I just got done reading an article in Biz Week about Motorola’s move to the Android platform. The once dominant cell phone manufacture has fully signed on to the OS and has plans to pretty much reinvigorate their cell phone business using the open source platform. So it’s no surprise that images of the company’s first Android handset have leaked out to the press.
Called the Shules, or Sholes - no one really knows, but it’s a terrible name, like the shoe inserts - it’s a slide out QWERTY handset with a 3.7-inch 480×854 resolution touchscreen. There is also a 5 megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, GPS, EVDO Rev A connectivity, WiFi, Bluetooth and a microSD card slot. The Motorola Shules is expected to land this October on Verizon Wireless.
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.
Leaked info hit this morning about Verizon’s HTC Ozone, yet another QWERTY keyboarded phone. It will arrive June 29th (July 13th in store) and cost $49.99 after a 2-year contract signing and mail-in-rebate. Spec wise we’re looking at EV-DO connectivity, 2.4-inch QVGA screen, WiFi, Bluetooth with A2DP, media player, 2 megapixel camera, microSD card slot, GPS and Windows Mobile 6.1. According to BGR, its GPS won’t be limited to VZW Navigator and for those who are traveling abroad will enjoy the preinstalled SIM card that supports quad-band GSM.
Verizon Wireless officially introduced the Motorola A455 Rival today. Available in Tin Silver and Purple, the Rival is a full QWERTY phone with a 2.2-inch 176×220 display, media player, 2 megapixel camera, GPS and Bluetooth. Total talk time is rated at 320 minutes while standby time is 510 hours, which is about 21 days. You can grab one now for $99.99 after a $50 instant savings and 2-year contract signing.
Turns out that I was wrong and the enV3 and enV Touch are in fact two different phones. To clear up any confusion a Howard Forum member managed to score the enV3 before official release and put together one of those wonderfully intriguing over head videos. I didn’t use the enV2, but the enV3 doesn’t appear to have that many improvements with the exception of a sleeker form factor. Word on the street is that it will officially launch May 29th and cost $179.99 after a 2-year contract singing and $50 mail-in-rebate.
Verizon Wireless is apparently big on increasing their Mobile Broadband subscribership and to boost the line of service to all new levels on May 17th is the introduction of the MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot. Unlike some other 3G routers we’ve seen, the MiFi features a built-in 3G modem as well as 802.11 b/g connectivity to create a WiFi hotspot that can be shared with up to 5 users as one time. Additionally, it rocks a rechargeable battery that will produce 40 hours of standby time and 4 hours of use. The MiFi itself will costs $99.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate after a contract signing, but that’s where the savings stop. A $40 monthly subscription will get you just 250MB of bandwidth per month and cost you an additional $0.10 per megabyte of overages. Alternatively, you can plunk down $60/month and snag 5GB of pipe and $0.05 per megabyte of overages, or just opt for a 24 hour day pass of $15 and a fully priced MiFi.
I’ll think I’ll just snag the cheapest mobile broadband services and my own 3G WiFi router.
Verizon Wireless officially kicked out their Samsung Alias 2 today. It’s the first phone to sport an e-ink keypad that automatically changes the orientation of its keys from ‘keypad’ to ‘QWERTY’ depending on how the phone is opened. It’s yours for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate and two year contract singing.
Most companies probably cringe at the thought of ‘leaked news’, but if I were Motorola I might be jumping for joy. Why? They need all the press they can get. Today leaked images of two upcoming Android based phones appeared.
First up is the Calgary (pictured above). It sports a slide out QWERTY keyboard that is a mix of touch and chicklet, a touchscreen and some sort of software with a focus on ’social networking’. This phone will be out in Q2.
Next up, is the Motorola Iron Man, which sounds so stupid it probably isnt’ even real. This one sports a slide down QWERTY keyboard and the usual smartphone features one has come to expect. This phone will be out in Q3.
So, yeah, all we really have are some crappy pictures of rumored handsets.
