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A closer look at Japan's latest handsets


It's that time of year again -- the time when Japan's carriers announce a seemingly never-ending torrent of phone after incredible phone. We've already hinted at some of these monsters, but we wanted to take a deeper dive and really find out what's being offered this time around. Follow us right this way, won't you?

NTT DoCoMo's fall / winter 2008 lineup
KDDI au's fall / winter 2008 lineup
Softbank Mobile's winter 2008 collection

FCC Fridays

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we've gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don't need). Enjoy!

Phones
Read - LG GR500
Read - Huawei C2807
Read - Huawei C205s
Read - Huawei U1301
Read - ZTE C77
Read - ZTE F159
Read - Samsung SCH-M830
Read - Samsung SCH-W699
Read - Samsung SCH-R430B
Read - Samsung C3610C
Read - Alcatel OT-E206C

Peripherals
Read - ZTE C168
Read - Huawei E176
Read - Plantronics Explorer 380 / 390

Motorola Krave ZN4 hands-on


It's pretty fricking hard to believe that Motorola didn't have any touchscreen phones in the North American market before the Krave, isn't it? It's true, though -- so when it came time to draw inspiration for that all-important first device, designers looked to none other than Moto's own MING series, a popular (and fairly attractive, if we do say so ourselves) line of Linux-based smartphones sold in China for inspiration. In the course of its metamorphosis into a thoroughly Americanized phone, the Krave (Kring? MAVE?) lost GSM, gained CDMA and 3G, and found itself locked in to Verizon. All things considered, that's a pretty traumatic conversion there -- so how'd it end up faring? We took a quick look at the ZN4 to find out.

Aptina producing cellphone image sensor that shoots HD video

It sounds like your camera phone's video capabilities may get exponentially more awesome in the near future. Aptina -- a division of Micron that manufactures one out of every three sensors for mobile phone cameras -- has announced the high resolution 5 megapixel MT9P013. There are better sensors out there already, but this one will also be able to record 720p HD video at 60 frames per second, and 5-megapixel video at 15fps. The sensor is going into production in January of 2009, according to Aptina, so it shouldn't be too long before we start seeing much better quality amateur films out there in the world.

[Via SlashGear]

FCC Fridays

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we've gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don't need). Enjoy!

Phones
Read - Samsung SGH-T301G
Read - Samsung B5712C
Read - ZTE X760 [Awesome HTC Touch fake, check it out! -Ed.]
Read - LG GT365

Peripherals
Read - Plantronics Voyager Pro
Read - Plantronics BackBeat Adapter

BlackBerry Storm review on Engadget!


The most anticipated BlackBerry of the year (sorry, Bold) is just a day away from release on Verizon -- and naturally, we've got your full rundown ready to go. Head on over to Engadget to see our review of the Storm!

FCC Fridays

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we've gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don't need). Enjoy!

Phones
Read - Haier M170
Read - Samsung B5100

Peripherals
Read - Kensington ET-Visor
Read - Samsung WEP650

AT&T BlackBerry Bold hands-on


We've been playing with AT&T's just-launched BlackBerry Bold for a few days now, and once we got past the absolutely gorgeous display (seriously, it's mesmerizing), we wanted to find out what else there was to RIM's latest QWERTY device. Is the Bold more than a pretty face? Well, it's a BlackBerry, so you can count on it. Read on.

The better part of Nokia's smartphone roadmap goes on display


Okay, so maybe the N96 isn't your cup of tea. Perhaps you're disappointed that Nokia didn't blow out its inaugural entry into the wide world of touch with something just a little more superphone-ish than the 5800. We here you, we really do -- but hang tight, because anyone upset or jaded over Nokia's current S60 lineup might want to take a quick glance here to see if there's light at the end of the tunnel.

First, a word of caution: we're not certain what we're looking at here, but by all accounts, it appears to be a list of prototype devices available to groups within Nokia or third-party development partners. We've filled in as much as we could, adding notes where appropriate. In many (if not most) cases, these devices are available in a series of successive prototype builds that improve on elements of the hardware before they're blessed and released to manufacturing for retail; the availability dates you see here are of the most recent prototype build that we were able to find. Notable goodies include the "Corolla" with a 3-inch VGA display, the "Jig" landscape slider for AT&T, and the "Eitri," a monster QWERTY candybar with a 640x350 display and 5-megapixel camera, but there's a ton of good stuff here, so make a bowl of popcorn, curl up with your laptop, and take a few minutes to digest this thing in its entirety.

Lots of these projects are either ultimately canceled, rolled into future projects, or were always intended for internal development use, so we won't necessarily end up seeing everything that's listed here -- that being said, it's awesome to know that Nokia's planning to knock the spec sheets out of the park in 2009. Click on for the full list!

