Mobile Jaw » Android

WalMart to Sell Telus HTC Desire for $448

Mike Temporale — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:30:00 +0000

Some interesting news hit the web this morning – WalMart will be selling the Telus HTC Desire for $448.83 with out a contract. And, if you look closely at the screen shot, you will notice that WalMart’s cost for the Desire is $360. It’s nice to know the cost, but I don’t expect anyone at WalMart to be willing to negotiate on the price. If you’re more the contract type, the 3 year contract price is expected to be $79.99.

(Source = mobilesyrup.com)

Dell Getting Ready to Launch Streak in North America

Mike Temporale — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:30:00 +0000

It looks like Dell is getting ready to launch the Android based Streak. According to reports on Slashgear, earlier today the pre-sale ended abruptly and was then reinstated. You can currently sign up for an exclusive pre-sale opportunity on Dell’s website at http://www.dell.com/streak. Dell has also confirmed that the Streak will support AT&T’s 3G network in the US, which means support for Bell, Rogers, and Telus in Canada.

The Streak offers a large 5.0 inch screen with 800×480 resolution, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 512MB RAM, 512MB ROM, 2GB internal storage, support for MicroSD cards, 5 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, GPS, Accelerometer, light and proximity sensor, Digital Compass, and a 1530mAh battery. There’s no word on price as of yet.

The Streak is a nice replacement for my aging HD2. My main concern is that the size of the device will be too much for an everyday use. Although, around the house and for travel, this could be the perfect device. If you’re looking for more information on Dell’s Streak while you’re waiting to place you’re order, check out the review at Slashgear.

Initial Thoughts: Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini

Darren Humphries — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:15:31 +0000

Has anyone made a name-is-longer-than-the-phone joke about the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini? Well, joke about the name all you want but this phone is no joke. The X10 Mini is a fantastic little Android phone.

The X10 Mini is a follow on to the Xperia X10 (previous posts here and here) in a very different format. While the X10 is a high-end device with a large 4 inch screen the X10 Mini is…well, mini. The display is 2.6 inches making it easily the smallest Android phone. The size overall is just 83 x 50 x 16 mm (3.3 x 2 x 0.6 inches), and it weighs just 88 grams (3.1 oz).

The X10 Mini is available from Rogers for just $29.99 on contract, or $324.99 outright. Good price!

Shrinking Android down to work on this device took a fair bit of work by Sony Ericsson, which is the reason this is only running on Android 1.6. But Sony has done a very good job of making Android work on such a small device.

[follow link for more impressions and pictures]

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Read the rest of Initial Thoughts: Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini at MobileJaw.

Rogers Adds the X10 Mini to Their Device Line Up

Mike Temporale — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Rogers has launched their latest addition to the Android family of phones – X10 Mini, and the smaller brother to the flagship X10 smartphone form Sony Ericsson. The claim is that the Mini is the smallest phone on the market today. I haven’t played with one personally, so I can’t say if that’s true or not. The pictures make the phone look thick – so it might smallest in terms of height and width, but I don’t think it’s the case in terms of depth.

The Mini features a quad-band GSM radio – 850/900/1800/1900, and a tri-band HSPA radio – 850/1900/2100. Which means you’ll have strong cellular reception and fast data on this small device. Everything else on the Mini has been reduced to follow with the theme of the phone – a 5.0 megapixel camera instead of the 8.1 found on the original X10. Same for the memory, the Mini sports a whopping 128MB compared to the 1GB found on it’s big brother. Keep in mind that the price follows the same trend – the X10 is $549.99 off contract, and the Mini is $374.99. When you add in a 3 year contract, the phone is just $29.99, which is a pretty reasonable price.

Sadly, much like the original X10, this device is also running the older Android 1.6 operating system. Google has released 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 is starting to make it’s way to devices. Sony Ericsson needs to get an update for these devices out the door quickly and get them on a newer version of Android.

Aside from the thickness of the device, it looks like a great little device. I’m interested in seeing how well Sony Ericson was able to take their customizations from the X10 and scale them down to the Mini. We have received a Mini for review and Darren will be sharing his thoughts on the device.

The full press release is available after the break.

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Telus Brings HTC Desire to Canada

Mike Temporale — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Telus and HTC have announced that the much loved Desire will be coming to Canada exclusively on the Telus network. The Desire was originally announced along with the Legend at Mobile World Congress back in February. The Android based phone has been available in the UK for a while now, is commonly referred to as HTC’s version of the Google’s flagship super-phone – the Nexus One.

The press release from Telus fails to offer any information about when the device might be available for purchase, or at what price. Although, I can’t really seem them charging more than the Motorola Milestone ($550 without contract). The full press release can be found after the break along with details on the specifications of the Desire.

