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Showing posts from October 28, 2010

Review - Reliance Netconnect Mobile Broadband

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The Reliance Netconnect BroadBand worked great in multiple cities and villages too during my vacation. They have some 35+ cities that operate on Reliance HiSpeed (HSD) network while the rest of villages and towns all over India can operate on Hispeed 1x mode. It is advisable to leave the modem to operate on ‘Hybrid’ mode which auto switches to appropriate mode without having to go through connection disruption. If you are looking for Wireless Mobile broadband, this product from Reliance is arguably the best in India as of now. I wasn’t worried about the data plan or the cost since it was provided to me on a temporary basis since I was on the go.http://www.reliancenetconnect.co.in/

Samsung Galaxy Tab hits Sprint Nov 14 for $400

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Sprint has officially confirmed availability and pricing for the Samsung Galaxy Ta b, which will land on the CDMA network come November 14 priced at $399.99 with a new, two year 3G data plan agreement. The Sprint Galaxy Tab is up for pre-order from today, at sprint.com/tab. As we’ve seen before, the Galaxy Tab has a 7-inch touchscreen, runs Android 2.2 Froyo on Samsung’s own 1GHz Hummingbird processor, and has a 3.2-megapixel camera on the back. There’s also the company’s own modified Android apps, to suit the larger 1024 x 600 display.

Nintendo: 65.3m Wiimotes in the US, just in case you were curious

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We never had Nintendo down as stat-addicted number fanciers, but the company’s latest press release is all about how many Wii gamers could motion at their consoles at the same time. According to Nintendo’s figures, more than 65.3m Wii Remotes have found their way into the wilds of the US market, with an average of 46,000 sold daily. Since it’s hard to visualize that many Wiimotes, Nintendo helpfully tells us “that’s enough for every man, woman and child living in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, San Jose, Detroit and San Francisco, and enough still remains for every resident of Florida, Ohio, Virginia and North Dakota.” Most have been sold as part of a Wii bundle and with the Wii Play ; when bought separately, white is the most popular color (18.56m) with black trailing a long way behind (2.44m). There are also 52.9m Nunchuck controllers out there too. Is this any use beyond Nintendo getting the Wii into headlines ahead

Nokia N900 gets Maemo update: Ovi Suite & extra speed

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Nokia maintains that regular N900 users will be better served sticking with Maemo than trying to persuade them to jump the device to MeeGo, and it seems that the Finns are at least following up on their promises to maintain the open-source OS. A new software version for the Nokia N900, v.20.2010.36-2, has been released, adding full Ovi Suite support and various bug fixes and speed improvements. That includes the ability to make on-device music purchases through the N900 ′s browser and Nokia’s Ovi Music Store, with the downloads non-DRM encrypted. You’ll either need a PC and the Nokia Suite to install the update manually, or wait until the “new software a

PSP Go price cut confirmed by Sony Japan

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Remember the PSP Go that a lot of us were excited about when it was leaked ahead of E3 last year? The Go turned out to be a steaming pile of fail with consumers and many gamer sellers avoiding the Go like the plague. We reported earlier in the month that a leak was pointing to a price cut for the Go. That price cut has now been confirmed with an official blog post from Sony Japan noting the cut. The PSP Go will get a price cut in Japan to 16,800 yen with tax included, which works out to about $208 here in the US. That is very close to the $199 price leak and if you take the tax that is included away that leaked price should be accurate. That new price is about $50 cheaper than the PSP Go was before. I still don’t see a $50 savings making the Go any more appealing to most gamers. The real issue is still the fact that you can’t play any of your old games from your PSP collection on the Go.

Dutch Microsoft subsidiary says Windows 8 is under construction and about two years away

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Microsoft launched a big pile of meh with Vista when it hit the market a few years back. The follow up to Vista, Windows 7 has been much stronger in sales with lots of consumers and corporations upgrading to the latest OS from Microsoft after abstaining from Vista. Windows 8 is still really new on the market having only celebrated its first birthday recently. According to the blog post over the weekend the follow up to Windows 7, being called Windows 8 for now, is under construction. The OS is about two years away according to the post. We all know that new OS’ from Microsoft have a tendency to be delayed, sometimes for years so don’t hold your breath on that two-year launch window. There have been leaks that suggest the next version of Windows will have an app store like Lion will bring to Mac users.

