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NTT DoCoMo boosts its femtocell with HSPA support for fall launch
In these United States, honest, hard-working Americans aren't asking for much -- all they really want out of life is the right to bear 7.62mm tracer ammunition, the right to patronize 24-hour burger joints, and the inalienable, immutable right to a 3G femtocell in every home. Unfortunately, T-Mobile's gone its own way with the whole UMA thing and AT&T's dragging its feet, but over in Japan, NTT DoCoMo has just announced its second-generation device, the simply (but accurately) named Enhanced Femtocell Base Station. While the outgoing model topped out at 3.6Mbps on the downlink and a measly UMTS-capped 384kbps on the uplink, the enhanced station supports full HSPA -- 14Mbps down, 5.76Mbps up (though the carrier warns that HSUPA isn't deployed just yet). It's not just about speed, though -- the new gear also supports interesting new services, including the ability to notify users when other users (for example, children) have entered the base station's range and reception of time- and location-sensitive coupons directly to phones presently attached to the cell. All this action fits into a sexy little box 5mm thinner than the version it replaces, though customers will have to wait until this fall for a retail launch.
Samsung Galaxy predictably coming to O2 UK
It's already being stocked by its German cousins, so it stands to reason that O2's British outpost would be looking to carry the mighty i7500 Galaxy from Samsung as well. Indeed, TechRadar is reporting that O2 UK has confirmed that the Android-powered OLED beast is on the way in August, though pricing is yet to be reported in any official capacity; for comparison's sake, O2 Germany is offering it for €69.99 (about $98) on contract, so we can certainly imagine the new launch coming somewhere in the same range. Then again, we can also imagine it being completely free on the right plan, in which case we're packing our bags and filing for our visas.
T-Mobile's Touch Pro2 looks destined for August launch
We'd been holding out hope that T-Mobile's version of the HTC Touch Pro2 would materialize for customers in the month of July, but that's looking less and less likely now that we have some awfully real-looking documentation that claims otherwise. TmoNews has nabbed some sort of slide suggesting that HTC's latest AWS-equipped superphone won't hit retail until August 12 (with upgrades not kicking in until 10AM PT the same day, amusingly), so it seems like we've got over a month to wait yet. Meanwhile, the myTouch 3G will launch -- not to say it's a competitor, really, but it'll certainly be attracting some attention that this phone could be getting otherwise. Being fashionably late to the party isn't fun for anyone, is it?
Mobinnova Ice given lobotomy, reemerges as Highscreen PP5420 with Android
If you don't remember the Mobinnova Ice, we can't say we blame you -- apart from its unique and mildly amusing (but poorly implemented) secondary display, the Windows Mobile-powered handset really didn't have anything going for it to set it apart from the pack, and our hands-on experience with it left us questioning its build quality, its robustness, and indeed its very reason for being. Anyhow, it seems that a Russian company has taken the Ice's guts and remixed them as the Highscreen PP5420, offering Android atop the 528MHz Qualcomm core with a WQVGA primary display, 3 megapixel camera, GPS, and full HSPA. As other fly-by-night companies have already learned, Android really looks like garbage on anything but half VGA right now -- and who the hell knows what (if anything) that secondary OLED is going to be programmed to do -- so we'd probably stay away from this one. If you're still feeling it, though, it should be available now for 15,990 rubles (about $511).[Via Unwired View]
FCC gives Nokia E52 the rose
You won't find the mega-slim (9.9mm, to be exact) E52 in the hands of any businessfolk just yet, but as usual, some FCC lab has the guilty pleasure of putting this one through the RF wringer well ahead of release. The version tested here is a Band I / VIII piece, which means it'll do full HSPA on the 900 and 2100MHz bands -- not exactly what your average North American S60 geek is looking for, but with the crazy precedent the N97 has set for launching in NAM flavor first, who knows what'll happen?
O2 Germany boosts HSPA speeds to 7.2 Mbps
Seems like only yesterday we were sitting about the campfire, chit chatting about the wonders of O2's EDGE update. Now, just a couple years later, the baby's all grown up, and rocking speeds in the 7.2 / 2.0 down and up range for some rather fortunate parts of Germany. Apparently all Huawei-based sites in the south and most other sites are technically able to offer the giddy up, though, there's a far stretch between being able and actually seeing this in the real world, right Rogers? Happy times Germany, no go forth and max your bandwidth caps!
