Starting today, AT&T customers with a penchant for Android can point their browser to AT&T’s website or hoof it to their local AT&T store to snag the Motorola BACKFLIP. Now available for a mere $99 after rebate and a two year agreement, the BACKFLIP features quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), tri-band 7.2Mbps HSPA 3G (850/1900/2100 MHz), a 3.1″ HVGA touch-screen display, Android OS 1.5 (upgradeable to 2.1), 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, aGPS, 3.5 mm headphone jack, microSD slot (up to 32GB), fully QWERTY “back flipping” keyboard, and Motorola’s MOTOBLUR UI. So AT&T Android fans, will you grab the BACKFLIP or will you exercise some patience and wait for one of the other four Android handsets to make their debut?

Read

After rearing its ugly head on a leaked T-Mobile pricing sheet a few days ago, the Nokia 5320 Nuron has gotten the official nod from both Nokia and T-Mobile. For those that are dying to find out what $69.99 will buy you, here are all the details on this classic handset:

• Classic candybar form factor
• 3.2 inch touchscreen display at 16:9 640×360 resolution
• GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• WCDMA 1700/2100
• 2 megapixel camera with 3X digital zoom and video recording
• Bluetooth 2.0
• aGPS and Ovi maps with turn by turn directions and maps for US, Canada, and Mexico
• Ovi Store pre-installed
• MicroSD expansion (up to 16GB)
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• White on White color with changeable colored battery covers

The Nokia Nuron will hit the shelves of T-Mobile in the upcoming weeks with an exact date yet to be determined. Though pricing details were not confirmed, a previous leak suggests the Nokia Nuron will be ultra-affordable, coming in at a mere $69.99 after rebate with a two year agreement or $179 for those that prefer to go contract-free. Any potential buyers lured by the promise of free Ovi Maps turn-by turn navigation at a sub $200 price tag?

Read

After last year’s embarrassment at SXSW, AT&T is going overboard to ensure a similar wireless network meltdown does not happen again this year at the annual technology conference in Austin, Texas. To avoid a second such disaster, AT&T is throwing a ton of cash and bringing in an equal amount of equipment for the SXSW conference including:

• Installing a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) at the Austin Convention Center. The DAS is comprised of 50 antenna nodes that provide the equivalent coverage of eight cell sites.
• Improving the cell sites in the surrounding area by utilizing 30MHz of spectrum for 3G instead of the standard 10MHz and upgrading the system to include the 850MHz band and HSPA.
• Bringing in three temporary cell sites that are positioned in areas expected to see high traffic.
• Improving the backhaul by beefing up the fiber optic connections that serve the eight cell sites of the DAS and the three temporary sites. According to sources within AT&T, the backhaul capacity has seen a fourfold increase.

The stakes are high for AT&T as a network failure could wipe away any gains in consumer confidence AT&T saw following its favorable review from PC World last week. With its reputation on the line, will AT&T and its 3G network rise to the occasion or will it crumble to its knees under the strain of a mob of iPhone-toting geeks? Predictions are welcome in the comments.

Read

Sony Ericsson set the stage for MWC by announcing three new handsets in a press event held on the day before the launch of the international mobile phone conference. Sony rolled out two new compact Android handsets based upon the design of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and one Symbian-powered handset phone that is the big brother to the previously announced Vivaz. The X10 mini and X10 mini pro are similarly spec’d handsets with the X10 Mini Pro sporting a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The Vivaz Pro is a slightly modified version of the Vivaz and offers a QWERTY keyboard, a touchscreen interface and the Symbian S60th 5th edition operating system. All three handsets are expected to launch in Q2 2010 in select markets. Hit the jump for the full rundown of specs.

Both the mini X10 and mini X10 Pro include:

• 600 MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor
• 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and geotagging
• 2.55 inch QVGA touchscreen display
• aGPS
• Google Maps
• Wisepilot™ turn-by-turn navigation
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• Full suite of Google services
• 3.5mm audio jack
• microSD expansion with 2GB card included in the retail package
• Android 1.6 with Sony Ericsson Timescape
• UMTS HSPA 900/2100, GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• UMTS HSPA :850/1900/2100, GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• X10 mini will be available in Pearl White, Black, Pink, Lime, Red and Silver
• X10 mini pro will be available in Black and Red.

