Motorola Announces First Push-to-Talk Android Phone
Motorola has just announced the first push-to-talk, Android OS-powered smartphone. Known as the Motorola i1, the phone’s features include the following:
- Android 1.5 OS.
- 3 bands/ modes: 800/ 900 (i) 2400 (w).
- Up to 4 days standby time; 210 minutes (3.5 hrs) talk time.
- 3.1″ full touch screen; 320×480 HGVA resolution.
- 5 MP camera with auto-focus, flash, 4x digital zoom.
- Video recording; storage on included microSD card. Supports H.263, H.264, WMV.
- Removable 2GB memory card, with support up to 32GB.
- WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.
- Internal antenna.
- Opera Mini 5 default web browser.
- Automatic sync.
- Integration with office & personal information.
- Microsoft Document Viewer.
- Android standard virtual keyboard.
- Swype virtual keyboard.
The Motorola i1 phone is available through Motorola or Sprint. See Motorola Media Center for full spec sheet.
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Walmart to Release the Nexus One for $99
Over at Walmart’s Online site, specifically under its Wireless section, a new product page showed up announcing the Google Nexus One. While it may not be impossible for Walmart to release the Nexus One soon, what is more interesting as noted by AndroidandMe is that it may be released not only under a Verizon contract but AT&T as well.
While Google may have previously announced that it is also planning to release Nexus One under Verizon, what was not announced though is the AT&T version.
The blog post also cited another blog reporting that Walmart might offer the Nexus One for $99 under a 2-year service contract. What is not clear is whether Walmart was able to negotiate a lower price with Google , if indeed the rumor is true. As you all know, the Nexus One is available under T-Mobile for $179.
Again, these are both unofficial and does not really came from Google. Although we could not discount the fact that Google might resort to this plan to increase the Nexus One’s userbase. If indeed the $99 Nexus One is true, those who have not yet bought the phone should start hoping that Google will also reduce T-Mobile’s offering price for the phone.
So, what do you think? Will this push through or not?
Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus Land on Verizon
There you go, Verizon has finally made the Palm Pixi Plus and Palm Pre Plus available for its customers. As announced earlier, the Palm Pixi Plus and Palm Pre Plus are available for $99.99 and $149.99 respectively. Both phones require a two-year activation.
Now, here’s the best part – Verizon is offering some great deals tied up with the two phones. If you get the Palm Pre Plus, you will be entitled to get 3 phones for free. The bad news is you are only given two phone choices – the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 smartphone and the LG VX5500. You if you avail of these free three phone promo, you’d end having two phones of the same model.
The Palm Pixi is on a buy-one-take-one promo. That means you’d get two units for the price of one but would also require you another 2-year activation plan.
As a review, the Palm Pixi Plus features full QWERTY keyboard, Palm webOS, widescreen display plus all the goodies you’d normally find in most smartphones available in the market today.
The same thing goes true for the Palm Pre Plus but it has an advanced touchscreen, full keyboard display. This phone’s keyboard was built on a slide out style.
So, are you getting any of these Palm Phones? Which one are you most likely to get?
Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Pricing Finalized
Finally Verizon and Palm have set the pricing scheme for the soon to be released Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi smartphones. According to the blog Electronista, the Palm Pre Plus will have the same pricing as its older Sprint counterpart on Verizon, that is – $150 under a two-year Verizon plan. The Palm Pixi on the other hand will cost $100 under the same two-year Verizon data plan. But in addition, the Pixi will be offered on a buy-one-get-one deal.
In relation to the pricing schemes of the said Palm smartphones, Verizon is also offering the Palm Mobile Hotspot which uses the Palm Pre or Palm Pixi as access point. Cost of said hotspot access is at $40 and will be added to existing plans owned by users. It will also have the same 5GB transfer cap and 5 cents per MB overage fees as a stand-alone modem.
Seems like a pretty good deal, right? All you have to do now is wait for January 25 when both the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi smartphones become available on Verizon. Both smartphones will carry the latest version of Palm’s webOS which currently – version 1.3.5.1. But come February, this will updated to version 1.4 and will have video recording plus other features as enhancements.
Google Nexus One Hands-On, First Impressions and Photos
You’ve probably read tons of Google Nexus One coverage from those who got it a day or two after it was released by Google. So, pardon me for posting this late since I just received my Google Nexus One a couple of hours ago. Being in a non-supported country, my Google Nexus One arrived 10 days after I ordered it, which was actually the day after it was announced. After going through some work-around, I finally did it – ordered my Google Nexus One, and waited impatiently for it to arrive. And so it did.
So, after practically using no other phone the the iPhone for two years, I’m so glad that the Google Nexus One runs almost the same as the iPhone. I mean, the interface is almost identical. The touchscreen feature, the apps screen and the display resolution make the iPhone and Google Nexus One almost like siblings.
But of course there differences. And based on a few hours of using it, I came up with a conclusion. If you have to compare the Google Nexus One and the iPhone using the usual mobile phone brands, I would have to say that if the iPhone is the Nokia of smartphones, the Google Nexus One can be considered as the Sony Ericsson. In other words, the Google Nexus One is geared more for the tech-savvy mobile phone users.
Aside from the looks, what more can I say about the Google Nexus One? Oh yes, the Android OS is simply fantastic. It’s fast, lightweight and plain straight-out mobile phone OS. Being an iPhone user for two years, did I find any difficulty learning the ins and outs of the Android-powered Nexus One? None.
Using the Nexus One for the first time is a breeze. Nothing difficult about it. Although, I’m not pretty sure how it fares when it comes to tinkering and tweeking. That’s what I’m going to do next. Will post a review of the Google Nexus One after I’ve used it for a couple of days.
