Sprint asking for an extension on 800MHz vacation deadline
Posted: Jun 19th 2008 1:20PM by Chase Higgins Sprint is asking the FCC to extend the deadline on the FCC mandated vacation and swap of their 800MHz spectrum holdings. The reason for the vacation is that the spectrum held by Sprint is very near various public safety spectrums, that the FCC plans to auction again. As of right now, Sprint is required to vacate the spectrum by June 26th, which they say they can not make. Sprint is filing this request in light of some public safety agencies, that have got an extension until July 1st, 2009. The FCC does not have to give it to them, but it is not clear what will happen until the ruling takes place. An appellate court ruled last month Sprint must stick to the deadline.

Sprint will launch WiMAX in September
Posted: Jun 19th 2008 1:06PM by Chase Higgins We are all waiting anxiously for Sprint's WiMAX launch, and now it seems that the test markets in Baltimore, Chicago and Washington D.C. are going to go live in September. There will be more markets to follow soon, but the original goal of 100 million people covered by the end of the year will fall quite short. Sprint is saying that the network will provide speeds of at least 2 to 4mbps per user on the network, which is an impressive figure when compared to current generation networks. Dan Hesse announced all of this, as well as confirmed that the Samsung Instinct would launch Friday. They did not specify what the service would cost, or the schedule of the roll out.

Sony Ericsson 3G flip for T-Mobile revealed
Posted: Jun 19th 2008 12:39PM by Chase Higgins The slow trickle of 3G devices into T-Mobile's line up is still continuing, and now there is another mid range device to put in the 3G column as well. It is the previously unknown Sony Ericsson TM506. The TM506 is the first Sony Ericsson to hit T-Mobile with the AWS support needed for its 3G network, that is still very much in its infancy. Other than 3G, this device has a QVGA screen, with a monochrome external screen, which is an interesting choice but it should get the job done. Sony Ericsson does not usually name in such a manner as TM506, so it might be renamed when it gets announced officially. I would not be surprised if this is the model number though, TM couldvery well mean T-Mobile. It was not known when the device would be released, but it did pass the FCC inspection, so we are thinking sooner rather than later.

HTC Touch Diamond lands at CompUSA
Posted: Jun 18th 2008 10:01PM by Chase Higgins The HTC Touch Diamond is a whole lot of phone, it is new, sleek, and impressive. When it launched, it seemed it was destined to be yet another tri band device, which leaves North America out of the mix. Good news has surfaced, as the HTC Touch Diamond is now available at CompUSA, with full U.S. GSM and HSDPA support. Nothing else on the device changes, except of course the radio frequencies, it is available now on their website for $779.99. To recap, the HTC Touch Diamond has 7.2mbps HSDPA, Windows Mobile 6.1, a 3.2 mega pixel camera, a 2.8 inch VGA screen, and 4GB of internal storage. Hit the read link to get yours now.

Update:
HTC has contacted CompUSA and told them to correct the listing, it is the same tri band device as we see now. There is a North American optimized version coming soon, HTC has already told us that. It just seems that for now the wait continues.

More information on Verizon's visual voicemail revealed
Posted: Jun 18th 2008 9:26PM by Chase Higgins Verizon's announcement yesterday of their upcoming visual voicemail service drew a lot of attention. The thing is we did not know anything about it, as Verizon did not announce it. The leak has continued into today, with a few more details surfacing about what devices will be using the new service. As you can see, the first three on the list we told you about yesterday, but the last two are new touch screen devices. The RIM device mentioned is the BlackBerry Thunder we would assume. The last device is the Motorola Blaze, which we have not yet heard of. It will be a touch device, as the list suggests. It is unknown what OS this device will run, but we would guess it will be another Windows Mobile smart device. This is a developing story, so check back for more info.

Sony Ericsson unveils C905, camera phone to end all camera phones
Posted: Jun 17th 2008 3:59PM by Chase Higgins Sony Ericsson has just dropped a bomb on us, with the latest addition to its Cyber Shot series. The device is called the C905, and it is a monster of a camera phone. The C905 has all the features of a high end point and shoot, including the 8.1 mega pixel camera, with auto focus, face detection, shake control, xenon flash, macro modes, image stabilizer, red eye reduction, geo tagging, and 16X digital zoom. The C905 also has GPS, WiFi, a QVGA screen, full global GSM and HSDPA support(yes there will be a version that works here), and will come in three colors to boot. The device will be launched in Q4, for an undetermined price. For a phone like this though, no price will be too high for the enthusiastic fans of Sony Ericsson.

Verizon licensing visual voicemail for upcoming and current devices
Posted: Jun 17th 2008 3:47PM by Chase Higgins The visual voicemail craze is hot right now, thanks in part to Apple including it on their popular iPhone. With Sprint also using visual voicemail on the upcoming Samsung Instinct. Verizon Wireless will also license this technology for use on some of their current devices courtesy of a software update, and on some future devices in the pipe. The Chocolate 3, Voyager, and Motorola Blaze and Utopia, will be among the first to receive the new ability. Verizon did not say when they might be adding the ability, but here is to hoping sooner rather than later.

