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Hands-on with Verizon's Nokia 6205 "The Dark Knight" edition


Sure, you might be the biggest Christian Bale fan in the world right now, but what about this time next year when The Dark Knight DVDs are already collecting dust on bookshelves around the globe? That was the million-dollar question on our minds when we heard that Verizon was commemorating the launch of its Nokia 6205 and the latest Batman flick with a tied-in version of the low end flip. Turns out it's all good, though -- a look through the custom packaging revealed a grand total of two battery covers, one with the Batman logo and one without, so it should be pretty easy to avoid those embarrassing "what's with the batphone?" queries in a few months' time. Otherwise, there's very little to say about the phone -- it truly is a minimalist flip -- though we're definitely excited to see Nokia's apparently renewed commitment to working not just with CDMA, but with CDMA carriers in North America.

Samsung Instinct, LG Dare, iPhone 3G... fight!


Alright, you three are sworn enemies, so what are we waiting for? Let's get it on! Go ahead, seriously, exchange some blows. No better way to get the party started than with a little speed test; the Instinct's data services still seem to be jacked, but the Dare and iPhone 3G squared off with the LG model consistently besting Apple's by between 50-100kbps over Verizon's EV-DO network (see the gallery for the side-by-side). That's not to say the Dare is consistently the faster phone -- it has everything to do with the network in your area, the time of day, the circumstances, and which side of the bed you woke up on this morning -- but it's an interesting observation here nonetheless. We'll follow up with an Instinct speed test (and another round of testing on the Dare and iPhone) when we can.

LG Chocolate 3 hands-on


"Chocolate" is a storied word in the phone industry. In terms of brand recognition, it's right up there with RAZR and iPhone thanks to well-executed marketing campaigns by both LG globally and Verizon in the US, but more recently, LG has moved on to other marques -- Shine and Secret, to name a couple -- leaving Chocolate to trickle downmarket. We wouldn't exactly call the Chocolate 3 "downmarket," but its launch is definitely not being played up to the same extent as, say, the original VX8500's was; these days, those honors seem go to iPhone fighters like the Dare.

Palm Treo 800w for Sprint unboxing and hands-on


If you've been really eager, it's possible you already bought one of these. If you haven't, then here's your chance to see Palm's latest Windows Mobile phone from just about every angle you could possibly imagine. We've got the company's new enterprise-themed phone in-hand (and on-table), and we're currently putting it through its paces. Take a look at the gallery below for a slew of pictures, and stay tuned for a review from us coming soon.

Black iPhone 3G vs. white iPhone 3G... fight!


For many people we encountered in line on launch day, the decision had already been steadfastly made: they'd be picking up a black iPhone 3G, and no one would sway them from their path (except maybe -- maybe -- if the black was sold out by the time their number got called). We've got to say, though -- after spending a great deal of quality time with both colors, the white definitely holds a special place in our hearts. It doesn't show smudges as easily, it makes just a little bit bolder of a fashion statement, and it tells passers-by, "yo, I sprung for the 16GB model" since the 8GB is only available in black. Don't get us wrong, the black's just fine, but we figured we'd throw out some food for thought on the subject.

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 - Ezze Mobile M4E
Read - ZTE C306
Read - Samsung SCH-W550
Read - Samsung SCH-W560
Read - Panasonic VS84

Peripherals
Read - ZTE MF626
Read - Samsung WEP250
Read - Huawei E216
Read - Huawei E3735
Read - Nokia HS-121W
Read - Option Globetrotter GE0421

iPhone 3G review


It's hard to think of any other device that's enjoyed the level of exposure and hype that Apple found in the launch of the first iPhone. Who could forget it? Everyone got to be a gadget nerd for a day; even those completely disinterested in technology seemed to come down with iPhone fever. But the original device was still far from perfect: its limited capabilities (especially in the 3G department), high price of entry, and the small number of countries in which it was available kept many potential buyers sidelined. Until now -- or so Apple hopes.

The wireless industry is a notoriously tough nut to crack, and it's become pretty clear that the first iPhone wasn't about total domination so much as priming the market and making a good first impression with some very dissatisfied cellphone users. With the iPhone 3G, though, Apple's playing for keeps. Not only is this iPhone's Exchange enterprise support aiming straight for the heart of the business market, but the long-awaited 3rd party application support and App Store means it's no longer just a device, but a viable computing platform. And its 3G network compatibility finally makes the iPhone welcome the world over, especially after Cupertino decided to ditch its non-traditional carrier partnerships in favor of dropping the handset price dramatically. $200? We're still a little stunned.

