smart phones

Sony Ericsson unveiled the follow-up models to last year's Xperia X10 Mini and Xperia X10 Mini Pro today, refreshing the pair with Gingerbread and improved specifications.

Due later this year, both handsets feature a 3-inch touch display, 5-megapixel camera, and 1GHz Snapdragon processor. As was the case with the first generation of these Xperia phones, the primary difference between the two is that the Mini Pro features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, whereas the Mini is touch only. Additionally, the Mini Pro adds a front-facing VGA camera and a pair of business-minded apps: Office Suite and McAfee Antivirus.

At first … Read more

Are you ready for some cheery PR spin? Some deeply thought out, loving, but slightly cold-hearted PR spin?

Alright then. Staples, the people who offer you the Easy button, would like to impart some important personal information to ease your spirit.

For the company has just performed its fifth-annual Small Business Survey (yes, I missed the first four, too) and discovered that techno-love has now superseded the fleshy, inadequate, unsatisfying version in which so many of us still naively believe.

It appears that 60 percent of small business owners admit that they dedicate more time to holding their cell phones … Read more

I'm excited to announce that our next CNET Conversation will be with Tero Ojanpera, Nokia's executive vice president of mobile services. Nokia's a fascinating company right now: it recently ousted its CEO and installed the first non-Finnish chief executive in company history, Microsoft exec Stephen Elop.

Thereafter, Nokia lost its head of smartphone development, Anssi Vankoji, who bluntly told the Wall Street Journal he quit because he wasn't appointed CEO. Next out the door will be chairman Jorma Olila, who announced at Nokia World that he'll depart in 2012.

It's rare for a company … Read more

This is turning into one of those charming cage matches in which wrestlers desperately try to maim each other with chains and chairs and blows to very private regions.

In a new video, posted to both its own Web site and to YouTube, Apple attempts to show that the dazzling new Motorola Droid X, which many seem to rather appreciate, also has something of an issue when it comes to being held in the Death Grip.

You know, the grip where you wrap your fingers round your cell phone, and the onscreen signal bars drop like a swooning '50s starlet?… Read more

Monday, I spent the better part of an afternoon with the Streak, Dell's ambitious foray into the world of Android tablets. It was an illuminating experience, with plenty of takeaways--both good and bad.

With its release in the U.K. over a month ago, chances are, you're already aware of what the Streak has to offer. Apart from its larger dimensions, the Streak's tech specs read like typical high-end smart phone. There's built-in 3G and Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), along with Bluetooth 2.1 support. The 800x480 resolution screen uses capacitive touch technology, supports multi-touch and is helped along by a fast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. You get microSIM memory expansion (16GB included), and a removable/replaceable battery. There's both a speaker and microphone designed for voice calls, as well as a 5 megapixel camera that includes auto-focus and flash. And if that weren't enough, Dell threw in a VGA resolution front facing camera, enabling video chat and self-portrait antics.

Now take all of those specs, super-size it with a 5-inch screen, and you've got the Dell Streak. It's a giant smart phone and a scrawny tablet all rolled into one. It's awkward, it's fun, it's a freak of nature, it's your new best friend, it's a paradox wrapped in an enigma. In all seriousness, we're still a little conflicted over whether to recommend this superphone/microtablet--partly because of its unique size, but mostly because we haven't been given all the facts.

At the time of this writing there are still a few big unknowns regarding the Streak's U.S. release. Dell was kind enough to provide us with an evaluation unit, but remained tight lipped when it comes to the product's official release date, pricing, or possible partnerships or subsidies from national carriers. The last we heard in June, the Streak was due out near the end of July, priced around $500 when ordered directly from Dell.com--which doesn't strike us as screaming deal. Priced more aggressively using standard carrier contracts and subsidies, the Streak becomes less of a pint-sized stab at the Apple iPad, and more of an evolutionary step in the arena of Android superphones. We expect more news on the Streak's pricing and availability near the end of the week. Until then, let me walk you through the highs and lows of my afternoon with the Streak, and save our formal CNET review for later.

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AUSTIN, Texas--Networking is a very big part of why thousands of people have come to the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) festival from near and far for five days of one of the most popular confabs in the country.

But as anyone knows who's been to packed conferences, especially ones with long days of sessions, meetings, and evening socializing, it can be cumbersome to keep track of all the business cards that pile over the course of the event. Even if you don't lose some of them, you might have trouble days or weeks later putting faces to … Read more

The U.S. International Trade Commission on Wednesday said it will launch an investigation into whether Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry infringe on a Kodak patent.

Eastman Kodak filed a complaint on January 14, alleging that the systems used to preview images on Apple's and RIM's smart phones infringe on the iconic former film manufacturer's patent.

"In the case of Apple and RIM, we've had discussions for years with both companies in an attempt to resolve this issue amicably, and we have not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement," … Read more

Updated to include Google comment and Symbian news.

Rejoice, ye Nexus One owners, for you and only you are the lucky recipients of multitouch. And I'm wondering: does this software update for this one Android phone spell serious trouble for the whole endeavor? There are now, on the market, Android phones running versions of the OS that range from 1.5 to 2.1, and the Nexus One keeps pulling farther ahead of even the once-mighty Motorola Droid. There are brand new reports that Google has forked its mobile OS, and Android drivers have been removed from the Linux … Read more

Using smart phones as navigation tools is all the rage these days, what with a slew of applications available for the iPhone and Android platforms that utilize those devices' built-in GPS systems in determining users' real-time location.

One such service is from Waze, which in August released its iPhone app after being available on Android for several months. Waze's service is meant to help drivers figure out where they are and how best to get where they're going, all with the help of a large community of other motorists.

Among the information that Waze provides are traffic flow, … Read more