"Engadget Mobile" - 19 new articles

1. Blackberry Storm dummy hits Verizon store
2. Nokia's CTO steps down for "personal reasons"
3. Shots of Microsoft's Internet Explorer "6 on 6" emerge, Deepfish gets canned
4. Rogers gets rugged with Motorola VA76r
5. Meizu M8 apparently launching in China, India this December
6. Telus and Bell in bidding war over BlackBerry Storm?
7. Samsung, LG said to be releasing Android phones in Q3 '09 "at the earliest"
8. Verizon getting a CDMA iPhone that runs Windows Mobile, clears acne
9. FCC working to approve Sprint / Clearwire and Verizon / Alltel mergers by the end of the year
10. Sony Ericsson laying off 450 employees in Research Triangle Park, NC
11. Motorola getting friendly with Android
12. Hands-on with Motorola's MOTOMING A1600
13. KDDI's Linux-based Au Box IP STB converts, sends media to mobiles
14. Samsung's 8-megapixel Pixon gets official, ships in mid-October
15. US Cellular getting the Samsung F480-like "Delve"?
16. Samsung A867, Sangria, and Mirage all coming to AT&T?
17. AT&T to get Nokia E71 as E72?
18. NTT DoCoMo to launch BlackBerry Bold next year
19. Press shots of Verizon's BlackBerry Storm surface
20. More Recent Articles
21. Search Engadget Mobile

Blackberry Storm dummy hits Verizon store

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Verizon Wireless

Well, it's not quite as big as that gigantic promo Bold, but dummies of the Blackberry Storm have started appearing in Verizon stores, and it's looking a lot, uh, more robust than we remember from all those leaks. Specs include an appropriately multicultural photo of happy people, non-functioning buttons, and a list of Verizon talking points. Still no hard release date, but we're guessing something this big can't be contained for much longer.

[Via Blackberry News]

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Nokia's CTO steps down for "personal reasons"

Filed under: Nokia

We thought he probably would've at least stuck around long enough to see the Tube get announced later this week, but Nokia CTO Bob Iannucci has announced that he's stepping down from the world's number one cellphone maker effective immediately for undisclosed "personal reasons." Though it might seem that the move leaves a gaping hole in Espoo's senior leadership, the company actually says that Bob will continue on in an advisory role while it decides whether it even needs a CTO going forward. Bob also served as head of the Nokia Research Centre -- also known as the place where you get to play with Haptikos -- where Henry Tirri, current head of the center's Systems Research group, will be taking over.

[Via mocoNews]

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Shots of Microsoft's Internet Explorer "6 on 6" emerge, Deepfish gets canned

Filed under: Software, Windows Mobile

Microsoft revealed that it was working on pumping some much-needed TLC into Internet Explorer Mobile back in April, and now we're finally starting to see some fruits of that labor -- nothing we can touch and play with just yet, but hey, a few honest-to-goodness screen shots are a solid start. Internet Explorer 6 on Windows Mobile 6.1 -- "6 on 6" as it's cleverly being billed -- features both desktop and mobile browsing modes, and more importantly, it looks like it might actually be packing enough horsepower to handle the content being returned to it in desktop mode. We don't know when 6 on 6 will start shipping on devices (or, even better, be available as an upgrade for current handsets), but considering that virtually every WinMo user loads Opera out of the box, it couldn't come soon enough for Microsoft.

In fact, the impetus to get 6 on 6 out the door has taken on an even more urgent undertone, with Microsoft's promising research project Deepfish getting retired at the end of the month. Actually, maybe it won't be retired after all; Microsoft's official Deepfish page says it goes away on September 31, 2008, which -- as best as we can tell from our old-fashioned calendar here, anyway -- doesn't exist.

