Do you like your Android phones the way you used to get your Blackberry?  You know, with a QWERTY keyboard on the front panel and all.  Well, then, these two new releases might interest you: the Motorola XPRT and the Motorola Titanium.

The XPRT is the business class of the pair, boasting enterprise-level security features built in, including 256-bit AES data encryption, enterprise-controlled security schemes and several specialty functions (such as remote wipe, password recovery and multiple types of access locks).  Appearance is decidedly professional, veering on the side of industrial.  Known details include a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen (480x  320 resolution), a four-row QWERTY keypad and a 1GHz processor.  It runs Android 2.2 with the Motoblur UI on top.

The Titanium is the blue-collar performer of the duo, packing iDEN support and military spec rugged construction.  Details are scant, but you get a 3.1-inch touchscreen, a four-row QWERTY keyboard and Android 2.1, set on a rather unpretty frame.  We're getting it comes with all the usual field worker special, as it's intended as a successor to last year's Motorola i1.

Both handsets will be released by Sprint in the US, with the Motorola XPRT coming on June 5 ($129).  No dates or pricing yet for Motorola Titanium, though.

[MobileCrunch]

A couple new phones were leaked to start the week, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro and the K-Touch W7000.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro

Yep, the name is a mouthful.  Considering it's still on the pipes, though, it might actually be christened with a less-strenuous moniker, so that's cool for now.   If you've been reading up on leaked handsets, you've probably heard of this as the phone codenamed "Mango."

The pictures reveal a compact horizontal slider with boxy corners and a generally business-like design.  Rumored details of the phone include a 3.2 megapixel capacitive touchscreen (800 x 480 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module, a front-facing webcam, 384MB of RAM and a Qualcomm processor (either 800MHz or 1GHz).  It's expected to run the same version of Android as the Xperia Duo (2.3 Gingerbread), with an updated version of Sony Ericsson's small-screen UI.

K-Touch W700

Destined for the Chinese market, the K-Touch W700 is a high-end smartphone leaked by a poster over at ePrice.  The pictures (you can check out the site to see the lot) make out a very sleek-looking device, with rounded corners and 118 x 60 x 13 mm dimensions.

Slated for release under China Unicom WO, it packs a dual-core Tegra 2 system-on-a-chip, 512MB of RAM and 8GB of ROM.  Details include a 3.8-inch capacitive touchscreen (480 x 800 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera in the rear, a 0.3 megapixel camera in front, aGPS, WiFi, 3G with HSPA, microSD card expansion and a 1,500 mAh battery.  It runs Android 2.2 and will retail for the equivalent of $540.

[IT 168, ePrice]

While many of today's high-end Android devices can blitz through most tasks, not everyone can afford to fork out for a new phone.  If you own an entry-level Android smartphone or one of the older (by "older," we mean you bought it ten or more months ago) handsets, it's likely that you're feeling some slowness after upgrading to a newer OS build.   Fortunately, the folks at Lifehacker posted some tips to speeding up your Android phone.

They divide the tips into two parts: one set for unrooted devices and another for rooted phones.

For the rooting-averse Android user, their advice includes:

1. Trying a new home screen launcher.  There are numerous good ones from the Market.  The article also suggests a couple of titles.
2. Using lesser home screens.  The more icons and widgets you have, the more resources they'll eat up.
3. Ditching non-vital widgets.  As above.
4. Stopping use of poorly-coded apps.  If you notice your system lagging or freezing whenever an app is launched, it's probably an issue with the program itself.  Ditch it and find a cleaner alternative.
5. Tweaking memory usage.  The advice they offer is specific to users running LauncherPro, although there are other apps that will help you manage your phone's RAM and storage better.

For those using rooted devices, the advice includes:

1. Installing a custom ROM.  There are plenty of cleaned-up, speeded-up ROMs out there.  Do a search and you can find them.
2. Overclock your phone's CPU.  More than with custom ROMs, you have to really know what you're doing.
3. Remove bloatware.  Manufacturers and networks tend to install ridiculous amounts of unnecessary software with their phones.  If your phone's rooted, you can trim that fat freely.

Check out the link to Lifehacker below for a detailed discussion of all your options.

[Lifehacker]

By now, you've probably heard about the PlayStation Phone from other sites, particularly the scoop broken by Engadget (where they claim the product has been confirmed through multiple, trusted sources, including people close to the project).  While some might still argue for its mythical status, it's likely that there are some real truths about the upcoming smartphone and gaming machine combo.

