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Dell dealing HTC Aria for free on new AT&T contract
$130 for the newest member of AT&T's Android family? Funk that noise! Dell -- yes, the same Dell that will be offering its own Android phones on AT&T in the near future -- is selling the just-released Aria for free when activated on a new line with a two-year contract. Of course, it's a time-honored tradition for third-party wireless retailers to undercut carriers' own subsidized prices, so it's no big surprise that this is cheaper than $130 -- but for it to drop all the way down to $0 the same week of release is a pretty sweet deal. Too bad the lack of app sideloading is less of a sweet deal... but we digress. [Thanks, Jon]
Engadget Mobile Podcast 043 - 06.21.2010
The latest Engadget Mobile Podcast, finally available as a hi-fi download, finds Chris and Myriam deep in the throes of discriminating phone fandom (e.g., Phandom). Hear the pair wallow through oceans of new handsets from Nokia, Samsung, and HTC as they make sense of this week's mobile hardware landscape and answer your questions about how and when to buy your next phone. Hosts: Chris Ziegler, Myriam Joire (tnkgrl)Producer: Trent WolbeMusic: Daestro - Light Powered (Ghostly International)01:08 - Nokia N8 preview01:20 - Nokia N8 meets Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, has a good time (video)10:34 - Nokia E73 Mode review17:03 - T-Mobile confirms free phone offer for family plans this Saturday21:32 - iPhone 4 pre-orderers overwhelm servers, world on the brink of ending28:05 - iPhone 4 is unlocked in Canada, too30:44 - Exclusive: Motorola Droid X preview36:43 - T-Mobile's Samsung Galaxy S outed by way of FCC?38:50 - Samsung Captivate is AT&T's version of the Galaxy S, launching 'in the coming months'42:00 - HTC Aria review52:27 - Listener questionsHear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)Contact the podcastpodcast (at) engadgetmobile (dot) com.Follow us on Twitter@zpower @tnkgrl @engadgetmobile
HTC Aria slipping out early into AT&T stores
Good news, Android fans! HTC's Aria -- arguably the first Google-fied phone on AT&T worth caring about -- is seemingly slipping onto carrier floors a few days early. As the story goes, the Sense-equipped, Android 2.1-powered handset was supposed to go on sale this Sunday, but based on these unboxing shots from a giddy tipster, it's clearly ready to be procured early in some locations. Still unsure if it's worth your $129.99 on contract? Have a peek at our review right here. Update: We're also hearing through the grapevine that these are in stock in certain Best Buy Mobile locations. [Thanks, Travis] %Gallery-95644%
HTC Aria review
It's sort of hard to believe, but AT&T finally has an Android phone worth paying attention to. Mind you, the AT&T compatible Nexus One is easily the best Googlephone on America's largest GSM operator, but this is the first one that the company has bothered to brand and sell on a subsidized plan within its own stores. Pundits could argue the reasons why forever, but considering that the carrier's doing all it can just to keep up with the demand for iPhones, it's hard to imagine that AT&T has been longing to pursue Android with reckless abandon. Believe it or not, it's been over 1.5 years since T-Mobile gave the world the first taste of a mobile OS that would soon rival (and surpass) the other options already on the table, but outside of the forgettable Backflip (and the nowhere-to-be-found Aero), there's been no Android to speak of on AT&T. HTC has somehow managed to break down the blue and orange walls, piercing the heart of a hardened operator and squeezing a delightful mid-range Android smartphone into a lineup that's about to be monumentally overshadowed by the iPhone 4. So, is the HTC Aria worth the $129.99 that you'll be forced to pay on a 2-year agreement when it ships on June 20th? Read on to find out. %Gallery-95473%
HTC Aria for AT&T hands-on
We just took delivery of AT&T's brand new Aria from HTC, and we have to say, we're kind of tickled -- with the hardware, anyway. It's hard not to smile at the HD Mini-esque design elements, including the faux screws on back, the wild yellow interior, and... well, just the overall mini-ness of it. Seriously, this is a tiny phone; that means that eschewing WVGA in favor of HVGA isn't an issue, but it also means that effectively using the on-screen keyboard could be. On that note, the jury's still out on whether this phone is any good for day-to-day use -- and whether it has any chops as a legit Android device -- but stay tuned for our review coming up! %Gallery-95351%
HTC Aria goes official for AT&T, gets toyed with on video (update: $130, coming June 20)
