Included with the Motorola XPRT is a 2GB microSD card, microUSB data cable and an AC adapter.

Nokia N9: A savior or delusion

So, Nokia finally announced its MeeGo-powered N9 and all of a sudden we're getting all the more excited about the phone, the OS and the company's future as a whole. After today's announcement, we don't doubt that many have already gotten their hopes high for the Nokia N9. While this might be justified indeed, we wouldn't rush it just yet. There are still too many questions that need to be answered, before we know if the Nokia N9 will be ready to serve its purpose as a contemporary feature-packed high-end smartphone (that's what we want, right?), or simply turns out to be a sweet delusion with its attractive unibody construction and competitive spec sheet, but sub-par user experience.

FCC to come up with new rules against fraudulent carrier fees

Has your wireless carrier ever charged you for services that you have never really used? Or how about ending up with an exceptionally high monthly bill pumped up by subscriptions you never signed up for? If anything like that has ever happened to you, then you should know that you are not alone.

After noticing a significant rise in overcharging complaints filed over the past few months, the FCC has decided to impose a new set of rules to prevent any unexpected charges from ending up on your monthly phone bill. Even though the commission already has a number of regulations against mysterious fees, it seems like some subscribers still get fraudulently charged for services ranging from long-distance phone calls to psychic hotline memberships. The sad thing is that according to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), only one out of twenty victims would actually notice the surcharge on their monthly bill.

The FCC advises consumers to carefully keep track of their monthly bills and to report any suspicious charges that they may include. It is also highly recommended for subscribers to take their time reading their carrier contracts before signing them as the important details are often buried in the fine print.

To read FCC's guide to spotting and avoiding fraudulent charges, click here.

source: The Wall Streen Journal via AllThingsD

Study claims that people have started spending more time in mobile apps than on the web

Internet on a phone was a wild idea just a few years ago, but now it's the lack of Internet on a phone that sounds even worse. But while general browsing and surfing the web has continued its growth, mobile analytics from Flurry noticed an interesting trend – mobile apps have engaged us more than the web. In just a couple of years, pushed by Apple's iOS and Google's Android, mobile applications have become a core part of the mobile experience. 

US mobile app consumption, time spent per category

And this June, the numbers backed it up as we've spend an average of 81 minutes per day for mobile apps, 9% more than the 74 daily minutes of browsing the web. A huge part of our app usage was games which had a 47% share of our time, but social networking with its 37% of daily time dedicated to apps was nearly equally time consuming.

To be perfectly precise, we have to mention that Flurry measured the open web, Facebook and the mobile web for the web and iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and J2ME apps for the applications. The web data was compiled using publicly available information from comScore and Alexa, while for the apps, the company used its own stats. 

source: Flurry via BusinessInsider

Easy SMS project for Windows Phone makes exchanging text messages easy for illiterate people

With over 800 million people on the planet who can't read and write, the Easy SMS concept app for Windows Phone is as easy as it gets - it uses text-to-speech and pictures instead of words to convey a message.

Considering that most of these people live in poorer countries, with less access to communication infrastructure, where often your sole means of wireless communication is a beat-up Nokia phone, the project might come in handy for Nokia's ideas to bring communication to the "next billion people" via cheap but capable handsets. Provided it can pull this trick off with Windows Phone handsets, of course, as opposed to Symbian devices, which was the original intention.

The Easy SMS team in the field

Easy SMS is developed by a team at the EPFL university in Switzerland as a class assignment, touched by stories of immigrants around them who can't find an easy way to stay in touch with their loved ones back home. Besides not being able to read or write, these people are having trouble even managing contacts in their phone books, recognizing people only by the last calls list, digits in their numbers, or the country code.

Mobile operating systems nowadays are mostly text-centric so the team rolled up their sleeves, read interviews how people in poor rural regions of India live, for example, and started meeting with illiterate folks at a nearby reading school in Losanne. The end result allows people to:

    •"Read" all the SMSs they receive thanks to the available text-to-speech access on Windows Phone 7

    •Understand the meaning of each word of the SMSs they receive
                   --> the message is played with a karaoke technology
                   --> each word of the message is a playable button

    •Write SMS in two ways:
                  --> Icons with sound support
                  --> SMS recomposition from previous SMSs

Have a look at the Easy SMS project presentation video below. The team needs some votes since it has submitted its work at the USA Imagine Cup 2011 competition, and is one of the 124 finalists invited next month in New York, so if you like what you are seeing, you can vote for their work.

source: EasySMS via Textually

Updated Norton Mobile Security for Android boosts mobile protection

Let's face it – Android smartphones occupy a large share of the world phone market and we shouldn't be surprised if Google's platform is one of the most preferred targets for virus attacks. Just over a week ago, two dozen virus-infected apps were pulled from the Android Market with some of them looking as innocent as Tetris and Solitaire. And that might not be welcome news for users, but it is for some software developers. 