Update: On the advice of our legal team, we've had to pull the table of information originally seen after the break. Sorry Nokia fans!

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

FCC Fridays

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we've gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don't need). Enjoy!

Phones
Read - ZTE X176
Read - ZTE F165
Read - LG GB100A
Read - LG 410G
Read - Sharp WX-T923

Peripherals
Read - Motorola WiMAX Wave2 USB Adaptor

Sprint's Motorola i9 and BlackBerry 8350i team up for photo shoot


It's hard to believe that iDEN's having a bit of a renaissance so late in its life, but if these two handsets aren't evidence of that, we really don't know what would be. The Motorola i9 and BlackBerry 8350i will represent the very best that Sprint's Direct Connect network has to offer when they're finally released; the i9 hasn't been officially announced in any capacity yet, but the 8350i is on track for a launch some time this quarter (and with the still-sold 7100i three frickin' years old now, that's a damn good thing). We've also heard that Moto's got an i465 in the works, too, but we don't know anything about it just yet. Check out a few shots below while you wait for Sprint to get its push-to-talk butt in gear.

[Thanks, Manny P.]

Hands-on with the ZTE C79


For Chinese handset manufacturers, North America is one of the last great cash cows that has yet to be milked. It's not an easy market to break into by any means, but with LG, Samsung, and Pantech -- historically the value leaders in the market -- moving up the food chain in recent years, it seems like there could be room for another player or two. Enter ZTE, a company that's quiety snuck through the ranks to become the sixth largest handset maker in the world but has approached Canada and the US with kid gloves so far, starting with a Fastap phone (of all things) on Telus just last year and just recently moving onto MetroPCS in the States with the AWS-equipped C78 candybar and C79 flip.

We've been playing with a C79 recently, and let's get this conversation off on the right foot: it's a value phone. Yes, MetroPCS charges $159 for it, but that's completely contract-free with no strings attached, so realistically it'd run just a few bucks if the carrier were to offer it on a two-year deal (which they don't). That being said, this is a case where you get what you pay for -- the C79 feels like a cheap phone through and through. Paradoxically, it's both bulky and uncomfortably light, which definitely contributes to that. The external music controls are weird and unnecessarily small, and while we could really juice the volume on the earpiece during calls, the sound was pretty muddy. On the plus side, the keypad is awesome with large, easy-to-press buttons that even the fattest fingers would have no trouble using, and the screens are bright and reasonably colorful (though the 220 x 176 resolution never lets you forget that you're dealing with a lower-end device here). We also had no problem with the hinge, which is a component that's always at risk of cheesiness when you're dealing with inexpensive hardware -- it felt solid and consistently closed with a satisfying, positive action.

With a couple midrange features like microSD expansion and stereo Bluetooth included, we could reasonably see picking this up if it were offered to us for free on contract -- but paying just shy for $160 out of pocket for the C79 is a tough pill to swallow. Then again, when you put things in perspective, ZTE's a brand new player in this market and this phone is a strong early effort. Needless to say, the established players would definitely be wise to keep their eyes over their shoulders over the next couple years.

FCC Fridays

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we've gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don't need). Enjoy!

Phones
Read - LG KF900
Read - Samsung SCH-R470
Read - Samsung SCH-W740
Read - Samsung SGH-T119
Read - Samsung C3110Q
Read - Ezze Mobile MASS1
Read - Motorola W259

Peripherals
Read - Autonet Mobile AS-BUSPLS-01
Read - TAG Heuer Bluetooth Headset
Read - Huawei EM770V

AT&T BlackBerry Bold unboxing


Yeah, the Bold's out in pretty much every country recognized by the United Nations at this point, but to attention-starved Americans, we can only say this: it's new to you. Unlike the Epix, AT&T has spared RIM's latest and greatest full QWERTY handset from any over-the-top carrier branding, opting for a tiny logo at the bottom of the shell and letting the gorgeous industrial design speak for itself. We're not typically BlackBerry people, but we've got to admit -- this thing feels solid, substantial, and generally just great in the hand, and we can see how you'd feel lost without it in no time. Oh, and yes, everything you've heard about the display is true -- it's insanely crisp, bright, and easy on the eyes. We'll have a more thorough look at the AT&T version of the Bold in the not-too-distant future, but in the meantime, enjoy some photography, won't you?

FCC Fridays

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we've gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don't need). Enjoy!

Phones
Read - Huawei U3307Q
Read - Huawei C2806
Read - LG AX265
Read - LG KC910QA
Read - LG CF750
Read - Pantech C320
Read - Vodafone (ZTE) 1231
Read - ZTE X761
Read - Samsung SGH-H128
Read - Kyocera S1300

Peripherals
Read - Iqua Elite
Read - ZTE MF626




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