Wirefly has made EVERY AT&T Cell Phones they offer FREE, with free activation and free FedEx Shipping. This sale has no exclusions and features handsets such as: BlackBerry Bold, Motorola BACKFLIP With MOTOBLUR, BlackBerry Curve 8900, HTC Pure, and Samsung Mythic a897. Netbooks and 3G USB Laptop Adapters are also free in this limited time sale as well. The only noticeable handset that is missing on Wirefly is the Apple iPhone, but who didn’t see that one coming?

Wirefly AT&T Phones and Plans

"Today Clear said in an interview with Phone Scoop that it does not expect any WiMax-equipped smartphones to hit the market until the very end of 2010. Clear believes that 2011 will see more WiMax phones become available. Clear would not say what hardware or software vendors it is pursuing to bring a smartphone to market..."

Clearwire, provider of the nation's first (and largest) WiMax wireless network announced that we may have to wait until late 2010-2011 before we see WiMax enabled smartphones hit the market that work with their 4G network. Currently, Clearwire is still focusing on improving its service for notebook & desktop PCs.

Although no manufacturers have officially announced availability of Clearwire compatible smartphones, I suspect that HTC and/or Samsung will be the first to the plate since they have already developed WiMax-enabled devices like the HTC Max 4G smartphone and Samsung Mondi mobile internet device. Since Clearwire's WiMax service is data-only, this leaves the option for a VOIP app that can be installed on some existing smartphones, or a dual-mode option that allows WiMax and support for another voice carrier's network. Since Sprint owns a majority of Clearwire, they will more than likely be the first U.S. carrier to offer a dual WiMax/CDMA compatible smartphone.

The FCC has approved the TerreStar Genus Windows Mobile 6.5 smart device with a dual-mode satellite transceiver/GSM radio for worldwide roaming via conventional cellular service and additional coverage via the TerreStar satellite network outside of cellular coverage in remote areas of the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and in territorial coastal waters.

The Genus features quadband GSM/EDGE and dual-band UMTS/HSDPA support, a 2.6-inch landscape touchscreen display at QVGA resolution, QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi radio, Bluetooth, and GPS support.

AT&T and TerreStar previously announced their hybrid satellite/cellular service partnership in September with the TerreStar service launching during the first quarter of 2010, providing normal cellular access when on AT&T’s network and seamlessly switching to the satellite network for expanded voice-data coverage when outside of cellular coverage.

Information has surfaced that confirms the top 20 third-party authorized dealer networks selling AT&T Mobility products and services will begin to carry the iPhone beginning on November 1st.

This represents a further change of sales policy regarding iPhone, as it was formerly restricted to AT&T retail stores, online sales and Apple, then opened up to select authorized retailers such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart last year.

No word on which AT&T authorized dealer networks will carry the iPhone is available at this time.

Apple has pushed iPhone 3.1.2 via iTunes, which weighs in at 241MB and fixes the following issues: a sporadic issue that may cause the iPhone not to wake from sleep, an intermittent issue that may interrupt cellular services until restart and fixes a bug that could cause occasional crashing during video streaming.

The update also includes new carrier settings for AT&T, which is presumed to break tethering functionality as well as any jailbreaks applied to the device. To update, connect the iPhone, open iTunes and click on Check for Updates.

The iPhone Dev Team has released PwnageTool 3.1. The update is the first release that support iPhone OS 3.1.

However, due to Apple’s updates to the iBoot firmware, the team has been unable to add support for the iPod touch 2G and iPhone 3GS.

The iPhone 3GS is further complicated by the addition of Apple’s Windows-style activation procedure, using the encryption chip’s EDID SHSH information. This process requires every iPhone 3GS to phone home to Apple’s servers. Cydia, the unofficial App Store for iPhone OS, now backs this information up. Using the data from a jailbroken iPhone OS 3.0 3GS, it will be possible to keep jailbreaking alive.

However, both Cydia and the Dev Team stress that any iPhone 3GS or iPod touch 3G that has been updated to 3.1 will have a much more arduous path to being jailbroken, and a jailbreak may not be possible at all.

PwnageTool 3.1 does, however, maintain compatibility with the original iPhone’s firmware-based SIM unlock as well as iPhone 3G’s software-based ultrasn0w. However, the Dev Team also stresses that an iPhone 3G or 3GS that is updated to iPhone OS 3.1 cannot ever be re-unlocked. Apple has patched all known exploits in the iPhone 3G/3GS baseband, making unlock impossible, even with a firmware downgrade… unless a new exploit is found.

In short, PwnageTool 3.1 should only be used on first-generation iPhone, first-generation iPod touch, and iPhone 3G. redsn0w, the in-place jailbreaking utility will be released in the future to add support for iPod touch 2G. Do not update any iPhone 3GS or iPod touch 2G to 3.1 yet, and only update other Apple mobile devices to iPhone OS 3.1 via PwnageTool.

You can download PwnageTool 3.1 from the Dev Team’s BitTorrent file, or from the mirror we have placed on the Phone Encyclopedia page below.

iPhone Dev Team – PwnageTool 3.1 Announcement
PhoneNews.com Phone Encyclopedia – Apple

The FCC has revealed the US version of the HP iPAQ K3 Obsidian smart device currently sold in Europe. The label reveals a listing for an AT&T SKU, or stock keeping number in retail parlance.

The HP iPAQ K3 Obsidian features a 2.43-inch AMOLED touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel camera, 3G and WiFi along with stereo Bluetooth, triband HSDPA, quadband GSM/EDGE and GPS powered by Qualcomm’s 528MHz MSM7200A with 256MB of RAM and 512MB ROM, 3.5mm headphone jack and microSDHC expansion slot.

The phone will be one of the first devices on AT&T to ship with Windows Phone when it is expected to be released on November 30th according to the most recent information available.

If that title sounds long, it’s similar to Apple’s new support article, which is long-ly titled Unauthorized modification of iPhone OS has been a major source of instability, disruption of services, and other issues.

So, we felt it would be a good idea to take Apple’s support article point-by-point.

Quote from Apple:

As designed by Apple, the iPhone OS ensures that the iPhone and iPod touch operate reliably. Some customers have not understood the risks of installing software that makes unauthorized modifications to the iPhone OS (”jailbreaking”) on their iPhone or iPod touch. Customers who have installed software that makes these modifications have encountered numerous problems in the operation of their hacked iPhone or iPod touch. Examples of issues caused by these unauthorized modifications to the iPhone OS have included the following:

All true, but Apple obfuscates the argument. For example, iPhone OS was designed by Apple to only be stable inside of Apple’s walled garden. However, iPhone OS is driven by Mac OS X. Mac OS X is supposed to be the world’s most secure operating system. It is used in millions of Macintosh systems daily, which run software that Apple doesn’t test and approve of.

So how do CoreServices stand to be so stable inside of the Macintosh environment, yet require such scrutiny as to run in a jailed/walled environment on iPhone? If a 233 MHz iMac runs Mac OS X just fine to this day… why does a 600 MHz iPhone, with arguably more power than a PowerPC G3, have such security issues?

The article then proceeds to go through all the issues with jailbreaking, that a user might encounter.

Quote from Apple:

1) Device and application instability:  Frequent and unexpected crashes of the device, crashes and freezes of built-in apps and third-party apps, and loss of data.

2) Unreliable voice and data:  Dropped calls, slow or unreliable data connections, and delayed or inaccurate location data.
 
3) Disruption of services:  Services such as Visual Voicemail, YouTube, Weather, and Stocks have been disrupted or no longer work on the device. Additionally, third-party apps that use the Apple Push Notification Service have had difficulty receiving notifications or received notifications that were intended for a different hacked device. Other push-based services such as MobileMe and Exchange have experienced problems synchronizing data with their respective servers.
 
4) Compromised security:  Security compromises have been introduced by these modifications that could allow hackers to steal personal information, damage the device, attack the wireless network, or introduce malware or viruses.
 
5) Shortened battery life:  The hacked software has caused an accelerated battery drain that shortens the operation of an iPhone or iPod touch on a single battery charge. 
 
6) Inability to apply future software updates:  Some unauthorized modifications have caused damage to the iPhone OS that is not repairable. This can result in the hacked iPhone or iPod touch becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone OS update is installed.

Let’s dismiss point six right off the bat. Like unplugging an iPhone while it is receiving an Apple update, you can kill an iPhone the same way when you jailbreak. But no modern jailbreaking solution causes this problem. In fact, no jailbreaking solution has ever caused this problem. Only carrier subsidy unlocking (which is different from jailbreaking, and is only needed to run iPhone on T-Mobile or abroad) has had issues with this point.

So Apple is choosing to throw unlocking issues in with the jailbreaking crowd. Not reasonable in the slightest, especially considering we took Apple to the mat on their Catch-22 with AT&T. Thanks to PhoneNews.com, Apple had to confess to the FCC that they were the reason that customers could not get their iPhones unlocked, despite AT&T policy stating that a customer could get a free unlock code after 90 days of service.

Points one through five can be answered quite simply: Like a computer, iPhone is a personal computing device. The software you run on it will impact its performance, security, and compatibility. We should note that point three is particularly onerous for Apple to raise, since they designed the Push Notification Service to have issues with jailbroken devices. Unfortunately, for Apple, Push Notification Service has remained unpopular in the marketplace, especially with its technical complexity, as well better competing solutions (webOS, Android, Windows Mobile all support full background applications).

Quote from Apple:

Apple strongly cautions against installing any software that hacks the iPhone OS. It is also important to note that unauthorized modification of the iPhone OS is a violation of the iPhone end-user license agreement and because of this, Apple may deny service for an iPhone or iPod touch that has installed any unauthorized software.

This is legally questionable, which is why the EFF has asked the US Copyright Office to issue a DMCA exemption to jailbreaking. Apple, of course, will argue even then that their SLA (Software License Agreement) overrides DMCA… Even though an iPhone can be activated and used without a user ever seeing a notice of a license agreement.

