BlackBerry 8120 Pearl (AT&T) Review

“AT&T’s new BlackBerry Pearl 8120 is a pleasing encore to the original and wildly popular Pearl 8100. The latest model adds a lot of cool upgrades, including a better camera, an improved Web browser, more conveniently placed memory card slot, and a jack that works with standard music headphones, making it an even better device for music and video. The 8120 adds Wi-Fi, too, but the software to make it useful isn’t really here yet.The Pearl rocked the smartphone scene when it first debuted by bringing stellar BlackBerry e-mail capabilities to a small, fashionable phone with a hybrid keyboard that appealed to the text-messaging-trained youth. And the 8120 doesn’t mess with the original’s winning formula. At 3.2 ounces and 4.2 by 2 by 0.6 inches (HWD), it’s almost identical in size to the original Pearl. It features the same “hybrid” keyboard of somewhat slippery keys with just two letters on each. All Pearls use predictive text software, and the SureType algorithm for guessing words while you type seems to have been improved with this model. On the sides of the phone are camera, volume, and push-to-talk buttons. Smack under the bright, sharp 2.2-inch, 240-by-260-pixel screen is the signature “pearl” trackball.” Read more here:

Samsung i780 hits the stores

“Samsung Electronics has announced the release of a new Windows Mobile communicator i780, which was announced last fall. Dressed up in a candybar form-factor it comes with a QWERTY-keyboard. It features comfortable GPS-navigation with an optical joystick and a 320×320 pixel touchscreen display. The joystick, being a compact optical mouse in fact, enables motion freedom for easier navigation and provides full access to all the functions, notes the manufacturer. We deal with a slim device, which is less than 13 mm thick.Samsung i780 is designed for GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS/HSDPA networks, equipped with a GPS-navigator, a 2-megapixel and VGA cameras, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR wireless adapters. Its media player supports AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, OGG, AMR, MPEG 4, H.263 and H.265 formats, and the microSD slot enhances storage opportunities of the communicator. But, we’ve got no word on the pricing, so far.” via mobile-review.com

GSmart t600 Takes Its Mark to Launch in France

” GIGA-BYTE Communications (GBC) is one of the pioneer in the Smartphone & PDA phone market, and known as a harvester of niche market and innovative PDA phone supplier. GBC has introduced its GSmart PDA phones to several international markets, and is finally ready to launch in France in Mid-March 2008, along with its announcement of the partnership with the French MVNO – Neuf Cegetel.When GIGA-BYTE Communications (GBC) unveiled GSmart t600, the World’s first DVB-T roaming Digital TV PDA phone last year, it has marked its strong position in this niche market, and with its success in the markets that it has entered, GSmart is now ready to catch the attention of the French market. Along with its partnership with Neuf Cegetel, GSmart t600 will not only benefits the end users with its ability to watch TNT for free, but also providing wide ranges of services such as VoIP and IPTV with the device.GSmart T600 – Work Smart, Play HardGSmart t600 is the world’s first digital TV PDA phone that supports DVB-T roaming; it displays digital TV programs and images of the finest quality through its 2.6 inches, 260k-pixel VGA screen – a standard unseen in PDA phones. From Internet browsing to photo slideshow, making the TV watching experience on GSmart t600 a pleasure to the mind and eye. Reflecting the distinctive look of porcelain with its semi-opaque front piece, GSmart t600 introduces a never-to-be-seen lightness and pureness to the PDA phone world, displaying confidence and freedom in the essence of minimalism.GSmart t600 runs on the latest Vista compatible operating system, Windows Mobile 6 Professional, which offers many new business and multimedia features such as Windows Live, Windows Update, HTML supported email and much more. Data processing and management is more efficient than ever with the USB 2.0 enabled connectivity, 256MB built-in memory, 520MHz CPU and accelerator. Apart from the 4 hour talk time, users can watch digital TV for 2 consecutive hours. The built-in Spb Backup software backups and restores important data, ensuring that users’ valuable data is always secured.More than just a phone with digital TV, GSmart t600 is designed to let on-the-move users “work smart, play hard”. Users can save their favorite multimedia files on micro SD card and listen to music, watch video, and browse photos anytime, anywhere; or capture memorable moments using the 2 Mega-pixel cameras with auto focus and video recording functions. Unique phone applications like phone recording, blacklist, and background sound effects provided only by GSmart, are designed to ensure that users can make calls in the most efficient way.GSmart t600 – Joins Neuf TWin Family as TWIN TNT GSmartNeuf Cegetel is the first alternative operator in France that has long harvested in the communications industry and beyond, it has established an image of innovation and out of tradition. The wide range of product lines such as mobile phone, internet, and Neuf TV etc. have shown the capabilities of Neuf as a strong communications and entertainment service provider. Sharing the similar corporate values of innovation, GSmart and Neuf are looking forward to their prosperous partnership. GSmart t600 will join the TWIN™ family as the latest device in a series of mobile phones that support both GSM and also WiFi services (internet, VoIP, IPTV). GSmart t600 will be into the French market the unique mobile handset with DTT (Digital Terrestrial TV) feature. Under the partnership, GSmart t600 will be available as a bundle Neuf’s service plan, under the commercial name of TWIN TNT.

Palm Reports Q3 FY08 Results

Palm Inc. today reported that total revenue in the third quarter of fiscal year 2008, ended Feb. 29, was $312.1 million. Driven by strong demand for the Palm Centro, smartphone sell-through for the quarter reached a company record high, totaling 833,000 units, up 13 percent year over year. Smartphone revenue was $275.4 million. “Centro is off to the strongest start of any smartphone in Palm’s history,” said Ed Colligan, Palm president and chief executive officer. “Centro’s fun design, great price point and amazing array of easy-to-use features is expanding Palm’s customer base with more than 70 percent of Centro buyers trading up from traditional cell phones.” Net loss applicable to common shareholders for the quarter was $31.5 million, or $(0.30) per diluted share. Net loss included stock-based compensation expense of $6.2 million, amortization of intangible assets of $1.0 million, restructuring charges of $12.3 million and accretion of series B convertible preferred stock of $2.4 million. This compares to net income for the third quarter of fiscal year 2007 of $11.8 million, or $0.11 per diluted share. Net loss applicable to common shareholders in the third fiscal quarter, measured on a non-GAAP basis, totaled $17.0 million, or $(0.16) per diluted share, excluding stock-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets, restructuring charges and accretion of series B convertible preferred stock and adjusting the related income tax provision to 26 percent. This compares to non-GAAP net income in the third quarter of fiscal year 2007 of $16.5 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, which excluded the effects of stock-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets, an in-process research and development charge and adjusting the income tax provision to 40 percent. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, totaled negative $28.4 million. EBITDA, adjusted to add back stock-based compensation, other non-operating expense and restructuring charges, or Adjusted EBITDA, totaled negative $9.5 million. During the second quarter of fiscal year 2008, Palm reclassified its auction rate securities, which are currently illiquid to non-current assets that are shown on its condensed consolidated balance sheet below as $74.7 million at the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2008. Palm is in the process of completing an impairment analysis and expects to record an impairment charge that will be made available in Palm’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q. ” via palminfocenter.com