Spring is here and so are AT&T’s new batch of phones made for texting and emails. The new line up includes the LG Xenon, LG, Neon, Samsung Impression, Samsung Propel, Samsung Magnet and the Nokia E71x. Samsung Impression and Propel Pro will arrive in AT&T stores on April 7 and 14, respectively, and the LG Xenon will go on sale on April 8. The Nokia e71x, LG Neon and Samsung Magnet will be available in the following weeks.
It looks like Samsung really meant it when they said they wanted to release oodles of touchscreen devices this year. Two more handsets have been leaked and though they look exactly the same, they do sport a couple of significant differences.
So we’ve been hearing flickers of rumors about a supposed Android-powered Acer smartphone coming in the near future, but now an official from the company itself is confirming the rumor: the A1 is expected to be released sometime in September.
Vodafone and HTC have announced the next Android-based smartphone, the HTC Magic. The Magic – which will be on sale exclusively through Vodafone in Europe for an unspecified period – has a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen running at HVGA 320 x 480 resolution, an on-screen keyboard of HTC’s own design, and dualband 3G HSPA together with WiFi b/g.
No great surprise, but Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer has officially announced the latest version of Windows Mobile, version 6.5, today at Mobile World Congress, complete with a new name: Windows Phones. The newest version of the platform, as we’ve already seen in leaked screenshots, introduces a honeycomb launcher GUI which can be organized with often-used applications to the top of the screen, has customizable widgets and improved browsing via Internet Explorer Mobile 6.5 with the same browser engine as IE on the desktop.
According to analyst Generator Research, in the next five years we will see Apple’s smartphones outselling Nokia’s handsets and snatching up 40 percent of the global smartphone market. This may be due to the leaning curve that Symbian S60 requires compared to the simple user interface of the iPhone.
If this rumor’s not true, blame Shaw Wu. Wu, an analyst at Kaufman Bros., claims that a Dell smartphone is “closer to reality” than we might believe. If you were a fan of the Axim series of PDAs, this could be good news.
It looks like Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is finally showing Apple’s iPhone a little respect. After initially tearing into Apple’s device when it was first announced, Ballmer has now conceded that the iPhone and BlackBerry have a pretty firm grasp on the smartphone. Along with that, Ballmer also said that we shouldn’t hold our breath for a Zune Phone.
We’re now a few days removed from Palm’s unveiling of the Pre and another Palm rumor has crept out of the shadows. According to Electronista, Palm might be readying a new, webOS-based Centro to be released after the Pre.
Is it true? There’s a rumor flying around the web regarding the Palm Pre’s price – $399 for a Sprint 2-year contract. We must stress that has not been confirmed. That said, what do you think about this price point?
Be sure to check in regulary for new developments on this story, and also check out our new sister site, Pre Community – a community for everything Pre.
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