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September 29, 2006

T-Mobile Handset Extravaganza

Posted by Josh | Discussion: 5 comments


T-Mobile’s had a busy September, popping out four new Samsung handsets and the RIM BlackBerry Pearl. As an end of the month celebration of sorts, Infosync World put together a tidy little roundup of all the phones, including the Trace aka SGH-T519, which we have a little video of via sister-site CrunchGear. Sadly, it looks like none of these phones will reach any sort of legendary Motorola RAZR-type status and moreover, they all seem to be a tad on the meh-side of things. This is particularly the case for the Pearl, because while it’s the smallest, lightest BlackBerry around, and the only one with a camera, its business roots show the second you hit the submenus.

Coming soon: New and upcoming T-Mobile phones [InfoSync World]

September 27, 2006

Mobile TLD .mobi Open to Public Registrations

Posted by Matt Hickey | Discussion: 6 comments

You’ve been waiting, you’ve been patient, you’ve been getting by somehow with .biz and .info, but the time has come at last. You can now have our own .mobi domain name. As of today, registration of .mobi domains is open to the general public at $25 for two years.

The debate as to whether or not we need another top level domain isn’t one that we can solve in the pages here on MobileCrunch, so we’ll leave it be….

No, we take that back. We don’t need another TLD , especially not one specifically for mobiles. But that hasn’t stopped 13,000 individuals from signing up for their own .mobi domains, and probably won’t deter the 200,000 other new signups MLTD, the group who oversees the domain, thinks are in the pipe.

We’ll see what happens.

.mobil Registration [ pc.MLTD.mobi]


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September 26, 2006

Nokia Drops a Bunch of Phones

Posted by Blake Robinson | Discussion: 7 comments

Alright, so the quality on these shots is about as good as that Paris Hilton porn, but I’d hate for Biggs to get all messy for nothing. So here is some hot man hand on phone action for your viewing pleasure. Viewer discretion is advised:

Here you’ll see the N95 at the top. It has a 5MP camera, GPS, word map, WLAN and HSDPA. Expect it to cost roughly $87215684265.

Next in that pic is the N75, which features a 2MP cam and music playback.

At the bottom is the N80ie which is also in the pic above and below.

Here is the N80ie. It has greater web functionality, WiFi and a 3MP camera. It shelled in a slider case with a sexy black finish.

September 20, 2006

m300 GSM Cell Phone Watch is the First Cell Phone Watch to Market

Posted by John Biggs | Discussion: 17 comments

As much as we love our respective cell phones, there’s something about using a watch to talk to someone that makes you James Bond/Dick Tracy/Inspector Gadget/A Super Nerd. And we’re all for it. This m300 GSM phone will have a 99-count phone book, 70 hours of standby, and will be available by Christmas season. Their site says we have 72 days left until its release date of December 1, so we’re super excited.

The watch also has Bluetooth in case you wanted to use a headset and keep your conversations private. We don’t have anything to hide - if anyone wants to hear where we buried that body, be our guest.

Product Page [My Mobile Watch via uber phones]

Samsung Trace Quick Look

Posted by John Biggs | Discussion: 1 comment

Feast your gadget-starved eyes on the Samsung Trace aka the T519 from T-Mobile. It’s thin, light, and magical.

It’s very SLVR-like - which is what T-Mo is going for here - and very inexpensive ($99). Unfortunately, it’s made of Samsung plastic and feels pretty chintzy but if you’re looking for something to slip between the pages of a book to hold your place, you can’t go wrong with this thin Lizzie.

Product Page [T-Mobile]

Apple iTunes 7 Music Purchases Not Working on SLVR and ROKR Phones?

Posted by John Biggs | Discussion: 1 comment

Among the various problems users have encountered with the new iTunes 7 software, one of the worst has to be the fact that the iTunes Music Store purchases aren’t working in Motorola ROKR and SLVR phones. The songs that have been ripped from CDs or downloaded as MP3s from elsewhere on the web work fine, it’s just the DRM tracks from iTMS that don’t work.

