Otaku Gadgets

There was a time, not too long ago, when smartphones meant bulky phones with QWERTY keypads, clumsy UI, limited features and sky-high price tags. Not much has changed on the price tag side but the bulk is considerably lower now and the various UIs on the market are going from great to greater. Plus the features have pretty much hit the other side of limited in this category. So I thought it right to start a weekly section that cuts through all the noise and brings you the main stories that you need to hear.

Verizon Bringing in Google Voice And Android [ANDROID]

Verizon, after regretting their decision to not carry the iPhone, did what any enterprising carrier should do. They went in for the open source alternative LiMo. Later, realizing that their aim was a little off, they zeroed in on the Android.

So in a join announcement, Google and Verizon have said that they are collaborating with phone manufacturers to bring two new Android phones to Verizon’s fold.

Motorola’s second Android phone Sholes (AKA Tao) is rumored to have been built for Verizon. It is also said to be a Google Experience phone without a custom UI. The other phone is rumored to be an HTC. May be it is this one here?

Verizon also clearly says that it will completely support Google Voice.

AT&T Allows VoIP On Its 3G Network

AT&T hasn’t been the best carrier and people know it. Amidst complaints with their service and coverage, the VoIP issue was always there. Now, AT&T has ‘taken a fresh look’ at VoIP and said they will allow Apple to allow services like Skype use its 3G network through the iPhone.

How they are going to handle all that data being sent down their networks, only they know. But one thing’s for sure – this is a direct result of the FCC probe. So would this make them allow the Google Voice app? We don’t know it yet but at least you will be able to use Skype on your iPhone now.

Dell Brings Its Own Android To AT&T [ANDROID]

Not wanting to fall behind in the phone race, Dell has stepped in to the arena and announced that it is going to launch its own smartphone that will run Android. While this is another feather in Googl’e Android hat, there is another side to this.

Dell has announced that this phone will be carried exclusively by AT&T, who are also the exclusive carrier for one of Android’s primary competitors — the iPhone. Based on the prototype that Dell has been showing off in China, it seems like the new smartphone will probably be a touchscreen-only device.

Fujitsu Tempts Us With Concept Phones At CEATEC

Just like last year, Fujistu has been showing off concept phones that simply look out of this world. There is not much to say about these phones except the fact that they are down right gorgeous. There’s one that looks a silicone blob of soap and on that is mobile phone pen that projects the keypad and the screen. And my favorite – the futuristic bracelet phone. They are the results of a design contest that was held by the company. Check out this photo gallery here.

Samsung Moment Launched, Sprint Gets Another Android Set [ANDROID]

Samsung’s Moment has a brilliant 3.2inch AMOLED touch-screen, a physical QWERTY keypad and the Android OS. The company’s Omnia line of phones have not met with much success but this one here looks like it has better chances of market penetration now that its case has been taken up by Sprint. Of course, having Android does make a difference.

With so many Androids getting ready to march out, Google’s Android division must’ve been really busy this year.

DoCoMo’s Touch Wood Concept Phones

DoCoMo, the Japanese communications company has been showing off  new concept phones at this year’s CEATEC. It is a phone made out of waste wood that is water and insect resistant. How weird would it have been if your phone was, not broken, but eaten instead? These were made in a collaboration between Sharp, NTT and ‘More Tree’.

Nokia E72 Finally Up For Pre-Order

E72 succeeds Nokia’s wildly popular smartphone – the E71. The new model sports a brand new set of features and a slimmer look. Together with a better UI and hardware additions like an optical trackpad, Nokia hopes to match the success of the E71 with its new avatar.

Android To Become #2 Behind Symbian By 2012? [ANDROID]

Analysts at Gartner Inc. are saying that Android will eclipse all but one mobile OS by the year 2012. The world’s number one right now is Symbian, thanks to the popularity of Nokia smartphones. It has over 50% market share right now but according to Gartner, this will come down to 39% by 2012 while Android climbs up from its current 2% share to 14%, enough to make it the second behind Symbian.

The rate at which these Android phones are coming out, why not? [Computerworld reports]

Qualcomm Dominates First Wave Of Windows Mobile

Qualcomm is all over the new Windows Mobile branded phones. These are phones that run on Windows Mobile 6.5 that has newer features and touch-friendly navigation.

The chipmaker has been a prominent player in phones and other handheld devices and it seems like they are also in the game for the first wave of Windows Mobile phones. Of course, it is also because HTC has the majority in the current Windows Mobile phones and all of them use Qualcomm chips. HTC’s Tilt 2 and Pure are both powered by Qualcomm chips and both run Windows mobile 6.5.

Not only that, HTC’s latest phone to run Windows Mobile 6.5 – the HD2, is powered by the Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Toshiba has brought out its own Windows Mobile phone and that too is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Then there is Acer’s neoTouch, using the same chip. [cnet news]

G1 and myTouch Owners Get A Donut Treat [ANDROID]

T-Mobile USA has put out a press release saying that users of the G1 and myTouch 3G (AKA HTC Magic) will be getting the latest version of Android very soon. The hurry up was caused by reports of phones getting formatted after dialing 911.

The update changes various features for the better and gives a better marketplace experience.