Cell Phones

We’d heard a few rumors of some new prepaid offerings from Verizon recently, but it now looks like the carrier could really be about to expand things in a big way — at least if some purportedly authentic leaked documents are any indication. Apparently received by Android Does from a helpful tipster, the documents list a whole new lineup of prepaid phones, including a slew of BlackBerrys, the Palm Pre and Pixi Plus, and just about every Android-based phone Verizon offers (including all of the Droids and even the yet-to-be released Samsung Fascinate — again listed for September 9th). While there’s no indication of prepaid pricing for the phones themselves, they would apparently be available with an unlimited $30 a month data plan, which would have to be tacked on top of a minimum $45 a month voice plan. Yeah, that’s pretty aggressive for Verizon any way you slice it — maybe too aggressive to be true?

[Thanks, Bryan]

Update: Well, it looks like this chances of this happening just got a whole lot better — head on past the break for a shot we received of a Verizon Prepaid BlackBerry Curve box. If you look closely at the back of the box, you’ll also notice that the pricing matches up with the leaked documents, including monthly plans from $45 to 75 a month, and unlimited email and web for $30 a month. What’s more, while there’s no shots just yet, we’re hearing that the prepaid Droids are also a go (with the same plans), and that at least the Droid 2 has been specifically mentioned.

Update 2: As if that wasn’t enough, we’ve also now gotten a handful more tips confirming that this is the real deal, and that it will apparently include BlackBerry, Android and Palm phones only (at least when it comes to smartphones).

Update 3: And just in case you still don’t believe us, we just got screenshots of Verizon’s inventory system listing all the current Droids, the LG Ally, the Motorola Devour, the Palm Pre / Pixi Plus, and a host of Blackberrys as pre-paid capable phones. Check it in the gallery.

VIA:
SOURCE:Android Does

When we talked to Sony Ericsson for the Xperia X10 for AT&T review, reps informed us that the phone is upgradeable but no further information could be provided. Now, we can’t say if this latest bit is global or just for those across the pond, but the official Twitter account of SE’s UK arm wrote today that Android 2.1 is “due for release before the end of September this year.” Certainly a step up from the Q4 2010 time frame we heard previously, but again, we’ve no clue if this applies to the US as well — we’ve messaged a stateside rep and will let you know what we hear. A blessing for some X10 family owners, just a cherry on top for others.

[Thanks, Henrik]
VIA:
SOURCE:@SonyEricssonUK (Twitter)

What’s this? A 7-inch, aluminum-trimmed, multitouch tablet from Korea running Android? Why it could be none other than the Samsung Galaxy, er, KT Identity Tab. Think of this 1GHz tablet with TFT-LCD, 8GB of internal memory (and SD expansion), DMB TV tuner, light and gravity sensors, built-in ebook reader, and 3 megapixel camera as KT’s answer to Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Android 2.2 tablet expected to hit SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest carrier, sometime in September. And with KT’s take on the Tab priced at KRW300,000 (about $253) or free with KRW27,000 per month contract and 50G WiMax (aka, WiBro in Korea) data plan, it certainly sets the expectation for how Samsung will price its Tab later this week. More pics of this oh too familiar tablet design after the break.

VIA:Akihabara News
SOURCE:Today Korea, Wall Street Journal

Despite Motorola’s best intentions to the contrary, the Droid X has been making steady progress toward viable custom ROMs, first with root access, then with a recovery method… and now, at long last, we’re starting to get the first few glimpses at legit cooked firmware. The two options we’re seeing so far are Sapphire — originally designed for the Droid of old — and a so-called “FlyX” ROM from longtime contributor Birdman. In both cases, the benefits of eschewing Motorola’s standard builds are pretty obvious: you get Froyo, root, and a host of apps and capabilities preferred by the superuser crowd like surcharge-free mobile hotspot access. The process is a little involved to get these bad boys installed at this point, but with time, we’re willing to bet it becomes a pretty painless endeavor. Follow the break for a quick video of Sapphire booting into stock Froyo on the X — a tantalizing sight, indeed.

[Thanks, Clift]

VIA:BGR, Droid Life
SOURCE:Android Central, Steven Bird

We imagine that LG’s security forces are combing Poland as we speak, because Android.com.pl has just provided us with yet another high-end handset leak. This LG C900 (last seen combing AT&T trenches) reportedly joins LG’s E900 in housing a 1GHz QSD8650 Snapdragon chipset under its sliding-QWERTY hood. Though our first look at the device suggested a plasticky matte frame, our erudite Polish informants tell us the phone’s mostly metal inside — despite a comparatively teensy 3.2-inch capacitive screen, they say it weighs about as much as an original Motorola Droid. A 3.5mm jack and a miniUSB port will play nice with headsets and charging cables respectively, and the site says it’ll run 1,100 zloty (about $350) if or when LG’s marketers recover from the shock of these leaked details and decide to ship. Find a video after the break and a host of similarly excellent pictures at our source link.