WiFi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab listed at Best Buy

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Best Buy is apparently throwing in with the Samsung Galaxy Tab crowd, with Pocketables spotting an in-store listing for not only the Sprint and Verizon versions of the 7-inch Froyo slate, but the WiFi-only Galaxy Tab as well. Pricing for each model isn’t listed, but Best Buy says the range starts from $499.99 and that there will be both contract and month-to-month data plans available. We’ve already seen Verizon’s pricing for the Galaxy Tab, with the carrier offering very little in the way of a subsidy. The tablet itself is $599.99, with month-to-month data plans from $20 for 1GB. That seemingly leaves Sprint to offer the contract plans that Best Buy is talking about; it’s unclear whether the $499.99 is Sprint’s subsidized price, or the cost of the WiFi-only model. According to Best Buy, the 1409447 WiFi-only Galaxy Tab will be silver, as will be the 1411072 Sprint 3G version; the 1411045 Verizon 3G model will be black. Verizon has already confirmed that the Galaxy Tab will be lau

Notion Ink promise “minimum of 15hrs” battery on Adam slate

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If there’s one thing we’ve come to expect from ARM-based tablets, it’s lengthy battery life, and while the iPad has been ruling the roost with its over 10hrs of runtime, it seems Notion Ink could be stealing Apple’s crown. According to the company’s blog, Notion Ink is seeing “from more than 2 full days to minimum of 15 hours” of use from a single charge of their Adam slate. We’re guessing that’s with the Pixel Qi version of the slate, rather than the cheaper regular LCD model, but even so it’s impressive stuff. Notion Ink says the Adam’s Tegra 2 processor is actually only the fifth-most power hungry component, with even the speakers – which they’re also pretty proud of – consuming more juice. Meanwhile, USB Host support is confirmed, which means you’ll be able to plug in peripherals like a keyboard and mouse, together with external drives. It seems Notion Ink might be closing their Early Access Program for developers earlier than November 3 2010, too, with the indication being tha

Ortus Technologies Full HD 4.8-inch display makes Retina Display look low-res

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There’s plenty of argument over what distance you should be sitting from an HDTV in order to make the most of Full HD resolution, so we can only imagine the heated debate over Ortus Technology ‘s new Full HD MID-scale panel. The 4.8-inch display runs at 1920 x 1080 resolution for a whopping 458 pixels per inch; in contrast, Apple’s lauded Retina Display manages a “mere” 326 ppi. There’s no information on the company’s site about the new panel at present, but it’s believed to have viewing angles of 160-degrees and be constructed using Ortus’ proprietary HAST manufacturing system. That uses a combination of low-resistence wiring, super-narrow bonding and better quality optics to reduce the distance between individual pixels as well as to increase aperture for better brightness (or, conversely, allow for normal screen brightness with 30-percent lower backlighting requirements). HAST has allowed Ortus – which is a collaboration between Casio and Toppan Printing – to produce a 546ppi disp

B&N NOOK Color tablet leaks ahead of launch

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Barnes & Noble’s upcoming NOOK Color ereader has leaked, and the company only has itself to blame. ACNET tipster spotted the image of the tablet being used to illustrate a screen protector accessory on the bookseller’s own site, in a page quickly pulled by B&N’s web team. We don’t yet have any specific details about the device, but previous leaks have tipped a color touchscreen – as opposed to the current NOOK ‘s combination of a monochrome E Ink display and a smaller, color LCD touchscreen for navigation and control – and a price tag of $249. It’s also said to be less ambitious in its scope than the iPad (hence the low price) but still allow for at least ereader and browsing functions. We’ll know for sure tomorrow, when Barnes & Noble is holding a launch event for the NOOK Color.

Tablets: A Prescription for Confusion

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“It appears to be just a handful of credible entrants” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs on iPad rivals, “not exactly an avalanche.” It’s certainly been a shaky few weeks for tablets in general; while Apple’s slate can apparently do little wrong, contributing nicely to another record financial quarter for the Cupertino company, the rest of the market is looking deeply troubled. Qualms over platforms, sizes, pricing and usability have all come to a head over the past seven days, leaving manufacturers looking almost as confused as the would-be consumers. Jobs laid into Android as a “fragmented” platform and 7-inch displays as “too big to compete with a smartphone, and too small to compete with an iPad.” Nonetheless, Android appears to be the horse on which most Apple rivals are betting. Reviews of the first new batch of Windows 7 slates proved less than positive, with models likethe Tega v2 criticized for shortfalls in usability. While Microsoft’s latest version is certainly stronger than Windo