In the meantime, check this site if you want to see some more photos of the Google Nexus One.
Google Nexus One Available Now with T-Mobile Service
As expected, Google has officially announced the latest Android handset, and Google’s very own – Nexus One. For the past couple of weeks, the Nexus One has been gracing the headlines with rumors, image leaks, hands on impressions and even reviews from those who were lucky enough to have received the early versions of the device.
If you’ve been closely following the hype built up by the Nexus One, you probably know many things about it already. But of course, nothing could be better than the official announcement as well as official specs coming from Google.
So, here it is, full official specs and technical features of the smartphone that could probably challenge the iPhone. Here’s a quick rundown of the Nexus One specs:
- 3.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen WVGA AMOLED touchscreen
- Qualcomm QSD 8250 1 GHz
- Android Mobile Technology Platform 2.1 (Eclair)
- 512MB Flash, 512MB RAM
- 4GB microSD Card
- 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, 2x digital zoom, LED Flash, geotagging, video capture at 20 fps
- Haptic feedback
- Active noise cancellation headphone
- SIM card slot
- Micro SD slot
- Promity and Light Sensors
- AGPS
- Accelerometer
- Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
- Bluetooth
And since the Nexus One is running on Android 2.0 Platform, the device will have access to thousands of mobile apps available at the Android market. Plus of course more Google-centric applications including direct acesss to YouTube, Google Maps, and more.
If you’re in the U.S., you can now order the Nexus One with T-Mobile service using Google Checkout faciity.
Avaya Enlists Broadcom’s VoIP Technology for 9600 and 1600 Deskphone IP
What do you get when a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications and the global leader in business communications applications, softwares and services? A fusion of VoIP technology and enterprise and small business IP phones. That is what the recent partnership agreement between Avaya and Broadcom would mean to the IP telelephony market.
Under the said agreement that was signed by both parties today, Broadcom’s VoIP technology will be used by two of Avaya’s one-X Deskphone Internet Protocol telephones, the 9600 SIP phones and the 1600 series.
Avaya’s 9600 SIP phones
The 9600 series one-X Deskphone edition has been loaded with Broadcom’s BCM1103, its most advanced VoIP processor. The BCM11103 delivers features that are important for enterprise deployments that includes high-fidelity audio, end-to-end security and advanced quality of service. Avaya telephones that belongs to this series are classified as “walk-up phones” which is used in common areas such as building lobbies, break rooms and hallways.
Avaya’s 1600 IP phones
In contrast to the 9600 phone, the 1600 IP phone belongs to the low cost family of Avaya phones which were designed to answer the needs of end-users. IP phones in the 1600 series feature Broadcom’s BCM1104 VoIP processor. This processor allows advanced IP telephony features at attractive prices that would certainly please cost-conscious customers. The Avaya 1600 series gives small businesses a wide range of choices for employing IP telephony in their company.
Paul Weismantel, Director of the Communications Appliances Division at Avaya said that Broadcom’s VoIP technology helped the company in building up an entire line of IP phones that can be used by a variety of enterprise and small business customers.
“As more small businesses transition to IP telephony and their larger companies deploy Gigabit IP networks, our Avaya one-X Deskphone line will serve the broad needs of each of these growing markets,” says Weismantel.
Motorola and AT&T Brings the MOTO Q9h to U.S. Mobile Market
AT&T customers have a new option when shopping for their mobile devices at AT&T retail stores; Motorola’’s MOTO 9Qh is now available at AT&T retail stores for $199. With various AT&T data plans. The MOTO Q9h is a 3-G powered smart device with worldwide capabilities.
The MOTO Q9h, like all the other Motorola mobile devices, looks sleeker than ever with its svelte and eye-catching, ultra-thin design with high-end finishes that includes exquisite materials and soft touch materials that adds to its seductive features. With the MOTO Q9h, Motorola has really done well in the looks department of its mobile devices. By its eye-candy appearance alone, you would surely want to have this mobile phone.
But before you go to your nearest AT&T retail stores, here’’s a summary of the key features of the MOTO Q9h to help you decide whether to get this phone or try out something else:
KEY Features of the MOTO Q9h
- The MOTO Q9h is equipped with HSDPA technology that will let you have download speeds of as fast as 3.6 Mbps when connecting to the internet with a flick of a button. When connected to the internet, you”ll have push email capabilities to send and receive corporate Microsoft Exchange email, fast internet browsing, high-speed music downloads, video streaming and casting. You can stay connected even while you do your other errands, or connect immediately whenever you need to check important emails wherever you may be.
- Motorola’’s latest mobile phones have always been known to emit fun and excitement with is dynamic and vibrant features. The MOTO Q9h embodies these features by blending functionality and entertainment in one unique device. Its entertainment features will keep you company during lull and boring moments. The MOTO Q9h has an integrated 2.0 camera which lets you capture precious moments. It is integrated with Window’’s Media Player that has access to over 200 music libraries. You can enjoy your favorite mp3′’s via any Bluetooth stereo headsets even when you are answering important calls. Downloading music and data files is not a problem as well since the MOTO Q9h supports USB 2.0 for faster transfer of files from your PC to your MOTO Q9h’’s SD card. Make sure to get the 2GB microSD card so that you can download your favorite music video and enjoy watching it with 30 frames per second.
- With a clear 320×240 display and a full-blown optimized QWERTY keyboard which allows you to type out emails, SMS, notes, presentations and more, the MOTO Q9h is almost your portable PC with phone functionality. The MOTO Q9h’’s smooth lighting transitions even lets you read clearly even when in an environment that has poor lighting.
Ok now, is the right time to rush out to your nearest AT&T retail stores.