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You can't escape: Carnival brings cellular to the open sea
Some of us take cruises to escape the crushing reality of being within reach at all times, but for everyone else, Carnival Cruise Lines has announced a partnership with Wireless Maritime Services to outfit its entire 21-ship fleet with cellular networks. WMS is a joint venture of Cingular and Maritime Telecommunications Network, but despite Cingular's affinity for GSM, the system supports both GSM and CDMA handsets and has roaming agreements in place with Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile, among several other major carriers. Staying in touch from the middle of the Atlantic ain't cheap, though: even Cingular's own customers can look forward to paying $2.49/minute for the privilege.[Via Mobiledia]
Cingular beefs up the low end with Nokia's 6102i
If you're looking for a virtually free clamshell on Cingular, you have an impressive selection to choose from, with entries from Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, Pantech, Motorola, and Nokia all in the mix. They've gone ahead and re-upped that selection just a bit by replacing the aging 6102 with the 6102i, which adds Bluetooth but otherwise sounds about the same as its predecessor: you get dual color displays, VGA camera, speakerphone, and EDGE support for next to nothing on contract (we show $9.99 after rebates in the Midwest). Now, how's about adding a couple Nokias on the high end while you're at it, Cingular?[Via MobileTracker]
Cingular 3G option appears on Lenovo's ThinkPad page
We're still not really sure what's taken Lenovo so long to make good on pushing out Cingular 3G options in their beloved ThinkPad line (well, yes we are -- could be anything from hardware to network optimization to Verizon exclusivity -- but is simply most likely the lack of HSDPA rollout), but from the looks of things Lenovo's finally about to launch some laptops with Cingular BroadbandConnect. If it's anything like their Verizon option it'll cost you a bit of cash (about $250 for EV-DO, anyway), but all we know for now is that there's at least one page on Lenovo's site advertising a ThinkPad T60 for a cool $1,900 (not counting the $200 mail-in rebate they're serving up). Hey, these laptops aren't for mere amateurs, so consider yourself warned; you didn't exactly expect the baseline model to come in real cheap, now did you? [Thanks, Dale]
Cingular's southern base skewing American Idol results?
Market research firm the NPD Group thinks it might have an explanation for American Idol's apparent bias toward contestants from the south, pointing to the show's exclusive arrangement with Cingular for voting via text messaging. You see, Cingular is based in Atlanta, and the majority of the company's customers -- some 20 million -- are also from the south; of the 18 million Cingular customers that use text messaging across the country, more than half are (you guessed it) from the south. So, NPD suggests, since only Cingular users are able to vote by text messaging, it would stand to reason that they'd be more likely to vote for contestants from their own region -- and, wouldn't you know it, all five American Idol winners are indeed southerners (even though Cingular wasn't sponsoring the show during the first two seasons). We hope you'll understand if we don't get too worked up over this.[Via RCRNews]
Cingular brings Push Mail to 8125: MSFP up for download
Bang! Just as expected, Cingular pulled the trigger on that MSFP, finally bringing Microsoft's Direct Push eMail to your 8125. If your packing a 2125 you'll have to hold tight; your update is "coming soon." No surprise, but Cingular fails to mention the inclusion of A2DP stereo audio support so we'll just have to wait for you brave souls to report back on your experience m'kay? Now best get to downloading 'cause your boss budgeted the extra $49.99 per month (same as BlackBerry Access) required for unlimited Internet and Direct Push mail, right?[Thanks, Ed Haber]
MSFP on the way for Cingular's WM5 devices
We know that many (if not most) of you have jumped the gun and installed modded Wizard / Faraday ROMs chock full o' goodies like MSFP and A2DP, but for the handful of you patiently waiting for Cingular to pull the trigger, mark June 19 on your calendars. That's the day Cingular's official ROM updates will drop, spreading Direct Push goodness across the lands. If you were counting on whipping out that Globalsat Bluetooth headset, you might get forced into the land of hacked firmware nonetheless -- A2DP is unlikely to make the official cut, if other vendors' releases are any indication.