[Via Smartphone Thoughts]

Read - 6 on 6 screen shots
Read - Microsoft Deepfish official site

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Rogers gets rugged with Motorola VA76r

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Rogers Wireless, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Mil-spec (and mil-spec-esque) hardware seems to be all the rage lately, so Motorola was more than happy to oblige when Rogers asked for some rough-looking gear to slot into its lineup. Meet the VA76r, a beefy set that'll take pretty much all the drops, dirt, and spills you can throw its way and keeps things rockin' on the data side with triband HSDPA. You've also got a QVGA display, Bluetooth, 2-megapixel cam, and microSD expansion; the $199.99 CAD (about $194) you're going to pay on a three-year contract isn't the cheapest we've ever heard, but for those that need this kind of toughness (you know who you are), it's probably worth the cost of admission. No word on a US release, but we suspect Moto would love to launch this sucker on AT&T to do battle with Samsung's Rugby.

[Via MobileSyrup]

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Meizu M8 apparently launching in China, India this December

Filed under: Handsets, Others

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Telus and Bell in bidding war over BlackBerry Storm?

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Bell Mobility, Telus Mobility, GSM, EDGE, EV-DO, HSDPA, UMTS, CDMA

The Storm's a lock for Verizon stateside, but we're hearing the battle for the jewel in RIM's crown is far from over north of the border -- which would actually make a whole lot of sense, considering that we haven't yet heard anything definitive from any of the carriers up there. Telus is said to have tried to lock up the deal out of the gate, but Bell jumped in, upped the ante, and currently has the high bid for an exclusive Storm launch. Our tipster says "this won't be over any time soon," so we've got to ask: any Bell or Telus subscribers out there want to kick in some cash to get it on your network?

[Thanks, kjb_ninja]

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Samsung, LG said to be releasing Android phones in Q3 '09 "at the earliest"

Filed under: Handsets, LG, Samsung, Android

Neither LG nor Samsung have ever gone so far to as pin down an actual release date for their promised Android-based phones, but it looks like they could each now be giving themselves yet more wiggle room, at least if the supposedly in the know Mirae Asset Securities is to be believed. According to it, we now shouldn't expect to see Android handsets from either manufacturer before the second half of 2009 "at the earliest," which doesn't exactly match up with earlier word that both companies were aiming for a release in "early 2009." Venturing even further into speculation, Mirae says that the delay is a result of "negative responses" from mobile phone operators like Vodafone, as well as some general skepticism among advertising sponsors about Google's profit model for the phones. Of course, none of those parties mentioned are actually saying anything themselves just yet, so you may do well to take all of this with a hefty grain of salt for the time being.

[Via Unwired View]

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Verizon getting a CDMA iPhone that runs Windows Mobile, clears acne

Filed under: Handsets, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, CDMA, Apple

Rumors are coming fast and furious today citing unnamed tipsters that Apple is hard at work hammering out a CDMA iPhone for its friends at Verizon to be announced and released next year, the carrier it had initially approached about carrying the device back in 2005. Way we see it, though, 2009 ain't 2005; Apple's wielding boatloads more power in the wireless biz than it was before the first model launched, the industry's economics have changed, and technology roadmaps have been rewritten.

So why isn't this happening, exactly? First, Apple appears to be having no trouble finding enough customers (carriers, that is) to keep iPhone 3G production at a nice clip. Second, CDMA represents a minute fraction of the world's mobile customer base that GSM / UMTS does -- no matter how big Verizon, Sprint, Telus, Bell, KDDI au, and the remaining CDMA stalwarts may be. Third, CDMA is a dying technology that will be finished off in the early part of the next decade as networks make the migration to LTE and other 4G platforms. Fourth, we have to believe Apple would sooner pour its engineering efforts into advancing the iPhone platform in the same direction as the world's networks than divert considerable resources to busting out a one-off special.

Might this mythical CDMA iPhone yet exist? Yeah, Verizon's a huge carrier, and yes, stranger things have happened -- but until Steve and Ivan get on stage together at Macworld 2009, we're not buying it.