So long as jailbreaking does not damage a device, and an iPhone OS Restore removes the jailbreak, this appears to be a violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a point that PhoneNews.com has raised in the past…

Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Some new Nokia flip gets FCC approval for AT&T originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Following up on the official announcement last week, AT&T has launched the Sony Ericsson W518a Walkman clamshell and the C905a Cybershot high-end cameraphone.

The W518a features Sony Ericsson’s signature Walkman features, including shake control for shuffling playlists via accelerometer, gesture control for silencing incoming calls, QVGA internal display, exterior media player controls, microSDHC expansion slot, 3.2 megapixel camera with video recorder and speakerphone alongside the full suite of AT&T services.

The C905a features a class leading 8.1 megapixel CMOS camera featuring autofocus and face detection as well as a Xenon flash which PhoneNews.com confirmed in July 2008.

The remainder of the specifications consists of a QVGA display, quadband GSM/EDGE, triband HSDPA access, Bluetooth, GPS support via an internal transceiver with A-GPS support, FM radio with RDS, speakerphone, media player, Bluetooth, and MemoryStick M2 expansion slot.

Both phones are now available with the W518a available for $199.99 No Commitment or $99.99 after new 2 year agreement before an additional $50 mail-in rebate, bringing the total to $49.99. The C905a is available for $379.99 No Commitment or $229.99 with new 2 year agreement before an additional $50 mail-in rebate, bringing the total to $179.99.

Buy the Sony Ericsson C905a from AT&T
Buy the Sony Ericsson W518a from AT&T
Get $30 Cashback from PhoneCashback.net

In a joint press release, Sony Ericsson and AT&T have announced the forthcoming launch of both the C905a Cybershot high-end cameraphone and the W518a Walkman music phone.

The W518a features Sony Ericsson’s signature Walkman features, including shake control for shuffling playlists via accelerometer, gesture control for silencing incoming calls, QVGA internal display, exterior media player controls, microSDHC expansion slot, 3.2 megapixel camera with video recorder and speakerphone alongside the full suite of AT&T services.

The W518a will be available on July 19 for $99.99 after $50 mail-in rebate with new agreement.

The phone features a class leading 8.1 megapixel CMOS camera featuring autofocus and face detection as well as a Xenon flash which PhoneNews.com confirmed in July 2008.

The remainder of the specifications consists of a QVGA display, quadband GSM/EDGE, triband HSDPA access, Wi-Fi radio for wireless media access via DLNA and data access, Bluetooth, GPS support via an internal transceiver with A-GPS support, FM radio with RDS, speakerphone, media player, Bluetooth, and MemoryStick M2 expansion slot.

The C905aa will be available on July 19 for $179.99 after $50 mail-in rebate with new agreement

Filed under: Software, Palm, webOS

Palm's Mojo SDK beta for webOS leaks into the wild originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AT&T and Apple have issued an information checklist to ensure a smooth launch and sales of the iPhone 3G S.

• The iPhone 3G S will be available tomorrow morning from all 2,200 company-owned AT&T retail locations and all 211 US Apple retail stores.

• AT&T stores will be opening at 7AM to fulfill in-store pre-orders for the iPhone 3G S. Customers who did not pre-order will be able to purchase the new iPhone at the regular retail opening schedule on a first come, first served basis.

• Apple stores were expected to open as normal at 8AM but are now reportedly opening at 7AM. Call ahead to confirm store hours.

• Shipments for online pre-orders will be delivered starting tomorrow. Initial inventory for pre-orders is sold out so delivery dates may be later than the 19th for new orders with a two-week window to account for order volume.

• The iPhone 3G S will be available for $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB) for all new AT&T customers and existing AT&T customers who have fulfilled their contract. AT&T has extended this pricing to current iPhone 3G customers who purchased the iPhone 3G in July, August, or September 2008. Eligibility requirements still apply.

• All other iPhone 3G owners who have not yet fulfilled their existing agreement can upgrade early to the iPhone 3G S for $399 (16GB) and $499 (32GB). Full retail purchases without a two year contract are also available. To check eligibility, use MyWireless online, call AT&T or go to an AT&T store or text *639# from an AT&T handset.

• No multiple handset purchases will be allowed. AT&T stores will only sell one iPhone 3G S per person for new customers, one iPhone 3G S per eligible line for current AT&T customers and one device per household for online shoppers.

• If porting a number from another carrier, remember to bring the appropriate documentation which consists of a copy of a current wireless bill from the service provider, account number, name and billing address on the account, Social Security number or tax ID and account PIN or password.

• If given an iPhone 3G from a friend or family member, a visit to an AT&T store is in order to activate the device. If given an original iPhone, a new SIM card can be requested from an AT&T store and can be subsequently activated at home via iTunes.

• Listen to/archive voice mail messages if possible as all voice mail will be lost when switching devices.

AT&T has informed customers that, on June 17th, that iPhone customers on AT&T’s GoPhone Prepaid service may lose data services. This affects any iPhone, iPhone 3G, or potential iPhone 3G S customer that does not have the official iPhone data package, which is only available on the GoPhone Pick Your Plan account. Furthermore, that plan only was intended for original iPhone customers.

While AT&T claims that iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S were never intended for AT&T GoPhone, their policies and procedures appear to be in contradiction with one-another. AT&T proudly announced last year that they would accept “any device” onto their network, on both prepaid and postpay plans. AT&T GoPhone also supports all AT&T-branded devices, even smartphones (AT&T has sold the Treo 750, and Nokia N75 as GoPhone units in the past even).

This change falls in line with Verizon Wireless’s thus-far-failed promises to open their network as well. The carrier has yet to approve non-Verizon devices on their network for consumer use.

Are these marketing practices deceptive? Sound off in the comments.

Customers with an original iPhone, on GoPhone Pick Your Plan, can call 611 to ensure that they are on the proper iPhone Data Plan ($20/month).

However, as this story was going to press, hackers have identified the root cause of the change. iPhone OS 3.0 uses a different, specific AT&T APN (connection server). This APN is routed specifically for iPhone devices, and is separate from the existing APNs (wap.cingular and isp.cingular). By using Apple’s iPhone Configuration Utility, and then emailing yourself a configuration with the change back to wap.cingular, service appears to continue working.

While AT&T has always held the ultimate tool, blacklisting IMEIs from wap.cingular, it does not appear that they will do this, as it conflicts with their aforementioned commitments to “activate any device.” It is not known if iPhone 3G S will work with this workaround as well, since it only exists on iPhone OS 3.0. AT&T could potentially block iPhone 3G S IMEIs from wap.cingular, since they all will be given the new APN from the factory. iPhone and iPhone 3G both will still exist on the wap.cingular APN, as not all customers will chose to update to iPhone OS 3.0.

In-line with the price cut on the 8GB version of iPhone 3G yesterday, today AT&T cut the refurbished pricing for the same model.

Yesterday, at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple introduced iPhone 3G S, but announced that the original iPhone 3G would be cut in price to $99, and serve as an entry-level model. AT&T has previously sold the refurbished variant of the iPhone 3G 8GB for $99, but without Apple’s standard one-year warranty. SquareTrade is however offering iPhone 3G warranties for the refurbished versions, extending the 90 day period to a full two years.

Now, with the new iPhone 3G selling for $99, AT&T has cut the price to $79. You can order the new, lowest-price-ever iPhone 3G, at the link below. The price includes free shipping from AT&T’s web site.

Apple iPhone 3G - 8 GB - Black (Refurb) - $79 Shipped from AT&T

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, ATT, Windows Mobile

AT&T's HTC Touch Pro2 hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Handsets, Features, Palm, webOS

Palm Pre review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, ATT, Symbian, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

AT&T pushing back Nokia E71x launch? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Handsets, LG, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Quick note: it's the LG Xenon, not Zenon originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Handsets, Others, GSM, EDGE

Continue reading Alcatel follows the pack, shows cheap touch and QWERTY sets

Alcatel follows the pack, shows cheap touch and QWERTY sets originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Handsets, Others, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA

Continue reading The Nautiz X5 is the smartphone for your rough and tumble user on the go

The Nautiz X5 is the smartphone for your rough and tumble user on the go originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Software, HTC, ATT, Windows Mobile

Leak sauce: new AT&T Fuze firmware brings bugfixes aplenty originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As expected, AT&T has launched the Matrix Pro Windows Mobile smart device.

The featureset consists of quadband GSM/EDGE and triband HSPA access, a 2.4 inch QVGA resolution touchscreen display running Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, Video Share support, GPS access via AT&T Navigator, microSDHC expansion slot, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, speakerphone, and 2.0 megapixel camera with video recorder along with access to AT&T services such as MobiTV, Napster Mobile, eMusic Mobile, AT&T Mobile Banking and Cellular Video.

The device is now available for $379.99 with No Commitment or $229.99 with new 2 year agreement before an additional $50 mail-in rebate, bringing the total to $179.99.

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA

While HTC's press didn't deliver on our Android dreams -- or electric sheep -- it did land us the new Touch Diamond2. First off, this set is a stunner, build quality and feel in your hand is really a quality affair. The material choices in both metal and plastics used here are really first rate -- we gush because we're rather impressed. The screen is bright, easy to read and the UI overhaul -- and new features underneath -- are much appreciated. One standout in the new improved UI has to be the start menu which, when clicked, pops you into a full screen shortcut list which is miles better to surf through with a finger. All in all? We're impressed with the Touch Diamond2 and though it's not a wildly new device, it is worth peeking at if you're lost in the decision making process for a new Windows Mobile phone. Follow on for some video action.

Continue reading First hands-on with the HTC Touch Diamond2 (with video!)

First hands-on with the HTC Touch Diamond2 (with video!) originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Continue reading First hands-on with the HTC Touch Pro2 (with video!)