Panasonic rolls Cingular HSDPA for ToughBook CF-18
It's a rough world out there, and no one should be without 3G nowadays -- especially not anyone whose job requires them to carry a Panasonic CF-18, one of their iron-clad ToughBook class laptops strong enough to take a bullet (ok, maybe not really). Looks like Panny landed a deal with Cingular to incorporate HSDPA into the CF-18 by way of a Novatel Wireless Expedite EU730 UMTS / HSDPA card, presumably a Mini PCI add-on. Nope, it's not the first shot the ToughBook has had at having 3G in its lifetime -- and we assume it won't be the last -- but this does add Panasonic to the short list of HSDPA laptop makers, as well as to the growing list of companies offering help in the way of laptop-internal 3G while remaining relatively (though never entirely) carrier agnostic. [Via The Wireless Report]
Q fans, good news: it'll cost $50 and have UMTS by 2007
For those Q fans in the audience, we've got some good news (especially if you haven't made the jump yet because that $200 price point is still a little high, or because you just can't bear the thought of switching to Verizon). Apparently Ron Garriques, Moto's Executive Vice President, Mobile Devices Business, told Bear Sterns that the Q's sales performance can be compared to the steep, successful initial launch of the RAZR, and that they not only hope to drop the price to $50 after carrier subsidy by the end of 2006, but they'll be launching a UMTS version when Verizon's exclusivity contract on the device ends (as we've been expecting). Yeah, that'd be the same UMTS version that it was supposed to be around from the get go. Still, we're assuming that exclusivity will last a good half year (quite literally a gadget lifetime to wait for us), after which time the UMTS Q will head to some mysterious, unknown network. Guess Ron wasn't too firm a believer in Moto's supposedly newly adopted announce-when-you-ship methodology, eh?
Cingular halts sale of 3G phones in 2G regions
Built it, and they will come -- even if they're not invited. That's the message Cingular is hearing loud and clear in some of its EDGE-only areas, where UMTS hasn't yet launched but their mediocre first round of 3G handsets were being sold nonetheless. Curious consumers in the EDGE boondocks have picked up the handsets and discovered Cingular Video, a service that Cingular has specifically designed for UMTS speeds, leading to a barrage of support calls for absurdly poor frame rates. Cingular, apparently oblivious that this might happen, has reversed their decision to launch 3G handsets ahead of the network build-out and is offering an extended return policy through June 30 for customers who've already picked one up. To our untrained eyes, watching CNN Headline News at insane compression rates on a sub-QVGA display looks about as good at 5 fps as it does at 20 fps, but kudos to Cingular for trying to do the right thing.
Jon Bon Jovi bejewels D807s for a good cause
We're for charity auctions just as much as the next guy, but Jon Bon Jovi and Cingular have made it hard to throw our support behind this one -- the duo are offering a limited run of ten SGH-D807s afflicted with the proverbial double-whammy of unfortunate modifications: jewels and American Idol propaganda. The eBay auction stands to benefit Jon Bon's own 2nd Floor Youth Helpline, a hotline kiddies can call to talk to a "trained listener about day-to-day issues of concern." Besides the defaced D807, a winning bid will net you a "special-edition collectors' box" signed by Ryan Seacrest and Jon himself. Whether Chris Daughtry's departure from the show counts as an "issue of concern" for the hotline, we're not sure.[Via Slashphone]
Cingular launches BlackBerry 7130c
Today Cingular officially took the wraps off their release of the BlackBerry 7130c, the latest SureType message machine from RIM that we were expecting an announcement at any moment. It'll come with the usual 64MB flash and 16MB RAM, a not-quite-QVGA 240 x 260 display, and EDGE data with rates ranging from between $29.99 to $49.99 monthly. Of course, Cingular has another thing coming if they think a 7130c is going to get people to fork over up to $50 a month for unlimited data when even Verizon sells voice and unlimited EV-DO for $80 on the Q, and is asking the same $200 for their phone. Guess Cingular will have until June 12 to think it over before it hits the street.[Via Pinstack]
Motorola V3i joining BlackBerry 7130c on Cingular next week?
It's been widely known that the Motorola V3i and a variant of the BlackBerry 7130 are both expected for Cingular; the only question was when. That piece of the puzzle might be now be answered, thanks to our ol' buddy, The Canary-uncovering, Q-exposing Boy Genius: rumor has both these objects of desire launching next week. Sure enough, he's given us some kind of promotional literature for the Cingular-branded 7130c -- yeah, it's fuzzy, but we clearly see a Cingular logo slapped on the center of that phone. When a US domestic carrier launches a phone, it doesn't take much to get us excited around here, but two relatively anticipated phones in one week? On the same carrier? Pardon us while we go launch some bottle rockets.