Winamp comes to Android, one of our childhood dreams is realized

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Here's a blast from the past: Winamp, that mainstay media player of college dorms and LAN parties since time immemorial (er, 1997 or so) has made the leap from PC to handset with the release of Winamp for Android. This bad boy is available for Android 2.1 and up, and features a playback widget for the Android desktop and Last.fm integration. But that ain't all! If you install Winamp 5.59 beta on your PC, you can sync and manage your libraries via USB or WiFI. Pretty sweet! We only have one questions, really: will it still whip the llama's ass? Check out the QR code after the break (or search the Android Market) for the mobile app

Remote control app for Logitech Revue hits the Android Market

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Logitech may have it's own set of accessories for its Revue Google TV box , but the best peripheral may just be that Android phone you already have, which can be turned into a full-fledged remote control with the Logitech Revue app that's just hit the Android Market. Like other similar smartphone remote apps, it will give you both a trackpad and a keyboard in addition to the usual remote control buttons, and it's thankfully free to download. Hit up Android Market to find it right now, or head on past the break if you'd prefer to download it QR code-style.

Nokia C7 has NFC capability, won't say what it's for -- yet

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We like us a little intrigue in our handsets, and we'd say this definitely qualifies: Nokia has apparently quietly slipped NFC circuitry into its just-launched C7 without bothering to mention it in any of the phone's literature. What does that mean? Well, Nokia's not saying, curiously -- but the company has experimented with using NFC for a variety of things over the years, and cashless transactions and contact information exchange are obviously two of the biggies. This actually dovetails nicely with that teaser for the Swipe payment and receipt management system that Nokia put out not long ago, so we wouldn't be surprised if it ultimately had something to do with that; they're saying there'll be an announcement eventually, but for now, all we can do is let the theories run rampant.a

Lumigon T1 with ICEpower amplifiers officially unveiled, to arrive 'by the very end of this year'

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Just as promised, Denmark-based Lumigon has finally lifted the curtains over its much hyped T1 Android handset. Specs include an 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 chipset with an optional Qualcomm HSDPA modem, along with a 3.5-inch 480 x 800 capacitive touchscreen LCD, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, A-GPS, Bluetooth and FM radio. What the Scandinavian company's really selling here, though, is the phone's multimedia features: not only does it have a FM transmitter , a HDMI dock and Bang & Olufsen's renowned ICEpower audio amplifiers, but it also doubles up as an "innovative" universal remote control for your various AV devices -- pretty unique for an Android device, we'll give you that. Interestingly, the press release omits any mention of Froyo, so here's a glimmer of hope that Lumigon will manage to skin whatever the latest version of Android will be in time for the launch -- a few lucky outlets will receive the phones "by the very end of this year,"

Mophie Juice Pack Boost review

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For extended trips away from an outlet (or "mains," for the British among us), the iPhone instills far less confidence than some of its rivals for two simple reasons: one, you can't carry a second battery even if you want to; and two, the ubiquitous, dime-a-dozen micro-USB cables that you find everywhere simply aren't going to do you any good in the event you want to jack in to your laptop's USB for a quick charge. Sure, your local Apple Store is happy to rob you blind of $20 for an extra iPod cable... but we digress. Naturally, the iPhone's ginormous accessory industry has come to the rescue in a pretty big way. Mophie'sJuice Pack Air series (and products like it) are the most integrated solution: you trade in some of your phone's slimness and sexiness in exchange for a combination case and extended battery. Unless you're taking your phone to the backwoods and you don't plan to reemerge for a few days, it's theoretically going to have you

BlackBerry Style first hands-on!

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Yes, folks, it's true: Engadget's capable of scooping itself at its own reader meetup, as evidenced by the BlackBerry Style we just checked out at RIM's booth here. The phone is pretty much what you'd expect from what you've seen in the shots so far, essentially a clamshell riff on the Curve line; to that end, we'd argue that it feels a little cheaper than your average Bold, but it still seems to be a marked improvement from the Pearl flips of days gone by -- and at $99 on contract, we think that's exactly the market they were likely going for. Interestingly, the keyboard looks more like a Bold component than a Curve one... and depending on the faction of BlackBerry users you fall into, that's either a very good or a very bad thing. Like the old Pearl flips, the Style's definitely large and in charge, boasting dimensions barely smaller than the Bold