First hands-on with the HTC Touch Pro2 (with video!) originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, GSM, HSDPA

Samsung M7600 Beat DJ touchscreen music phone now official originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 03:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung

Samsung OmniaHD and BeatDisc official images revealed originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

1. Will users automatically get updated versions for free after they make the initial purchase?
2. Will the market force users to pay again if they loose the applications on their phone?

1. Will users automatically get updated versions for free after they make the initial purchase?
2. Will the market force users to pay again if they loose the applications on their phone?

A non-descript carrier update pushed through iTunes for iPhone owners this past week has yielded an intriguing discovery.  When viewing the update through a text editor, the update contains two small png images that reference AT&T’s forthcoming 3G MicroCell (image courtesy of MobileCrunch), suggesting that the update for iPhone in fact enabled compatibility with the femtocell. The above image is meant to replace the standard AT&T carrier logo when connected to the MicroCell, and also features another version for the homescreen.

Aside from lacking flash support, the iPhone doesn?t also do Bluetooth filetransfer. Well, thanks again to jailbreak and the hardworking developers out there, this sorely missing feature may soon be available on the iPhone as developer MeDevil is currently working on one. The video above shows its potential, and once it?s done and ready, it?ll be available as part of the iSpazio repo. I guess its apps like these that make jailbreaking totally indispensable. Great work guys, keep them coming!

If you want to learn how to a jailbreak on your new 3G iPhone, visit our most iPhone 2.2 jailbreak page.

[gizmodo via crunchgear]

From having one of the most envied positions in the history of modern telecommunications to its current position as a company with a history of executive management problems, Canadian network solutions and wireless equipment manufacturer Nortel Networks has made the decision to file for bankruptcy after writing down massive amounts of losses due to a combination of poor performance and ten years of continual restructuring.

To compound the situation even further, the company reported 3rd quarter losses of $3.4 billion on top of the inability to sell off a division that it previously planned to sell in order to improve its business operations in September of last year.

The biggest issue facing the company is the eventuality that it may be liquidated instead of being allowed to restructure due to the almost predictable cycle of restructuring and acquisitions it entered into in the mid 90’s, with $4.5 billion in debt to show for the expansion and little cash on hand to settle expenses and debts.

The company entered into the bankruptcy filing to begin with in order to stave off another $107 million in interest payments due on current loans this Thursday, while claiming the global downturn as the main factor with the Bank of Canada offering some relief in the form of $30 million in emergency loans during the next month.  It remains to be seen whether the company will be allowed to operate in its current state or whether its core assets will be able to be sold to raise cash, with many analysts predicting difficulty in restructuring for the company as a result of its debt load.

Nortel is best known for manufacturing the equipment that makes up the current infrastructure that powers the internet, digital telephony, and many GSM-based cellular carriers, but came to be better known for crashing during the tech sector bust of 2001 and became involved in an accounting scandal that led to criminal charges against three of its former executives in the same year.

AT&T this morning launched the mil-spec ruggedized Motorola Tundra VA76r.

This phone is designed to counterpart ruggedized phones that Motorola has launched on other carriers, including the Renegade V950 on Sprint. It features Push to Talk, and 3G service. The phone is originally based on a the same platform as the RAZR2, and supports GPS navigation via AT&T Navigator.

The camera is 2.0 megapixels, and while the phone is 3G, it does not support AT&T Video Share, as the camera is fixed to the back of the phone (for increased ruggedization).

Buy a Tundra VA76r from AT&T

Filed under: Handsets, LG, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

AT&T's Secret shows back up on LG's site originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Handsets, Sharp, UTStarcom, ATT, T-Mobile, Danger

PCD says new AT&T Quickfire, T-Mobile Sidekicks coming this year originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Software, Palm

Palm's app store christened App Catalog, games not a priority originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: ATT

Say it ain't so, AT&T: reports of another East Coast data network outage originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The FCC has issued preliminary approval for a version of the Symbian Series 60 powered Samsung i8510 smart device with US 3G support.

The phone known as the INNOV8 in its current incarnation features either 8 or 16GB of flash memory, quadband GSM/EDGE with HSDPA 7.2 high-speed data support,  Symbian OS with Series 60 Feature Pack 2, a 2.8 inch QVGA resistive touchscreen display capable of 16.7 million colors, an 8.0 megapixel camera with a mechanical shutter, lens cover, autofocus, dual-LED flash, and VGA video recording along with stereo Bluetooth, microSDHC expansion slot, FM radio with RDS, A-GPS support, and Wi-Fi radio with DLNA streaming media support.

The phone is rumored to be testing with AT&T, but neither the carrier nor Samsung have confirmed the phone at this time.  If the phone were to be released through AT&T, this would make it the first non-Nokia Series 60 powered device available on an American carrier.

Filed under: Misc

Feeling the hurt of endlessly dying batteries on your BlackBerry (or iPhone, if that's what you're into)? Atif Shamim, a PhD student at Canada's Carleton University might have the medicine for that pain of yours. He's cleverly hacked such devices, removing all the wires that connect the electrical circuits to the antenna, and developed a module for the connection to operate wirelessly. The result, he estimates, is that his modified devices use almost 12 times less power than they normally do -- which of course means longer battery life. A paper about the device has won an award at the European Wireless Technology Conference, and Shamin has filed for a patent in both the US and Canada. There's no indication of when we might start to see tech like this on actual commercial devices, but we're pretty sure plenty of companies are going to want to get a hold of this technology like, yesterday.

Student's tech promises 12x the battery life in your iPhone, BlackBerry originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AT&T has launched two new devices in the Pantech C630 and BlackBerry Curve 8320 to shore up the holiday lineup.

The Pantech C630 features quadband GSM/EDGE, dual-band HSDPA support, Video Share support with its 1.3 megapixel camera and video recorder, microSDHC expansion slot, media player, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, speakerphone, and full access to AT&T services (Mail, IM, XM, Music, CV, mobiTV, Navigator).

The BlackBerry Curve 8320 is identical to the version sold on T-Mobile with a QVGA landscape display, Bluetooth, media player, 2.0 megapixel camera, microSD expansion slot, HTML browser, and speakerphone with the addition of a Wi-Fi radio.

The Pantech C630 is available now for $129.99 with No Commitment, or $79.99 after a new 2 year agreement before an additional $40 instant discount, bringing the total to $39.99.

The BlackBerry Curve 8320 is listed for $499.99 with No Commitment or $249.99 after new 2 year agreement before an additional $100 mail-in rebate via prepaid Visa card, bringing the total to $199, though the online store is currently out of stock at this time.

Buy a Pantech C630 from AT&T

While almost everybody?s lusting after cut, copy & paste functionality for the iPhone, not every work around that promises to deliver such a feature can live up to its word especially if its not available through the App Store. One good example of this is Pastebud. It works by using Java-based bookmarks that enables you to copy text from websites and places it on an online clipboard for pasting on another website or use in an email. Likewise, you can send text that you want to copy & paste to a specific email address so that you can be sent a link to a specific site where you can access your text online for later usage. No need to download an app or to jailbreak your iPhone. Pretty good, right? Unfortunately, there have been incidents reported that emails were being sent to the wrong persons including some personal information (read: email address and other details included in an email header).

According to Jed Schmidt, the creator of Pastebud, the directions weren?t clear enough which led to people copying text to the wrong email address for later deliver to random individuals. I?m not too sure how one can make such a mistake, but this just goes to show that if you don?t read the instructions carefully, you could be compromising your own personal security.

[product via gizmodo]

Speaking at the Symbian Partner Conference yesterday, AT&T Director of Next Generation Services Roger Smith hinted that the Symbian platform is a leading candidate to begin a massive consolidation of mobile platforms offered by the carrier by 2014.

Smith rationalized the potential choice of Symbian by making references to the current system where AT&T has to support multiple branded devices with different operating systems and platforms which has led to fragmentation and implementation issues with Java, Windows Mobile, and Palm OS on top of increasingly expensive customer support for each platform.

This centers on the ability of the carrier to offer a consistent set of applications and services across the entire handset lineup without issues, while admitting that the carrier has not done a good job of managing its implementation of Java ME.

He also touched on the iPhone, noting that Apple was in complete control of the device, and that AT&T is solely providing the infrastructure for network access, while emphasizing that other possible platform choices would all be open to developers in order to offer the kinds of applications and experiences that customers wanted and that Java ultimately failed to deliver as a consequence of a lack of software access and extensibility.

The choice to deploy a Symbian based OS across an entire carrier lineup is not unprecedented as Japanese carrier NTTDoCoMo has deployed Symbian on three generations of its entire high-end lineup for three years beginning in 2005 before moving to a custom deployment of MontaVista Linux this year.  

Symbian does allow for complete control of applications and multiple levels of filesystem access, and can be customized to support branding, protected applications, and different user interfaces while allowing for varying levels of customization by the user.

Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, ATT, Symbian, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA

Continue reading AT&T dreams of single smartphone OS, will probably keep dreaming

AT&T dreams of single smartphone OS, will probably keep dreaming originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Opera Software has announced that it has released the final build of its Opera Mini browser at version 4.2 after the success of the prior Beta version released just two weeks ago.

The browser features faster access thanks to newly deployed server farms, customizable skins, improved Opera Link functionality for bookmarks and notes, as well as support for YouTube video streaming (for most phones) on top of making an official version available for the T-Mobile G1.

The FCC has revealed the first images of the Pantech C820, which is being referred to as the Duo II.

The device features a QVGA display, Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard, quadband GSM/EDGE, dualband HSDPA, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, A-GPS support via AT&T Navigator, dual sliding keyboards for dial pad and QWERTY, microSDHC expansion slot 2.0 megapixel camera with video recorder, and speakerphone.  

The user manual mentions other AT&T services such as Video Share and CV support, lending credence to the assumption that AT&T will offer the device as the replacement for the venerable Duo. 

Neither AT&T nor Pantech have officially announced the phone at this time.

