ctia 2010
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Cisco Umi hands-on
At Cisco's CTIA press conference this week we got a chance to "experience" the Umi consumer video conferencing system, and it's pretty much what you'd expect: FaceTime for your living room. Just bigger, wider, and with, well... more living room. The hardware consists of 3 parts: a camera unit, a set-top box, and an infrared remote. The camera is able to pan and zoom, and connects to the set-top box via two cables. The set-top box features connections for power, Ethernet, and both HDMI in and out (for passthrough) as well as optical audio out We also got a video demo of Umi Connect by Steve Sullivan, product manager at Cisco -- it's the online portal which handles your messages, videos, call history, and contacts. There's also a "share" feature, for posting videos to Facebook and YouTube. Take a look at some video of Umi in action after the break, and please: remember to keep your pants on. %Gallery-104483%
LG Optimus T hands-on (update: no WiFi calls)
The low-end LG Optimus S that wowed us earlier the other day has a magenta twin -- the LG Optimus T, headed to T-Mobile with very similar hardware. Considering that both carriers' phones will come in similar shades of purple and black, you could easily be excused for confusing the two -- aside from a prominent logo and the physical button arrangement, they've got the exact same build. That's not a bad thing, mind you, as it means the Optimus T is similarly solid as a rock, but there are a few differences here and there, like the lack of dedicated camera and voice buttons this time round. Whether it's extra bloat (of which there's some) or a slower chip, the T's also not as wonderfully lag-free as the S, though both phones would handily beat most of the other low-end Androids we've seen. The 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen's just as responsive, though the physical buttons here aren't quite as nice -- we prefer Sprint's distinct, textured keys to the slick plastic rocker for Home and Back and the Menu and Search buttons here. We weren't able to download Quadrant on the T for benchmarking like we did for its sister phone nor verify the same exact specs inside, but paging through menus we spotted mobile hotspot functionality and WiFi calling, just as originally foretold, not to mention support for old-school FM radio. Now we just wait to see if T-Mobile follows Sprint's lead and offers the phone at a similarly fantastic price. Update: It's a bit of a shame, but LG just informed us the Optimus T won't have WiFi calling after all -- it was originally considered for the device, but the software we saw was apparently a old, out-of-date build. T-Mobile reps wouldn't confirm or deny that, but told us that the option is something they'd like to bring to more devices later on, though they said it might require Android 2.1 or higher to function properly. %Gallery-104502%
LG Optimus S, first hands-on! (update: video)
The low-end Android game just got real, folks, with Sprint's introduction of the LG Optimus S, a $50 (on-contract, post-rebate) Android slatephone running Froyo on a 3.2-inch HVGA screen, with mobile hotspot functionality for up to five devices, 802.11 b/g WiFi and a 600MHz processor to run the whole shebang. As you'd expect in a world of 1GHz smartphones at the $200 price point, it's not quite up to spec, but that doesn't keep it from having a super-solid build, durable and weighty, that belies its low price. It honestly feels much like a Nexus One in the hand, though with nice big physical buttons instead of capacitive function keys, and of course a lower-quality LCD screen. There's an auto-focusing 3.2 megapixel camera on the back and a fairly responsive capacitive touchscreen up front, and though browsing was a little painful on the low-res screen, the Android 2.2 device sped through the UI without skipping a beat. If this device impresses as much after we throw it through a barrage of tests, I'll be hard to imagine ever spending a cent on a regular ol' featurephone again. Update: We've just been informed that the Optimus S has 256MB 512 MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM, an MSM7627 chipset and Bluetooth 2.1, but there's more -- it pulls a respectable 430 in the Quadrant benchmark thanks to Qualcomm Adreno 200 graphics, and we've got visual proof. See some direct-from-device screenshots and a couple sample pics from the Optimus S's camera in our second gallery below! Update 2: Video after the break! %Gallery-104469% %Gallery-104475% Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Sprint guns for mid-range Android: $149 Samsung Transform, $99 Sanyo Zio, and $49 LG Optimus S include 'Sprint ID'
