Phonedig

It was just 3 days ago that leaked word came through that Verizon’s HTC Ozone was set for release on June 29th.  Guess what?  Verizon made it official today, and as stated before it will cost $49.99 after a 2-year and $70 mail-in-rebate.  Spec wise it’s a full QWERTY keyboard phone with built-in WiFi, 1500 mAh battery, global roaming enabled and the usual VZW stuff such as visual voicemail, VZW navigator and more.

Full release after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: Official: HTC Ozone Price And Release Date

To alleviate congestion on the iPhone-filled 1900MHz spectrum, AT&T will be making the 850MHz spectrum available for 3G access. The net result should be increased capacity, improved coverage, and overall better experience. Sounds good to me. Expect the change within the next few months in the New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco areas.

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T-Mobile got all official today with the pricing and launch month for the HTC myTouch3G, the second phone to hit the carrier sporting the Android OS.  Expect it sometime early August for $199.99 after a 2-year contract signing, but you can preorder it come July8th.  The phone will be available in white, black and distinctive merlot (red).   Features include WiFi, Quad-band EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA (1700MHz/2100MHz), GPS, 3.2-inch touchscreen, MS Exchange support, 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus and a microSD card slot.

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Leaks aren’t a good thing if your rolling in a canoe, but in the case of mobile phones we pray for them.  This time around we’ve got word on Samsung’s newest Omnia phone, the Omnia 2 or GT-I8000.  Although it lacks a touchscreen like the iPhone 3GS, it’s packing an  3.7-inch (800×400) LCD, 8.1 megapixel camera with dual LED flashes and the ability to shoot 30fps VGA recordings.  Snazziness aside you’re still gonna have to tolerate the good old Windows Mobile OS, unless of course you’re masochist.

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Rejoice all you mobile data users, AT&T announced plans to upgrade their 3G network to a significantly faster 7.2Mpbs. The upgrades are planned for later this year and is expected to complete in 2011. Other upgrades include increased mobile broadband coverage by doubling the wireless 3G spectrum (effectively increasing the in-building reception).

Projects in 2009 include:

* Near-Doubling Radio Frequency Capacity. In 2008 and 2009 to date, high-quality 850 MHz spectrum has been deployed in more than half of AT&T’s 3G network footprint to improve overall coverage and in-building reception, with additional markets planned for later in the year.
* More Bandwidth to Cell Sites. We are adding fiber-optic connectivity and additional capacity to thousands of cell sites across the country this year, expanding the critical connections that deliver traffic from a cell site into the global IP backbone network. These upgrades will support the higher mobile broadband speeds enabled by both HSPA 7.2 and LTE.
* More Cell Sites. Deployment of about 2,100 new cell sites across the country.
* Wi-Fi Integration. Many AT&T smartphones will be able to switch seamlessly between 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. AT&T customers with qualifying smartphone and 3G LaptopConnect plans have access to the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network – more than 20,000 hotspots, including locations in all 50 states – at no additional charge. AT&T’s global Wi-Fi footprint covers more than 90,000 hotspots, and AT&T also can create permanent or temporary extended Wi-Fi zones in areas with high 3G network use, like a grouping of hotels or a festival.
* MicroCells. Customer trials leading toward general availability of AT&T 3G MicroCell offerings, which utilize femtocells to enhance in-building wireless coverage.

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We first got word of the Nokia N97 back in early December of last year. Now according to some rumor, speculation and sources the smartphone will ship early June in the US. Although the ship date is said to be specifically June 2nd, I have my doubts since Expansys says the phone won’t be available to the UK crowd until June 26th, and they’ve historically received these types of handsets before the US.  Expect the phone to cost about $700.

In case you forgot the Nokia N97 sports a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 32GB of flash memory, microSD card slot, aGPS, 5MP camera with dual LED flash, HDSPA, WiFi, USB 2.0 and Blueooth.

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AT&T announced the launch of Samsung’s latest Windows Mobile handsets, the Jack.  It will be available on May 19th for $99.99 after a 2-year contract and $100 mail-in-rebate.  Unfortunately, the phone is pretty standard ops and offers 3G, microSD card slot, 3.2 megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, aGPS and a full QWERTY keyboard.  In case you can’t tell, the Jack is just another iteration of the Blackjack.

Full release below …Continue reading: Samsung Jack Price and Launch Date Announced

Oh yes, Nokia’s E71x is now officially available from AT&T!  At just $99 after a 2-year contract signing and $50 mail-in-rebate, this full QWERTY keyboarded handset is actually a steal when compared to other Nokia handsets of a similar form factor.  Features include 3G, GPS, 3.2MP camera, media player, 2.4-inch 240×320 screen, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD card slot and a 4 hour talk time on a single charge. Color me excited!

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I heard murmurs of a purported AT&T network upgrade and today the rumor has been confirmed by an AT&T spokes person.  Soon customers will be able to enjoy peak download speeds of about 3.6Mbps versus the current 1.7Mbps.  Current 3G customers achieve about 500 - 700Kbps, so if all things are relative the updated network should provide download speeds in the upper 1Mbps.  The updated 3G network is currently undergoing trials in just two markets, but will roll out nationwide when tests are complete.

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Well, the leak has now been confirmed: T-Mobile revealed the existence of a 3G version of their popular Sidekick LX. This means faster browsing, video streaming, audio streaming, etc. In other words, welcome to the 21st century all you Sidekick fans. Other notable features include:

• Built-in GPS
• Very high res 854×480 screen
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• Upgraded UI that includes device-wide search
• Exchange data support
• Available in carbon black or orchid purple
• Price: $200 after 2 year contract and mail in rebate 

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