Update: Did we say 1.3GHz? We meant 1.0. As it turns out, Google Translate enjoys adding the letter “A” to acronyms immediately preceding a Polish comma, which made a 1GHz QSD8650 SoC look like a 1.3GHz QSD8650A to our tired eyes. Apologies! [Thanks, Anudeep]

VIA:
SOURCE:Android.com.pl

Infineon, the company behind the baseband chips inside your super-duper new phone, is about to cash out from the wireless industry courtesy of Intel’s insatiable appetite. The Wireless Solutions Business (WLS), which accounted for nearly a third of Infineon’s €3 billion ($3.83b) revenue last year, is being sold to the American chipmaker for a cool $1.4 billion. For its part, Intel is quick to reassure the world (and its antitrust authorities) that WLS will continue to operate as a standalone business and continue to support ARM-based devices. Chipzilla’s perfectly innocent ploy is to harness Infineon’s knowhow in future smartphone, tablet and laptop products, providing both the processing and wireless capabilities. Specifically mentioned in the news release is Intel’s ambition to “accelerate 4G LTE” through this deal, while also not neglecting its ongoing efforts with WiMAX, with the overarching strategy being described as “a combined path.” We should know more about where this path will take us when the acquisition is completed in the first quarter of next year.

Show full PR text

Intel to Acquire Infineon’s Wireless Solutions Business

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
- Intel to purchase Infineon’s Wireless Solutions Business, called WLS, in a cash transaction valued at approximately $1.4 billion. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011.

- WLS sale enables Infineon to expand leading position in markets for automotive, industry and security technologies.

- WLS will operate as a standalone business. Intel is committed to serving WLS’ existing customers, including support for ARM-based platforms.

- The acquisition expands Intel’s current Wi-Fi and 4G WiMAX offerings to include Infineon’s 3G capabilities and supports Intel’s plans to accelerate LTE. The acquired technology will be used in Intel® Core processor-based laptops, and myriad of Intel® Atom™ processor-based devices, including smartphones, netbooks, tablets and embedded computers.

- The deal aligns with Internet connectivity pillar of Intel’s computing strategy.

NEUBIBERG, Germany & SANTA CLARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Infineon Technologies AG and Intel Corporation have entered into a definitive agreement to transfer Infineon’s Wireless Solutions (WLS) business to Intel in a cash transaction valued at approximately $1.4 billion.

“We all stand to benefit enormously from this deal. Thanks to the outstanding effort of the employees and the management during the last years, WLS is excellently positioned to grow further with the new owner who is ideally suited for this business.”

WLS, a leading provider of cellular platforms to top tier global phone makers, will operate as a standalone business serving its existing customers. WLS will also contribute to Intel’s strategy to make connected computing ubiquitous from smartphones to laptops to embedded computing.

“The global demand for wireless solutions continues to grow at an extraordinary rate,” said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. “The acquisition of Infineon’s WLS business strengthens the second pillar of our computing strategy — Internet connectivity — and enables us to offer a portfolio of products that covers the full range of wireless options from Wi-Fi and 3G to WiMAX and LTE. As more devices compute and connect to the Internet, we are committed to positioning Intel to take advantage of the growth potential in every computing segment, from laptops to handhelds and beyond.”

“The sale of WLS is a strategic decision to enhance Infineon’s value. We can now fully concentrate our resources towards strong growth in our core segments Automotive (ATV), Industrial & Multimarket (IMM) and Chip Card & Security (CCS). This creates a great perspective for all Infineon customers, employees and shareholders,” said Peter Bauer, CEO of Infineon Technologies AG. “We all stand to benefit enormously from this deal. Thanks to the outstanding effort of the employees and the management during the last years, WLS is excellently positioned to grow further with the new owner who is ideally suited for this business.”

The WLS transaction is a strategic decision for Intel and Infineon. WLS complements Intel’s existing assets and enables growth in mobile computing, smartphones and embedded computing. Infineon will benefit from this by stronger addressing three central challenges to modern society – energy efficiency, mobility and security.

Intel’s goal is to expand its mobile and embedded product offerings to support additional customers and market segments, including smartphones, tablets, netbooks, notebooks and embedded computing devices. Through this effort, Intel will pair WLS’ best-in-class cellular technology with its core strengths to enable the delivery of low-power, Intel-based platforms that combine its applications processor with an expanded portfolio of wireless options — bringing together Intel’s leadership in Wi-Fi and WiMAX with WLS’ leadership in 2G and 3G, and a combined path to accelerate 4G LTE.

