Ctia2009
Latest
Barnes and Noble 'confirms' color Plastic Logic e-book reader for Spring 2010 (video)
In no uncertain terms, a Barnes & Noble representative at what looks like the CTIA show says that a color (color!) Plastic Logic e-book reader will launch in Spring 2010. Now, we're not sure if Daniel Joresson is authorized to make announcements about its Plastic Logic partner but he did so nonetheless. The Plastic Logic e-reader will feature a color screen about the size of a paperback and runs the "Barnes & Noble e-book reader application." It's not clear, but it sounds like the B&N application will also be available for cellphones including the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices. Right, similar to the Kindle app. So how does this jibe with rumors about a 6-inch Barnes & Noble e-reader from Plastic Logic launching as early as next month? Easy, the first version will be grayscale while a new model featuring a color display will launch in Spring. In fact, Plastic Logic's own web site says that its color reader is "around the corner" and expects to be "first to market with a large, flexible color display" -- take that Sony and Amazon with your PVI built E Ink-based displays. Watch the flirtatious B&N reveal after the break. [Thanks, Tom]Read -- Plastic Logic FAQ (color reader)Read -- Video
Samsung Behold II handled with less battery than we'd like
Yesterday we showed you this bad boy behind a thick, hand-stopping sheet of glass, and today, we're taking you just a little closer to the action. The emphasis has to be on "just a little," unfortunately, because neither T-Mobile nor Samsung were willing to slip a battery in the phone and let us play around with it, a surefire indication that the firmware isn't baked to a golden brown yet -- and when you consider that they're promising the Behold II in time for the holidays, the clock's definitely ticking. Would we pick this over a myTouch 3G? Probably, yeah -- especially with the better cam -- but let's be real, the Fender Limited Edition is another story altogether. %Gallery-75107%
RIM goes pale, shows white Curve 8520 for T-Mobile and Bold for AT&T
We know it's after Labor Day, but that doesn't seem to be stopping RIM from rolling out a couple BlackBerrys in bright white this season -- and who are we to accuse Waterloo of a fashion faux-pas? First up, the Curve 8520 on T-Mobile is now available, complementing the black and "frost" versions that have already landed; perhaps more interesting, though, is direct confirmation from RIM that there'll be a white version Bold hitting AT&T in mid-October. With the Bold 2 seemingly around the corner, recoloring the current model seems like an odd move -- but if they can continue to sell the Bold at a moderate discount a la iPhone 3G / 3GS, there might yet be a strategy there. The version RIM had on hand wasn't AT&T-branded, but... you know, just imagine the silkscreened logo and customized wallpaper, and you'll get the idea. %Gallery-75098%
Verizon's Razzle does the twist for us
We checked out Verizon's most unusual Razzle sourced from PCD at CTIA this week, and put simply, we're pretty sure there's a reason that this form factor is among the rarest. Twisting the bottom half of the phone to choose between QWERTY and a speaker with music controls just doesn't make a lot of sense unless you're constantly using the phone to play music that you want everyone around you to be able to hear -- and that's assuming you're okay with the sound quality and volume compromises you've got to make with a loudspeaker of this size. What really caught us off guard was the fact that the phone is bent about 15 degrees in the middle only in QWERTY mode; when you switch over to the speaker, it straightens out, though we're not sure what the use case logic behind that is. Anyhow, if you're just looking to own the weirdest phone on the block, the Razzle might just fit the bill -- and at least it won't break the bank. %Gallery-74992%
Video: Nokia's product testing labs in 3 minutes, 42 seconds
We had a chance to take a tour of Nokia's research and development facility in San Diego this week -- and while we're afraid to say we didn't see any Maemo 6-powered devices or Symbian^4 emulators lying around, we did see some pretty cool stuff, particularly in the product testing laboratories where engineering samples and final products are put through pure hell. The idea is to simulate years' worth of real-life product use in just a few days -- individual tests last anywhere from a few hours to three weeks or longer -- by pressing buttons, sliding sliders, actuating hinges, heating, cooling, wetting, drying, dropping, whacking, shaking, rubbing, bending, and generally defacing the phones in every way imaginable. Once a phone finally breaks, they look for obvious reasons -- cracked plastic, broken springs, and the like -- but if that initial analysis fails, they've got a well-equipped lab on site complete with a scanning electron microscope and CT scanner for taking microscopic looks at failed components in both two and three dimensions; from here, they can find broken connections on chips, incorrectly-fabricated materials, and the occasional ant eye magnified a couple thousand times (it's posted on the wall in the lab, and yes, it's scary). Follow the break for a cheerful montage of a few Nokia phones getting mercilessly beaten beyond recognition.