Security solution providers from Symantec, recently claimed that Android security threats are only going to get worse in the future. And that's because Android is an open, monetizable and increasingly ubiquitous platform. But what's the solution to those problems? Symantec claims that its Norton Mobile Security anti-virus handles the job and:

1. Scans for malware, including downloaded apps, updates and the contents of your microSD card. In addition, its constantly updated database should detect and protect you from most malware. A scan of the 8GB of memory of the Android handset we used took slightly more than 30 seconds, a very good score in comparison to the scanning time on other anti-virus apps. There was no real malware that we could test the app with, but given Norton's rich database, we can expect it to detect most virus-infected apps.

2. Blocks unwanted calls and SMS messages. Straightforward as it sounds, you just have to add a contact or a number, and all calls and/or messages from that person will be blocked. So you can block those celebrity stalkers from invading your privacy. Or just stalkers. You might just want to be careful to not block your mum.

3. Lets you remotely locate, lock or wipe your Android device in case of a theft. You can also add some trusted contacts who'll also be able to unlock your phone by tapping on Choose Buddy and selecting the contacts. If you then lose your phone or get it stolen you can simply send a text with the word “locate”, “lock”, or “wipe” followed by your pre-defined password, and the phone will respond with its exact coordinates or by locking/wiping itself.

4. Protects you on the web from phishing websites. That might sound good at first, but the feature is heavy on system memory with users reporting that it could occupy as much as a whopping 84MB of it.

The application is still in beta and free, but when you activate it, Norton Mobile Security shows that you can only use it in the next three weeks. So while we certainly appreciate the boosted security, you might find that it slows down the overall Android experience by consuming a lot of your system memory. But even if mobile security is not your main priority, we would still recommend this application if it was only for the remote locate, lock and wipe function. Norton Mobile Security requires Android 2.x or later and 1.8MB of storage. Currently, it carries the sweet price tag of free, so it wouldn't hurt trying it, would it?

Download Norton Mobile Security for Android [Android Market link]

Symbian Anna Review

Symbian Anna, also known as the PR2.0 update to Symbian^3, brings a lot of new features and reworks the system visuals, but is it enough to extinguish the fire on the “burning platform?” Nokia's plans to transition to Windows Phone as its main mobile OS reveal everything when it comes to the company's long term strategy, but in the short term it's still Symbian that keeps Nokia afloat. And Symbian Anna contributes to this, but it still fails to bring Nokia's platform to a contemporary level.

The update makes its debut on the media-centric Nokia X7 and the business-oriented Nokia E6. But with full legacy support, you might want to wait for the fall when it will arrive on previous Symbian^3 handsets. Below is a breakdown of the most important features of the Symbian Anna update.

Visuals:

The new set of icons is on the right

Anna comes with a set of new rounded icons which freshens up the menus of the updated Symbian^3. It also pleases the eye with real-time scrolling as it basically means that you can gradually scroll between home panes. The transitional animations will follow your finger in real-time, just like in iOS and Android.

Functionality:

The slowish stock browser on Nokia's platform has been one of our main critiques and Nokia's has promised an update months ago. Is the long wait worth it? With partial HTML5 support, hardware acceleration for smooth CSS animations and a new clean UI (with always visible back button and support for searches straight from the address bar), Browser version 7.3 is a breath of fresh air for Symbian. But while it does support Flash Lite, choppy performance was often an issue. The reworked browser supports multitouch, which works well. 

Nokia's Browser 7.3 is on the right

Up until the Symbian Anna update was announced, owners of Symbian^3 had to make do with the triple tap numeric keypad in portrait mode. Finally, Anna brought a full-QWERTY portrait virtual keyboard. You might find it hard to get used to Nokia's positioning of the numbers in a couple of rows instead of just one like on other systems, but except for that there's nothing fancy about this keyboard which just works. The maps application in its latest version has the familiar interface, but more functionality as it now integrates new public transportation routes and allows quicker searches. You can also download full country maps directly without using a computer. 