LG Decoy now on Verizon's site
Posted: Jun 16th 2008 1:47PM by Chase Higgins The LG Decoy has hit Verizon stores today right on time, just as expected. The LG Decoy is a very interesting handset, as it packs a stow away Bluetooth headset. The headset sits on the back of the phone, and charges while plugged into the device. While it is not the first time a phone has ever sported this little feature, it is the first one to go on sale in the U.S. to have this feature. The device also has a 2 mega pixel camera, MicroSD expansion, EV-DO, a full suite of music applications, and video capture. The device is a penny shy of $180 on a new two year contract. Once our good friends at the local Verizon store get this device, we will be getting a hands on with it. Hit the read link to buy one now.

Nokia E71 and E66 get official
Posted: Jun 16th 2008 10:36AM by Chase Higgins Nokia has all but forgotten about its Eseries devices it would seem, but today the long neglected line got another look. Nokia announced two new devices for the line, one of which is an update to the popular E61 handset. What is very interesting about these devices is how thin Nokia made them. Both have a ton of features, each of them packs a 3.2 mega pixel camera, MicroSD support, Symbian S60, all sorts of email support, and HSDPA. Both will be made available in Q3, and the E71 will be made available in the U.S. It will have full 3G support for the North American bands. It is not known yet if Nokia will have any carrier subsidies for the devices, so you better start saving.

Nokia N95-3 and N95-4 on sale at Dell's website
Posted: Jun 14th 2008 6:02PM by Chase Higgins Nokia's flagship N95 handset, is now on sale at Dell's website. The device is Nokia's top of the line smart phone running Symbian S60. There are two models on sale right now at Dell, they are the N95-3, and the N95-4. Both of these models have full support for U.S. GSM networks, including 3G. The N95-4 distinguishes itself however thanks to the 8GB of internal storage and the black color. The N95-3 has $100 in instant savings from Dell, bringing the price down to $430. The N95-4 has $80 in instant savings, bringing the price down to $560. So what are you waiting for, hit the read link to order yours now.

Verizon prepping Nokia 6205 'The Dark Night'
Posted: Jun 13th 2008 10:29PM by Chase Higgins The return of real Nokia devices to the CDMA front is very exciting news. Verizon and Nokia are prepping a device, but it looks as if they might have gotten carried away a little bit. Don't get me wrong, I am just as excited for The Dark Night to come out this summer, but I just wonder if this is too much. The device is the Nokia 6205 flip, which has been absolutely decked out in The Dark Night promotional material. Other than the theme, the device is a run of the mill mid range flip. A 1.3 mega pixel camera, MicroSD expansion, mobile web, Bluetooth, and Get It Now support, will all make this device a solid choice for a reliable yet fun phone. The device is wallet friendly, costing you only $70 on a new contract after rebates. All you have to do is sign that dotted line.

iPhone 3G to sport an additional proximity sensor
Posted: Jun 13th 2008 10:17PM by Chase Higgins Apple's new iPhone 3G, is no doubt the buzz right now. The device looks very impressive, but one rumored feature that many had hoped to be on the device that was missing, video calling. When we heard that the iPhone 3G would have an additional sensor, we thought video calls, just as did most others. It is now apparent though, that this new third sensor is actually another proximity sensor. This aids the device in telling when it is near your face, so the screen turns off during a call. It also can let the device know it is in your pocket, so accidental screen taps are not registered. The iPhone already has one proximity sensor, and no one was so kind as to mention why another one was necessary. Hopefully Apple got it right this time though.

LG Dare to be released on June 26th
Posted: Jun 13th 2008 10:43AM by Chase Higgins The upcoming LG Dare for Verizon is looking better every time we see it. The device is finally going to be making its way to the stores on June 26th, if this information holds to be true. The device was rumored to be released some time next month, but may have gotten expedited to launch before the iPhone 3G. The device has some sweet features behind it, like a 3.2 mega pixel camera with auto focus. This means it has one of the best cameras to be on a phone officially carried in the U.S. The device will also sport EV-DO Rev. A, with download speeds of up to 2.4mbps. This will aid the device's full HTML browser, and also provide plenty of over the air downloads of music, videos, and games. Look for a hands on with the device when it comes out, right here.

Sprint expands QChat service to 40 new markets
Posted: Jun 12th 2008 12:37PM by Chase Higgins We know Sprint will be rolling out QChat in three days, but what has not been known is how good the coverage will be. QChat will run over EV-DO Rev. A, but just Rev. A does not mean QChat. Theoretically though, with all the Rev. A Sprint maintains coverage could be great. The service is now available in 40 or more markets, with more to follow soon. Sprint also announced four new phones to be used on the network, the LX400 by LG, Z400 by Samsung, and PRO-200 and PRO-700 by Sanyo will all be made available on June 15th, which is of course when the QChat service will launch. Sprint better hurry though, Verizon's QChat will be coming soon.

Palm Centro heading to Verizon tomorrow
Posted: Jun 12th 2008 10:27AM by Chase Higgins Hats of to Palm on the Centro, it is now on three of the major four carriers, with T-Mobile expected to pick it up eventually as well. It is not an easy feat, and it is impressive. Verizon will be picking up their iteration tomorrow, and it is expected to be on sale in all stores. The device will sell for the typical price point of $99, on a new two year contract. The device will have EV-DO, Palm's Garnet OS, a full keyboard MicroSD expansion, and will be loaded with a new Facebook application that Palm has created for the device. The device will be compatible with the Verizon unlimited web and email plan, which will cost you only $30 a month.