The rumors were dead-on -- the Samsung Transform and Sanyo Zio are headed to Sprint this week, and by the end of the month the carrier will play host to an LG Optimus smartphone as well. Priced at $150, $100 and $50 (after $100 mail-in rebates) respectively, they're definitely not high-end phones, but if you're looking for a capable QWERTY messenger (with video chat!) the Samsung Transform just might fill the bill. In many ways it's a scaled down Epic 4G, with the same look and feel, though a somewhat slower 800MHz processor, a 3.5-inch screen, and no 4G support, obviously. We weren't terribly impressed with the Sanyo Zio the last time we saw it, but we're happy to hear it's now sporting Android 2.1 and hopefully some bugfixes, and we're eager to try the LG Optimus S simply because it's got Froyo at the $50 price point. Hardware's only half the story here, however, because these three phones will ship with something completely new -- a settings / apps / widgets / themes packaging solution the company's calling Sprint ID. Rather than fill the device with bloatware apps or overlay a custom UI, Sprint's installed a software button that takes you to a store exclusively designed for Sprint's new Android devices. You pick a package -- say, Business Pro -- and it downloads a specific set of apps, widgets and a custom wallpaper targeted at business owners, though if you'd rather decline you can use a package that's pretty much stock Android. The carrier's launching Sprint ID today with 17 partners and 13 free content packs, with more on the way. There's a Sprint exec waiting to walk you through Sprint ID in a video after the break!
Verizon to debut LTE in 38 cities, 'half a dozen' 4G smartphones and tablets in 1H 2011
We're live from CTIA 2010 in San Francisco, where newly-appointed Verizon president and COO Lowell McAdam has taken the stage. He's been on the job just five days now, but he's already got a nice spot of news: Verizon will have LTE connections in 38 markets as soon as they flip the switch -- up from the 30 football cities announced earlier this month. More exciting, a host of LTE devices are on the way, too: "Come CES at January, and we will show half-a-dozen smartphones and tablets from the top OEMs in the world that will be available in the first half of the year," said McAdam. 8 to 12 megabits per second, here we come. See the full tentative 4G coverage map with a list of confirmed cities in our gallery below. %Gallery-104428%
Motorola sneaks out Roadster in-car speakerphone, Finiti and CommandOne BT headsets
Nah, this trio isn't nearly as flashy as Motorola's spate of new smartphones, but those still rockin' the earpiece (or trying to avoid a 'talking-while-driving' ticket) may be interested in the outfit's newest line of peripherals. Here at Fall CTIA 2010, Moto unveiled the Roadster in-car speakerphone alongside the Finiti and CommandOne Bluetooth headsets. From top to bottom, the Roadster is a clip-on device that goes on your visor, boasting dual-microphone noise cancellation technology and MotoSpeak -- a technology that reads your texts allows and accepts voice replies. There's an integrated battery that can withstand up to 20 hours of yapping (or three weeks of nothingness), and there's even an FM transmitter thrown in for good measure. The Finiti BT headset was engineered with "extreme conditions" in mind, adding to the Elite series with a trifecta of microphones and the aforesaid MotoSpeak read-back technology. It can supposedly let you carry on a conversion with 40 mile per hour winds whirling around you, but we're hoping you'd never actually be able to put it to the test. Finally, the CommandOne -- for all intents and purposes -- is simply a less rugged, differently styled version. The whole lot lands in Q4, but mum's the word on pricing. %Gallery-104422%
Motorola Droid Pro, first hands-on! (update: video!)