With its dual-pane layout in the monthly view, the Calendar application in Anna becomes even more useful. You can tap on any day on the left panel, while on the right all of your appointments are shown. You can also use multitouch to zoom in/out switching between monthly and weekly views. Finally, the email application has remained largely the same at its core, but now you have more space to view your mails and you can select multiple mails to manipulate.

Those novelties, are certainly important, but while they touch on some of Symbian's core issues, they don't completely solve them and Browser 7.3 is just one example. Some of the issues remain unaddressed – the confusing navigation, outdated homescreen widgets and overall sluggishness of the platform. But even before this first major update has rolled out, Nokia sets the bar high for Symbian Belle, the second important overhaul of the platform, by mentioning: “if you like Android then you’ll love Symbian Belle." There's no clear release date for the update, but after those words, we can only hope that it's sooner rather than later.

Motorola DROID 3: What we know so far

The Motorola DROID 3 follows the footsteps of previous DROIDs and expectations are as high as it gets. Outside the States, in China, the phone has already been released as the Motorola Milestone 3, but stateside we are yet to see the final device. What do we know so far? The DROID 3 is coming on Verizon, with most rumors pointing at a July 7th release, but, disappointingly, the DROID 3 will most likely not feature LTE connectivity.

A 1GHz dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 chip runs the whole show, but while that's a noticeable bump over previous editions, the DROID 3 is envisioned to come with the same old 512MB of RAM. That all translates in an above average Quadrant score hovering around the 2,000 mark – good, but nothing revolutionary. Looking at the graphical GLBenchmark, however, reveals that the OMAP 4430 processor actually outperforms the NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip, especially if you take into account the fact that with a qHD resolution, the handset has to work harder to get the same frames per second.

Except for that the third DROID is expected to sport one more advantage over previous handsets from the series with a spacious 4-inch qHD PenTile screen showing the beauties of Android 2.3 Gingerbread skinned with the latest Moto Blur, up from the 3.7" display on the DROID 2.

The familiar specific bottom part is to remain a key element in the design of the handset, which now comes with a 5-row slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The upper row is dedicated to only numbers and should make typing numbers much easier on the third DROID. On the back, an 8-megapixel camera will take video recording on par with most recent smartphone heavyweights as it supports full HD 1080p video recording. 

Will this be enough to convince you to stay loyal to the DROID brand or even make you switch to the DROID 3 from another device? Feel free to chime in with your opinions in the comments below!

The Motorola DROID 3 will probably mimic the looks and functionality of the Milestone XT883, pictured above

Nokia N950 for MeeGo developers quietly announced; packs a slide-out QWERTY keyboard

After many months of rumors, leaks, and speculation, the Nokia N9 was finally introduced in its final form with the bold intention to shake the smartphone market. However, with its unibody construction and lack of a physical keyboard, the smartphone clearly does not look the way we were initially expecting it to. Remember the alleged N9 photos that surfaced on the web in the second half of last year? Well, it turns out that a device almost identical to the one that posed for the camera back then will see the light of day after all and will be officially known as the Nokia N950.

What you might not like hearing, though, is that the Nokia N950 will not be a commercial smartphone so do not expect finding it sitting on a store shelf near you. Instead, the device will be intended for MeeGo developers only and will come with no warranty of any kind. Being a developer's device means that the Nokia N950 will not be as pretty nor as reliable as the N9, but its hardware specification will come close enough to that of its commercial counterpart. Both smartphones will come powered by the same TI OMAP3630 chipset backed up by 1GB of RAM, yet the N950 will get a slightly bigger 4-inch TFT LCD display boasting the same 854x480 resolution and a different image sensor of seemingly identical quality. Besides that, we cannot omit the fact that developers will have the N950's QWERTY keyboard at their disposal, which will hopefully make building MeeGo software somewhat easier of a task.