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Going Hands on with the Android Based HTC Legend

Mike Temporale — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:30:00 +0000

HTC announced and started shipping the Legend in Europe earlier this year. Well, it’s finally arrived on North American shores and we have been putting it through the paces to see how it stacks up. The HTC Legend is current available in Canada from Bell and Virgin Mobile. While there’s no official word from HTC, it’ is expected that a US carrier will be adding the Legend to their line up. Bell and Virgin are selling the exact same phone – there are no external carrier markings on the device and the specs are identical. The only difference you will find between these two carriers is the price of the phone. Bell is asking $399 for the device without a contract, while Virgin (a discount carrier owned by Bell) is asking $349. I found the choice pretty easy to make and saved myself $50.

When it comes to hardware specifications, the HTC Legend is not considered one of these super-spec’ed devices that are currently hitting the market. However, the Legend has it where it counts, especially when you think about the price point of the device.

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Read the rest of Going Hands on with the Android Based HTC Legend at MobileJaw.

Android; From a Windows Mobile User

Dave Evans — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:17:39 +0000

Recently I reviewed the Acer Liquid E, an Android device. Being a long time Windows Mobile guy, this gave me an opportunity to compare Android and Windows Mobile. This is not a highly technical or in-depth look. It is from the perspective of an end-user. Did I find a clear winner? Read on and see.

HOME SCREEN

Both Windows Mobile and Android have very flexible home screens.

Android has lots of widgets to choose from and you can link to pretty much anything on your phone from one of multiple home pages. I find the Android home screen to be highly functional. However it seems to be missing a professional, well put together, look. It actually looks a bit amateur. If we look to third party and carrier overlays then things start to look up. HTC have their ever popular Sense UI, which brings it up a notch or two. The Android version of Sense isn’t nearly as full featured or as cool as the Windows Mobile version. Sony Ericsson has their latest UI on the X10 which looks very polished, slick, and functional.

Windows Mobile probably has the most choices. First there is the old classic Windows Mobile home screen with tons of plugins , allowing for endless different looks. Its biggest problem is that it is not finger friendly at all. Next is the latest WM6.5 UI. At first glance it doesn’t seem too bad, but when you start to use it, it seems that you are forever scrolling back and forth, and up and down. Officially there are few possibilities for tweaking it. However, thanks to the enthusiast community there are a couple of apps , and tutorials enabling some tweaking. Next we have third party apps like SPB Shell which give a very high degree of flexibility combined with smooth operation and looks. Then we have OEM overlays such as HTC Sense. In my opinion Sense 2.5 on Windows Mobile is an excellent interface.

Overall I think Windows Mobile get the nod here, because of the wide choices and slick looks of most of the UI possibilities.

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A Look at SBSH PhoneWeaver for Android Devices

Mike Temporale — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:30:00 +0000

Recently I reviewed PhoneWeaver 2.1 from SBSH for Windows Mobile based devices and I was blown away by how powerful and the application was. It had a significant impact on my daily usage of the device. By creating different profiles in PhoneWeaver I was able to forget all about setting the volume or turning on and off Bluetooth for my drives to and from work.

Today, SBSH has released PhoneWeaver for Android based devices. That’s great news for everyone that’s picked up a Nexus One, EVO, Legend, Galaxy S, or some other Android device. Now Android users can enjoy the power of PhoneWeaver too.

I’ve been using the final beta versions of PhoneWeaver for Android over the last couple weeks. The application is pretty much the same as the Windows Mobile version. The interface is between Windows Mobile and Android is a little different, but the overall concepts and functionality are pretty much the same. The android version doesn’t have as many settings to tinker around with, but it’s just the first release. I’m sure it will expand nicely over time.

Once you install PhoneWeaver you’ll notice a new icon in the notification tray on your device. If you pull down the notification window you’ll see PhoneWeaver along with the name of the current profile. Simply tap on this to open PhoneWeaver and manually select your profile or edit/create a new profile.

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Sling Media Launches Android Version of SlingPlayer Mobile

Mike Temporale — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Sling Media has finally released their SlingPlayer Mobile client for Android based devices. The mobile client is available in the Google Market for a price of $30. Initially, it will be available in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, UK, and the US. And don’t forget, this is just the mobile client. You will still need the SlingBox (hardware) installed on your TV in order for this to work.

The timing couldn’t be better as many are looking to follow their favorite team in the World Cup. Ok, it could have been a little better if it was release at the start of the World Cup instead of a week or so in. For those interested, the full press release is available after the jump.

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Read the rest of Sling Media Launches Android Version of SlingPlayer Mobile at MobileJaw.

Unboxing the HTC Legend from Bell and Virgin Mobile

Mike Temporale — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:30:00 +0000

Virgin Mobile and it’s parent company Bell, have launched the HTC Legend with North American 3G frequencies. Until now, if you live in the US or Canada and wanted the Legend, your only choice was the European version but with that version you never get the nice 3G speeds. Now that Virgin and Bell have launched a North American version, you can enjoy the device and the super fast 3G network that goes along with it. It appears that the only difference between the Virgin Mobile Legend and Bell’s Legend is $50 of your hard earned cash. So with that, I picked up the Virgin Mobile edition today and shot this unboxing video. Take a look and let me know if you have any questions. A more detailed review of the Legend will be coming along soon!