Here are what's known (though unverified by Sony Ericsson) so far:

1. That picture is of a testing prototype, running an early version of the software the device will use.
2. It looks like a PSP Go and is codenamed "Zeus," with a slide-up landscape orientation that reveals the controls hidden right under.
3. It runs Android 2.X (although, the general consensus is that it will likely ship with 3.0).
4. The gaming controls feature direction buttons on the left, four control buttons on the right and even the standard Select and Start buttons.
5. The outer frame shares some similarities with the Xperia X10.
6. Google is collaborating closely with Sony for the product.
7. Expected specs include a 1GHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM and a microSD card slot.

Obviously, this story is just starting.  Suffice to say, though, the photo makes a strong case for the actual existence of a PSP Phone, which is a logical next move for Sony's handheld gaming platform.  If it does come to market with the ability to run both Android and PSP games, this could prove a strong and resounding entry back into the competitive smartphone market that Sony Ericsson has been struggling at.

[via Engadget]



Dell's first Android smartphone for the US is now here.  Called the Dell Aero, the handset brings a stylish form, decent-sounding specs and an attractive price tag.

Originally touted as "the world's lightest Android phone," it now has to settle for being "one of the lightest."  Despite that, it's still quite the compact package, measuring 122 x 57.9 x 11.7 mm and weighing 104 grams.  One odd thing to note: Dell put the Home, Menu and Back buttons on the side of the phone, rather than the bottom of the screen, reportedly, to keep the front panel all sleek and nice-looking.

Details of the handset include a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen (with a Symbian-like 640 x 360 resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio), a 5.0 megapixel camera with LED flash, aGPS, tri-band HSDPA, WiFi, stereo Bluetooth and microSD card expansion (2GB preloaded, expandable up to 32GB).  Operation is run by a 624MHz CPU, which isn't half bad, considering the market it's aiming for.

The phone's biggest sticking point, however, is the fact that it's running Android 1.5 - something that even the lowliest devices we've seen have been foregoing as their built-in OS.  Dell does dress it up heavily with a custom UI, although it is still disappointing (especially, with no word of an OTA update coming).  It's got all of the familiar Google apps and Android messaging features.

Priced at $99.99 (with a two-year contract from AT&T), the Dell Aero is actually a very attractive offering - if not for the fact that it's running a retardedly old version of Android.  With that said, the hardware  does seems solid, so we'll let you decide whether this is worth dropping your entry-level smartphone budget on.

[via Gizmodo]

Cricket has added a new Android phone in their roster.  Likely coming in at the bottom rung of current Android releases, the Sanyo Zio (from Kyocera) features some decent specs that could be worth getting over a regular feature phone.

Running Android 1.6 at the helm, this isn't the kind of device seasoned Android users will look to as their next phone.   Regardless, you get the whole suite of Google apps (albeit, circa 1.6), along with support for a wide catalog of Android-compatible software - a definite step-up if you've been languishing with one of Cricket's budget handsets the last year or so.

Details of the Sanyo Zio include a 3.5-inch touchscreen display (400 x 800 resolution), a 3.2 megapixel camera module, 3G, WiFi, stereo Bluetooth and microSD card expansion (1GB included, expandable up to 32GB).  It has a 1130 mAh battery, with a rated talk time of six hours.  Phone dimensions are  4.6 x 2.3 x .48 inches, with a weight of 3.7 oz.

It's Cricket's first Android handset and it sounds like a fair effort.  Those interested can head on over to the Cricket website, where it's priced at $249.99 (with a 20% "online rebate").  There's a fine print of requiring an "Android Plan" with no signed contract, so we're not sure how well this falls on the value scale.  Shipping is slated for August 26th.

[My Cricket via Engadget]

Tech blog Engadget has an exclusive post up, showing off photos and videos of two Dell Thunder smartphone prototypes.  Both handsets are labeled EVT1 (engineering verification test) and are traced back to around April, so the actual devices coming to market might still turn out to be different.

According to Engadget, the design makes the handset out to be a "sleek, sexy beast." Based on the photos, we agree.  It's got chromed sides, recessed hardware buttons, a curved glass screen and square corners.