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FCC working to approve Sprint / Clearwire and Verizon / Alltel mergers by the end of the year

Filed under: Alltel, Sprint, Verizon Wireless

The FCC doesn't exactly have a track record of swiftness when it comes to reviewing mergers, but it looks like that little election thing might have lit a couple grey suits on fire -- FCC chairman Kevin Martin says that the agency is aiming to finish looking over the Sprint / Clearwire and Verizon / Alltel deals by the end of the year. That's right before a new administration takes over and potentially gums up the process, so we're guessing it'll be approvals all around, since rejecting the bids would result in some fun lawsuits for everyone, but we'll see how things shake out.

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Sony Ericsson laying off 450 employees in Research Triangle Park, NC

Filed under: Culture, Sony Ericsson, Misc

"Planned" and "executed" are two very different things, and while we knew Sony Ericsson was mulling the idea of hacking 2,000 jobs, the hammer has finally fallen in Research Triangle Park, NC. The company will soon be axing 450 employees at its North American headquarters as part of a large reorganization, with most everyone knowing by the week's end whether they'll stay or go. According to Aldo Ligouri, Sony Ericsson's head of global communications and public relations, the RTP cuts are "part of company-wide changes that Sony Ericsson announced in July," and in whatever context, he added that "this is our map of how we see things moving forward." Just to put things in perspective, the outfit only has about 750 workers in the North Carolina-based facility, which is primarily seen as an R&D hub. Tough news to hear, no matter how you spin it.


[Image courtesy of Flickr]

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Motorola getting friendly with Android

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Android

When a major player like Google comes up with a new mobile operating system that's better than the competition and is totally free, you would certainly expect handset manufacturers to be interested. But there's interested, and then there's interested. After lingering for nearly a year in the former category Motorola is now firmly moving to the latter, hiring and headhunting in an effort to build up a 350-person group entirely focused on development of Android phones. The company was one of the original members of the Open Handset Alliance, but seems to have waited for the release buzz from HTC's G1 before diving in head-first. There's talk that Nokia (and its "real phones") may be feeling the vibrations too, allegedly forming an internal team to do the same -- on the down low.

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Hands-on with Motorola's MOTOMING A1600

Filed under: Handsets, Features, Motorola, Linux, GSM, EDGE

Does the MING series have a place in North America? The stylish (well, depending on who you ask) Linux-based Moto smartphones have always been designed from the ground up for the Chinese market going back to the original A1200, but from afar, it's easy to see why you might want to put one in your pocket no matter where you live; after all, they look unlike anything else on the market, they're smartphones, they're delightfully compact, and they rock touchscreens. But realistically, is it possible to make a MING your daily dialer? Read on!

Thanks to the good folks at Wireless Imports for the hookup!

Continue reading Hands-on with Motorola's MOTOMING A1600

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KDDI's Linux-based Au Box IP STB converts, sends media to mobiles

Filed under: Multimedia, Misc

Now here's a peculiar one. Japan's KDDI has just introduced a Motorola-built IP STB that converts and transmits TV, multimedia and web-based content from the home to a user's cellphone. The Au Box is a fairly multifaceted beast, boasting a built-in DVD drive for ripping CDs, dual USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet jack, AV ins / outs and a Linux-based OS that can handle basic PC-like tasks. The box is designed for subscribers who own a mobile but not a full-fledged computer, and while details are scarce on the technology behind it, we're really digging the home content-to-mobile premise. Best of all, the set-top-box will only cost KDDI customers around $3 per month when it launches on November 1st. Say, Motorola -- have you ran this thing by any US carriers?

[Via Linux Devices]

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Samsung's 8-megapixel Pixon gets official, ships in mid-October

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA

Samsung was content with teasing us all weekend long, but it has finally seen fit to officially reveal its next 8-megapixel handset, the Pixon. Boasting a 3.2-inch touchscreen, 13.8-millimeter thin design and an inbuilt camera with Auto Focus, face detection and geotagging, the handset clearly emphasizes the importance of taking a few photos each and everyday. Sammy has confessed that the currently unpriced mobile will start shipping in around a fortnight for those in France, while most other European / Asian countries will see it shortly. As for North America? Take a wild guess.