Filed under: Handsets, Features, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, CDMA

Gallery: Motorola Krave ZN4 hands-on

Continue reading Motorola Krave ZN4 hands-on

Motorola Krave ZN4 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Filed under: Handsets, Pantech, ATT, Symbian, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA

Pantech's 3G-capable C630 coming to AT&T originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AT&T has surreptitiously launched the Incite Windows Mobile based LG smart device online with little fanfare.

As we previously reported, the Incite features a 3 inch WQVGA resolution touch display as found on the lower spec Vu, Windows Mobile 6.1, virtual QWERTY keyboard, 3.0 megapixel camera with video recorder, quadband GSM/EDGE. triband HSDPA, GPS support through AT&T Navigator, microSDHC expansion slot, FM tuner, Wi-Fi radio, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, and speakerphone.

The phone is now available for purchase online at a cost of $499.99 with No Commitment, or $299.99 after a new 2 year agreement before an additional $100 mail-in rebate, bringing the total to $199.99.

Buy an LG Incite from AT&T

AT&T has launched two new phones in time for the holiday season in the Nokia 6650 and Samsung Eternity.

The Nokia 6650 3G clamshell features quadband GSM/EDGE, dualband HSDPA, external display with touch sensitive controls, dedicated GPS hard key for AT&T Navigator, 2.0 megapixel camera with video recorder, flash and Video Share support, microSDHC expansion slot, speakerphone, media player, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, voice dialing and voice control, HTML browser, Push to Talk, and full access to AT&T services (Mail, IM, XM, Music, CV, mobiTV).

The Samsung Eternity features quadband GSM/EDGE, dualband HSDPA, a 3.2 inch WQVGA resolution widescreen display, TouchWiz widget based user interface, HTML browser, media player, GPS support via AT&T Navigator, 3.2 megapixel camera with video recorder and Video Share support, Mobile TV support via MediaFLO, microSDHC expansion slot, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, speakerphone, and the full suite of AT&T services (Mail, IM, XM, Music, CV, mobiTV).

The Nokia 6650 is available for $269.99 with No Commitment or $119.99 after a new 2 year agreement before an additional $50 mail-in rebate via prepaid Visa card, bringing the total to $69.99 while the Samsung Eternity is available for $369.99 with No Commitment, or $199.99 after new 2 year agreement before the same aforementioned rebate terms, bringing the total to $149.99.

Buy a Nokia 6650 or Samsung Eternity from AT&T

Following up on the launch of the Fuze, AT&T has also launched the Samsung SGH-a777 slider.

The phone features quadband GSM/EDGE, dualband HSDPA access, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, microSDHC expansion slot, 1.3 megapixel camera with video recorder and Video Share support, media player, speakerphone, access to all AT&T services (Mail, IM, XM Radio, eMusic, Napster Mobile, Cellular Video, and mobiTV).

It is now available from AT&T online for $279.99 with No Commitment or $129.99 after a new 2 year agreement before an additional $50 mail-in rebate, bringing the total to $79.99.

Buy a Samsung a777 from AT&T

As expected, AT&T has launched the long-awaited HTC Fuze along with the Quickfire multimedia device,

The Fuze features Windows Mobile 6.1, VGA resolution touch display, TouchFLO 3D with AT&T customizations, quadband GSM/EDGE, triband HSDPA with support for Japanese/Korean sub-bands, Wi-Fi radio, simultaneous voice/data, 512MB internal memory with microSDHC expansion slot, push to talk, 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and Video Share support, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, GPS transceiver with A-GPS support, and support for AT&T services (Mail, IM, Music, CV, Navigator).

The Quickfire features quadband GSM/EDGE, dualband UMTS/HSDPA, QWERTY keyboard, hardware voice/data toggle switch for multitasking, microSDHC expansion slot, sliding QVGA touch screen display, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, speakerphone, 1.3 megapixel camera with video recorder and Video Share support, voice control, GPS access through AT&T Navigator, Polaris HTML web browser, and the full suite of AT&T services (Mail, IM, XM Radio, eMusic, Napster Mobile, Cellular Video, and mobiTV).

The HTC Fuze is available online for $499.99 with No Commitment or $349.99 after new 2 year agreement before an additional $50 mail-in rebate via prepaid Visa card, bringing the total to $299.99.  The Quickfire is available for $299.99 with No Commitment or $149.99 after new 2 year agreement before the same aforementioned rebate, bringing the total to $99.99.

Buy an HTC Fuze or AT&T Quckfire from AT&T

Filed under: Handsets, Features, RIM, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Gallery: AT&T BlackBerry Bold unboxing

Continue reading AT&T BlackBerry Bold hands-on

AT&T BlackBerry Bold hands-on originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Orb today updated their OrbLive client for iPhone and iPod touch. Today’s update enables the ability to watch Live TV (streamed from a host PC) to iPhone over 3G and EDGE connections.

Previously, Apple has blocked such uses of the 3G network, forcing people to use Wi-Fi for such connections. For example, VoIP providers are required to force their applications to use Wi-Fi before submitting them to Apple for approval. In addition, the first release of OrbLive for iPhone also had this restriction.

Because of Orb’s approval, it may have a chilling effect on Apple’s ability to restrain others, such as Slingbox, from following suit. If Apple were to permit OrbLive to stream TV live, and block Slingbox, that would be a clear, illegal, anti-competitive business practice. Apple maintains monopoly control over what applications are published and distributed to iPhone, a legally suspect process which we have covered previously.

It may also be possible that the update was approved by mistake. Apple previously approved NetShare, an internet sharing application, which permitted iPhone to sling its internet connection to notebooks and other Wi-Fi connected devices. However, hours after being posted on the App Store, and thousands of purchases, Apple quickly removed the application. Months later, Apple informed NetShare’s developers that the application would not be permitted on the App Store.

The impact of this application is questionable, if thousands of users began streaming Live TV 24/7, it could have a crippling effect on some AT&T markets. AT&T continues to suffer capacity and local-loop bandwidth issues in some areas of their 3G network, largely due to the expanded bandwidth usage of iPhone and iPhone 3G.

Apple - App Store

I'm thrilled to announce the launch of the fifth Thoughts Media site: Apple Thoughts. It's been almost two years since we launched our last site (Zune Thoughts), and I'm really excited to be expanding our network with another great site. Why an Apple site? For the past three years or so, I've been watching the "Apple tide" rising. By that, I mean the overall impact that Apple has in the market - and I mean real impact, not the mainstream media fawning and hype that accompanies every new product Apple releases. The number of people I know that have switched to Macs is staggering - the painful launch of Vista certainly didn't help things, but Apple is making tremendous gains in the market. Earlier this year, 40% of all notebooks sold at retail over $1000 USD were Macbooks, and who can forget this picture? The iPhone? Game-changing. Not the right phone everyone, and definitely over-hyped, but it changed the whole landscape of smartphones and what people expect from them. The Apple tide is rising, and as someone who makes a living online, it would be a poor decision for me to ignore that fact.

Now I know what some of you may be thinking: an Apple enthusiast site? From the guy who really doesn't seem to like Apple very much, and has been known to be quite critical of Apple, iPods, and Steve Jobs in particular? Well, here's the second announcement: Apple Thoughts is the first Thoughts Media franchise site. By that I mean that I will not be in charge of running it: Thoughts Media Inc. provides the server, back-end infrastructure, and monetization support, while the franchisee provides 100% of the editorial content and community management. I've tapped a very talented, opinionated, passionate, Apple-lovin' guy to be the Executive Editor of Apple Thoughts. His name some of you will doubtless recognize: Vincent Ferrari. Vincent has been a member of the Thoughts Media community for a number of years, and was on the Digital Home Thoughts review team for a time. He's got the right kind of personality to be a fantastic Executive Editor, and if I ever need an AOL account cancelled, I know exactly who to call.

Here's a special request to everyone reading this: if you use a Mac, an iPhone, or any product made by Apple, please make a commitment to this new community. Starting a community is tough work - it's a classic chicken-and-egg scenario where, when someone comes to a Web site with sparse comments and empty forums, they think "Oh, I won't make this community my home, there's no one here". So I'm asking all of you Mac-usin', iPhone-totin' types to read, comment, contribute, share, help, and above all grow the Apple Thoughts community. My hope is that by this time next year, Apple Thoughts will have a vibrant, passionate, helpful community of Apple fans. We need you.

Please join me in welcoming Apple Thoughts!

Filed under: Handsets, Pantech, ATT, GSM, EDGE

AT&T has launched the long-awaited replacement to the BlackJack II in the Samsung Epix.

The Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional device features a QVGA touch display, quadband GSM/EDGE, triband UMTS/HSDPA access, Wi-Fi radio, directional pad that doubles as an optical mouse, QWERTY keyboard, 2.0 megapixel camera with video recorder, GPS support through AT&T Navigator, microSDHC expansion slot, speakerphone, and Bluetooth with stereo audio support.

The device is now available from AT&T online for $449.99 with No Commitment or $299.99 with new 2 year agreement, an additional $100 instant online discount, and additional $100 prepaid Visa mail-in rebate card, bringing the grand total to $99.99.

Buy a Samsung Epix from AT&T

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Filed under: Handsets, LG, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Filed under: ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, Misc

AT&T has announced four new QWERTY devices just in time for the holiday season.

The AT&T Quickfire, Pantech Matrix, and Samsung Propel feature QWERTY keyboards, dual band 3G HSDPA access, Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel cameras (on the Propel, Matrix and Slate) with video recorders, microSDHC expansion slots and access to the full suite of AT&T services (Mail, IM, Music, Navigator, and Video Share).

The Slate is the only device in the lineup that does not feature 3G access but has an identical featureset as the aforementioned devices with the device slated to be launched later this month for $49.99 after new 2 year agreement and rebate.

The Matrix is available now, while the Propel is slated to be available later this month with pricing set at $79.99 for the device after agreement and rebates, with the Quickfire debuting in November for $99.99 after the same aforementioned terms.