There is no word regarding the Nokia N950's price so far and it is said that quantities will be limited. If you are a developer interested in getting one, you might want to act fast once the smartphone becomes available. In the meantime, feel free to watch the video below where the Nokia N950 makes a brief appearance.

source: Nokia, The Nokia Blog via SlashGear

Nokia N9 could be available within a month, there is a whole designer dream behind it (video)

Remember late last year, when the Nokia Windows Phone adventure was still Microsoft's dream?  The Nokia UI director, who is chiefly responsible for the Nokia N9, Marko Ahtisaari, then said:

"You’ll see couples in coffee shops who’ve been together 10-15 years both sat with their heads down, operating their devices. We need to give people their head up again. The ability to keep social interaction with the people that they’re physically with. That means a better ability to use the devices single-handed and them requiring less of our attention for peripheral interactions. Notifications, for example, could be much improved so they require much less from us.

The second big influence for the most competitive devices will be the way they are able to harness the collective intelligence of their users... Smartphone users create a lot of data. We can use that data to make the devices more intelligent: for example, to avoid traffic jams and create alternative routes... But it’s not just maps, as we have more sensors on the device we can answer almost any question. The research on collective intelligence says that it needs a large, independent, diverse group of people to solve problems – that’s what we’ve got.", said Marko Ahtisaari last year. Have a look at his presentation video at the LeWeb 2010 conference, which pretty much sums up what we are seeing now in flesh and blood with the Nokia N9:

These remarks were made about MeeGo in the beginning of December last year, and fast forward six months and change, we have the Nokia N9 as a tangible example of the ideas above. We didn't pay attention at the time when he said Nokia likes what Microsoft has done with Windows Phone 7 in terms of how unobtrusive the UI of the mobile OS is, and will bring similar features to MeeGo. We thought Nokia will take a similar approach, but not bet its future on WP7.

It's all in the history books now, but in the meantime you can watch an official video below about the making of the Nokia N9. The polycarbonate unibody desing makes it durable yet light, and since it's not metal, if you scratch it, it will still be the same color underneath. Then come the tapered edges, which, according to Marko Ahtisaari, need "expensive robots" to be manufactured, but give the Nokia N9 that distinctive design edge that so many smartphones need these days, in addition to the black, cyab and magenta colors it is available in.

“The body flows seamlessly into the screen. The UI just floats on the surface of the product.”, he said. We can't agree more that this buttonless design is the way to go in any future smartphone - it gives you a 3.9" display in roughly the same footprint the iPhone 4 houses a 3.5" screen, with a lot of space dedicated to the home button. We've heard rumors that Apple is getting rid of it in next year's edition, but the Nokia N9 will stay as the first completely buttonless touchscreen-only phone in the front. 

Pressing a button to get to the homescreen has been replaced with just swiping the current app away. As Nokia's UI chief puts it - in a doll house, you don't need to always enter through the front door to get to different rooms. Hopefully this new seamless interface can grab consumers' attention enough, since there will barely be an app ecosystem around it, except for a few efforts in the Ovi Store, which very soon will just be Nokia Store and merge with the Windows Phone Marketplace.

The Nokia N9 will be handed to developers right away, a source close to the company has clarified, and we should see wider availability within a month, which is very welcome. Knowing Nokia's flagship devices, it might not be cheap, but apparently that should be the price to pay if you want to be unique. Now have a look at Marko Ahtisaari's official presentation of the Nokia N9 design story below.

via Forbes

Sprint explains why AT&T doesn't need T-Mobile's spectrum

Since the announcement of AT&T's intent to purchase T-Mobile for $39 billion, Sprint has been the most outspoken critic. Sprint has insisted that the acquisition would hurt consumers and the industry. But AT&T has stayed on-message, saying that the acquisition is necessary in order to relieve its spectrum crunch.

So now Sprint has responded by laying out how AT&T could relieve the alleged spectrum crunch without purchasing T-Mobile, and spend less money. Sprint has submitted a "technical analysis explaining how AT&T could increase its network capacity by more than 600 percent by 2015."

Their analysis, Sprint claims, would demonstrate "that AT&T's purported rationale for the proposed merger - that there is no other way to meet its projected data service demand growth - is simply unfounded."

So how would they accomplish this? As the grossly oversimplified diagram indicates, AT&T could develop its unused spectrum, accelerate their 4G buildout, and make their existing network more efficient. Of course, those steps don't include T-Mobile's existing customer base, which might eventually offset the $39 billion price tag.

We can't say if Sprint's analysis is correct. But we do know that Sprint isn't really concerned for consumers' welfare. That's not to say that they don't care at all; we're just saying that Sprint's self-preservation is Job #1.

source: TmoNews