[Via PhoneScoop]

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US Cellular getting the Samsung F480-like "Delve"?

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, EV-DO, CDMA, US Cellular

Seems like everyone wants a piece of Samsung's touch action these days, and US Cellular might be chalked up to get in on it next with this puppy, the so-called "Delve" (best they could come up with? really?). The candybar -- which seems to cop a good deal from its older F480 brother -- is said to feature a 3-inch display, navigation, full HTML browser, stereo Bluetooth, a "second generation TouchWiz interface," and a 2-megapixel cam. It's no Omnia, but we'll take what we can get -- and the rumor is that we'll be able to get what we can come November.

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Samsung A867, Sangria, and Mirage all coming to AT&T?

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, ATT, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

phoneArena has cobbled together all the details it could dig up on a trio of Samsungs apparently destined for AT&T, and needless to say, we're not looking at your average anonymous midrange flips here (and kudos to that, by the way). First up is the A767 "Sangria," which apparently borrows the i620 and i640's style but drops Windows Mobile to turn it into a strictly consumer device that's targeted for launch in late October. Next up, the A867 (cutesy name unknown) sorta looks like the mighty Omnia from its FCC filing, but it probably isn't for a couple very good reason: first, the FCC filing makes no mention of WiFi, and second, Samsung's smartphones start with "i." Finally, that i907 Mirage -- you know, the one everyone thought (hoped) might actually be the Omnia -- is said to actually be AT&T's version of the i780, featuring Windows Mobile Professional, triband HSDPA, a 2-megapixel cam, and that optical mouse Samsung has been featuring on its higher-end devices as of late. Pretty exciting stuff, eh?

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AT&T to get Nokia E71 as E72?

Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Remember how AT&T ended up picking up the original E61 as the E62 -- but somewhere along the way, the tweaked version lost two of the E61's most important features, 3G and WiFi? Yeah, that sucked. The good news, though, is that since the E62's release, AT&T's really warmed up to WiFi and manufacturers have started to smile upon HSDPA 850 / 1900 en masse. Word on the street is that AT&T will be taking another shot at the whole S60 QWERTY thing, launching its own flavor of the E71 as the E72. Of course, you can get North American 3G in the plain ol' E71 this time around, so what would a customized E72 have to offer? Feature Pack 2, allegedly, a line item sadly missing from the original's spec sheet despite its release coming well after FP2 hit the streets. We've been hearing for ages that AT&T was eyeing this thing, so we take this as a great sign that the plans haven't been abandoned -- only question is, when's it going to go down?

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NTT DoCoMo to launch BlackBerry Bold next year

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, NTT DoCoMo, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

In a land of colorful, pivoting flips with TV tuners, VGA displays, and contactless payment systems, an uptight business beast like the Bold doesn't really seem like a natural fit -- but maybe that's exactly why it's needed. NTT DoCoMo and RIM have announced that the HSDPA-capable BlackBerry Bold will be heading to Japan in "early 2009," and from the spec sheet DoCoMo has provided, it looks like they're not planning on changing anything from the Bolds that have launched elsewhere around the world. Of course, this isn't the first time a BlackBerry has made an appearance in those parts, but still, doesn't it all feel just a little out of place?

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Press shots of Verizon's BlackBerry Storm surface

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, CDMA

So you've already seen what RIM's BlackBerry Storm looks like in Vodafone garb, but if your feeble mind just can't envision what it'd look like with a Verizon logo on there, feast your retinas on this. A few new press shots of the VZW Storm have swooped in, though there's nary a surprise to be found. Still, we know you enjoy gawking, so hit the read link for a few more angles. As for a hard release date? Puhlease.

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