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]
If you've been keeping up with the gadget rumor sites, you've probably seen the Nokia 5250 numerous times. The company finally made the oft-leaked device official, confirming it as a music-centric touchscreen phone that offers great value for your money.
Running the Symbian^1 operating system (aka S60 5th edition), it brings Nokia's old UI, along with all the features that long-time users of the Finnish company's phones should be familiar with. Designed for heavy music users, it features a music player right on the home screen, along with instant access to Ovi Music Unlimited, an all-you-can-download music service available for selected territories. Other musical talents include an FM radio and a mobile version of Guitar Hero 5 pre-installed.
The Nokia 5250 has a 2.8-inch touchscreen (640 x 360 resolution, 16:9 display ratio), a 2.0 megapixel camera module, quad-band GSM/EDGE/GPRS, stereo Bluetooth and microSD card expansion (up to 16GB). It's extremely pocketable too, measuring 104mm x 49mm x 14mm. Battery is rated at 7 hours of talk time and 24 hours of music playback.
Aside from the music features, it's quite generous on the social capabilities. You get to add your favorite contacts right on the home screen, along with quick access to email accounts and social networks. It also has access to downloadable apps via the Ovi Store.
Pricing for the Nokia 5250 is set at an enticing €115 (around $145) before taxes and subsidies, with shipping slated for the fourth quarter. For a touchscreen feature phone with Ovi Music Unlimited and an affable design, it definitely sounds like a nice offer.
[Nokia Conversations]
Nokia has announced a new candybar that delivers a refreshing change for the form factor. Called the Nokia X3-02 Touch and Type, the feature phone boasts both a touchscreen and an alphanumeric keypad right on the handset's front panel.
Running the company's old feature phone OS, it's one of the few S40 devices to have a touchscreen on board (a couple of them have previously been released for the Chinese market), making it one of the more interesting non-smartphones to come out from the Finnish company. We're not sure how well S40 will work on a touchscreen, though, so that should be something to watch out for (or be wary of, if you're thinking of buying one).
Details of the Nokia X3-02 Touch and Type include a 2.4-inch touchscreen (320 x 240 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module with video recording, Bluetooth 2.1, FM radio with RDS, 3.5mm audio jack and microSD card expansion (up to 16GB). Connectivity suite is pretty complete, with both WiFi and 3G with HSPA on board.
Since it's running S40, you should expect Nokia's familiar messaging strengths, along with support for Java applications. Communities, an app for access to social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, will come preloaded. From the photos, the handset looks notably attractive too, with nice sharp lines, a brushed aluminum finish and a slim 9.6 mm profile.
The Nokia X3-02 Touch and Type is slated for availability in multiple markets before the end of the third quarter, priced at €125 ($161) before taxes and subsidies. It will come in five color versions (White Silver, Petrol Blue, Lilac, Pink and Dark Metal).
[Nokia Conversations]
US wireless carrier Cricket has two new phones on the roster, namely the Cricket MSGM8 II and the Kyocera Rio E3100. The former has been officially launched as of today, while the latter should be due for availability soon.
The MSGM8 II is a boxy-looking QWERTY candybar, sporting largely basic features. Details of the tri-band CDMA device include a 220 x 176 pixel TFT LCD, a 1.3 megapixel camera module, stereo Bluetooth and a 900 mAh battery, rated at six hours of talk time. Phone dimensions are 4.2 x 2.39 x 0.53 inches, with a weight of 3.74 ounces.
The Kyocera Rio E3100, on the other hand, is a touchscreen feature phone. Sporting slim dimensions and a curvy design, it will come with Brew as its OS. Details include a 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen (320 x 240 resolution), a 1.3 megapixel camera module, aGPS, 3.5mm headset jack, stereo Bluetooth and microSD card expansion (up to 16GB). Software features include threaded messaging, WAP browser and access to Brew-based content.
You can now order the Cricket MSGM8 II from the company website (link below), priced at $80. Neither pricing nor availability has been announced for the Kyocera Rio E3100, however, which the company earlier showed off during a recent analyst meeting.
[MSGM8 II via Unwired View]
Verizon has finally made the successor to the original Droid official. Uncreatively billed as the Motorola Droid 2, it will be the first handset to ship with the latest Android 2.2 Froyo.
Like its predecessor, the new smartphone will pack in a heavyset collection of features, paired with a full QWERTY keyboard. According to Motorola, the device "takes a big leap forward from the original Droid," packing a faster processor, 3G mobile hotspot capabilities (for up to 5 devices) and an upgraded keyboard, which promises to address user complaints about the previous phone's uncomfortable keypad.
Core hardware consists of a 1GHz TI OMAP processor, paired with a dedicated GPU. Details include a 3.7-inch touchscreen display, a 5.0 megapixel camera module (with DVD-D1 video capture), aGPS (with VZ Navigator), 3G with HSPA, WiFi, DLNA wireless sharing, Bluetooth 2.1, a 3.5mm jack, 8GB of onboard storage and microSD card expansion (with another 8GB preloaded).
A semi-world phone, the handset is ready for use in up to 40 countries. It will come with all of Froyo's updated capabilities, including hardware-accelerated support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and a unified calendar (both Google and corporate).
The Motorola Droid 2 will go on preorder from Verizon's website beginning tomorrow. Price is $199.99 with a $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year customer agreement. No word on actual ship date, although it's being speculated for the 12th. A special R2-D2 version will also come sometime in September, which will come preloaded with exclusive Star Wars content and “external hardware designed to look like the trusty Droid from the film saga.”
[via Mobile Crunch]