Nokia's product testing labs in 3 minutes, 42 seconds (video)
We had a chance to take a tour of Nokia's research and development facility in San Diego this week -- and while we're afraid to say we didn't see any Maemo 6-powered devices or Symbian^4 emulators lying around, we did see some pretty cool stuff, particularly in the product testing laboratories where engineering samples and final products are put through pure hell. The idea is to simulate years' worth of real-life product use in just a few days -- individual tests last anywhere from a few hours to three weeks or longer -- by pressing buttons, sliding sliders, actuating hinges, heating, cooling, wetting, drying, dropping, whacking, shaking, rubbing, bending, and generally defacing the phones in every way imaginable. Once a phone finally breaks, they look for obvious reasons -- cracked plastic, broken springs, and the like -- but if that initial analysis fails, they've got a well-equipped lab on site complete with a scanning electron microscope and CT scanner for taking microscopic looks at failed components in both two and three dimensions; from here, they can find broken connections on chips, incorrectly-fabricated materials, and the occasional ant eye magnified a couple thousand times (it's posted on the wall in the lab, and yes, it's scary). Follow the break for a cheerful montage of a few Nokia phones getting mercilessly beaten beyond recognition.
Samsung Behold II caught behind glass
Whoa, Android overload! Moment isn't the only Google-rife device out of Samsung that's on display at the show -- to get the whole picture you've got to turn your attention over to the Behold II, which is more or less a Galaxy done up in T-Mobile-specific clothes and makeup, right down to the all-important AMOLED display. Unfortunately, Sammy's been stingy with access to this one so far -- and it's apparently a non-working model, which might explain it -- but at least we can get a pretty good sense of the size of the device here. It looks plenty thin, and at a glance, it's got a higher-end appeal to it than the Moment; suffice it to say, the myTouch 3G's reign atop T-Mobile's full-touch Android lineup isn't long for this world. Check out a few shots below. %Gallery-74983%
Barnes & Noble working on an e-book reader of its own?
Everyone else is doing it, so why not Barnes & Noble too? That's the talk following last week's CTIA at least, where mysterious "insiders" were reportedly abuzz about the possibility of a B&N e-book reader that, like the Kindle, would supposedly be tied to a cellular carrier for some Whispernet-like connectivity. According to one of those insiders, Barnes & Noble had apparently first been in talks with Verizon about a partnership, but those seem to have fallen apart for one reason or another, and it now looks like Sprint (Amazon's partner, coincidentally) is the top contender. Some "observers" apparently still aren't ruling out AT&T as a possibility, however, especially in light of its recent expression of interest about getting into the e-book reader game. No word about the actual device itself just yet, but there's no shortage of ready-made options out there (like Plastic Logic's e-reader above) should B&N decide to go that route.[Thanks, Tim]
Michael Bay strikes again, pulls out Samsung cellphone at LG promo event
We're not sure what LG expected when it invited Micheal Bay to speak about the company's promotional support of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen at CTIA, but let's be honest -- they probably should have known dude was going to blow something up. Unfortunately for the gathered LG employees, this time Mike-Mike delivered a figurative explosion, telling the crowd "I don't know anything about mobile phones. In fact, look at my phone -- it's a thirty-nine dollar Samsung." Ouch -- that's roughly the equivalent of throwing a Ford in with the rest of the Autobots. Making matters worse, LG president of mobile products Juno Cho tried to salvage the moment by offering Bay his personal phone, but was rebuffed because "all my contacts are in the other one." Yeah, that's probably not the best way to play it -- although we're guessing Samsung's already angling for TouchWiz to feature prominently in Transformers 3.[Via Gartenblog]
Amico's Android handset is decent, misbranded
Don't know who Amico is? That makes two of us -- but the beauty of Android is that it's free and open for anyone who wants to have a crack at wrapping the platform with custom hardware. The Taiwanese firm was showing off a reasonably nice-looking full touch set at CTIA this week running some post-Cupcake build, but there was one little issue: they'd decided to slap a fake Sony BRAVIA logo (with the "I" conveniently removed, naturally) along the left side of the face. We understand the desire to ride the coattails of a well-recognized brand, we totally do -- but we would've liked to see Amico have the self-confidence to say, "You know what? We made a pretty decent phone here, so let's let it stand on its own two feet." Just saying. Anyhow, we're told that the phone's gone back to the labs to be retooled with 3G (it's only doing triband EDGE right now), but the rest of the specs are pretty solid: 3 megapixel autofocus cam, 624MHz Marvell core, microSD expansion, and a 3-inch resistive WQVGA display. If Amico's got a level head on its shoulders, it'll kill the BRAVA noise and switch to capacitive while it's upgrading the radio. Follow the break for video.