Filed under: Handsets, Pantech, Samsung, UTStarcom, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

The first official images of three new LG models destined for AT&T have surfaced thanks to LG’s accessories sales page.

The first device is the LG Incite (pictured left) Windows Mobile smart device, which is the first of such kind from LG developed for the US with a form factor similar to the current Vu. The device features Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, a mirrored 400 x 240 touchscreen display, 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera with flash and video recorder, GPS support, triband HSDPA, WiFi radio, and an alloy metal bodyshell.

The second is the LG CF750 (pictured centered) which is intended as the US variant of the LG Secret known for its 5.0 megapixel camera and its resistive touch screen display.

The third LG phone to see a future device on AT&T is the CF360, (pictured right) which is positioned as a midrange slider.

No pricing or launch details are known at this time.

In a mere seven months, some customers will start to be out-of-contract with their first-generation iPhone purchases. In fact, some iPhone owners are already out-of-contract, due to the GoPhone Pick Your Plan offering (which was not continued over to iPhone 3G).

This is going to present a critical point for wireless policy in the United States. Both AT&T and T-Mobile agreed to let customers unlock their phones, once their contract has ended. However, AT&T and Apple are clearly colluding to prevent you from doing that with iPhone… AT&T points users to Apple (claiming they do not have the unlock codes), and Apple points you back to AT&T for the code. It’s a clear anti-competitive practice to keep all American iPhones on AT&T’s network.

We ask that you file an FCC complaint. We timed it, and the whole process only took us 10 minutes (including writing the letter, which we’ll give you). If one percent of iPhone owners sent in this complaint… there would be over 100,000 complaints on the FCC’s desk about this. Click read more for the process, and a sample letter which you can copy-and-paste.

If the FCC fails to investigate this issue, it could have dire consequences for open access to wireless networks. Each and every national carrier has agreed to let customers unlock their devices, after they have completed their contract. Without holding them to this commitment, these promises to customers may just as well be lip service.

What you need:

If you already have an iPhone or iPhone 3G, you can follow this process verbatim. If you don’t, you can still file a complaint, but you’ll have to write your own letter.

The first step is to get a copy of your AT&T bill. You can do this online easily. The key thing that you need from it, is your account number. The FCC wants this so that they can show how many customers, versus non-customers are complaining about a particular issue. Of course, the more actual customers that complain, the better… so please give them your account number.

Next, you need to go to the FCC’s web site. Access this online form. You want to chose option B, a “Billing, Privacy, or Service Quality Complaint.”

From there, just fill out the form with all the appropriate fields. Since this is not a billing dispute, you do not need to give the amount of your bill, just your wireless number and account number.

At the bottom of the form, is a field asking you to outline your complaint. We strongly suggest that you put this in your own words (the people at the FCC tend to gloss over complaints that are all saying word-for-word the same thing). But, here’s a basic letter to get you started.

AT&T Mobility has stated that their policy is to allow customers to remove the subsidy lock (aka SIM lock) from their devices after the customer has maintained service for 90 days and/or has fulfilled their contract’s duration. When I attempted to request an unlock code for my device, an Apple iPhone, AT&T informed me that they do not have the unlock code, and that I should contact Apple, Inc.

Apple proceeded to inform me that I must contact AT&T for my unlock code.

This runaround is clear collusion between the two companies to deprive me from the subsidy lock code for my iPhone 3G. I ask that the FCC intervene and require Apple to turn over to AT&T, the subsidy lock codes for iPhone 3G. It is simply unconscionable that AT&T would maintain subsidy unlock codes for all devices… except for the one device that they have a national exclusive on, iPhone 3G. Clearly AT&T is deceiving consumers on this point, and working with Apple to further that deception.

Filed under: Multimedia

Filed under: Software, Pantech, Windows Mobile

Pricing and tentative launch details have surfaced on a new messaging device we previously reported on for AT&T.

The Knick will now be branded as the AT&T Quickfire with a tentative launch window scheduled for late this month at $99.99 after new 2 year agreement and applicable rebates.  

The specifications for the device are fixed at quadband GSM/EDGE, dualband UMTS/HSDPA, QWERTY keyboard, microSDHC expansion slot, sliding QVGA display, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, speakerphone, 1.3 megapixel camera with video recorder, voice control, GPS access through AT&T Navigator, Polaris HTML web browser, and the full suite of AT&T services (Mail, IM, XM Radio, eMusic, Napster Mobile, Cellular Video, and mobiTV).

A forthcoming Samsung phone which we reported on previously has been confirmed by the manufacturer for launch on AT&T this quarter.

The specifications are in line with what was reported previously along with the confirmation that the phone will support HSDPA 3.6 as well as quadband GSM/EDGE, 1.3 megapixel camera with video recorder and Video Share support, media player, microSDHC expansion slot, the full suite of AT&T services (Mail, IM, XM Radio, Music, MobiTV and XM Radio), Bluetooth with stereo audio support, and GPS support with AT&T Navigator.

No pricing information is available at this time.

Pricing and launch information has surfaced on the long awaited BlackBerry 8220 Pearl Flip.

The clamshell is expected to launch on October 15th through T-Mobile for $349.99 retail, $199.99 on a 2 year agreement and $249.99 on a 1 year agreement before an additional $50 mail-in rebate bringing the totals to $149.99 and $199.99 respectively, as well as upgrade pricing set at $217.99 and $167.99 after the same $50 mail-in rebate.

In related news, the AT&T version of the device in the 8210 has been delayed to 2009 for unknown reasons, with speculation pointing to code refinements needed for OS 4.6 which has led to the continual delay of the Bold launch in the US.

The guys at Airscanner must be loads of fun at parties, particularly Seth Fogie! Demonstrated here (click on the linked image above), the vulnerable nature of unprotected Active Sync connections to your computer!

read more

Filed under: Handsets, Pantech, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

The newest version of the Motorola Q9h in silver is the first AT&T device to ship with Windows Mobile standard 6.1 pre-installed, and features several enhancements beyond the color addition.

Most importantly, Motorola has added Firmware-Over-The-Air (FOTA) updates to the device on the request of AT&T.  Any updates, bug fixes, feature upgrades, etc. can now be sent over the air directly to the device by way of AT&T’s FOTA servers.  Motorola claims any updates sent over-the-air will be saved even after a hard reset.

Other marked improvements include extended battery life by an estimated 40% by way of better 3G data management- the data connection will be turned off any time it’s not in use to save on battery drain.  The Q9hS will be the first Windows Mobile device to fully support AT&T’s new A-GPS system as well, resulting in faster satellite acquisition.

Finally, the Q9hS will feature “Crystal Talk,” which reduces background noise, automatically adjusts your volume, and has ?voice enhancement? by way of a custom Digital Signal Processor chip.

Encyclopedia: Motorola Q9h

Our most popular deal ever, is back. The Sony Ericsson Z750a, a phone typically valued at $270, is available for only $69.99 from the AT&T GoPhone prepaid store, including free overnight shipping. This 3G HSDPA (and quad-band GSM) phone can be used on any AT&T account (prepaid or not).

Despite the $10 increase in price from last time, it is still the cheapest 3G phone, sans contract, in the world.

The phone also has the added benefit of easily enabling unsigned features, like using the built-in GPS with Google Maps. As a refurbished phone, it carries a 90 day warranty… easily extendable via SquareTrade. Also, this is one of only a handful of phones to support Bluetooth PAN, and have 3G service in the United States. Bluetooth PAN allows for one-click phone-as-modem internet sharing, even on GoPhone’s flat-rate $20/month data package.

In addition, for $79.99, AT&T will throw in a $25 Pay As You Go card. To get the deal, follow the steps below:

For the Z750a at $69.99, with no prepaid service credit included:

1) Click this link to be taken to the AT&T GoPhone home page.
2) Click the link for Pay As You Go Phones (near the middle of the page).
3) Chose your prepaid plan (either the $.25 flat rate, or $1 per day plan will work).
4) Click Add a Phone in the dialogue box that appears, the Z750a will then appear as a phone from the list.

For the Z750a at $79.99, including a $25 GoPhone prepaid card:

1) Click this link to be taken to the AT&T GoPhone home page.
2) Click the link to Packages & Deals, near the top of the page
3) On the Packages & Deals page, click the link to go to GoPhone Packages (near the middle of that page).

Note that if you are asked to add a contract plan… you went to the wrong page (AT&T makes this easy to do, since they would prefer you to sign up for a contract with the phone). If that happens, just go back to this page and start again.

A week after the show… we looked back to see if there was anything really worth reporting. The answer? Not much, but that’s not that atypical. Read more to see what was at the show.

CTIA Wireless IT really is not as much a newsmaking show, as it is a showcase of where the industry has been. Microsoft didn’t show Windows Mobile 7, HTC didn’t have a booth, and Verizon didn’t even talk about open access for consumers.

Probably the most exciting part of the show, is giving us a first-hand look at the devices headed into the holiday buying season. And, without further ado, here they are:

Sprint

Sprint had their full holiday lineup on display. The HTC Touch Pro and Diamond are in the Windows Mobile area below, and live shots of the BlackBerry Curve 8350i are in a previous article.

Windows Mobile

Kyocera

Kyocera’s phone section was buried in a back corner. But, we did find some new models… and WiMAX gear as well.

PCD

PCD introduced itself at the show. Shortly after being spun off from UTStarcom, as UTStarcom divested its wireless phone assets, the company had few new products on display. The Virgin Mobile Shuttle (pictured in the Virgin Mobile section) was the only new handset. And, unfortunately, we also learned that the SMT5700 was cancelled on AT&T. The EDGE-only, still Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphone, is now headed to South America for release.

Verizon Wireless

Verizon had little to put on display. In fact, the entire booth was dedicated to Open Development; Verizon’s do-it-yourself MVNO solution. Not peep was made about users submitting their own devices for approval.

