Cell Phone Beat

Until now we’ve had some unconfirmed or call them unofficial bits of information regarding the Droid minnow, the HTC Eris. It will be priced for $99 is one of those assumptions and another one is that the Eris too will break cover on November 6. Leaving the presumptions aside for a while, here are a couple of images that give us some confirmed details and so we proudly declare that the HTC Eris will surface with a 5MP camera and will come WiFi integrated. Rest, the image atop and the one after the cut are self-revealing, so we leave the fuss to you.

Google is certainly in the all conquering mood! It took on the online music business yesterday with its One Box service and now Google is ready with its free Sat Nav application for the Android 2.0 users. The service is available for free in the US only but Google has plans to expand it globally once there is ample data collected regarding the same. Motorola Droid will be the first Android 2.0 phone and the HTC Hero will soon follow with an Android update-all this means that the free app will be available on the Verizon Droid and the Sprint HTC Hero.

This application will offer 3D views, turn-by-turn voice guidance and automatic rerouting. This development is a consequence of the fact that Google is no longer using the TeleAtlas data, which helps Google make the service free. Other big players from this field namely TeleNav and TomTom are pretentious is mentioning that the App does not affect their business. A clear proof of their deterioration is the fact that their shares have already started plummeting in the share market. Video after the cut.

No matter how much those big brands try to attract texting savvy people with their QWERTY keypads, the fact remains that typing a message is always a hassle. The problem is that it has become a need especially with the upsurge of social networking where chatting and messages are a great way to interact. Designer Sam James Chu has the answer to this problem with his futuristic interactive writable cellphone concept dubbed the Mimeo.

This cellphone is used like a pen to write messages and you do not even have to bother about looking at the display. In case you want to dial in a number, instead of scrolling through the contacts list you can write the name of the person or his number and then press the call button.

Frankly speaking, I am tired of typing in two words – Motorola Droid- and I am not sure how many more times will I have to do it until November 6. Every morning you set out to search interesting content for the readers here on CB, you do not get beyond the Droid and therefore meekly, the option is to surrender and write about nothing but the Droid. Must say, Verizon has succeeded in its marketing campaign and they could have managed by releasing the handset on October 28. Add another bit of fact to the Droid stories-it is now available for pre-order on BestBuy which has listed the price as $199.99.

Sadly, you pay $50 as the booking amount and then half the mail-in-rebate is also not paid to you which means, it costs you $75 extra through Best Buy. An unbiased opinion therefore is to wait until October 6 when Verizon will open its stores at 6 am in the morning to start selling the Droid for $199.99 on a two-year contract. If you are still anxious, the phone is up for pre-order and there is no stopping you!

Via: Devicemag

Motorola is on its way to recovery thanks to Google that supported Motorola with the Droid Idea. Now with things improving for Motorola, the first brand ever to develop a mobile handset is readying 20+ smartphones for 2010. This information was confirmed by Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha at a Droid press announcement. Motorola will have to maintain a balance between releasing WinMo 6.5 and Android powered handsets for getting monotonous with either of the two will definitely not be healthy for a freshly rejuvenated unit.

Amidst all this, Motorola has made public its financial reports for Q3 2009 and the signs are positive as the net income has risen to $12 million compared to the astounding $397 million loss in the same quarter last year. The overall revenue dropped to $5.45 billion compared to $7.48 billion in Q3 2008. Motorola is sure to experience an upward trend in these numbers given the fact that the Droid is slated for a release next week and it has many more interesting handsets lined up for 2010

Courtesy: Gearlog/ MW

The Motorola Droid is such an attention grabber that the HTC Eris which will be the second member of the Big Red Droid family, seems an absolute loner. The word on the web is that the Droid Eris will be priced at $99 which makes it the cheapest Android device to be sold in the US. Now this is no confirmed report but the $99 pricing makes a lot of sense for a higher price will mean that the bigger Droid will maul the sales of its younger cousin. Another bit of information is that the Android 1.6 running droid will come with an unimpressive 528MHz Qualcomm CPU and no one is quite sure about the November 6 release date of this handset.

Via: Cnet

We know that the Droid from Motorola runs Android 2.0 and the HTC Hero will also be getting the Éclair update pretty soon but what we never paid attention towards is the Android 2.0 mobile OS from Google. The OS that is piped to revolutionize the world of mobiles is the next big thing and we salute the fervor with this official video.

One of the better phones from HTC, the Sense, also known as the HTC HD2 has finally found a price tag with UK carrier O2. The Windows Mobile 6.5 laden smartphone will be available for varying prices depending on the contract that a user subscribes to. If you think you can tolerate the HD2 for a couple of years, you will be exempted from paying the price for the handset with a monthly charge of £40 and this contract will also fetch ‘you’ some free gifts. For an 18-month deal there are two options to choose from- £184.98 upfront with 200 minutes and £25 a month or £79.99 upfront with 600 minutes and a £35 monthly charge. There is another deal where you can pick the HD2 for £40 upfront while paying £30 a month and getting 600 minutes. With the tariff plans out, it is just a matter of days for O2 to officially launch the phone.

Via: Electricpig

Frankly speaking, do not even think about it until the second half of 2010. Once the exclusive AT&T and Apple deal gets over, then there is every chance that an iPhone may bear a Verizon Logo for the very fact that it will mean more sales for Apple. What cannot be ignored though is that AT&T pays $450-per-iPhone carrier subsidy to Apple and if Cupertino does not renew the contract, $450 per phone is what Apple will loose in the bargain. It is Apple that will have to decide its own fate for at one end it will loose the hefty subsidy amount but on the other it will directly gain from double the number of sales. What Apple will also consider is that a major chunk of money comes from the App store and with the Big Red customer based added; the amount of money made from App sales will also double. Amidst all this, Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall is certain that Apple will bring the iPhone to Verizon in the second half of 2010. For the moment, Verizon is ready with its Droid competitor and if at all VZ gets the iPhone, the only party that will stand to loose is AT&T as it is heavily reliant on the iPhone sales.

Via: Marketingpilgrim

Talk about being competitive, Verizon could not have priced the Motorola Droid better at $200, piping it exactly opposite the AT&T iPhone. The Droid should have been here yesterday but Verizon is still not convinced about its promotional campaign and hence, it wants to spend plenty of more dollars on the promotion until October 6. The only thing Verizon could be ruing is that there is nothing to hide about the Droid really, for its software, hardware, images and even videos have swarmed the web in the past few days. Despite this, if Verizon manages to surprise people, the Droid will get an even better welcome. One party that may baffle us is Google for there are talks that the turn-by-turn Nav will be absolutely free which means, the other players from this category should pack their bags and think of some other business. November 6 isn’t that far away and all we can do is eagerly wait for now.

Via: Gizmodo