LG Optimus 7 review

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If last night's cameo showing off the official Twitter client for Windows Phone 7 wasn't enough of a hint, yes, we've gotten our hands on LG's Optimus 7 . This 3.8-inch machine will serve as LG's international WP7 ambassador while Americans get to grips with its QWERTY keyboard-equipped Quantum brother. As you'll no doubt be aware by now, the internal equipment is standardized around Microsoft's chassis spec, meaning a WVGA screen resolution, a 1GHz Snapdragon inside, and a 5 megapixel camera shooting 720p video at 24fps. You'd think, therefore, that it'd be a nondescript, middle-of-the-road option, but the Optimus 7 left us extremely impressed after our first hands-on and we're eager to keep digging for more. Does it put up a righteous fight against the more ambitious HD7 from HTC and Omnia 7 from Samsung?

Viper SmartStart app goes to 2.0, gets potentially cheaper and throws roadside assistance into the mix

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About a year ago Viper got into the app game, releasing SmartStart the iPhone and allowing control of the locks, trunk, and ignition on their car. Since then Android and BlackBerry versions have trickled out, but now it's time for 2.0. What wondrous new functionality does this new major release offer? Not much, really, but it does come with one major improvement: cost. Before you were out at least $299 while the new version is said to cost as little as $199 according to the PR below, though the wording is awfully vague. PR states you can find "dealers advertising Viper SmartStart as low as $199," but under Viper's 2.0 site the MSRP is stated to be $299 -- the same as before. So, YMMV on the price cut, apparently depending on what your local dealer feels like charging, but know that whatever you pay you'll now get "Viper Motor Club" roadside assistance included. That should offer a little extra peace of mind as we enter dead battery season.

BlackBerry PlayBook demoed in the flesh at Adobe MAX, Air-based SDK launched

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RIM's PlayBook just got real -- quite literally -- at Adobe's MAX conference today. Granted, out-of-the-box Flashand Air support are being billed as a big deal for the PlayBook, but it still seems a little strange that the company showed non-functional dummies running video loops encased in Plexiglas at its developer conferencejust a few weeks back, only to let Adobe show the good stuff at its own event here. There is some logic behind it, for what it's worth: Adobe and RIM have announced availability today of an Air SDK targeting the PlayBook 's QNX-based platform with deep hardware integration, giving devs plenty of ramp-up time considering that the tablet won't be available until early next year. Kobo was among the companies on-hand to talk about the sheer awesomeness of the dev environment, and the general attitude toward the PlayBook's ease of development seems to be a positive one; we all know how important third-party apps are to a mobile platform's

No custom ringtones for Windows Phone 7?

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We just sat through an eight minute long video of someone at Pocketnow sampling every ringtone on his HTC Surround. Why did we do this? Just wanted to see if we could stand it; suffice it to say, we never want to hear a ringtone again. Perhaps more importantly, our man points out that Microsoft seems to have left the ability to add your own custom ringtones out of Windows Phone 7 altogether. The Surround itself has a couple recognizable fan favorites that we recognize from AT&T and HTC phones past, so it looks like manufacturers and carriers will be able to bring their own to the table, but for the end user, it looks like you won't be able to roll your own -- at least for the time being. And now we're going to go put our phones on vibrate.

LG Optimus T hitting T-Mobile on November 3 for $30

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Look out, dumbphones of the world: your days may really be numbered now that we've got US carriers blowing out brand new honest-to-goodness smartphones for $30 on contract. The phone in question here is LG's Optimus T, stablemate to the Optimus S, Optimus One , and Optimus Chic featuring a 3.2-inch HVGA display, 3 megapixel cam, and pre-loaded Swype all sitting atop Android 2.2. In order to get down to the promised $29.99, you'll need to sign up for a new two-year contract (naturally), score a qualifying data plan, and wait around for a $50 mail-in rebate when the phone goes on sale Wednesday, November 3 in your choice of black or burgundy (pictured).

Palm Pre 2 and webOS 2.0 showcased in new commercial

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It's hard to tell if the ad embedded after the break is purely official, but it definitely reeks of HP. In a good way, that is. Uploaded by the same fellow that gave us our first sneak peek at webOS 2.0 , this "Sizzle" ad shows 34 solid seconds of Palm Pre 2 action, complete with a glimpse at Angry Birds, Facebook and all sorts of new 2.0 features. We're aren't totally digging the tunes, but otherwise, it looks to be rather attractive -- way better than thefirst wave of original Pre ads, that's for sure.