Engadget Mobile Podcast 015 - 04.04.2009: CTIA Edition, Part 2
The week's done, the goods have been covered, so we recorded a 'cast for you to round out the show. Of course, this was done on Friday morning so we likely missed a couple things, but we'll catch up on the next regularly scheduled podcast. If we sound tired and hoarse it's only because we ran into a little Samsung party with loud music, which of course forced us to yell and then quench sore throats with various sodas. Enjoy the show. Hosts: Chris Ziegler and Sean CooperProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Solvent - Devices and Strategies (Ghostly International)Subscribe 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.
LG's GD900 video tour (and shenanigans) at CTIA
We've been fairly intrigued about LG's GD900 since we had a glimpse of it behind glass at Mobile World Congress this year. We were finally treated to a proper tour by LG's Martin Valdez who not only did a bang up job of demonstrating the set but covered up what may be an early build firmware bug with such aplomb he deserves an award for his performance. Notable here is the clear keypad that acts as input device for typing, text recognition, gestures, and the full-on gorgeous UI. While we wouldn't expect this to be a monster seller at the carriers, it will get LG some attention. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a few minutes with LG's transparent beauty and a great showman, Martin Valdez.
PCD tempts with its twisting TXT8030
PCD's showed a fun twist at CTIA with the admittedly awkward looking TXT8030 by designing the handset's lower section to rotate with business up front and party in the back -- yeah, like a mullet. One one side is a QWERTY pad and on the other speakers and the music controls. We also hear the display is a 2.2-inch number, memory is expandable via microSD, it packs a 1.3 megapixel shooter, and the tale of the tape registers 4.5 inches long by 2.4 inches wide, and about a half an inch thick. No thoughts on pricing or availability, but this CDMA twistset may show up somewhere someday.
Fake Nokia N97 is fake, tiny, buggy... and fake
What do you get if you stick a Nokia N97 in the dryer on high heat for an hour, rip the keyboard off with your bare hands, and replace S60 with a seemingly random stream of digital puke? Probably something akin to this little bugger, we'd reckon. Nothing worked, the display was wigging out, and we'd gotten it to the point where all we could do was draw red lines and watch random blocks of noise appear on screen -- awesome by Keepin' It Real Fake standards, yes, but not awesome if you're actually trying to make a call. Our recommendation: don't get any closer to this thing than the video you're about to watch after the break.
