Not sure which markets it's coming out to, but the T-Mobile Pulse (aka Huawei U8220) could very well be the cheapest Android phone around.  As the first pay-as-you-go handset (in Europe) running Google's acclaimed mobile OS, it's certainly making a lot of heads turn.

Want Android goodness, but living on a budget?  Not to worry.  The Pulse should easily find a place in your budget, all while providing all the core smartphone capabilities you can get from other Android devices.

Physically, it's nothing fancy, but looks nice all the same.  If you've been around plenty of Chinese-branded phones, you'll probably notice similar aesthetics - plastic body, suspect build.  With a spanking-large 3.5-inch touchscreen, however, it offers the biggest display available on an Android phone today.

Navigating through the UI is fast and quick, although keyboard operation appears to foster a brief (though noticeable) lag.  It's not that bad, especially considering that Huawei offers three different onscreen keyboards here (a T9-style panel, a compressed QWERTY and a horizontal QWERTY).  There's no drought of customizations either, with a number of useful home screen widgets and a CoverFlow-style contacts list.  It's not as souped-up as those done by HTC or those shown off by Motorola, but it's a welcome addition, nonetheless.

As a phone, the Pulse can only manage average-quality voice calls, with a slight hissing sound that seems to persist throughout the conversations.  It ships with a good amount of standard apps, including ones for watching YouTube and syncing Exchange data.  It rocks a 1500 mAh battery, which, based on our tests, should offer enough power for a recharging every day and a half or so.

Naturally, it comes with the full range of Android features, including a complete messaging suite and Marketplace support.  Hardware niceties include Wi-Fi and HSDPA connectivity (works as expected, with excellent speed), GPS (comes with Google Maps and a one-month trial of TeleNav's Android app), a 3.2 megapixel camera (average quality shots) and 2GB of onboard storage (with microSDHC expansion up to 16GB).

Overall, the T-Mobile Pulse is as good a deal as you can get for an Android handset today.  Priced at under $300 unlocked, it's an excellent starter smartphone, especially with such a large screen in tow.

Google released the SDK for Android OS 1.6 last week to allow developers to test their applications before the actual update rolls out next month.  Curious about what you can expect?  Read on and find out.

Two changes come in as the most notable of the lot for current users, namely the new Quick Search Box and the overhauled Android Market.  The universal search comes with a redesigned framework for finding items from all over, poring through every nook and cranny you allow it to, including contacts, apps, browser history and more.  It integrates a learning mechanism that takes note of your searching habits to facilitate faster results.

For the Android Market, there's an obvious push towards enticing users to make more purchases.  Navigation, for instance, has been updated to put a spotlight on paid apps, while the addition of screenshots should help users find interesting software much easier.

CDMA phones (e.g. Verizon and Sprint handsets) and Wi-Fi networks with WPA2 encryption are now supported for this update, allowing the platform to further expand its reach.  There's also a new VPN control panel for business users needing access to a remote machine.

Never been a fan of the cameras on current Android phones, but Donut should make them a bit more usable.  According to Google, OS 1.6 should see considerably faster launch and shot-to-shot times with the camera's UI, as well as an easier time toggling between different screens.  Other changes include an improved battery usage screen, accessibility features for disabled users,  a gesture control framework, multilingual text-to-speech and better security.

Android OS 1.6 Donut should work on all current Android phones, including the G1, despite the phone's limited storage space.  Expect it to be available for end users by next month or November at the latest.

Via: CNET

Samsung has always been an equal opportunity handset maker.  If you build the OS, they'll probably make a phone for it.  Adding to their roster of Symbian and Windows Mobile devices is a new Android handset called the Samsung Galaxy i7500.

What Samsung did here, in a nutshell, is put together a beefy hardware set, all while leaving the core OS alone.  That's right - Android gets neither modifications nor a skinning, making the whole thing feel like a half-hearted effort at best.

The Galaxy's crowning feature here is not Google's smartphone OS at all, but the gorgeous AMOLED touchscreen display.  Images are sharp, bright and vivid, making it a joy to use the device.  Overall physical appearance is more toned down (bordering on boring, in fact), compared to the current crop of Android phones, but build is solid.