Vodafone launches Europe's first 3G femtocell today
Sprint and Verizon have been enjoying their CDMA femtocells stateside for a while now, but Vodafone becomes the first to do the honors in Europe today by launching the continent's first commercial 3G femtocell, christened the Vodafone Access Gateway. The device -- seemingly sourced from Alcatel-Lucent -- requires an in-home broadband internet connection with a minimum speed of 1Mbps. It's rumored to be capable of full HSPA, enough horsepower to feed even high-end Voda handsets with WiFi-free broadband in places around the home where reception's normally a little dicey (or absent altogether), and it'll drive up to four authorized phones with it at the same time. Anyone on a £30 monthly contract or higher can get it at no charge, but otherwise, you can expect to pay £160 (about $263) for the pleasure of building out Voda's network on its behalf. So, AT&T, what's going on over there, guys?[Via Slashdot and eWeekEurope]
Telstra keeps pushing, moves to 5.8Mbps on the uplink
Want to run a Miley Cyrus fansite over a data card? We might recommend you emigrate to Australia, where Telstra has just upgraded its already-impressive HSPA+ network to a whopping 5.8Mbps on the uplink, which it estimates means that customers could see speeds as high as 3Mbps in real-world use. In conjunction with the upgrade, the carrier's also letting customers know that its Turbo 21 USB modem can be updated to take advantage of the higher data rate, which refreshingly means you won't have to plunk down for any new hardware. Cheers to that.
Mio codename "Amber" on the way with WinMo 6.5?
As HTC's already eager to demonstrate with the Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2 and Toshiba with the TG01, Windows Mobile 6.5 should bring with it a pretty wide range of interesting compatible hardware -- and we'll admit that we're a little intrigued by this alleged device from Mio codenamed "Amber." All we've got here is a render, but it's certainly within the realm of plausibility -- it looks quite a bit like the company's G50, after all, and we'd certainly expect them to be releasing new WinMo devices in conjunction with 6.5. Anyhow, we're told that we can expect a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7200 series (we would've preferred Snapdragon-class silicon, of course), a whopping 3.61-inch WVGA display, 256MB of RAM paired with 512MB of ROM, a 5 megapixel AF primary cam, full HSPA, and an integrated FM transmitter. If it's real, it looks like this one has the Touch Diamond2 squarely in its sights.[Thanks, msav]
Sony Ericsson X1 and C510 launch on Rogers
Better late than never, right? Some sixteen excruciating months after its announcement, Sony Ericsson's WinMo superphone -- the mighty XPERIA X1 -- has finally come to Rogers as expected. Considering that the X1 is still very much one of the world's premier smartphones (on paper, anyhow), the on-contract promotional price of CAD $249.99 after discounts seems reasonable enough -- of course, whether you feel the same way after three years of mobile marriage is another story altogether. Staying within the Sony Ericsson realm, the C510 has also launched, an attractive candybar with 7.2Mbps / 2Mbps HSPA and a 3.2 megapixel cam; it's all yours for CAD $79.99 on contract.[Via Howard Chui]Read - X1Read - C510
Toshiba TG01 now available on Movistar in Spain
If you're in... say, Spain, we can understand how you might perceive Japan as being a bit far to go just to put your hands on Toshiba's T-01A Snapdragon powerhouse. Then again, it is the first Snapdragon handset to hit the market -- and it's an absolutely stunning-looking phone -- so we certainly wouldn't blame you for packing your belongings, children, and pets into wooden crates, shipping them via freighter, and hopping the next flight to Tokyo. The good news, though, is that you won't have to: Movistar has now launched the phone locally in its global TG01 flavor, offering 7.2Mbps down, 2Mbps up, a flippin' 4.1-inch wide VGA display, and very likely the snappiest Windows Mobile experience you've ever had. The best part is that you can get it for free depending on your contract and plan pricing, so seriously, what's holding you (other than the fact that you might not be in Spain)?
HTC Hero approved by Global Certification Forum, rocking GSM and HSPA
We're unfortunately light on details here, but The Unwired is reporting that HTC's Hero has been approved by the Global Certification Forum, listed here as "HERO100," with support for quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dualband UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA at 1800/2100 MHz. With the company's touted London event just around the corner -- this Wednesday, to be exact -- we wouldn't be surprised to see the phone and its oft-rumored "Rosie" Android UI take center stage, in possibly two variations. Other than frequency bands and the associative name, the GCF isn't giving us anything else to work with, so for now just sit back and hope this uncertainty is cleared up sooner rather than later.
Acer's behemoth M900 reviewed, sounds like a must-skip
As Windows Mobile devices go, it's virtually impossible for an entrant in the game not to be compared to HTC, and Acer's M900 is a prime example -- the specs look great on paper, but it's pretty much got to stand toe-to-toe with the Touch Pro2 to get any time in the limelight. Pocketnow did the honors with the landscape QWERTY slider, finding that the screen's great -- what's not to love about a 3.8-inch WVGA display, after all -- and the Samsung processor blazes, but the firmware load is buggy (not to mention downright crappy-looking compared to TouchFLO), free RAM's hard to come by, and virtually everything about the hardware feels cheap. At over $600 unlocked, it's a tough pill to swallow, particularly in the US where you've got to find an importer you know, trust, love, and play canasta with on Thursday evenings.
iPhone 3G S data isn't really faster than the 3G's in Chicago
There's been talk the last couple days about the fact that there really isn't anywhere in the States to take advantage of the blazing 7.2Mbps downlink connection supported by the iPhone 3G S -- except for one great hope, one diamond in the rough that could become a shining destination for 3G S owners the world over. That destination would be Chicago, where AT&T fired up 7.2Mbps trials late last year, and the hope was that they might be letting lay folk (like us) in on the action in time for the 3G S release. Well, we've been running side-by-side tests today, and the short answer is that we're clearly not accessing 7.2 -- granted, the 3G S is getting marginally faster speeds both up and down, but we figure this can easily be attributed to the new model's faster processor because a doubling of the downlink pipe simply doesn't account for a 100kbps bump in speed (latency was all over the map on both phones, for the record). If you're holding out on upgrading from a 3G to a 3G S, go ahead and crack a smile -- because for now, anyway, this is one spec bump that means precisely zilch in the real world.
