Sprint Nextel debuts Motorola i890

It’s been a few months since we reported on the Motorola i890, but we now have learned that it will be Sprint Nextel that will be carrying the device.

The i890 is a clamshell phone with a 1.8 inch 65,000 color external display and a 2.2 inch QVGA internal display. It also has a 2 Megapixel camera, 4x digital zoom, video-recording capabilities. It also features Direct Connect, Group Connect, Direct Talk, Direct Send, Next Mail, plus an MP3 player, external media controls, as well as stereo Bluetooth.

The phone can be purchased now for $129.99 with a two-year contract and $50 mail-in rebate.

YouTube app for Nokia and Windows Mobile phones

One year ago, Google launched the YouTube Mobile app for Nokia S60 and Windows Mobile and the software grew and expanded since then. Today, we’re meeting the 2.4 version of the app complete with tons of improvements. Let us remind you that the last version was chosen as a Nokia Ovi Top App of 2009.

The YouTube Mobile app is considered the fastest way to play video on your smartphone and find clips. Since we’ve mentioned finding videos, you’ll also be able to use search query suggestions, a new feat of the app. “My Account” is also supported and there’s a new homescreen UI included in the software, optimized for larger displays.

HTC HD2 won’t get Windows Phone 7 Series

If you’re an HTC HD2 owner who was hoping to get their device upped to Windows Phone 7 Series prepare to be disappointed. Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore has just told us that the HD2 is “not compliant with the Windows Phone 7 Series hardware specifications” and therefore will not be getting upped to Windows Phone 7 Series.

This is quite the unfortunate news considering the HD2 is one of the nicest looking Windows Mobile phones out there. Oh well, I’m sure HTC will come up with something to replace it soon enough.

$19999 Diamond coated iPad

Well, it was bound to happen — Mervis Diamonds Importers have taken the time to completely coat an iPad with 11.43 carats of diamonds. Of course with such a ridiculous arrangement comes a ridiculous price tag; $19,999.

If this sells well, Mervis Diamond Importers is sure to take the diamond treatment to Apple’s whole range of products. No word on when it’s supposed to go on sale but we’ll let you know.

AT&T Rolls Out New Services and Quick Messaging Devices

AT&T today announced a line-up of four new Quick Messaging Devices that will be among the first to offer a new suite of consumer data services that will significantly enhance messaging, video and photo sharing, and contacts management.

"Quick Messaging Devices are very important for us — it's a category that we defined for the industry and that we continue to lead in value, quality and innovation," said David Christopher, chief marketing officer of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "Quick Messaging Devices are among our most popular and fastest-growing phones. They offer great value — and now will offer cutting-edge services that enhance the overall experience consumers have with these phones.

"The evolution of the mobile phone experience — increasingly sophisticated hardware and software, including apps — has been advancing rapidly due to the proliferation of smartphones in recent years. At AT&T, we're ensuring a similar rich, ever-evolving experience exists for the sizeable number of our customers who use Quick Messaging Devices."

The new services, to premiere first on the Samsung Strive, include:

* AT&T Address Book — Syncs contacts to an online address book so customers can access and manage their mobile contacts from their handset — or their PC. Synchronization occurs automatically when any change is made, so contact information is always backed up. From the online interface, customers can import contacts from other Web-based address books, such as personal e-mail accounts, as well as send text messages to their contacts' mobile numbers. There is no additional charge to use AT&T Address Book
* Next Generation Messaging — Brings an advanced messaging experience designed by AT&T to the quick messaging phones category. The familiar text messaging experience is enhanced with group messaging and "reply all" functionality for up to 10 contacts, a threaded conversations format, a consolidated inbox, and enhanced multi-media display. AT&T designed the service based on research that revealed customers want features that help with social planning, improved message organization and better media integration — but are also simple to use.
* AT&T Mobile Share — Helps customers quickly transfer photos and videos captured on their mobile phone to other destinations and allows customers to manage that content across the mobile and PC screens. With just a few clicks, customers can share videos and pictures in full resolution, up to 10MB, with their home computer, social networking sites, other people and a personal Internet-based storage locker from AT&T — all from their wireless handset. Customers can access pictures and videos stored in their AT&T Locker at any time from any Internet connection or from their handsets. AT&T Mobile Share is available for $10 per month for 50 media transfers; customers can also pay per use, at $.35 per transfer1. The service includes online storage of 250MB at no charge. Customers can purchase an additional 10GB of storage for $5 per month. Standard data charges apply for browsing the online media locker from the mobile handset.

Both AT&T Address Book and AT&T Mobile Share bring the benefits of cloud-based services to consumers, giving wireless customers the convenience of seamless access to content and information across the mobile and PC screens, in addition to peace of mind in knowing their content isn't lost if they ever damage or lose their phone.

