Gadget Reviews

After a protracted “let’s be absolutely certain we’re in the clear” period, T-Mobile has gone ahead and lifted its self-imposed moratorium on Sidekick sales following that little meltdown you may have heard about. Oh, and there’s a bonus, too: they’re a little cheaper this time around. The Sidekick 2008 has dropped to $49.99 on contract while the top-of-the-line LX 2009 has shed $25 down to $149.99 on contract, so if you were looking for an excuse to live dangerously with your precious address book, this might be as good of a reason as any. Then again, what are the odds of lightning striking twice?

Read – Sidekick 2008
Read – Sidekick LX 2009

Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile cautiously resumes Sidekick sales at lower prices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Right on cue, T-Mobile’s newest BlackBerry is now on sale for those who covet. Starting at $199.99 on an Even More plan (which entails a 2-year contract, just so you know), the Bold 9700 can be ordered up from the carrier’s website or be snagged in-store if you prefer to roll that way. It’s also available for $449.99 on an Even More Plus Plan if you’re no fan of attached strings, but something tells us you may want to have a peek at our review before laying down that much cheddar in a moment of weakness.

Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile’s BlackBerry Bold 9700 now available for $200 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anyone looking for the hottest T-Mobile-powered BlackBerry experience that money can buy need only wait a few dozen hours now, because the carrier has just revealed that it’ll be launching the latest rendition of the Bold — the 9700 — on Monday, November 16 for $200 on contract. Your hard-earned cash reels in T-Mobile’s very first 3G BlackBerry underpinned by a 3.2 megapixel camera and 480 x 360 display, beating AT&T’s launch by a solid six days. Enjoy, folks.

Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile launching BlackBerry Bold 9700 on November 16 for $199.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dubbing itself the “multimedia powerhouse” for T-Mobile’s expansive Android lineup, the Samsung Behold II has just been confirmed for that rumored November 18th launch on T-Mobile (still no word on price, though we’re hearing a predictable $200). The slate-style touchscreen handset has a 3.2-inch AMOLED display, and puts it to good use with a hearty skinning job on the part of Samsung, porting in most (but not all) of its TouchWiz UI — unfortunately for us, that silly cube menu made the cut. Underneath is Android 1.5, and what seems to be a pretty standard processor.

Hardware-wise there’s really nothing to complain about on this phone. It’s heavy, relatively thin (not iPhone-thin, but just fine), with solid materials and wonderfully tactile face buttons. The screen is everything you’d expect out of an AMOLED display, though high-resolution phones like the Droid dampen that enthusiasm somewhat. One wonderful Samsung addition to the traditional Android experience is a “real” camera button on the side, which can even register half-presses for focus. For someone who doesn’t want a physical keyboard, but doesn’t want their handset to feel like a toy (sorry, myTouch) there’s plenty to love. However, we’re more concerned about the software side of things. We’re not morally opposed to Samsung adding in TouchWiz, but we are afraid of anything that has the potential to slow down the OS, and on first glance we’d say it’s notably less responsive than stock Android. We’ll of course be going further in-depth to see just how usable this iteration is, but let us just put this out on the table: a virtual 3D cube to launch media apps is no way “intuitive,” “helpful” or “cool.” OK, maybe it’s kind of cool, but seriously Samsung, stop it. Check out our unboxing below.

Update: We added some video after the break. Behold the cube!

Continue reading Samsung Behold II hits T-Mobile on November 18th, unboxed today (now with video!)

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Behold II hits T-Mobile on November 18th, unboxed today (now with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile and Motorola weren’t too forthcoming with a US launch date for the CLIQ, given only a ballpark estimate of “holiday.” However, this supposed carrier roadmap pinpoints a November release for the social-equipped Android handset. No clue how long ago this slide was made or how valid the information is — note the placeholder image and non-capitalized title — but we can’t imagine T-Mo would wait too close to Christmas to unleash it on the willing masses. Mum’s still the word on price, but that previous $0.00 figure is probably too good to be true.

Update: Boy Genius has clarified that the source who gave him this chart is claiming it to be an outdated roadmap, and that a newer, not yet seen one shows it for October. Guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola CLIQ’s November launch revealed in T-Mobile roadmap leak? (Update: new info points to October) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll caution you — this could all just be one big misunderstanding (or a case of the fat fingered admin), but Motorola’s newly launched CLIQ is currently listed for $0.00 on contract over at T-Mobile (and $399.99 with no strings attached). Available in both Winter White and Midnight Titanium, the outfit’s first-ever Android phone can’t actually be added to one’s cart (trust us, we tried… repeatedly), but if these figures are right, we can surely say that the barrier to entry on higher-end smartphones will soon be demolished. Giddy yet?

Update: Aw, seems like someone on the other end already caught wind of the slip-up and yanked it. So, can we take that as confirmation?

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola CLIQ listed for free on contract at T-Mobile, $400 straight-up originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lookie here! Those who thought Motorola was messing around with the revitalization of itself best take notice, as the company’s CLIQ — which was literally just announced moments ago — has already surfaced on T-Mobile USA’s website. At least initially, T-Mob will be the exclusive carrier for the phone in America, and it’ll be shipping in both black and white. Sadly, there’s no clues yet as to when it’ll launch and how much it’ll set you back, but feel free to hit that read link if you’re interested in subscribing to updates.

[Thanks, Micah]

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola CLIQ finds a home on T-Mobile’s website originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What could possibly cause T-Mobile to knock a full $100 off a successful smartphone less than two months after it started shipping? A lapse in judgment? A freewheelin’ new CEO? A brand new Android phone set for release? No, it’s something far more momentous: a new season of Oprah. While it’s not quite a new car, folks tuning into the show today will apparently be treated to one of the biggest celebrity android sightings to date, and be given the opportunity to snag a myTouch 3G of their own for just $99 (on a two-year contract with data, of course). Can’t wait another minute? Then it looks like you’re in luck, as the discount code is already up on T-Mobile’s website, and is valid until September 24th.

[Thanks, Jeff]

Filed under: Cellphones

Save $100 on a T-Mobile myTouch 3G, thanks to Oprah originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola just announced its first Android handset, the CLIQ, which is headed to T-Mobile by the fourth quarter, or in time for the holidays. As you’d expect, it runs the new MOTOBLUR Android skin, and Moto’s calling it “the first phone with social skills” to highlight the social networking integration. It’ll come in two colors, Winter White and Titanium, and have a 3.1-inch 320 x 480 screen, 3G, WiFi, and a five megapixel camera that’ll also shoots 24fps video. Internationally, the CLIQ will be known as the DEXT, and it’ll be on Orange, Telefonica, and America Movil. It will also be far less ugly than we all expected from those Morisson leaks.

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola CLIQ runs Android, headed to T-Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As must-have mobile apps go, Pandora ranks high on the books — with the proliferation of 3G and WiFi, it comes dangerously close to obsoleting the need to carry around your own 8, 16, or 32GB worth of tracks — and another big-ticket platform has now joined the compatibility short list. This time around it’s Android that’s getting hooked up, offering a home screen widget and background playback (we’d expect no less on Android) over whatever type of network connection you’ve got handy. Using Wham! as a station seed is still indefensible, but we’d say the argument for scooping up a G1, myTouch 3G, or Sprint Hero (when it’s available, anyhow) just got a bit stronger.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio

Pandora comes to Android, world’s networks that much closer to buckling originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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