As a phone, the Galaxy manages very good quality of voice calls, although the speakerphone is a tad lacking.  Battery is a little disappointing, though, as you'll have to recharge almost everyday if you use your phone a lot.  The onscreen keyboard, by the way, is a little daunting, due to the poor design.  Once you get used to it (and I'm guessing it will take a week minimum), however, it should be tolerable, as the facility is very responsive.

Like we said, Samsung spruced up the hardware somewhat here, as evidenced by both the AMOLED display and the excellent camera module.  Sporting 5.0 megapixels and a LED photo light, it manages very good outdoor photos.  Indoor shots could work too using the LED, but you'll need to inch closer to your subjects for decent stills.  Camcorder feature is forgettable.  Other features here include HSPA connectivity, 8GB of onboard storage and microSDHC expansion (up to 32GB).

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy i7500 is made attractive, in large part, by the beautiful screen and the camera module.  The Android implementation, however, is a bit disappointing, receiving no extra accouterment whatsoever.  As Samsung's first effort, though, it likely makes more sense to pass up on this one and wait for future releases on the platform instead (a TouchWiz for Android sounds mighty nice).

I've never known about Gigabyte's GSmart brand of handsets before.  Apparently, they have some amount of presence around HongKong, Taiwan and a few other Southeast Asian countries.  The company's latest effort is a full-fledged Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone called the GSmart S1200 and it's not half-bad.

Sporting slim 11.4 mm lines, the S1200 features a compact and attractive design.  I like the polished front, non-slippery smooth back panel and the overall sturdy build. Physically, this is a well-made, properly-designed device.  I'm very impressed.

Core hardware set is impressive too.  It touts a 520MHz Qualcomm 7200A processor, 288MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM.  The 3.1-inch resistive touchscreen is pretty good, touting a 480 x 800 resolution, with excellent display quality.

It runs a custom UI over Windows Mobile that Gigabyte is billing the Smart Pack.  Set includes four custom themes, a variety of wallpapers, a widget interface and up to nine different 3 x 3 home screens.  While it's generally good (albeit, a little too slow), the whole UI is not as well-integrated as some of the more prominent Windows Mobile skinning as of late, such as  TouchFlo or TouchWiz, spanning only a couple of menu options before reverting back to standard Windows screens.

As a phone, the S1200 manages average quality voice calls.  Onboard speakers are particularly loud, although there's a certain sharpness to the sound.  Battery is only rated at four hours of talk time, so you'll likely end up having to recharge every day or two.

Features include a 3.0 megapixel camera (great interface; below average image quality, with no flash), a GPS tuner (no mapping software), high-speed broadband (HSPA and Wi-Fi), stereo Bluetooth and a full messaging suite, including SMS, MMS, email and IM.  Text input is, unfortunately, not very good.  Layout is non-standard and you'll need a stylus, as the keys don't respond so well to finger taps.  The QWERTY keys are also particularly small, making the whole ordeal of typing a chore.

Overall, there are way better Windows Mobile handsets around than the Gigabyte GSmart S1200, especially at the $550 price point.  While it features good looks and a powerful hardware set, the inadequate camera, slow UI and the lack of a 3.5 mm jack offsets the advantages.

Remember that fantastic-looking xpPhone shown off at Computex?  The desktop OS-running mobile handset is taking the next step towards production, with manufacturer ITG's latest announcement of pre-order availability for it.

While this, in no way, guarantees going to market, it's another telling step that hints at ITG's potential commitment to seeing this machine through.  Running a full-fledged version of Windows XP, it could very well herald a new generation of phones - ones, in particular, that are running the same software and applications as their desktop counterparts.

Not much has changed from the affable-looking slider (at least, cosmetically) from its first announcement during Computex.  Details also remain largely the same - AMD Super Mobile processor, up to 1GB of RAM, a number of storage options (up to 64GB SSD or 120GB HDD), a 4.8-inch TFT touchscreen, HSPA, Wi-Fi (with optional WiMax even), GPS, a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth and a smattering of ports.  They also claim a talk time of about five hours.

Of course, these are all specs on paper, a lot of which can change once production units begin rolling in.  One big thing about the pre-order page is it asks users to choose between 3G modules for Vodafone, Orange, or AT&T when placing a reservation for your unit, which means they're looking to support as broad a range of users as they can.

According to Pocketables, who talked with an ITG contact, neither pricing nor actual release date are set at this time.  The same source also claimed the final production versions should turn out slimmer, which hints that an updated version is already in the pipe.