HTC Touch Pro2 now available to everyone on Vodafone UK
It'd originally been available to a random, totally select group of elite individuals, but availability of the HTC Touch Pro2 on Vodafone UK has now opened up to pretty much anyone who wants it. As is virtually always the case with European carriers, you can get this monster for as little as absolutely nothing depending on the contract and plan that you choose, so dive in and sign your life away for a couple years, won't you?[Via CoolSmartPhone]
Verizon rolls out global laptop data with USB1000 stick
The promise of global data is finally becoming a reality for modem users on Verizon today with the release of its Novatel-sourced USB1000, a USB stick (hence the "USB" in the name, we're willing to bet) that features EV-DO Rev. A for domestic use plus triband HSPA when you're roaming around the globe. The stick itself runs $149.99 on contract after a $50 rebate, while monthly global data plans run from $129.99 for 100MB of data in 31 countries to $219.99 for 200MB; both plans include 5GB for use in the US and Canada. It'll be available online starting tomorrow.[Via Phone Scoop]
LG's GW550 WinMo Standard phone bows at CommunicAsia
By and large, LG's announcements at CommunicAsia in Singapore this week have been straight-up rehashes of announcements from earlier in the year -- the GD900, for example -- but there was one diamond in the rough that should get a few people excited. The GW550 is the latest fruit of LG's strategic alliance with Microsoft to produce Windows Mobile phones, offering a 2.4-inch QVGA display, full HSPA with 7.2Mbps on the downlink, a 3 megapixel primary cam with a VGA sensor up front for video calling, and stereo speakers on board; the front cam immediately tells us that we can't expect this phone to drop as-is on AT&T, but we bet LG would just love to put something very similar up against the Jack. Any takers?[Via PhoneArena and Tech2]
Samsung Omnia II now official: AMOLED touchscreen with TouchWiz 2.0 destined for Verizon
Although not exactly the best kept secret (we first caught wind last week), Samsung's Verizon-bound Omnia II / I8000 is now one hundred percent official, along with even more official US confirmations for the Omnia Pro B760 (Louvre) slider, Omnia Pro B7320 candybar, and the Omnia Lite B7300. Specs for the Omnia II are just a little different than what we previously heard: 3.7-inch AMOLED resistive touchscreen with WVGA (480 x 800) resolution, 7.2Mbps HSPA (or EV-DO Rev. A for Verizon's version), 5 megapixel camera, 720 x 480 at 30fps video recording, 2GB to 16GB internal storage with microSD expansion slot, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, AGPS, and TouchWiz 2.0 UI. As for the Lite, we're looking at HSDPA, WiFi, 3 megapixel camera, AGPS, and just as the name suggests, a good likelihood it'll be overshadowed by its more feature-rich brother. Update: We can't say it's unexpected, but just to be clear, Omnia II buyers shouldn't worry about living in the past. Yahoo! Tech reports its WinMo 6.1 underbelly will be later upgradeable to 6.5.
Vodafone UK apparently shipping Touch Pro2s to business customers
"Regular" customers still have a bit of a wait yet, but it seems that Vodafone has gone ahead and pulled the trigger on shipments of HTC's Touch Pro2 to business customers -- assuming a post on the carrier's forums is legit. The phone's not due to be released until July 12 for any old chap who wants to fork over the dough for one, though it's not unusual at all for a carrier to offer hot new handsets to its prized B2B channel a little bit early. Windows Mobile 6.1 is still a bummer at this point, but you've got to give an enormous amount of love to the hardware -- and the promise of an official upgrade to 6.5 in the not-too-distant future.[Via CoolSmartPhone]
BlackBerry Tour spec sheet reveals little but our impatience
Most of the specs printed on this leaked sheet provided to MobileSyrup about the upcoming BlackBerry Tour were either known or could've been easily deduced, but a couple line items in here stand out: EV-DO plus HSPA 2100, 256MB of onboard storage, 3.2 megapixel AF camera, and an 480 x 360 display are all confirmed one more time as this thing trudges toward release. If we had our druthers, this would already be available on Verizon by now -- but current rumors have it pegged for a mid-summer release, which would line it up with where MobileSyrup says the 9630 will launch on Bell in the middle of July. In the meantime, those dang 8830s certainly aren't getting any younger.