The Sony Vivaz Pro will feature

• slide out QWERTY keyboard
• 3.2 inch, 360 x 640 16:9 resolution touchscreen display
• 720 MHz processor
• 5.1 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, autofocus, face detection and geotagging
• 720p HD recording
• Video calling (main camera)
• WebKit web browser
• social networking support
• A-GPS
• Google Maps
• Wisepilot turn-by-turn navigation
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Bluetooth technology
• DLNA Certified (photos and audio)
• TV out (VGA resolution)
• Wi-Fi
• microSD with 8GB microSD in the package
• Symbian S60 5th edition
• UMTS HSPA 900/2100, GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• UMTS HSPA 850/1900/2100, GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• Available in Black and White

Read [Sony Ericsson X10 mini and X10 mini pro] Read [Sony Vivaz pro]

The HTC Legend has made another pre-announcement appearance, this time appearing in full marketing regalia on a dutch website. According to Dutch wireless carrier KPN, the Legend is expected to debut in March with a list of specs that are relatively bland. Similar to previously leaked live shots, the Legend will sport a form factor that resembles the GSM Hero with an optical trackpad instead of a trackball, a slight chin, and a sleek looking unibody aluminum frame. The remaining specs include a 3.2-inch AMOLED capacitive 320×480 touchscreen display, Qualcomm MSM7727 600MHz processor, 5.0 megapixel camera with LED flash, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and Android 2.1 with Sense UI. Look for the Legend to become official next week during MWC 2010.

Read

In a series of discoveries that would make Sir Arthur Conan Doyle proud, Pre Central forum member ToniCipriani may have uncovered the release date for the AT&T version of the Palm Pre. Both the Sprint and the Verizon version of the Pre have passed through the FCC with a confidentiality date that ended on or about the actual launch date. Buried within the FCC documents for a third version of the Palm Pre, with AT&T friendly 850/1900 GSM and WCDMA bands II/V, is a short term confidentiality end date of May 10th, 2010. If history is any indicator, then we can expect the Palm Pre to drop on AT&T in May, a mere 11 months after the handset’s original launch. Anyone up for an AT&T Palm Pre Plus Plus?

[Via PreCentral]

Read

Yeah, T-Mobile didn’t exactly get sexy with naming the myTouch 3G refresh, but hey, with a name so horrible from the beginning, we guess we can’t ask for much. While the name stays the same, the refreshed myTouch 3G definitely brings the slowly-aging device up a notch or two. Here’s a recap of the specifications for the new model:

• 3.5mm headset jack and updated music player
• More memory, with 288MB of RAM and an included 8GB microSD card
• Swype soft keyboard
• Preloaded applications including Barcode Scanner, Music Player, myAccount and Visual Voicemail

The new device is available starting today in T-Mobile locations as well as telesales for $149.99 with a new two year activation, and comes in both white and black color options. Merlot never had a chance.

Read

We told you earlier this month that the Nexus One would be coming to AT&T and we now have the first sharable shred of evidence that our source was spot on. Spotted emerging from the testing halls of the FCC is an unknown mobile phone with the FCC ID NM899110. For the geeky folk, the NM8 is the FCC Grantee code for HTC while 99110 is the model. People who rock a Nexus One and have a penchant for studying FCC labels would notice that the FCC ID for this mystery handset is only a single digit away from the FCC ID of the current Nexus One (NM899100) and would be quick to recognize that this mystery handset is most likely a kissing cousin to their T-Mobile-friendly handset. Without looking at the FCC documents, one might casually pass this mystery handset off as the upcoming Verizon Wireless CDMA version, but a quick perusal of the testing report reveals that the handset in question is rocking WCDMA bands I, II and V which are decidedly AT&T. Any Nexus One owners crawling on AT&T’s EDGE a bit peeved by this discovery?

[via Engadget]

Read

Windows Mobile 7 may be hitting AT&T and T-Mobile in the form of the HTC Diamond3, previously known as the Obsession. The Diamond3 will reportedly sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor, GSM/HSDPA connectivity, 3.7 inch capacitive AMOLED display with multi-touch, 5 megapixel camera with flash and HD video recording, 512MB RAM/512MB ROM, 4GB of internal storage, microSD expansion (up to 32GB) and a 1230mAh battery. The Obsession/Diamond3 is also going to be a GSM only device, no CDMA counterpart is in the works as sales of the last CDMA Diamond were sluggish. With HTC and LG rumored to be prepping Windows Mobile handsets for a mid-year launch, what are the odds that Windows Mobile 7 will be unveiled at MWC 2010?

