Sony Ericsson announced the Xperia X10, their first phone based on the Android OS and running on the powerful 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The phone looks to contain a slew of snazzy features and some hefty hardware. And that’s a good thing especially if you’re trying to compete with the likes of the ubiquitous and all-knowing DROID. Check out these features:

• Quad-band GSM and EDGE
• 4.0 inches, 480 x 854 pixels (WVGA), scratch-resistant capacitive screen
• 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon
• 1GB internal memory
• 8.1 megapixel camera with image stabilization, flash, auto focus, face-recognition, geo-tagging
• Sensuous Black and Luster White color schemes
• Bluetooth Stereo A2DP
• WiFi
• A-GPS
• Micro-USB connector
• 3.5mm headset jack

Expect it to be available first quarter of 2010.

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Looks like the Motorola Milestone aka DROID already launched in Europe. It’s the same phone as the DROID, basically, but WITH multitouch capabilities and without the free Google Nav app. Doesn’t really make sense why they left out multitouch on the DROID but I’m sure some enterprising hacker will take care of that.

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Sprint’s 4G (aka WiMax) service is now officially available in Chicago. This looks to be one of the first major metropolitan cities to offer the service. That means you can travel virtually anywhere in Chicago with your laptop an enjoy blazing fast download and upload speeds. Of course you’ll need to pick up the necessary USB dongle and pay for the service.

Of note, Boston, NYC and SF are due to receive the service in 2010.

Full release after the ‘leap’

Looks like you can now pre-order the Motorola Droid at your local Best Buy for a cool $199.99 after 2 year Verizon contract, no mail-in rebate needed. You’ll then have to wait until November 6th, a whole excruciating week, before you can get your hands on one.

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My hats off to T-Mobile.  They did a solid job keeping the deets on Project Dark in the dark, that is until a few days ago when all the info pretty much spilled out on to the webosphere.  Today, the company got official with their new rate plans which seem to be a mix of Sprint’s unlimited offering and Verizon’s ‘no contract, bring your own equipment’ setups.

Both the Even More Plus and Even More plans are available in a family plan (for a premium) format and break down like this:

A few days ago we posted some tantalizing details on the upcoming and very promising Motorola Droid. Well, it seems Motorola accidentally published a Droid website a week early containing some very juicy bits of information. Here we have the full specs of the Motorola Droid and they look fairly impressive:

• CDMA 1X 800/1900, EVDO rev. A connectivity
• 550 MHz CPU
  
• Android 2.0 (Eclair) OS
• 3.7″ WVGA (480 x 854 pixels); 16:9 widescreen; PPI 267 touchscreen display
• 5mpx camera with 4x digital zoom, autofocus, image stabilization, dual LED flash and up to 24 fps; D1 (720×480) resolution video capture
• full QWERTY side slide keyboard
  
• Accelerometer, aGPS and sGPS support, proximity and ambient light sensors
• Wi-Fi b/g, Stereo Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR, USB 2.0 high speed with micro USB connector, 3.5 mm headset jack
  
• 16 GB microSD pre-installed; supports up to 32 GB microSD expandable
• Webkit HTML5 support, Flash 10 (available 2010)
• 1400 mAh Li Ion battery with up to 270 hrs. standby and 385 mins talk time
• Dimensions: 2.4 x 4.6 x .5 in.; 60.00 x 115.80 x 13.70 mm
• Weight: 6 oz.; 169 g

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RIM announced their latest and greatest, the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Touted as an upgrade to the much revered Bold, the new phone features a sleek new design, optical trackpad, OS 5.0, improved battery life, and a smaller footprint. Check out the specs:

• Quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM connectivity
• 2100/1900/850/800 MHz or 2100/1700/900 UMTS/HSDPA connectivity
• 2.44 inch light-sensing display with 480 x 360 pixels
• Highly tactile QWERTY keyboard
• Wi-Fi with UMA (where available)
• GPS with Telenav maps
• Bluetooth 2.1
• 3.5mm headset jack
• Access to BlackBerry App World
• 3.2 MP autofocus camera with variable zoom, flash and video recording
• 624MHz processor
• 256 MB of Flash memory
• 2GB memory card in the box
• 4.29 x 2.36 x 0.56 inches (109 x 60 x 14.1 mm)
• 4.3 oz (122 grams)
• 1500 mAh battery

The Bold 9700 will be available from AT&T ($199.99 after contract), T-Mobile, and Rogers sometime in November.

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Marvell announced the launch of their Armada 100, 500, 600, and 1000 series processors, supporting Adobe Flash and Blu-ray technologies. The Armada processor ramps up to 1.2GHz CPU speeds and utilizes ultra low power design. Of particular note is the 600 series which is designed for smartphones and mobile devices.

According to Ms. Weili Dai, Marvell’s Co-founder and Vice President and General Manager of the Company’s Consumer and Computing Business Unit and owner of the longest company title in existence:

“The ARMADA family delivers to mobile devices what skeptics once doubted could be done: fast, PC-caliber processing, full Internet experience, rich media including HD quality video and 3D graphics — all in lightweight form factors with long battery life. There will always be a place for PCs, but the future of mobile computing — for smartbooks, e-readers, smart tablets and more — will by necessity get its DNA from smartphones, not PCs. Marvell’s world-leading technology portfolio allows us to provide a complete platform solution not only for mobile computing, but also smartphones, gaming, printers, personal and home entertainment, and emerging consumer markets.”

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The folks over at BGR got their hands on the new Motorola Droid and, boy, does it looks killer, as in almost iPhone killer. Looks like Motorola is back on track with a full QWERTY slider phone that’s amazingly only slightly thicker than an iPhone 3GS. Ultra-slick design, solid construction, huge screen, fast processor, and Android 2.0 to boot? What’s not to like. Check it out:

• It’s running Android 2.0. Duh.
• It’s thin. Just slightly thicker than an iPhone 3GS and the thinnest QWERTY-slider we’ve ever seen.
• It is the fastest Android device we’ve ever used. (It’s running a TI OMAP3430 processor)
• The feel of the device is very reminiscent of the OQO 02 model computer. Just smaller. It’s metal with a non-spring-assisted slide, very sturdy, and half soft-touch plastic.
• Awesome capacitive display. Plus it’s huge. Easily the best screen we’ve ever seen on an Android handset, and an amazing screen overall.
• The QWERTY keyboard is actually pretty usable and has a soft-touch rubberized finish. We’ve been told the keyboard design isn’t final on this unit, thus the two no-shows.
• Have we mentioned this phone flies? It’s the Android device to beat, and easily the most impressive. From what we’ve been told, Google had a direct hand in the Motorola Droid. Something to the point of almost dictating every move Motorola made when designing and making the phone. Interesting, huh?
• There’s a desktop cradle/charger that will ship with the Motorola Droid that we’ve been playing around with. It turns your Droid into a “multimedia station” and displays local weather, the time, etc.
• No one wants to listen, but it makes the CLIQ looks like a child’s toy (partly because it is, and partly because the Droid, even in its non-final form, is the most impressive phone we’ve used since the iPhone. It’s positively amazing).

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Not sure how they did it but BGR got their hands on an Android 2.0 build and it’s looking sweet indeed. Judging by the screenshots and info, the new Android is looking to be a significant upgrade. Check out the features:

• Native Exchange support
• Native Facebook support (syncs contacts)
• Browser improvements (specifically performance and double tap to zoom in/out)
• New Map application (Layers support)
• Unified email inbox
• New UI
• Built-in haptic feedback
• Option for text to speech
• Many more phone customization options

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