Hopefully, this thing doesn't turn into vapor - it's about time we got Windows on even smaller boxes.

[via Pocketables]

Fans of the Showtime series Dexter or the novels by Jeff Lindsay from which it is based on should enjoy the new iPhone game for the franchise.  Titled Dexter the Game, it is an interesting departure from the largely generic games with TV and movie tie-ins we've all grown accustomed to.

Those unfamiliar with either the show or the books will probably need a little catching up, as the game doesn't exactly expound on the relationships among the regular characters.  Once you get that part handled, you can then treat yourself to an excellently-done title that offers a great variety of objectives, engaging play and the unmistakably dark yet endearing morbid character of the franchise.

You play Dexter, the police department employee by day and psychopathic serial killer by night.  The story focuses on five episodes from the Showtime series' first season, namely Mike Donovan, Dear Dexter, Coke Head, Jamie Jaworski and Robert Marelli.  Instead of working on them one by one, however, all cases are dropped on your lap at the same time, adding an extra element of time and information management to your experience of the game.

Just like in the TV show, you spend the bulk of your waking hours investigating cases, working to determine whether the suspect is rightfully deserving to die by your murderous hands, all while working to maintain your cover.  You go through the game either in third-person or first-person mode (your choice, which is awesome), identifying suspects, stalking them, solving puzzles, interacting with various characters, performing work duties to keep the front up and various other mini-games.  The level of variety keeps the game very interesting and fresh.

You can choose from a number of control settings, including single or dual onscreen joysticks and accelerometer tilting.  Various control icons will appear throughout the game, depending on context (e.g Examine, Talk, Pick Up, etc).  You will also need to maintain a balance between your Dark Passenger (Dexter's "inner darkness") and Mask (how tight your secret is) levels to ensure you successfully finish the game unscathed.

Dexter the Game is an excellent example of what can be done with movie and TV tie-ins when the studio actually cares to put out a decent game. It marries an excellent storyline, smooth 3D graphics and varied gameplay that makes the title immensely fun, albeit toting limited replay value.  It's available now for $5.99.

Via: Cinema Blend

Samsung just officially announced the new Omnia Pro B7330, an update of their business-oriented B7320 handset.  To go along with the new device, they're including a relaunch of sorts for a number of other Omnia smartphones.

The big news here is that the new handset, along with the rest of the current Omnia line going forward, will come with Windows Mobile 6.5 on board.  Apart from the B7330, the Omnia Pro B7610, Omnia Pro B7320, Omnia Lite B7300 and Omnia II i8000 will get the same OS treatment, a welcome repackaging that should make them a tad more appealing to potential buyers.

In terms of hardware, the B7330 doesn't depart much from its B7320 predecessor, coming with the same core set of a 528MHz Qualcomm processor and 256MB of RAM.  It's much better-looking (based on the photos), though, while fostering similar dimensions.  Phone details include a bigger 2.63-inch TFT display (with a much more detailed 320 x 320 pixels), a 3.2 megapixel camera module, high-speed connectivity (including HSUPA this time around), Wi-Fi, GPS (which wasn't available from the previous device), stereo Bluetooth, a 1500 mAH battery unit and microSDHC card expansion.

The Omnia Pro B7330 is slated for availability beginning October, alongside the previously-announced Omnia Lite B7300.  No word on pricing, nor dates for the relaunch of the other handsets.

The Samsung SGH-T659 isn't going to win any design awards - it looks like it came out back in 2005.  In fact, the aesthetics are a tad too painful to bear.  However, it does come with a decent set of features at a good price, including 3G connectivity, that should make it worth the consideration.

Why Samsung outfitted a phone in this style is beyond me.  Best I can think of is that there's a segment of the market that's more comfortable with this type of slider and they're looking to service that.  With slim lines and a good weight, it actually handles quite nicely, along with a very sturdy build.

The 2.25-inch screen manages 320 x 240 pixels, with an affable-looking display quality.  I particularly appreciate the larger fonts, along with the spacious navigation array. While it's safe to say I don't care much for the T659's looks, it is an extremely usable basic phone.  Minus points for the flat keypad, though, which makes texting a bit uncomfortable.