Nokia N900 firmware PR 1.3 goes live

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The addition of support for the full Ovi Suite and "performance improvements" are the only two items listed in the Nokia N900 's latest published firmware update, but there's a third item skulking around that Nokia seems less willing to talk about: "easy" (albeit experimental) MeeGo dual-boot support, as promised in a recent posting on MeeGo's official site. We suppose the capability isn't mentioned because Nokia has said on no uncertain terms that the use of MeeGo on the N900 is an unsupported configuration -- but seeing how the N900 has been a hacker's delight from day one, we fully expect hundreds of thousands of the machines to be happily booting up the new platform within a day or three of this firmware breaking loose. Have fun, folks!

BlackBerry PlayBook Simulator Beta hands-on

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Sure, you might have to be at Adobe's MAX conference to actually hold a PlayBook in your hand... but RIM's offering us all the next best thing by turning a beta version of its PlayBook simulator loose on devs way, way in advance of the tablet's release -- ostensibly in the hopes of drumming up a beefy third-party app catalog in time for retail. On that note, we've spent a few minutes playing with the simulator today, which is delivered in the form of an ISO that can be loaded as an operating system installer for a VMWare virtual machine on either Windows or Mac. There's seriously very little to see here so far, but you can play with the on-screen landscape keyboard, confirm the presence of inertial scrolling in text areas, and get a quick look at how the status and app bars work. Speaking of apps, there aren't any -- not a single one -- but it's way early, and that's obviously where RIM hopes you come into play with that million-dollar software idea of

Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac moves to public beta

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That didn't take long, did it? The promised beta of Windows Phone 7's Mac-friendly companion app is now available, bringing basic media sync capability -- notably with iTunes and iPhoto integration -- to that shiny new Microsoft-powered phone of yours. In fact, Microsoft delivered the client so fast that it beat every single American WP7 device to market -- so AT&T and T-Mobile folks, you can rest easy knowing that you'll be Mac-compatible from day one. Notably, the so-called Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac lacks any Zune functionality; Microsoft has never written a true Zune client for Mac, unfortunately, but at least this is a critical first step that makes these things usable for Mac owners that aren't tied to the iPhone. Let us know how the app treats you in comments, alright?

BlackBerry PlayBook demoed courtesy of RIM's Mike Lazaridis and Adobe's Kevin Lynch

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RIM has now uploaded the full video of its PlayBook's brief stint in the limelight during Adobe MAX yesterday, where Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch and none other than Mr. BlackBerry himself, RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis, take the "professional tablet" through its very first public test drive on the keynote stage. The duo run through an MRI scan viewing app -- presumably in an attempt to woo the lucrative medical market -- along with the PlayBook's Air-based video player and browser-embedded Flash player, both of which seem to work pretty well. We also get a quick look at the tablet's multitasking cards, where we see that apps continue to function even from within their card views; it looks pretty nice, but at a glance, it doesn't do any tricks webOS wasn't pulling off a year ago. Interestingly, the edited video has a number of cuts -- some seem like harmless attempts to cut out boring parts, but there are a couple suspicious ones where we suspect something unsavory

Tata DoCoMo, Airtel bringing 3G to India this year

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It's been a long, brutal road, 2010 finally saw the long-overdue conclusion to India's nationwide 3G spectrum auction -- and in its wake, we're starting to see the winners make some firm commitments for getting services live. Two of the country's big operators, Tata DoCoMo and Bharti Airtel, are actually saying that they'll have their deployments up and running before the year's out; Airtel hasn't given a date, but Tata DoCoMo has pegged November 5th for its phase-one rollout in nine markets. Considering the size and complexity of India's spectrum license landscape, nationwide usability is definitely a concern -- but Airtel's saying that it's on the cusp of signing some roaming agreements that should keep things on the up and up. Oh, and Vodafone Essar? They're in the mix, too, though they'll be trailing a bit -- look for 3G from their towers in the first quarter of next year.

Apple delays white iPhone 4 into spring 2011

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Let's just be honest, Apple: white stuff is impossible to manufacture. In fact, scientists have yet to prove that white even exists , so we're not sure why you're bothering to try to make a phone out of it! That's right: after a missed availability date in July and another delay after that, Cupertino has once again pushed back the manufacture of the palest iPhone 4 -- this time clear into spring of 2011. It won't say why, but in all likelihood, they're still dealing with the same manufacturing woes they've had from the start. By the time mid-2011 rolls around, it seems probable that the release will be butting up against news of the iPhone 4's successor -- or at the very least, a CDMA version of the phone -- so it'll be fascinating to see how this timeline unfolds. In the meantime, yeah... might want to give up the wait and go for black.