Motorola's BlackBerry? The freshly-announced Moto Droid Pro's keyboard feels like it, to be sure, and after trying it out, we believed the Motorola rep who told us they tested comparable speeds of 37WPM in several focus groups. But that's definitely Android under the hood, paired with a nice, responsive capacitive touchscreen and a 1GHz processor that sped through the UI. Check it out in our gallery below while we go find out more! Update: We just had a nice long chat with a Motorola representative, and found out what's under the Droid Pro's hood -- it's a 1GHz OMAP 3620, to be precise, with an MDM6600 chipset, 512MB of RAM, 2GB of onboard storage ROM and 8GB internal storage, plus 802.11n 2.4GHz WIFI, Bluetooth 2.1 and tri-band UMTS. There's a dual LED flash alongside that auto-focus camera, and a programmable key on the side that asks you what you want it to do the first time you press it. There's 3G mobile hotspot support for up to five devices, and an optional 1860mAh extended battery and case, plus a desktop charger dock like those for the Droid and Droid 2 but that holds the handset vertically. It also just so happens that the Droid Pro has the push functionality of Blur even though it isn't weighed down by the full Blur UI, and supports SD card remote wipes (and full device encryption in Q1 2011), has spellcheck integrated into the OS and a "multi-headed" VPN client. Had enough yet? We've got a series of screenshots below pulled directly from the device. Update 2: Video of the Droid Pro and Motorola Citrus after the break! Update 3: According to Motorola's Developer page (at the link below) the Droid Pro's also got PowerVR SGX 530 graphics inside, just like the Droid 2, among other devices. Speaking of Droid 2, we've got some a couple comparison shots in the gallery below, as well as pics with and without that 1860mAh extended battery. %Gallery-104333% %Gallery-104344% Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Motorola Citrus first hands-on! (update: video!)
The Droid Pro's certainly got the spotlight at Motorola's CTIA 2010 event, and for good reason -- this Motorola Citrus is slow and crippled by comparison. It's a iffy little entry-level device with a Blur-like UI and a fairly functional Android 2.1, but a lethargic 524MHz MSM7525 processor and 3-inch touchscreen with a resolution so small you can see individual pixels without squinting. UI browsing and surfing was laggy too, though we did like the device's comfortable-to-hold size and dedicated physical Send / End keys -- not to mention the the Backflip-like trackpad on the back. Let's hope this one arrives at a price low enough to woo the mainstream, because we're honestly having a hard time calling the Citrus a smartphone. Update: Now with screenshots and a test image from the Citrus camera! Update 2: Video of the Citrus and the Motorola Droid Pro after the break. %Gallery-104341% %Gallery-104349% Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Novatel NovaDrive cloud-based unlimited storage preview
Hold onto your hats, it seems Novatel, maker of some of the finest 3G / WiFi devices, has decided to stretch its legs from connectivity into the realm of data storage. Not only is the cloud-based storage accessible through their software for Windows or Apple, but the company's thoughtfully built a nice mobile site so your cellphone can get in on the fun. Other notables include the ability to mail files to your file server, easy online collaboration for a team, and you can even send folks links to files who don't have access to your server and track when and if they download it. NovaDrive also touts "unlimited" storage -- though, we'd bet they'll drop the fair use hammer quick if you go too wild -- for roughly $50 a year for the personal version and $150 for the team fileserver version. Not too shabby if online storage is your thing, and even if it isn't, Novadrive has a 30-day demo that won't cost you one red cent, so feel free to give it a whirl. %Gallery-89034%
CTIA Wireless 2010 draws to a close