Research In Motion

RIM showed off their just-announced BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 for T-Mobile. Nextel’s Curve 8350i was covered in a previous article. Also shown, the BlackBerry Curve 9000, set to launch shortly on AT&T.

Virgin Mobile

Virgin Mobile showed off its new Shuttle from PCD, meant to bridge the gap between low-end Virgin Mobile and high-end Helio phones. The phone will launch as a Virgin Mobile device, with Buddy Beacon pre-installed.

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, GSM, EDGE

AT&T has officially launched the much talked about SGH-A837, which is now known as the Rugby.

The rugged clamshell features an M810F certified bodyshell that protects against dust, vibration and severe impacts, dual-band 3G/quadband GSM/EDGE support, AT&T Music support with Track ID, media player, Video Share support with its 1.3 megapixel camera and video recorder, speakerphone, Bluetooth, 128 MB internal memory, and push to talk.

The phone is now available from AT&T for $179.99 after a new 2 year agreement before an additional $50 mail-in rebate, bringing the total to $129.99.

Buy a Samsung Rugby from AT&T

Filed under: Culture, Misc

A federal district court judge in western Pennsylvania made what could possibly wind up being a precedent setting ruling this week, with him stating that the government must obtain a warrant based on probable cause of criminal activity before asking a carrier to provide cellphone location data. The ruling specifically addressed historical cellphone tower location data, which the government had argued was no different than routine transactional records (like past credit card transactions), and therefore should not require probable cause. While the EFF and ACLU are both praising the ruling, it looks like it's not quite settled just yet, with a Justice department spokesperson saying that the government is still "considering options" on an appeal.

[Via Mobile Burn]

The FCC has revealed two new clamshells from LG and Samsung respectively, with the A837 having been shown off earlier last week.

The phone features dual displays, a VGA camera with video recorder, microSD expansion slot, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, and speakerphone.  While the phone itself does not feature AT&T branding, the draft user manual submitted makes mention of AT&T services such as MEdia Net, IM services, and the AT&T Mall.

Neither AT&T nor LG have announced the phone at this time.

The Samsung SGH-A837, which we previously reported on is expected to feature quadband GSM/EDGE access, dual-band W-CDMA with HSDPA packet data, Push to Talk support, A-GPS support with AT&T Navigator, a 1.3 megapixel camera with video recorder and support for AT&T Video Share service, Bluetooth, speakerphone, and six-person conference call support.

Neither AT&T nor Samsung have announced the phone at this time.

Information has surfaced regarding the pending release of the BlackBerry Curve 8320 on AT&T.

Image courtesy of Boy Genius Report

The device is expected to be nearly identical to the version sold on T-Mobile with the addition of the AT&T suite of services (AT&T Music, Mail, IM, Push to Talk, Navigator support through Bluetooth GPS unit) as well as an upgrade to BlackBerry OS 4.5, which is expected to add the HTML browser from the soon to be launched Bold, and the capability to use voice services and data simultaneously while using the built-in Wi-Fi radio.

The device is expected to be launched at the end of this month, though no specific date or pricing details are known at this time.

Buy a BlackBerry Curve from AT&T

Filed under: Handsets, Others, GSM

Following up on the Windows Mobile 6.1 update released for the MOTO Q9h  a couple weeks ago, AT&T has released another version of the device with the addition of Windows Mobile 6.1, and GPS support through AT&T Navigator in a striking silver pinstripe color.

The device is otherwise unchanged from the original Q9h which features a landscape QVGA display, QWERTY keyboard, microSDHC expansion slot, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, quadband GSM/EDGE and triband W-CDMA support with HSDPA high speed data, 2.0 megapixel camera, speakerphone, and Opera Mobile browser.  Despite the branding, the device does not support the 2100Mhz band necessary for 3G roaming around the world and instead refers to the quadband GSM/EDGE radio.

The Q9 Global is now available from AT&T for $249.99 after a new 2 year agreement before an additional $100 mail-in rebate bringing the total to $199.99.

Encyclopedia: Motorola Q9h/Q9

The first images of the Samsung A837 clamshell have surfaced.

Image courtesy of Boy Genius Report

The Samsung SGH-A837 will be the first Mil-Spec certified device on the carrier when it launches on AT&T later this year to answer its direct competitor in Verizon’s G’Zone Boulder clamshell.

The phone will feature quadband GSM/EDGE access, dual-band W-CDMA with HSDPA packet data, Push to Talk support, A-GPS support with AT&T Navigator, a 1.3 megapixel camera with video recorder and support for AT&T Video Share service, Bluetooth, speakerphone, and six-person conference call support.

The phone is expected to launch on September 15th as per the most recent information available in retail sales channels, with Telesales expected to take orders starting Tuesday September 2nd.

This little app is by far one of the coolest things we?ve seen done for the iPhone, but aside from drawing those jaw-dropping reactions from your friends, it pretty much belongs to the not-so-productive bunch of the group. Created by David OReilly, the illusion is created using a technique called anomorphosis which basically fools you into seeing 3D objects instead of 2D drawings. A constant 35-45 degree viewing angle is key for this to work and when paired with the iPhone?s accelerometer, it does just that by adjusting the image accordingly whenever you tilt or move the device.

Too bad it isn?t available yet in both the App Store and Cydia/Installer.app as this looks destined to be a hit. It?s simply amazing what a little imagination and some technical expertise can do when you put the iPhone into the picture.

[via gizmodo]

Apple has rolled out Update 2.0.2  for the iPhone 3G, iPhone, and iPod Touch.

The update is expected to fix many longstanding bugs found since the release of revision 2.0.1 regarding various applications and device reception with no specific changes or changelog currently available and is intended to be a full firmware update.

The update is available now from iTunes by going to iTunes > iPhone > Check for Updates.

Yeah, the new iPhone now has 3G connectivity, but it still doesn?t support live video streaming from the built-in camera. This is where Qik comes in. Qik is an app that allows you to do what is currently impossible to the iPhone: make it a live streaming video camera. It?s not available in the App Store, which means you?ll have to have a jailbroken iPhone to download and it make it work. The latest version now supports even 1.1.4 running iPhone, but it won?t stream over an EDGE network.

Just sign up at Qik?s website to receive an SMS to activate it. Installation of the app itself is as easy as going to Multimedia Section in Cydia and clicking Qik, and you?re done.

[via TechCrunch]

While many thought the much anticipated Blackberry Bold would make its debut in the US around the same time as the iPhone 3G, it’s still yet to happen.  Interestingly enough, the device was launched recently on the Movistar network in Chile.  Why Chile?  It’s not exactly clear.

While it should be available some time next month for AT&T here in the states, Movistar’s website is boasting that their offering of the Bold is “Primero en el mundo,” or the First in the World.  It was likely a ploy to get the Bold introduced before competing wireless companies came out with their signature devices, most notably the iPhone for Chilean consumers on the Claro network.

Blackberry fans have been waiting for the Bold for a  long time, ever since being introduced way back in October of last year.  It’s destined to be the ultimate Blackberry since it finally features everything long-time users have been waiting for such as 3G access, a great high resolution screen, and clean styling all finally available on a BlackBerry.

SquareTrade is the only major warranty provider for iPhone 3G, aside from Apple’s iPod-derived AppleCare Protection Plan. And, while their offerings are a bit confusing, we’ve gotten the straight story on how to get your iPhone 3G covered the way you want it.

Part of the confusion here, is that iPhone 3G has three different price-points. There’s the $199/$299 price point (for 8 GB and 16 GB, respectively), which is the “new customer” price. Only new customers, people out of contract, and first-gen iPhone buyers can get that price. Then, there’s the $399/$499 price, which is what customers locked into a contract with AT&T will pay to have their contract reset early. Finally, there’s the $599/$699 price, which eventually will allow buyers to purchase an iPhone 3G without any contract.

Got that? Good. Because now it gets a bit more confusing.

SquareTrade will provide you with three years of warranty coverage, and for an additional amount, provide accidental damage coverage. It’s not full insurance, if your iPhone 3G is lost or stolen, you only can get back a partial refund of the unused coverage.

At their web site, they tell you to enter in the price you paid. However, for iPhone 3G, you should enter the price-point that you want coverage for. Meaning, if you want them to refund you for the no-contract price of iPhone 3G, you need to enter in either $599 or $699 (respectively) as the coverage amount. If you’re fine staying locked into an AT&T contract, enter the $399 or $499 price as the amount. We don’t suggest entering $199 or $299 as the coverage amount… if your iPhone 3G breaks 1.5 years down the road, you’ll have to pay AT&T a $200 penalty for an early contract reset to get your iPhone 3G replaced.

Of course, SquareTrade could make a special iPhone 3G sales page which clarifies this. But, until then, you should probably grab your warranty now. People that bought an iPhone 3G on launch day have a little over a week to buy their warranty extension, since you must buy it within 30 days of purchase.

Money Saving Tip: Enter coupon code FIFTYOFF to get, surprisingly, 50% off your warranty price. This discount also applies to the accidental damage option. That actually brings the full warranty, sans contract, with damage coverage, on a 16 GB iPhone to only $87.50 (only $19 more than Apple’s single year warranty extension, which doesn’t include damage coverage). That comes to about $2.50 per month for the best warranty and damage coverage you can get for iPhone 3G.

Update: SquareTrade has confirmed to us that the procedure above is correct, and that they will honor all three iPhone 3G price-points, regardless of what you originally paid for iPhone 3G. You enter the price into SquareTrade that you want coverage for, up to the $599/$699 price-point.

Nullriver, for a few hours, was able to offer the ability to use your iPhone as a Wi-Fi hotspot… until Apple used its monopoly power to shut them down.

It’s not rare for Nullriver to push the envelope however, the company offering its application on Apple’s App Store, is also known for creating Installer.app, the first unofficial App Store for iPhone. Using a jailbroken iPhone, Installer.app allows for easily installing iPhone applications without Apple’s blessing.