As a phone, the SGH-T659 facilitated excellent quality voice calls, with exceptionally clear and natural sound.  It lacks just a little bit more of volume, though, making it difficult to use in extremely noisy places.  The speakerphone was average.  Battery is rated at five hours talk time and, by all indications, that seemed accurate.

Like we said, the phone comes with 3G.  It's a welcome ability, although the device is limited to a WAP browser (no full HTML here), which dampens the experience a bit.   Basic features are all available, including IM and POP3 emails.  More premium capabilities include a 2.0 megapixel camera (very good quality, with plenty of editing options), onboard GPS (Telenav services) and stereo Bluetooth.  The music player is extremely basic and you'll need to pop in an SD card to get content into the phone (it only comes with 80MB of storage).

While unexciting, the Samsung SGH-T659 is a decent handset for the $69 asking price (on a two-year contract with T-Mobile).  The lack of an HTML browser to take advantage of the 3G connectivity is disappointing, though.

Via: Mobiledia

There's little question who the Samsung  S3650 Corby is geared to, clad in a rounded shape and interchangeable, colorful back panels. As an entry-level touchscreen, there isn't anything fancy to look forward to, but the feature set is decidedly complete for its purposes.

Chief on the Corby's list of capabilities is a number of integrated social talents, along with the usual set of standard touchscreen phone goodness.  To get a clearer idea of what's inside, it offers a good number of software innovations you can find in the more expensive Samsung Jet, giving it a small leg up over other devices that  it directly competes with.

Physically, the S3650 offers an odd design that many have dismissed as less than stylish, compared to Samsung's other efforts.  Personally, I found it good-looking, despite the obvious likeness to a bar of soap (which, in all fairness, it really does resemble).

A 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen dominates the front panel, featuring standard QVGA resolution.  Quality is decent, but performance dips heavily under sunlight.  Hardware build feels a little too much on the plastic side and weight is a tad too light, although it offers a good feel in the hand.

As a phone, the Corby comes with excellent quality voice calls, along with above average speakerphone performance.  It comes with the usual set of basic phone features including a terrific messaging suite, but does without any smart dialing.  Being the smallest TouchWiz phone around, the interface remains surprisingly robust.  In fact, I enjoyed it more than many of Samsung's phones because of the finger-friendly response (most of the company's handsets sport a resistive display).   It comes with all of the modern touches available from the UI, including multi-tasking, tabbed browsing and smart unlock, except for an onscreen QWERTY (which is a pretty glaring omission).

On the features end, the phone sports a 2.0 megapixel camera (average quality shots, no autofocus), excellent music capabilities (both on the audio player and FM radio) and decent video playback.  While it fits in the excellent Dolfin web browser, you'll hardly want to use it, as the S3650 is restricted to EDGE connectivity (no 3G and no Wi-Fi).  Do note there's no microUSB support here, as Samsung reverts back to their old proprietary data connections.

Overall, the Samsung  S3650 Corby still offers plenty for the ridiculously low cost it commands.  Priced at around $250 unlocked (or more, depending on where you purchase), it's an excellent and attractive phone for those shopping on a budget.

Want to make apps for the iPhone, but would rather stay within the .Net framework you've fallen in love with?  Yesterday, Novell finally made it possible with the release of MonoTouch 1.0, a development framework that allows you to run your .Net applications for the iPhone.

MonoTouch lets developers veer away from writing code on either Javascript or Objective-C, the two languages currently used for programming on the iPhone.  In their place, you get to work with the whole .Net or Mono suite, using Microsoft's C# and other programming languages.

According to Novell, MonoTouch supports the majority of .Net functions, with a few differences brought about by the iPhone's security model.  Both Silverlight (media delivery) and Moonlight (scripting) are not available, however.

Here's where it gets strange.  While the people invested in .Net for development will naturally use Windows, MonoTouch works strictly on Macintosh hardware (because it requires the iPhone SDK).  It's not that big a deal - just a likely dilemma for some and quite odd for the Mono Project, which has always been big on cross-platform development.

Similarly out of character, MonoTouch is a commercial product with a pretty steep price point, prodding some developers to be less than enthusiastic.  If you're interested, though, the MonoTouch is available for $399 for a one-year individual license.  Enterprise licensing costs $999, with a discounted $3,999 for five, with the same 365-day window.

[Official Site]