Um... okay? In what's easily one of the most curious product introductions of the year (in terms of method, not design), AT&T has seemingly just made official the first not-awful Android device to be sold in subsidized fashion for its network. 'Course, those who don't mind ponying up for an out-of-contract phone have been able to pick up an AT&T-compatible Nexus One for a few months now, but contract lovers have been stuck with the Motorola Backflip and the promise of Dell's admittedly underwhelming Aero. Dante Martin, a product manager at the carrier, has followed up on a prior video with a confirmation that the HTC Aria is indeed "launching on AT&T," though he gives precisely no specifications in his address posted after the break. All we know is that the phone will most certainly ship with Sense and an optical trackball, but mum's the word on a price or release. For now, anyway. Here's hoping this is just the beginning -- AT&T needs a decent dose of Android in the worst possible way. [Thanks, Travis] Update: Ah, and here's the official presser. It's a mid-range phone with Android 2.1, a five megapixel camera, 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive touchpanel, inbuilt WiFi and support for 7.2Mbps HSPA. There's also a soft-touch back and a total weight of around four ounces, and AT&T says this one will be available on June 20th nationwide for $129.99 on a two-year contract (after $100 mail-in rebate, of course). As for specs? There's a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM 7227 processor, proximity sensor, integrated GPS, a digital compass, light sensor, 512MB ROM / 384MB RAM, a microSD card slot (2GB included) and a 1,200mAh battery good for up to six hours of yapping. %Gallery-95106%
HTC 'Aria' tapped for June announce on AT&T?
Here's what we know: there are at least two Android products from HTC that have recently secured FCC approval with support for AT&T's 3G bands. Of course, that alone doesn't mean that they're coming to AT&T -- far from it -- but PhoneDog has it on authority from a "connect that works for AT&T" that there'll be a phone known as the HTC "Aria" launching on June 7 with Android 2.1 and Sense. Whether this will be an AT&T-tweaked Legend, the PC70110 (pictured), or something else entirely is an open question, but one thing's for sure: AT&T seriously can't get enough Android hardware right now. [Thanks, John]
Philips GoGear Aria, Opus, ViBE and Mix hands-on, launch info
Philips announced its GoGear Aria and Opus players for Europe back in February, but they've finally got around to showing off the units Stateside, along with offering prices, a timeframe, and a bit of company. The 2-inch screened Aria lands this month in 8GB and 16GB versions for $80 and $100, respectively; the 2.8-inch QVGA Opus does 8GB at $100, with a 16GB model in the wings; the teensy new ViBE has a 1.5-inch screen and comes in 4GB and 8GB flavors for $50 and $60; and there's a new little thumb DAP called the Mix, which is short on details. All the DAPs have FM radio and mics, and all but the Mix can do video. They also include trial subscriptions to and support for Rhapsody and Audible, along with a little browser widget to download YouTube videos and load them to the player -- a nice touch. Still, the line is pretty lackluster; we played with the players briefly, and while the design is getting better, there's still a lot of wasted space, mundane controls and ancient-seeming software -- we suppose you get what you pay for. We did appreciate Opus' inclusion of FLAC and OGG support, and its build quality really puts the rest of the line to shame.
Motorola and ARIA release MOTOROKR Z6 DUO ARIA Edition
What's better than the music-centric MOTOROKR Z6 slider you ask? One that is brought to you in conjunction with the Australian Recording Industry Association -- think RIAA, but Australia's version -- of course. Released exclusively through Crazy John's on a minimum plan of AUD $35 over 24 months (that's AUD $840), this fella definitely doesn't come cheap. Included as pack-ins are the MOTOROKR S9 Bluetooth stereo headphones, a 1GB memory card, and a $25 ringtone and wallpaper pack. The impetus behind this partnership -- other than to collect info about all your stolen music and get you busted (wink, wink) -- is to give Z6 owners direct access to ARIA's music chart from their handset and hopefully give Moto's flagging sales performance a much needed boost. Nice handset, nice headset, but these two may make strange bedfellows -- at least in the public's eyes -- if the ARIA is as unpopular as the RIAA is over here.[Via mocoNews]
Castlevania: Dual Moons
Forum poster Think Tank recently did a little snooping at Gamepro.com to shed some light on the supposed upcoming DS Castlevania title. It looks like we have an actual name for it now. Castlevania: Dual Moons isn't as gripping a name as Aria of Sorrow or Harmony of Dissonance and hopefully will change before the suggested 2007 release. Stay tuned to DS Fanboy for more information as it develops. [Via Go Nintendo] [Update: Gah! We fell for an April Fool's joke. Serves us right for that nasty Mario DS Lite prank we pulled.]
