It’s still a bit early to sound the alarm but it appears that the new G2 is unrootable. According to a report by the New America Foundation, the G2 has an embedded chip that sniffs out modifications to the OS and wipes them clean upon reboot. In other words, you won’t be able to install a cooked ROM that has Wi-Fi calling baked in, …
Smartphones
Verizon Unveils BlackBerry-like ‘Droid Pro’ and Compact ‘Citrus’
Verizon recently announced the Motorola Droid Pro, a vertically-aligned Android phone with a 3.1-inch touchscreen and a keyboard reminiscent of those typically found on BlackBerry handsets.
That familiar keyboard is no accident, as Verizon is positioning the Droid Pro as "the first Android-based smartphone optimized for business use."
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T-Mobile Flicks On Wi-Fi Calling For Android Phones
UMA or Wi-Fi calling is one of the reasons why I’ve been a loyal T-Mobile customer for the past five or six years. And now that unique feature will be extended beyond BlackBerrys (and one Nokia device) to Android devices in the coming months. It will work out of-the-box allowing customers with the new T-Mobile myTouch and Motorola Defy …
AT&T Adds Three More Android Handsets From Motorola
While at one time finding itself eerily devoid of Android devices, AT&T has now rounded out its offering of the Google-backed handsets somewhat with three new additions from Motorola.
Motorola Flipout
The $80-with-contract Motorola Flipout will be the first of the new handsets to become available—it’ll hit stores on October …
The Smartphone Wars are the Early PC Wars All Over Again. Good!
For this week’s Technologizer column over at TIME.com, I wrote about the smartphone wars–and by the smartphone wars, I mean the battle between the iPhone and Android. It’s not that simple, of course: RIM still sells scads of BlackBerries, Windows Phone 7 handsets are arriving shortly, and HP will release new WebOS phones at some point. …
Ballmer on Microsoft Tablets: ‘You’ll See Them This Christmas’
Reuters reports that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told a crowd at the London School of Economics yesterday, "You’ll see new slates with Windows on them. You’ll see them this Christmas."
There’s some speculation that Microsoft’s official unveiling of Windows Phone 7, which is scheduled for next Monday, may contain some information about
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Virgin Mobile Outs Android Phone with $25 Service Plan
Is the Samsung Intercept the most impressive Android phone in the history of civilization? No. But the $25 per month service plan that includes unlimited data and 300 voice minutes with no contract sure looks nice.
That’s what Virgin Mobile is offering with the recently announced Intercept. Going no contract means that you’ll have to …
Skype Now Available for Android (With a Couple Asterisks)
Popular VoIP service, Skype, is now available for Android handsets. The app allows you to call and instant message other Skype users for free, and there are low-cost monthly plans for calling out to regular phone numbers and receiving calls to your own Skype-provided telephone number.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYVYJJES1_w]
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Verizon Launches Global Mobile Hotspot, Calls It Fivespot
Built by ZTE, the Fivespot from Verizon allows up to five devices to connect and share 3G speeds when traveling abroad. It will be available October 7 for $100 after a $100MIR.
Domestic Data Plans:
• $39.99 monthly access for 250 MB monthly allowance and $0.10/MB overage
• $59.99 monthly access for 5 GB monthly allowance and …
It’s Official: Microsoft to Launch Windows Phone 7 October 11th
Not that this should come as a huge surprise to anyone, but Microsoft will be holding the “Windows Phone 7 Worldwide Launch Event” in New York City next Monday, the 11th.
The company will be showcasing how Windows Phone 7 integrates with existing Microsoft products and T-Mobile and AT&T will be at the event to show off various Windows …
Verizon to Refund 15 Million Customers for Bad Data Charges
Just about every Verizon Wireless phone is capable of accessing web data but unless your monthly service plan has a special data package added to it, you’ll pay $2 per megabyte to get online.
According to a recent statement from Verizon, “over the past several years approximately 15 million customers who did not have data plans were …
New T-Mobile myTouch Features FaceTime-like Video Chat
T-Mobile and HTC have just announced the “new” myTouch aka myTouch HD. Like the G2, the myTouch HD runs on T-Mobile’s super fast HSPA+ network (4G) that’s currently available in Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss.; Denver, Colo.; Huntsville, Ala.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Norfolk, Va.; Omaha, Neb.; Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; …