HTC Desire HD review

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Did you know that the word "jumbo" originated from the name of an African elephant famed for being the largest of his kind? HTC will be well familiar with that tag having already rattled off the HD2, EVO 4G, and HD7 in a smartphone-dwarfing 4.3-inch form factor. And while that may not be the largest screen you can have your Android confectionery on today, it's arguably the upper limit of what we might consider a pocketable device. The HTC Desire HD follows, and seeks to improve upon, its laudable predecessors with an aluminum unibody construction, WVGA (800 x 480) display, 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash plus 720p video, and a modern 1GHz CPU. That hardware is put at the service of Android's latest Froyo offering, complemented with anupdated Sense that includes a web interface for controlling and discovering your phone remotely. It's a rich spec sheet, that much is unquestionable, but you're not just here for tenuous wildlife-related metaphors, you want

BlackBerry Bold 9780 finally official, hitting T-Mobile on November 17th for $130

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After what feels like an eternity of leaks, RIM has finally (finally!) come forward with the first BlackBerry Bold to ship with BlackBerry 6. The Bold 9780 looks exactly as we expected it to (meaning not too far from the 9700 design tree), boasting an optical trackpad, QWERTY keyboard, a WebKit-based browser and a five megapixel camera. You'll also get inbuilt 3G / WiFi, and at least on the T-Mob version, UMA / WiFi calling. Geotagging your images is a breeze courtesy of the integrated GPS module, and RIM's also tossing in 512MB of Flash memory as well as a microSD slot. We're told to expect it from "various carriers around the world beginning in November," with T-Mobile USA confirming that its version will hit on the 17th of next month for $129.99 on a two-year contract.

LG Octane texts its way onto Verizon for $100

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You might think $99.99 on contract after rebate is a little pricey for a phone with such a tiny display, but the new LG Octane 's got a secret: it's a bit like the enV series with a secondary display inside the landscape clamshell accompanied by a full QWERTY keyboard. Other features include a 3.2 megapixel autofocus cam with flash (yes, autofocus, not fixed), a new email client, microSD expansion up to 16GB, and Bluetooth 2.1. Look for it online and in stores starting tomorrow.

HP contracts 5 or 6 new Palm devices for 2011?

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Underwhelmed by the feeling of sameness with the Pre 2? Well, you may or may not be in luck; Chinese-based CENS.com is reporting that manufacturers Foxconn and Compal now have contracts to manufacturer up to six new Palm devices for 2011. That boils down to one for Compal, and either four or five for Foxconn. We'd venture a guess that PalmPad'sat least one of those, seeing as it's due early next year, but what about the others? Whatever (stackable) cards HP / Palm have in hand aren't exactly being laid out, and while we can't confirm this report ourselves, rest assured, we're hoping really hard that there'll be more webOS options with non-pebble form factors.

Pantech Crux is Verizon's 'simple, sleek, and affordable' full touchscreen phone

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The Octane isn't Verizon's only introduction today -- and let's be honest, no hardware intro would be complete without a full touchscreen model these days, now, would it? Pantech is rolling in with the Crux, featuring a 3-inch touchscreen accompanied by a microSD slot (32GB max and 1GB included in the box), a 3 megapixel camera, and not a whole heck of a lot else -- you're certainly not going to find Android here. Kind of handsome in a strange way, isn't it? Look for it to drop online and in stores tomorrow for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate on a new two-year deal.

T-Mobile myTouch redubbed 'myTouch 4G,' landing on November 3rd

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Ooh, Sprint's just going to love this. T-Mobile just announced the launch details for its latest HSDPA+ handset , with a November 3rd touchdown date (possibly to go along with new data plans?) and a $200 pricetag (after $50 mail-in rebate). But just to spice things up a little bit, T-Mobile also swapped names on the phone: what was previously known as the myTouch -- a back-to-basics follow-up to the original myTouch 3G and myTouch 3G Slide -- is now the myTouch 4G. In fact, it looks like T-Mobile has had this name for a little while, but was just waiting for the right moment to spring it on us. Wait, you didn't know HSPA+ was 4G? Ah, welcome to Sprint / Verizon / AT&T's branding nightmare.