by Chris Ziegler 
posted Sep 18th 2009 at 11:59PM 
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!
PhonesRead - Huawei Q1-200H
Read - LG GU285F
Read - LG VX8370
Read - Samsung SGH-T105G
PeripheralsRead - Samsung WEP570
by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 18th 2009 at 10:59PM
Sprint had told us in a statement that its BlackBerry Tours
only had trackball issues on "early production" units, and now Verizon is telling us pretty much the same thing:
Early on there was an issue with the trackball that affected a small percentage [of] the early production units -- far less than industry norms. The issue was detected early, addressed immediately and is no longer an issue. Returns on this device are some of the lowest among any of our smart phones.
In other words, it sounds like new buyers (and anyone who's taken the plunge recently) should be fine, and Verizon's actually taking it to another level by boasting that the handset's now one of its most return-proof smartphones. That doesn't change the fact that the trackball's
a little too recessed for our liking -- but at least it should stay functional.
by Ross Miller posted Sep 18th 2009 at 5:57PM
Earliest this week the internet alarms rang loud with word that Microsoft had added an app "kill switch" to its upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5 platform. Of course, such a kill switch is not unprecedented, as both the
Android and
iPhone platforms have their own variant. A Microsoft rep recently relayed a message of peace to assuage fears, telling
Ars Technica that the vast majority of app rejections won't cause a remote uninstall, and it'll only be used if the app "exhibits harmful behavior or unforeseen effects" -- not that we're entirely assured by the latter scenario, but wording aside, it does echo statements from the aforementioned companies that have so far been very conservative with its use (i.e. we can't recall a single instance of its use). "While we hope to avoid this scenario," he said, "we will make refunds available in such cases." Only time will tell just how trigger happy Microsoft gets, assuming they ever use it. Hey, just be happy we know about it -- remember the last time we were surprised to
discover such a feature?
by Darren Murph posted Sep 18th 2009 at 4:42PM
Based on what we're hearing, a slate of soon-to-be-proposed FCC rules may
stop the likes of Comcast from
discriminating against P2P applications on their networks, and AT&T sure will have a tougher time justifying why it won't let the
iPhone's version of SlingPlayer run on 3G while giving WinMo and BlackBerry users all the bandwidth they can handle. Julius Genachowski, the
new chairman of the entity, is slated to discuss the new rules on Monday, though he isn't expected to dig too deep into the minutiae. Essentially, the guidelines will "prevent wireless companies from blocking internet applications and prevent them from discriminating (or acting as gatekeepers) [against] web content and services." We know what you're thinking: "Huzzah!" And in general, that's probably the right reaction to have as a consumer, but one has to wonder how network quality for all will be affected if everyone is cut loose to, well, cut loose. Oh, and if this forces telecoms to deploy more cell sites to handle the influx in traffic, you can rest assured that the bill will be passed on to you. Ain't nuthin' free, kids.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 18th 2009 at 3:34PM
T-Mobile USA's really kicking things into high gear, coming from behind (
way behind, actually) on its 3G launch to become the first to bring 21Mbps HSPA+ here -- and possibly the only one to do it, considering that its closest GSM rival is
leapfrogging from 7.2Mbps HSPA to LTE. Speaking at 4G World in Chicago, T-Mobile's Neville Ray has gone on record saying that its 3G footprint will be blanketed by HSPA+ next year and is actually already up and running in parts of Philadelphia; amusingly, he was apparently a little weirded out by AT&T's earlier comments at the show that it'd have 90 percent of its 3G coverage upgraded to 7.2Mbps by the end of 2011, suggesting that was slow (we'd agree, but then again, considering how far behind T-Mobile still lags in raw 3G coverage, we're not sure they've got room to talk just yet). If we had to guess, this huge push for mega-fast data has to do with
investor discontent on the Deutsche Telekom side of things, so you can bet there are some crossed fingers out in Bellevue as this stuff lights up; now, just give us the
world-class phone selection to match and we'll be good to go.
[Via
Phone Scoop]
by Donald Melanson posted Sep 18th 2009 at 3:06PM
We've already had a pretty
clear indication that LG was about to followup its stylish
BL40 Chocolate Touch with a slightly lower-end BL20 model, but it looks like any doubt has now been cast aside by a just-revealed promo video, which shows off the new
New Chocolate phone in all its swishing and swooping glory. That includes a brief look at the phone's sliding keypad (it's red), a quick once over of LG's various widgets, confirmation of a 5-megapixel camera, and a look a somewhat unique feature called Text Scan, which promises to let you capture clear images of notes or memos (though it doesn't seem to provide actual character recognition). But enough with the words -- there's two minutes of sound effects and visual overload after the break.
Continue reading LG New Chocolate BL20 makes dramatic video debut
by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 18th 2009 at 2:00PM
The INQ Mini 3G is quite the intriguing little phone. It has the dimensions and outward appearance of a standard issue featurephone, yet aims to provide the multifunctional utility of the bulkier QWERTY keyboard-sporting smartphones that now roam these lands. With deep integration of Facebook, Twitter and Skype, it's designed to be a do-it-all social networking device, so we thought we'd run a few status updates through it to see if the latest spin on an
award-winning heritage lives up to its billing. Slide on past the break to find out.
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