Cingular introduces Samsung's D407
We know well enough that Samsung's D407 features really next to nothing to SMS home about, but if you're in the market for a turbocheap Cingular handset, this VGA camera packin' Push-to-Talkin' multi-client IMing Bluetoothing EDGE quad-bander is now on the nation's largest carrier for a hundie and a twenty, including contract. We can think of a few better ways to spend a Benjamin and a Jackson, but, well, you know us.[Thanks, Zac]
Cingular rolls out Samsung D807
Quick: what phone form factor was conspicuously missing from Cingular's lineup? An ultra-thin slider, that's what. Enter the SGH-D807, Samsung's thin slider du jour, coming in at a trim .61 inches thick. Essentially an Americanized D800 minus the glorious QVGA screen, the D807 sports a more pedestrian 176 x 220 display, quad-band GSM, EDGE, a MicroSD slot, and the obligatory 1.3 megapixel camera. Available now for $129.99 after rebate with a new contract.[Thanks, Scott T, Jason K, and Brian K]
Cingular offering "personalized" celebrity Answer Tones
How do you make an annoying service even more unbearable? In the case of Cingular's Answer Tones (better known as ringback tones), you give customers the option of torturing their callers with "personalized" celebrity greetings to go along with the current catalog of low-quality song snippets. The wireless services provider has just a launched a program called "Say My Name" that offers subscribers the dubious ability of having celebrities like Juvenile, Ice T, Jamie Kennedy, and a bunch that we never head of, repeat a $2 canned message -- complete with the owner's first name (if they're lucky enough to have one of the 40 or so names deemed popular enough for this promotion, that is) -- while they're digging around pockets and purses for their phones. Note to our friends: the first time we hear a "Wassup, this ya boy Juve the Great..." when we call one of you, you'll be immediately kicked out of the Circle of Trust.[Via Mobiledia]
BlackBerry 7130c launching June 13th?
An invitation for a six-day, six-city series kicking off June 13th in Houston on getting the most out of your BlackBerry also seems to reveal the launch of RIM's 7130 candybar-style smartphone for CIngular's network. Called "Own Your Day," the event is described as beginning with "an introduction to the latest BlackBerry device" complete with "exclusive hands-on demonstration." which almost certainly refers to the 7130c that we've spotted several times before. Still, until we get official word from Cingular, you've gotta file this under "speculation" for the time being.[Via Pinstack forums]
Has-beens, wannabes unite to launch LG CU500
"Ms. Berkley, this is so-and-so with Cingular Wireless. We'd like to have you come down to Mr. Chow for a few minutes, pose with a new phone we're launching, smile, maybe answer a few questions about your illustrious career, and generally act like you give a crap. We'll snap a few photos and throw in a couple hundred bucks to make it worth your time. Whadya say?" We're guessing LG's CU500 HSDPA video-calling clamshell is getting ready to roll, now that Hollywood's B-list has come out in full force to promote it. We've never been so attracted to Elizabeth Berkley in our lives.[Thanks, Jonathan]
Samsung ZX20 poised to usher in HSDPA age on Cingular
It could end up being a photo finish between the ZX20 and the LG CU500 in the race to become the first HSDPA handset on Cingular's 3G network -- but for the ZX20's sake, we hope it launches first, because it's the ugly duckling when you put these two first-gen devices side by side. At any rate, we can now say with some certainty that the ZX20 will support video calling after the FCC dropped some user's manual goodness on us. Besides that and the aforementioned HSDPA, the ZX20 adds Bluetooth 2.0, but is otherwise a dead ringer for its pappy, the UMTS-only ZX10.[Via phoneArena - Thanks, Jordan]
Pantech C300 drops on Cingular, sort of
Cingular customers can now run out and grab the freakishly small Pantech C300 clamshell (which reminds us vaguely of Zoolander), but there's a catch: you have to be on GoPhone, Cingular's prepaid service. That's alright, postpaid customers aren't missing much -- other than the unusual size (2.72 x 1.69 x 0.76 inches closed), the C300 doesn't have much going for it. Tri-band 850/900/1900, VGA camera, and an MP3 player round out the feature set. Available now for $119.99.
Nokia E62 on Cingular soon
We're sorry to say we don't have a price or release date for you, but a little birdie told us Cingular's business unit's going to very soon be getting Nokia's QWERTY hotness, the E62 (that little birdie also supplied us a picture). Unfortunately it won't be UMTS (sigh) or have WiFi, as we knew, but it'll still have quad-band GPRS / EDGE, Good, MS Direct Push, BlackBerry Connect, XpressMail, just about every Bluetooth profile imaginable, Symbian 9.1 / S60 3.0, and all the hardware we've come to expect: 235MHz CPU, 32MB RAM and 160MB flash, MiniSD, QVGA 256k color display, and USB mass storage support. We'd say it's safe to assume you can expect this in the very near future; we'll keep you posted.