Ah, Las Vegas... we hardly knew ye! Okay, that's categorically untrue -- CTIA Wireless 2010 actually marks our third official visit to Sin City in as many months, which means it's nothing short of a miracle that we're not lying in a ditch somewhere in the sun-scorched outskirts of town, penniless and near death. As always, the show brought us a fair bit of mobile news; sure, Sprint's HTC EVO 4G stole the show, but that's just scratching the surface of the pocketable wizardry we saw this week. Don't believe us? Let's dig back through the archives: Liveblogs Live from CTIA 2010's day one keynote with Ralph de la Vega and J. K. Shin! Live from Sprint's CTIA 2010 press event Live from CTIA 2010's day two keynote with Dan Hesse Hands-ons LG Cosmos hands-on LG Remarq hands-on Motorola i1 first hands-on! AT&T's Palm Pixi Plus and Pre Plus hands-on HTC EVO 4G is Sprint's Android-powered knight in superphone armor, we go hands-on Samsung Galaxy S hands-on with video HTC EVO 4G vs. HD2 and Desire... fight! Motorola i1 video tour Verizon vs. AT&T: Pre Plus edition Dell Aero first hands-on! SanDisk 32GB microSDHC vs. SanDisk 4GB microSDHC... fight! Ventev EcoCharge whacks vampire draw, charges two devices for the price of one iWonder Android tablet fixes major bug: the logo is right-side-up Cell-Mate headset heads-on Vitality GlowCap hands-on OpenPeak's OpenTablet 7 hands-on: Moorestown has found a friend Netcomm MyZone hands-on Spracht Aura EQ (the really real version) hands-on LG Air Sync hands-on Bitbop hands-on: is this the Hulu of mobile? Qualcomm MSM7x30 development unit hands-on News Official: Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus for AT&T 'in the coming months' Dell Aero is AT&T's second Android phone LG Remarq combines QWERTY, not being mean to the environment in one package for Sprint Motorola makes i1 official, melds Android and push-to-talk this summer on Sprint BlueAnt intros rugged T1 Bluetooth headset, sophisticated Android app Samsung announces Galaxy S Android smartphone Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with T-Mobile webConnect launches tomorrow, $199.99 on contract HTC EVO 4G is Sprint's Android-powered knight in superphone armor, we go hands-on Dell Inspiron Mini 10 shipping April 1st with integrated Clear WiMAX T-Mobile USA reiterates that 'breadth' of 3G footprint will get HSPA+ this year Samsung trots out Modus Bluetooth headset, complete with dual mics and multipoint MetroPCS bringing LTE to Las Vegas this year, Samsung doing infrastructure and first LTE handset: the SCH-r900 AT&T announces deals with OpenPeak, Zeebo, American Security Logistics Verizon launching V Cast Apps on March 29th, RIM devices get first dibs AT&T 3G MicroCell starting nationwide roll-out in mid-April Verizon talks commercial LTE deployment details: data devices first, smartphones in '1H 2011' Verizon to blanket 'one third' of America with LTE this year, double coverage in 15 months Verizon 'wrapping up' Boston and Seattle trials, 'friendly user' ones coming this summer Verizon Wireless: 'all' 4G WWAN devices will support 3G, too Clearwire CEO mentions that WiMAX could join LTE as one, Verizon Wireless CTO says no way Lenovo adds Sprint 3G, 4G support across ThinkPad line Skiff partners with Samsung to deliver e-stuff, someday Samsung debuts U820 QWERTY slider at CTIA, no one notices Scoops Motorola's Android-powered i1 launching at CTIA Samsung to announce Galaxy S smartphone, content initiatives this week And on that note, we depart Vegas with a heavy heart -- but not all's lost! CTIA Wireless' sister event in Fall, CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment, will be in action in early October in lovely San Francisco -- and naturally, we'll be there. Now if you'll excuse us, just one more hand of blackjack before we head for the airport.
Qualcomm MSM7x30 development unit hands-on
While we heard this was floating about at MWC this year, we didn't get a chance to have to get our mitts on it or film it so consider that sorted. The MSM7x30 platform is fast -- running between 800MHz and 1GHz -- and smooth, but the attractive interface demo (aptly named Fluid) is ultimately frustrating to use as the icons are being washed around by the ocean currents. The Qualcomm rep we spoke to did mention that the interface won't make it to retail but is rather meant to demo the animation capabilities of the device. While we didn't look at every corner of the demo platform, we did see an example of its pretty impressive gaming abilities, checked out some sample 720p output both on screen and on an HDTV, and peeped the Scalado demo that lets you browse a thousand photos at once. Top shelf stuff, and we're really looking forward to seeing devices based on this chipset landing in our hands this year. Quick video tour and a few more pictures follow the fold. %Gallery-89040%
Bitbop hands-on: is this the Hulu of mobile?