No fix has been found yet, but Apple’s working on an updated iTunes 7 that should be released soon. In the meantime, if you haven’t upgraded, we suggest that you wait.

Apple Support [via TUAW]

September 19, 2006

NewsGator Goes Mobile

Posted by Blake Robinson | Discussion: 26 comments

NewsGator will announce tomorrow the addition of a new product that will likely make a nice splash.NewsGator Go! is an RSS aggregator designed for use with Windows Mobile devices. It will provide users with the ability to conveniently read content and manage RSS subscriptions while on the go.

The new version is able to synchronize articles and subscriptions with existing NewsGator programs such as: NewsGator Online, Inbox, NetNewsWire, and FeedDemon. Using NewsGator Online, users are able to send specific feeds to certain devices, so, for instance, one can set a mobile device to receive only the most important feeds. It also formats the feeds so that they are ideally suited to mobile displays.

NewsGator Go! for Windows Mobile will be compatible with any device running Windows Mobile 2003 or Windows Mobile 5. It will be available from NewGator tomorrow for $29.95.

NewsGator

Motorola to Acquire Symbol Technologies

Posted by John Biggs | Discussion: Comment this story

Motorola announced today that it would buy Symbol Technologies Inc. for $3.9 billion. The move will position Moto as the world’s largest seller of hand held bar-code scanners.

The companies have had a close relationship for years, so this isn’t too much of a surprise. Nevertheless, the acquisition could beef up Motorola and aid their run at taking cell market dominance from Nokia.

T-Mobile Invests in 3G Spectrum

Posted by John Biggs | Discussion: 5 comments

CrunchGear is reporting that T-Mobile just won 120 licenses on the 3G-compatable spectrum in this month’s FCC auction. That doesn’t just mean that they’re now able to roll out their nacient 3G network, but rather that they can roll it out their way, without being hamstringed by tacky 2 or 2.5G hardware and software licensing issues.

T-Mobile had to be aggressive in their bidding. Cingular, who has been rolling out it’s 3G network across the country in the last year, is poised to own the high-speed data market for mobiles. If T-Mobile really wants to be a player in this new-yet-profitable space, they had to move quickly, and move quickly they did.

With 120+ nationwide licenses, T-Mobile can now deploy true wireless broadband to most metro markets in the US, with short-term investments paying off. And they had better, as T-Mo has commited over $4 Billion to the FCC, as compared to Verizon’s $2.8 Billion, and $2.4 Billion from relative newcomers to the wireless world, a consortium of copper and fiber groups including Comcast and Time Warner.

This mad dash of bandwidth is remarkable in that it shows that wireless bandwidth is a true commodity. When something becomes commoditized, it truly becomes commonplace. With entertainment companies (including Satellite providers and Cable companies) bidding this aggressively, it shows a maturity in the market that most people use to call Mom. There is irony there, you should share it.

The long and short is that T-Mobile is changing. With their recent handset offerings, this near-future upgrade in network capabilities makes them a contender, or a force to be watched in the mobile field. If they can lay out this type of high-end product while keeping their level of customer service and palatable plans intact, they could easily shoot from number 4 to number 1 in the North American provider rankings. Translation: T-Mobile stalwarts, your day is coming.

Auction 66: Advanced Wireless Services [FCC]

September 13, 2006

Sierra Wireless Announces AirCard 875

Posted by Blake Robinson | Discussion: 6 comments

Here at CTIA, Sierra Wireless and Cingular Wireless have announced that they will be releasing the AirCard 875. The AirCard 875 is a 3G LaptopConnect card and also the first HSDPA 3.6 Mbps network card in America. The new AirCard will allow Cingular customers to have a mobile broadband connection in over 100 countries. The card will be retailing for $99.99 (after rebate) when Cingular customers sign up for a two-year unlimited DataConnect contract ($59.00). Not too bad of a deal if you’re always on the go.

Sierra Wireless also announced the USB NC5725 Rev A embedded module. This USB modem supports EV-DO Rev A and comes with a dock that can can be used to plug the modem into your desktop if all your USB plugs have been filled.