Today’s application, NetShare, allowed for iPhone users to establish what is known as a SOCKS proxy. Essentially, the user sets up a Wi-Fi ad-hoc network between iPhone and the laptop/computer. Once properly configured, the two devices can share a single internet connection.

Probably the most shocking event today, was that Apple apporoved and offered NetShare on its App Store for iPhone users. However, hours later, Apple pulled the application. It is still listed on the App Store, but with a note that the application is not currently available.

Apple is in a precarious position with the pulling of NetShare. On one hand, NetShare violates agreements between Apple and several carriers. These carriers prohibit using phones as a modem without paying an addition fee. On the other hand, Apple’s monopoly control over iPhone software, is best being exhibited with the blocking and subsequent pulling of NetShare.

Apple has had a longstanding policy of not immediately responding to requests for comment on anti-competitive practices.

Garmin announced during their quarterly conference call, that the Nuvifone will not launch this summer as previously announced. Instead it will launch in the “first half of 2009.”

The company explained the delays were due to carrier demands that were added to the device, and that the carrier adaptation process has been more difficult than Garmin expected. This is in stark contrast to Apple’s iPhone, which the Nuvifone is often compared against. Apple touted their accepted demands that AT&T not have significant changes/involvement on the development of the device.

A more direct explanation may come in the form of Nuvifone’s stability, as well as the changing market. Apple has clarified that iPhone 3G not only can do GPS Navigation, but that it will in the near future. This means that Nuvifone must perform well not just at being a GPS Phone, but at being an all-around smartphone. In addition, the device has been chronically unstable when shown, prompting Garmin to not give access to it at trade shows, despite touting the offering at each and every event.

Sure, you know that for a few hours iTunes couldn’t activate iPhone 3G, the day it came out. Big deal. The lessons that Apple really needs to learn have taken longer to uncover, but we’ll run them down.

Now that Apple is admitting that MobileMe’s launch was a failure, it’s time to go back to launch day… and see where they could have change things.

Lesson 1: Don’t launch everything at once.

iPhone OS 2.0 did not need to come out the same day as iPhone 3G. iTunes 7.7 didn’t need to come out at the same time as MobileMe, on the same day as iPhone OS 2.0, the iPod touch OS 2.0, and iPhone 3G.

A more appropriate rollout would have been to launch MobileMe two entire weeks before iPhone 3G. That way, Mac and PC could be up-to-date. There’s no evidence that iPhone users would have been impacted by leaving everything on .Mac configuration during that time.

iTunes 7.7 should have been released a week before, with the App Store simply disabled. That would have allowed for issues with the installation and iTunes Activation to have been cleared up well in advance of release.

And, finally, iPhone OS 2.0 should have gone out to existing iPhone owners a day before launch. That update restored many iPhones to factory condition, jamming an already-overloaded iTunes activation server. iPod touch’s update, similarly, should have launched a day after iPhone 3G. And, due to all the bugs, for most people it did take that long… but it was havoc inside of Cupertino while this was sorted out.

Lesson 2: Apple shouldn’t set hard dates.

The June timeframe for rolling out MobileMe alongside of iPhone, and the App Store, was convoluted to begin with. It missed Apple’s internal focus on launching one product at a time. Instead, everything was shoehorned into a single release day.

In hindsight, Apple would have benefitted from launching iPhone 3G with .Mac services, and simply done what they did with Mac OS X 10.5.4, which is left a “hook” inside of the operating system to check for when the .Mac-to-MobileMe transition had taken place. Once it did, a small app could have been downloaded that re-wrote .Mac to MobileMe. If it works on the Mac, it would have worked fine on iPhone 3G, they’re using essentially the same code.

Apple is a company that works best when there isn’t a deadline. Don’t mess with a good thing.

Lesson 3: Set expectations.

If Apple had said before iDay 2.0 that there may be up to a 12-hour delay for activating iPhone 3G, there wouldn’t have been launch-day hysteria. Again, this goes back to Lesson 1 that I posited earlier, but still, Apple needs to have better crowd control procedures.

All it would have taken was a simple, one-sentence note in iPhone 3G’s launch documents to the public. And, Apple knew there was a good chance this would happen… so it’s their fault for missing the boat on cautioning potential buyers.

Lesson 4: Get more/better PR.

Apple is notorious for having horrible public relations. In five years, I still can’t figure out if the problem is that Apple’s PR team is either woefully out-of-touch, or woefully overwhelmed. I’d like to believe the latter, really, I do.

But the fact remains, Apple has lousy public relations, and this just leaves writers to print more hysteria on top of the few no-comment replies that do come from official channels.

Lesson 5: Make pricing cogent from all angles.

iPhone 3G pricing, as we previously reported, doesn’t make sense. It is cheaper to buy an iPhone 3G as a new customer, pay for a month of service, and then the early termination fee… than it is to buy an iPhone 3G at the no-contract price.

While Apple likely won’t lose any money from this route, AT&T may be forced to increase no-contract iPhone 3G prices down the road because of this. And, I assure you, the media will make a big deal out of that, and the public will be left scratching their heads, thinking iPhone 3G costs more now than before.

Apple has been seeding two new firmware builds to selected developers and AT&T designed to address specific issues in the iPhone 3G and the first generation iPhone with software version 2.0.

Firmware 2.1 for the iPhone isn’t the unexpected release most are claiming it to be thanks to the selective memory present in the media, but it does bring a few notable improvements over the first release such as improved GPS performance through the further improvement of the CoreLocation library, an API for in between background push sevices for application developers, as well as the addition of extensions for cut/copy/paste functionality in Safari as well as other potential applications, though Apple’s current position on the functionality is negative, despite the outcry from users and detractors.

Firmware 2.0.1 is a bugfix release being developed jointly with AT&T for users of both generations of the iPhone who have reported issues with stability, accelerometer issues on the 3G, camera issues on the first generation model when updated to firmware 2.0, with the appropriate build model numbers in 5B101 for first-generation iPhones and build number 5B103 for 3G iPhones being sent between Apple and AT&T.

We did not report on the release of PwnageTool 2.0, because it didn’t work.

However, PwnageTool 2.0.1 is now out. And, with a little modification, the tool enables you to jailbreak (run applications without Apple’s approval) on iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod touch… all three now work with iPhone OS 2.0.

In addition, the update allows for SIM unlocking first-generation iPhone units with the updated firmware inside of iPhone OS 2.0. The iPhone Dev Team responsible for the creation of PwnageTool says that a release to SIM unlock iPhone 3G is forthcoming, but that they are waiting on Apple to issue a software update for iPhone 3G first.

As with many reports in the media, fools rush in, and reported on the initial release. PhoneNews.com held off on reporting until we got the tool working… properly.

Many may have issues with iPhone 3G’s jailbreak. This is because iPhone 3G has a slightly-different activation file that PwnageTool has trouble with right now. The best thing you can do is switch to Expert Mode, and simply uncheck the “Activate phone” option, and complete the process using the on-screen instructions. Doing so will defer to the standard activation. On iPhone 3G, this isn’t an issue since any valid AT&T SIM will work with iPhone 3G… something which we previously reported on.

Below is a full technical analysis of the changes in iPhone activation/un-bricking, both with first-generation iPhone units, as well as iPhone 3G.

Similar to iPhone 3G, first-generation iPhone owners get a nice benefit from upgrading to iPhone OS 2.0. Now, any iPhone in the United States can use any AT&T SIM card… even if it’s on a plan that Apple previously barred from use with iPhone.

That means you can now insert a GoPhone prepaid SIM card into any iPhone or iPhone 3G without iTunes phoning home. It also means that GoPhone pay-as-you-go can now be used on any iPhone without requiring a jailbreak or other hack.

That dramatically lowers the cost of iPhone ownership for users. Starting at $20/month for flat-rate unlimited data, GoPhone allows iPhone owners to use the device primarily as a data phone, as well as a backup prepaid phone. This is an excellent option for users still on a contract with another carrier, but want to start using iPhone today.

We did notice minor nuances between the two iPhone models when swapping different SIM cards. iPhone 3G accepts any AT&T SIM instantly. However, first-generation iPhone units demand to be connected to iTunes. After connecting however, iPhone instantly accepts and registers the SIM. We don’t know as of yet why the two iPhone models exhibit slightly different activation procedures.

We suspect that the old build target (the old iPhone) still demands a PrivateActivation.pem file. iTunes now generates that on-the-fly. iPhone 3G, having a newer build target, doesn’t have that dependency.

One thing remains clear: As Apple has dropped its revenue-sharing model, the company has changed its activation process to that of a standard phone. The iTunes “bricking” on iPhone and iPhone 3G is now no different from the “bricking” that is exhibited on an iPod touch. The only information that we can find now transferred, is iTunes Store data, as well as potentially the mobile number. No account-specific information is required for iPhone to be activated.

Finally, some were questioning iPhone 3G’s functionality with a GoPhone SIM. As we previously reported, everything works fine. At the top of this article is a photo of an iPhone 3G after placing a call on prepaid, complete with balance remaining notification. No jailbreaks or hacks were attempted prior to inserting the prepaid SIM.

New images have surfaced detailing two upcoming BlackBerry smart devices.

One is a direct response to the iPhone in the Thunder while the other is a variant of the upcoming BlackBerry Bold 3G device without the bespoke high speed data access.

Image courtesy of CrackBerry.com

The BlackBerry Thunder will be launched as an exclusive device on both Verizon Wireless and Vodafone in the Uk when it is expected to launch in September with OS 4.7, the first version of the Java-based BlackBerry operating system to support touch displays.

What is also known about the device is that it will function like a BlackBerry, right down to the simulation of tactile feedback on an actual keyboard by having the display act as one large button with local haptic feedback, addressing concerns that many have brought up concerning the utility and viability of such a device for a class of users known for their near religious devotion to the device in its current form.

The device will also continue to rely on the menu key for the majority of tasks, retaining the familiarity people come to expect from a BlackBerry while offering both standard QWERTY and SureType converged keyboard configurations depending on orientation.