Read

Bloops. Researchers have figured out how to crack 128-but UMTS 3G technology, thereby putting almost all modern phones in danger. The paper, found here basically describes a 2-hour process and is more a proof-of-concept than anything else. However, it could be used to listen to conversations after the fact.

As you’ll recall, old-fashioned G.S.M. was hacked a few weeks ago and with 3G down for the count there’s not much left to hide behind except good old security by obscurity. That said, I suggest we all learn Navaho like in Windtalkers.

via Giz

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Vodafone UK officially jumped on the iPhone bandwagon by launching both the iPhone 3G and 3GS today, joining O2, Orange and Teso Mobile in the now non-exclusive UK market. Vodafone customers looking to keep costs low can score an older 8GB iPhone 3G for free with a minimum monthly plan of £35 ($57USD). Folks that must have the latest and greatest still have the pleasure of receiving a free iPhone but those high rollers will have to agree to a minimum monthly tariff of £45 ($73USD) for an iPhone 3GS 16GB or £75 ($122USD) for the 32GB version. Sales of the iPhone are expected to be brisk with Vodafone moving an estimated 50,000 handsets in this first day of sales.

Read

The BlackBerry 8910 officially broke upon the scene yesterday when it was uncovered amongst the handsets that had recently received Bluetooth SIG certification. Details on the phone were sparse but a few hours later a spy shot of this unknown handset was leaked to the intertubes. The BlackBerry 8910 bears a striking resemblance to the previously leaked BlackBerry Atlas, a variant of the BlackBerry 8900 with EDGE-only connectivity, 8900-style keypad, 256MB of RAM, 624MHz processor, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 3.2 megapixel camera and an optical trackpad. The Atlas/8910 is expected to launch in Asian and European markets at yet-to-be-determined date.

Read

Another giveaway? Heck yes! Up for grabs this time is a Google Nexus One. We bought one directly from Google in addition to getting a review unit so we could see how their ordering process worked, so hey, why not? You might have read that I think there are some issues with Google’s mobile OS, but the Nexus One is hands down the best Android device to date — let’s get this party started, shall we? All you have to do to enter is simply drop in a comment and you’ll be automatically entered to win. Official rules are below!

• To enter, leave a comment below using the email address you’d like to be contacted at if you win. Also please don’t enter more than once, you’ll be automatically disqualified.
• The giveaway will run for one week until January 17th at 11:59PM
• The Nexus One is unlocked and was purchased unsubsidized. (T-Mobile USA 3G bands, European 2100MHz 3G band)
• This contest is open to anyone 18 years or older, worldwide. You’ll be responsible for any import tax/duties if you’re outside of the U.S. but we’ll cover shipping

That’s it, good luck!

The folks over at Motorola were nice enough to give us a deep dive into the new BACKFLIP which will be available Q1. You’re all aware that it features MOTOBLUR, Motorola’s UI over Android, so as far as the OS it’s not different from the CLIQ. The big difference is the form factor: it flips backward, hence its name, to close. As you can see above, it’s “Flippin’ Brilliant.” Man, that hurt.

When it’s closed, you have the deactivated keyboard with 5MP camera and LED flash on one side, and a blank slate on the other (screen safely tucked inside). When you flip it open, it’s like having a mini-computer in your hands — the back of the screen even has a trackpad that you can scroll and click on to navigate the screen. Why? So that shiny screen doesn’t get smudgy when it doesn’t have to. You can also flip it open and set it down to watch videos and use it to play a slideshow of all your images. The bonus is that it can go into dock mode or table-side mode, just like the DROID, except you don’t need to purchase a dock for it. Looks pretty good for a mid-range phone. We just don’t have an official release date yet and there haven’t been any carrier announcements from Motorola, but they do say this will be a global device. Click on through to our gallery to check out more pics!

Click on over to our Motorola BACKFLIP hands on gallery!

AT&T made it official just now — the wireless carrier will release five new Android handsets in the first half of 2010. Of the five, three will be exclusive to AT&T and include:

• a Motorola smartphone with MOTOBLUR and a unique form factor, presumably the Motorola Motus/Backflip
• a Dell smartphone, the Dell Mini 3 that we saw at the FCC late last year and was confirmed by Dell today
• an HTC smartphone, also an exclusive to AT&T

That leaves two remaining handsets, one of which may the Nexus One and the other is open for speculation.

Read