CTIA Roundup, Day Three
CTIA Wireless 2009 has drawn to an anticlimactic close today, concluding one of the less memorable, less action-packed CTIAs in recent memory. Friday was as much about skedaddlin' out of town as quickly as possible as it was about making news and launching new products for exhibitors, but that doesn't mean we didn't unearth a few gems for you. No need to thank us, seriously -- click on! #saleschart { border: 0px solid #333; border-collapse: collapse; } #saleschart td { padding: 4px; border-bottom: 0px solid #ccc; vertical-align: top; margin: 0; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 100%;} #saleschart th.bottomrow { border-right: 1px solid #333; } #saleschart tr.features1 { border-top: 1px solid #333; } #saleschart td.bottomrow2 { border-right: 1px solid #333;} #saleschart th { font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding: 4px; background: #f3f3f3; border-top: 1px solid #333; } Wistron's Snapdragon-powered PurseBook gets demoedNVIDIA is showing that wacky Mini 1000 / Tegra mashup at CTIA, but Qualcomm's not far behind with its own creative ways to repurpose smartphone silicon into MID and netbook-class devices. Inventec's mirasol-equipped V112 smartphone goes on displayWe couldn't get the thing to turn on -- prototype buffoonery, zapped battery, or a classic case of trade show jitters, we figure -- but Inventec's curious V112 was on display inside Qualcomm's booth at CTIA. Nokia E71x struts its stuff on videoWe were never able to track down an E71x with a SIM and an active AT&T Navigator account, but it's pretty clear from our time with the device that AT&T has left its S60 3.2-based core pleasantly untouched. Also check out: Kyocera G2GO and Laylo hands-on Jabra HALO hands-on
Wistron's Snapdragon-powered PurseBook gets demoed
NVIDIA is showing that wacky Mini 1000 / Tegra mashup at CTIA, but Qualcomm's not far behind with its own creative ways to repurpose smartphone silicon into MID and netbook-class devices. Making an appearance at Qualcomm's booth was a prototype PurseBook from Taiwan's Wistron, which stuffs a Snapdragon chipset into a device looking (and weighing) a little bit like a VAIO P. That's where the similarities to the Sony box ends, though, because Qualcomm sees the PurseBook (and devices like it) hitting in the $299 to $499 range -- we'd like to see them even cheaper, truth be told -- and you won't be running Vista here. Instead, you've got a pretty slick Linux distro from ThunderSoft that'll edit Office docs, give you a desktop-class web experience, and connect with social networks, which are the three things most of us spend 90 percent of our PC face time doing anyhow. It's not going to replace your laptop by any stretch, but with a claimed 8 hours of battery life, we could totally see packing this thing as an ultra-lightweight alternative for day trips. Qualcomm expects the PurseBook and devices like it to ship in 2009 -- as does NVIDIA, so we're definitely lining up for a sweet battle royale here. Follow the break for video.
Inventec's mirasol-equipped V112 smartphone goes on display
We couldn't get the thing to turn on -- prototype buffoonery, zapped battery, or a classic case of trade show jitters, we figure -- but Inventec's curious V112 was on display inside Qualcomm's booth at CTIA. Why Qualcomm, you ask? Well, Qualcomm owns Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, which has been pushing its mirasol display tech for several years now; the main draw is that it's super high-contrast which eliminates the need for a backlight in many situations where a traditional LCD would need a little help, and the WinMo-powered V112 uses a small mirasol strip as a secondary display surrounded by nav controls. Even though we weren't getting any Windows Mobile action, we did manage to engage the mirasol display (also known as "the cool part") where we saw an example of what the V112 might be able to do without turning on the battery-destroying LCD up top: show basic status information and the current time. It's a good idea; we're not sure that the V112's implementation is perfect since there's zero tactility to the d-pad, but you've got to start somewhere, and mirasol could use as many commercial implementations as it can get.
Pre Sprint Navigation app demoed on video
It's not quite a flood, but there's been a steady trickle of Pre news out of CTIA this week, and the latest is this video demo of the Sprint Navigation app. It's pretty familiar stuff if you've ever used the carrier's TeleNav-powered navigation on a device like the Samsung Instinct, but does have a nice coat of webOS interface sheen to it, and let's face it -- we'll take all the Pre demos we can get. Video after the break.
Kyocera G2GO and Laylo hands-on
To Americans, the full-QWERTY G2GO will end up being known better as the X-tc on Virgin Mobile when it launches next week; the Laylo numeric slider hasn't been announced for launch on any carrier just yet, but Kyocera assured us that they're in talks to bring it to market (likely also with Virgin Mobile, if we had to muster a guess). Neither device is going to blow anyone away with sheer, unadulterated functionality or beauty, but they make perfect sense for Virgin's value-conscious audience, and the G2GO / X-tc might be Virgin's best-looking QWERTY device to date. We struggled a bit with the Laylo's send and end keys -- they're not tactile, but the slide mechanism's loose enough to make you wonder about the build quality every time your fingertip touches the icon. Pre-production jitters, perhaps?
Engadget Mobile Podcast 014 - 04.03.2009: CTIA Edition
We managed to take a few minutes out of our weird, wild day one at CTIA to talk shop on the mic, and we thought you might enjoy hearing it -- especially as Sean waxes poetic about Motorola's Evoke QA4. Today's podcast is a quick 'un but a good 'un, so have a listen! Hosts: Chris Ziegler and Sean CooperProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Solvent - Devices and Strategies (Ghostly International)Subscribe 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.