Fox Mobile unveiled its Bitbop venture this week that promises to provide a wealth of TV and movie entertainment from a variety of top-tier studios, and if you can get past the fact that you're actually going to have to pay for this content, it's shaping up to be a pretty promising system when it launches later this year. There's no live programming -- just a database of show episodes and movies that you have your choice of either streaming or downloading for later consumption over 3G or WiFi -- which makes it a little bit like using an on-demand service from your cable company. Bitbop was only demoing the BlackBerry version of its app at CTIA this week, but it looks like there'll be iPhone and Android versions on the way; at any rate, video quality looked plenty good on the Bold's 480 x 320 display. Initially, there'll be just one plan -- $9.99 a month for access to shows, while movies will be pay-per-view exclusively -- but we got the impression that the company is leaving the door open for other payment models down the road. Great, just what we needed: another really cool way to kill productivity. At least we'll be able to catch up on Gossip Girl in the process, we suppose! Follow the break for video.%Gallery-89051%
LG Air Sync hands-on
We got a peek today at the new "3-way" synchronization service from LG that the company is calling Air Sync; it's only available on the GD880 Mini right now in the UK, but they're looking to expand it across Europe and Asia before too long and -- if we're lucky -- North America eventually. So what is it, exactly? Basically, it's a synchronization service for text clipping, photos, videos, contacts, and the like that integrates with your PC using a downloadable client. After it's installed, you get a few new context menu items that let you fast-track content to your phone via the cloud, and we were pretty amazed at just how quickly the transfers consistently happened -- within a few seconds, a dialog pops up on LG's demo Mini notifying you that the goods have been received. It sounds like LG will be looking at deploying this with a subscription model in most markets, so don't expect gratis awesomeness -- but if you transfer tons of pictures from your desktop to your mobile, this might be the way to go. Follow the break for video. %Gallery-89050%
Spracht Aura EQ (the really real version) hands-on
We got a glimpse at Spracht's new Aura EQ Bluetooth headset back at CES this year, but in reality, we sort of didn't -- what was being shown back then didn't constitute final ID, turns out. The company's back at it here at CTIA showing something closer to what you'll be seeing on store shelves later this half -- though they only had one, and it wasn't in final retail packaging -- so we took a minute to check it out. It's using the same tricky earbud that we saw before, but the front of the unit has changed significantly -- gone are the matte ridges, replaced with a glossy black surface broken up by a few bumps that represent the range of the capacitive volume slider. If "understated" is the look you're going for, the Aura EQ is generally going to do the trick -- and even if you like something a little more edgy, it's got those funky points on the front and rear. Quite the crowd pleaser, eh? %Gallery-88965%
Netcomm MyZone hands-on
Netcomm was at CTIA showing off its 3G pocket router, and while they admit it apes the MiFi, it builds on it in some pretty useful ways. Battery life purportedly outdoes its rival, with four hours use, even with multiple devices connected -- and when your batteries finally do tank, connecting it to your laptop will let it recharge and still allow wireless connectivity. The MyZone ships in both US and global 3G variants with both also packing quad-band EDGE, and 802.11g WiFi. Another handy feature -- at least for those that travel -- is the MyZone's ability to sort out the APN details for whatever carrier's SIM you happen to put in it, so using it is as simple as popping in your SIM and connecting. We didn't have an opportunity to get connected to it and give it a proper test drive, but we're waiting for one to arrive and as soon as we do we'll let you know how we get on. Few more pics right after the break. %Gallery-89027%
Samsung debuts U820 QWERTY slider at CTIA, no one notices
Not everything can be an Android smartphone, fellas... sometimes you just need an unobtrusive design, maybe some social networking connectivity, and a modest price point. That's what the Samsung U820 says to the world. Barely a blip on our radar when we came across the FCC filing at the beginning of the year, this QWERTY slider features a 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel still camera with video capture, headset jack, MicroSD card slot, browser, the Communities social networking widget, and for your UI (dis)satisfaction, TouchWiz 2.0. Available at the end of April 30 in the $80 - $100 range on Verizon.
