Tech Buzz A $399 version of the Google Android phone is now available for developers only. A custom black G1 phone will be shipping soon — you have to sign up as a developer first to be eligible.
Tech Buzz Blackberry’s newest phone features a clickable touch screen. With all of RIM’s enterprise features — edit Excel spreadsheets! works with Enxchange! — and a nice bright screen, this looks like yet another iPhone killer.
Tech Buzz T-Mobile announces the God/Jesus/Holy Ghost/Buddha phone: The G1. $179, available on October 22. Features gChat, Google Maps, customizable home screen, blah blah blah. And iPhone holdouts who’ve been waiting for a slide-out keyboard can now feel like they’re market niche is being paid attention to.
Tech Buzz T-Mobile has officially announced that the first phone running Google’s Android mobile operating system, the HTC Dream, will be unveiled in late September and in late October. It ain’t as purdy as the iPhone, but it sure does have a nifty keyboard.
Grainy shots of what might be the HTC Dream, or G1, the iPhone killer that’s a Google/Sidekick mash-up. Those of you who’ve been hoping the iPhone will finally release a version with a physical keyboard, your patience may have paid off — as long as you’re willing to keep waiting until September (if you’re a T-Mobile customer) or December (at the latest). The heavy breathing here is creepy.
Tech Buzz The first pictures of an (apparently) functional version of Blackberry’s touch-screen device have shown up on the web. The Thunder is Blackberry’s response to the iPhone, and they’re hoping to make the touch screen typing experience way better than what Apple offers — the screen will provide tactile feedback when you press a key, and there’s a lot more screen real estate dedicated to the keyboard.
Tech Buzz Samsung’s new smartphone (for Sprint) is flying off the shelves. Tech sites hail it as the first true iPhone competitor — plus it comes with live TV service built-in.
Tech Buzz New trio of Verizon LG phones (the Dare, Chocolate 3, and the Decoy) will go on sale as soon as June 16th. For those of us who can’t get excited about the iPhone because we’re chained to Verizon for the rest of our lives (I say this as I look at my co-editor’s iPhone wistfully), LG is offering a new touch-screen phone that’s like the Prada phone, only better.
Tech Buzz Pictures and rumors about Nokia’s response to the iPhone - codenamed Tube - are percolating online. Sure, it doesn’t have a multitouch screen, but it will apparently have a camera, GPRS, GPS, WLAN, and will run on Symbian. Don’t hold your breath, it may not be out until next year.
Tech Buzz Google’s new software platform for mobile phones is called ‘Android’ and will debut this week in its prototype form at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It’s going to take a lot of work to make a phone as pretty as the iPhone, but the open source nature of the Android platform has got the geek sector pretty amped.
Tech Buzz Nokia’s latest addition to its high-end mobile line is getting a lot of attention. Just unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2008, the N96 sports GPS, an accelerometer, 16GB of storage, a 5MP camera, DVD-quality video, a 2.8-inch screen, Wi-Fi, and a handy kickstand for desktop viewing.
Tech Buzz The latest mobile phone from Verizon is getting a ton of buzz. It’s the latest hopeful in the “iPhone killer” category, sporting both an Apple-esque touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard.
Tech Buzz Much buzz about Google’s reported next project: The Google Phone. Google has apparently been showing a prototype of its phone to manufacturers - though many people don’t think it’s an actual phone, but a set of related services.
Tech Buzz OpenMoko’s Linux-based anti-iPhone is now available. The Neo 1973 is for sale to developers only right now - commercial sales start in the fall. It has many of the same features as the iPhone, but it’s not as cute. It’s based on open source principles, though, so the geeks will love it. Who will win?