So now that Apple finally stands poised for an all out war on cellphone-makers everywhere, will the iPhone 3G stand up to the competition -- and higher expectations than ever? Head on over to Engadget for our full review.

Video: iPhone 3G unboxing and first look

Here she is, the iPhone 3G, captured on video. We went through a number of the new features on the device and in the 2.0 software release for you. Apologies in advance if you're looking for side by side speed tests, we spiked the on-camera test due to coverage issues where we're at. Video of the unboxing and new feature walkthrough after the break. (We should also have a bit more video shortly, so check back soon.)

Still got questions about the 3G? Get 'em answered right here.

iPhone: firmware 2.0, App Store, lineblog... and oh yeah, we have one


A handful of countries are now able to stick their tongues out to the rest of the world thanks to a little quirk of chronology called the International Date Line. Of course, we took full advantage of that quirk and landed an iPhone 3G of our very own -- but Apple's bringing the noise on the original iPhone today, too, with the launch of the App Store and firmware 2.0. Have a quick gander at all the news so far:

Read - It's iPhone 3G tear-down time
Read - iPhone firmware 2.0 is live
Read - iPhone 3G first look, what do you want to know?
Read - iPhone 3G international launch lineblog
Read - App Store hands-on, notable apps
Read - Apple App Store is now live!
Read - Apple's Remote: turns your iPhone into a WiFi remote control

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-i908E
Read - Huawei U1005
Read - Ezze Mobile M3EQ

Peripherals
Read - Motorola H780

Motorola A810 in pictures


Quick: name a Linux-based Motorola touchscreen phone that isn't widely distributed in North America. Oh, wait, that's all of them! In this case, "all of them" includes the little A810, a phone that's been kicking around the rumor mill since way, way back in February of this year. EDGE data and a 2 megapixel camera should help keep this one priced somewhere in the midrange, and while not necessarily attractive, it's definitely interesting to look at. Come on, you've got to give it that. Click through to the gallery if you don't believe us.

Verizon XV6900 hands-on


Anyone remotely familiar with the HTC or Sprint Touch will feel right at home with Verizon's version, the XV6900. The XV6900 isn't content to just fall in line and play "me too," though -- Big Red decided to go with a blindingly glossy white finish, bucking the soft-touch black used as a staple of the Touch line, and that could be a boon or a bust depending on who you are and how you intend to use the device.

The tenets of HTC's TouchFLO interface are totally preserved from the other Touches we know and love, and thankfully, Verizon went easy with the application of bright red to the UI elements. Physically, the XV6900 is just ever-so-slightly larger than its GSM cousin -- not enough for the average person to ever notice in the course of regular use -- and the addition of 3G data is more than enough to make up for that slight difference as far as we're concerned. One thing that struck us was how much better the XV6900's display was over the original's; the overwhelming improvement in contrast is pretty striking, although to be fair, we would've never noticed had we not had them side by side. Check out the full gallery below.

Nokia E66 mini-review


Hate to break it to you, but there's little more to tell about the E66 that we didn't already cover with the E71. It's basically the exact same hardware and screen in a portrait, sliding form factor, which loses the QWERTY for a numeric keypad. That said, we wanted to go over the specific quality of those differences, and touch on a few things we missed with the E71 review. Oh, and in case you missed our video hands-on with both devices, you can find it right here.

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 SCH-W580
Read - Samsung SCH-W460
Read - Samsung SCH-U310
Read - Samsung SPH-M220
Read - Samsung SGH-G818E
Read - Samsung SPH-M320
Read - LG KP260D
Read - Vodafone 730

Two years and half billion later, Helio sells for a song. But why?


Money-losing companies with interesting technology and a small, if rabid, customer base still frequently tend to sell for healthy chunks of change -- especially in the wireless space. Look at Trolltech, for example, the mobile Linux company that never really made any money, yet somehow managed to be acquired by Nokia for its talent and IP, which apparently carried a value of over $150m. We know Helio was burning cash on a whole 'nother level, but that doesn't entirely explain why SK Telecom was so absurdly desperate to dump their $500m investment. At a $39m acquisition price, SK didn't just lose its shirt -- it lost that, the shoes, and then the pants. You know, the pants with a half-billion dollars in them.

Continue reading on Engadget




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