The new quick messaging phones lineup for spring 2010 includes:

* Samsung Strive — In addition to featuring the new AT&T services, the Samsung Strive will be available on March 21 in two color combinations, black/silver and purple/charcoal. Strive features a 2.0-megapixel camera and a vertical slide design to reveal a full keyboard for tapping out info on Mobile Email, instant messaging and social networking apps like AT&T Social Net with ease. The Strive will be available for $19.99 for a limited time with a two-year agreement and after $50 mail-in rebate, as part of AT&T's current 50%-off quick messaging phones promotion.
* Samsung Sunburst — With a stunning design that accents Sunburst's touch screen, the GPS-enabled phone is fun and sophisticated, with a curvy exterior and light accent below the screen. A widget bar feature allows one-touch access to a wealth of phone functions like creating a text message, in addition to direct links to social networking sites. Sunburst will also be available on March 21 for $39.99 after a two-year agreement and $50 mail-in-rebate.
* Pantech Link — An ultra slim and light, full keyboard quick messaging phone. Link's contemporary design makes it one of the sharpest in the popular, bar-style family of handsets. With black and blue accents, Link provides direct access to a fun and sought-after range of features such as Mobile Email, instant messaging, AT&T Mobile Share, AT&T Social Net, AT&T Navigator and more. Link will be available in AT&T stores and online in the coming weeks.
* Pantech Pursuit — Combining a full touch screen with a vertical sliding keyboard, the Pantech Pursuit plays host to a set of cool and unique features via shortcuts on Pantech's first touch user interface for easy, customizable access to apps and features like AT&T Social Net, AT&T Address Book, and social networking sites. Available in the summer in green or blue, the Pursuit will also support face recognition software and geotagging to get the most out of your pictures.

Nexus One Now Available For AT&T And Rogers

I’ve heard that the Nexus One is being considered a failure due to its 125,000 worth of sales.

Perhaps there will be a Nexus One sales rise since it is now available for 3G on AT&T and Rogers networks. It is available on Google’s store for $529, but hey, you can also get it unlocked and use it with a SIM card.

Anyway, if this deal floats your boat, you should probably let them float it.

Samsung Jet Ultra Edition on the UK

The Samsung Jet 2 was recently presented in India, and a similar cellphone with few different features was also presented in the UK with the codename Samsung Jet Ultra Edition. The device will be sold via the O2 network for an unknown price so far.

Specification-wise the Samsung Jet Ultra Edition comes with a 3.1-inch WVGA touchscreen and the TouchWiz 2.0 user-interface. Besides WiFi and GPS, it also has a browser with the cool one-finger zoom feature and even supports Flash. For the photos and videos there is a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and dual LED, and the data can be stored in the internal memory of 2GB, or on a microSD memory card. The Jet Ultra Edition can playback video and audio files, be it on DivX, on MP3, or on many other formats.

Sprint to Unveil HTC Supersonic, First 4G Phone Next Week

The Wall Street Journal says Sprint will let loose the oft-leaked HTC Supersonic next week at CTIA, and that it will be the carrier's first WiMAX-enabled Android device.

The device is expected to be the centerpiece of a presentation made by Chief Executive Dan Hesse during the CTIA Wireless trade show Tuesday. Sprint and HTC declined to comment.

And, conveniently enough, we'll be there at the event and will cover it live. Stay tuned, folks.

Sprint Nexus One

Google's first self-branded smartphone will soon be available on each of the four major cellular networks in the U.S.

Sprint just officially announced the impending arrival of Google Nexus One, though it neglected to reveal pricing or a release date. Details will likely become somewhat clearer at next week's CTIA conference.

Google's attempt to sell the Nexus One directly to consumers has been a bust so far. With versions covering all four carriers however, the sleek smartphone has a much better chance of being noticed. Even still, a bit of advertising certainly wouldn't hurt.

The Google Nexus One features a 3.7-inch touchscreen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and Android 2.1, and is already available for T-Mobile and AT&T. A Verizon Wireless-compatible version will become available sometime this spring.

PayPal releases an updated iPhone app

The PayPal app for iPhones has to be one of the important apps to have and thanks to a new feature, users can now easily move from one account to another by simply tapping two devices together. This is the Bump integration which recently opened up the platform and updated its own app with bump-to-friend Facebook buddy functionality.

To get the PayPal iPhone app update, you can download it over at the iTunes App Store for free.

Palm's AT&T launch pushed back to summer?

Palm is not exactly in te best of financial situations considering their flagship device, the Pre, failed to become a national phenomenon as they had hoped. However, a ray of hope came for the company when talks about bringing the devices to AT&T arose. The Pre and Pixi were in fact rumored to be hitting AT&T as early as next month but that may have been halted.

Reports have arose that say AT&T has found some problems with the Pre and Pixi and are delaying the launch of the devices until June or July. And, to make things even worse, AT&T has reportedly decreased their initial order from Palm and cut back on their marketing budget for the two devices.

Don’t worry Palm, I think the Pre is cool.

T-Mobile Motorola Cliq XT out now for $129.99

T-Mobile's latest handset, the Motorola Cliq XT has officially gone on sale today for 129.99 with a 2-year agreement. The touch-only MOTOBLUR smart phone features Flash-enabled software for web browsing, pinch and zoom multi-touch, and Swype. Specs include a 3.1-inch screen, a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, FM radio, and a touch navigation pad. Rounding out the phone are the standard Android fare of GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth.

You can head to your local T-Mobile store to pick up a CLIQ XT today or order yours online!