Details of the Thunder prototypes include a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU with Qualcomm Adreno graphics, 512MB of RAM, 512MB of ROM, an 8.0 megapixel camera module with LED flash and autofocus, a working three-axis magnetometer, a three-axis accelerometer, 3G, WiFi and a 3.5mm audio jack.  The two phones had similar screens, but one was set to 800 x 480 pixels, while the other was 1,280 x 768.  There were AMOLED-specific tests in the phone's debug app, which hints that Dell is looking forward to equipping them with AMOLED screens.

One runs a stock version of Android 2.1 and the other, a developer version of Android 1.6, although it's more likely Dell will ship this with 2.2, considering the timing of the potential release.  Overall, Engadget came away with a positive impression.

There's little to go on about Dell's actual plans for the Thunder, but this appears to be a fairly decent device (considering this is timelined back to April, no less) - provided they can get it to market before the next wave of more advanced Android handsets come out.

[via Engadget]

Orange announced a new Android phone for the French market today.  Billed as the Orange Tactile Internet (yes, really), the new handset will be an entry-level smartphone carrying the wireless network's branding.

No clear word on who actually manufactured it.  Based on the unusual styling, though, it's probably not one of the big guys.  Like HTC's earlier Android devices, however, the compact frame (it looks like a regular touchscreen slab abruptly sliced in the middle) wears a highly conspicuous chin.

Details of the Orange Tactile Internet include a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen (240 x 320), a 3.2 megapixel camera module, aGPS, 3G with HSPA, WiFi, stereo Bluetooth, FM radio, 3.5mm jack, 256MB internal storage and microSD card expansion (with a 2GB card included in the package).  It measures 107.5 x 57 x 13.8 mm and weighs 104 g.

The handset will ship with Android 2.1, which means it will get plenty of newer features like Maps Navigation, apart from the default suite of Google apps.  Orange is pricing it at a low €1 on a new contract, so it sounds like an excellent deal for folks looking to switch from an older feature phone.  It's now available from Orange's website (it's French, though).  Link below.

[Orange via Unwired View]

Garmin-Asus introduced a new Android smartphone in their navigation-centric roster of handsets. Called the Garmin-Asus A10, it offers a change of pace for the company, integrating software that's better optimized for pedestrian navigation, rather than the turn-by-turn driving guidance that's been the focus of their previous releases.

Of course, it has provisions for automobile use too, so it won't exactly be useless when driving around the city. We're not exactly sure what it means to be optimized for pedestrians, since they don't detail it, but we're guessing it has something to do with public transport integration (bus, tramway, metro and suburban rail systems) on the cityXplorer maps and some of the bundled apps. There's really little to go on from the press release.

Details of the Garmin-Asus A10 include a 3.2-inch touchscreen (HVGA resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module, aGPS (obviously) and a 1,500mAh battery. It gets all the usual Android niceties, of course, from the Google suite of apps to Exchange support to the Webkit-based HTML browser with multi-touch capabilities.

Like all Garmin-Asus phones, it comes with pre-loaded maps, so you don't need to get lost when going without a cell signal (as you would with the Google Maps Navigation). While "optimized" for pedestrians, it comes with a dashboard mount in the box too. We're thinking a belt clip (or a wrist mount) would have been more appropriate, though.

The Garmin-Asus A10 is slated for a mid-2010 availability in both Europe and the Asia-Pacific. No word on pricing has been given.

[Garmin]

LG just announced two new smartphones for the South Korean market, the LG LU2300 and the LG KU9500. Both handsets carry similar specs, although the former is rocking a sliding QWERTY keyboard (well, whatever the Korean version of that is) and a trackpad, while the latter goes without either.

The most notable feature here should be LG's Scan Search, an augmented reality application that the company has previously talked about in brief. From what we can tell, it will add icons for nearby establishments and services as seen through the onboard camera's viewfinder. Another custom app coming with the phones is the LG Air Sync, which allows sharing of contacts, calendars, mail, photos, music and video wirelessly both with a PC or a web server.

Major details of both the LG LU2300 and LG KU9500 will be similar: 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, 3.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen (800 x 480 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module, aGPS, WiFi, Dolby Mobile sound processing and DMB TV. Since they're running Android, they'll come with the usual set of Google apps, too, including Mail, YouTube and Maps.

The LG LU2300 will have Android 1.6 when it first hits stores in May, with a promised August update to Android 2.1. On the other hand, the LG KU9500 will ship with Android 2.1 by default when it comes to the market in June.

Both phones will be initially available through KT and SK Telecoms in Korea. No word on pricing for either one, nor a release date for other parts of the world.

[via Unwired View]