Intel expects WLS to continue growing, and remaining a standalone business to ensure continuity of existing customer sales, projects and support. The business will continue to support its customers with the best solutions possible, including ARM-based products as well as Intel-based application processor platforms with leading-edge 3G slim modem solutions.

WLS today holds leading positions in the field of wireless mobility and cellular platforms for smart phones and ultra-low-cost, entry phones. WLS provides baseband processors, radio-frequency transceivers, power management integrated circuits (ICs), additional connectivity features, single-chip solutions as well as the corresponding system software. This helps to enable the smooth transmission of voice and high-speed data from the backbone of the telecommunication network to the end user’s device. With annual revenue of Euro 917 million, WLS was approximately 30 percent of Infineon’s total annual revenue of Euro 3.03 billion in the past financial year.

The board of directors of Intel and the supervisory board and the management board of Infineon have approved the transaction. It is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011, subject to certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions specified in the definitive agreement.

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, mobility, and security. In the 2009 fiscal year (ending September), the company reported sales of Euro 3.03 billion with approximately 25,650 employees worldwide. With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the U.S. from Milpitas, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY).

About Intel

Intel [NASDAQ: INTC], the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and http://blogs.intel.com.

VIA:
SOURCE:

We’ve seen these kinds of Verizon launch decks before, so we tend to believe the September 8 date we’re seeing for the before. Either way, it’s looking like a sure thing that we’re going to see this on shelves come next week, completing Sammy’s impressive four-way coup to get its high-end Galaxy S line launched on all of the US nationals. Like the Droid 2 and Droid X, the Fascinate will feature Blockbuster Mobile to let you download full-length movies on the go — in other words, that’s a feature that won’t be a Droid brand exclusive — and Bing search will be installed out of the box, giving Microsoft a fun little foothold in Google’s kingdom. So, who’s buying? And while we’re on the subject, why isn’t this thing called the “Droid Fascinate?”

[Thanks, Bryan]
VIA:
SOURCE:Android Does

When Samsung’s 7-inch tablet finally sees the states, it might indeed be more than a giant Galaxy S — for one thing, it may have Froyo, but for another, it could have faster, more building-penetrating WiFi than most comparable devices on the market. That’s because when the Galaxy Tab hit the FCC by the name “SHW-M180S,” it came loaded with dual-band 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi capable of speeds up to 150Mbps. It also intriguingly sports the GSM 1900 radio frequency, meaning an AT&T launch might be in the cards alongside the CDMA one rumored for Verizon. Browsing through the WiFi Alliance databases in an attempt to track the tablet down, we spotted both a “GT-P1000T” and a “GT-P1000L,” each with dual-band WiFi, suggesting that there are multiple versions in the works… and the Global Certification Forum shows one of them actually has quad-band GSM and HSDPA connectivity. Not bad, Samsung. Now, let’s hear about battery life.
VIA:Wireless Goodness
SOURCE:FCC, Global Certification Forum

Motorola’s venerable MING handset revisions were just made official in three Android-toting varieties for China Unicom (model MT810, pictured center), and China Telecom (XT806, on the right). The TD-SCDMA riding MT810 ships with the Android derived OPhone 2.0 operating system and two touchscreen displays: a 3.2-inch stylus-friendly resistive touchscreen and a second transparent capacitive cover that provides a finger-friendly experience when closed. Other specs include 720 x 480 video capture, 720p video playback, and support for China’s CMMB mobile television spec. China Telecom’s XT806 is built on Android 2.1 with GPS, 720p video capture, and support for both CDMA EVDO and GSM for global wanderings. Finally, China Unicom’s A1680 packs a 3.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen, Chinese WAPI WiFi, 5 megapixel camera, GPS, and Motorola’s sixth-generation SoftStylus handwriting system.

Show full PR text
Motorola Mobility Brings Android™ to its Iconic MING™ Line with Three New Smartphones for China

Android™ power and China-specific features create intuitive, intelligent phones to help you succeed in work and life
August 30, 2010

Beijing, August 30, 2010 – Motorola, Inc., (NYSE: MOT) today launched three new Android™ smartphones in its successful and iconic MING™ series designed especially for China. The phones combine a superior Android touchscreen experience with updated MING styling and features, and include the MT810 for China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA network, the XT806 for China Telecom’s CDMA-2000 network, and the A1680 for China Unicom’s WCDMA network. Today’s launch extends Motorola’s leading portfolio of Android devices in the world’s largest mobile telecommunications market and reflects the Company’s commitment to designing phones especially to meet the needs of Chinese users.