Image courtesy of BerryReview.com

The next model revealed is the non 3G version of the Bold codenamed Javelin.

Ever since the first leaks of the new generation BlackBerry devices surfaced, the above mentioned BlackBerry variant was always mentioned in the same breath as the more powerful Bold, due in part because it is planned to be the next device to launch after AT&T’s exclusive on the Bold ends at the beginning of next year, with the Javelin expected to launch next year.

The featureset of the Javelin is expected to be similar to the 3G enabled Bold save for 3G access being replaced by quadband GSM/EDGE support and is otherwise identical with GPS support, Wi-Fi radio, 3.2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0, and microSDHC expansion slot.

We’ve gone through the entire AppStore launch list. Find out what iPhone apps you probably haven’t heard of, and why you probably will want them.

10) Sketches

This one is a cult classic of the jailbreaking movement. While it does now cost $7.99, the application has gotten a full rewrite.

Ever miss your etch a sketch. Want to see how bad handwriting would be on the multi-touch display? Then this is the app for you. With multiple colors, drawing boards, email and photo support… you can write on just about anything with Sketches.

9) ICE

ICE, or In Case of Emergency, is quickly becoming commonplace on all phones. Essentially, paramedics are trained to look for the ICE function on a phone, and quickly access the emergency contacts that you would want to know, should something happen that renders you unconscious. Typically, you can work around this by creating a contact named ICE, and listing relevant numbers there.

This app goes quite a few steps farther. It lets you list emergency contacts, vital information, even allergies. For a free app, this one is a no-brainer. Install it, fill it in, and hopefully never need it.

8 ) Moto Racer

Moto Racer is a heavily 3D intensive app for iPhone. Not only does it let you race around in 3D, but it relies on the accelerometer to turn. It’s fast, and the graphics keep up with the pace. For only $9.99, it’s a very well-polished game. A few things such as the inability to pause keep it from the top spots though.

7) Cro-Mag Rally

Pangea ports their classic racing game to the Mac. And, it’s even more fun on iPhone. $9.99 gets you a $30 game for Mac.

6) Yelp

Local searches are nice, but what if you want to know something a little bit more… informative, than just a phone number. Yelp gives you reviews of locations by fellow yelpers. And, with location service integration, you get both the location you’re at, combined with feedback of nearby places. It’s even more useful than local searches inside of Apple Maps.

5) Truphone

Unfortunately, due to AT&T’s restrictions on the AppStore, Truphone’s appearance isn’t as pleasant as we had hoped at first glance. Dreams of VoIP handoffs were dashed quickly. Instead, TruPhone announced that the service only works on Wi-Fi. Basically, you leave the app open, and whenever you get a call, it’s bounced from your cell phone over to a VoIP call on Wi-Fi. Simple, and free.

4) Jott for iPhone

Jott is a great service that we haven’t mentioned on PhoneNews.com before. You call a phone number, and it transcribes whatever you tell it. But, calling a phone number is hard work. With Jott for iPhone, you now just tap and talk. You get a response back with whatever you said… this time in writing.

3) Pangea VR

One of the major gripes with iPhone vs Mac, is that Apple cut out QuickTime VR support from iPhone. And, with no Flash support… that meant that iPhone’s multi-touch display, couldn’t touch panoramic models. Thankfully, Pangea has filled that void, giving you one-touch access to the broad range of panoramas compatible with it’s app. And, it’s free.

2) NetNewsWire

The best RSS reader on Mac gets a full port to iPhone. Like all of NewsGator’s other applications for consumers, it’s free, and it syncs with all of their other clients. So, you can have RSS sync on your Mac, iPhone, and PC, without ever needing a web browser.

1) SEGA Columns Deluxe

The first of what will hopefully be many 16-bit ports to iPhone and iPod touch. While SEGA is giving most of its attention to Super Monkey Ball, this game puts a new twist on an old all-star classic. Columns is the arch nemesis to Tetris, and while it hasn’t fared as well through time, it’s great to see Columns make a day one launch on the AppStore. Now, where is Sonic CD?

Filed under: HTC, Accessories

We’ve compiled a how-to guide that works the system, and will net you an iPhone 3G on July 11 for about $199, and leave you without any contract at the end of it all.

The process only requires that you (or someone you can borrow) does not have active service with AT&T. Want to know the steps? Read more to find out.

Here is what you need for this process:

1) Someone without an active AT&T account.
2) A first-generation iPhone. It can be used.

We have tested this guide up to the point of purchasing the iPhone 3G. According to AT&T’s guidelines for upgrading to an iPhone 3G, there should not be any issues with this guide.

See, as a part of Apple’s renegotiations with AT&T, they put in one requirement; anyone with an iPhone on their account, is entitled to upgrade to the new iPhone 3G as if they were a new customer. We are going to exploit this as a loophole.

Step 1: Setting up a new account with AT&T.

The first step is to sign up as a new customer, but not with an iPhone. Instead, you need to order online using this link (which takes you to AT&T’s online store) and get a phone without any mail-in rebates. We stress that you should use the above link and not order from a third-party store, for reasons that will complicate this guide (but trust us, order direct using the above link).

We suggest buying a refurbished AT&T Tilt as your phone of choice. This is a good phone because it is heavily discounted, and there aren’t any rebates. More on this later.

When your phone arrives, set it up with the new service plan that is bundled with the phone. Make a test call.

Step 2: Activating the first-generation iPhone.

Now, we’re going to take the first-generation iPhone and activate it.

(If this is a used iPhone, then go to your nearest AT&T store and ask for a new SIM card (they’re free). Insert the new SIM card into your iPhone.)

Next, connect the iPhone to iTunes. Follow the iTunes activation process, and be sure to chose the option to upgrade from your existing phone. iTunes will then transfer service from the phone you received from AT&T… to the particular iPhone.

Step 3: Buy the iPhone 3G.

Now, by activating the first-generation iPhone on your account, that makes you upgrade-eligible for iPhone 3G. Upon July 11, you simply need to wait in line, flash your iPhone to the store representatives, and walk out the door with iPhone 3G for $199 (or $299 if you chose the 16 GB iPhone).

Step 4: Cancel service. (Optional, of course).

For this, you will have to wait exactly 30 days. On the end of the last day of the first month, call AT&T and tell them you wish to cancel service. It may be best to do this after the local AT&T store closes in your area.

Why? Because AT&T has imposed a requirement that you return your iPhone within the first 30 days, if you wish to cancel service. So, we simply wait until it’s not possible to return the iPhone 3G on the 30th day. This prevents you from paying for a second month of service.

You will have to pay a $170 early termination fee ($175 less $5 pro-rated for the first month).

Step 5: eBay the first AT&T phone, and the iPhone. (Also optional, of course).

Remember that phone that we bought from AT&T, before activating the first-gen iPhone? Well, to recover the cost of the early termination fee, and one month of service… we’re going to sell that first phone.

Now it starts to make sense why we suggested the HTC Tilt. First, it’s cheap. Second, it’s popular. And, third… it’s easy to unlock! Unlocking a phone easily adds $50 to $100 to the cost of a device like the Tilt, so being able to do it easily is just a free bonus.

Also the lack of a mail-in rebate means you don’t have to hold onto the device for six months to get part of your money back.

Finally, you can eBay the first-generation iPhone. Unlocking that as well will increase its eBay value.

The result? The “profit” in selling the two under-contract devices for a no-contract price on eBay will cancel out the ETF and the first month of service. Of course, based on eBay prices, which are variable… we can’t say with certainty that you will wind up with a net cost of $199 for iPhone 3G. However, it should come close.

Here’s the math, in case you’re wondering:

AT&T Tilt Refurb price with 2-year contract: -$149
Activation Fee: -$36
One month of service: -$70
Early Termination Fee: -$170
iPhone 3G 8 GB: -$199
Total Costs: -$624

eBay value of AT&T Tilt Unlocked: ~$380

$624 - $380 = $244… that’s you’re price for an iPhone 3G, and you now have no contract. You can then sell the iPhone 3G, or activate it on another line of service.

And, of course, there is one more thing.

We do caution that while this is kosher with AT&T policy, this guide will probably become very popular, very fast. It is possible that AT&T will impose a limit of today on iPhone owners to establish service, and be able to buy an iPhone 3G at $199/$299. 

It is unlikely however, that AT&T will make such an announcement retroactive. So, sign up for service today and hurry up! It’s not likely that AT&T will allow this deal to continue for folks that activate iPhone after the 11th.

But, what about?

The most common feedback we received in testing about this guide was the following: “How am I going to do this with my iPhone that is already under contract with AT&T?”

Simple. Have someone else establish service with AT&T. You put your iPhone on their account, and they then upgrade from Tilt, to iPhone, to iPhone 3G. Legally speaking, you’re giving your iPhone to someone else for a week, and putting your existing AT&T account on another device (like, that super-cheap phone your friend just got from AT&T).

We aren’t here to debate the ethics of this procedure, we just figured it out, put it in motion, and are all doing it ourselves. The idea stemmed from the fact that folks at PhoneNews.com all use iPhone 3G on GoPhone Pick Your Plan accounts. This is something supported by iPhone, but AT&T has prohibited on iPhone 3G.

We will note however that iPhone 3G is the only device in the industry that is not for sale without a contract of some form, and that anti-consumer practice at launch is something we feel is unacceptable. While iPhone 3G will eventually be available without contract (and probably on prepaid as well), we feel it is not reasonable to prohibit such sales from day one.

The first press images of the successor to the venerable Motorola V9 on AT&T have surfaced.

Images courtesy of Engadget Mobile

The update to the V9 adds a new color and AT&T Navigation service, but is otherwise identical to the former with an outer touch sensitive QVGA display with haptic feedback, 2.0 megapixel camera with video recorder, microSDHC expansion slot, dual-band HSDPA access, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, and speakerphone.

Unconfirmed reports also state that this version will also support AT&T Video Share one way video calling, but no further information is available at this time.