OpenPeak's OpenTablet 7 hands-on: Moorestown has found a friend
We've been hearing of OpenPeak devices for years, but the company is a little camera shy -- particularly because most of their products, like the Verizon Hub and O2 Joggler, are re-branded by carriers. However, the company seems to be getting behind its recently announced OpenTablet 7 in a big way, recently announcing a partnership with AT&T for data plans in the US. Neither party will confirm exact plan pricing, but we're getting the vibe that it will be "familiar" to folks who've seen iPad data pricing. The device itself is surprisingly well built -- not at all one of these dime-a-tablet jobs -- and the software is rather mature as well. OpenPeak claims to have "thousands of apps" for its platform that stretches across devices including phones, frames, and now a tablet, with a Linux-based platform with a Flash layer on top. Refreshingly for the tablet space, the UI isn't a bit laggy, and seems pretty far along, though we're promised even more polish as this thing nears market. We didn't check out a browser, and some elements like the touchscreen keyboard are pretty dismal, but for home automation or video conferencing (the device packs a 1080p front-facing camera and a 5 megapixel shooter around back), it seems like OpenPeak can carve a niche for itself on the market. Most of all, we're impressed with the 1.9GHz Moorestown chip under the hood, which offers huge power savings over Atom; plenty of juice for some media rich apps, UI elements, and video; and even runs cool to the touch. An included docking station offers charging and port replication, but there's also an HDMI plug built right into the bottom of the tablet, along with removable microSD up top. No word on when exactly this will hit the market this year, how much it'll cost, or if it'll be rebranded by AT&T. Check out a video hands-on after the break, and a quick note on the press shots below: apps are subject to change based on the rebadger's own partnerships. %Gallery-89024% %Gallery-89025%
Vitality GlowCap hands-on
We just got a quick look at one of those Vitality GlowCap bottles. It's about as dead simple as it looks: the LED at the top of the cap glows (orange, but there's also a blue mode that must mean something else like "you're all going to die"), and with the right amount of adult supervision you can push down and twist off the cap. All the details of the service, which involves patent recognition to figure out the best way to remind you and incentivize you to take your pills via phone calls, flashing lights, and social network reminders, aren't completely ironed out, but it sounds like Vitality is paying AT&T up front for the bandwidth -- at least you won't have another charge on your AT&T bill to worry about. Not shown is a base station that the GlowCaps connect to over 2G wireless (more unclarity here, but rest assured your prescription infos will be beamed over the internet via AT&T's network), and which does the primary flashing when you need to take a pill. %Gallery-88964%
Cell-Mate headset heads-on
CTIA always has its fair share of dodgy goods, from mildly quirky to downright laughable, we see all kinds. The Cell-Mate admittedly touches on all of these but is surprisingly useful, comfortable, and at $14.99, dirt cheap. The box includes the wire headset and a couple Velcro adhesive pads that you apply to your set; slap one on to your phone, attach to the wire frame and you're ready to talk handsfree. Our own Paul Miller agreed to put it through its paces including: assembly, a test call, and then a fast lap around the press room here at CTIA. Please join us after the break as we torture test the Cell-Mate.
Skiff partners with Samsung to deliver e-stuff, someday
After a flurry of announcements in December and January, things have gone quiet in the Skiff camp as Hearst prepares to launch its publisher-focused Kindle Store competitor. Now in addition to its massive Skiff Reader and apps for Palm WebOS devices, MIDs, and yes the iPad, President Gil Fuchsberg announced at CTIA that Skiff and Samsung would partner to deliver electronic newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books across "a range of Samsung devices." Specifically, Gil called out the Android-based Galaxy S with that impressive 4 inch, Super AMOLED display. But unless Samsung's wrapped up some kind of exclusivity (which we doubt) then we should see a generic Skiff app for any Android device appear in the Android Market. Now how about a launch date Skiff for something, anything. Pretty please, with an Eclair on top? Read the full transcript of the partnership after the break.