“The new MING smartphones reflect our focus on intuitive intelligence, and are designed to adapt themselves to you and your life,” said Mr. Frank Meng, Corporate Vice President and President, Greater China, Motorola Mobility. “With MING we’ve combined our engineering expertise with a deep understanding of how people in China use their devices to create powerful, user-friendly smartphones that ‘feel just right’ and will bring great mobile experiences to our customers here.”

The three new MING smartphones bring Motorola’s portfolio of Android™ devices in China to a market-leading eleven, all released in less than a year. More than half the Android smartphones sold in China in the first half of 2010 were Motorola devices.

Designed in China for Chinese people and first launched in 2006, the MING rapidly established itself as a hit with its distinctive design and special features such as superb Chinese handwriting support, developed by Motorola and now in its sixth generation, and PDA functions that were useful and intuitive long before smartphones were a household word. Since the launch of the series more than five million Ming devices have sold in China.

“With MING and Android we’re bringing together two great Motorola success stories in China,” said Mr. Bin SHEN, Vice President and General Manager, Asia Product Management, Motorola Mobility. “MING has been a hit in China because it was designed especially for the way Chinese people live, work, and play with their handsets. Android™ has been a hit globally and in China thanks to its power and ease of use. By combining MING and Android, we’ve given Chinese professionals three great, new mobile devices for building their success designed exclusively for them.”

All three of the new MING devices offer a full touchscreen experience and sport an updated version of the MING flip design, including the signature transparent flip cover.

MT810: Social Meets Business for China Mobile

MT810 is being jointly launched with China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile telephone operator by subscribers, and uses China Mobile’s OPhone OS 2.0™ implementation of Android. The MT810 has a unique dual-touch system in which the 3.2-inch display is a resistive touchscreen perfect for stylus or finger input and the transparent cover is a second capacitive touchscreen that offers full finger touch functionality even when the phone is closed. A suite of pre-loaded intelligent business applications enables you to stay successful on the go while D1 (720 x 480) video capture, 720p HD video playback and powerful audio-video functionality, including support for China’s CMMB mobile television format, offer an unparalleled mobile entertainment experience. Access China Mobile’s Mobile Market with more than 7000 applications and tens of thousands of themes.

XT806: An Internet Powerhouse for China Telecom

XT806 is an Internet-connected powerhouse built on Android 2.1 and offered by Motorola and China Telecom. Easy connectivity and dual-mode/dual-standby support for CDMA EVDO and GSM enable seamless roaming so you can receive information around the world. XT806 also provides integrated mobile business application tools such as Quicknotes™, and innovative application that allows you to easily work on text, voice recording, videos, pictures, sketches and screen snapshots. With these features, the XT806 becomes a multimedia notebook that can help you search and work at any critical moment. It also has a transparent flip design and a 3.2-inch screen with a super-sharp 300dpi display, powerful GPS navigation services and 720p HD video capture and playback. Access Motorola’s SHOP4APPS, with over 800 specially selected applications.

A1680: Iconic MING Redefined for China Unicom

A1680 brings Android together with a design that reflects the classic and elegant MING heritage. A 3.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen offers a crystal clear display and excellent touch capabilities. A1680 supports China Unicom’s WCDMA network, as well as WAPI and WIFI1 high-speed connectivity for easy access to the mobile Internet. Motorola’s acclaimed intelligent handwriting recognition software has been perfected for the A1680 while a sixth-generation SoftStylus™ handwriting system easily captures your personal penmanship style. The A1680 also has a 5MP camera and GPS navigation services. Access Motorola’s SHOP4APPS, with over 800 specially selected applications

VIA:
SOURCE:

Wherever it is that Mr. Blurrycam calls home, Poland isn’t it. Android.com.pl has the best pre-release shots of the 3.7-inch LG E900 yet, replete with some titillating specs. We’re told that the upcoming Windows Phone 7 device will be driven by a 1.3GHz Qualcomm QSD8650A system-on-chip — basically a Snapdragon with the training wheels taken off. It promises better 2D and 3D graphics acceleration, integrated GPS, HD video recording and playback, and multi-mode UMTS and CDMA 3G connectivity. As to the handset itself, light and proximity sensors have been spotted on its body, along with a miniUSB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Navigate past the break to see some more of that tantalizing WP7 UI.

Update: It turns out Google Translate’s played a little trick on us, adding an A to the end of the SOC codename. The Polish fellas actually had a QSD8650 in the house, a less crazy 1GHz part [Thanks, Anudeep!].

VIA:
SOURCE:Android.com.pl